
##4087275 THE NEOCONSERVATIVE PERSUASION # Selected Essays , 1942-2009 # By Irving Kristol # Edited by Gertrude Himmelfarb . Foreword by William Kristol. # 390 pp . Basic Books . $29.95. # Irving Kristol , who died in 2009 , is sometimes called the " godfather ' or even " father ' of neoconservatism , and the patriarchal honorific , like a well-worn hat , sits comfortably atop " The Neoconservative Persuasion : Selected Essays , 1942-2009 . ' The book is strictly a family enterprise . It has been lovingly edited by Kristol 's widow , the historian Gertrude Himmelfarb , and carries a prefatory funeral eulogy by their sorrowful son , the Republican journalist William Kristol . Even the selection of essays reflects a uniquely familial degree of intimacy . # Himmelfarb recounts in her introduction that while " rummaging among old files ' after her husband 's death , she discovered tattered copies of a short-lived and wholly forgotten little magazine called Enquiry : A Journal of Independent Radical Thought . Her husband and some of his young friends founded the magazine in 1942 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for eight issues , until the young friends and Kristol himself disappeared into the Army . Himmelfarb has reproduced the cover of Vol. 1 , No. 1 -- austere , elegant , partly sans-serif in the 1940s style , 10 cents a copy -- and the sight of the magazine does conjure an era. # Kristol in 1942 was just two years out of New York 's City College , working as a machinist in the Brooklyn Navy Yard , and he still bore the marks of his student Trotskyism . Russian revolutionaries in the time of the czars used to adopt noms de guerre to outwit the police , and at City College in the 1930s , earnest young Trotskyists did the same . Irving Kristol renamed himself " William Ferry ' ( which , if I may add a detail , was an undergraduate in-joke aimed at one of American Trotskyism 's adult leaders , who , not being a college man himself , was unable to pronounce correctly the word " periphery " ) . And sure enough , at the foot of Enquiry 's inaugural cover , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the author of a piece on W. H. Auden . # Himmelfarb has reprinted the essay . It is bristly with words like " hypostasizing ' -- a commentary by a wisp of a lad who is trying in vain to appear as solid and august as Lionel Trilling , the literary critic . Still , the essay makes good reading , and this is precisely because young Kristol , in his boyish impressionability , was alive to the intellectual tremors of his own moment , which were huge . # Teenage Trotskyism , back in the ' 30s , had rested on a series of firm beliefs and alarming realities . The student rebels noticed that at home in America , capitalism had pretty much collapsed , which made free-market conservatism or any other kind of conservatism out of the question . Europe had absolutely collapsed . Communism and the Soviet Union advertised themselves as the answer to everything . The young Trotskyists knew too much about Stalin to believe any such thing . Trotskyism 's big idea was to hold out for a better sort of revolutionary left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not seem altogether impossible , for a while . Then the Spanish Civil War turned out badly . The Spanish left went down to defeat . In 1940 Trotsky was assassinated . And revolutionary leftism retreated from the zones of plausibility to the zone of mere speculation . # Kristol 's essays in Enquiry magazine in the 1940s show that even so , he went on clinging to the speculative option , for a time . The philosopher Sidney Hook tried to persuade America 's antiwar intellectuals to come out in favor of American participation in World War II , which meant giving up on ultra-left-wing recriminations and fantasies . Young Kristol , replying in one of the Enquiry essays reprinted here , instructed Hook that America was a force for imperialism and racism , engaged in " a completely reactionary crusade ' against Japan . But Kristol himself seems to have recognized how ridiculous his sloganeering sounded . # Mostly in those early essays he showed a sophisticated comprehension of his own predicament , which was hopelessly complicated . Every single one of the grand certainties of the 1930s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circle of friends , a time of doubt had arrived . Unfortunately the ' 40s were also , as Hook explained , a time for war -- therefore no time to retreat into private rumination . Kristol understood this . " The crisis in conscience is deep and enduring and any renewal of heart will have to accept it as a fellow-traveler , ' wrote " William Ferry ' in his essay on Auden , sounding very mature indeed . " On the other hand , to elevate doubt into a political program is distinctly impracticable . ' # To be filled with gloomy doubt , and to go limping forward , even so , in search of practical solutions , perhaps even harboring some last shrunken hope for a better world , like a man cupping a match -- this was the animating inspiration of Kristol 's generation of intellectuals in their postcollege years . They cultivated a spirit of ambivalence and modesty . They were alert to subtleties and nuances of life and the soul of a sort that might be addressed by literature , or even by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saul Bellow , five years older than Kristol , expressed the mood in " Dangling Man , ' which describes a disillusioned young leftist in circumstances rather like Kristol 's , except in Chicago instead of Brooklyn . Bellow 's narrator says , " This would probably be a condemned age . But . . . it might be a mistake to think of it in that way . ' Kristol 's City College mates , Irving Howe and Daniel Bell , spent the 1950s writing books in the shadow of that same idea , discouraged but averse to despair -- Howe 's " Politics and the Novel " ( on the corrosive effects of radical political movements on their own members , among other topics , as shown by Dostoyevsky and Hawthorne and other novelists ) , and Bell 's " Marxian Socialism in the United States " and " The End of Ideology ' ( on Marxism 's failure to take the measure of the modern world ) , not to mention nearly everything else those men went on to write . # The essays by Kristol from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make me suppose that he , too , could have written a book like theirs , if he had set his mind to it . He took a philosophical interest in the mendacities and profundities of political rhetoric , and he took a historical interest in the American past , and it is easy to imagine that if he had allowed those interests to fertilize each other , his own 1940s inspiration might have blossomed eventually into something sturdier and more ambitious than a scattered set of slender magazine commentaries . # He did give book writing a try , but his patience gave out after three months . Then he decided , as he recounts in still another of the essays here , that his own talents pointed to editing and magazine writing . He and Bell founded another little magazine , The Public Interest , in 1965 , which was designed to bring something of the 1940s skepticism , in a social science version , to questions of public policy in the United States . And the magazine prospered . Kristol was in good form . He wrote a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called " What 's Bugging the Students ? ' from the standpoint of his own , by then middle-age generation . # Something happened to Kristol , though , or so it seems to me . Bell and Howe and some other people from that generation never did give up on their 1940s ambivalences -- even if the student rebellions of the ' 60s were aimed directly at them , which could not have been a pleasant experience . In Himmelfarb 's interpretation , Kristol , too , faithfully clung to his earliest inspirations . " The Neoconservative Persuasion ' persuades me otherwise . Kristol , to my eyes , looks a little like Norman Mailer , another 1940s personality who , in the course of the ' 60s , decided to shuck off his old thoughtfulness in favor of something new -- though of course Mailer , the hipster , defected to the counterculture , and Kristol , the square , took up the anti-counterculture. # Anti-counterculturalism relieved him of the burdens of uncertainty . " The Quality of Doubt ' was the subtitle of his 1942 Auden essay . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1970s exuded the quality of dogmatism , which he labeled " conservative . ' Himmelfarb , in her introduction , cites with approval a Partisan Review commentary , included in the book , in which Kristol laid out several of his newly " conservative ' dogmas . He wrote : # " I have reached certain conclusions : that Jane Austen is a greater novelist than Proust or Joyce ; that Raphael is a greater painter than Picasso ; that T. S. Eliot 's later , Christian poetry is much superior to his earlier ; that C. S. Lewis is a finer literary and cultural critic than Edmund Wilson ; that Aristotle is more worthy of careful study than Marx ; that we have more to learn from Tocqueville than from Max Weber ; that Adam Smith makes a lot more economic sense than any economist since ; that the Founders had a better understanding of democracy than any political scientists since ; that . . . well , enough . ' # Or more than enough . List making is fun at parties . But Kristol in that passage lays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes on reasonable grounds ( not even Karl Marx would dispute that Aristotle outranks Marx ) , sometimes on questionable grounds ( suppose you wanted to read about the events of Marx 's lifetime -- what good would Aristotle do you , then ? ) , but always emphatically . # nd , in this new spirit , he plunged into his magnum opus , which , instead of a book , was the constructing of something called " neoconservatism . ' This was intended to be a new kind of political inspiration , different from the old-fashioned Main Street , balance-the-budget , isolationist conservatism of the past , and different from the right-wing radicalism of people who used to read books like " The Income Tax : The Root of All Evil . ' Readers who want to unravel the mystery of Kristol 's new idea will naturally turn to the title essay of the book , " The Neoconservative Persuasion , ' from 2003 , in which he summarizes his principles . These turn out to be , in his presentation : a cheerful zest for economic growth ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Franklin Roosevelt ; a worried fear of moral and cultural decline ; and no particular doctrine on foreign affairs , apart from a conviction that America 's power and prosperity require an active role in world events . ( Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed . They will ask , where are the Judeo-Satanic hidden goals ? -- and will go thumbing through Kristol 's book in vain. ) # The book contains almost 50 essays , though , and apart from the handful of writings from the 1940s , and another handful , mostly admirable , from his phase as a cold war liberal and incipient political philosopher in the ' 50s , the greatest number of those essays , if you put them together , add up to an extended tirade against American liberalism , which I think should figure as still another of neoconservatism 's principles -- the largest and most energetic principle of all , judging by the evidence here . The tirade rested on two main inspirations , neither of which can be dismissed out of hand . Kristol repeatedly argued that American liberalism , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrow vision of human nature , which attributes too much importance to material conditions and not enough to moral and religious considerations . # His argument drew on the old 1940s instinct to look to literature and even to religion for insights -- to think about the soul , and not just about dollars and social structures . Thinking about some nonmaterial factors led , in the pages of The Public Interest , to shrewd criticisms of Lyndon Johnson 's Great Society and various faddish social reform projects of the big foundations . Then again , the habit of adverting to spiritual questions and the soul allowed Kristol , as the years advanced , to speak ever more warmly , though not always convincingly , about evangelical Christian movements as a preferable alternative to government-sponsored social reform . # Still , the largest of his inspirations was an insistent nostalgia for the America of his own youth -- even if , in the title essay , he explicitly repudiated anything of the sort . But who in the world of sophisticated thinkers does not repudiate nostalgia ? And who does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ages of yore ? Kristol 's yearnings were relentless , though . In his picture of American life , the virtues of long ago invariably seem more virtuous than the virtues of the present , and even the vices of the past turn out to be roguishly preferable to vices of more recent times . # America as a whole used to be more public spirited . In New York City , " street crime was practically unheard of . ' Religious sermons used to be more challenging ; trade unions less selfish ; schools , untroubled . " In general , the political handling of controversial religious and moral issues in the United States prior to World War II was a triumph of reasoned experience over abstract dogmatism ' -- a sentence from an essay provocatively called " On the Political Stupidity of the Jews ' ( whose stupidity consists , it would seem , of failing to agree with Kristol that life in America was better back in the days when anti-Semitism was still an acceptable prejudice ) . # On the side of vice , Las Vegas used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the arts have steadily declined , morally speaking , ever since the 19th century . ( The superiority of T. S. Eliot 's later poetry to his earlier poetry appears to be an anomaly . ) " The feminization of social policy ' has undermined the previously superior , " masculine ' welfare state . The decline of Greek and Latin instruction seems to him catastrophic : " Future historians may yet decide that one of the crucial events of our century , perhaps decisive for its cultural and political destiny , was the gradual dissolution and abandonment of the study of the classics as the core of the school curriculum . ' # The passion that he brought to these arguments seems to have left him , at times , a little unhinged , such that , like a desperate man fending off a mob , he ends up hurling everything in sight at the hated liberals . In an essay called , slightly paranoically , ' ' Human Rights ' : The Hidden Agenda , ' from 1986-87 , he presents the human rights movement as a cryptofriend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you would never guess that , in 1989 , the human rights movement 's closest allies in Eastern Europe would end up leading the pro-American revolutions that overthrew Communism . Still another essay deplores " the secular , social democratic ' notion of the welfare state in the 20th century , which , upon being put into effect , strikes him as potentially " the saddest of political tragedies in our tragic century ' -- though he adds , by way of nuance ( as if troubled by the absurdity of what he had just written ) , " not the bloodiest , of course , but merely the saddest. ' # There is sometimes a charm in Kristol 's prose , once he had gotten past his pompous Lionel Trilling period -- a wry , man-of-the-people modesty , nicely joined with a genuine talent for summarizing ideas . Then again , he tried to capitalize on his Everyman sonority by claiming to speak on behalf of " the majority of Americans ' or even " the overwhelming majority of Americans , ' and sometimes " the American people ' altogether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . In the course of an otherwise intelligent essay about Communism and McCarthyism as long ago as 1952 , he wrote : " For there is one thing that the American people know about Senator McCarthy ; he , like them , is unequivocally anti-Communist . About the spokesmen for American liberalism , they feel they know no such thing . ' # The remark is one of Kristol 's most famous , if only because his enemies have been quoting it back at him for almost 60 years . The habit of invoking the American people served him well , even so . Some of the more talented leaders of the Republican Party eventually cocked an ear in his direction , in search of oratorical and political and programmatic possibilities . And the alliance was formed . # Himmelfarb has thoughtfully filled " The Neoconservative Persuasion ' with pieces that , with one exception , have not appeared in previous collections . The subtitle , " Selected Essays , ' might lead readers to suppose that here must surely be Kristol 's Greatest Hits -- the best and most popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greatest Hits in an anthology in 1995 called " Neoconservatism : The Autobiography of an Idea . ' # The new book ought to be regarded , instead , as a Volume 2 . It is faithful to his ideas and their evolution . And it offers an opportunity to evaluate his abilities as an essayist -- his achievements as a thinker and writer within the little world known as the " New York intellectuals . ' The achievements do not seem to me large . Kristol was not a Trilling , a Hook , a Howe or a Bell . For that matter , he never produced anything as substantial as his wife 's scholarly meditations on English history . # But it is true that unlike any of those other talented people , Kristol , with his tirades and simplicities , helped found a political movement . And under the name of " neoconservatism , ' his movement invigorated the party of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and , for better and for worse , wreaked enormous changes on America and the world. # # 
##4087276 WHEN the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Roger Corman with an honorary award in 2009 , the citation did n't mention the more than 50 films he directed . Instead the Academy praised him for " his rich engendering of films and filmmakers ' -- a phrase that distractingly evokes a champion racehorse in retirement but evidently refers to Mr. Corman 's stunning track record as a producer . # The Internet Movie Database lists 394 projects in which Mr. Corman participated as a production executive , from " Highway Dragnet ' in 1954 to " Sharktopus , ' a 2010 effort for the Syfy cable channel that , in the venerable Corman tradition , has attracted cult interest . ( It will be released on DVD in March . ) The vast majority of these movies were ultra-low-budget productions , many made in a matter of a few days with casts and crews willing to accept tiny checks and work long hours in exchange for experience and an entree into the industry . # Among the graduates of what has come to be known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola , the actors Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro , the producers Jon Davison and Gale Anne Hurd , the writers Robert Towne and John Sayles and countless others . " Do a good job on this picture , ' Mr. Corman liked to say , " and your reward will be that you 'll never have to work for me again . ' # But Mr. Corman , who turns 85 this year , is more than a shrewd businessman with a keen eye for new talent . His best films as a director express a genuine sensibility : a somber , apocalyptic vision belied by some of the more lurid titles in his filmography . The director of " Teenage Caveman ' ( 1958 ) and " The Last Woman on Earth ' ( 1960 ) was fascinated by the prospect of end times , of civilizations collapsing and worlds imploding. # In Mr. Corman 's movies , the deluge is always just around the corner , and his young protagonists -- projections of the teenage public that supported his work at drive-ins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( all of those ripe young women , held in the trembling grip of an aging Vincent Price in Mr. Corman 's series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations ) or its enthusiastic harbingers ( the nihilistic antiheroes of his gangster pictures , the anarchist bikers of " The Wild Angels " ) . # The independent label Shout ! Factory has been issuing some of the better-known Corman productions over the last year ( including " Piranha , " Joe Dante 's subversive 1978 response to " Jaws " ) . Now Shout ! has turned to Corman the director with a nifty two-disc set , " Roger Corman 's Cult Classics Triple Feature , ' that includes excellent transfers of three early and rare Corman features and trailers for some 25 more . Filmmaking does n't get much more elemental than this , yet the work is always entertaining and at times startlingly effective . # " Attack of the Crab Monsters ' and " Not of This Earth ' opened as a double feature on Feb. 10 , 1957 , distributed by the Poverty Row studio Allied Artists . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of the few Corman films that seem outright campy , with its awkward structure , wavering tone and cheesy special effects ; but " Not of This Earth ' is tightly constructed , crisply filmed and genuinely creepy . # It 's mainly a question of focus : " Crab Monsters ' imagines a diverse group of nuclear scientists ( youngsters who look good in bathing suits , oldsters with slippery foreign accents ) investigating the mysterious disappearance of a group of colleagues from an island test site . ( Spoiler alert : a clue to their fate is contained in the title . ) The characters are indistinct , the story line vague , the rhythms erratic , the creatures more crabby than monstrous . It 's a little film trying to look big , and falling disastrously ( if divertingly ) short . # " Not of This Earth , ' though , represents a thoughtful alignment of resources and ambitions . The screenplay , by two of Mr. Corman 's regular collaborators , Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna , generates suspense by shifting between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle-aged gentleman ( Paul Birch ) with a mysterious blood disease , and a pretty young nurse ( Beverly Garland ) whose job it is to replace his plasma daily . # The set-up is essentially that of the Poe films to come ( a creepy adult authority figure holes up in an old house with a sexy but vulnerable young dish ) , and by the time Mr. Corman teases out the back story ( the gentleman is an emissary from a dying planet , looking for a fresh source of corpuscles ) the emotional dynamics of the situation have already taken hold . ( Mr. Corman liked the script so much that he produced two remakes of it , in 1988 and 1995. ) # " War of the Satellites ' ( 1958 ) attempts Kubrickian themes on a Bowery Boys budget . As humans prepare to leave their planet , an advanced alien race sends down an agent to replace the mild-mannered scientist ( Richard Devon ) in charge of the space project . Once again , rebellious youth saves the day , as the professor 's assistant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 appearances in Corman-directed films ) sees through the deception and takes matters into his own hands . # What differentiates Mr. Corman from more dedicated schlockmeisters like William Castle and Jess Franco is his almost unshakable sobriety . He seldom falls back on making fun of his material , preferring instead to play by the rules and with a straight face . # In " War of the Satellites , ' a 32-year-old Mr. Corman turns up in an extended cameo as a ground control officer at an American rocket base . Staring straight ahead at a nonexistent bank of monitors , Mr. Corman does his best to pretend he 's manning the latest NASA equipment , rather than sitting behind a table on a rickety , two-sided set . His steady , serious bearing suggests his ethic as a filmmaker : he 's going to guide his leaky little ship through the parlous night , calmly solving problems as they arise , deftly steering clear of plot holes and absurdities until he gets his vessel safely home . # He makes it look easy , though it 's anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rated ) # ALSO OUT THIS WEEK # LET ME IN Matt Reeves ( " Cloverfield " ) directed this remake of the lyrical Swedish vampire film " Let the Right One In , ' with Kodi Smit-McPhee as an ostracized boy who finds friendship with a mysterious neighbor ( Chloe Grace Moretz ) . " The emotional tone is more American emo than Nordic melancholy , ' A. O. Scott wrote in The New York Times in September . ( Anchor Bay Entertainment , Blu-ray $39.99 , DVD $29.98 , R ) # CONVICTION A working-class woman ( Hilary Swank ) puts herself through law school in an effort to free her wrongfully convicted brother ( Sam Rockwell ) from prison . With Melissa Leo , Juliette Lewis and Minnie Driver . " The emotions at work in a tale that moves from tragic cruelty through heroic patience toward ultimate triumph are so clear and obvious that dramatizing them almost seems redundant , ' Mr. Scott wrote in The Times in October . ( Fox Searchlight , Blu-ray $39.99 , DVD $29.99 , R ) # THE TILLMAN STORYJosh Brolin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player who died in a so-called friendly fire incident in Afghanistan . Amir Bar-Lev directed . " This devastating film persuasively portrays ' Tillman 's family " as finer , more morally sturdy people than the cynical chain of command that lied to them and used their son as a propaganda tool , ' Stephen Holden wrote in The Times in August . ( Sony Pictures , Blu-ray $30.95 , DVD $24.96 , R ) # NEVER LET ME GOCarey Mulligan , Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley attend an English boarding school where not everything is as it seems . Mark Romanek directed from a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro . " One of the pleasures of ' Never Let Me Go , on the page and on screen , comes from the detective work the story requires , ' Manohla Dargis wrote in The Times in September . ( Fox Searchlight , Blu-ray $39.99 , DVD $29.99 , R ) # A WOMAN , A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP The Chinese director Zhang Yimou ( " Hero " ) offers a remake of the Coen Brothers 1984 black comedy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working through the self-conscious genre imitation that was something of a novelty in ' Blood Simple , Mr. Zhang uncovers the primal , mythic intensity of the story and also changes the tone of its essential nihilism , ' Mr. Scott wrote in The Times in September . ( Sony Pictures Classics , Blu-ray $38.96 , DVD $28.95 , R ) # # 
##4087277 Leaders of more than 70 Tea Party groups in Indiana gathered last weekend to sign a proclamation saying they would all support one candidate -- as yet undetermined -- in a primary challenge to Senator Richard G. Lugar , the Republican who has represented the state since 1977. # They are organizing early , they say , to prevent what happened last year , when several Tea Party candidates split the vote in Republican Senate primaries , allowing the most establishment of the candidates to win with less than 40 percent . # The meeting in Sharpsville was hardly the exception . Just three months after the midterm elections , Tea Party organizers are preparing to challenge some of the longest-serving Republican incumbents in 2012. # In Maine , there is already one candidate running on a Tea Party platform against Senator Olympia J. Snowe . Supporters there are seeking others to run , declaring that they , too , will back the person they view as the strongest candidate to avoid splitting their vote . In Utah , the same people who ousted Senator Robert F. Bennett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at a challenge to Senator Orrin G. Hatch . # The early moves suggest that the pattern of the last elections , in which primaries were more fiercely contested than the general election in several states , may be repeated . # They also show how much the Tea Party has changed the definition of who qualifies as a conservative . While Ms. Snowe is widely considered a moderate Republican , Mr. Hatch is not . Mr. Lugar , similarly , defines himself as a conservative . He argues that he has consistently won praise from small-business groups , supported a balanced budget amendment and pushed for a reduction in farm subsidies and the closing of agricultural extension offices as part of an effort to reduce unnecessary spending -- all initiatives that fall under the smaller government rubric of the Tea Party . # " Some of this is a feeling that it 's time for new blood , ' said Brendan Steinhauser , an organizer with FreedomWorks , a national group that has worked with Tea Party groups on several primary challenges . # Mr. Lugar said at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tea Party supporters were motivated by anger " about how things have turned out for them . ' They want to express themselves , but their complaints often boil down to nothing more specific , he said , than " we want this or that stopped , or there is spending , big government . ' # " These are all , we would say , sort of large cliche titles , ' he said , " but they are not able to articulate all the specifics . ' # The advocates in Indiana , which national Tea Party groups say has the most organized of the primary efforts , point to Mr. Lugar 's push for the New Start nuclear treaty , which the Senate approved in December ; his sponsorship of the Dream Act , which would grant a path to citizenship for limited groups of illegal immigrants ; and his votes for President Obama 's picks for the Supreme Court , Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. # " The senator would call it bipartisanship , but we think you 're siding with the other side , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . # Another , Mark Holwager , said , " He may have been a conservative at one time , but he definitely leans to the left now . ' # The coalition of Tea Party groups , calling itself Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate , plans to hold a caucus in June where the 70-odd groups involved will choose a candidate to run against Mr. Lugar in the primary next May . In the meantime , the group has designated a coordinator for each of the state 's Congressional districts to begin a campaign to educate voters about what Tea Party supporters call Mr. Lugar 's liberal record . # The group has also had discussions with several national groups that played a role in primaries last year where establishment candidates or Republican incumbents lost to Tea Party challenges , including FreedomWorks , the Tea Party Express and the Club for Growth . # Those behind Tea Party challenges say they learned their lesson about splitting the vote from several primary contests last year , including the Senate races in Illinois and Indiana and Congressional races in Virginia , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or establishment candidate winning . # But so far there are few declared candidates . In Utah , some Tea Party supporters say they would back a run by Representative Jason Chaffetz , who won his Congressional seat in 2008 after challenging an incumbent Republican , Chris Cannon , in the primary . That race became a kind of trial run for Tea Party primaries , with many of the same people who worked on Mr. Chaffetz 's campaign working to unseat Mr. Bennett last year . # Still , there is some division . The Tea Party Express , a national group started by longtime Republican consultants , recently announced that it would not back a challenge to Mr. Hatch , calling him " as good as it gets ' for Republicans . The Club for Growth , which has poured money into other Republican primary challenges , issued a statement disagreeing . # Utah is a reliably Republican state , so whoever wins the primary is almost assured to win the general election . # In Maine , even some Tea Party supporters say the challenge is trickier : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some note the success of the state 's new Republican governor , Paul LePage , who was elected with Tea Party support and is winning applause for pushing to cut the budget . # " The way the state 's been turning , I think if we got a decent conservative in there , it would n't be that much of a problem to win , ' said Pete Harring , a Tea Party supporter in Maine . " People are starting to realize we 're just too deep in a hole ; we have to do something . ' # Mr. LePage narrowly beat an independent candidate in a five-way general election , winning less than 40 percent of the vote . With that in mind , Tea Party supporters have also discussed running a third-party candidate . # In Indiana , several Tea Party supporters met with Mr. Lugar last month , and he argued his conservative credentials . Unconvinced , they announced that they would pursue a primary challenge , and that the first step would be to unify behind one Republican . Potential candidates include a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richard E. Mourdock. # At the meeting this month , the Tea Party organizers signed a letter that " with deep gratitude and respect ' asked Mr. Lugar to resign . With the rise of conservative awareness in America , " the emergence of the modern day Tea Party , and your own more social-liberal perception on issues , we find ourselves at odds , ' they wrote . # Mr. Lugar won his last term with 87 percent of the vote after Democrats declined to challenge him . He says he intends to run aggressively , and not change his positions . # " A lot of conservatives believe you have to kowtow to the Tea Party , ' said his spokesman , Mark Helmke . " We reject that premise . ' # Mr. Holwager argued that there is a disconnect between Tea Party supporters and many of their representatives in Washington . # " Heartland America does n't feel the same way as people in the cities , ' he said . " We do believe in religion , we go to church all the time , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the time you wish folks in the cities would come live with us and see how we live . " # # 
##4087350 FEW things are simple in northeastern Italy , least of all lagrein , a red grape that can produce fresh , aromatic , highly seductive wines . Why , just last week , I asked a linguistically minded friend who is fluent in Italian for the proper pronunciation of lagrein . Here is his response , or part of it : # " Lagrein is a tough one , ' he said , " in part because it 's pronounced using a Germanic , as opposed to an Italianate vowel system . ' He went on to offer his preference , lah-GRAH'EEN , but allowed that lah-GRINE and lah-GREYE'NE ( where greye rhymes with eye ) were also acceptable . Well , linguists are nothing if not perfectionists . But even allowing for such hairsplitting , lagrein comes with ample grounds for confusion . It is grown primarily in Alto Adige , a region so far to the north in Alpine Italy that it practically touches Austria and Switzerland . There , the culture is more Tyrolean than Italian , and the first language is often German . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in German . Even the name of the region , Alto Adige , does not speak for itself ; it is generally rendered bilingually with its German counterpart , Sudtirol ( South Tyrol , using the Germanic vowel system , of course ) . # Whatever you want to call it , the region is a good source for crisp whites , including the much-maligned pinot grigio , which takes on more substance and character when made there with serious purpose . # Not unexpectedly , the Germanic grapes gewurztraminer and riesling do very well , and I am partial to the pinot neros of Alto Adige , that is , pinot noirs . But I am particularly interested in lagrein , a grape that , like its counterpart teroldego in nearby Trentino , is grown almost nowhere else . For such an unusual grape , though , it produces congenial , straightforward wines that can be deliciously plummy , earthy and chewy , dark and full-bodied but not heavy , with a pronounced minerally edge . # But it is unfamiliar , which is an understandable obstacle for consumers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many good , satisfying known quantities are available ? # It 's a battle I fight with myself every time I go out to eat . I know I love the twice-cooked pork , I say to myself at the Sichuan place . Why order anything else ? But then I remember how much I also love the smoked duck with shredded ginger , and the bean curd with minced pork , and even the beef tendon in chili oil , and I realize that all these dishes were once unknown , until I tried them . As gratifying as it is to know one thing deeply , it 's at least as satisfying to know and enjoy many things , no ? # Naturally , if you want to experiment , it helps to pick a good bottle . To examine the selection of lagreins available to American consumers , the wine panel recently tasted 20 bottles , from vintages going back to 2004 , all found in retail outlets . For the tasting , Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Lacey Burke , a sommelier at Del Posto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lupa in Greenwich Village . # Both Del Posto and Lupa have deep , eclectic wine lists , with at least several lagreins available . But both Lacey and Shin conceded that they do n't move a lot of bottles . # " It has to be a real hand-sell , ' Lacey said , meaning the sommelier has to take the initiative to talk up a lagrein. # We all found the lagreins to be appealing wines that managed to combine richness and delicacy and that seemed to be delicious both young and with five or more years of aging . Shin , though , said she preferred lagreins with some age , as the youthful fruitiness becomes more complex . # " With 5 to 10 years , a gaminess comes out , ' she said . " They can be really elegant , as well . ' # The wines we liked best had a savory side , along with floral notes and lively acidity , which Florence suggested makes them versatile with food . On the down side , Lacey thought too many of the wines lacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the youngest in the tasting , a 2009 Merlau from Thurnhof , bright , refreshing , minerally and delicate , with long , lingering flavors. # Although our top wine was an ' 09 , it was the only one of six 2009 wines in our tasting to make our top 10 , suggesting that at least a couple of years of age do benefit the wines . That said , a 2008 , the light-bodied , gentle Castelfeder Rieder , did come in at No. 2. # The 2004 Lindenburg from Alois Lageder , our No. 4 wine , was the oldest in the tasting , and Shin guessed at first sniff that it had some age to it . It was spicy and mineral , with a touch of chocolate , and the fruit clearly had mellowed . # Seven of the 20 bottles were less than $20 , and 13 were less than $30 , but lagreins are not always inexpensive . Our No. 3 bottle , the opulent , well-structured , complex 2006 Porphyr Riserva from Cantina Terlan , was $60 , by far the most expensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the price scale , our best value was the 2008 San Pietro for $13 , a pleasingly juicy wine that delivers straightforward pleasure . # Other producers to consider include Elena Walch , who makes a delicate entry-level lagrein and a deeper riserva ; Hofstatter , whose lagreins are long on charm and spice ; Niedrist , whose lagreins are sumptuous , and Nusserhof , who makes soulful lagreins , but whose entry in our tasting sadly was corked. # As for where lagrein fits into the panoply of wine grapes , it 's hard to say without resorting to other obscure grapes of northeastern Italy . It sometimes shows a chocolate flavor reminiscent of refosco , a grape of Friuli Venezia-Giulia and a subject for further research . And in size and weight , it certainly suggests teroldego . Try it for yourself and see what you think . And as for the pronunciation , do n't worry about it . Just rhyme it with wine . # Recipe : Pairings : Chicken Liver Tacos With Rhubarb Salsa # Time : 1 hour # 1 1/2 cups rhubarb , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cup finely minced scallions # 1 jalapeno , seeded and minced # 1/2 cup pickled cocktail onions , halved # 2 teaspoons honey # 3 tablespoons cider vinegar # Salt # Chipotle powder or cayenne # 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal # 5 tablespoons olive oil # 1 pound chicken livers , trimmed , cut in 1-inch pieces # 1 large sweet onion , sliced thin # 8 soft 7-inch corn tortillas # 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves . # 1 . Have a bowl of ice and water ready . Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan , add the rhubarb , blanch 20 seconds , then scoop out with a slotted spoon into the ice water . After a minute , drain well and transfer to a medium-size bowl . Fold in the scallions , jalapeno and cocktail onions . Blend the honey into 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and add . Season with about 1/4 teaspoon salt and chipotle or cayenne to taste . # 2 . Heat oven to 200 degrees . Place the cornmeal in a bowl and season with salt and chipotle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cornmeal . Add 4 tablespoons oil to a large skillet and saute the livers on medium heat , turning , until lightly browned but still pink inside , just a minute or two on each side . Remove to a heatproof dish , cover and place in the oven . Heat the remaining oil in the skillet . Add the onions and cook over medium heat , stirring , until golden . Add remaining vinegar , stir to deglaze pan and remove from heat . # 3 . Wrap the tortillas in a dish towel and place in a steamer over simmering water . Add the cilantro to the salsa . Remove a tortilla from the steamer . Spoon some of the onion in a line down the center . Top with two or three pieces of chicken liver , then about a tablespoon of the salsa . Roll the tortilla around the filling and place on a platter , seam side down . Repeat with the remaining tortillas . Serve any remaining salsa alongside . # Yield : 4 servings. # # 
##4087351 You can serve these bruschetta for lunch or dinner , or cut them into smaller pieces and serve them as appetizers . I use drained , canned smoked trout packed in oil ( although it does n't have to be packed in oil ) . Do n't forget to squeeze on a little lemon juice when you serve these ; it 's a perfect touch . The trout is an excellent source of omega-3 fats . # 1/2 pound Swiss chard # 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil # 2 garlic cloves , 1 minced , 1 cut in half # Salt and freshly ground pepper # 2 thick slices whole-grain country bread ( about 2 ounces each ) # 4 ounces smoked trout # Lemon wedges for serving # 1 . Stem the chard , and wash the leaves and stems in two rinses of water . Cut the stems in small dice . Blanch the chard leaves in salted boiling water ( or steam them ) for one to two minutes until tender . Transfer to a bowl of ice water , then drain and squeeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet . Add the chard stalks . Cook , stirring often , until tender , five to eight minutes . Stir in the minced garlic , and cook , stirring , just until fragrant , about 30 seconds . Add the chopped chard leaves , and toss together for about a minute . Remove from the heat . Season to taste with salt and pepper . # 3 . Lightly toast the bread , and rub with the cut garlic . Brush with the remaining olive oil . Top with the chard , and press down with the back of a spoon . Use a fork to flake the trout , and place on top . Squeeze on a few drops of lemon juice , and serve . # Yield : Two servings. # Advance preparation : You can prepare the chard through Step 2 and keep in the refrigerator for two to three days . # Nutritional information per serving : 310 calories ; 3 grams saturated fat ; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat ; 13 grams monounsaturated fat ; 25 milligrams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; 749 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 18 grams protein # Martha Rose Shulman is the author of " The Very Best of Recipes for Health . ' # Recipe : A Versatile Vegetable for a Chilly Spring # Spring vegetables are n't here quiet yet -- and if the weather does n't improve soon , they may not arrive for a while . Until then , there 's a fine alternative : Swiss chard . # This leafy green , hearty enough to withstand the cold but more delicate in flavor than kale and collards , has been finding its way into all sorts of comforting dishes in my kitchen , from pastas to soups to stir-fries . It 's the most versatile of greens , and an excellent source of calcium and potassium , vitamin C , vitamin A and beta-carotene. # Some of you have asked why I blanch greens before using them in dishes . I find it 's the most efficient way to wilt them quickly and evenly , and they are n't boiled so long -- just a minute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lately I 've also been steaming chard , and I find this works well , too . I use the basket of my pasta pot , placing it above an inch of water in the pot . # Orecchiette With Swiss Chard , Red Peppers and Goat Cheese # When making this easy pasta , be sure to cut the sweet bell peppers into very small dice ; that way , they 'll lodge in the hollows of the orecchiette , along with the chard and goat cheese . # 3/4 pound Swiss chard ( 1 bunch ) , stemmed and washed in two changes of water # 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil # 2 red bell peppers , cut in small dice # Pinch of red pepper flakes ( optional ) # 1 to 2 garlic cloves ( to taste ) , minced # Salt and freshly ground pepper # 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram # 3/4 pound orecchiette # 2 ounces goat cheese , crumbled ( 1/2 cup ) # 1 . Begin heating a large pot of water while you stem and wash the chard . Fill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pot comes to a boil , salt generously and add the chard . Blanch the chard leaves for one to two minutes until tender . Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon , transfer the chard to a bowl of ice water , then drain and squeeze out excess water . Chop medium-fine . Keep the pot of water at a simmer . # 2 . Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large , heavy skillet , and add the bell peppers and the red pepper flakes . Cook , stirring often , until tender , five to eight minutes . Add the garlic and salt to taste , and stir for half a minute . Then stir in the chopped chard and the marjoram . Stir together for a few seconds , then turn the heat to very low . # 3 . Bring the water in the pasta pot back to a boil , and add the orecchiette . Cook al dente , following the timing instructions on the package . Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheese . Drain the pasta , transfer to the pan and toss with the chard , pepper and goat cheese mixture . Serve hot . # Yield : Serves four . # Advance preparation : You can make this through Step 2 several hours before cooking the pasta . The pepper and chard mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days and reheated. # Nutritional information per serving : 445 calories ; 4 grams saturated fat ; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat ; 4 grams monounsaturated fat ; 15 milligrams cholesterol ; 71 grams carbohydrates ; 5 grams dietary fiber ; 239 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 17 grams protein # Martha Rose Shulman is the author of " The Very Best of Recipes for Health . ' # Recipe : Onion Pizza With Ricotta and Chard # This luxurious pizza is topped with tender caramelized onions spread over a creamy mixture of ricotta , Parmesan cheese and chopped Swiss chard . # 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil # 1 1/4 pounds onions , sliced # 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freshly ground pepper # 1/2 pound chard , stemmed , leaves washed # 1 14-inch pizza crust ( 1/2 batch pizza dough ) # 3/4 cup ricotta ( 6 ounces ) # 2 ounces Parmesan , grated ( 1/2 cup , tightly packed ) # 1 egg yolk # 1 . Thirty minutes before baking the pizza , preheat the oven to 500 degrees . Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large , heavy skillet . Add the onions . Cook , stirring often , until tender and just beginning to color , about 10 minutes . Add the thyme , garlic and a generous pinch of salt . Turn the heat to low , cover and cook another 10 to 20 minutes , stirring often , until the onions are golden brown and very sweet and soft . Remove from the heat . # 2 . While the onions are cooking , stem and wash the chard leaves , and bring a medium pot of water to a boil . Fill a medium bowl with ice water . When the water comes to a boil , salt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two minutes , just until the leaves are tender , and transfer to the ice water . Drain and squeeze out excess water . Alternatively , steam the chard for two to three minutes until wilted , and rinse with cold water . Chop the chard medium-fine. # 3 . Roll out the dough , oil a 14-inch pizza pan and dust with cornmeal or semolina . Place the dough on the pan . # 4 . In a medium bowl , combine the ricotta , egg yolk , Parmesan and chard . Spread over the pizza dough in an even layer , leaving a 1-inch border around the rim . Spread the onions over the ricotta mixture . # 5 . Place in the hot oven , and bake 10 to 15 minutes until the crust and bits of the onion are nicely browned . Remove from the heat , and serve hot or warm . # Yield : One 14-inch pizza ( eight slices ) . # Advance preparation : The cooked onions and the blanched or steamed chard will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 grams saturated fat ; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat ; 5 grams monounsaturated fat ; 41 milligrams cholesterol ; 25 grams carbohydrates ; 3 grams dietary fiber ; 375 grams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 10 grams protein # Martha Rose Shulman is the author of " The Very Best of Recipes for Health . ' # Recipe : Swiss Chard and Chickpea Minestrone # This simple minestrone , packed with Swiss chard , does not require a lot of time on the stove . # 2 tablespoons olive oil # 1 medium onion , chopped # 2 medium carrots , cut in small dice # 1 celery stalk , cut in small dice # 1 leek , white and light green parts only , halved lengthwise , cleaned thoroughly and sliced thin # Salt # 4 large garlic cloves , minced # 7 cups water # 2 tablespoons tomato paste # A bouquet garni consisting of 1 Parmesan rind , 1 bay leaf , 3 sprigs parsley and 3 sprigs thyme , tied together with kitchen string or tied into a piece of cheesecloth # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # 1/2 pound Swiss chard , stemmed , leaves washed and cut crosswise in thin strips ( chiffonade ) ( 4 cups , tightly packed , chiffonade ) # 1/2 cup soup pasta , like elbow macaroni or broken spaghetti # Freshly ground pepper to taste # Freshly grated Parmesan # 1 . Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large , heavy soup pot or Dutch oven . Add the onion , carrots and celery . Cook , stirring , until beginning to soften , about three minutes . Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the leek . Continue to cook , stirring often , until tender , about three minutes . Add the garlic , stir for about a minute , and then stir in the water , tomato paste and the bouquet garni . Bring to a simmer . Add salt to taste , reduce the heat to low , cover and simmer 30 minutes . Stir in the chickpeas . Taste and adjust salt . Remove the bouquet garni. # 2 . Add the Swiss chard and the pasta to the soup , bring back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pasta is cooked al dente . Grind in some pepper , taste and adjust seasonings . It should be savory and rich-tasting . Serve in wide soup bowls , with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top . # Yield : Serves six to eight . # Advance preparation : You can make this through Step 1 several days ahead and keep in the refrigerator or freeze . The closer to serving time you add the chard , the brighter it will be . # Nutritional information per serving ( six servings ) : 169 calories ; 1 gram saturated fat ; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat ; 4 grams monounsaturated fat ; 0 milligrams cholesterol ; 25 grams carbohydrates ; 5 grams dietary fiber ; 314 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 6 grams protein # Nutritional information per serving ( eight servings ) : 126 calories ; 1 gram saturated fat ; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat ; 3 grams monounsaturated fat ; 0 milligrams cholesterol ; 19 grams carbohydrates ; 4 grams dietary fiber ; 236 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the author of " The Very Best of Recipes for Health . ' # Recipe : Stir-Fried Swiss Chard and Red Peppers # This is particularly beautiful if you can find rainbow chard , those multicolored bunches with red , white and yellow stems . Slice the chard crosswise in thin strips . If the pieces are too thick , they 'll be tough . # 1 tablespoon soy sauce ( low-sodium if desired ) # 1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry # 2 teaspoons dark Asian sesame oil # 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt ( to taste ) # 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper , preferably white pepper # 1/4 teaspoon sugar # 1 tablespoon peanut oil or canola oil # 1 tablespoon minced garlic # 1 tablespoon minced ginger # 1 pound Swiss chard , preferably rainbow chard , stems trimmed , washed in two changes of water and cut crosswise in 1/2-inch strips # 1 medium red bell pepper , cut in 1/4-by-2-inch julienne ( 1 cup julienne ) # 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions or minced red onion # 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rice , or rice noodles for serving # 1 . In a small bowl or measuring cup , combine the soy sauce , rice wine or sherry , and the sesame oil . Combine the salt , pepper and sugar in another small bowl . Have all the ingredients within arm 's length of your pan . # 2 . Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two in the pan . Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and tilting it back and forth . Add the garlic and ginger , and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds . Add the chard , and stir-fry for two minutes , until the leaves wilt . Add the red pepper and spring onion or red onion . Turn the heat to high , and stir-fry for one minute , or until the pepper begins to soften . Add the salt , pepper and sugar . Toss together , and add the soy sauce mixture . Stir-fry for two to three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and red peppers are crisp-tender . Stir in the cilantro , and serve over cooked quinoa , rice or rice noodles. # Yield : Serves three to four . # Advance preparation : Like all stir-fries , this is last-minute . But you can have everything prepped and ready to go hours ahead of time . # Nutritional information per serving ( three servings ; grains or noodles not included ) : 128 calories ; 1 gram saturated fat ; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat ; 3 grams monounsaturated fat ; 0 milligrams cholesterol ; 11 grams carbohydrates ; 4 grams dietary fiber ; 652 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 4 grams protein # Nutritional information per serving ( four servings ; grains or noodles not included ) : 96 calories ; 1 gram saturated fat ; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat ; 3 grams monounsaturated fat ; 0 milligrams cholesterol ; 8 grams carbohydrates ; 3 grams dietary fiber ; 489 milligrams sodium ( does not include salt to taste ) ; 3 grams protein # Martha Rose Shulman is the author of " The Very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 
##4087355 Robert Kraft sat in his office as his busy day was winding down . Dressed casually in a blue sweater , he seemed animated about the latest playoff berth for his New England Patriots. # Looks can be deceiving. # " You know what ? " the soft-spoken owner who grew up just 20 miles away said . " I 'm tired today , but it 's good stuff . We 've got a lot of good stuff . So I 'll just knock on wood here . " # He leans forward , taps his desk twice , and wishes for more . # " Hope it keeps going past this weekend , " he said with a hint of a smile . # Luck should have little or nothing to do with the outcome of Sunday 's divisional playoff game against the New York Jets , just as it has n't had much impact on his team compiling the NFL 's best record since he bought it in 1994 . Step by step , Kraft has methodically and boldly built a franchise that once seemed headed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks and spent loads of money . He is chairman of the NFL 's Broadcast Committee and a member of its Labor Committee . # He was listed as the ninth-most influential person in sports last month by Sports Business Journal . Forbes magazine ranked him as the 269th richest American with a net worth of $1.5 billion as of last September . # " I love action , " Kraft , who turns 70 on June 5 , said in an interview with The Associated Press . " I think I 'm 28 . I love people . I love all kinds of people . " # Kraft occasionally strolls through the locker room talking with players . He chats with employees such as those who do laundry and cleaning for the team . He and his wife Myra recently announced a $20 million gift to attract medical personnel to work in community health centers in Massachusetts . # " I love this country , " Kraft said Thursday . " I worry when we have unemployment like we have , the social impact of that , and so we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go into the inner city and allow people of all backgrounds to get the same treatment my family could get . " # For now , his focus is on football . # The Patriots are in the playoffs for the 12th time in his 17 years as owner . They 've been in four of the past nine Super Bowls , winning three . Their 14-2 record this season was the league 's best . # At 4:30 p.m . Sunday , their next playoff game will start . Some three hours later , Kraft will either have another home playoff game to watch or the unenviable duty of patting disappointed players on the back . # " I 'm always a little uneasy , " he said . # Whatever happens , the Patriots should be contenders for a long time . Young players are making major contributions and Tom Brady has a $72 million , four-year contract extension that starts next season . # He 'll be 37 by the time it expires and said before the deal was made that he wants to play 10 more seasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season opener was " one of the great strategic things we did , " Kraft said . " I wonder if Tommy would have had the year he had if we had n't taken the contract ( issue ) away and put it to bed . ... I think that was a real big move in giving him peace of mind . " # Brady had one of his best seasons , perhaps surpassing his 50 touchdown passes with just eight interceptions in 2007 when the Patriots went 18-0 before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14. # He is a favorite to win his second regular-season MVP award after throwing 36 touchdown passes and four interceptions. # " It 's a tremendous amount of money , " Kraft said , " but he , obviously , is worth it . " # Brady had given the owner fair warning soon after the Patriots drafted him in 2000. # " He was this skinny beanpole , " Kraft said . " I always tell the story how he came down the steps at the old Foxboro Stadium . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pizza under his arm and he comes up and he says , ' Mr. Kraft , I 'm Tom Brady . I said , ' I know who you are , you 're our sixth-round draft choice from Michigan . # " And he looked me right in the eye and he said , ' and I 'm the best decision this organization has ever made . Verbatim . " # One of the best , anyway . # Kraft made a much riskier decision when he hired Bill Belichick as coach against the advice of many . # After 16 years as an NFL assistant , Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 . He left after five years with a 36-44 record and a rocky relationship with the media . # He spent the next year as Bill Parcells assistant head coach with the Patriots . But when Parcells left for the Jets as head coach the next year , Kraft bypassed Belichick and hired Pete Carroll . After three years , Kraft fired Carroll and hired Belichick in 2000 , giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jets where he had just been appointed , then stepped down , as Parcells successor . # " People at the league office , people in this town , sent me tapes of him in Cleveland and said , ' you do n't want to hire this guy . And , remember , he went 5-11 ( his first season ) and we gave up a number one draft choice , " Kraft said . " People thought we were nuts . So I think that probably was one of the best decisions I 've made in football . " # That 's not the only time his sanity was questioned . Myra Kraft wondered about her husband 's mental state when he paid $172 million , an NFL record at the time , for a team that was 19-61 the previous five seasons . # " She thought it was nuts , " he said . " She was afraid it would affect our charitable giving and I said , ' We will do more for the community if we run this franchise correctly . " # She also disagreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1971 . Then there was the $350 million , without taxpayer assistance , it cost to build Gillette Stadium , which opened in 2002 with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. # Would anyone else have taken all those risks hiring Belichick , paying $55 million more than his investment bankers felt was a fair price for the team , building a stadium with private funds ? # " If you look at successful people , they make decisions that other people look at as being weird , crazy , odd , strange , " former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said . " They 're not like normal people . They 're visionaries . They see things a lot differently . Where you and I may look and say , ' that 's the color red , they say , ' no , that 's maroon . That 's what Mr. Kraft has . " # That insight turned the Patriots into a widely respected franchise and helped the NFL become a broadcast bonanza . # " All you have to do is look at the Patriots now compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said . " The franchise was seriously challenged . Now they 've won multiple Super Bowls , transformed the stadium experience for Patriots fans , and it 's a terrific success story all the way around . # " Robert is also fully engaged in helping to make our league better . He has great business instincts and knowledge and spends a good deal of his time on league issues . " # Kraft 's wife is the daughter of Jacob Hiatt , a philanthropist and owner of the Rand-Whitney Group , a Worcester-based packaging company where Kraft went to work . Kraft is still that firm 's board chairman . He also founded International Forest Products in 1972. # On the wall behind his desk are large black-and-white photos of his four sons . One of them , Jonathan , is president of the Patriots , adding continuity and stability to the franchise . # On top of the desk is a letter from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger , sending his regrets that he wo n't be able to attend Sunday 's game . # " He 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could n't change his plans . " # Then the owner who calls himself " just a kid from the streets of Brookline " gets up . He walks toward the door of his office in the expensive stadium that houses the team he paid too much for that 's led by a head coach no one else wanted . # Risks ? Sure . # So far , they 've worked . # " I 've got the best coach in Belichick , the best quarterback 
##4087357 More than 30 years after Congress set a goal of clearing the pollution-caused haze that obscures scenic vistas at some of America 's wildest and most famous natural places , progress is still slow in coming . # Saturday marks the deadline for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to approve most state plans aimed at curbing pollution from coal-fired power plants and industrial sources to improve visibility at 156 national parks and wilderness areas such as Shenandoah , Mount Rainier and the Grand Canyon . # The agency has n't formally approved any state plans or come up with its own , as required , and wo n't do so by the deadline . # " We will not have final federal plans in place by Jan. 15 , " the agency said in an email late Friday . The agency said it has proposed partial approval of Idaho 's plan , a partial federal plan for New Mexico and a federal plan for the Four Corners area on tribal land . # The agency added that " there is progress in every state toward visibility improvements , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . " # " Here 's a program intended to clean up skies of the nation 's most pristine areas . It has been pushed aside for too long and must be made a top-tier priority , " said Stephanie Kodish , attorney for the non-profit National Parks Conservation Association . The group plans next week to file a notice of intent to sue the EPA for missing the regulatory deadline . # Nearly three-quarters of states failed to meet an initial 2007 deadline to submit plans requiring decades-old facilities that contribute to haze at parks to update old equipment . So far , only 34 states have done so . # Until states file plans and the EPA approves them , companies are n't obligated to make changes under the haze rule . The EPA , however , says other clean air rules have provisions to protect parks and wilderness areas . # We " are working with the other states to get their plans submitted and approved as quickly as possible , " the EPA emailed in response to AP questions . The EPA says it is taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Oklahoma , for example , the EPA is likely to reject a proposal , state officials say , after the state determined it was n't cost-effective to require six coal-fired units there to install scrubbers . The EPA says such devices would cut sulfur dioxide by one-third . # " We believe that our plan makes sense for Oklahoma , " said Skylar McElhaney , a spokeswoman with the state Department of Environmental Quality . # The regional haze results from sulfates and nitrates from coal-fired power plants and industrial boilers , as well as automobiles , carbon from fires , soot and windblown dust . The high cost of controlling emissions , legal battles , the complexity of rules , industry resistance and competing clean air rules have slowed progress in clearing it . # Haze-causing pollution continues to obscure scenic vistas that draw millions of visitors to parks and wilderness areas throughout the country . In eastern parks , average visibility has dropped from 90 miles to between 15 and 25 miles , while visual range in the West has been reduced from 140 miles to between 35 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established a national goal to restore visibility in protected areas to conditions that would exist naturally , without pollution . # " When you think of national parks , you think of clean and clear air , " said John Bunyak , policy chief of the National Park Service air resources division . " If you load up the kids in the family van and drive thousands of miles to the Grand Canyon and ca n't see the bottom of the canyon , that to me is a problem . " # Reducing pollutants to improve visibility also can yield public health benefits , the EPA said . Fine particles that cause haze are linked to serious health problems , such as aggravated asthma , heart attacks and premature death . # The NPCA , the National Park Service , U.S. Forest Service and other groups have pushed states to consider the tough pollution controls such as scrubbers or technology that works like a car 's catalytic converter to filter nitrogen oxides. # Installing such devices , however , costs hundreds of millions of dollars , and industry officials say it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are economic drivers in many states . Companies say they 're trying to balance improving visibility while ensuring energy reliability and protecting customers from huge rate hikes . # Even some states have concluded it 's too expensive to require for some facilities , preferring alternatives such as low-sulfur coal . # " It 's understandable that states are having a hard time meeting EPA demands when doing so comes at great costs to consumers , " said Paul Seby , an attorney in Denver , who represents coal producers and power companies . The EPA is requiring more of the states than is allowed under the haze rule , he said . # The rule " targets the oldest and the dirtiest coal plants , " said Jeremy Nichols , energy program director for WildEarth Guardians . " We have the technology to do better . " # By June , the EPA is under a court-deadline to approve state plans or come up with its own for California , Colorado , Idaho , New Mexico , North Dakota , Oklahoma , and Oregon , after the group sued . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have questioned whether some overestimated the costs of installing pollution devices and whether their plans make enough progress . Haze over Big Bend National Park in Texas or Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota , for example , would n't be eliminated for more than a century . # Park and forest officials told Washington state last summer that its plan worsens air quality at North Cascades National Park and Glacier Peak Wilderness . The state 's latest analysis , however , disputes that based on updated modeling . # In Oregon , faced with $500 million in retrofits proposed , Portland General Electric Co. has proposed shutting down the state 's only coal-fired power plant in Boardman , Ore . by 2020 . The company has struck a balance between reducing pollution and ensuring energy reliability , said Dave Robertson , PGE vice president for public policy . # At Shenandoah National Park in Virginia , visitors can only see on average about 12 miles , or one-tenth what it should be under natural conditions . # " Historically , our claim to fame was to see the Washington Monument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Skyline Drive , said Jim Schaberl , park air quality manager . " It 's a rare 
##4087359 Francisco Holgado sits in his white van at a gas station , staring at a white wall bearing some of his angry graffiti : " 14 years . Justice for Juan Holgado. " # " Let 's fix that , " he says , and jumps out . He shakes a can of spray paint and starts writing . The black paint dribbles down in the driving rain but eventually the words stick . " 15 years . " # That 's how long it has been since robbers stabbed Holgado 's son up to 30 times and left him dying in a pool of blood . And it 's how long Holgado , now 66 , has waged a lonely quest for justice one that sent him on an undercover mission , cost him his marriage and his career and estranged him from his three surviving children . # How far does a father go to find his son 's killers when police blunders let them walk out in the open ? For Holgado the answer is extreme . # The mild-mannered bank teller disguised himself in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plunged into the criminal underworld of this southern Spanish city a world away from his quiet middle-class life on the other side of town . # It was a universe of drug dealers and prostitutes , police raids and filthy heroin dens . Holgado infiltrated the gang suspected in the slaying four heroin addicts with a history of petty crime and recorded their conversations with a clunky , hidden tape recorder . # " What is a father supposed to do ? " he asks with a sad smile . " A father whose son is murdered can not just sit back at home . He has to give his life if necessary . " # After 15 years , that risk has yielded no peace . Holgado keeps running into walls on his obsessive mission to crack the case . Just last week , despite a judge 's orders , forensic police said there is no need to carry out new DNA tests on blood samples or fingerprints from the crime scene . Holgado 's lawyer will appeal , but says his hopes are slim . # # He sees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood as the knives come raining down . He replays the scene in his waking hours , over and over in his head . Describing it , he raises an arm up to his head , as if to fend off the blows . # The facts of the case are simple enough : In the small hours of Nov. 22 , 1995 , Juan Holgado , 26 , who dabbled in modeling and dreamt of playing pro soccer , was working the graveyard shift at a gas station , filling in for a colleague as a favor , when robbers burst in. # The hold-up degenerated into a storm of knife thrusts . The young Holgado bled to death in a back office where he had tried to barricade himself in by pushing a photocopy machine up against the door . Forensics reports show the final blow from a knife cut his lung so deep that it came out the other side of his body . The attackers made off with a few hundred dollars worth of cash , cigarette cartons and some bottles of booze . # By all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first police to arrive neglected to cordon off the gas station , where broken glass and blood stains lay everywhere . Police allowed reporters and photographers to walk around inside , contaminating the crime scene . The company that owned the service station brought cleaners in the next day and reopened . # A bloodstained 500-peseta coin recovered as evidence was lost , although it later turned up again at police headquarters , and an orange juice carton stained with bloody fingerprints vanished for good . # " It was like a bull in a china shop , " then-Jerez police chief Jose Luis Fernandez Monterrubio later testified . " Evidence was destroyed . " # # Holgado 's double life started three years later with a bogus story about a runaway dog . # He 'd watched in horror as the investigation foundered . The four suspects were repeatedly picked up and released . Anonymous tips led to arrests , but the case did n't gel . # For Holgado , it was time to take matters into his own hands . # He called himself Pepe , donned wig @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ventured into the night in La Asuncion , the seedy , drug-infested neighborhood where the tips had emerged . # He told people he was offering a small reward for a lost dog an excuse to keep going back while discreetly gathering information about Juan 's death . # He won people over by offering cigarettes or buying beers in dive bars . He started to share powerful tranquilizers he was taking to help endure his tragedy . He claimed to be a nurse with access to drugs , and said he wanted to become a dealer . # Before long he 'd become friendly with the four gang members who often hung out in squalid squatter houses , where they smoked a mix of heroin and cocaine . # One night , Holgado 's cover was almost blown in a police raid . In the chaos , Holgado found himself outside on the street standing next to one of the gang as police yanked down the young man 's pants and searched for drugs . Fearing he 'd be unmasked , Holgado pulled an officer aside and spilled his secret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said . # " Man , what are you doing here ? " the officer asked . # " What would you do ? " Holgado replied . # # Holgado 's main target was a young man named Pedro Asencio , who was easy to track because he could n't drive . # Holgado first met Asencio as he sat on steps outside a clinic where heroin-users got methadone treatment . He won Asencio 's trust , driving him around to buy drugs or visit people , or to a nearby town to see the young daughter who lived with his ex-wife . # As Holgado played Pepe by night , he was still Holgado by day , waging a high-profile campaign to press authorities to solve his son 's murder . # The crusade enraged Asencio because his name kept cropping up . One day as the two sat in a car about 100 yards from Holgado 's home he told " Pepe " he was going to kill Francisco Holgado. # Holgado told Asencio not to get into trouble , and that he 'd get rid of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to kill myself , " Holgado recalled . # Ironically , when he had a chance to see his son 's suspected killer die , he chose to save him instead . # During a nighttime drive , a big gray rabbit got caught in the headlights of Holgado 's car as they rode along a river . Asencio , high on drugs or booze , insisted they stop so he could catch the animal . Chasing after the rabbit , Asencio fell into the water and screamed for help . He was drowning . # " What should I do ? " Holgado thought in the dark of the night . " If he drowns , no one will know the difference . " # But Holgado waded into the water and saved him . # " I wanted to see this through to the end , " Holgado said . " I did not want to leave it half-done. " # Asencio 's lawyer said he ca n't be sure the four men ever believed Holgado 's cover story . In the world of drugs , where most people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the person he was talking to was not who he said he was , " said Manuel Hortas , who represented Asencio and another suspect . # Seven months after " Pepe " appeared so abruptly in La Asuncion , he disappeared just as quickly . Holgado 's day in court had arrived . # # Holgado 's undercover life had yielded more than a dozen 60-minute cassette tapes . But the most he had gotten out of Asencio was an admission he 'd been with the other three suspects the night of the crime and the young man vehemently denied taking part in the hold-up . # In one session , Asencio says one of the four , Domingo Gomez Franco , gave another suspect a bag of bloody clothes to burn after the robbery . In others , people who knew the four recount they 'd overheard them talking about divvying up loot from the heist. # The strongest piece of the prosecution case was a sworn statement by Gomez Franco 's girlfriend that he had told her in vivid detail about taking part , said Holgado 's lawyer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but fell short of conclusive evidence . # In the first trial in 1999 , Holgado 's tapes were not admitted as evidence , on the grounds that his attorney unveiled their existence only after the proceedings got under way . The four were acquitted : none of the blood samples or fingerprints found at the crime scene could be traced to them . # In 2000 , the Spanish Supreme Court ordered a retrial in which the tapes could be heard . In a retrial in 2003 the suspects were again acquitted again due to lack of physical evidence . # In August 2010 a judge accepted a petition from Holgado 's attorney for DNA samples and fingerprints to be re-examined by the National Police . But forensic experts said last week there was no need to redo the tests because they were done right the first time round , and Ayllon said the judge is unlikely to reissue the order . # None of the suspects could be reached for this story ; defense lawyers said they did n't know how to reach them . # Even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own life unraveled. # He took early retirement so he could focus on his mission . His three surviving children two sons and a daughter stopped speaking to him . " He 's all about the publicity , " said son Francisco , 37 . Holgado and his wife Antonia separated about eight years ago ; their marriage had long been troubled and Juan 's death was the last straw . # He visits the cemetery every day , and still wears mourning black all the time . # Holgado has gone to great lengths to keep his mission in the public eye , throwing himself on rail tracks to block Madrid-bound trains , plastering the city with posters and graffiti , and twice interrupting football games , dodging security guards on the field with a banner and a bouquet of white carnations , winning standing ovations . # While some locals urge him to get on with his life , they ca n't help but admire his perseverance . " He is a born fighter , " said Pablo Berrera , 33 , a bartender at a cafe where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These days , Holgado spends hours riding a gray mountain bike through the streets of Jerez , saying it helps clear his head . Before turning in , he takes one last bike ride : back to La Asuncion , to the grimy streets where he once mingled with his son 's alleged killers , hoping to stumble on a lead . # On one recent evening , he crossed paths with one of the men he blames for his son 's murder . They recognized each other Holgado on his bike , the other on foot but did not speak . # Holgado , dressed in black 
##4087360 When East Timor voted for independence in 1999 , militia loyal to the departing Indonesian rulers went on a rampage that took more than 1,000 lives . War engulfed Kosovo in the late 1990s after it said it was splitting from Serbia , and some 10,000 people died . # Then , as the grieving and the euphoria quieted , the hard and often divisive work of nation-building began . The struggle continues , more than a decade later . # If , as is widely expected , Southern Sudan has opted for independence in the weeklong referendum that ended Saturday , it will become the latest land to grasp statehood in the wake of violent upheaval . # # Associated Press Correspondent Christopher Torchia covered the bloody aftermath of East Timor 's struggle for independence from Indonesia , and is based in Turkey , whose Ottoman ancestors ruled Kosovo , also newly independent . Now , as Southern Sudan votes on whether to declare statehood , he draws on his experiences to explore the challenges that face states born in the 21st century . # # How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world had dozens of examples to study as countries around the globe won their independence from European colonial powers . But today the addition of a new country to the world map is something unusual . So while comparisons can only be imprecise , the first steps of East Timor and Kosovo offer some guidance about the challenges facing the battered yet exultant people of Southern Sudan . # " The expectations of independence are always very high , " said Australian academic Damien Kingsbury , noting that the administrators of a new country inevitably lack skills and resources . " The first few years are almost always pretty shaky . " # The rough contours in all three cases southern Sudan in Africa , the far smaller and less populous East Timor in Southeast Asia and Kosovo in the Balkans are similar : former minorities shaking off a legacy of repression marked by ethnic and religious divides , and hindered by poverty and internal tensions despite international support . # In an even broader sense , the hardship of each raises questions about what makes a nation , if institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statehood in places where borders were drawn by long-gone empires . # In Southern Sudan , the symbol of secession , a hand with an open palm , was not just on the ballot slips ; it festoons walls , vehicles and T-shirts , an indicator of enthusiasm for breaking with the north after a 2005 peace deal that ended two decades of civil war . If Sudan splits , the burdens of state that await the south will entail border demarcation , citizenship , security , education , law and accountability , and of oil and cattle-grazing rights in one of the world 's poorest regions . # One big plus is the promise of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir , whose base is the mostly Muslim north , that he will accept the referendum results , where most people are Christian or animist . If the pledge is honored , and African states lead the way toward international recognition , a huge hurdle will have been overcome . # But it could take a long time , as Kosovo has learned . Since declaring independence in 2008 with Western support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N . membership . # Some have concerns about separatist movements on their own turf and worry about setting self-damaging precedents . Spain faces Basque and Catalan separatism . Russia has Chechnya , China has Tibet , India has Kashmir . # For a country like Kosovo , " It leaves you in international limbo , " said Tim Judah , author of two books about the new country of 1.8 million . " You 're not a state among equals . " # In East Timor 's case , Indonesia , emerging from a long dictatorship , agreed under pressure to a U.N.-backed referendum in the former Portuguese colony that it had invaded and occupied in 1975 . After East Timorese voted overwhelmingly to separate , the rampage condoned by Indonesia destroyed much of the territory 's limited infrastructure . # " We are going to start from below zero , " Jose Ramos Horta , a Nobel peace prize winner who is now president of East Timor , said at the time . # The U.N . launched one of the most expensive nation-building projects in history but still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declared independence in 2002 in an ecstatic show of music and fireworks , but factional violence erupted four years later , forcing international peacekeepers to patrol the streets once again . # Southern Sudan , whose estimated population ranges between 7.5 million and 9.7 million , suffered the vast majority of deaths in the civil war some 2 million , many from disease and famine . Since the 2005 deal is has prepared to some extent for statehood , but its autonomous institutions are weak and there are concerns that its own ethnic groups will compete for power and resources . Actor George Clooney 's campaigning may have raised Sudan 's profile , but any hope of long-term success would require many years of heavy international involvement . # " If you think that intervention , or a referendum , is all it takes , you 're sorely mistaken , " said David Phillips , a former U.S. State Department official who has worked on post-conflict transitions in Sudan , East Timor and Kosovo . " These countries need a lot of help with state-building and to become economically viable . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are prone to corruption , especially if they benefit from the windfall of newly acquired resources . Most of Sudan 's oil reserves are in the south , which would be dependent on the north for export routes . # East Timor , population 1 million , is praised for establishing a fund to manage revenues from offshore oil and gas reserves , but remains desperately poor with fragile political institutions . # Landlocked Kosovo , a key concern for the European Union , avoided the chaos that some predicted after NATO bombing forced its Serbian rulers to yield and it began nearly a decade as a U.N . protectorate . But it has few natural resources , ties between its ethnic Albanian majority and Serb minority are tense , and its image as a criminal haven deepened after a European investigator alleged that Prime Minister Hashim Thaci once headed a ring trafficking in human organs . # Thaci denies it , and some commentators say Serbia 's legitimacy as a nation should be judged just as harshly because of its war crimes record . # " What so often happens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of the conflicts that existed below the surface , and were put aside so you can fight a common enemy , then have a tendency to come out , " said Prof. Hurst Hannum , an international law expert at Central European University in Budapest , Hungary . " These states are , after all , artificial . " # Croatian historian Ivo Banac said a prolonged independence struggle serves as a " basic element of identity " for a new state , and that countries in the Balkans looked for " lines of continuity " to medieval precursors swallowed up by Habsburg and Ottoman rulers . Similarly , he said , Scottish separatists look to their history as a sovereign state before Scotland and England became one kingdom in 1707. # Southern Sudan 's clan-based , mostly pastoral population had no such political structure two centuries ago , when it fell under Egyptian and British rule . # But sometimes unexpected unifying themes turn up . # East Timor , a tiny slice of island in the vast Indonesian archipelago , is a separate country today in large part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indonesia seized East Timor , it banned the Portuguese language . And when the struggle for independence reached its peak , a battle cry of 