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December 2009

Study: TV May Perpetuate Race Bias (Time.com)

Sun, 12/20/2009 - 00:40 — admin

Most people regard watching television as a passive activity. You sit, you watch. Occasionally, you change the channel. But a new study reveals that even this passive diversion may lead to actively damaging effects, particularly when it comes to issues of race.
In a series of intricately designed experiments, psychologists at Tufts University demonstrate that subtle racial biases are often expressed by characters on popular television shows, and that viewers not only pick up these attitudes but allow them to shape their own outlooks on race. The most insidious part of this cultural traffic, the researchers found, is that the transmission of race bias appears to occur subconsciously, unbeknownst to the viewer. (Watch a video of the best television series of 2009.)
Led by Max Weisbuch, a postdoctoral student in the lab of Tufts psychology professor Nalini Ambady, researchers designed the multipart study to examine the communication of race bias on television to white college-age volunteers. Weisbuch and his team were intrigued by the fact that despite a significant reduction in overt expressions of racism in modern American society - the country has, after all, just elected its first black president - studies consistently find that many people still show biased or negative attitudes toward African-Americans, primarily through nonverbal means such as facial expressions, crossed arms and averted gazes. The psychologists wondered how such biases could persist in a society in which racism is socially unacceptable and indeed publicly denounced.
So the group decided to examine the medium of television, which connects the vast majority of Americans, and through which many people predominantly receive their social and cultural cues. The study looked at 11 popular prime-time TV shows, such as Heroes, Scrubs, House, CSI: Miami and Grey's Anatomy, whose casts include both white and black recurring characters of equal status.
In the first of a series of four studies, researchers showed participants TV clips in which a white character and black character interact - but the segments were stripped of sound and the black character was digitally deleted. The idea was to ensure that neither race nor dialogue would color viewers' analysis. The exercise was repeated with the white character deleted. Researchers then asked the viewers, white college students, to evaluate in each circumstance, whether the unseen character appeared to be treated positively or negatively by the seen character, and how well liked he or she appeared to be. In the end, across the majority of TV shows, viewers consistently said that the white characters had received more positive treatment and were better liked than their black counterparts. (See the top 10 TV series of 2009.)
What fascinated Weisbuch was that the viewers' judgment of the characters was based purely on nonverbal cues, from facial expressions to body language. In fact, when participants were given transcripts of the verbal content of the clips, they saw no difference in the way black or white target characters were treated by speaking characters. These expressions may have been scripted into the show by writers, or by productions editors or the director, but nevertheless, researchers say they demonstrate unfavorably biased attitudes toward black characters.
Next, researchers tried to figure out whether this nonverbal bias was being communicated to people watching the show. Researchers created two sets of short, silent clips, one pro-white and the other pro-black. In the pro-white set, white characters were treated positively and black characters were treated negatively; in the pro-black clips, the reverse was true. A separate group of students was asked to view either the pro-white or pro-black TV clips. Afterward, the students completed a questionnaire that was presented as a different study, but actually served as a measure of their racial bias. The results suggested that students who viewed the pro-white clips were much more likely to demonstrate racial bias than those watching the pro-black clips. "That suggests that exposure to the nonverbal behaviors affects bias," says Prof. Ambady.
The scientists went on to demonstrate that the viewers were unaware of the clips' effect. In another part of the study, students were asked to watch the same pro-white and pro-black clips, but this time they were also instructed to be on the look- out for evidence of subtle biased behavior. Afterward, viewers were asked to determine whether white characters or black characters were treated better.
Because each set of clips was created to favor one group or the other, there was only one right answer to the question. The students had a 50-50 chance of responding correctly - and that's exactly how well they did, no better than chance. In other words, the patterns of bias expressed in the characters' nonverbal behavior were not obvious to the viewers. "The effect [television has] on viewers might be something less than conscious," says Weisbuch.
The findings suggest that despite the progress that has been made in addressing racism in the America, we may still be perpetuating prejudice in subtle ways - and, if Weisbuch's findings are validated, in ways that we may not even realize. "Human beings are thinking, cognizant, conscious beings who can be strategic and intentional," says John Dovidio, a professor of psychology at Yale University who wrote an editorial accompanying Weisbuch's study, published Thursday in Science. "But we are also kind of emotional and we do a lot of things without full conscious awareness. What this research suggests is that although our minds are in the right places, and we may truly believe we are not prejudiced, our hearts aren't quite there yet."
Acknowledging the disconnect may be the first step in bridging the gap between our hearts and minds, says Ambady. Figuring out exactly where and how subtle biases creep into our culture would be a start. To do that, we may have to start watching television more actively, and astutely, instead of passively absorbing everything we see.
See the top 10 TV ads of 2009.
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View this article on Time.comRelated articles on Time.com:Study: TV May Perpetuate Race Bias Dead Tree Alert: The Third Bias Why Racial Profiling Persists in Medical Research Doctor's Orders TV for Babies: Does It Help or Hurt?

Washroom Accessories

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 11:36 — admin

The third millennium B.C. was the "Age of Cleanliness." Toilets and sewers were invented in several parts of the world, and Mohenjo-Daro circa 2800 B.C. had some of the most advanced, with lavatories built into the outer walls of houses. These were "Western-style" toilets made from bricks with wooden seats on top. They had vertical chutes, through which waste fell into street drains or cesspits. Sir Mortimer Wheeler, the director general of archaeology in India from 1944 to 1948, wrote, "The high quality of the sanitary arrangements could well be envied in many parts of the world today."

In fact throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the use of public baths declined gradually in the west, and private spaces were favoured, thus laying the foundations for the bathroom, as it was to become, in the 20th century. However in Japan shared bathing in sento and onsen (spas) still exists; the latter being very popular.

Washroom Accessories

Alitalia art auction earns more than $1 million

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 11:12 — admin

ROME (Reuters) –
A collection of Futurist paintings and other works of art owned by Italian air carrier Alitalia has raised 1.2 million euros ($1.77 million) under the hammer, the auction house said on Wednesday.

The Italian national airline had put up the art -- some of which hung inside its planes -- after filing for bankruptcy last year after years of losses due to strikes and inefficiencies.

It was relaunched this year by a group of Italian investors who bought its best bits, while the rest is being liquidated.

Paintings by Futurist artists like Giacomo Balla and Enrico Prampolini formed the bulk of the art sold, while select works by Italian artists like Francesco Lo Savio and Carla Accardi also enjoyed considerable success, the auction house said.

Private talks are being held to sell a large painting by Gino Severini. Some of the pieces fetched prices four times pre-sale estimates.

"But the true surprise was the enthusiasm with which the works of lesser-known artists in the catalog were greeted, whose extraordinary results are surely in part influenced by the public's open desire to buy at least a souvenir of our flagship airline," the Finarte Casa d'Aste auction house said.

Alitalia began flying in 1947 and became a proud symbol of Italy's economic prowess in the post-war period, before falling on hard times.

(Writing by Deepa Babington, editing by Paul Casciato)

TSA places employees on leave over online posting

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 09:34 — admin

WASHINGTON – An Obama administration official says some Transportation Security Administration employees have been placed on administrative leave after it was discovered that sensitive guidelines about airport passenger screening were posted on the Internet.
Assistant Homeland Security secretary David Heyman has told senators a full investigation into the security lapse is under way. Heyman says the Homeland Security Department is stopping the posting of documents with sensitive security information either in full or in part on the Internet until the TSA review is complete.
The document provides information that could offer insight into how to sidestep security.
The TSA removed the document from the Internet on Sunday after the lapse was reported on a blog.

Petraeus warns new surge progress will be slow

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 08:50 — admin

WASHINGTON – A top U.S. general is telling Congress that progress against the insurgency in Afghanistan probably will be slower than during the surge of American forces in Iraq two years ago.
Gen. David Petraeus (peh-TRAY'-uhs), who executed the Iraq surge in 2007, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday that he supports the escalation of US forces in Afghanistan.
Petraeus is commanding general of US Central Command, which has responsibility for overseeing US military activities in Central Asia — including Afghanistan and Pakistan — as well as the Middle East.

Iran says will show no mercy to opposition protesters

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 07:50 — admin

TEHRAN (Reuters) –
Iran will "show no mercy" toward opposition protesters seen as threatening national security, a judiciary official said on Tuesday, a day after thousands of students staged anti-government rallies.

A nationwide rally on Monday to mark the killing of three students under the Shah turned violent when students clashed with security forces armed with batons and tear gas in the largest anti-government protests in months.

"From now on, we will show no mercy toward anyone who acts against national security. They will be confronted firmly," said prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Witnesses said scuffles occurred between students loyal to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi and others who support hardline President Ahmadinejad in Tehran universities on Tuesday.

Reuters could not confirm the report independently because journalists working for foreign media have been banned from leaving their offices from December 7 to December 9.

Mousavi's website, Kaleme, said security forces had a heavy presence around Tehran universities. It said Mousavi was harassed outside his office on Tuesday.

"If you want to beat me, threaten me or kill me, go ahead and do your job," Mousavi told a group of 30 masked, plainclothes men, Kaleme reported. "The men left after a few hours."

The protests were a renewed show of force following demonstrations that erupted after the June re-election of President Ahamdinejad, which the opposition says he won by rigging the vote.

Monday's protests in Tehran were smaller than the post- election rallies but the mood seemed more radical with protesters chanting slogans against the clerical establishment and not just criticizing Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Analysts say students have formed a bastion of support for opposition leader Mousavi.

"Silencing universities will be difficult for the establishment. Ahmadinejad's fate may well hang on them," said one analyst, who asked not to be named.

Iranian university students played a major role in toppling the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi 30 years ago and have always been a leading force behind political movements in Iran, both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"PEOPLE LEADING OPPOSITION"

A fierce crackdown on anti-government rallies, sweeping arrests of activists and harsh sentences imposed on leading reformists, including five death sentences, have so far failed to keep Iranians off the streets or quash the opposition.

"They feel they are being humiliated by the system. As long as the authorities continue to ignore their demands, protests will continue," said the analyst. "Now the people are leading the opposition leaders."

Dozens of people were arrested and several hurt in clashes in different Iranian cities on Monday. The opposition leaders did not attend the rally.

"About 200 demonstrators have been detained in Tehran. Some 39 of them are women," the semi-official ILNA quoted a senior police official as saying.

Also on Monday, the government banned the pro-reform Hayat-e No newspaper, a move which the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said was linked to the crack-down on demonstrations.

"Since the disputed presidential election in June, journalists have been censored, harassed and imprisoned. Iran now holds the dubious distinction of being second only to China as a jailer of journalists," the CPJ said in a statement.

When Ahmadinejad won the June election with a wide margin, his reformist opponents cried foul and thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the biggest anti-government demonstrations in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic. Authorities deny any vote-rigging.

Prosecutor Mohseni-Ejei said the authorities had no intention of letting the demonstrations continue.

"Intelligence and security ... forces have been ordered not to give any leeway to those who break the law, act against national security and disturb public order," he said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards and their allied Basij militia, which suppressed post-election unrest, have warned the opposition not to stage rallies against the establishment.

In September and November, opposition demonstrators clashed with government backers during rallies.

Mousavi criticized the clerical establishment on Sunday for suppressing students, saying the reform movement was alive despite pressure from the authorities to end it, his Kaleme website said.

Thousands were arrested after the election. Most of them have since been freed, but the judiciary continues to impose harsh sentences on arrested reformists, including former senior officials, lawyers, students and journalists.

In Geneva, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced concern on Tuesday that Iran is using more force to suppress protests and urged the Islamic republic to respect opposition supporters' right to protest.

"The suppression of protests is escalating, it is much more serious," Pillay told Reuters.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Samia Nakhoul)

Lawmakers slam office overseeing Afghan rebuilding

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 07:41 — admin

WASHINGTON – The U.S. inspector general's office overseeing Afghanistan's reconstruction has failed to hire enough staff and issued too few audits and investigative reports, three senators are warning President Barack Obama.
The office of the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, headed by retired Marine Corps Gen. Arnold Fields, lacks leadership and focus at a time when aggressive, independent oversight of the country's reconstruction is more important than ever, the three senators said in a letter Tuesday to Obama.
In a statement, Fields said the Dec. 8 letter from Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., paints an inaccurate picture. The office "started from scratch with minimal funding," Fields said, adding that he has formed an experienced team that is helping to improve the reconstruction effort.
The inspector general's office is responsible for monitoring a broad range of projects, including training of the Afghan army and police, and ensuring U.S. tax dollars are spent properly. The office was created by Congress in 2008, nearly seven years after U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan.
In their letter to Obama, obtained by The Associated Press, the senators don't call for Fields' resignation. But they do want the White House to conduct a thorough review of the office "to determine if improvements can be made to the organization."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The senators are members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The criticism of Fields' office comes as the Obama administration is escalating the U.S. mission in Afghanistan to stabilize the government and defeat the Taliban insurgency. But corruption with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government and the primitive state of much of the country's infrastructure have led to concerns the goals may not be met even with more money and people.
According to the most recent quarterly report to Congress from Fields' office, the U.S. has committed $39 billion for reconstruction programs in Afghanistan. That figure is expected to hit $50 billion in 2010.
Without vigorous oversight by an experienced staff, the senators say, the rebuilding of Afghanistan will run into the same problems that occurred in Iraq, where nearly $50 billion was spent on reconstruction projects marred by waste and fraud.
Fields' office has "experienced significant, ongoing difficulty in recruiting adequate, qualified staff," the letter states. Of particular concern is the inability to hire investigators and auditors working in the office overseeing Iraq's reconstruction. As that effort winds down, those employees should be looking for new opportunities.
But because of "the perception that the leadership and quality of work" in Fields' office are not as robust, there's little interest in moving there, the senators say.
Fields says he is "perplexed" by that allegation. His office has hired employees from the Iraq office, but he also notes that he agreed "not to poach their staff."
He also says auditors and investigators are hired on merit and rejected the idea that his office simply absorbs employees from another organization without considering their qualifications.
They also find fault in the number of reports the office has done and the topics selected. Since Fields was sworn in July 2008, his office has issued 14 audits and inspection reports, the senators say. By comparison, the Iraq oversight office issued nearly 70 reports in its first 18 months.
The senators say Fields' office has chosen questionable subjects for review. A report issued in late October examined the role of women in Afghanistan's recent presidential election when the office should be concentrating on contracting. The senators call the failure to set priorities for what the office examines a matter of "grave concern."
Fields said five more reports will be published in coming weeks and 13 other reviews of major programs and contracts are under way.
He also defended the election report, saying Congress allotted $150 million for the promotion of gender equality in Afghanistan.

To harness the experience of the Iraq oversight staff, McCaskill, Collins and Coburn recommend the two offices be combined with a single person in charge. Their letter doesn't suggest any candidates for the post.

Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, has held that job since October 2004.

__

On the Net:

Special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction: http://www.sigar.mil/

Drug-import backers worry Obama may scuttle plan

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 05:41 — admin

WASHINGTON – A long-running effort to allow the import of lower-cost prescription drugs faces a new twist — President Barack Obama's administration is raising safety concerns that could effectively scuttle it, even though Obama backed the plan as a senator.
Some import supporters question whether the administration is acting to keep the powerful pharmaceutical industry's support for Obama's effort to overhaul the nation's health care system. An administration official denied that.
The Senate planned Wednesday to debate the import proposal by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., as an amendment to Obama's health overhaul legislation. Even before Dorgan introduced it Tuesday evening, the Food and Drug administration sent senators a letter saying the plan would be "logistically challenging" to implement and raises "significant safety concerns."
Dorgan said he was surprised by the letter because Obama co-sponsored Dorgan's proposal in 2007 as a freshman Democratic senator from Illinois. In addition, Dorgan noted, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel sponsored his own version of the bill that same year as a Democratic House member from Illinois.
"I'm going to go home kind of upset about this letter today from the FDA, which is in my judgment completely bogus," Dorgan said.
During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama said he supported letting Americans buy imported drugs if they were safe and cheaper than in the U.S. The FDA letter restated that support.
As evidence of Obama's continued backing, Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the White House Office of Health Reform, cited $5 million he proposed in his 2010 budget for the FDA to develop import policies. She said the agency will continue working on ways "to create a pathway to importing safe and effective drugs."
Dorgan's amendment is co-sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and has some bipartisan support. Even so, it is opposed by lawmakers of both parties from states such as New Jersey that have a heavy drug industry presence, and some participants on both sides concede it will be difficult for Dorgan to win the 60 votes he needs.
Should the plan pass, it could threaten the pharmaceutical industry's support for Obama's health overhaul. Drug companies have been a valuable ally for the overhaul, spending tens of millions of dollars on TV ads backing the legislation. They oppose the drug import proposal.
In the past, opponents of Dorgan's plan have effectively killed it by adding language requiring U.S. officials to certify that imported drugs would be safe and effective, an assurance Democratic and Republican administrations have refused to make.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said he might offer such an amendment this year, but said he doubted Dorgan would get the votes he'll need.
In a deal last June, the White House and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., agreed to limit drug companies' contribution to the 10-year, nearly $1 trillion health overhaul to $80 billion. Other Democrats have said the pharmaceutical industry should pay more.
Drugmakers have lobbied hard against the import proposal. Such imports could cost the industry billions of dollars, but its lobbyists have emphasized the worry that unsafe or ineffective drugs could find their way to American consumers.
"There is tremendous pushback by the pharmaceutical industry," Dorgan said. "If I had the sweetheart deal they have, I'd fight to the finish to try to keep it."
Asked if the administration's concerns were part of an effort to retain drugmakers' support, Douglass said, "The answer to this question about PhRMA is no."
PhRMA is the acronym for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group for drugmakers.
Sen. John Thune, who has supported past drug import efforts, said he believed the White House would work hard against Dorgan's plan.
"I think the deal is pharmaceutical companies have certain understandings and protections for their participation in this whole health care reform exercise," said Thune, R-S.D.

Ken Johnson, PhRMA senior vice president, said its pact with the White House did not address imports.

The FDA letter said that while Dorgan's plan seeks to address safety risks, concerns remain about copycat versions of high-technology biological drugs and about confusion surrounding the distribution of foreign products.

Dorgan's proposal would let U.S. pharmacies and drug wholesalers import FDA-approved drugs from Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it would save the government $19 billion over the next decade, mostly from lower spending for drugs. Dorgan said he believed consumers would save several times that amount.

International Space Station crew lands safely

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 03:49 — admin

MOSCOW – Astronauts from Canada and Belgium and a Russian cosmonaut landed safely on the Kazakhstan steppes on Tuesday, wrapping up a six-month stint on the International Space Station.
The Russian Soyuz TMA-15 capsule carrying Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk, Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, and European Space Agency's astronaut Frank De Winne, of Belgium, touched down without a hitch near the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan's barren north, Russian Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said.
Parachutes slowed the craft to a soft touchdown at 10:15 a.m. Moscow time (0715 GMT), as scheduled.
Russian medical teams arrived in all-terrain vehicles to help the crew out of the capsule, in a carefully choreographed recovery operation.
The three crew members were later driven away to Arkalyk, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the landing site. They are to be flown to Moscow later in the day.
A NASA doctor at the site of the landing reported that the three astronauts appeared to be doing very well after spending 188 days in space and their return to earth, according to a NASA Webcast.
The trio blasted off to the International Space Station on May 27. Their arrival marked the doubling of the station's permanent crew to six people.
With the mission, all five of the international partner agencies — NASA, Russia's Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency — were represented in orbit together for the first time, helping burnish the station's international credentials.
The expedition was also a milestone for the Canadian space program, marking the first time a Canadian has taken part in a long-term mission.
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Surayev remain on the station. They are to be joined later this month by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, NASA's Timothy J. Creamer, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The first space station crew arrived in 2000, two years after the first part was launched. Until the May launch, no more than three people lived up there at a time. The space outpost has since expanded to accommodate a permanent crew of six.
With the U.S. shuttle fleet set to be grounded soon, NASA and other international partners will have to rely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft alone to ferry their astronauts to the space station and back.
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Associated Press writer Peter Leonard contributed to this report.

Image gurus to Woods: Go public like Letterman

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 01:45 — admin

When it comes to dealing with a personal crisis, Tiger Woods could learn a lot from David Letterman, media experts say.
Instead of a vague statement that left many questions unanswered, the late-night comic went very public with his admission of bad behavior, and even cracked a few jokes at his own expense. After a few days, everyone moved on.
"Men and women have been forgiven by their public for misbehavior or misstepping, and even philandering," said Gene Grabowski, who guides high-profile figures — Roger Clemens is a client — through public relations crises as a senior vice president with Washington-based Levick Strategic Communications.
"But what they have never been forgiven for is the cover-up," he said.
Of course, Woods doesn't have his own talk show, and a public mea culpa isn't his style, anyway. The world's most famous athlete and No. 1 golfer goes to great lengths to guard his image, on and off the course. He steers clear of anything with even a hint of controversy, anything that would raise an eyebrow.
But his statement Sunday about the "embarrassing" situation surrounding his car crash, coupled with his refusal to meet with police, is only heightening suspicion that something is not quite what it seems.
"It's his privilege not to address the other innuendoes and reports that have surfaced over the last three or four days," said Steve Rosner, co-founder of 16W Marketing. "But by not addressing them, I believe he has set up a situation where the story will continue to be the story."
Woods withdrew from his own golf tournament this week, the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., citing injuries from the car crash. While that may spare him from facing reporters for now, he is almost certain to be questioned about it at the end of January, when he is likely to make his 2010 debut at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif.
Letterman's indiscretions had all the makings of a long-running tabloid cover story. While not telling all, the married father admitted he'd had sex with women who worked on his show, with one of the trysts leading to an alleged blackmail plot.
By revealing that himself, Letterman followed the No. 1 rule in crisis communication: Take control of the story.
"My recommendation is always to get out in front and curtail speculation by distributing fact," said George Merlis, founder of Experience Media Consulting Group. "Because the speculation gets dangerous and, once it's out there, speculation has a nasty habit of becoming accepted as fact.
"By not talking or addressing issues, you're inviting everyone on all sides to express vague opinions, and they end up dominating the conversation."
New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte figured that out. Rather than stonewalling or sidestepping allegations they used performance-enhancing drugs, like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire did, both admitted it and apologized. While Bonds and McGwire remain pariahs, Rodriguez was treated like a hero as the Yankees won their 27th World Series title. Pettitte hung out with Letterman.
When Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault, he tearfully admitted he was guilty of adultery — and nothing else. Charges were later dropped and while his reputation took a brief hit, fans have obviously gotten over it. His jersey is the top seller in the United States, Europe and China.
Woods' troubles began with a middle-of-the-night accident outside his Isleworth estate.
He crashed his Cadillac SUV at 2:25 a.m. Friday, and his wife told police she used a golf club to smash the back window to help him out. But Woods has yet to say where he was going at that hour, or explain how he lost control of the SUV when the speed didn't even cause the air bags to deploy.
"It doesn't add up," Grabowski said. "He needs to do a better job of describing the cause of the accident. That's the crux of the question."
In a statement posted Sunday on his Web site, Woods said only that the accident was his fault.

"It's obviously embarrassing to my family and me," he said. "I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again."

He acknowledged the "many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me," but didn't address them except to say they are "irresponsible." He then asked for privacy.

The accident came two days after the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York night club hostess. The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press.

"I'm not sure it's his moral responsibility to the general public to say every bit of what's going on," Rosner said. "But I personally don't think it's going to go away now because he did not address the rumors and innuendoes of the reports about his personal life."

And the truth always comes out, said Mike Paul, founder and president of MGP & Associates PR. Evading an issue, Paul said, will only encourage people to dig further, to find evidence of what they assume or suspect to be true.

Besides, it's a little too late to plead for privacy, Paul said.

In becoming a professional athlete — particularly one who earns tens of millions each year from endorsements — Woods assumed a responsibility to fans, Paul said. He owes them answers, even when they're embarrassing, deeply personal or concern matters ordinary people would never be asked to discuss.

"Your fans are asking the question, you have to answer it," Paul said. "They will not stop asking it until they get an answer."



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