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Thursday, November 25, 2010 – Daily News – 5B WORLD BRIEFING Despite furor over scans, airport protest never takes off CHICAGO (AP) — The big Opt-Out looked like a big bust Wednesday as Thanksgiving travelers around the country patiently submitted to full-body scans and pat- down searches rather than create havoc on one of the busiest flying days of the year. In fact, in some parts of the country, bad weath- er was shaping up as a bigger threat to travelers’ hopes of getting to their destinations on time. For days, activists had waged a loosely orga- nized campaign on the Internet to encourage air- line passengers to refuse full-body scans and insist on a pat-down in what was dubbed National Opt- Out Day. But as of Wednesday afternoon, the cascading delays and monumental lines that many feared would result had not materialized. ‘‘It was a day at the beach, a box of choco- lates,’’ said Greg Han- cock, 61, who breezed through security at the Phoenix airport on the way to a vacation in Cali- fornia. He was sent through a body scanner after a golf ball marker set off the metal detector. His wife, Marti Han- cock, 58, said that ever since she was in the air on Sept. 11, 2001, and feared there was a bomb on her plane, she has been fully supportive of stringent security: ‘‘If that’s what you have to do to keep us safe, that’s what you have to do.’’ The Transportation Security Administration said few people seemed to be opting out. Some pro- testers did show up, including one man seen walking around the Salt Lake City airport in a skimpy, Speedo-style bathing suit, and others carrying signs denounc- ing the TSA’s screening methods as unnecessarily intrusive and embarrass- ing. Pope’s remarks on condoms sow confusion RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Some Roman Catholics are confused. Some are angry. Others just don’t believe the pope meant what it seems he said. Days after the release of Pope Benedict XVI’s comments that condoms can be justified to prevent the spread of HIV, there is widespread confusion about exactly what he was trying to say. The remarks have put some of the strictest defenders of church teachings in the awkward position of potentially disagreeing with the pontiff. Many church officials Customer Service Representative to help schools obtain money. Work with Principals, PTA’s, Coaches, Music, and Childcares! We train! $17.99-$ 20.00/hr.avg. 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Frederi- co) Lombardi said.’’ On a practical level, most Catholic-affiliated charities that minister to people at high risk of con- tracting AIDS are unlikely to make changes anytime soon. Haas, also a moral the- ologian, said he fielded calls all day Tuesday from confused bishops. Bene- dict’s comments come at a time when American bish- ops are focused on upholding Catholic ortho- doxy on marriage and sex- uality. Jury convicts DeLay in money laundering AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A jury in Texas has convict- ed former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on charges he ille- gally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. Delay was once one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. He now faces up to life in prison. Jurors in Austin deliber- ated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts on Wednesday on charges of money laundering and con- spiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors say the for- mer Houston-area con- gressman used his political action committee to illegal- ly channel $190,000 in cor- porate donations into Texas legislative races through a money swap. DeLay and his attorneys maintained no corporate funds went to Texas candi- dates and the money swap was legal. Powerful storm pummels West BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A powerful storm that pummeled much of the West is promising to bring its chaotic mix of snow, sleet and ice to much of the Dakotas on Thanksgiving Day. The system closed roads and delayed flights from Anchorage to Salt Lake City on some of the busiest travel days of the year. Meteorologists warned residents in the Dakotas to expect a range of messy wintery weather, from freezing drizzle in the eastern two-thirds of South Dakota to a possi- ble blizzard in eastern North Dakota. ‘‘Like the Boy Scouts, you’ve got to be prepared for a North Dakota winter or you’re asking for your own problems,’’ said Ger- ald Miller, 52, who plowed roads on his farm just east of Bismarck on Wednesday. Miller has spent every winter of his life in North Dakota except for one in 2003 when he served in Iraq with the National Guard. ‘‘After Iraq, I promised I’d never com- plain about the weather in North Dakota again,’’ he said. Blowing snow was likely to cause problems for holiday travelers even in areas not expected to get significant amounts. Evacuees from shelled South Korean island tell of destruction INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — As they left behind gutted homes, scorched trees and rubble- strewn streets, residents of the tiny South Korean island shelled by North Korea told harrowing tales Wednesday of fiery destruction and narrow escapes. Ann Ahe-ja, one of hundreds of exhausted evacuees from Yeon- pyeong island arriving in the port of Incheon on a rescue ship, said Tues- day’s artillery barrage that killed four people — two of them civilians — had caught her by surprise. ‘‘Over my head, a pine tree was broken and burn- ing,’’ Ann told AP Televi- sion News. ‘‘So I thought ’Oh, this is not another exercise. It is a war.’ I decided to run. And I did.’’ U.N. Secretary-Gener- al Ban Ki-moon called the shelling of the island near the two nations’ disputed OPENS FRI., NOV. 26 A day after Thanksgiving George’s Mountain Choose & Cut CHRISTMAS TREE FARM $ 500 OFF WITH THIS COUPON On a paved road, 3200 ft. elev. 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Montemayor, whose daughter is married to Valdez, took over his fac- tion the splintered Beltran Leyva cartel after ‘‘La Barbie’’ was caught, Pequeno said. Authorities say Valdez, a Texas native who faces possible extradition to the United States, tried to seize control of the gang after boss Arturo Beltran Leyva died in a December shootout with marines. The battle within the cartel was marked by decapitations, bodies hung from bridges and shootouts in the area from Acapulco to the pic- turesque city of Cuer- navaca. Gloom, fear spread across Europe DUBLIN (AP) — Anger and fear about Europe’s seemingly unstoppable debt crisis coursed through the conti- nent Wednesday. Striking workers shut down much of Portugal, Ireland pro- posed its deepest budget cuts in history and seething Italian and British students clashed with police over educa- tion cuts. Amid it all, analysts were deeply skeptical about the future — saying even the desperate efforts of governments, the Euro- pean Union and the Inter- national Monetary might not be enough to prevent countries from defaulting or banks from going under. The Irish Stock Exchange saw a blood- bath in bank stocks as investors pushed the panic button and bond traders were betting that it would only be a matter of time before Portugal and possi- bly Spain would be the next countries begging for outside help. In Lisbon, strikers all but closed the airport, stranding passengers who couldn’t get in or out of the country. Commuter Luis Mor- eira, catching one of the last trains out of Lisbon, said Europe’s woes only seem to be getting worse by the day. He supported the growing outrage over salary and pension cuts and wondered why bil- lions were being thrown instead at governments and banks. Obama says he doesn’t think about running against Palin WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he respects Sarah Palin’s political skills but hasn’t thought about the possibility of facing her in the 2012 presidential election. Obama acknowledges that Palin ‘‘has a strong base of support in the Republican Party,’’ but he says he spends most of his time focused on being ‘‘the best possible presi- dent.’’ In an interview taped Tuesday with ABC’s Bar- bara Walters, the presi- dent says that if he does a good job, ‘‘the politics will take care of itself.’’ Palin, the 2008 Repub- lican vice presidential nominee, told Walters last week that she’s consider- ing a presidential run. When asked if she thought she could defeat Obama, the former Alas- ka governor replied, ‘‘I believe so.’’ On Wednesday, Palin responded to mild criti- cism from the George H.W. Bush family by say- ing: ‘‘I don’t think the majority of Americans want to put up with the bluebloods — and I say it with all due respect, because I love the Bushes — but the bluebloods who want to pick and chose their winners.’’ Eat more turkey and less carbs to prevent weight gain LOS ANGELES (AP) — More turkey, less white bread and mashed potatoes. Just in time for holiday feasting, a large study found that diets higher in protein and lower in carbo- hydrates can help over- weight adults who man- aged to drop some weight keep it off. As every yo-yo dieter knows, the real struggle isn’t so much shedding pounds, but keeping them off. Past research has shown that as long as you burn more calories than you eat, you can slim down in the short term no matter what diet you try. Fewer studies have looked at ways to avoid packing it back on. European researchers led by Denmark’s Universi- ty of Copenhagen think they have a solution to break the cycle. Diets rich in lean meats, poultry and beans, and low in starchy carbs appear ‘‘to be the ideal for the preven- tion of weight regain,’’ they wrote in a study in Thurs- day’s New England Journal of Medicine. The study involved 773 overweight and obese adults with families from eight European countries. The adults had already lost on average 24 pounds after two months on a low-fat diet and the researchers thought getting their family involved would help keep them on track. Open Daily thru Dec. 20