| Three weeks until it begins anew
But the Braves did address every need, and Braves players on and off the record tell me they like Wren's three-month body of work and the team's chances of getting back to the postseason after two years of watching October unfold on TV. Of course, they are also realistic. It's no secret what almost certainly needs to happen if the Braves are to have a successful season: They must, and I mean absolutely must, get better and more reliable starting pitching than they received from last year's injury-riddled rotation. They need some other things to go their way, too, including good work from the revamped top of the order likely to include Kelly Johnson and/or Yunel Escobar; a productive season from center fielder Mark Kotsay in the first year of the post-Andruw era; and a healthy season from closer Rafael Soriano and his setup men and good work from one or more of the lefty relievers.
The week in seven stories
But it was his talk with Bush that might have had the most impact on the situation in Afghanistan. Soon after the telephone call to the White House, NATO's Canadian-born spokesman James Appathurai told journalists in Brussels that alliance countries would meet Canada's concerns. It also emerged that Washington was putting new pressure on Germany and France to send combat troops to the battlefields of southern Afghanistan. What can't have helped Harper's case to stay the course in Kandahar were more warnings that Afghanistan was again at risk of becoming a failed state. In the United States, two reports prepared by high-level panels called on Washington to provide more money and more leadership in Afghanistan. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Thomas Pickering, headed one of the studies.
FTSE 100 closes at 6304.9
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Mandarin program sparks parents' hopes
Hundreds of parents packed a room at Ohlone Elementary School Wednesday night, sitting on the floor and lining up near the door to learn about the Mandarin-immersion program starting in August. Many said the dual-language program, with its promise of Mandarin fluency by fifth grade, could bring their families closer. None of her children's four grandparents speak English, Simone Wang said. And while the Mandarin program can't help communication with the East Indian pair who speaks Gujarati, it could bring her four-year-old son closer to the Chinese pair. "Hopefully, the family connection is there," she said. The crowd of between 250 and 300 curious parents seemed undaunted by the program's controversial past, including debate at 20 separate school board meetings in the past two years.
What to see at SXSW
Word has it the live show is not a straight recreation of the album, and deep down, no matter what type of music is being played, SXSW thrives on the acts that display an element that's not found in their recorded work. (Top alternatives: Jim Bianco at the Parish on March 13; Liam Finn at the Ale House on March14) DeVotchKa (Thursday, March 13, midnight, Cedar Street Courtyard/Friday, March 14, midnight, Antone's) A great band. Yes, scoring "Little Miss Sunshine" got the Denver band's name out in the public a bit more, but the assuredness with which they perform their indie-gypsy-folk rock is simultaneously mesmerizing and soothing. They can make you dance, then spin on a dime and provide the feeling of an hour-long massage just a few minutes before it concludes. "A Mad and Faithful Telling," which Anti- will release March 18, is yet another leap forward in terms of the confidence with which they play and the sonic variety found in the arrangements.
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