Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

The needed reform to American Health Insurance is nothing new.

Today in Finance for March 18, 2003
Survey: Health-Insurance Crisis Looming (click title above for 2003 article)
Most employers plan to pass some cost hikes on to workers; many small businesses considering dropping coverage entirely. Plus: SEC sues Merrill Lynch over Enron deals, former Anicom CFO indicted, and FEI president switches to wrestling outfit.
Stephen Taub, CFO.com
March 18, 2003
In case you're still not convinced that health care is the next great corporate crisis, read on.
According to a nationwide survey of 600 large and small businesses, 92 percent say they are likely to increase the amount their employees pay for health-insurance premiums next year....

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

"If you're an American, you need to see this movie."
-- Oprah Winfrey

Moore tells insurance lobbyist profiting off health 'doesn't seem moral'
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Friday September 28, 2007

When Oprah Winfrey welcomed Michael Moore and two health insurance experts to her program on Thursday to discuss the health care crisis in America, she set as the central question for debate, "Do you fundamentally believe that the child of a gas station attendance and the child of an investment banker deserve the same health care?"
Professor Uwe Reinhardt, a German-born expert on health care economics, said Americans needed to overcome their "hangups about government" and start expecting government to do more.
"We love our country and yet we hate our government," commented Moore. "I don't think it's so much the government as who's put in charge of the government. There's nothing wrong with FEMA. ... What's wrong is heckuva job Brownie."

http://rawstory.com//news/2007/Oprah_hosts_Michael_Moore_versus_healthcare_0928.html


Princeton University professor Uwe Reinhardt, one of the nation's leading authorities on healthcare economics, says the healthcare debate all boils down to a single question. "Should the child of a gas station attendant have the same chance of staying healthy or getting cured, if sick, as the child of a corporate executive?" he asks.

http://www.oprah.com/world/health/slide/20070927/health_284_109.jhtml


The healthcare crisis has become a hot-button issue in American politics. As bills pile up, the cost of medical care is the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. On average, treatment for a brain tumor costs $200,000. A stroke—$140,000. Leukemia can cost up to $600,000. Would you be covered?

http://www.oprah.com/world/health/slide/20070927/health_284_101.jhtml


Sick In America: It Can Happen to You
Sep 20, 2007 12:04 PM
harpobear 250 posts since
Sep 8, 2007
For the first time on TV, the director of Sicko, Michael Moore, and a respected insurance lobbyist face off in a healthcare showdown. Then, Lisa Ling puts some insurance companies on the line. It is a discussion of the one question we all need to answer-find out what it is.

http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/3145



Should healthcare be a right or a luxury?
Do you believe that the child of a gas station attendant and the child of an investment banker deserve the same healthcare? That was a question raised on our healthcare show with Michael Moore and we want to hear from you! Should healthcare be a right or a luxury in our country?
What was your reaction to our healthcare show and the questions posed? Did the show make you think about the issue of healthcare differently? What realizations (if any) did you have about healthcare in our country?
Do you believe everyone in the country should have equal access to healthcare? Does the thought of a total overhaul of the American health care system seem overwhelming, unrealistic, or exciting? Are you ready to make changes so that everyone can become insured in our country? What are you willing to sacrifice personally for healthcare to become a right for every citizen?
The Oprah Show wants to you hear from you! Please write only if you are willing to appear on national television.

https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?action=respond&plugId=290100001



The Wørd on Health Care
By: Nicole Belle on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 12:58 PM - PDT

Stephen Colbert urges President Bush to veto the SCHIP bill, for the good of the children.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/28/the-wørd-on-health-care/


http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/21849/1/colbert_word_health_care.wmv/



September 24th, 2007 2:18 pm
Steelworker on 'Oprah' Thursday
By Andrea Holecek / Northwest Times
MUNSTER, IN -- Retired steelworker Stephen Skvara says it's his message rather than his mug that's prompted invitations to Springfield, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., for television talk shows, parades, health care rallies and as a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
His appearance on the show was taped Sept. 4 in Chicago and will air at 9 a.m and 11:05 p.m. Thursday on ABC.
"Every day is something new," said Skvara, a former LTV mill mechanic from Union Township who was crippled in an auto accident in 1997 and now walks with two canes. "It's kind of interesting for a retired guy. All of a sudden something happens and people want to hear you to talk."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10266



George to give Democrats another chance to find spine, cut war funding

September 24th, 2007 2:30 pm
Iraq war budget jumps for 2008
Bush plans to increase his request to nearly $200 billion. The troop buildup and new gear are the main reasons.
By Julian E. Barnes / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- After smothering efforts by war critics in Congress to drastically cut U.S. troop levels in Iraq, President Bush plans to ask lawmakers next week to approve another massive spending measure -- totaling nearly $200 billion -- to fund the war through next year, Pentagon officials said.
If Bush's spending request is approved, 2008 will be the most expensive year of the Iraq war.
U.S. war costs have continued to grow because of the additional combat forces sent to Iraq this year and because of efforts to quickly ramp up production of new technology, such as mine-resistant trucks designed to protect troops from roadside bombs. The new trucks can cost three to six times as much as an armored Humvee.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10267



September 23rd, 2007 6:13 am
Profane Language Puts Student Editor's Job On Line
Editorial Raises Eyebrows, Controversy At CSU
By Lane Lyon / 7NEWS
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A four word editorial with a four letter word in it is sparking a spirited discussion on free speech at Colorado State University.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian published an editorial on page 4 of the paper Friday which read "Taser this ... F*** Bush."
The expletive was spelled out.
The last two words were in bold type, larger than most headlines. A caption below said, "this column represents the views of the Collegian's Editorial Board."
"I think they went over the line a little bit, but it's free speech and they're allowed to write what they want," one student told 7NEWS.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10263


Abstract:
FUCK BUSH
This is the view of the Collegian editorial board....

http://www.collegian.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticleComments&ustory_id=ed638edf-233b-4bf3-bac8-5044287f1b97



Letter from Collegian Editor in Chief regarding Bush statement
J. David McSwane
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: News
To: University Community and Collegian readers
From: J. David McSwane, Editor in Chief
Re: Collegian editorial
On Friday, September 21, the The Rocky Mountain Collegian editorial board printed a statement bashing President Bush in its Opinion section in an effort to highlight the importance of free speech on a college campus. In doing so, the editorial board and I realized the statement was controversial and unpopular among some students and community members.
This letter should serve as an explanation to readers who were offended and upset by the editorial statement. While the editorial board feels strongly with regard to first amendment issues, we have found the unintended consequences of such a bold statement to be extremely disheartening.
As a student-run publication with a proud 116-year tradition of serving Colorado State University Students and the surrounding communities, it is our responsibility to uphold the standards set by my predecessors. We intend to continue this tradition.

http://media.www.collegian.com/media/storage/paper864/news/2007/09/21/News/Letter.From.Collegian.Editor.In.Chief.Regarding.Bush.Statement-2984663.shtml



September 24th, 2007 1:41 pm
CSU Republicans rally against student editor
By Rocky Mountain News and CBS4 News
FORT COLLINS — College Republicans at Colorado State University want the editor of the student newspaper to resign after he used a vulgarity in an editorial before the word "Bush."
The group plans to rally against editor David McSwane from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today after the F-word appeared in Friday's edition of the Collegian newspaper.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10264



May 20th, 2005 2:47 pm
Penchant for 'cool' led to big story
'Recruit' liked idea of going undercover
By John Aguilar / Rocky Mountain News
The fallout from an Arvada teenager's investigative piece for his school newspaper is one reason Army recruiters nationwide will "stand down" today for a refresher class in ethics.
David McSwane never thought his story would get so big when he gave his 15-year-old friend a camcorder, his 11-year-old sister a still camera, and enlisted his mother to keep him out of legal hot water.
When McSwane was finished, Army recruiters in Golden had been caught encouraging him to manufacture a fake high school diploma and accompanying him to a head shop to buy him a drug detox kit.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=2712



September 21st, 2007 1:57 am
Bush Threatens Veto of Child Health Bill
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 — President Bush, bracing for a series of battles with Congress over spending, threatened today to veto a bill expanding a popular children’s health insurance program, calling it “a step toward federalization of health care.”
The program expires Sept. 30, and Congress is on the verge of renewing it by providing coverage to an additional 4 million children over the 6.6 million already enrolled — at an additional cost of $35 billion over five years. Mr. Bush says the bill would expand a program aimed at helping the poor beyond its original intent.
The veto threat is just one of nearly a dozen the White House has issued recently aimed at a variety of bills including measures on education spending and money for medical research. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Mr. Bush and Congressional Democrats are headed for a showdown over spending similar to the one that preceded the government shutdown of 1995.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10255



H.R.676
Title: To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 1/24/2007) Cosponsors (82)
Latest Major Action: 2/2/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@N



Make Sure Your Rep. Supports H.R. 676
"Which congressional district am I in?"
CLiCK here and enter your address to find out.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/boxscore/index.php?action=print



Say "Thank you"

Information on
Representative Laura Richardson
of Congressional District number 37 of California

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?lang=&member=CA37&site=ctc&address=&city=&state=CA&zipcode=&plusfour=


Information on
Representative David Scott
of Congressional District number 13 of Georgia

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newmemberbio.cgi?lang=&member=GA13&site=ctc&address=&city=&state=GA&zipcode=&plusfour=



Tracy Pierce Memorial Candlelight Vigil - Friday, September 28, Washington, D.C.
On the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial at Sunset
Tracy Pierce lost his life on January 18th, 2006 at the age of 37 after a courageous 16-month battle with Kidney Cancer. Tracy had health insurance through his wife’s employer who continually denied the lifesaving treatments ordered by his physician. His family calls this “Death By Denial.” Tracy was a Journeyman Carpenter with Local #61 in Kansas City, Missouri. Tracy was the proud father of a 15 year old boy, a brother, a son, a friend to many and the husband of Julie Pierce. Julie promised her husband that his fight would not end with his death. Tracy’s story is featured in Michael Moore’s movie “SICKO” along with many other heart wrenching stories from Americans across our country because of Health Insurance. Larry and Donna Smith are also featured in “SICKO.” They lost their home, but it didn’t take their dignity or their passion to fight for what is right. Donna founded and created “APUHC” - American Patients for Universal Health Care in July 2007.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10127



This Giuliani Plan is more competence from Republicans that try to 'make the solution fit problem' rather than actually knowing how to solve problems.

September 21st, 2007 2:40 pm
Giuliani: Balance Tax Cut With Tax Cut
By Matthew Barakat / Associated Press
RESTON, Va. - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Friday that the alternative minimum tax - which is expected to generate as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years - could be eliminated by balancing it out with even more tax cuts.
Giuliani's remarks prompted a bewildered response from his audience of technology executives. Both Republicans and Democrats said they assumed that the candidate must have misspoke as he responded to a question about the tax and its affect the middle class.
Giuliani left the speech without taking questions from reporters. His campaign did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=1025


Single-Payer National Health Insurance
Single-payer national health insurance is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health financing, but delivery of care remains largely private.
Currently, the U.S. health care system is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate. Despite spending more than twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations ($7,129 per capita), the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and immunization rates. Moreover, the other advanced nations provide comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, while the U.S. leaves 46 million completely uninsured and millions more inadequately covered.

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php



Michiganders launch petition drive to get Gore on ballot

September 24th, 2007 7:08 pm
Group wants Gore on Michigan ballot
By Deb Price / Detroit News
WASHINGTON -- Fans of Al Gore said today they have launched a petition drive to try to get the Democrat's name added to the Jan. 15 presidential primary ballot in Michigan
"We are hopeful that Al Gore will jump in during October, and we simply don't want to take the chance that he will get in and still be unable to be on the Jan. 15 ballot," said Douglas Kelley, co-chair of Michigan Draft Gore.
Gore, the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee and star of the Oscar-winning "An Inconvenient Truth," has repeatedly said he has no plans to run for president. But supporters hope he will change his mind, especially if he wins the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 12.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10270



September 24th, 2007 7:28 pm
I'm No Lesbian, Clinton Says
White House Hopeful Says Rumors Not True
KETV-7
Nope, she's not gay. That's what Hillary Clinton will make official in The Advocate, a gay magazine, according to a story in Friday's editions of The New York Daily News.
Sean Kennedy, an editor with the magazine, asked during an interview with Clinton, "How do you respond to the occasional rumor that you're a lesbian?"
"People say a lot of things about me, so I really don't pay any attention to it," Clinton said in response, the Daily News reported.
Clinton Calls Cheney 'Darth Vader'
Clinton drew laughs Wednesday during a question and answer event at Manhattan's Town Hall when she likened Vice President Dick Cheney to the masked evildoer in the "Star Wars" movies.
-- Hillary Clinton

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10271



September 28th, 2007 1:39 am
Senate passes children's health insurance bill, Bush vows to veto
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate voted 67-29 Thursday night to expand the State Children's Health Insurance program, a measure President Bush has vowed to veto as a step toward universal coverage.
The program would double -- from 4 million to 8 million -- the number of children covered.
Eighteen Republicans joined all of the Democrats in voting to expand the program from its current annual budget of $5 billion to $12 billion for the next five years.
Four senators -- Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Sam Brownback of Kansas and Democrats Joseph Biden of Delaware and Barack Obama of Illinois -- did not vote.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10307



September 28th, 2007 2:07 am
"Childrens do learn," Bush tells school kids
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Offering a grammar lesson guaranteed to make any English teacher cringe, President George W. Bush told a group of New York school kids on Wednesday: "Childrens do learn."
Bush made his latest grammatical slip-up at a made-for-TV event where he urged Congress to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, the centrepiece of his education policy, as he touted a new national report card on improved test scores.
The event drew New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings plus teachers and about 20 fourth and fifth graders from P.S. 76.
During his first presidential campaign, Bush -- who promised to be the "education president" -- once asked: "Is our children learning?"
On Wednesday, Bush seemed to answer his own question with the same kind of grammatical twist.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10308



"SiCKO" opens in more theaters today !

http://www.sickotix.com/


Nationwide Vigils Sept. 28 for Health Care Justice
American Patients for Universal Health Care hosts first national action
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Around the country on Sept. 28, advocates for universal single-payer health care will be attending vigils to show support for the families who have lost loved ones because they lacked health insurance.
American SiCKO Donna Smith, also Colorado Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) Congressional District Point Person and PDA Health care for All/Single-Payer Issue Organizing Team member has established American Patients for Universal Health Care (APUHC).
Smith and her husband Larry will join Julie Pierce in Washington D.C. for the Tracy Pierce Memorial Candlelight Vigil on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, Sept. 28 at sunset. Julie is Tracy's widow, and also tells her story in 'SiCKO.' "Tracy died of kidney cancer at age 37 after repeated denials for life-saving treatment by our insurance carrier." Tracy, Sr., also left behind his 15 year old son, Tracy, Jr., and Julie promised "the fight would not end with his death."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/blog/2007/09/nationwide-vigils-sept-28-for-health.html



Louisville, Kentucky to Stand Together for Health Care Justice
Standing together for health care justice
At sunset on Friday, September 28, health care reform advocates will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, to commemorate those who have lost their lives because they lacked access to adequate and affordable health care. Similar vigils will be held nationwide--in Chicago, in Denver, and in Louisville. Please join us.
Vigil
Friday, September 28, 2007
7– 8 pm
2240 Frankfort Avenue
(Clifton area, between Rastetter and Jane Streets)
Louisville, Kentucky (The Google)
Light a candle in memory of the 18,000 adults who die each year in the US due to a lack of health insurance.
Join us as we to mourn the loss of Clay Morgan and other Kentuckians whose deaths were caused, directly or indirectly, by the inhumanity of our current health care system.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/blog/2007/09/louisville-kentucky-to-stand-together.html



Oklahoma City to Stand Together for Health Care Justice
Join together for
HEALTH CARE JUSTICE
TRACY PIERCE Memorial Candlelight Vigil
Remember the fallen – Fight for the living
When: Friday, September 28, 2007, Sunset (6:45)
Where: Oklahoma Capital - On the front steps of Capital (The Google)
Tracy Pierce lost his life on January 18, 2006, at the age of 37 after a courageous 16-month battle with kidney cancer. Tracy had health insurance through his wife’s employer who continually denied the lifesaving treatments ordered by his physician. He was a journeyman carpenter with Local #61 in Kansas City, MO. Tracy was the proud father of a 15 year old boy, a brother, a son, a friend to many and the husband of Julie Pierce. Tracy’s story is featured in Michael Moore’s movie “SICKO.” Join us in remembering Tracy.
In Oklahoma City, a solidarity vigil is planned for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, at the capital’s front steps on Lincoln. Speaking to the Oklahoma City crowd is Reggie Cervantes, a Ground Zero hero who is sick from the exposure to toxins during the rescue efforts.
Oklahoma City attendees from SiCKO include: Reggie, Aidan & Lia Cervantes
Washington DC Vigil attendees from SiCKO include: Adrian Campbell, 9/11 first responder John Graham, Dawnelle Keys, Larry and Donna Smith

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/blog/2007/09/oklahoma-city-to-stand-together-for.html


HEALTHCARE & THE WAR ARE “SiCKO”

http://www.troopsoutnow.org/healthcarenotwarfare.html



September 27th, 2007 3:02 pm
CSU Collegian editor offers no apology for editorial
Board asks for explanation, will determine McSwane's future at paper
By Trevor Hughes / The Coloradoan
Collegian editor J. David McSwane declined to apologize for the profane "F --- Bush" editorial printed in the Colorado State University student newspaper last week, but acknowledged recent days have been "hell."
McSwane was called before the university's Board of Student Communications, or BSC, on Wednesday night to hear complaints that the editorial was offensive to the university community. The BSC is considering whether to fire McSwane over the editorial and its financial implications for the newspaper. Advertisers have pulled thousands of dollars in ads from the paper.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10300



September 27th, 2007 3:35 am
Dems can't make guarantee on Iraq troops
By Beth Fouhy / Associated Press
HANOVER, N.H. - The three leading Democratic presidential hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they could not guarantee that all U.S. combat troops would be gone from Iraq by 2013.
"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.
"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10297



September 27th, 2007 8:43 pm
U.S. military deaths in Iraq at 3,800
Associated Press
As of Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007, at least 3,800 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 3,099 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is two higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 170 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Korea, one death each.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10305


continued...

Violence in Myanmar Exposed By Satellite Images

A small settlement sits among the trees in Myanmar (Burma) in a satellite image taken on May 5, 2004 (left). An image of the same site from February 23, 2007, (right) shows that all the settlement's structures have been removed and the area has been overgrown.An in-depth analysis of these and other satellite images seems to corroborate on-the-ground reports of human-rights violations in the troubled Southeast Asian country, an international team of experts reports.

May 2004 image © GeoEye, Inc (Nasdaq:GEOY); February 2007 image © 2007 Digital Globe

Myanmar (Burmese) Monks Politically Active Force Since 1930s

...Historian Aung Kin pointed out that only 10 per cent of the monks are activelyh involved in political protests. The rest are locked away in monasteries, unaware of the political rumblings going on in the nation's capital. Each village in Burma has a monastery where the monks provide spiritual guidance and perform a leading role in wedding and funerals....

Morning Papers - continued...

Times of India

Myanmar refugees want India to step in
30 Sep 2007, 0000 hrs IST
Ashish Sinha
NEW DELHI: Huddled up in a corner near Jantar Mantar, a small group of pro-democracy activists and Buddhist monks from Myanmar did raise clenched fists to protest the reign of terror let loose by the military junta.
But they were dazed by the stand taken by New Delhi. It was easy for them to identify the factors that have impacted the Indian response. A young woman listed oil, market, China, North-East insurgency and Myanmar’s strategic location as the reasons why India was reluctant to douse the fire.
"The crackdown is more severe than before. I was 20 and leading a wild college life when the 1988 repression changed it all. I fled to India through Mizoram with a group of students, leaving my family behind," recalled Thin Thin Aung, now an activist of Women’s League of Burma in India.
Aung was at a refugee camp in Mizoram for two years before she moved to Delhi in 1990. "Enthused by our leader Aung San Suu Kyi, we were demanding a multi-party system when the military cracked down. I saw my friends being shot on the streets and decided to plunge myself in the movement," she said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Myanmar_refugees_want_India_to_step_in/articleshow/2415079.cms



US imposes visa ban on several Myanmar leaders
29 Sep 2007, 0858 hrs IST
WASHINGTON: The US administration slapped visa bans on more than 30 members of the Myanmar junta and their families, the State Department has said.
"In response to the Burmese regime's continued crackdown, the State Department has designated more than three dozen additional government and military officials and their families as ineligible to receive visas to travel to the United States," department spokesman Tom Casey said on Friday in a statement.
Casey warned the department would add to the list "others who bear responsibility for the ongoing attacks on innocent civilians and other human rights abuses."
A department official said US laws protecting personal visa information, including for those blacklisted, prevented the department from revealing the names on the list.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/US_imposes_visa_ban_on_several_Myanmar_leaders/articleshow/2413664.cms



Military tightens grip over Myanmar
29 Sep 2007, 1130 hrs IST
YANGON: Residents are worried that pro-democracy protests could be weakening after soldiers and police in Myanmar
took control of the streets, firing tear gas and warning shots to scatter demonstrators who ventured out and sealing off Buddhist monasteries.
The streets were quiet on early Saturday and monks, who have provided the backbone of recent rallies calling for an end to 45 years of military rule, were locked behind temple gates in the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay.
Additional troops arrived overnight, consolidating the government's control of urban areas. Internet links have been cut.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Military_tightens_grip_over_Myanmar/articleshow/2413869.cms



RSS team visits Ram Setu, offers prayers
29 Sep 2007, 2216 hrs IST
RAMESWARAM: Amid the raging controversy over Ram Setu, a group of RSS members, led by its Tamil Nadu state organiser Vaikuntan, on Saturday visited the site off the coast here and offered pooja for the victory of the VHP-supported Ram Setu Protection Committee in its mission.
The RSS members, numbering around 25 and including ten women, travelled by a private boat to the Ram Sethu, officials said.
The government did not allow any person belonging to Hindu organisations or any other political party which opposed causing damage to the Ram Setu to the site since work on the Sethusamudran Ship Canal Project started.
The dredging work in the Ram Setu area had been stopped recently in the wake of the Supreme Court on August 31 putting on hold demolition of the mythical bridge situated south-east off this pilgrim town.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/RSS_team_visits_Ram_Setu_offers_prayers/articleshow/2414999.cms



Karnataka BJP minister B Sriramulu resigns
29 Sep 2007, 2115 hrs IST
BANGALORE: In a visible attempt to lower the temperature, Karnataka Tourism Minister and BJP leader B Sriramulu on Saturday resigned from the JD(S)-BJP coalition ministry.
Sriramulu handed over his resignation letter, addressed to the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, to Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
He denied he was quitting following pressure from the party to ease the tension between the coalition partners after his action in filing a criminal complaint against Kumaraswamy threatened to cast its shadow on the October 3 power transfer.
"I am doing it on my own volition and not under any pressure", Sriramulu told reporters.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Karnataka_BJP_minister_B_Sriramulu_resigns/articleshow/2414926.cms



Should Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt be spared the rod?
29 Sep 2007, 2052 hrs IST
Vasundhara Sanger
MUMBAI: Bollywood actors Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan, currently out on bail, stand convicted in two separate cases and face incarceration. After the judgment was passed on the two popular actors, few eminent people had expressed a desire to explore an alternative form of punishment, which they argued was not to spare the heartthrobs chastisement but to accord the benefit of greater public welfare to the society at large.
By saying so, no doubt, an attempt has been made to understand the philosophy behind punishments handed down to convicts that is not too clear in the present Indian criminal justice system.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Should_Salman_Khan_and_Sanjay_Dutt_be_spared_the_rod/articleshow/2414886.cms



HIV+ mother gets child's custody
29 Sep 2007, 0234 hrs IST
JAIPUR: A woman who was infected by her HIV positive husband and punished by a lower court which wrenched away her 9-year-old daughter from her saying she was unfit to be a mother, on Friday got custody of the girl thanks to a sessions court in Jaipur.
The woman was married in 1995 and contracted the deadly disease from her husband, a soldier in the army. When he died in 2003, her in-laws threw her out of the house because she was HIV positive and refused to let her daughter go with her.
Hoping that the legal system would be sympathetic and less blinkered than her community and peers, the woman filed an application in the court of an additional civil judge seeking custody of her daughter. That, however, was not to be.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_mother_gets_childs_custody/articleshow/2413129.cms



IAS officers find greener pastures without quitting
29 Sep 2007, 0237 hrs IST
Ashish Sinha
NEW DELHI: Just eight officers from the elite IAS have quit in the last four years. No, government jobs haven't become more attractive.
It's just that more and more officers are using a rule meant to be invoked only in 'exceptional circumstances' to enjoy the best of two worlds — being in service while taking up lucrative assignments with NGOs, private sector and international organisations.
A parliamentary committee had noted that Section 6(2) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, which allows officers to take up assignments outside government, was to be used sparingly. It was meant to give officers the experience which would make their contributions to government more useful in the long run.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/IAS_officers_find_greener_pastures_without_quitting/articleshow/2413135.cms



The British-Indian who travels on behalf of Indian kids
29 Sep 2007, 1833 hrs IST
Rashmee Roshan Lall
LONDON: Of 1.3 million British-Indians, Bharat Parmar may be the one man who best qualifies for the description 'short-haired hippie'. A middle-aged civil engineer from Mumbai, with two grown daughters and a pronounced Indian accent, Parmar seems an unlikely candidate to live and breathe the ultimate English hippie dream – travelling overland from Britain to India on a shoestring budget.
What's more, Parmar's passage to India is always about that other adultescent white man's bug – good causes, specifically to raise money to build schools in disparate parts of India. On Monday (October 1), Parmar begins his newest overland journey to India, travelling 7,760 miles from London to Kullu Manali exclusively using trains and buses, with the occasional foray on foot.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The_British-Indian_who_travels_on_behalf_of_Indian_kids/articleshow/2414651.cms



Maid takes refuge at Embassy in Qatar
28 Sep 2007, 1309 hrs IST
DUBAI: An Indian housemaid in Qatar has taken refuge at the Indian Embassy after alleged physical and mental harassment by her sponsor.
Talking to media at the premises of the Embassy on Thursday, the maid alleged that she was subjected to physical and mental harassment by the sponsor, Peninsula Daily reported.
The maid hailing from Vayanad in Kerala had come to Qatar five years ago.
She was quoted as saying that she wanted to go home and was no more interested in working with the sponsor's family.
According to the report, the Embassy had sent her to the hospital on Thursday for medical check-ups from where she was transferred to the police.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians_Abroad/Maid_takes_refuge_at_Embassy_in_Qatar/articleshow/2411309.cms



US wants smooth transition to democracy in Pak
29 Sep 2007, 0932 hrs IST
NEW YORK: The US on Saturday said it wanted a "smooth and successful transition" to democratic civilian government Pakistan even as it termed the Supreme Court ruling allowing President Pervez Musharraf to contest in uniform as an "internal matter" of the country.
"This is the internal matter of the country for politicians and courts to decide," US Assistant Secretary of South Asian and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said when asked about Musharraf being allowed to seek re-election to the post of President while remaining as army chief.
"But the United States is interested that the process of transition to democratic civilian government should proceed smoothly and successfully," he told reporters.
Boucher also rejected suggestions that formation of a civilian government in Pakistan could adversely impact the country's fight against terrorism.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/US_wants_smooth_transition_to_democracy_in_Pak/articleshow/2413705.cms



Pak SC allows Musharraf to contest polls in uniform
28 Sep 2007, 1707 hrs IST
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday dismissed legal challenges to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's bid for a new five-year term.
"These petitions are held to be non-maintainable," presiding Judge Rana Bhagwandas told the court, drawing howls of protests from lawyers in the gallery.
"Shame, shame!" and "Go, Musharraf, go!" they said as they pumped their fists in the air in the packed, cavernous courtroom.
The 6-3 decision in favour of the military leader allows him to contest the Oct. 6 election while army chief and removes the main obstacle to his staying in office. Bhagwandas said the court would explain its reasoning later.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Court_allows_Mush_to_contest_poll_in_uniform/articleshow/2411985.cms



Pakistani police baton-charge anti-Musharraf lawyers
29 Sep 2007, 1204 hrs IST
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police used batons and teargas to disperse hundreds of lawyers protesting against President Pervez Musharraf's candidacy in next week's presidential election, officials and witnesses said.
Several lawyers were injured and around a dozen arrested during the noisy protest outside the Election Commission as Musharraf's nomination papers and those of other candidates were being scrutinised.
Around 900 lawyers gathered near the commission despite tight security and police road blocks.
Chanting "Go Musharraf, go" the lawyers tried to approach the commission building from the Supreme Court but police blocked their way and scuffles broke out.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_police_target_anti-Musharraf_lawyers/articleshow/2413965.cms



India warned of suspicious transactions
29 Sep 2007, 0058 hrs IST
Pradeep Thakur
NEW DELHI: The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has forwarded a list of suspicious transactions, including hundreds of cases of suspected terror financing and doubtful foreign remittances, to Intelligence Bureau and other investigating agencies.
In its first annual report released recently, the FIU identified several accounts having a common beneficiary with huge and unexplained money transfers made to them.
Tasked to keep an eye on money laundering and combating terror financing, the FIU report said many of these foreign remittances were doubtful with scant information on the source of funds and actual beneficiaries. Some such account holders were even found to be on the Interpol's watch list and were known criminals.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_warned_of_suspicious_transactions/articleshow/2412984.cms



RJ's remarks against Indian Idol triggers violence, curfew
28 Sep 2007, 2319 hrs IST
SILIGURI: A radio jockey's remarks against Indian Idol Prashant Tamnang triggered clashes between his fans and local residents and widespread violence and arson here after which curfew was imposed and Army called in to help maintain law and order.
The trouble erupted when a 2000-strong procession of fans were marching to the SDO's office to submit a memorandum in protest against the derogatory comments by a FM radio jockey in Delhi against Tamang, the police said.
An ambulance which sought to enter the Siliguri Zilla Hospital on Hospital Road at that time was obstructed by the fans. This was protested by local people and the Idol's fans in turn vandalised shops in the area.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/RJs_remarks_against_Indian_Idol_triggers_violence_/articleshow/2412829.cms


Indian Idol row: Curfew in Siliguri to be withdrawn today
29 Sep 2007, 1720 hrs IST
SILIGURI: The district administration has decided to withdraw curfew from some parts of Siliguri, which witnessed violent clashes between fans of Indian Idol Prashant Tamang and the locals, while it will continue in several sensitive areas.
"The decision was taken as the situation here was returning to normal and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere," District magistrate of Darjeeling, Rajesh Pandey said.
The curfew, however, would continue in 11 areas, including the inter-state Tenzing Norgay bus terminus, Siliguri Town railway station and Mahabirsthan till Sunday morning, when the situation would be reviewed.
He said four columns of the army and two companies of para-military forces would be engaged in peace keeping measures till Sunday morning.
However, all educational institutions in Siliguri sub-division would remain closed till Monday as a preacutionary measure, he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Indian_Idol_row_Curfew_in_Siliguri_to_be_withdrawn_today/articleshow/2414610.cms



HIV+ mother gets child's custody
29 Sep 2007, 0234 hrs IST
JAIPUR: A woman who was infected by her HIV positive husband and punished by a lower court which wrenched away her 9-year-old daughter from her saying she was unfit to be a mother, on Friday got custody of the girl thanks to a sessions court in Jaipur.
The woman was married in 1995 and contracted the deadly disease from her husband, a soldier in the army. When he died in 2003, her in-laws threw her out of the house because she was HIV positive and refused to let her daughter go with her.
Hoping that the legal system would be sympathetic and less blinkered than her community and peers, the woman filed an application in the court of an additional civil judge seeking custody of her daughter. That, however, was not to be.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_mother_gets_childs_custody/articleshow/2413129.cms


US unveils new citizenship test questions
29 Sep 2007, 0402 hrs IST
Chidanand Rajghatta
WASHINGTON: What do the 13 stars on the American flag represent? What territory did the United States buy from France in 1813? What did Susan B Anthony do? What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?
These are some of the 100 new questions made public by the U.S government for the new citizenship test that will come into effect from October 1, 2008. The new set of questions were devised following a pilot program in ten cities this spring after a raging debate lasting years over whether the old test was too easy or too tough, administration officials said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/US_unveils_new_citizenship_test_questions/articleshow/2413344.cms



Bush authorises 25 million dollar oil aid for North Korea
29 Sep 2007, 0745 hrs IST
,WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush authorised on Friday 25 million dollars in energy aid to North Korea in response to Pyongyang's progress in complying with its denuclearisation agreement.
The move came as negotiators in Beijing closed their second day of talks on a timetable for the secretive communist regime to disable all of its nuclear programs this year.
"This action is in accordance with the principle of 'action for action' under the six-party talks and demonstrates the US commitment to the denuclearization of the DPRK (North Korea)," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe of the US aid promise.
Johndroe said the 25 million dollars was for 50,000 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil for the impoverished state.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/Bush_authorises_25_million_dollar_oil_aid_for_North_Korea/articleshow/2413647.cms



N-deal to commence when India is ready: US
29 Sep 2007, 0817 hrs IST
,NEW YORK: In the face of Left opposition, the Bush administration has refused to set a time-line for moving the Indo-US nuclear deal forward, saying it will start work towards operationalising the agreement when New Delhi is ready.
"We will deal with it as it comes. We'll deal with it in terms of the opportunities that are there when India is ready to move forward," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher said when asked if there was any time-line for moving the deal forward.
Cautiously speaking at a briefing in New York on Friday, Boucher said the issue did come up during discussions between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York on Wednesday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/N-deal_to_commence_when_India_is_ready_US/articleshow/2413650.cms



Over four lakh Indian children work as bonded labour: Report
29 Sep 2007, 1510 hrs IST
NEW YORK: More than four lakh children, mostly girls and under 18 years of age, are involved as child labour in cottonseed fields in India, a human rights report has said.
Nearly 4,16,000 children below 18 years, almost half of which are even younger than 14 years of age are working in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the report said, adding that compared to the 2003-2004 harvest season, the total number of such children has risen.
The figures only decreased in Andhra Pradesh because of local and international pressure, it said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/Over_four_lakh_Indian_children_work_as_bonded_labour_Report/articleshow/2414285.cms



Hitler's cross on bedspread collection sparks protests
30 Sep 2007, 0211 hrs IST
Hemali Chhapia
MUMBAI: Here comes chapter II of Hitler's Cross. A dealer in bedspreads has named his latest line, Nazi Collection. His booklet says Nazi stands for ‘New Arrival Zone of India', but the Fuhrer's hooked cross next to the word leaves no doubt about his intention.
Graphic designer Mehernooz Damani, a Jew, was handed the booklet when he went to Mulund's Nirmal Lifestyle mall on Thursday. "It really hurt me and I called the dealer, Kapilkumar Todi, and requested him to change the name," said Damani.
When Todi refused to do so, Damani contacted the Jewish Council of India, which is seeking legal opinion.
Last year, a restaurant in Khargar in Navi Mumbai called itself Hitler's Cross and attracted widespread condemnation. The restaurateur was forced to change the name after Jews across the world criticised it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hitlers_cross_on_bedspread_collection_sparks_protests/articleshow/2415388.cms



Pakistan Times


Presidential Election to be Free, Fair, says Pakistan PM
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday said presidential election will be held in a free, fair and transparent manner as envisaged by the Constitution to strengthen democratic process in the country.
The Prime Minister was talking to President PML Ch. Shujaat Hussain, PML Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid, here at the PM House.
He expressed the hope that President Pervez Musharraf will succeed in the Presidential election as PML and coalition partners have the desired strength in the assemblies to ensure his re-election.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top3.htm


Pakistan Supreme Court: Dismisses Petitions against Musharraf’s Two Offices
‘Pakistan Times’ Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Friday dismissed constitutional petitions against the holding of two offices by President General Pervez Musharraf, clearing the way for him to contest the forthcoming presidential election in uniform.
A nine-member bench ruled by majority of six to three that the petitions were not maintainable under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, which relates to matters of public importance.
The head of the bench Justice Rana Bhagwandas and two other judges, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, dissented with the majority and held the petitions maintainable.
Six members of the bench—Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Falak Sher and Justice M.Javed Buttar—held the petitions to be “not maintainable” under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top.htm


President Respects Decision of the Supreme Court: Spokesman
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Spokesman for the President Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rashid Qureshi Friday said the President respects and honours the judgement of the Supreme Court.
The President’s spokesman when asked for his reaction over the Supreme Court decision told that “the President respects and honours the judgement of the Supreme Court - as always.”
The spokesman to the President when asked about his comments said “justice triumphs.”
PM greets President
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday greeted President General Pervez Musharraf on Supreme Court’s landmark decision on the constitutional petition regarding holding of two offices.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top1.htm



Review Petition against SC Decision to be Filed on Monday
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: Review petition against Supreme Court larger bench’s decision validating president to contest presidential election while holding dual offices will be filed on Monday.
Senior Advocate Supreme Court Akram Sheikh said; “I have been directed to prepare review petition and we will file it on Monday. This struggle would continue till the rule of law and independence of judiciary in the country.”
Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Munir A Malik said, “we will file the review petition on Monday to the full bench of the Supreme Court. We will continue the fight till its logical end.”
He said that the people would now have to come out and join hands with lawyers for the bright future of coming generation.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top2.htm


Pakistan Cabinet Welcomes SC Decision
By Aziz Malik 'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau Chief
ISLAMABAD: The federal Cabinet, which met under Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Friday, welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that cleared the way for re-election of President General Pervez Musharraf for a second term as head of state.
The informal meeting of the cabinet was called by the Prime Minister at the PM House soon after the announcement of the landmark judgement by the Supreme Court.
The Cabinet expressed profound happiness at the decision and endorsed that Pakistan needs the vision and leadership of President General Pervez Musharraf to continue its march towards peace and prosperity.
The Cabinet was of the view that the judgement given by the Supreme Court removes any uncertainty about the future developments and has put the country firmly on the path of growth and development.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top5.htm


SC Issues Notices to Federation over Nawaz Sharif Deportation
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court here Friday issued notices to 13 respondents of the Federation over a petition against the recent deportation of Nawaz Sharif to Jeddah.
The four-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Naser ul Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz and Justice Jamshaid Ali heard the petition.
Fakhar u Din G Ibrahim, counsel for Nawaz Sharif, appeared before the apex court and sought initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the Federation.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top4.htm



Nawaz Sharif to Return after Eid: Hamza Sharif
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau
ISLAMABAD: The former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would return soon after the Eid-ul-Fitr, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said here while talking to media persons outside Supreme Court building.
When asked about the exact date, he was reluctant to give any, however, he said, the nation would listen a good news soon after Eid-ul-Fitr.
He condemned the way Mian Nawaz Sharif was deported on September 10 saying, Nawaz Sharif was returned on the verdict of Supreme Court.
He said the Supreme Court would listen the next hearing on October 17 and after that the party would finalize the future strategy.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top8.htm


US appreciates Pakistan’s Effort to Make Country Poppy-Free
By Fatima Raza 'Pakistan Times' AJK Bureau Chief
ISLAMABAD: Administrator U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Karen P. Tandy Friday appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to make the country “poppy free” emphasized the need to have better cooperation to fight the Afghan opium trade, terming it a threat to Pakistan, America and the world.
Addressing a select gathering of anti-narcotics and law enforcement officials here at local hotel, Tandy who came from Afghanistan today said Pakistan is itself a success story in the global war on drugs.
She said, “Once a heroin supply country, Pakistan now is nearly poppy free.” She described Pakistan as “a success story in the global war on drugs” and observed that Pakistan is “America’s vital ally on anti-drug-efforts.”
Tandy appreciated the performance of law enforcement officers of Pakistan in the Anti Narcotics Force and the Frontier Corps.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top6.htm


Pakistan to Continue Support for Elimination of Global Terrorism: Sherpao
By Sarah Kamal 'Pakistan Times' Staff Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao Firday said that Pakistan was fully determined to continue its support for elimination of global terrorism and drug trafficking.
This he said during a meeting with US delegation headed by Taren P. Tandy, Drug Enforcement Administrator here.Secretary Interior Kamal Shah and US ambassador to the country were attended the meeting.
The meeting was held in cordial atmosphere and various matters of mutual interests came under discussion.
Aftab Sherpao said that the two countries are supporting each other in various fields and these ties would be further strengthen in future.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top7.htm


India Remains Indifferent to IPI Gas Pipeline Meeting
'Pakistan Times' Foreign Desk
NEW DELHI (India): India remained indifferent to the recent meeting on Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project held in Tehran on September 24 due to US pressure.
India skipped to attend the meeting taking the plea that it wants to first resolve transit fee issue with Pakistan.
Media reports here suggest that India did not attend the meeting because Washington is not happy with India to have relations of defence cooperation and Gas pipeline project with Iran.
The timing did not suit India to attend the meeting as it is engaged in serious talks with the US and other stakeholders to operationalise the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation deal.
The other factors which also played some role in keeping India away from the meeting were changing stands of Iran in respect of gas pricing formula, the observers here said.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top10.htm


World Bank pledges $3.5 billion for Poorest Countries
Pakistan Times Wire Service
WASHINGTON: The World Bank Group will seek to contribute a record $3.5 billion from its income to provide grants and credits for the world’s poorest countries through the 15th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA).
This pledge is more than double the $1.5 billion pledged by the World Bank Group to IDA 14 in 2005.
“By boosting its IDA pledge by over 100 percent, the World Bank Group is putting its money where its mouth is,” said Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group.
“This should help us gain momentum as we urge donor countries to increase their commitment to help the 81 poorest countries, especially in Africa, through an ambitious IDA 15 replenishment. For example, South Africa has already pledged an increase of over 30 percent to support IDA.”
For the first time, the amount pledged to IDA is also being funded substantially from the income of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group affiliate that promotes private sector development through investment and advisory services.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/top14.htm


Geneva convention adopts a working paper on Kashmir
'Pakistan Times' Kashmir Desk
GENEVA: The extraordinary two-day “Geneva Convention on Kashmir: The Making of Peace in Kashmir – Analyzing Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Right to Self-Determination” has concluded at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Politicians, academics, scholars, Jurists, human rights activists, humanitarian organizations, think tanks and other NGOs from all across the world attended the convention.
On the last day, the convention adopted a working paper stressing the need to improve existing conditions so that the peace process can eventually address and find a peaceful and acceptable solution to the Kashmir conflict.
It urged the international community to rally behind calls to involve Kashmiris in the peace process as no solution on Kashmir will be durable unless it is legitimate in the eyes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/kashmir2.htm


Pakistan Economy Strengthened due to Government Policies: Kasuri
Pakistan Times National News Desk
KASUR: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Saturday said that national economy has strengthened significantly due to sagacious policies of the present government.
Addressing a press conference here he said that these efforts helped boost the trade with the neighbouring countries, China and India to a great extent and Pakistan has cordial relations with USA, China and other countries.
He said that Pakistan, like other countries of the world, was facing the menace of terrorism. “The bomb blasts in the country have nothing to do with the foreign policy,” Kasuri said.
He said that Pakistan is playing the role of a front line state against terrorism.
He said, without resolving Kashmir issue, a lasting peace could not be attained in the South Asian region.
Earlier, the foreign minister addressed a public meeting at Ganda Singh Wala. Tahsil nazim Agha Naveed Hashim Rizvi, Sardar Riaz Doogar, Sardar Jalal Din Doogar, Haji Muhammad Mansha also addressed the meeting.●

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/national4.htm


Mandate of the Pakistan People has to be Honoured: PM
'Pakistan Times' National News Desk
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the decision by some opposition parties to resign from the National and Provincial Assemblies is a means to shirk off responsibility bestowed upon the Members of the Parliament by the Constitution.
It also reflects, he said, their commitment to democracy and respect for the mandate given to them by the people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister stated this during his meeting with Sindh Chief Minister, Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim, at the Chief Minister House here on Saturday.
The Prime Minister said PML and its allied parties would participate whole- heartedly in the presidential election as well as the general elections.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/national5.htm


The Economic Rank
By the Editor
WITH the current political milieu, remaining intact in Pakistan – as was being envisioned – the resultant instability seems to have started taking its toll on economic and development side.
Reports indicate that foreign investment, after a long gap, has declined by 16% during the first two months of the existing fiscal year.
The figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan show that foreign investment, including foreign direct investment [FDI] and portfolio investment, declined by 60.4 million dollars during the period as compared to the same period previous year.
Time and again – we have been emphasizing that Pakistan’s nascent monetary gains could ill-afford constant confusion and uncertainty about political landscape of the country.
Incentives for investors would not work if prospective entrepreneurs were not sure about future of their investment due to political upheavals.

http://www.pakistantimes.net/2007/09/29/editorial.htm

continued...

Petraeus admits to rise in Iraq violence

Petraeus, the top U.S. commander, says Sunni Arab militants have carried out a 'Ramadan surge,' resulting in increased violence in Iraq.

John Moore / Getty Images

The top U.S. commander, back from his trip to Washington, says Sunni Arab militants have carried out a 'Ramadan surge.' But he notes that the level of attacks remains lower than a year ago.
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:57 AM PDT, September 29, 2007
BAGHDAD -- Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, acknowledged today that violence had increased since Sunni Arab militants declared an offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"Certainly Al Qaeda has had its Ramadan surge," Petraeus said in his first comments to reporters since he returned from Washington to give lawmakers a status report on the war in Iraq. But he said the level of attacks was "substantially lower" than during the same period last year.
The Army general said he saw no need to revise the projections he presented to Congress this month for a gradual withdrawal of the additional forces deployed to Iraq as part of the troop buildup. He did not provide figures.
Militants with the extremist group Al Qaeda in Iraq have launched a string of deadly bombings in recent weeks, including one this week that killed at least 24 people at a reconciliation meeting between Sunni and Shiite tribal, religious, political and security leaders in the Diyala provincial capital, Baqubah.
At least 11 Iraqis were killed in bomb blasts, mortar and gunfire today. The U.S. military also announced the deaths of two soldiers in small-arms fire, one during combat operations in a southern section of Baghdad and the other in Diyala.
A U.S. military panel, meanwhile, sentenced an Army sniper to an effective 44 days confinement in connection with the deaths of two Iraqi men. Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval Jr., 22, was also demoted to a private and ordered to forfeit his salary for the days he spends behind bars.
Sandoval was acquitted of murder charges in the deaths during the three-day court-martial but convicted of the lesser offense of placing detonation wire on one of the bodies to make it appear that the man had been an insurgent. Members of his sniper team testified that they were following orders when they shot the men April 27 and May 11 near Iskandariyah, a dangerous area south of Baghdad.
Sandoval's 150-day sentence was commuted for time served and labor he performed during the 106 days he spent in detention, the military said. The prosecution had argued that he should serve five years.
Two other snipers from the same team, Sgt. Evan Vela and Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, will be tried separately. All three soldiers are part of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, based at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.
In today's worst attack, a car bomb targeted a police patrol near the northern city of Mosul, killing four of its members and injuring 16 people, police said. The incident happened in Hamdaniya, a predominantly Christian area northeast of Mosul. Most of the injured were bystanders, police said.
Earlier, drive-by gunmen assassinated a Sunni cleric in front of his home in Mosul's Mithaq neighborhood, said police Brig. Gen. Abdul-Kareem Jbouri. Sheik Ghanim Qassim Jbouri was a member of a city council that issues religious edicts.
In Baghdad, a bomb targeting a U.S. patrol in the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood killed three civilians and injured eight others, police said.
Gunmen fired at Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad's central Fadil neighborhood, triggering a fierce exchange that killed at least one civilian bystander and injured four others, police and hospital officials said. And a mortar round slammed into the southwestern Dora neighborhood, killing one person and injuring four others, including a child.
zavis@latimes.com
Times staff writer Ned Parker in Baghdad and special correspondents in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Times

The renewable energy future
Wind farms and solar energy have great potential -- but there are still clouds on the horizon.
September 17, 2007
Remember rain?
As Los Angeles creaks through its driest year on record and nervously awaits its next explosive wildfire, many wonder if global warming is already taking a toll. Nobody really knows; California has always had intermittent droughts, after all. But climate models predicted this situation. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents driven by things such as the melting of the Greenland ice shelf -- which is happening a lot faster than scientists expected -- will probably produce an even more desert-like climate in L.A.
FOR THE RECORD:
Energy sources: An editorial Monday on renewable energy said that costs for solar panels remain high because the world is running out of silicon. In fact, there is a shortage of polysilicon, a manufactured material of which silicon is the basic component. The editorial also said that a "100-square-mile" area of Nevada, if equipped with solar devices, could meet all of the United States' power needs. It should have said a "100-mile-square" area. —
Efforts to slow or halt that process have to include a switch to cleaner energy. Coal-burning power plants account for more than 40% of the nation's carbon dioxide emissions (the key culprit in global warming) while supplying half our electricity. California is already on the case. Last year, it passed a law that says 20% of the state's electricity must come from renewable sources by 2010, and 33% by 2020. Even the sluggish federal government is considering a crackdown, with the House energy bill requiring that 15% of U.S. power come from renewable sources by 2020.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-renewable17sep17,0,3281566.story?coll=la-opinion-bottomleft


Gunman in custody after shots fired at Oroville high school
From the Associated Press
11:15 AM PDT, September 28, 2007
OROVILLE -- A gunman was in custody after firing shots inside a northern California high school today, authorities said. No one was injured.
There were no injuries resulting from the incident at Las Plumas High School, said Sang Kim, a spokesman for Butte County.
Kim said the student had taken hostages around 9 a.m., but "as of 10:40 a.m., all hostages have been released." He did not say how many students had been taken hostage.
A message posted on the Oroville Union High School District's Web site said all six schools were locked down until the standoff ended.
Oroville is 65 miles north of Sacramento.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oroville29sep29,0,6839963.story?coll=la-home-center



U.N. envoy seeks talks with Myanmar generals
CRACKDOWN: Riot police and soldiers patrol Yangon streets to block anti-government protests first led by Buddhist monks. The military confined many monks to their monasteries.
The diplomat heads to the new capital to meet with military rulers after the violent suppression of protesters.
By Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:29 AM PDT, September 29, 2007
NEW DELHI -- A U.N. special envoy arrived in Myanmar today for talks with the country's military rulers, whose ruthless crackdown on anti-government protesters has sparked international outrage.
The streets of Myanmar's main city, Yangon, were virtually empty of demonstrators for the first time in nearly two weeks and devoid of the gunfire and chaos that marked three days of violent suppression by soldiers and police. Security forces continued to patrol and seal off parts of the city, including the monasteries whose monks

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/asia/la-fg-myanmar30sep30,0,2617181.story?coll=la-home-center



Hope Wanes Among Protesters in Myanmar
By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer
1:16 PM PDT, September 29, 2007
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Watching soldiers firing their guns and beating die-hard protesters with clubs in the streets of Myanmar, a distraught man decried the bloodbath and pleaded for American intervention.
With the streets eerily quiet Saturday after the military's brutal crackdown on three days of demonstrations, many protesters were losing hope and falling back on such familiar pleas for help from the outside world.
It's a call made every time the pro-democracy movement has dared stand up against Myanmar's 45 years of harsh military rule, only to be crushed.
Some of those challenging the regime in the most forceful demonstrations in nearly two decades still hope such help -- even in the form of U.S. bombing -- may arrive. About 300 die-hard protesters marched down a street in the Chinatown section of Myanmar's main city, Yangon, on Saturday, waving the peacock-emblazoned flags of the democracy movement. They dispersed when soldiers arrived.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top11sep29,0,378608.story?coll=la-ap-topnews-headlines



Religion as a force for good
As the Burmese rebellion shows, it's often the faithful who are inspired to do great things.
By Ian Buruma
September 29, 2007
It has become fashionable in certain smart circles to regard atheism as a sign of superior education, of highly evolved civilization, of enlightenment. Recent bestsellers by Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and others suggest that religious faith is a sign of backwardness, the mark of primitives stuck in the Dark Ages who have not caught up with scientific reason. Religion, we are told, is responsible for violence, oppression, poverty and many other ills.
It is not difficult to find examples to back up this assertion. But what about the opposite? Can religion also be a force for good? Are there cases in which religious faith comes to the rescue even of those who don't have it?
I have never personally had either the benefits nor misfortunes of adhering to any religion, but watching Burmese monks on television defying the security forces of one of the world's most oppressive regimes, it is hard not to see some merit in religious belief. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a deeply religious country, where most men spend some time as Buddhist monks. Even the thuggish Burmese junta hesitated before unleashing lethal force on men dressed in the maroon and saffron robes of their faith.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-buruma29sep29,0,3223164.story?coll=la-home-commentary



Bush Signs Spending Bill, Jabs at Dems
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
12:47 PM PDT, September 29, 2007
WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Saturday signed a bill to prevent a government shutdown, but not without complaint. Bush lambasted the Democrats who control Congress for sending him the stopgap measure while they continue to work on more than a dozen spending bills funding the day-to-day operations of 15 Cabinet departments.
"Congress failed in its most basic responsibility," the president said in his weekly radio address.
The bills are tied up because Democrats want to add $23 billion for domestic programs to Bush's $933 billion request for the approximately one-third of the federal budget funded by the yearly spending bills. Bush has threatened vetoes on most of the bills, eager to re-establish his party's reputation as the place to go for fiscal discipline.
The president said Democrats are planning the "biggest tax increase in American history" to pay for the new spending.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top13sep29,0,1165042.story?coll=la-ap-topnews-headlines



CULTURE MIX
Pieces of Los Lobos' heart
David Hidalgo, Louie Perez, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano of Los Lobos, in the burned-out auditorium of Garfield High, their alma mater.
Garfield is a special place for Los Lobos. So they're helping rebuild the auditorium.
By Agustin Gurza, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
THE arson fire that destroyed the historic auditorium at Garfield High School earlier this year all but obliterated the framed portraits of illustrious alumni that had hung on a now-charred wall of fame. It was as if the blaze had tried to snuff out their identity and achievements, leaving only blackened and blistered images like specters of the success that means so much to this East L.A. campus and its blue-collar community.
Somehow, one of the images survived almost unscathed. It was a portrait of Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, the famed East L.A. band, wearing his characteristic dark glasses and impassive expression, like a silent witness to the destruction. He's not calling it a miracle, but the musician took the sparing of his portrait as an omen for the band.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-culture29sep29,0,6997740.story?coll=la-home-center



Border fence nearly doubles
After reporting sluggish progress last month, U.S. officials announce that the stretch of barriers has grown to 145 miles.
By Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — The federal government's border fencing effort has accelerated rapidly in recent weeks with barriers rising in towns from California to New Mexico and workers completing the longest stretch of continuous fencing on the U.S.-Mexico frontier.
The Department of Homeland Security reached its goal of completing 70 miles of new fencing by the end of this month, nearly doubling the length of barriers on the border to about 145 miles.
"When we make a commitment, we will carry through on the commitment," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who went to Arizona on Friday to mark the progress and welded part of the fence in the town of Douglas.
Whether the new fencing slows illegal immigration remains to be seen, but the project is a milestone in another way. Once limited mainly to cities, fencing along the 1,952-mile border is now going up in rural areas, where much of the illegal immigration traffic has shifted in recent years.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-border29sep29,0,6565480.story?coll=la-home-center



New Jersey meat recall expanded to 21.7M pounds
From the Associated Press
1:17 PM PDT, September 29, 2007
TRENTON, N.J. -- The Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded its recall of frozen hamburger patties that may be contaminated with the E. coli bacteria and sickened more than a dozen people in eight states.
Topps said it was recalling 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products distributed to retail grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States, up from the 332,000 pounds it recalled on Tuesday.
The recall represents all Topps products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between Sept. 25 this year and Sept. 25, 2008. The Elizabeth-based company said this information is found on a package's back panel.
All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend, the company said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-recall30sep30,0,4997190.story?coll=la-home-center



Man charged in Tom Cruise extortion plot found dead
From the Associated Press
11:51 AM PDT, September 29, 2007
PHOENIX -- A man who agreed to plead guilty in a plot to extort more than $1 million from Tom Cruise for the actor's stolen wedding photos was found dead in his home, authorities said.
Investigators said it appeared David Hans Schmidt, 47, who was under house arrest and faced up to two years in federal prison, had committed suicide.
He was found dead in his townhouse around 3 p.m. Friday after police noticed a tracker placed on him had not moved and he had not checked in, said Lt. Anthony Lopez.
His attorney, Nancy Kardon, said she had spoken to Schmidt earlier this week and was preparing for an Oct. 11 hearing in federal court where he would enter his formal guilty plea to attempted extortion. She said she had planned to ask for probation.
"I was greatly saddened by his loss and I found him to be a very kind man," Kardon said today.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cruise30sep30,0,623442.story?coll=la-home-center



Wikipedia wars erupt
As the 6-year-old encyclopedia project begins shifting from adding articles to pruning them back, arguments ensue, and it isn't pretty. Just ask its founder -- and victim.
By David Sarno, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 30, 2007
ON Sept. 17, Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, the founding father of Wikipedia and the community's most celebrated member, created a one-sentence article that read as follows:
"Mzoli's Meats is a butcher shop and restuarant [sic] located in Guguletu township near Cape Town, South Africa."
Twenty-two minutes later, the article was deleted from the site. Nineteen-year-old administrator Chad Horohoe, who uses the moniker "^demon," removed the entry, citing Wikipedia guideline CSD A7 (Criteria for Speedy Deletion: Articles: No. 7), which says that an article can be summarily deleted -- with no discussion or notice to the author -- if it contains "no assertion of importance/significance."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/newmedia/la-ca-webscout30sep30,0,1839982.story?coll=la-home-entertainment



Teammates banish goalie Solo
The American women say they do not want her with them for this weekend's practice and third-place game after she criticized veteran Scurry.
By Philip Hersh, Special to The Times
9:29 AM PDT, September 29, 2007
SHANGHAI -- The Hope Solo saga took another stunning turn today, when her World Cup teammates decided they did not want the goalie with them for either Sunday's third-place game with Norway or today's practice.
The team banished Solo, who had started the first four games of the World Cup, because she reacted to being benched for Thursday's 4-0 semifinal loss to Brazil by criticizing not only the decision but the play of her replacement, veteran goalie Briana Scurry.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-wcup30sep30,0,1160140.story?coll=la-home-center



L.A. County calling for lights-out hour
Coordinating with San Francisco's plan, officials are urging Angelenos to agree to a voluntary blackout one day next month to help conserve energy.
By Susannah Rosenblatt, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
Following San Francisco's lead, Los Angeles County and city officials are urging people, businesses and government to switch off nonessential lights for one hour next month to save energy.
Led by Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke and City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, the proposed effort asks Angelenos to simultaneously go dark between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, as San Franciscans do the same. Local officials are expected to vote on the plan next week.
At the original event in Sydney, Australia, in March, 2.2 million people cut the lights, causing a 10% drop in electricity use. The so-called Earth Hour reduced 25 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking nearly 49,000 cars off the road for 60 minutes, organizers said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lightsout29sep29,0,3411449.story?coll=la-home-center


Cats

http://yourscene.latimes.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=139188&CategoryID=18064



Ahmadinejad walks away with a win
His Columbia engagement gives him what he wants -- legitimacy -- and his hosts look rude to Islamic eyes.
By Tim Rutten
September 29, 2007
One of the world's truly dangerous men, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left New York a clear winner this week, and he can thank the arrogance of the American academy and most of the U.S. news media's studied indifference for his victory.
If the blood-drenched history of the century just past had taught American academics one thing, it should have been that the totalitarian impulse knows no accommodation with reason. You cannot change the totalitarian mind through dialogue or conversation, because totalitarianism -- however ingenious the superstructure of faux ideas with which it surrounds itself -- is a creature of the will and not the mind. That's a large lesson, but what should have made Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia University this week a wholly avoidable debacle was the school's knowledge of its own, very specific history.
In the 1930s, Columbia was run by Nicholas Murray Butler, to whose name a special sort of infamy attaches. Butler was an outspoken admirer of Italian fascism and of its leader, Benito Mussolini. The Columbia president, who also was in the forefront of Ivy League efforts to restrict Jewish enrollment, worked tirelessly to build ties between his school and Italian universities, as well as with the powerful fascist student organizations. At one point, a visiting delegation of 350 ardent young Black Shirts serenaded Butler with the fascist anthem.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-rutten29sep29,0,1222354.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel



Karzai Offers to Meet Taliban Leader
By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer
11:08 AM PDT, September 29, 2007
KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai on Saturday offered to meet with the Taliban leader and give militants a government position only hours after a suicide bomber in army disguise attacked a military bus, killing 30 people -- nearly all of them Afghan soldiers.
Strengthening a call for negotiations he has made with increasing frequency in recent weeks, Karzai said he was willing to meet with the reclusive leader Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former prime minister and factional warlord leader.
"If I find their address, there is no need for them to come to me, I'll personally go there and get in touch with them," Karzai said. "Esteemed Mullah, sir, and esteemed Hekmatyar, sir, why are you destroying the country?"

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top12sep29,0,771825.story?coll=la-ap-topnews-headlines



Robert J. Bruss, 67; syndicated journalist wrote about real estate
Investment expert wrote several books and an advice column published in The Times and many other newspapers nationwide for more than 20 years.
From a Times Staff Writer
September 28, 2007
Robert J. Bruss, an author, investment expert and syndicated real estate columnist whose advice appeared in newspapers across the country for more than two decades, died Wednesday at his Burlingame, Calif., home, according to Inman News, the Emeryville, Calif., news service that distributes his column. He was 67.
The cause of death was cancer, said Bradley J. Inman, his friend and publisher.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-bruss28sep28,0,6429589.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel



Fanning wins in France to move step closer to world title
Australian defeats South Africa's Emslie in Quiksilver Pro event.
By Pete Thomas, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:10 PM PDT, September 29, 2007
Australia's Mick Fanning defeated South Africa's Greg Emslie in the final of the Quiksilver Pro France to move one step closer to claiming his first world title.
With the triumph at Seignosse, France, Fanning widened his lead over rivals Kelly Slater and fellow Aussie Taj Burrow, and could clinch the title in the Billabong Pro, which begins this week at Mundaka, Spain.
"I'm just doing what I've been doing, taking it heat by heat," said Fanning, who is seeking to become the first Australian to win a championship since Mark Occhilupo in 1999.
During the 30-minute final, in three- to five-foot surf at Les Bourdaines, Fanning caught only four waves to Emslie's 12, but scored an 18.43 out of a possible 20 in the two-best-scores format.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-surf30sep30,0,3929693.story?coll=la-home-sports



Richard Graham, 86; women's rights activist
A founding officer of NOW, he also played an important role in launching the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
Richard A. Graham, a founding officer of the National Organization for Women who also played an important role in launching the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, died Monday after a stroke at his home in Royal Oak, Md. He was 86.
In the early 1960s Graham was prominent in what leading feminist and "The Feminine Mystique" author Betty Friedan called the "underground feminist movement" -- a mostly female network in Washington, D.C., whose members promoted women's issues, often at great risk to their government jobs.
Graham entered public service in 1961 with the Peace Corps as a deputy to its first director, Sargent Shriver.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-graham29sep29,0,1629368.story?coll=la-home-obituaries



Judges seek leeway in prison sentences
The Supreme Court will look at strict rules that are a holdover from the 1980s war on drugs and that legal activists say are unfair.
By David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Marion Hungerford, a 52-year-old woman diagnosed with a mental illness, was convicted two years ago as an accomplice after her live-in boyfriend pleaded guilty to a series of armed robberies in Billings, Mont.
Her sentence: 159 years in federal prison.
The judge said federal sentencing rules gave him no choice. The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed, as did the U.S. Supreme Court, which in May turned away her claim that the sentence was unconstitutional.
Increasingly, judges and legal activists -- conservative and liberal -- point to cases like Hungerford's and say the federal sentencing system is badly out of whack. They are hoping that Congress or the Supreme Court will move to give judges leeway to impose shorter -- and, they say, fairer -- prison terms. The high court will hear two cases next month that challenge mandatory minimum sentences.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sentences29sep29,0,897176.story?coll=la-home-nation



Countrywide CEO sold big as stock dropped
Quick changes in Mozilo's trading plan raise red flags, experts say. The mortgage firm says the sales were in line with company policy.
By Kathy M. Kristof, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 29, 2007
As the mortgage industry swooned in late 2006 and 2007, Countrywide Financial Corp. Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo cashed in stock options valued at $138 million -- vastly expanding his wealth even as his shareholders watched their stock shrink in value.
Company executives say Mozilo did nothing wrong and that the transactions were made under trading plans that specified how many shares would be sold each month.
Similar trading plans have been used by hundreds of executives since they were greenlighted by federal regulators in 2000 as a means of fending off accusations of insider trading.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mozilo29sep29,0,3110113.story?coll=la-home-business



Proposed O.C. tollway would violate environmental laws, report says
A Coastal Commission staff analysis recommends denying certification of the Foothill South project that would pass through San Onofre State Beach.
By Dan Weikel and David Reyes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
September 29, 2007
Building a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach near San Clemente would cause widespread violations of state environmental laws by threatening endangered species, marring natural resources and compromising recreational opportunities, according to a California Coastal Commission report released Friday.
The 236-page analysis conflicts with claims by the Transportation Corridor Agencies that the proposed route for the Foothill South tollway is the least harmful to the popular coastal park out of eight alternatives considered by the Irvine-based agency.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tollway29sep29,0,4557666.story?coll=la-home-local



LONDON FASHION WEEK
This season, London is for lovers
Fashion Week, a must-see these days, has gone from gritty to pretty.
By Booth Moore, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 30, 2007
LONDON -- ONE of the more curious runway shows of the season was held in an industrial space at an old brewery here and could be reached only by climbing three flights of stairs, then winding through a cocktail party, over a rooftop laced with caution tape and across a warehouse full of parkas.
This kind of gritty charm used to characterize London Fashion Week. But this season, the fledgling Fashion East show was the exception. Over the last few years a new generation of designers has emerged, with Christopher Kane, Giles Deacon, Richard Nicoll and Jonathan Saunders leading the way. And they mean business. They're showing in a professional way, and their collections are consistently interesting and salable enough to make London a must-see.

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-fashion30sep30,0,2975853.story?coll=la-home-middleright



Faith behind bars
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons was wise to change a policy that would have restricted religious texts for inmates.
September 29, 2007
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has learned an important lesson: Hell hath no fury like religious Americans who believe that even -- or perhaps especially -- convicted criminals are entitled to practice their faith. After an ecumenical protest, the bureau announced this week that it was reversing a decision to remove a wide variety of religious books from prison chaplains' shelves. But the suspension of the so-called Standardized Chapel Library Project also teaches a lesson to advocates of an extreme vision of the separation of church and state. The reality is that religion and government must interact in some situations, including the provision of religious services for prisoners, students at state colleges and the U.S. military.
The problem with the project was that in negotiating the complicated relationship between private faith and public administration, the Bureau of Prisons didn't give enough weight to the role that law and tradition have assigned to those who minister to prisoners. Long before the phrase "faith-based initiative" formed on George W. Bush's lips, prisons tended to the spiritual needs of their inmates -- partly as a corporal work of mercy, partly in the hope that religiously inspired repentance would encourage rehabilitation. Even when dealing with the worst of the worst in their populations, prisons have made special provision for religion.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-prison29sep29,0,6746844.story?coll=la-opinion-center

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