Morning Papers - continued...

The Daily Star

Solar car makes stop in Beirut on world tour
Driver aims to promote alternative energy
By John Ehab
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
BEIRUT: Amid a journey around the world with a solar energy vehicle, Switzerland's Louis Palmer arrived in Beirut to promote clean sources of energy. "For the first time in history, we are driving a car, powered by solar energy, around the whole world, Palmer told The Daily Star, near his car parked on Fouad Chehab street.
"We will report daily, how people are trying to stop global warming in the different countries of this world, and we want to show that solutions are available and everybody can be part of the solution" he said.
Amid the European Sustainable Energy Forum 2007, held in Luzern, Switzerland from July 2 to 6, the solar taxi set off on its pioneering journey.
Palmer is expected to end his tour later this year at the original Swiss departure city.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84517



Environmentalist calls for unity after cedar-reserve fires
By Hesham Shawish
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, August 13, 2007
BEIRUT: A leading environmentalist urged Lebanese to unite to combat major challenges threatening their environment and their health, in a conference on Saturday. The head of the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC), Mounir Bou Ghanem, was speaking during a news conference days after forest fires wiped out at least 1,200 hectares of Chouf cedar reserves on the Bekaa side of the mountains. The conference discussed ways to work with the government and other foundations and ministries to provide fire engines at various points around reserves and forests, so the engines would be able to mobilize quickly during future forest fires.
The conference also comes at a time when Lebanon's coastline has yet to recover from its worst environmental crisis, the oil spill caused by an Israeli air raid on the Jiyyeh power plant during last summer's war. The bombing of the Jiyyeh power plant dumped some 15,000 tons of oil into the sea, fouling about 120 kilometers of Lebanon's coast.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84499



Nassib Lahoud joins race for Lebanon's top post
Geagea describes prospects for consensus president as 'absurd'
By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Friday, August 17, 2007
BEIRUT: Former MP Nassib Lahoud officially announced his candidacy Thursday for the presidential post, amid accelerated efforts on the Lebanese political scene to forge a consensus concerning the presidency and avoid unsolicited escalations. "I am currently in the final stages of writing my presidential platform, where I will include my personal outlook on the peculiar characteristics any Lebanese president must have," Lahoud said in two separate interviews published in the Ousbou al-Arabi and Magazine weeklies.
Lahoud is the third figure from the March 14 Forces to have announced his candidacy for imminent elections in less than a week. MPs Butros Harb and Robert Ghanem announced their candidacy earlier this week, pending their respective platforms. Harb said he would finalize his platform by the end of August, when he is expected to formally announce he is a candidate for the presidency.
"There are a number of highly competent figures among the March 14 Forces capable of being excellent presidents and our group will announce its official candidate in due time ... that is the reason why I submitted my candidacy," Lahoud said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84579



Future Movement MP rejects Suleiman's 'political advice'
Friday, August 17, 2007
BEIRUT: Army Commander Michel Suleiman's comments that Fatah al-Islam is not backed by the Syrian mukhabarat but is in fact a branch of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network drew angry comments from Future Movement MP Mustafa Alloush Tuesday. Alloush's comments in turn prompted Defense Minister Elias Murr to come out in Suleiman's defense.
Suleiman's comments before a group of officers on Monday contradicted what the ruling majority had long been insisting.
Alloush, in comments made to the Now Lebanon Web site, decried Suleiman's foray into the local political arena while he is still army commander. "Suleiman should stop giving advice to politicians as his post is not political," Alloush was quoted as saying.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84578



Berri to meet with Sfeir to discuss presidency 'when time is right'
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri will meet with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir "when the time is right" and once both men have complete their consultations with the heads of the various political parties and blocs over the presidency, a source close to the speaker said. The meeting, when it happens, aims to be productive and reassuring.
Arafat Hijazi, Berri's media adviser, told The Daily Star on Friday that the speaker expects his meeting with Sfeir to produce something substantial and to be reassuring for people. He said Berri will wait until Sfeir has completed his own consultations before setting a meeting.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84611



Dutch set conditions for hosting Hariri tribunal
By Arthur Blok
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, August 17, 2007
THE HAGUE: The Dutch government is setting conditions before agreeing to host the trial of suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. A key condition is that another country volunteer in advance to imprison anyone convicted in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri in February 2005, said spokesman Bart Rijs.
Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told Dutch radio he expects the government to agree to a request by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month that the Netherlands host the court.
But Verhagen "expects some practical matters to be arranged first," Rijs said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84581




A rare opportunity to treat Lebanese citizens like adults
By The Daily Star
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Editorial
The middle of August is traditionally the time when the high humidity levels in Beirut reach their annual peak, and then slowly start receding. This year, the middle of August also marked the firing of the starting pistol for the presidential candidates in Lebanon to come out of their starting gates. At least two more have declared this week, and others are on the way. The trickle is likely to turn into a mini-stampede as the election date of late September nears. This is an opportunity for Lebanon, which can transform what is now a contentious issue that has paralyzed the governance system into a constructive exercise that benefits all citizens. The many talk shows on Lebanese television should combine with the top independent research centers, universities and think tanks to initiate a flexible presidential forum that would allow serious candidates to engage with the public and explain their proposed policies. The critical requirement in the Lebanese presidency now is to transcend the issue of contentious personalities and reassert the tradition of policy-based activism anchored in a combination of political constitutionalism and human decency.
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http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=84587&categ_id=17



Fadlallah accuses US of blocking attempts to end political crisis
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah accused the US Friday of "blocking any actual attempts" to forge a resolution to the 10-month-old political impasse in Lebanon. "A number of European nations who showed enthusiasm to solve the crisis and restore stability to our country have gone back on the suggestions they have made after direct and indirect pressures exercised by the US," he said during the weekly Friday sermon at the Imam Hassanayn Mosque in Haret Hreik.
He added that a number of Arab countries which had earlier undertaken mediation efforts to solve the Lebanese deadlock "have also followed in the footsteps of Europeans.
Fadlallah described the "rhetoric of defiance" prevailing on the Lebanese political scene as an "unhealthy sign."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84610



US risks foreign-policy blunder with plans to slap terrorist label on Iran's military
By The Daily Star
Friday, August 17, 2007
Editorial
After weeks of what seemed like a slow thaw in Iranian-American relations, the news that the United States may soon classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization comes as both a surprise and a disappointment. If the measure is approved, it would mark the first time in history that the US government has designated a military wing of a foreign country in such a way. It would also mark another disastrous foreign-policy blunder in a what is already a long list of mistakes made by the Bush administration.
The possible move, which is at best a form of political posturing, is an obvious indication that the US is growing frustrated with the slow pace of a new sanctions package at the United Nations. By threatening to take unilateral steps of their own, the Americans are probably trying to pressure members of the Security Council into taking swifter action. But by breaking away from the international fold - again - the US will undermine united international efforts to encourage Iran to behave more responsibly.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=84572&categ_id=17




Helicopters bomb underground bunkers at Nahr al-Bared
Suleiman criticizes allies for lack of material support
By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Friday, August 17, 2007
BEIRUT: Heavy fighting resumed between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam on Thursday at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon, while the US Embassy rejected army commander General Michel Suleiman's statement that the US had given the military only "promises and best wishes."
Soldiers and militants fought intense battles from the early morning, although by the afternoon the clashes had become intermittent, an army source told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity. The army did not suffer any casualties on Thursday, leaving the official army count at 136 troop deaths in the 12-week-old conflict.
In previous days the army had attacked exclusively from the air, bombing suspected underground bunkers from helicopters. Two helicopters dropped four bombs targeting bunkers Thursday morning, while troops also continued clearing land mines.
Israeli warplanes hovered above Nahr al-Bared at about 11 a.m. at medium altitude and then flew out to sea, said a NNA report, but the army source said the military did not have any knowledge of the incident.
Suleiman, without naming the US, said on Monday that the army had received "no equipment" from its allies, but an embassy spokesman said the US was meeting all the army's demands with exceptional speed.
"We need weapons, conventional and advanced ammunition," Suleiman said. "We didn't get anything but promises and best wishes and some ammunition, but no equipment. It's as though they are telling us, 'Die first, and assistance will follow.'"
However, the US spokesman said on condition of anonymity that the US has been rapidly delivering materiel appropriate for the battle.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84577



Qassem: Hizbullah rejects any mandate regardless of its source
March 14 mp lashes out at lahoud, calling him 'syrian robot'
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Hizbullah's number two Sheikh Naeem Qassem said the political standoff can be summed up with one of two themes: either rejecting a US mandate over Lebanon, or accepting it. "If we, as Lebanese political forces, can reach an understanding over issues of contention, we can then stop the US mandate over Lebanon," he said in an interview with Cairo-based Al-Ahram weekly.
According to Qassem, Hizbullah rejects any form of "mandate," regardless of where it comes from. The Syrian mandate over Lebanon, he said, was the result of an agreement made by the Saudis, the Syrians, the French and the Americans.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84608



France circulates draft to extend UNIFIL mandate
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Friday, August 17, 2007
BEIRUT: France circulated a draft resolution to UN Security Council members Thursday on the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The mandate expires end of August. The Security Council met in a closed session with representatives of countries contributing troops to the UNIFIL force. The meeting was convened to consult with contributing nations over the extension of the force mandate for one year as requested by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Farhan Haq, UN spokesperson for the UN secretary general in New York, told The Daily Star Thursday that all troop-contributing countries were present during the meeting and showed preliminary support for the extension. Haq said that though France circulated a draft resolution on the extension during the meeting but it was not discussed.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84580



PLO to reshuffle command chain in Lebanon
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Friday, August 17, 2007
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) plans to introduce reforms to its command in Lebanon and has appointed a new command, the World Tribune said on Thursday.
It quoted officials in Cyprus as saying that "the PLO plans to extend its authority from central to southern Lebanon."
The PLO seeks to strengthen its presence in Lebanon during the battle in the north between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam militants, the newspaper said on behalf of the official.
The PLO was said to have been hurt by the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, which has strengthened the Islamic movement in Lebanon as well, Middle East Newsline reported.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb
The World Tribune said "in the latest development, the PLO has reshuffled its commanders." It added that a senior PLO officer, Colonel Khaled Aref, has been transferred from the South to command forces in Beirut.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84568



Officials call for relocation of those displaced during Civil War
By Hesham Shawish
Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BEIRUT: Mayors and mukhtars from the Chouf, Aley and Upper Metn villages called Friday for the relocation of those displaced from their villages in 1983 during the Civil War. They highlighted the need for those displaced to be relocated to their villages of origin and be given compensation by the government.
Various reasons impeding the displaced from returning were also discussed, such as the need to repair basic infrastructure in the villages.
The mayors and mukhtars drew special attention to the need to re-evaluate the amount of compensation for those who were affected by the conflict25 years ago.
Retired general and Mayor of Rashmaya Victor Abu Selwan said that "we are sick of the situation and how slow this issue has been handled by authorities. In the seven to 12 months that we have met and discussed this issue nothing has been done."
Selwan was speaking during a meeting held at the Comfort Hotel in Hazmieh which included representatives from the villages of Aley, Ain Drafeel, Kleilah, Kfer Meta, Bereeh, Kfer Selwan and Abey. The committee demanded that "the villages and areas be returned to those displaced and those villagers affected be given compensation."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84596



Electricity crisis to top series of planned Sidon protests
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
SIDON: Citizens in Sidon will launch a series of demonstrations next week to protest against the living crisis that is affecting the country, starting with the electricity shortage issue.
A meeting of political factions and leftists parties, representatives from civil society groups, women's delegations, lawyers, doctors, teachers and mayors was held in Sidon Friday evening to tackle the ongoing living crisis hitting Sidon, as well as means to draw politicians' attention to the Southern area.
The meeting, which was held at the Maarouf Saad cultural center in Sidon, aimed to draw the plan for a movement expected to start next week.
Sources told The Daily Star the meeting set the electricity crisis plaguing Sidon and its region as the first issue to be tackled.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84599



National Social Security Fund: a haven of waste
Government and fund trade blame for problems, all agree on urgent need for solutions
By Dona Challita
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, August 13, 2007
BEIRUT: The National Social Security Fund (NSSF), is a prime concern of Prime Minister's Fouad Siniora's government. The challenge is to find effective solutions to the endemic financial and administrative problems of a fund that is intended to provide medical and social services to more than 1.2 million Lebanese.
Mismanagement, lack of accountability, overstaffing, and waste at the NSSF have resulted serious deficits that are affecting the ability of the fund to provide services.
An NSSF beneficiary told The Daily Star, "We have to wait in queue, sometimes for six and seven hours to get paid. Many times we have to come the next day to fill papers, and if we are lucky, then we get paid." The reason? "We don't have any funds right now. Why don't you come next month and maybe you will be lucky," a typical answer of an NSSF clerk.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=25&article_id=84500



Kouchner pays unexpected visit to Iraq as feuding leaders agree on summit agenda
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
Iraq's fractious leaders on Sunday agreed on the agenda for a political summit called by embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in a bid to salvage his crumbling unity government as the French foreign minister paid an unexpected visit to the beleaguered nation.
The breakthrough came on the second day of preparatory talks involving the country's most senior political leaders, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said in a statement.
"We reached agreement on a number of issues," the statement said. "The most important is the agenda for the summit and who will attend the meeting."
Talks involving Maliki, Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Hashemi, who is a Sunni, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, and Masud Barzani, president of the northern Kurdish region, began on Saturday and continued into Sunday, an official from Talabani's office said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=84634



Draft calls on all parties to facilitate 'long-term solution'
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
BEIRUT: France distributed a draft UN Resolution to Security Council members on Friday which stressed the need for greater progress in achieving a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon as envisioned by Resolution 1701, which brought an end to last summer's war with Israel.
The draft resolution, which would extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) by one year, will be discussed this week by the Security Council. The council is widely expected to ratify the extension of the UNIFIL mandate until August 31, 2008, in response to the Lebanese government's request as expressed in a letter from Premier Fouad Siniora to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on June 25.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84645



Mufti calls on Riyadh to halt aid to South, Dahiyeh
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Mufti of Mount Lebanon, Sheikh Mohammad Ali Juzu, urged on Sunday the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to stop its aid to residents of South Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs or Dahiyeh after strong comments from pro-Syrian politicians against Riyadh and its role in the Lebanese crisis. "We urge the kingdom to stop its assistance to people who don't have one atom of loyalty. These people don't deserve that we stand by them for their feelings of enmity toward us." He added that the kingdom has played an important role in Lebanon's history and honored residents of South Lebanon and Dahieyh, who had betrayed the Saudis to please the Syrian regime. Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest contributors to Lebanon's reconstruction process following last year's war with Israel.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84643



Helicopters pound militants with 400-kilogram bombs at Nahr al-Bared
By Hesham Shawish
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, August 20, 2007
BEIRUT: Two Lebanese soldiers were fatally wounded by Fatah al-Islam snipers during gun battles on Saturday, as the conflict at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon enters its third month. One of the soldiers was killed Saturday night by sniper fire and the second died on Sunday of his wounds. Their deaths bring to 138 the number of soldiers killed since the outbreak of violence on May 20.
Snipers among the remaining militants have been firing on army troops from inside buildings and wreckage in the camp, an army source told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.
"You don't expect that there's somebody in these buildings," he said.
Army reports said three Fatah al-Islam militants had been killed, although the exact number had not been confirmed, the source added.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84648



Bloodied but unbowed, troops vow to fight on
Wounded soldier dreams of return to field
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sylvie Groult
Agence France Presse
BIBNINE: Abdel-Karim Hussein joined the army in Lebanon as soon as he turned 18. One year later, he languishes on a stretcher in his village near the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, recovering from a head wound. But the young soldier still insists he is ready to rejoin the battle and "fight to the last breath" against the Islamist militants of Fatah al-Islam, a fringe group with ideological links to Al-Qaeda.
One hundred and thirty-eight soldiers have been killed in three months of fighting between the army and the Islamists, and many more were wounded. But morale remains high both within the ranks and in their home villages.
Hussein had spent 18 days at Nahr al-Bared and was just three hours away from his first leave when a routine patrol turned bloody.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84641



Saudi Arabia hits back at Syria in escalating spat
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Saudi Arabia has rejected as "lies and fallacies" high-level Syrian accusations that its role in the Middle East was waning, signaling a new low in diplomatic ties already strained over Lebanon and Iraq. "The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has followed with great surprise the distasteful statements recently made by [Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk] al-Sharaa, which included numerous lies and fallacies aimed at harming us," said the statement, quoting an unidentified official source and carried by the official Saudi Press Agency SPA late Thursday.
The unusually scathing statement by the conservative Muslim kingdom comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is trying to bolster its regional role.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84613



Khaddam slams Syria over row with Saudi Arabia
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Syrian former vice president turned opposition leader said in remarks published on Sunday that his successor's criticism of Saudi Arabia was part of Damascus's policy of cutting links with Arabs and moving closer to Iran while Syria accused Saudi press of misrepresentation.
Vice President Faruq al-Sharaa's "remarks are part of the policy pursued by the ruling clique, which aims at severing Syrian links with the Arab world and tying it further to Iran's regional strategy," Abdel-Halim Khaddam told the Saudi daily Al-Watan from his Paris exile.
Khaddam, who resigned as Syrian vice president in 2005 to join the opposition, said that the Damascus regime's "campaign against Saudi Arabia" should be seen in the context of Iran's regional strategy and Syria's role in it.
This is because Saudi Arabia "constitutes one of the main barriers to Iranian hegemony in the region, be it in the Gulf, Iraq, Palestine or Lebanon," Khaddam said.
Khaddam, a powerful and wealthy figure of the Baathist regime which has ruled Syria with an iron fist for more than four decades, was commenting on the row sparked by Sharaa's criticism of the oil-rich kingdom.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=84635



Russia rejects fears that air-defense systems sold to Syria can end up in Iran
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, August 18, 2007
MOSCOW: Russia has begun delivery of modern air-defense units to Syria while rejecting speculation that some of the weapons could be forwarded secretly to Iran, a newspaper reported Friday. "The first part of the delivery to Syria has started," the centrist daily Nezavissimaya Gazeta reported, quoting information from a domestic military information agency.
A spokesman for Russia's arms export agency Rosoboronexport, contacted by AFP, declined to comment on the newspaper report.
The report acknowledged that the delivery of the weapons, the Pantsyr-S1E self-propelled short-range missile air-defense system, was particularly sensitive in light of Israeli claims last year that Russian arms sold to Syria had ended up in the hands of Lebanese resistance movement Hizbullah.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=84607



Sacked Iranian oil minister issues stark warning of impending energy crisis
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, August 20, 2007
TEHRAN: Iran's sacked oil minister has issued a parting warning to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, predicting a looming "catastrophe" in the Iranian energy sector because of high consumption, media reported on Sunday. "If we do not find a solution to the energy problem in the next 15 years, the country will face a catastrophe," Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh was quoted as saying at his farewell ceremony late on Saturday by the ISNA news agency.
"I am ready to prove that if the fuel situation continues along current trends, we will face an energy crisis in the future," he said. "The current pattern of consumption is a disaster for the country."
The comments by Hamaneh, who also revealed for the first time that he was sacked in a Cabinet reshuffle last week, are a stark warning about the energy problems of a country rich in natural resources.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=84622



Baalbek launches development project
Monday, August 20, 2007
Baalbek municipality launched on Saturday in cooperation with the Iranian Committee for the Reconstruction of Lebanon the first phase of a new project "the Bahaii Sheikh for the development of Baalbek." The project includes a cleaning campaign for several neiborhoods like Downtown Baalbek, the city's market and others. In addition to that it will execute 33 development plans, public gardens and environmental activities.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84644



Gaza faces new crisis after EU freezes funds for power plant
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
Parts of the Gaza Strip were still suffering power cuts on Sunday after the European Union (EU) suspended the financing of fuel deliveries for the strip's only power plant as Israeli officials denied it would provide amnesty to several Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank.
It was the latest blow to hit one of the world's most overcrowded places that has been effectively sealed off by Israel since the Islamist movement Hamas seized control two months ago, sparking fears of a new humanitarian crisis.
The Islamists and the government in Ramallah accused each other of being responsible for the "criminal" cuts.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=84633



Sfeir scolds politicians for failure to bridge divide
Patriarch laments 'detestable bickering'
By Hani M. Bathish
Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said that politicians in Lebanon were taking steps backward rather than moving forward to resolve the country's political crisis as the presidential election looms. He said this lack of progress did not leave much hope for resolving the crisis and allowing life to resume as before.
Sfeir, who delivered his Sunday sermon at the Patriarchate's church in Dimane, said each political side maintained unshakable opinions and positions and had failed to take a single step to bridge the gap or foster understanding between them. "This creates frustration in people's hearts and drives them to emigrate in search of an alternate, safer country to live in, away from the daily, detestable bickering," Sfeir said.
The patriarch said that those holding political office usually aimed to serve citizens in an effort to improve living conditions, adding that the benefits of holding office cannot go solely to officials the holders of the political office for the satisfaction of their desires.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84647



Fadlallah calls for steering clear of inter-Arab conflicts
Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
BEIRUT: Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah warned the Lebanese on Sunday against aligning with clashing Arab states, saying that this would be "dangerous to Lebanon because the current Arab political situation is full of contradictions."
"The US is promoting Arab-Arab conflicts so as to push them to hold dialogue with Israel and normalize ties with this state," he said in a statement.
Fadlallah said the Lebanese ought not to take part in conflicts among Arabs, "because this is likely to bring more divisions on the internal political level," and urged Lebanese to adopt a "milder" political rhetoric.
"The political rhetoric in Lebanon has sunk to very low levels and instigated further tensions on the Lebanese political scene," he added.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=84646



Arab indexes slightly affected by plunging world prices
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Monday, August 20, 2007
Capital markets in the Middle East have wobbled only slightly in the past week after US and European markets plunged on fears over US mortgage defaults, while top Arab developer Emaar Properties nosedived because of its involvement in US housing markets.
Shares in Dubai's Emaar Properties tumbled to a 28-month low on Sunday as foreign investors seeking safer assets sold the stock, fearing mortgage defaults would hurt its operations in the US.
Emaar dropped 1.9 percent on Sunday to end at $2.80, its weakest close since April 13, 2005. It touched a 28-month low of $2.72 during the session.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=84621



Lebanese Telecom Ministry preps for privatization
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BEIRUT: Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamadeh said his ministry is preparing for the privatization of the telecom sector in accordance with the law. He also announced the continued development of communications infrastructure, particularly the high-speed Internet service DSL, which will be made available in all Lebanese areas.
Hamadeh made the remarks at the opening of Ericsson Global Service Delivery Center in Beirut. The opening ceremony was attended by Hamadeh; vice president and director general of global service center in Ericsson, Frederick Strand; vice president of the Global Center for Delivering Service to the south region of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Orfer Hartig; president of Ericsson Middle East, Bouarik Dalstrom; president of Ericsson Lebanon Hans Severin; and president of the Investment Development Authority for Lebanon (IDAL) Nabil Itani.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84600



Lebanese minister promises to review cell-phone charges
Hamadeh: crisis impeded rate cuts
By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff
Friday, August 17, 2007
BEIRUT: Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamadeh promised Thursday to review the mobile charges before the end of the government's term. "Hamadeh suggested that the Telecommunication Ministry will look into the demand of the private sector, consumer groups and association to cut the rates of the cellular, "president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists Fadi Abboud told The Daily Star.
Abboud headed a committee that visited Hamadeh's office to discuss the problems of the cellular networks.
He said the minister may exempt the cellular subscribers from paying the $5 fee for detailed bills. "This is absurd. Why should anyone pay a fee for a detailed mobile bill? You don't see a supermarket clerk charging a fee [for a receipt on] the food stuff you buy," Abboud said.
The cellular charges are considered one of the highest in the world and many experts said that these insane charges are hindering the growth of the telecom sector in Lebanon.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84561



Citigroup warns Lebanon's Paris III optimism fading
Bank says reforms must proceed
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
BEIRUT: International investment bank Citigroup warned this week that the optimism that followed the Paris III donors' conference in January 2007 may fade away, due to the continuous internal political bickering which is paralyzing the Lebanese government's work and business activity in Beirut.
Also, the political instability is hindering reforms, on which donor assistance are contingent, a report by Citigroup said.
An excerpt of the report was published by Audi Saradar weekly news bulletin.
The report stressed that it is crucial to move ahead with the reforms, even if at a shy pace.
The report stated that the gross public debt is at 182 percent of GDP, half of which is in foreign currency, while the other half is in local currency. Local banks hold 51 percent of total debt, the Central Bank holds 23 percent, non-residents hold 22 percent, and public entities hold the remaining 4 percent.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84544



Lebanon sufficiently liquid to weather further crises
Finance minister predicts increase in money supply
By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
BEIRUT: Finance Minster Jihad Azour said Monday the government has sufficient liquidity to finance its needs until the end of this year even if the political situation were to deteriorate.
Speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail, Azour said the money supply held by both the government and the Central Bank is expected to rise by 8 percent by the end of 2007.
But the minister, who announced the budget-deficit results in the first six months of 2007, admitted that the ensuing political and security incidents which engulfed Lebanon since the Israeli war in July 2006 had dire effects on the economy in general, although he insisted that the Lebanese pound remaines strong and stable.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84515



Lebanese banks show growth amid political turbulence
Balance sheets increase by 3.75 percent
By Osama Habib
Daily Star staff
Friday, August 10, 2007
BEIRUT: Lebanese banks, the pillars of the economy, are surprisingly still able to cushion the turbulence raging in the country as clearly illustrated by the good results in the first six months of 2007. According to the latest report by the Central Bank, total balance sheets of all banks operating in Lebanon up to June of this year reached $79.038 billion, an increase of 3.75 percent compared to the same period of 2006.
In the month of May alone total assets rose by $873.7 million while in June the assets jumped by $1.144 billion.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84460



Syrian economic recovery remains on track - report
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Syria has undeniably been enjoying an economic revival in recent years, with the economy doing remarkably well in 2006. Although GDP growth rates differ according to the various sources, there is no doubt that the economic recovery that began in 2004 remains on track.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=84408



UNRWA urges better refugee conditions
Cook insists efforts will not hinder palestinians' right of return
By Hesham Shawish
Special to The Daily Star
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
BEIRUT: The United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees' director in Lebanon Richard Cook said that improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees does not jeopardize their right of return. "The continuation of appalling conditions in refugee camps would radicalize many Palestinians and any backlash could cause problems for the Lebanese state in the longer term," he said.
Cook was speaking to The Daily Star at the UNRWA's Field Office in Bir Hassan about the conditions of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and the need to help many refugees about their legal status.
He said he had suggested to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that non-IDs refugees - those lacking any official identification - in Lebanon should be registered within the Interior Ministry and registration offices, emphasizing the need for these people to be recognized.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84546



UAE to import French expertise for development of Louvre Abu Dhabi
Representatives from major institutions in France to pitch in with curatorship, exhibition design
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Monday, August 13, 2007
ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi on Sunday announced the creation of a body comprising some of France's leading cultural figures to oversee the development of a satellite Louvre museum in the wealthy Gulf emirate. The French Museums agency will help develop the branch of the famed cultural icon on an island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the emirate's tourism authority said in a statement.
Under the 30-year agreement, the government of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, will pay $525 million just for the use of the Louvre's name.
Representatives from the Pompidou Center, the Orsay Museum and the National Library of France are part of the new agency, the statement said.
"The French Museums agency comprises some of the finest minds in the French cultural arena," Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun al-Nahayan, head of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, said in the statement.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=84476



Novel posits fictional village as emblem for a lost Lebanon
Jad el-Hage's 'The Myrtle Tree' pits urban against rural, present against past, political against practical and cosmopolitan against provincial
By Kaelen Wilson-Goldie
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Review
BEIRUT: If Jad el-Hage's novel "The Myrtle Tree" were ever adapted to the stage, two props would be required to transform his written narrative into live theater. Framing the performance would be the myrtle tree of the books' title on one side - symbolizing enduring nature, timeless beauty and the resilience of rural life - and a haunted castle on the other - representing meddlesome man, civilization and its discontents and the destructive legacy of an interfering empire.
The structure of Hage's novel rests rather uneasily on such pairings. He pits urban against rural, present against past, political against practical and cosmopolitan against provincial to such as extent that bad against good cannot be far behind. But the most obvious and overbearing of oppositions is Beirut versus Wahdeh, the mythical village with the tree and the castle where much of novel is set.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=84501



'Too marvelous to ignore'
Gamal al-Ghitani's 'Pyramid Texts' is as mesmerizing as the ancient spells on which the book is based
By Mirella Hodeib
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
BEIRUT: The Pyramid Texts, which evolved into the Book of the Dead, are the oldest religious writing from ancient Egypt that are known to us today. A collection of spells and legends, the texts form the basis of much Egyptian religious theology and literature. The oldest of the Pyramid Texts were found, in the form of funerary inscriptions, on the walls inside the Pyramid of Unas in the region of Saqqara. In myriad, diverse ways, they describe the resurrection and ascension of the pharaos to the afterlife. What binds them together is their emphasis on the eternal existence of the king and their tendency to equate the sky with the realm of the afterlife.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&article_id=84604



Marathon association holds lunch in honor of Lebanon's sports media

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/starscene.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=6&article_id=84601



Hundreds attend Bastille Day event

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/starscene.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=6&article_id=83876



Ambassador hosts reception to mark Moroccan king's 8th year on throne

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/starscene.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=6&article_id=84247



Let the race to clean up Bush's presidential calamities begin
By The Daily Star
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Editorial
In the United States, the race to become the next leader of the world's sole superpower is getting under way. The irony is that more than 30 candidates, including Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, independents and others, are vying to replace George W. Bush, even though the victor of the contest will win the unenviable responsibility of having to step in to clean up the current president's messes. Of all of Bush's presidential blunders, perhaps none has been as disastrous - for Middle Easterners and Americans - as his foreign policy in this region.
Since coming to power, Bush has launched a series of daring but incogent initiatives that have often been contradictory with each other. He has foolishly relied almost exclusively on obsolete cold war strategies and the politics of strength to ward off a world of new and ever-evolving transnational threats. In the process, he has arguably angered and alienated a generation of Muslims and Arabs, making them malleable recruits for committing terrorist crimes. And he has also inadvertently contributed to the growing legitimacy deficit of the states with which his country is allied.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=84533




Electricity crisis to top series of planned Sidon protests
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Saturday, August 18, 2007
SIDON: Citizens in Sidon will launch a series of demonstrations next week to protest against the living crisis that is affecting the country, starting with the electricity shortage issue.
A meeting of political factions and leftists parties, representatives from civil society groups, women's delegations, lawyers, doctors, teachers and mayors was held in Sidon Friday evening to tackle the ongoing living crisis hitting Sidon, as well as means to draw politicians' attention to the Southern area.
The meeting, which was held at the Maarouf Saad cultural center in Sidon, aimed to draw the plan for a movement expected to start next week.
Sources told The Daily Star the meeting set the electricity crisis plaguing Sidon and its region as the first issue to be tackled.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=84599



Two decades after his abduction in Beirut, Brian Keenan makes good on his 'holidays' in Lebanon
Author of 'An Evil Cradling' reads from his book in Hamra, visits Byblos, Bekaa
By William Wheeler
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, August 20, 2007
BEIRUT: When Brian Keenan set out for Lebanon in 1985 he felt impervious to the violence of the country's Civil War, already a decade old at the time. After all, Keenan was a traveler not a tourist, and his Belfast upbringing had taught him that life goes on, even in places where newspaper headlines warn of imminent doom.
"I come from Belfast and I'm going to Beirut," he recalled thinking. "It's the same thing."
Keenan had intended to tour the country and the Palestinian refugee camps while teaching at the American University of Beirut. But just two months after he arrived, Keenan was abducted by members of the group Islamic Jihad. For nearly five years - the period he now euphemistically refers to as his "holidays" - he was subjected to torture and the anguish of a life confined to a tiny cell and the walls of his own mind.
Keenan returned to Lebanon for the first time this month to finally enjoy the holiday that was so violently cut short 22 years ago. Speaking at a cafe in Hamra last Sunday, Keenan read excerpts from his 1991 book about the experience, "An Evil Cradling," and reflected on his attempts to bury the past and experience a brighter view of the country.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&article_id=84623



Violence in God's name: the Islamists' debate
By John L. Esposito
Commentary by
Monday, August 20, 2007
Why is Islam such a violent religion? Does the Koran condone acts of terrorism? Why haven't Muslims denounced the 9/11 attacks and suicide bombing?
Whether in the media or public discussions, these are common and persistent questions. But, in fact, major Muslim religious leaders and Muslim organizations have and do speak out. The media tends not to find these fatwas (religious legal opinions) and statements newsworthy but they are available on the Internet.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, for example, Muhammad Abdul-Rashid, the most senior Muslim chaplain in the American armed forces, asked for a fatwa about whether American Muslim military could participate in the war in Afghanistan and in other Muslim countries. A group of prominent religious authorities concluded that "[a]ll Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who permit the killing of non-combatants without a justifiable reason," and that it was acceptable "to partake in the fighting in the upcoming battles, against whomever their country decides has perpetrated terrorism against them."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=84639

continued...

Flood Stage: 20 feet - NOAA, Kingfisher Creek at Kingfisher, Oklahoma

This is what Kingfisher Creek at Kingfisher, Oklahoma normally looks like, maybe it's better said, "What it used to look like."

Facts about Kingfisher, Oklahoma (click here)





The Oklahoman

http://newsok.com/

Tourists flee Jamaica, Hurricane Dean; Texas, Mexico start evacuations
By Howard Campbell
Associated Press Writer
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaicans headed inland and tourists fled the country as Hurricane Dean headed for a direct hit on the island Sunday after a deadly and destructive march across the eastern Caribbean. Coastal Texas and Mexico began evacuations, with many Texans hoping to avoid the disastrous last-minute exodus before Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Jamaica converted schools, churches and the indoor national sports arena into shelters and authorities urged people to take cover from a storm that could rake the country with winds of 145 mph and dump up to 20 inches of rain.
"It's going to be very, very serious," said Lawrence Samuel as he shopped for emergency groceries while his wife and son went to the hardware store for plywood and other supplies.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the first hurricane of the Atlantic season was projected to reach the most dangerous hurricane classification, Category 5, with winds of 160 mph before crashing into the Mexican coastline near Cancun on Monday night or Tuesday. The Mexican mainland or Texas could be hit later.

http://newsok.com/article/3106703


Weather causes road closures
By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer
Flooding caused authorities to close several major roads in Oklahoma County and across the state.
Interstate 40 was closed in both directions near El Reno for six hours, Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers said. It re-opened about 9:45 a.m.
Other road closures reported by the Oklahoma Transportation Department as of 8 a.m. were:
•SH 66, between Oklahoma Cit y and El Reno.
•SH 4 (Mustang area), north and south of I-40
•SH 74, north of the Kilpatrick Turnpike to the Logan County line
The Oklahoma County sheriff's office reported the following street closures:
•Highway 74 (Portland) between NW 150 to 164

http://newsok.com/article/3106699



Storms knock out power
By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer
About 20,000 OG&E customers, most in the Oklahoma City metro area, were without power Sunday morning as the remnants of Tropical Erin moved through the state.
In Oklahoma City about 9,600 people were without power as of 10:30 a.m. according to the OG&E Web site.
About 2,200 people were without power in Norman, and about 1,900 were without power in El Reno.
Other metro-area outages were reported in Arcadia, Bethany, Choctaw, Del City, Edmond, Forest Park, Guthrie, Harrah, Jones, Midwest City, Moore, Nicoma Park, Okarche, Shawnee, Spencer, The Village, Warr Acres and Yukon.
Statewide, outages were also reported in Canton, Davenport, Drumright, Earlsboro, Maude and Seminole.

http://newsok.com/article/3106700


Possible tornadoes hit parts of state
Chad Previch and Bryan Dean
Staff Writers
Sunday morning's storms brought more than just heavy rain, with reports of tornadoes and heavy wind, injuring two people in Watonga and causing damage across western and central Oklahoma.
Michaelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the state emergency management department, said two people, whose names were not released, were treated for non-life threatening injuries in Watonga after straight line winds or a possible tornado destroyed their home.
The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed any tornadoes although twister-like damage has been reported. Radar indicated a tornado six miles south of Minco, meteorologist John Pike said.
He said Oklahoma benefited from a relatively dry August.
"That allowed runoff to occur a little bit better but there has been a lot of rain,” he said.

http://newsok.com/article/3106698



Drowning reports - one was a woman trapped in her basement. There is also a huge oil spill. The panoramic views of the area are astounding. The videos from the area are listed here.

http://www.newsok.com/video/brightcove/?bctid=1137835102&bclid=1111621425

continued...

New York City will never be quite the same. There is so much NOT done to create a sense of security and closure, this mourning will be generational

If ever at the site, the building that burned is easily remembered. It's near the walkway to the site. When walking the area, it's obvious of it's disuse.



The vigil is only a moment away in NYC. Permanent emotional damage to a city takes many forms. I don't recall such spontaneous responses in other cities. People have been profoundly traumatized. The pain never stops in NYC. Buoy.

I know this building. I've been to the former site of the Twin Trade Towers. The entire area has stood fallow for nearly six years now. No funding. New York City is chronically left with a hole in it's heart as well a sense of threat all the time. New York City was Rove's favorite place to cause feelings of 'terror' in Bush's Culture of Fear with unsubstantiated warnings of terrorist attacks. The 'horseplay' of Bush and Rove was not only expensive but did emotional damage they should be held responsible.

I don't know when NYC will be healed from this. I don't remember hearing NYC being called "The Big Apple" in years. It's the place where 911 happened.

2 Firefighters Are Killed in Blaze at Ground Zero (click title above)

By RAY RIVERA and FERNANDA SANTOS
Published: August 19, 2007
Two firefighters were killed yesterday battling a blaze in the Deutsche Bank skyscraper, a vacant relic of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack that was in the process of being dismantled.
New York Fire Department
Robert Beddia, left, and Joseph Graffagnino were killed. More Photos »
The firefighters were among hundreds who poured into ground zero all afternoon to fight the high-rise fire, which was finally brought under control after seven hours. At least five others were hospitalized, but were expected to recover.
The building, at 130 Liberty Street, had stood as a ghost since parts of the twin towers crashed into it, leaving it severely damaged and filled with toxic debris, including asbestos, dioxin, lead and chromium. For residents nearby, the acrid smoke brought back memories of the grim dust clouds that lingered after the attacks.
The demolition work created difficulties for firefighters trying to reach and put out the blaze, which started on the 17th floor, allowing the fire to mushroom out of control, fire officials said. The building did not have a working standpipe, which runs through high-rise buildings to provide a source of water for firefighters....

Aug. 19, 2007, 2:01PM

Required plastics may have hindered N.Y. firefighting (click here)

After blaze kills two firemen, governor says material was used to limit asbestos
By VERENA DOBNIK

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A blaze that killed two firefighters in an abandoned skyscraper being dismantled next to the World Trade Center site may have been harder to combat because of plastics required by a federal agency to control asbestos, the governor said today.
The blaze broke out on Saturday on the 17th floor of the former Deutsche Bank office building, which has been a toxic site since it was damaged by falling wreckage when the Trade Center's twin towers collapsed and contaminated by toxic dust.
During demolition work, the federal Environmental Protection Agency had required that polyurethane sheets be used to prevent asbestos and other harmful debris from escaping, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said at a news conference.
The polyurethane "may in fact have made this fire harder to fight," Spitzer said.
Questions about other complications also were emerging today, including why the partially gutted building's water supply did not work, forcing firefighters to run hoses to the 17th floor.
Spitzer said the latest air-quality tests for asbestos and other fine-particulate matter had been negative.
The cause of the fire was unknown, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it might have been fueled by plywood, boxes and other flammable supplies related to the dismantling work.
More than five dozen fire vehicles, carrying more than 270 firefighters, were sent to the site as pieces of burning debris fell to the streets.
The firefighters who died, Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33, were trapped and inhaled a great deal of smoke, Bloomberg said.

Bush not only creates his own oil wars, he holds the global record for executions.

This 1974 picture shows a storage room at the state prison in Walpole holding the electric chair that Massachusetts used in its last execution, carried out in Charlestown in 1947. Globe File Photo



Death Wish (click here)
It’s been almost 60 years since our (Massachusetts) last execution.We went to Texas to see what we could learn from a land that embraces capital punishment.
KAREN OLSSON
Boston Globe 1jan2006

...That’s not a problem only in Texas. Massachusetts lately has had trouble assigning lawyers to poor defendants in criminal cases because of the low fees paid by the state. Last year, Romney denounced lawyers’ refusal to take such cases and, initially at least, resisted calls for raising the pay scale. But Romney brushed away questions about the cost of his proposal. “This is not a measure based on cost. This a measure based on life, the preservation of life through the deterrent of the death penalty,” he told me. “In my view, those people who oppose the death penalty on moral grounds have an understandable and fair posture, but those who try to manufacture other reasons are ducking.”

The last time Massachusetts came close to passing a death penalty law was in 1997, after Jeffrey Curley, a 10-year-old Cambridge boy, was abducted, sodomized, and murdered by two men. The crime received heavy media coverage, and in the Legislature, the 10-vote margin opposing passage of a death penalty bill dissolved overnight. The Senate adopted one version, and the House voted 81-79 to pass another, and only in a second House vote did the bill fail, because one legislator changed his mind. Since then, the state’s Republican governors have continued to support the death penalty while the margins against it have widened in the House and Senate (the House vote on Romney’s bill was not even close, 99-53, and the Senate has no plans to even consider it). Most anti-death-penalty activists feel fairly secure that Massachusetts will not reinstate capital punishment. “We’ve had leadership in the Legislature who are opposed to the death penalty, which means that no one’s pushing it from within,” says Norma Shapiro of the Massachusetts ACLU. Still, the activists admit, another crime as gruesome as the Curley murder could tip the balance back the other way....




09.18.06
McCain-Graham-Warner Torture Bill Suspends Habeas Corpus
I don’t have time for an extended post, but please read this: Judges Tell Congress: Don’t Suspend Habeas Corpus (via Susie).
Here’s an excerpt (and here’s a brief history of the term):
It looks like the McCain Graham Warner version of the military commissions bill is going to pass. While much attention has been paid to the difference between the Bush and these “rebel” Republicans versions, very little notice has been taken of the fact that the McCain version too takes the draconian step of suspending habeas corpus, the linchpin of a free society.
Last Thursday nine former federal judges sent a letter to Congress [pdf text] detailing their opposition to the proposed McCain, Graham, Warner Military Commissions Act of 2006 which would strip US prisoners held outside the United States from their right to habeas corpus....



Bush's lethal legacy: more executions
The US already kills more of its prisoners than almost any other country. Now the White House plans to cut the right of appeal of death row inmates...
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
Published: 15 August 2007
The Bush administration is preparing to speed up the executions of criminals who are on death row across the United States, in effect, cutting out several layers of appeals in the federal courts so that prisoners can be "fast-tracked" to their deaths.
With less than 18 months to go to secure a presidential legacy, President Bush has turned to an issue he has specialised in since approving a record number of executions while Governor of Texas.
The US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales - Mr Bush's top legal adviser during the spree of executions in Texas in the 1990s - is putting finishing touches to regulations, inspired by recent anti-terrorism legislation, that would allow states to turn to the Justice Department, instead of the federal courts, as a key arbiter in deciding whether prisoners live or die.
The US is already among the top six countries worldwide in terms of the numbers of its own citizens that it puts to death. Fifty-two Americans were executed last year and thousands await their fate on death row.
In some instances, prisoners would have significantly less time to file federal appeals, and the appeals courts significantly less time to respond. On the question of whether defendants received adequate representation at trial - a key issue in many cases, especially in southern states with no formal public defender system - the Attorney General would be the sole decision-maker.
Since Mr Gonzales is a prosecutor, not a judge, and since he has a track record of favouring death in almost every capital case brought before him, the regulations would, in effect, remove a crucial safety net for prisoners who feel they have been wrongly convicted....



AND OF COURSE the justification for all that killing is that it stops violent crime. George Walker Bush is the former governor of Texas. He executed 150 people during 5 years of governorship. So how is Texas doing? Better than the average American city?


Dallas Morning News

Dallas crime ranking played down (click here)
Dallas No. 1 again; officials, experts wary of comparing statistics
11:43 AM CDT on Saturday, April 22, 2006
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
For the eighth year in a row, Dallas had the highest crime rate among U.S. cities with more than a million people. But in the numbers game, comparing apples with oranges – or the Big Apple with Big D – may be a fruitless endeavor.
"Awww, it's my favorite story in your paper every year," said Mayor Laura Miller. Like other city officials, criminologists and crime statistics experts, she greeted the news with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Burglaries, more than any other category, helped keep Dallas at the top after an analysis of 2005 crime statistics based on crimes relative to population.
But last year, crimes reported in Dallas fell sharply, with murders down about 19 percent and overall crime lower by 5 percent.
So which is it? Is Dallas among the most dangerous cities in America, or is it a crime-fighting success story in the making?
Both, say police and crime experts.
"We are trained to believe the notion that crime statistics have a relative value," said Alex del Carmen, a University of Texas at Arlington criminology professor. "That's not to say they are regarded as the ultimate truth in terms of crime."
"Dallas has a crime problem, no question," said Police Chief David Kunkle. "Is Dallas the most unsafe big city in the United States? The answer is no."
The analysis is based on preliminary numbers that will become part of the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reports, a national survey of about 17,000 police agencies published in the fall.
But the FBI doesn't rank the data, and doesn't condone doing it.
"The natural tendency is to want to know who is first and who is last in anything," said Maryvictoria Pyne, chief spokeswoman for the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports unit. "But what we're saying is, there are many variables that affect crime."
Experts say residents report crimes differently in different communities, police departments have different reporting methods, and some have been caught cheating. A city's density, geography, climate, economy, demographics, crime-fighting resources and other factors also affect crime rates.
"What happens in New York really has no effect on Dallas," Dr. Pyne said. "What happens in Dallas has an effect on Dallas. If the chief can say robberies are down this year, that's saying something."
Ms. Miller said she's been satisfied with the downward direction of reported crimes in Dallas. "The most important thing in my opinion is that we've seen the first reduction in crime in all categories in 13 years," she said.
That's not enough for some, including Bonnie Mathias, a Pleasant Grove community activist.
"People are fed up," said Ms. Mathias, a local chairwoman with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.
"We're talking about building a freaking bridge across the Trinity, and we're not addressing the issues that will bring true economic development to this city," she said. "Until we get crime under control, and until we get enough cops on the street and pay them enough to stay here, nothing will change."
Numbers game
Statisticians and criminologists argue that comparing cities' crime rates is a bad idea because crimes are reported differently by different agencies.
Consider auto theft: A simple phone call leads to a police report for a stolen car in Dallas. But in New York, not only are there fewer cars to steal, but victims must sign an affidavit swearing they didn't ditch the car for insurance purposes, said New York police Lt. Eugene Whyte, a nationally recognized crime statistics expert.
What counts as a theft, burglary or robbery in Dallas might not be classified as such elsewhere, Dallas officials said.
"If my 10-year-old's Game Boy is stolen, that'd be in the statistics," Ms. Miller said. But she added, "We can't throw stones at cities that don't report as much crime."
Although Chief Kunkle is also careful not to minimize the reality of Dallas' high crime rate, he said officers have been trained for years to count things as crimes even without hard proof.
For example, he said, if a homeless man wakes up, finds his wallet missing and says he was robbed, the department typically counts it – even if he may have just lost the wallet. "That report stays forever," Chief Kunkle said.
Chief Kunkle said he'd rather see over-reporting of crime than a population too indifferent or too frightened to call the police.
And retraining officers to not count some minor incidents – such as the theft of a tool from a garage or a flowerpot from a porch – as crimes, could lead to complaints.
"It will be attributed to the fact that we're intentionally not reporting crimes so our statistics look better," he said. "And there will be enough of those incidents to make that argument."
The fudge factor
Other departments have faced accusations of crime statistic fudging.
Los Angeles police were criticized after they touted huge crime decreases last year based largely on a 40 percent drop in aggravated assaults. But crime fell in part because the department narrowed its definition of aggravated assault to exclude simple assaults such as spousal assaults, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police later acknowledged that the city's 16 percent overall drop in crime was actually closer to 10 percent.
In the late 1990s, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Philadelphia police routinely downgraded rapes to lesser crimes and touted the results as a crime reduction.
Atlanta police were criticized for underreporting crimes in advance of the 1996 Olympic Games to make the city appear safer.
But Dr. del Carmen said he believes that the practice of fudging statistics is not widespread.
"Cities in the U.S. that would try to get away with manipulating their data would have a hard time, given the oversight of city councils, mayors and people who can request data and analyze it," he said.
Often, discrepancies are caused by faulty software, ill-trained officers or clerks misclassifying crimes, said Dr. Pyne. The FBI audits numbers reported to the Uniform Crime Reports, but there are no sanctions if problems are found, she said.
Dr. del Carmen said some departments benefit from crime increases. "That way they can ask for more resources and equipment," he said.
The murder rate
Most experts say the one truly reliable crime statistic – the one most difficult to get wrong – is murder.
That's the argument offered by the NYPD when experts and even some of its own police union leaders questioned the Big Apple's dramatic crime decreases as suspicious.
Last year, there were about seven slayings per 100,000 residents in New York. That's far closer in terms of population comparisons to Richardson's two slayings per 100,000 in 2004, than to Dallas' 16 per 100,000 residents last year.
"That throws cold water on that argument" that New York isn't as safe as overall statistics suggest, Lt. Whyte said.
Chief Kunkle said he is most comfortable comparing cities by their murder rates because it's difficult to undercount or misclassify them.
"I have no confidence at all making comparisons across cities in anything other than homicides," he said.
Among the largest cities, Dallas is No. 3 in murders. And several cities with populations of fewer than 1 million such as Baltimore, Detroit and Washington, D.C., have historically logged more murders per capita.
Looking ahead
Chief Kunkle's goal for 2006 is another 10 percent reduction in murders, and a 10 percent decrease in overall crime.
He said many strategies used last year will continue, including Operation Disruption, a roving band of officers who target outbreaks in high-crime neighborhoods.
"I think that we'll see reductions in crime this year," Ms. Miller said. But she acknowledged, "We know that if we saw reductions in crime every year it would still be difficult to get out of that top spot."
Ms. Mathias, the community activist, said she is pleased with the gains Chief Kunkle has achieved. But, she added, leaders can't brush off comparing Dallas with peer cities just because of slight variations in crime reporting.
"How many different ways can you report a burglary, whether it happens in New York City or Dallas or Garland or Austin or Houston?" she said. "They've got to explain to me what is the difference. I'm not seeing it. If we're No. 1 again, shame on us and shame on the people at City Hall who aren't taking this seriously."
Ultimately, whether someone is a crime victim depends largely on personal choices, Chief Kunkle said.
"We've always said that if you just mind your business, you don't get into road rage incidents, you don't get into fights in bars, you don't get involved in the drug trade, your chances of being a victim of violent crime are very, very low," he said.
Tell that to Ivan Pugh, 36, owner of the Alligator Cafe.
His restaurant has been broken into five times since it opened two years ago on Live Oak Street in Old East Dallas. The most recent burglary was Thursday.
"I've got cameras, an alarm system, I got the locks re-keyed, and I'm going to order [burglar] bars," he said. "I've got to sell a lot of gumbo to pay for all this."
E-mail jtrahan@dallasnews.com
THE BIG PICTURE IN BIG D
Why is our crime so high?
• Mild winters and warm weather tend to increase crime.
• Dallas has pockets of blight across the city rather than huge hot zones where police can concentrate their resources.
• A vast highway system means many vehicles which can be broken into or stolen.
• Interstates 35 and 45 are major U.S.-Mexico drug trafficking corridors.
• The Park Cities are surrounded by Dallas, but not included in Dallas, sapping the city of middle- and upper-class families less likely to be crime victims. The suburbs may also be a factor.
• A high number of retail stores creates more burglary targets.
The State of Dallas and the Police Department
The news isn’t all bad. Despite remaining the leading major high-crime city in America, in 2005, for the first time in more than a decade, crime was down in all major categories in Dallas:
• Homicides fell 18.9 percent.
• Overall crime fell 5.3 percent.
• Business robberies fell 14.7 percent.
• Auto theft fell 10.1 percent.
PD boons:
• $15 million in private donations spread out over three years for equipment
• 50 new officers in the latest city budget
• A proposal to pay new recruits a $10,000 bonus to break a hiring slump
• A planned new South Central substation and training academy
Challenges:
• The 3,000-member police department is about 600 officers short of goals
• Dallas cops are among the lowest paid in the area
Big D vs. The Big Apple
Even accounting for an overly enthusiastic crime reporting populace and willingness to log the most minor of offenses, comparing Dallas to the nation’s largest city reveals how far behind Dallas is in controlling its crime. Based on preliminary 2005 figures:
• The average New Yorker was six times less likely to be burglarized compared to someone in Dallas.
• New York would have to have about 1,300 murders in a year, or about three times its current number, to equal Dallas' current per capita rate.
• Despite having nearly seven times the population of Dallas, New York only reported having 1,537 more burglaries than Dallas.
SOURCES: Interviews with criminologists, statisticians and research by The Dallas Morning News