In many ways, Khodemuddin’s house is a lot like the Afghan war. A study in jarring contrasts, it’s a perfect illustration of a conflict where ambiguity is the order of the day. It was in this room, about ten days ago, that the flower-loving commander–who, like many Afghans, uses only one name–explained to me why the Northern Alliance shouldn’t even contemplate taking Kabul. The Alliance, he said, would have no way to supply the capital once it was captured....
Overholser’s work stands out in an industry that is still raising its consciousness. Like most newspapers, the Register has always reflected the interests of its mostly male editors. Overholser has not so much altered the paper as added to it. Topics such as child care, sexual harassment and the safety of contraceptives receive prominent, thoughtful coverage. Reporters and editors have come to view routine stories through new prisms: last week a homicide account noted that five other Des Moines women had died in recent domestic assaults....
“Debate prep” for Sen. John McCain was more like shore leave than basic training. He motored here and there in his “Straight Talk Express” bus, giving interviews between swigs of coffee or bottled water. He hosted a “town hall” (his 60th of the campaign) for an overflow crowd at Exeter Academy, fielding questions as he paced the stage with a wireless mike. At dinner afterward, he recalled with a laugh how he had once been blindsided on camera by CBS’s Mike Wallace–and kept his sailor’s temper in check....
These findings, from a survey of nearly 41,000 officers in all four service branches, contained no suggestions for bridging the racial gap. But the poll reveals lingering problems–and shows just how far the military has to go.
U.S. commanders say that the Mahdi Army’s quiescence is a significant factor behind the recent drop in attacks in Baghdad—by a third compared with six months ago, according to one estimate. And they say they now share a common enemy: rogue Mahdi Army units, known as “special groups” and allegedly funded by Iran, who have declared they will not obey the ceasefire. Sadr loyalists have formed an elite unit called the “golden battalion” to go after these rebels; the Americans are hoping to encourage the more moderate leaders to distance the Mahdi Army even further from its “irreconcilable” wing....
Last week Pope John Paul II issued an apostolic letter adding a fourth cycle to the rosary. The additional prayers invite meditation on five “mysteries of light” taken from the public ministry of Jesus: his baptism by Saint John; his first miracle (changing water into wine); his proclamation of the coming kingdom of God; his transfiguration, and the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. The pope’s aim is to revive interest in his “favorite” form of prayer, which has declined in popularity since Vatican Council II....
The deal that would run through 2025 is subject to approval by the Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, which is scheduled to vote on the extension Friday. The City of Oakland and Alameda County Board of Supervisors also would have to approve the deal. STEELE: Raiders’ home in doubt? Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig commended both sides for reaching a deal on a lease extension, while offering, “I continue to believe that the Athletics need a new facility and am fully supportive of the club’s view that the best site in Oakland is the Coliseum site....
Hanks will voice act as a stadium vendor selling hot dogs, scorecards, peanuts and soda. In his Hollywood career, Hanks has provided the iconic voice of Woody from “Toy Story” and acted in the baseball movie “A League of Their Own.” He was also a vendor himself before beginning his ascent in film. MORE: Jays finally land on new home Hanks was born in Concord, Calif., just a short train ride from Oakland....
Introducing the Billy Butler, aka Country Breakfast: MORE: How Butler fits A’s philosophy | Three-year, $30 million deal The nickname is a nod to Butler’s meaty stature and down-home ways. For those keeping track, that was hotcakes, ham, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns and wheat toast. A true breakfast of (American League) champions.
The Akshar Foundation School in Guwahati, a sprawling city in the northeast state of Assam, allows parents to pay their children’s tuition with plastic waste: Every week, students are asked to bring in 25 recyclable plastic items, which are then taken to an on-site recycling center to be made into “eco-bricks,” low-cost, durable construction material. The school, which serves over 100 pupils, is funded through donations, so technically the students don’t have fees....
Or more like an identity theft. Since its founding in 1891, Randolph College—originally Randolph-Macon Woman’s College—has been a draw for young women passionate about the liberal arts, like graduate and Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck. The school’s reputation as an art-world heavyweight tucked in a quiet corner of Lynchburg, Va., attracts not only art majors but thousands of tourists. The college’s heady days peaked in the late 1960s, however, just before all-male colleges across the country opened their doors to women, luring away potential students....
But none of that can silence the questions around Green this season. As the Warriors have sluggishly played their way through nearly 40 games — a less engaged Golden State team still holds the second-best record in the West — the criticism of Green has gone past his fiery personality to his on-court performance. POWER RANKINGS: Bucks ride defense to top spot Green has always been the team’s defensive leader, and that hasn’t changed much in 2018-19....
Yet the Trade Center case and its sequel, the indictment of Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and 14 other suspects in an alleged plot to bomb United Nations headquarters and other New York City locations, pose a dead serious risk to the United States. If the government is right, a motley assortment of amateur terrorists successfully concocted powerful explosives from chemicals – fertilizer and fuel oil – that are widely available to anyone....
Last week Soufan (now retired) and other FBI veterans of the Cole case were outraged to learn that the Cole killer is now a free man. Three years ago Badawi was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court for his role in the bombing. He later escaped from a Yemeni prison with 22 cohorts—a breakout that U.S. officials suspected was an inside job. Then, mysteriously, in early October he turned himself in and pledged allegiance to the country’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh....
MORE: Join DAZN and watch Bellator 206 for free But like a true worker bee, the Dutchman didn’t do much to celebrate. Instead, he went right back to work and waited for the next opponent to step up. “When I won the middleweight title, it was fun for one week,” Mousasi told Sporting News. And that “fun” really only consisted of him cracking a smile and putting the belt in the closet alongside the other titles he has won over the years....
Burnett told reporters Tuesday night that he doesn’t know what he wants to do in 2015. “I have no idea,” Burnett said, per CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. “Probably not. But we’ll see.” The 37-year-old Phillies right-hander could have just been speaking out of frustration after another loss, a 5-2 defeat to the Mariners. He’s 6-14 with a 4.42 ERA and has been dealing with a hernia most of the season....
At the Aaron Craft Basketball ProCamp over the weekend, the former Ohio State guard was playing 1-on-1 against a camper when the opportunity for a big block came. And, well, you can just see for yourself what ruthlessness happened next. MORE: NBA Draft — fashion edition | Anthony Davis can dunk, but he can’t dance
Jose Baez, the noted Florida attorney who defended Casey Anthony in 2011, announced Wednesday he has been retained to serve as lead counsel for Hernandez during the former NFL star’s double-homicide trial. Other members of Baez’s group include Harvard Law professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., forensic science counsel Linda Kenney Baden and criminal defense attorney Alex Spiro, who has represented NBA players Thabo Sefolosha and J.R. Smith in recent cases....
Amidst much speculation that the quarterback may have played his last season with the Packers, Rodgers’ backfield mate Jones believes “in (his) heart” that Rodgers will be back in Green Bay in 2022. Speaking on “NFL Total Access,” Jones weighed in and offered a bit of a prediction on Rodgers’ future: “I’ve heard what everybody else has heard, what they’re reading,” Jones said Tuesday. “But I think he’ll be there, in my heart....
