The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present

The Face of Our Past: Images of Black Women from Colonial America to the Present edited by Kathleen Thompson and Hillary Mac Austin, intro by Darlene Clark Hine, Indiana University Press, November 1999, 224 pp., $35.00, ISBN 0-253-33635-X.

In the recent past, there have been several books produced illustrating the accomplishments of well-known African American figures. Too often, black women are relegated to the margins of history, thereby making their narratives, accomplishments, and contributions unrecognizable. With more than 300 …

Taliban turns lethal: 101 US deaths in Afghanistan

Taliban insurgents once derided as a ragtag rabble unable to match U.S. troops have transformed into a lethal fighting force _ one advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks and claim American lives at a record pace.

The U.S. military suffered its 101st death of the year in Afghanistan last week when Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr. died of gunfire wounds while helping train Afghan police in the northwest. The total number of U.S. dead last year _ 111 _ was a record itself and is likely to be surpassed.

Top U.S. generals, European presidents and analysts say the blame lies to the east, in militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan. They say as …

Who should we vote for today - and what about political reform?

I write in reference to David Cameron's recent announcement of awillingness to look at 'revolutionary' ways of restoring power tothe people.

New ideas and a willingness to look at key changes to theconstitution are admirable.

But do we really want to end up drowning in a rolling programmeof constant referendums that give people entirely too much controlover their own lives?

We don't want to end up having to vote on whether to keep theblue stripes in toothpaste because we don't trust the cavalierswe've elected to sort these things out for us.

We also don't want to see too much power in the hands of locallunatics, using state resources to meddle with the …

Insurgent Leader Nabbed in Iraq Raid

BAGHDAD - The shadowy leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida-inspired group that challenged the authority of Iraq's government, was captured Friday in a raid on the western outskirts of Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was arrested along with several other insurgents in a raid in the town of Abu Ghraib, said Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman for the Baghdad security operation. U.S. officials had no confirmation of the capture and said they were looking into the report.

Al-Moussawi said al-Baghdadi admitted his identity, as did another "of the terrorists" who confirmed "that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi."

The …

Ireland's bailout boosts banks, inflames taxpayers

DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland's international bailout boosted its bank stocks Monday but outraged many hard-pressed taxpayers, who questioned why the government's pension reserves must be ravaged as part of a deal that burdens the whole country with the mistakes of a rich elite.

Shares in Ireland's banks rose sharply as markets were encouraged by the bailout's immediate focus on injecting €10 billion into the cash-strapped lenders out of a total of €67.5 billion ($89 billion) in loans.

But the Irish were shocked by a key condition for the rescue — that the government use €17.5 billion of its own cash and pension reserves to shore up its public finances, which have been overwhelmed by …

Emmys back Conan O'Brien over Jay Leno

The Emmys are standing with Team Coco, snubbing Jay Leno.

O'Brien's short-lived reign at NBC's "Tonight" show earned him an Emmy nod for best variety, music or comedy series. Leno, who returned to "Tonight" following the failure of his prime-time show, was not nominated on Thursday.

But if it makes Leno feel any better, David Letterman was snubbed in the same category _ for the first time in 17 years.

NBC submitted both versions of "Tonight" for Emmys consideration, letting the TV academy decide what to include in the category. They went with O'Brien, who was nominated alongside "Saturday Night Live" and shows …

The Continuing Utility of Dumb Munitions

We live in an era of precision-guided munitions. Time and again we are reminded of the awesome accuracy and effectiveness spawned by the advent of the micro-chip. Yet both we and our adversaries continue to find dumb munitions-those without microchips-useful. This makes financial sense. For example, in fiscal year (FY) 2000, an M107 155 mm high explosive (HE) round cost less than $200, whereas a Block IA Army tactical missile system (ATACMS) PL 38 cost about $650,000. A cruise missile could run costs up an order of magnitude more. There is a lot one can do with 3,000 rounds of 155 mm HE that one could not accomplish with a single ATACMS.

Historically, the purposes served by heavy …