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20080420

Don Young - Abramoff - Bob Schaffer - Money - Politics - Mariana Islands - Chinese - Garment - Factory - Industry - Labor - Women - Abortion - Human Rights - Investigations - Government - Immigration - Law- History - US - Colorado - Alaska - "Records expose Young-Abramoff ties: MARIANA ISLANDS." ... "[Alaska Republican Represenative] Rep. Don Young has said he never allowed convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to be an influential force over him in Congress." ... "But now a trove of old billing records from two of Abramoff's firms show that his team of lobbyists had more than 120 contacts with Young's personal and committee staffs over 25 months, including at least 10 with Young himself." ... "The available records cover a single Abramoff client, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. [United States] territory in the Pacific that Young oversaw when he chaired the House Resources Committee from 1995 to 2001." ... "The records show that one of the looming concerns of Abramoff and his fellow lobbyists at the time was a bill introduced by Young's fellow Alaskan, [Republican Senator] Sen. Frank Murkowski, to reform labor and immigration practices feeding the island's notorious Chinese-owned sweatshops. In 2000, Murkowski's bill passed the Senate unanimously, but Young stopped it cold in his committee, refusing to hold even a hearing." ... "Investigations by the government, media and human rights groups uncovered widespread abuses in the garment industry and among sex workers there starting in the mid-1990s, but Young asserted those investigations were bogus." ... "As a member of Young's Resources Committee, [Colorado Republican Representative and 2008 Election Colorado Senator Candidate Bob] Schaffer took a free trip to the Mariana Islands arranged by Abramoff's law firm, then played a central role in a 1989 committee hearing investigating Interior department officials in the [Democratic President Bill] Clinton administration who were trying to rein in the Saipan government [Saipan is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' capital]." ... "A growing number of reports spoke of near slave-labor conditions, with workers kept in sealed compounds, required to work seven days a week without overtime, and sometimes getting no paycheck at all. There were widespread reports of women coerced into getting abortions to keep their jobs. Some women hired abroad found themselves working not in garment factories at all, but sex clubs." -By Richard Mauer -ADN.com

20080412

Secret - Jack Abramoff - Bob Schaffer - Money - Politician - Travel - Garment - Factories - Lawmaker - History - Colo - California - American - Northern Mariana Islands - Labor - Investigations - "Schaffer, lobbyist strategies meshed: The Coloradan's acts align with an Abramoff plot; he denies any link." ... "In early 1998, now-jailed [Republican] lobbyist Jack Abramoff sent a secret memo to a textile tycoon on the Northern Mariana Islands, an American protectorate whose garment factories had been heavily criticized for squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices." ... "The lobbying plan focused on using congressional oversight hearings to change the subject from factory conditions to political shenanigans by the [Democratic President] Clinton administration. Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to the island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends," the memo said." ... "The linchpin would be an attack on the Interior Department's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), which was the lead agency pushing for reform." ... "Twenty months later, Republicans on the House Resources Committee, including [Colorado Republican Representative] Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., turned what was supposed to be an oversight hearing into an attack on OIA officials, suggesting that federal employees were paying workers to protest and providing them signs, cars and other resources." ... "Schaffer was one of the key players in the hearing, grilling a young worker who had been called before the committee to talk about the desperate conditions faced by some laborers, suggesting instead that he was agitating in exchange for money and came to Washington to seek political asylum." ... "The hearing provides a key context for a trip to the islands that Schaffer had taken a month before, partly arranged by Abramoff's lobbying firm and now an issue in Schaffer's campaign for the U.S. [United States] Senate." ... "By the time Schaffer had flown to the islands with his wife the month before, the protectorate's textile industry had been the subject of dozens of government and journalistic investigations, which documented abuses including debt servitude, coerced abortions and squalid living conditions." ... "Preston-Gates, Abramoff's firm, made the travel arrangements for Schaffer's August 1999 trip, according to a memo to Schaffer from his staff. The $13,000 trip was paid for by the Orange County[California]-based Traditional Values Coalition, which later investigations showed was often used by Abramoff in his lobbying operations." -By Michael Riley -DenverPost.com

20080410

Jack Abramoff - Bob Schaffer - Criminal - Money - Politician - Vacation - Colorado - US - Mariana Islands - Textile - Factory - Immigration - Human Rights - Law - 2008 Election - "Abramoff ties cloud [Bob] Schaffer's '99 fact-finding trip." ... "Just before boarding a plane to the [Northern] Mariana Islands in 1999, [Colorado Republican Representative] then-Congressman Bob Schaffer announced he was embarking on a fact-finding mission to get to the bottom of repeated allegations of labor abuse in the American protectorate." ... "What he didn't say was that the trip was partly arranged by the firm of now-jailed [Republican] lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who represented textile factory owners fighting congressional efforts to reform labor and immigration laws on the islands and who was being handsomely paid to keep the islands' cherished exemptions." ... "Schaffer and his wife stayed for free at a palm-studded beach resort and, besides factories, also toured historical sites and met with clients of Preston-Gates, Abramoff's firm, according to a copy of the trip's agenda archived in Schaffer's congressional papers." ... "In a recent interview with The Denver Post, the Republican candidate for Colorado's open Senate seat described the protectorate's guest-worker program as a "model" lawmakers could use as they overhaul the U.S. [United States] immigration system." ... "It has left Schaffer defending a guest-worker program criticized in more than a decade of government reports and journalistic exposés; and it links him to what Abramoff later boasted was an incredibly successful lobbying effort to quash reform by cashing in on ties to key House Republicans, including those on the House Resources Committee, on which Schaffer sat." ... ""Given that many Republican members, including Tom DeLay, Bob Ney and Conrad Burns, have lost their seat or gone to prison based on their association with this criminal, it's pretty remarkable that Schaffer seems to be proud of his association with these sleazy Abramoff-sponsored junkets," said Taylor West, a spokeswoman for Schaffer's [2008 Election] Democratic opponent, Mark Udall." ... "At heart of the issue is the islands' massive textile industry, which is exempted from the U.S. minimum wage as well as most American immigration laws. The Northern Marianas economy is built on thousands of workers from China, the Philippines and Bangladesh, some of whom pay labor recruiters as much as $7,000 to land a job on U.S. soil." ... "A class-action lawsuit filed the year Schaffer toured the islands alleged that many of those workers lived in slum conditions, housed seven to a room in barracks surrounded by barbed wire designed to keep the workers in. Workers in some factories labored 12 hours a day, seven days a week, the suit alleged — without pay if they fell behind set quotas." ... "A U.S. Interior Department investigation found that pregnant workers were forced to get illegal abortions or lose their jobs. Some were recruited for factories but forced into the sex trade instead." ... "Said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee: "The fact that (Schaffer) sided against the human rights of those workers, not just then, but still today, shows he was more interested in doing the bidding of the people who set up the trip than in actually investigating abuses."" -By Michael Riley -DenverPost.com

20080409

Bob Schaffer - Jack Abramoff - Criminal - Money - Politician - Abortion - Child - Labor - Female - Textile - Factory - Immigration - Human Rights - Law - History - US - Mariana Islands - 2008 Election - Colorado - Vacation - "Fashhhionating." ... "Earlier today we noted that the [2008 Election] Republican Senate candidate from Colorado, Bob Schaffer, told the Denver Post that America should adopt an immigration and guest labor policy modeled on that of the Mariana Islands (aka the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) -- whose guest worker program is notorious around the world for forced abortion, slavery, child prostitution, sex trafficking, beatings, female workers kept in shacks with no plumbing surrounded by barbed wire and other fun stuff [sarcasm]." ... "TPM Reader AK points out that the folks at ProgressNowAction have done a little digging. And it seems that that back in 1999, when Schaffer was serving in Congress, he went on one of those junkets to the Islands put together by none other than disgraced lobbyist and now-federal inmate Jack Abramoff." ... "Those of you with a clear recollection of the details of the Abramoff scandal will remember that one of Jack's biggest clients was the group of sharks who ran the Marianas sweat shops." ... "They had a great thing going because they were able to slap Made In The USA labels on clothes and other items made in Saipan [Northern Mariana Islands capital] by female guest workers imported from other parts of East Asia to work in sub-Third World labor conditions. That is, when the guest workers weren't busy getting beaten, raped or coerced into having abortions. Jack's job was to find politicians willing to travel with him on junkets to the Marianas, hang out at the casinos and come back to the states and say how well the labor conditions actually there seemed to be." ... "In any case, it was just one of these junkets with Abramoff that then US Rep. Bob Schaffer took back in 1999, which, as it happens, was a year after the release of the Department of Labor report that confirmed the 15 year old sex slave's account." -By Josh Marshall -TalkingPointsMemo.com
Watch TPMtv Video update: "... Colorado senate candidate Bob Schaffer (R) says we should remodel our national immigration policy on that of the Mariana Islands -- a program notorious for child prostitution, forced abortions, beatings, slavery, twelve hour days and sex trafficking. Now it turns out he went on a Jack Abramoff junket to the islands and came back saying it was A-OK!" -By Josh Marshall -Veracifier

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20080407

Bob Schaffer - Corporate - Colorado - US - Foreign - Textile - Worker - Immigration - Mariana Islands - 2008 Election - "Tricky issue of immigration played down." ... "Calling America a country perfectly "capable of multitasking," [2008 Election] Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer said the U.S. [United States] ought to be pursuing a guest- worker program at the same time it fortifies its borders." ... "He pointed to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. protectorate that imports tens of thousands of foreign textile workers, as a successful model for a guest-worker program that could be adapted nationally." ... ""The concept of prequalifying foreign workers in their home country under private- sector management is a system that works very well in one place in America," he said of the islands' program. "I think members of Congress ought to be looking at that model and be considering it as a possible basis for a nationwide program."" -By Michael Riley -DenverPost.com

20080401

Secret - Fashion - Book - Government - Military - Tech - Money - Politics - Calif - Dick Cheney - "Inside the Black Budget." ... "Skulls. Black cats. A naked woman riding a killer whale. Grim reapers. Snakes. Swords. Occult symbols. A wizard with a staff that shoots lightning bolts. Moons. Stars. A dragon holding the Earth in its claws."

[Secret Military Intelligence Patches.]

[Secret Mil Intel Patches]

"It is, according to a new book, part of the hidden reality behind the Pentagon’s classified, or “black,” budget that delivers billions of dollars to stealthy armies of high-tech warriors. The book offers a glimpse of this dark world through a revealing lens — patches — the kind worn on military uniforms." ... "“It’s a fresh approach to secret government,” Steven Aftergood, a security expert at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, said in an interview. “It shows that these secret programs have their own culture, vocabulary and even sense of humor.”" ... "The classified budget of the Defense Department, concealed from the public in all but outline, has nearly doubled in the [Republican President] Bush years, to $32 billion." ... "The book’s title? “I Could Tell You but Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me,” published by Melville House. [Author Trevor Paglen] Mr. Paglen says the title is the Latin translation of a patch designed for the Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 4, at Point Mugu, Calif. [California] Its mission, he says, is to test strike aircraft, conventional weapons and electronic warfare equipment and to develop tactics to use the high-tech armaments in war." ... "“The military has patches for almost everything it does,” Mr. Paglen writes in the introduction. “Including, curiously, for programs, units and activities that are officially secret.”" ... "He said contractors in some cases made the patches to build esprit de corps. Other times, he added, military units produced them informally, in contrast to official patches." ... "What sparked his interest, Mr. Paglen recalled, were [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney’s remarks as the Pentagon and World Trade Center smoldered. On “Meet the Press,” he said the nation would engage its “dark side” to find the attackers and justice. “We’ve got to spend time in the shadows,” Mr. Cheney said. “It’s going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective.”" (1, 2) -By William J. Broad

-NYTimes

Girls - Fashion - Politics - Companies- North Carolina - Students - Faith - "Modesty is the new black for girls tired of racy clothes: Teen groups teach the value of covering up." ... "In Charlotte [North Carolina] and across the country, young girls, their mothers and even clothing companies are covering up." ... "Teens and parents fighting over what is appropriate is nothing new. But now, girl-centric groups are working to arm girls with the awareness and self-confidence to say no to the sexy." ... "And in Charlotte, more than 65 high-school students are participating in Pure Fashion, an international faith-based program that recognizes "true beauty."" ... "It was started in 1999 by a lay Catholic group, and has chapters in more than 25 cities, including Raleigh [North Carolina's capital]." -By Rachel Sutherland -Charlotte.com

20080306

Military - Safety - Clothing - Mississippi - Texas - US - Iraq - Afghanistan - "U.S. troops buy own gear for safety, style in battle: Since 9/11, the market for tactical war gear has grown to $150 million annually." ... "The traditional Army credo is that it's guts that win the glory – not fancy long-johns or Oakley sunglasses. But that old-school thinking is wicking away like perspiration through Gore-Tex as US soldiers today go beyond military-issue battle dress uniforms in favor of top-of-the-line gear to help them get home in one piece – and look sharp, too." ... "One reason, critics say, is that military procurement, especially of life-saving equipment, is still too slow. Quietly, however, the Pentagon – with the Army leading the charge – has begun bypassing rigid procurement rules, loosening uniformity requirements, and even spearheading technical innovations in gear, ranging from flame-retardant shirts to low-infrared signature zippers." ... "To some critics, the sight of soldiers buying their own battle gear symbolizes a divide between frontline grunts and rear echelon procurement officers who may never have seen battle. [Mississippi Democratic Representative] Rep. Gene Taylor (D [Democratic]) of Mississippi told the House Armed Services Committee last week that supplies such as body armor and uparmored Humvees "[have] taken entirely too long" to get to frontline troops." ... "In some cases, charity groups have stepped in to help. Operation Helmet, founded by Bob Meaders of Montgomery, Texas, shipped special helmet liners to soldiers to replace what many soldiers said were poorly designed helmet pads issued by the Army and the Marines. Just as Operation Helmet thought its work was done late last year, more requests came in from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan." ... ""The Army is planning a $20 billion future combat system, and they can't provide boots that don't wear out," says Roger Charles, editor of DefenseWatch, an investigative website that advocates on behalf of frontline soldiers. "There's no priority for taking care of relatively mundane items where most people would think, 'Gosh, that's so simple. Why don't they have the best boots, the best uniforms, the best helmets, and the best flak jackets?' " " (1, 2) -By Patrik Jonsson -CSMonitor

20071028

India - US - Child - Labor - Factory - Christmas - Clothing - "Indian 'slave' children found making low-cost clothes destined for Gap." ... "Child workers [in India], some as young as 10, have been found working in a textile factory in conditions close to slavery to produce clothes that appear destined for Gap Kids, one of the most successful arms of the high street giant." ... "Speaking to The Observer, the children described long hours of unwaged work, as well as threats and beatings." ... "Gap said it was unaware that clothing intended for the Christmas market had been improperly subcontracted to a sweatshop using child labour. It announced it had withdrawn the garments involved while it investigated breaches of the ethical code imposed by it three years ago." ... "The discovery of the children working in filthy conditions in the Shahpur Jat area of Delhi [India] has renewed concerns about the outsourcing by large retail chains of their garment production to India, recognised by the United Nations as the world's capital for child labour." ... "According to one estimate, more than 20 per cent of India's economy is dependent on children, the equivalent of 55 million youngsters under 14." -By Dan McDougall -Observer.co.uk via -Guardian.co.uk

20071006

Religious - University- Home - Remodeling - Jet - Trip - Autos - Clothes - Money - Political - Family - Oklahoma - Texas - California - "Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts." ... "[Televangelist Oral Roberts son and Oklahoma's Oral Roberts University President] Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay." ... "She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."" ... "San Antonio [Texas] televangelist John Hagee, a member of the ORU board of regents, said the university's executive board "is conducting a full and thorough investigation."" ... "The university reported nearly $76 million in revenue in 2005, according to the IRS." ... "Oral Roberts is 89 and lives in California." ... "Richard Roberts, according to the suit, asked a professor in 2005 to use his students and university resources to aid a county commissioner's bid for Tulsa [Oklahoma] mayor. Such involvement would violate state and federal law because of the university's nonprofit status. Up to 50 students are alleged to have worked on the campaign." -By Justin Juozapavicius -AP via -Yahoo

20070629

US - Iraq - Military - Clothing - Law - War Crimes - Politics - New York - "Marines drop case against Iraq veteran." ... "The Marines won't kick out an Iraq war veteran who made anti-war statements in a speech and wore part of his uniform at a protest, the service said Friday, despite a recommendation to discharge him early." ... "[Liam] Madden was accused of making "disloyal statements" during a speech in February in New York in which he accused [Republican] President Bush of betraying service members and called the fighting in Iraq a "war crime."" ... "Madden also was accused of a uniform violation for wearing a camouflage, button-down shirt and jeans at a demonstration in Washington [DC] in January." -By Heather Hollingsworth -AP via -Yahoo

20070611

2008 Election - Politics - Utah - Massachusetts - Missouri - "Romney’s Run Has Mormons Wary of Scrutiny." ... "In this wide [Utah] valley where the twin spires of the Mormon temple dominate the landscape and some neighborhoods have a Mormon chapel every few blocks, [2008 election Presidential candidate] Mitt Romney’s bid for president is both a proud sign of progress and a cause of trepidation." ... "John Hatch, 30, a history student at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, said, “What most Mormons desire is acceptance.”" ... "“We see ourselves as normal,” Mr. Hatch said. “We struggle with those outsiders who see us as weird — the magic underwear stuff,” a reference to the ritual garments that Mormons are supposed to wear under their clothing." ... "Some Mormons have watched with concern how Mr. Romney has responded to grilling by interviewers about his church’s distinctive doctrines." ... "Mr. Romney has been questioned about the Mormon definition of God, polygamy, the location of Jesus’s arrival when he returns to earth, and even a mysterious saying attributed to Joseph Smith Jr. called the “White Horse Prophecy,” which some interpret as a prediction that when the American Constitution is hanging “by a thread,” a Mormon will rescue the nation." ... "Mr. Romney’s tendency to gloss over Mormonism’s history and distinctive tenets has upset some fellow Mormons. Some said they cringed when Mr. Romney said on “60 Minutes,” “I can’t imagine anything more awful than polygamy.”" ... "Another case arose when George Stephanopoulos of ABC News asked Mr. Romney about a Mormon teaching that Jesus will come to the United States when he returns to reign on earth. Mr. Romney responded that the Messiah will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, “the same as the other Christian tradition.”" ... "[Utah radio host Tom] Mr. Grover said some of his radio listeners were astounded." ... "“They were just in disbelief, saying that’s not true, Jesus is coming back to Missouri,” Mr. Grover said. “It’s the L.D.S. [Latter Day Saints] Church’s 10th article of faith that Zion will be built upon the American continent.”" (1, 2) -By Laurie Goodstein -NYTimes

20061011

Abramoff - Pombo - Money - Lawmakers - History - US - Northern Mariana Islands - Garment - Labor - California - "AP Exclusive: Records suggest Abramoff, Pombo lobbying contacts." ... "California [Republican] Rep. Richard Pombo has insisted he was never lobbied by [Republican lobbyist] Jack Abramoff. Records show the disgraced lobbyist billed a client for at least two contacts with Pombo a decade ago." ... "The lobbying records released by the Northern Mariana Islands show that Abramoff billed once for calls to Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, and a second time for a discussion with him, while lobbying in 1996." ... "On more than two dozen other occasions from 1996 through 2001, Abramoff associates called or met with members of Pombo's staff, including his chief of staff, the records indicate. As the contacts picked up, Pombo voted Abramoff's way on a bill important to Abramoff's clients." ... "The Northern Mariana Islands, a chain of 14 islands near Guam, became a U.S. commonwealth in 1986. Residents have nonvoting citizenship but the islands are exempt from many federal labor laws." ... "Democrats, complaining about reported abuses at low-paying garment factories, have sought to end those exemptions and increase the minimum wage, now $3.05 an hour. The Marianas government hired Abramoff to block such moves." ... "On Sept. 10, 1996, Abramoff billed for a discussion with Pombo. Two days later he gave Pombo a $500 donation, the first of what would become $7,500 in campaign contributions. Pombo has since donated the money to charity. On Nov. 21, 1996, Abramoff reported putting in calls to Pombo and other lawmakers." -By Erica Werner -AP via -MercuryNews

20060524

Iran - Canada - Israel - Religious - Clothing - Law - Politics - "Newspaper apologizes for anti-Iran report." ... "A Canadian newspaper apologized Wednesday for an article that said Iran planned to force Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive clothing to distinguish themselves from Muslims." ... "But the National Post, a longtime supporter of Israel and critic of Tehran, admitted Wednesday it had not checked the piece thoroughly enough before running it." ... ""It is now clear the story is not true," Douglas Kelly, the National Post's editor in chief, wrote in a long editorial on Page 2. "We apologize for the mistake and for the consternation it has caused not just National Post readers, but the broader public who read the story."" ... "The article was based on a column by Iranian expatriate writer Amir Taheri, who said a law being debated by Iran's parliament would force Jews to sew a yellow strip of cloth to their clothes." -Reuters via -CNN

20051206

Burns - Abramoff - Money - Government - Lawmaker - Montana - US - Northern Mariana Islands - Garment - Worker - Florida - Sports - 2006 Election - "Records Show Burns' Abramoff Meetings: Senate Panel Chairman Met Abramoff Team, Collected $12,000 in Donations While Helping Lobbying Client." ... "[Montana Republican Senator] Sen. Conrad Burns and his staff met Jack Abramoff's lobbying team on at least eight occasions and collected $12,000 in donations around the time that the lawmaker took legislative action favorable to Abramoff's clients in the Northern Mariana Islands, records show." ... "The 2001 donations to Burns, a Montana Republican, included money directly from Abramoff and a key garment company executive in the Pacific islands who was part of the coalition paying Abramoff's firm to fend off stronger U.S. [worker] regulations on the islands." ... "In addition, two Burns staffers had accepted a trip arranged by Abramoff to attend the Super Bowl in Florida earlier that year." ... "At the time, Burns served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that was considering legislation the Marianas opposed. He also ran a Senate appropriations subcommittee that controlled spending for the Interior Department, which regulates U.S. territories including the islands." ... "Burns, who is up for re-election to a fourth term in 2006, received about $150,000 in donations from Abramoff, his firm and his clients between 2001 and 2004." (1, 2, 3) -By Mary Clare Jalonick -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20051019

Fashion - "N.B.A. Dress Code Decrees: Clothes Make the Image." ... "On Monday, the National Basketball Association completed details of its new "business casual" dress code, which goes into effect Nov. 1, or opening night." ... "Though still vague in some areas, the final version of the dress code was toned down from an initial proposal that called for players to wear suits at all team functions, including games and flights." ... "The dress code, coupled with N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern's announcement yesterday that the league would start N.B.A. Cares, a vast public-service initiative, highlight the N.B.A.'s latest push to look a little less gangsta and a little more genteel." -By John Eligon with contributions by Liz Robbins and Howard Beck -NYTimes

20051012

Halloween - Parents - Consumer - Entertainment - Fashion - "Kids treat themselves to multiple costumes." ... "Halloween used to carry with it predictable statistics: One costume plus one plastic jack-o'-lantern equaled 100 pieces of candy." ... "But Halloween is a multiple-event holiday now, requiring multiple costumes: Bare-armed garb for a sunny day of marching, cozy outfits to ward off autumn's evening chill. Heroes and princesses for daytime events, hooligans and witches for spooky nighttime activities. Elaborate ensembles for school functions, less-fussy ones for trick-or-treating, when sidewalk stumbles are a risk." -By Olivia Barker and Jenny Clevstrom -USATODAY

20051009

Halloween - Consumer - Entertainment - Fashion - "Halloween's a treat for everyone this year." ... "It's a scary proposition, but adults are having as much fun at Halloween as kids. Skulls and bats and jack-o'-lanterns sprout at office cubicles, and inflatable ghosts and pumpkins decorate lawns and porches. Halloween has grown into the second most decorated holiday, right behind Christmas." ... "Despite the holiday's pagan roots, the trappings of Halloween "have spread grass-roots fashion" throughout the national culture, says Pamela Danziger, a marketing consultant and author of "Why People Buy Things They Don't Need."" ... "A survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation found that 53 percent of all consumers plan to buy a Halloween costume this year, spending an average of $31.88 each." -By Nanine Alexander -OregonLive.com

20050523

- Drugs - "Tackling crime, Baltimore [Maryland] style." ... "Such is the self-confidence of the drug-dealing fraternity, that last year they made a DVD called "Stop Snitching"." ... "After a few months of careful production, they've [the police] released a video of their own, complete with hip hop soundtrack." ... "Videos are not the only potent hip hop medium that the police are dealing with." ... "A few months ago, several manufacturers began making Stop Snitching T-shirts, and one local chain began selling them in its stores." ... "The police have now printed their own T-shirts too." -By Matthew Wells-BBC /News

20050505

Japan - Weather - Fashion - "Japan's leader suggests workers loosen up a little." ... "Koizumi wants Japanese businessmen to dress down this summer, to leave their monochromatic ties and dark jackets at home, to swap their stubborn attachment to the standard suit for something more casual. It's a part of the prime minister's plan to save energy by using less air conditioning in offices and government buildings, and for that, he needs businessmen and bureaucrats to do a bit more cooling down on their own --by loosening their collars." ... "The obstacle is the fashion fear factor. Suggest "casual" to most Japanese middle managers, and they start to, well, sweat." ... ""Yes, it's uncomfortable, but that style of wearing a suit is almost like a uniform for us," said Akira Chono, chief executive of the Japan Productivity Center for Socio-Economic Development. "If we have to switch to a free style, we will feel nervous, and it could cost a lot to buy a new wardrobe." -Bruce Wallace -LAtimes via -SFGate.com

20050504

"Now they're wearing religion on their sleeves: T-shirts with edgy religious slogans or Christian imagery are suddenly in fashion. But what message do they send?" ... "If you think Jesus is in you, you might want him on you. And if wearing one of those WWJD - "What would Jesus do?" - bracelets popularized in the 1990s seems too quietly introspective, then you just might want to go bold." ... "In-your-face bold." ... "That's the hope of T-shirtmakers and retailers pushing edgier - some would say offensive - graphics and slogans such as "My God can kick your God's butt."" ... "Observers call the shirts part of a sometimes deft, sometimes clumsy, possibly lawsuit-bound move to tap into" -By Clayton Collins -CSMonitor

20050407

Northern Mariana Islands - Immigration - Garment - Labor - Law - Politics - Intelligence - History - Tom DeLay - Abramoff - "Jack Abramoff: The friend Tom DeLay can't shake." ... "Where to begin examining the extraordinary career of Jack Abramoff? His work trying to secure a visa for the great Zairian kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko, perhaps, or the bilking of an estimated $66 million out of Native American tribes, clients he described as "monkeys," "troglodytes," and "idiots"? Or his leadership of a 1980s think tank financed, unbeknownst to him apparently, by the intelligence arm of South Africa's apartheid regime?" ... "No, the chapter of our man's story that matters most at the moment begins with a toast given by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay during a New Year's trip they both took to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands in 1997. "When one of my closest and dearest friends, Jack Abramoff, your most able representative in Washington, D.C., invited me to the islands, I wanted to see firsthand the free-market success and the progress and reform you have made," DeLay said before an audience of Abramoff's clients in the islands' garment industry—whom, upon his return to Washington, he helped win an extended exemption from federal immigration and labor laws." -By James Harding -Slate

20050311

- - - "French court bans Christ advert: France's Catholic Church has won a court injunction to ban a clothing advertisement based on Leonardo da Vinci's Christ's Last Supper." ... "The display was ruled "a gratuitous and aggressive act of intrusion on people's innermost beliefs", by a judge." ... "The church objected to the female version of the fresco, which includes a female Christ, used by clothing designers Marithe et Francois Girbaud." ... "The authorities in the Italian city of Milan banned the poster last month." -BBC /News

20040211

- - - "France's ban on religious symbols in schools gets approval." ... "France's lower house of parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban students from wearing Islami