The President's Emergency Plan for HIV-AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been mired in the Senate for months. Last week finally brought signs that a vote, and passage, could be near. The program would cost $50 billion that's $165 from each American to fight AIDS, or $1.3 billion from New York City alone. But will the money allocated for AIDS stop the spread of the virus in sub-Saharan Africa, where 76 percent of the world's HIV-AIDS deaths occurred last year?

Not if the dark dealings I've witnessed in Africa continue unchecked. In the fight against AIDS, profiteering has trumped prevention. AIDS is no longer simply a disease; it has become a multibillion-dollar industry.

In the late 1980s, before international experts arrived to tell us we had it all "wrong," we in Uganda devised a practical campaign to prevent the spread of HIV. We recognized that population-wide AIDS epidemics in Africa were driven by people having sex with more than one regular partner. Therefore, we urged people to be faithful. Our campaign was called ABC (Abstain, or Be Faithful, or use Condoms), but our main message was: Stick to one partner. We promoted condoms only as a last resort.

Because we knew what to do in our country, we succeeded. The proportion of Ugandans infected with HIV plunged from 21 percent in 1991 to 6 percent in 2002. But international AIDS experts who came to Uganda said we were wrong to try to limit people's sexual freedom. Worse, they had the financial power to force their casual-sex agendas upon us.

Read the complete story

An arts and cultural festival that began 13 years ago as an attempt to fill a tourism gap between the Reno Rodeo in June and the Hot August Nights car rally is coming of age as a key component of civic leaders' efforts to revive the city's image and restore its sense of community.

The month-long Artown festival offers free events each day of July in a downtown park along the Truckee River as well as ticketed-performances at area stages and theatres by headliners ranging from Ringo Starr and Wynton Marsalis to the Harlem Gospel Choir and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago troupe.

Two decades ago, organizers concede, the arts would have been one of the last images to come to mind in the Biggest Little City in the World, where quarter blackjack tables and 99-cent breakfasts were the main draw for tour buses of visiting Californians.

Since then, the river that rolls through downtown, once strewn with garbage, has been cleaned up and is home to a world-class kayaking and tube float park. Free summer concerts are held at an amphitheatre on an island in the park, and a 5,500-square-metre Nevada Museum of Art has been built just blocks away.

"This is our lucky 13th year," said Beth Macmillan, executive director of the festival that features music, dance, and opera; hands-on arts programs, film screenings and theatre performances.

"It's grown in size and scope. And I think Artown continues to change the way the rest of the country sees Reno. We're using arts and culture as a tool to do that, so that people around the country will say, 'They are doing WHAT in Reno?"'

Read the complete story

South Korea's opposition parties vowed Thursday to join nationwide protest rallies and take legal action against the government after it lifted the ban on U.S. beef import earlier Thursday.

    "The president has abandoned his own people for the sake of achieving the United States' faith," said the main opposition party floor leader Won Hye-young. "We will stand by the public and fight off imports, using every possible measure."

Opposition parties claimed that the government has violated the law by immediately enforcing the new trade pact, as it normally requires at least 60 days for new administrative measures to go into effect after public notice.

    Ending their overnight sit-in inside the parliament building, lawmakers of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) held an emergency meeting Thursday, agreeing to join street protests and boycott the parliament until the government withdraws its official announcement to resume imports.

    The party also said it will take legal action to request the court to suspend imports and push ahead with revision of a local law on animal epidemics to legally fend off beef from older cattle and other meat parts that are considered vulnerable to mad cow disease.

SPIDER-MAN 4 doesn’t have a director, stars or a script.  But hey, why should that stop producer Laura Ziskin from setting a release date for the fourth installment of the Spidey saga.  Ziskin told the LA Times that she and Sony Pictures are setting a May 2011 release date for the film.  James Vanderbilt is currently writing the script and eventually the studio will have to begin negotiations with Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst to return.

Maguire, Dunst and Raimi have all expressed a non-interest in any future Spidey flicks, but the franchise brings in too much cash for Sony not to drive it into the ground. And it seems like they’d like to have the key players back but will certainly have no qualms going ahead without them if they can’t be persuaded to return.

So what about you?  Does a fourth Spider-Man make life worth living?  Or she they leave things as they are to prevent any ‘Quest For Peace’ type shenanigans? 

“The Strangers” is a rare horror film in the fact that it basically offers nothing new in the way of originality but still successfully manages to be highly engrossing at the same time.  The set up is one you’ve probably heard a hundred times: Young, attractive couple retreats to a secluded house in the middle of the night and suddenly finds themselves in a bit of a pickle when a group of masked crazies comes a knockin’.  See what I mean?  Let’s just say no one’s winning any points for creativity here, that’s for sure.

Read the complete story

I was kind of hoping I wouldn't enjoy this film.  Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to report that it "missed it by that much?"  So badly that I already had it typed in before I saw it.  Don't believe me?  Would you believe I had it scribbled on a notepad?  What about it crossed my mind while waiting for the film to start?  Did you see what I did?  I pulled the old "pulling jokes from the show the movie was based on while reviewing the film based on the show" trick.

Well now that all of that is out of my system, I am pleased to report that Get Smart was more than the pleasant diversion I expected it to be.  Fans of the popular spy spoof series should be happy with the outcome.  I personally believe that this film was waiting for Steve Carrell to show up so it could be made.  I cannot imagine anyone (other than Don Adams) portraying Agent 86.  Steve has the demeanor as well as the dry humor down just right.

For those who are concerned that he and Anne Hathaway would be awkward together because of the age difference, that little bump is addressed quite nicely and once you are over it, you won't even remember that you had doubts.

The first part of the film lags a little and relies rather heavily on physical humor...but so did the series so that's okay.  By the time it hits its stride, you will find yourself laughing along with the crowd.  There are some clever nods to the show as well as some new characters and gadgets to keep you happy. I was a little worried that I wouldn't like the changes made to the story I remember but even those work well and I'm not mad at them for it.   The action is also more enjoyable that I thought it would be.  After all when is the last time you pictured Steve Carell parachuting (sort of) or navigating his way through high intensity lasers? 

It should also make you feel better that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry were consultants for the film.  Who better to ask than the original creators?

Read the complete story

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his coalition partner Asif Ali Zardari risks losing popular support after failing to honor an agreement to reinstate judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf.

I am disappointed and dismayed that he did not keep a promise,'' Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said in an interview at his residence in Lahore today. ``The blame will come on the party which will back out, not the one which is not backing out.''

The impasse has prevented the coalition from reaching an agreement that would remove Musharraf, nine years after he ousted Sharif in a military coup. Sharif is meeting Zardari at his residence today to help resolve a dispute that threatens to erode popular support for the government.

The reason that brought them together is gradually being replaced by points of potential conflict,'' said Ishtiaq Ahmed, associate professor of international relations at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. ``Their inability to agree is only strengthening Musharraf.''

Sharif, 58, pulled his ministers out of the Cabinet May 13 after Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, backtracked on reinstating the judiciary. The two party leaders differ over how to remove Musharraf and whether the former army chief should stand trial.

Emergency Rule

The two parties pledged to reinstate the judges fired by Musharraf when he declared emergency rule Nov. 3. Their March 9 agreement, known as the Murree declaration, formed the basis for the coalition.

The people will get disappointed if we do not honor our commitment,'' Sharif said. ``We signed a clear declaration which has not been honored.''

Peoples Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said he couldn't immediately comment on Sharif's remarks.

Zardari, widower of slain Peoples Party leader Benazir Bhutto, has resisted calls by Sharif to impeach the president because he says the party doesn't have the necessary votes in the parliament's upper house. Under the Pakistani constitution, a two-thirds majority of both houses is needed to impeach the president.

How can we reconcile with a man who has abrogated the constitution,'' Sharif said. ``He has committed serious crimes and he must be tried in a court.''

The question of impeaching Musharraf, whose party was routed in Feb. 18 elections, has distracted the three-month-old government from tackling food shortages and spiraling inflation at a 30-year high. The benchmark index fell as much as 3 percent, extending its decline to 26 percent since a record on April 18.

`Clear Mandate'

It was a clear mandate and the people rejected his policies,'' Sharif said. ``He must quit.''

Zardari has proposed a constitutional amendment to strip Musharraf's most important remaining powers, the ability to dissolve parliament and appoint military chiefs. The coalition would need defections among Musharraf loyalists in the upper house Senate to impeach the president or pass the amendment.

``The Murree declaration clearly speaks of reinstatement of judges through a parliamentary resolution and not through a constitutional amendment that Zardari has sent us,'' Sharif said. Zardari's proposal ``will be tantamount to accepting Musharraf's unconstitutional actions of Nov. 3,'' he said.

I'm usually more an Anthony Lane man than a David Denby man but Denby's been getting off some good lines lately. Earlier this month he wrote about how Sean Connery "had relaxed beautifully into middle age," when, at 59, he played Indiana Jones' father in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Then he compares him with the star of the current Indiana Jones:

now sixty-five, is still playing Indy, but he can't be described as a man relaxing into middle age. He's in great shape physically, but he doesn't seem happy. He's tense and glaring, and he speaks his lines with more emphasis than is necessary, like a drunk who wants to appear sober.
I also liked his recent review of The Incredible Hulk. Three criticisms stood out: 1) that King Kong and Frankenstein's monster are Byron and Keats in comparison with the Hulk, who's a dull, soulless beast, 2) That "Thunderbolt" Ross's attempt to make soldiers out of the Hulk serum is idiotic, since the goal is always to control soldiers and you can't control the Hulk, and 3) that the film misses the make-my-day thrill of turning into the most powerful creature in the world.

Now that I've seen the film I feel that 1) this Hulk is very King Kong-like in both his anger, his sadness and his protection of his girl, 2) Ross wants to contain Banner the way he would an advanced-weapons system that got loose, while the super-soldier formula alluded to is something else entirely (i.e., Captain America fans, awake), and 3) the make-my-day thrill is still there, for the audience anyway, since Banner only turns into the Hulk when he's being bullied. That Banner gets no thrill from this also makes sense. Who knows what he'll do as the Hulk? Who knows whom he'll kill?

So after all the hand-wringing and all the unnecessary articles, The Incredible Hulk turned out to be a pretty good popcorn movie. Its rating on Rotten Tomatoes (64%) is only slightly higher than the rating Ang Lee's version got five years ago (61%); but if you look at only top critics, the numbers shift from 53% to 67%. Even here, I feel, RT's critics are probably lowballing Hulk, influenced, no doubt, by all the hand-wringing and unnecessary articles. No wonder Hulk mad. No wonder Hulk smash.

Read the complete story

Two Picasso prints were stolen by three armed robbers from a museum in São Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday, The Associated Press reported. Along with the Picasso prints, “Minotaur, Drinker and Women” from 1933 and “The Painter and the Model” from 1963, the thieves took paintings by two Brazilian artists “Couple” by Lasar Segall and “Women in the Window,” above, by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti from the Pinacoteca do Estado museum. The works were estimated to be worth a combined $612,000. The robbers paid the museum’s entrance fee of $2.45 and then overpowered guards to take the framed works. In December another Picasso, “Portrait of Suzanne Boch,” and a painting by the Brazilian artist Candido Portinari were stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art after men used a crowbar and car jack to force open the museum’s doors. The paintings from that robbery were later found leaning against a house on the outskirts of the city.

The saga of wounded knee, the defining storyline of this week's U.S. Open, finally gets some measurable feedback in today's opening round at Torrey Pines Golf Course in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla.

Not even Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer, knows what to expect when he plays his first competitive round in 59 days at a PGA Tour event.

Woods said his left knee is "probably not" fully recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery on April 15. Yet he expects positive results while grouped with the two golfers closest to him in the world rankings: No. 2 Phil Mickelson and No. 3 Adam Scott.

"It's a little sore... but I'm good to go," said Woods, whose 18-hole journey today will mark the first time he has walked a full round since undergoing surgery two days after the Masters. "Come game time on Thursday, I'll be ready. I plan on playing competitive."

Woods' choice of the word competitive is interesting for a golfer who typically says there is no reason for him to show up unless he believes he can win a tournament. Woods' less-than-glowing update on his physical condition, offered during a Tuesday news conference, has left peers wondering if the 13-time major champion is underselling his post-surgical progress or truly struggling to regain his dominant form.

"It's difficult to take the amount of time he took off and come to a U.S. Open and dominate the way he has," said Jim Furyk, the 2003 Open champ. "That being said, nothing he does surprises me."

Read the complete story