In Western culture, dresses are usually considered women's clothing. The hemline of dresses can be as high as the upper thigh or as low as the ground, depending on the whims of fashion and the modesty or personal taste of the wearer.

One may usually wear a bra, but for modesty wearing a camisole / vest or full slip is also an option for the top. Dresses are sometimes worn with tights.

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PHILADELPHIA – Commuters scrambled to find other ways to get to their destinations as Philadelphia transit system's largest union went on strike early Tuesday, stalling the city's buses, subways and trolleys a day after the World Series shifted to New York.
The strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 will all but cripple a transit system that averages more than 928,0000 trips each weekday. The union represents more than 5,000 drivers, operators and mechanics of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
"There will be people waking up this morning needing to commute into work. And unfortunately, there's not going to be service for them," said SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams.
The union had threatened to go on strike during the World Series. But over the weekend Gov. Ed Rendell ordered the union and SEPTA to remain at the bargaining table or risk consequences.
Willie Brown, the local's president, said they decided to strike after both sides agreed that they had gone as far as they could in negotiations. The announcement came just hours after the Phillies beat the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series, the last game to be played at Citizens Bank Park. Brown said the strike was effective as of 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The doors to subway stations were gated off Tuesday and no buses crawled the streets in the city's downtown corridor. Commuters trying to get to work said they had to make last-minute accommodations when they awoke to word of a strike.
"We don't deserve to wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning to find out if there's a strike," said Jeffrey Chandler, 49, who had to call a friend for a ride to SEPTA's regional rail line so he could get to his job as a hotel room attendant.
Chandler, who usually takes three buses to get to his train station, said he's not sure how he'll get home.
"I have no idea," he said.
Aisha Nnoli, a doctor from Upper Darby, had just finished a 12-hour shift at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital when she found the gates closed at her elevated train stop. When she went to the next station and saw it was also closed, she said she started realizing there might be a strike.
Eventually, she went to an information kiosk and found that she could at least get halfway home by using regional rail.
"It's an inconvenience, obviously," Nnoli said.
The Election Day strike also affects buses that serve the suburbs in Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties. Regional rail service won't be interrupted because those crews are covered by separate contracts.
The two sides had postponed a scheduled Sunday night meeting. They met again Monday at Rendell's regional office in Philadelphia. SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney said the talks ended after union negotiators walked out at around midnight.
The union membership voted Oct. 25 to authorize a strike. They have been without a contract since March.
Union workers, who earn an average $52,000 a year, are seeking an annual 4 percent wage hike and want to keep the current 1 percent contribution they make toward the cost of their health care coverage.
Maloney said SEPTA was offering an 11.5 percent wage increase over 5 years, with no raise in the first year, and increases in workers' pensions.
A 2005 SEPTA strike lasted seven days, while a 1998 transit strike lasted for 40 days.

Frank Brinkman, a union member who does electronic work on an elevated SEPTA train, was out on the picket line early Tuesday. He said he was concerned about pension issues and changes to work rules.

"We've been ready since March 15," Brinkman said of the strike. "We're in here for the long haul."

He said the union didn't want to strike, but that SEPTA gave it no choice.

"We don't want to see anybody suffer," he said. "We have to stand up for our rights."

___

Associated Press writers Sofia A. Mannos in Washington and Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

KABUL (AFP) –
Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed Tuesday that his new government would eradicate corruption and offered an olive branch to Taliban insurgents, launching his programme for another five years in office.

Under pressure from US President Barack Obama to wipe out corruption and world leaders to unify the war-torn nation, Karzai used his first appearance since electoral authorities declared him president to pledge a cleaner rule.

"Afghanistan's image has been tainted by corruption. Our government's image has been tainted by corruption," Karzai told a press conference flanked by his controversial vice president Mohammad Qasim Fahim, who is widely accused of rights abuses.

"We will strive, by any means possible, to eradicate this stain."

Karzai was declared president for another five years after the cancellation of a run-off ballot by the country's election commission, which followed the withdrawal at the weekend of his only challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. Related article: US urges Kharzai on corruption

The president said it would have been better for Afghanistan, which is rife with ethnic rivalry, to have voted in a second round following a fraud-tainted first election on August 20, and bemoaned Abdullah's withdrawal.

Karzai has been urged by a number of world leaders to ensure his next government can command the support of all the Afghan people.

"The future government will be a government that reflects all the people of Afghanistan ... We hope that no-one feels themselves isolated from this future government," he said.

The 51-year-old president, whose warm relations with the West have cooled over corruption and spiralling insecurity, also urged his Taliban "brothers" "to come home and embrace their land".

The Taliban insurgency is now at its deadliest, contributing to record US fatalities eight years since the militia was driven out of Kabul by a US-led invasion, paving the way for Karzai to take power.

The Islamists ridiculed Karzai as a "puppet" president, however, and said his re-election without a second round showed the West was dictating events.

"What is astonishing is two weeks ago they were arguing that the puppet president Hamid Karzai was involved in electoral fraud... but now he is elected as president based on those same fraudulent votes, Washington and London immediately send their congratulations," said a Taliban statement.

Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon led world powers in congratulating Karzai, but the US president called for "a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption" and a "new chapter" in cooperation between the two countries. Reactions: World powers stick by Karzai, US says fight corruption

"This has to be (the) point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance," Obama said he had told Karzai in a phone call.

Karzai "assured me that he understood the importance of this moment but... the truth is not going to be in words, it's going to be in deeds", added Obama who is to decide whether to deploy thousands more troops in the coming weeks.

The New York Times reported the Obama administration was pressing Karzai to set up an anti-corruption commission, which would establish "strict accountability" for national and provincial government officials.

US and European officials are also seeking the arrests of what one US envoy termed "the more blatantly corrupt" people in government, the paper added.

Abdullah quit the contest on Sunday, saying there were no safeguards against a repeat of widespread fraud that resulted in the rejection of nearly a quarter of votes cast in August.

Karzai's anointment by the Independent Election Commission sought to draw a line under two months of political chaos in the conflict-ridden nation where 100,000 NATO and US troops are battling the Taliban. Related article: Cash-strapped US media struggles to cover war

Ban met Karzai and Abdullah amid a concerted diplomatic push to bring a quick end to the paralysis, which has undermined Western efforts to cultivate democracy in Afghanistan.

IEC chief Azizullah Ludin, a Karzai appointee who oversaw the fraud-riddled first round, said the decision had been made in line with the provisions of Afghan law and was "consistent with the high interest of the Afghan people".

There had been widespread unease about staging the November 7 run-off poll.

First-round turnout was as low as five percent in areas and Taliban had threatened fresh attacks.

KABUL (AFP) –
President Hamid Karzai prepared for a second term of office on Tuesday with US President Barack Obama telling him to wipe out corruption and world leaders urging him to unify Afghanistan.

Karzai was declared president for another five years after the cancellation of a run-off by the country's election commission, which followed the withdrawal at the weekend of his only challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon led world powers in congratulating Karzai, who is due to give a press conference around 10:00 am (0500 GMT) Tuesday.

But the US president said he had told his opposite number to make "a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption" while calling for a "new chapter" in cooperation between the two countries. Related article: US vows to get tough on Karzai

"This has to be point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance," Obama said he had told Karzai in a telephone call.

Karzai "assured me that he understood the importance of this moment but... the truth is not going to be in words, it's going to be in deeds," Obama added. Related article: Cash-strapped US media struggles to cover war

Earlier the White House declared Karzai the "legitimate leader of the country" but said it would begin "hard conversations" with the new president, with Obama expected to make a decision on whether to deploy thousands more troops "in the coming weeks".

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah quit the contest on Sunday, saying there were no safeguards against a repeat of widespread fraud that resulted in the throwing out of nearly a quarter of votes cast in August.

Karzai's anointment by the Independent Election Commission followed intense diplomatic pressure and sought to draw a line under two months of political chaos in a war-torn nation where 100,000 NATO and US troops are battling an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.

UN chief Ban met Karzai and Abdullah amid a concerted diplomatic push to bring a quick end to chaos that has undermined Western efforts to cultivate democracy in Afghanistan eight years after a US-led invasion.

IEC chief Azizullah Ludin, a Karzai appointee who oversaw a fraud-riddled first round, said the decision had been made in line with the provisions of Afghan electoral law and constitution and was "consistent with the high interest of the Afghan people".

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose country is the second biggest contributor of foreign troops in Afghanistan, telephoned Karzai to urge him to plot a course of national unity.

"They discussed the importance of the president moving quickly to set out a unifying programme for the future of Afghanistan," said a spokesman for Brown.

NATO powers France and Germany urged Karzai to work with his defeated rival to end the political strife.

Congratulations also came from Pakistan and Russia, which said the election had "opened the way for the formation of the new national government, whose great task is the key problem of stabilising conditions in the country."

There had been great unease about staging the November 7 poll at a time when a Taliban insurgency is gathering pace.

The IEC's deputy chief electoral officer Zakria Barakzai said the commission would have been in breach of article 61 of the constitution -- which states two candidates must contest a run-off -- had they allowed the contest to go ahead without Abdullah.

First-round turnout was as low as five percent on August 20 in areas worst hit by the Taliban insurgency and with the militia threatening fresh attacks, the numbers voting this time were likely to have been even lower.

Analysts said Karzai, already tainted by the first round fraud, would struggle to proclaim his legitimacy in such circumstances.

After Karzai snubbed a series of demands promoted by his rival as a chance to avoid a repeat of massive first-round fraud, Abdullah said Sunday that he saw no point in standing, but had stopped short of calling for a boycott.

LOS ANGELES – The first interview with Rihanna about Chris Brown's assault on her is airing this week on ABC.
The network says the pop star's one-on-one with Diane Sawyer will air Thursday and Friday on "Good Morning America" and Friday evening on the news magazine "20/20."
Brown's attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna occurred in February. He was sentenced in August to five years' probation, six months of community labor and a year of domestic violence counseling after he pleaded guilty to felony assault.
Rihanna's ABC interview coincides with the debut of her new single, "Russian Roulette," from her upcoming album, "Rated R." It's her first CD since 2007's multiplatinum "Good Girl Gone Bad."

CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) –
AT&T Inc (T.N) reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit as the glitzy iPhone and low budget Tracfone service attracted a record number of wireless customers.

While AT&T faces home phone disconnections and a drop in business spending that led it to forecast a small drop in 2009 revenue on Thursday, strength in mobile is offsetting much of the pain. Shares climbed 1.5 percent.

"This is becoming a grindingly familiar pattern with strength in wireless and weakness in wireline," said Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. Wireless makes up about 44 percent of AT&T's revenue.

While Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone is paying big dividends, some investors worry about AT&T's increasing dependency on it because its exclusive U.S. rights to sell iPhone is expected to expire next year.

But AT&T noted that the iPhone only accounted for about a third of new monthly-bill paying customers in the quarter.

"We have a legacy of having a great portfolio or products. We know that's going to continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us," AT&T's mobile chief Ralph de la Vega said on a conference call with analysts.

AT&T, the first major U.S. mobile operator to issue results for the last quarter, reported 3.2 million iPhone activations for the period, more than expected. That helped it attract 2 million net new customers -- a third more than analysts had forecast -- with a big chunk of those being the valuable monthly-bill paying subscribers.

Aside from the iPhone surprise, Moffett said much of AT&T's customer growth was from Tracfone, an America Movil (AMXL.MX) unit that uses AT&T's network to sell prepaid services.

"It's a sign of the traction prepaid players are getting. Tracfone's AT&T plan appeals to extreme budget customers," he said.

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Chris King said AT&T's growth likely means the No. 2 U.S. mobile service took customers from bigger rival Verizon Wireless, a Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) venture, and from Sprint Nextel (S.N). Verizon reports on October 26. and Sprint reports Oct 29.

LANDLINE BLUES

Analysts were far less impressed with AT&T's landline business. The company's enterprise revenue declined 10.4 percent and overall landline revenue fell 7 percent, reflecting budget constraints and job cuts in the corporate world.

The declines also point to the continued trend of households disconnecting their home phone lines in favor of wireless or cable services.

Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner told analysts that the enterprise segment would improve over time.

"In business, which is probably the most challenged right now, again we feel very good about how we're positioned and we know it's going to improve as the economy improves," he said.

Overall, earnings totaled $3.2 billion, or 54 cents a share, compared $3.2 billion, or 55 cents a share, in the period a year ago. Analysts had expected 50 cents a share.

Revenue fell 1.6 percent to $30.9 billion, the company said, which was in line with the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

While iPhone activations have depressed wireless profit margins in the past, AT&T said fewer customer cancellations and operational improvements helped it post an operating margin of 24.6 percent, up from 23.8 percent in the second quarter.

AT&T is also looking high-speed Internet and its U-Verse television service for growth. It added 240,000 U-Verse customers in the quarter, bringing its total to 1.8 million.

Its results come on the same day the U.S. Federal Communications Commission staff recommended a controversial proposal for new Internet rules aimed at preventing operators from favoring some content providers over others on wired and wireless networks.

Operators have loudly protested the proposal, which would not become final until next year, saying it would impede telecom investment. In his keynote speech at a Chicago trade show, AT&T's operations chief John Stankey said the proposal made him feel like he was going to a funeral.

"I know something sad's about to happen here," he said.

Shares of AT&T climbed 0.5 percent to $26.08 early Thursday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Sinead Carew in Chicago and Paul Thomasch in New

York; Editing by Derek Caney and Richard Chang)

A day after former Vice President Dick Cheney charged the Obama administration with "dithering" over its strategy for the war in Afghanistan, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs returned fire with guns blazing.
"What Vice President Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform," Gibbs said Thursday. "I think we've all seen what happens when somebody doesn't take that responsibility seriously."
Calling Cheney's comment "curious," Gibbs attacked the Bush administration for allegedly taking years to provide the support necessary for the war effort in Afghanistan.
"I think it's pretty safe to say that the vice president was, for seven years, not focused on Afghanistan," Gibbs said. "Even more curious given the fact that an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president's, for more than eight months."
Cheney offered his dim assessment of the Obama administration's approach to Afghanistan at a Wednesday dinner hosted by the Center for Security Policy, where the former vice president was present with the group's Keeper of the Flame award.
"Having announced his Afghanistan strategy last March, President Obama now seems afraid to make a decision, and unable to provide his commander on the ground with the troops he needs to complete his mission," Cheney said. "The White House must stop dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger. Make no mistake: Signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries. Waffling, while our troops on the ground face an emboldened enemy, endangers them and hurts our cause."
The former vice president also addressed comments made last Sunday by Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, blaming the Bush administration for taking an inadequately active approach to shaping war strategy.
Cheney retorted that Bush administration officials were digging into "every aspect of Afghanistan policy" last fall and briefed the Obama transition team on their findings and recommendations.
"The new strategy they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them," Cheney said.
Cheney’s remarks had the West Wing "fired up" Thursday morning, according to one aide.
Read More Stories from POLITICOConservatives roar; GOP tremblesCLICK: Playgirl's new flavorPence: Rush, Beck speak for manyConsumer agency vote a win for W.H.Clinton puts Kerry in Afghan spotlight

WASHINGTON (AFP) –
Afghan President Hamid Karzai will likely emerge the winner even if his country's election authorities call a second round in contested polls, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.

The election commission is expected to make an announcement soon on Afghanistan's second-ever presidential vote on August 20, in which Western observers allege that widespread fraud inflated Karzai's showing.

"It is likely that they will find that President Karzai got very close to the 50-plus-one percent" needed for an outright victory, Clinton told CNN.

"So I think one can conclude that the likelihood of him winning a second round is probably pretty high," she said.

The top US diplomat said she had no inside knowledge on what the election commission would announce but called for the Afghan leadership to follow its recommendations.

Clinton said the run-off could take place quickly.

"The ballots are printed and certainly some planning has been done. It could absolutely be carried out, within the next few weeks, before the snows come," she said in the interview.

Karzai has bristled at EU observers' charges that one quarter of the votes cast could be fraudulent, fueling tension between the Afghan leader and Western nations that backed him after the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban regime.

But Karzai's ambassador to Washington, Said Tayeb Jawad, said Thursday that a run-off was likely, the first time a member of the Afghan leader's inner circle has publicly acknowledged the possibility.

The election debacle comes as President Barack Obama's administration mulls sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan to battle a Taliban insurgency.

But Clinton said the possibility of a second round would not delay the decision.

"I think that we have taken into account every possible outcome as we have engaged in our strategic analysis," she said.

"I think the president is expecting to make a decision on his own timetable, when he is absolutely comfortable with what he believes is in the best interest of the United States," she said.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said separately: "Whether or not there's a runoff, and the final results, will be factored in just like everything else happening in the region into the final assessment of our strategy there."

He said the White House would stay neutral between Karzai and his main rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.

"The legitimacy of this election and of the leadership of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Afghan people," Burton told reporters on Air Force One as Obama flew to Houston, Texas.

"We don't have any favorites in this race; we're just waiting for the final results," he said.

Obama has had a noticeably cooler relationship with Karzai than former US president George W. Bush, with administration officials privately alleging corruption in the Afghan leader's ranks.

BIG SANDY, Texas – A 45-year-old Texas woman has been committed for mental evaluation after authorities say she lived in an apartment for a week with her dead boyfriend's body. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported Big Sandy police were flagged down by a man Friday who reported a stench coming from his sister's apartment.
Once inside, police found 50-year-old William Drake dead on a couch. From the condition of the corpse, police believe he had been dead about a week.
According to police Lt. Van Burr, the woman said Drake "didn't want to leave the apartment."
Burr said Drake died of natural causes and had recently stopped his dialysis treatments. He said Drake had lived for 10 years with the woman, who had been hospitalized for mental illness before. Burr declined to reveal her name.
Big Sandy is about 100 miles east of Dallas.
___
Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Jay Rockefeller said
Democrats shouldn’t tailor a health-care overhaul to the wishes
of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe and need to push for
legislation that includes a government-run insurance program.

“We can’t sort of hedge and say ‘what’s Olympia going to
do,’” Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said in an
interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al
Hunt,” airing this weekend. “We’ve got to decide what we
want.”

Snowe, who this week voted for an $829 billion finance
committee bill, is the only Republican to back an overhaul
plan. Keeping the Maine lawmaker on board as the legislation
moves through the Senate may help attract Democrats facing re-
election battles and possibly other Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to craft a
final measure that satisfies conflicting demands of his party,
such as whether to include a government-run plan.

“If we calculate so finely and so exquisitely, we’re
going to lose our leadership and our momentum,” said
Rockefeller, 72. “And right now yes, we did get her vote. As
she said yes for this one, it doesn’t mean for the next round
of votes.”

Rockefeller said Reid’s legislation would have to include
a government plan, or public option, to compete with private
companies, such as Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc.

Counterweight to ‘Malevolence’

“There has to be a counterweight to the malevolence of
the insurance industry,â€

Snowe, who is being courted for her support on the health
overhaul by the White House, has urged President Barack Obama
to drop the public option and instead suggested a so-called
trigger that would activate a public option only if private
insurers fail to make coverage affordable.

While Rockefeller, a member of the finance committee,
voted for the panel’s plan, he was critical of it because it
failed to include the public option.

He and other Democrats say the public option is the best
way to lower costs so more uninsured Americans can afford
coverage. The finance committee measure instead offers $6
billion in seed money for nonprofit insurance cooperatives.

“There were 30 Democrats that signed a petition asking
Harry for a public option,â€

Negotiating Rates

Reid is “more likelyâ€

That proposal would be similar to an amendment offered by
Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, that was rejected
by the finance panel.

Rockefeller also said he favors greater checks on
insurance companies. He said he would introduce an amendment
requiring insurers to spend 85 percent of their revenue on
health care for consumers.

“This is in a couple of the House bills,” he said. “I
think it’s a discipline which works very, very well.”

Rockefeller has expressed concern over a plan to impose a
tax on insurance companies’ most-expensive policies because it
would affect coal-miners and other working-class Americans. The
finance committee bill is the only one of five overhaul
versions passed by House and Senate panels to include the levy.

The 40 percent excise tax, which would begin in 2013,
would be placed on insurers of employer-sponsored health plans
with benefits exceeding $8,000 for individual coverage and
$21,000 for families. Thresholds are increased by $1,850 and
$5,000 for retirees 55 and older and for employees in union-
heavy industries.

Antitrust Exemption

Rockefeller also said he would back a plan to repeal the
insurance industries’ antitrust exemption to spur competition
and control costs, in separate legislation.

Christine Varney, head of the U.S. Justice Department’s
antitrust division, told the Senate Judiciary Committee this
week that ending the exemption would bolster competition,
though she stopped short of calling on Congress to act.

Rockefeller said he’s optimistic that health-care
legislation would pass, saying the odds are “pretty good”
that Obama will sign a bill this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Dodge in
Washington at cdodge1@bloomberg.net

SAN FRANCISCO – President Barack Obama, who has called on Americans to perform more community service, is joining former President George H.W. Bush in urging citizens to volunteer.
Bush on Friday was to host a forum on volunteering at Texas A&M University, to be attended by Obama, who initiated a "United We Serve" call to service in June that culminated in a national day of service on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The forum is affiliated with the Points of Light Institute, an organization that honors people and groups who participate in community service. Bush created the Daily Point of Light Award in 1989 to honor volunteers. The forum will be held at the A&M campus at College Station, Texas, where Bush's presidential library is located. It was expected to draw students, faculty and Points of Light award winners. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a former president of the university, was planning to attend as well.
As a candidate, Obama promised to make a call to public service a cornerstone of his presidency.
On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday this year, on Jan. 19, the day before Obama's inauguration, the president-elect, Hollywood stars and thousands of other Americans volunteered across the country.
In April, Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which tripled the size of the AmeriCorps community service program.
And in late June, when Obama kicked off the call to service program, he and his family worked with other volunteers at Fort McNair in Washington and helped load 15,000 backpacks with books, healthy snacks and toys for children with parents in the armed forces.
___
On the Net:
George Bush Presidential Library: http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu

Creators Syndicate –
In the wake of the arrest of director/rapist Roman Polanski comes the sex-with-subordinates scandal of David Letterman. The timing was a blessing for Letterman, since his aggressive excuse-makers now could quickly assert that the female employees he exploited were all adults and all gave their consent.

Letterman's habit of engaging in sex with women who are his employees only emerged because of an ugly extortion threat from a longtime CBS News producer who lived with one of Letterman's conquests. That's doubly embarrassing for CBS, which has character problems coming and going. Letterman added to the embarrassment by revealing the extortion and his behavior in a jokey manner on his show. CBS had enough distaste for the explanation to have it pulled off YouTube and try to keep people from seeing it. (Wouldn't it be nice if CBS had similar standards for its other programming, like, oh, most everything on MTV?)

In a second attempt at an apology, Letterman was more sincere. But in the morality challenged entertainment community, Letterman knew he could surround himself with friends who found nothing to condemn or even question.

"He's the greatest host in the world," said fellow comedian Chris Rock in an adoring haze. "I would never make a disparaging comment about David Letterman." Steve Martin offered this friendly take to Letterman: "It proves that you're a human being, and we weren't really that sure before."

Even celebrities few recognize (or remember) are stepping up to defend Letterman. "I don't see anything wrong with it," said Sandra Denton, better known as half of the rap duo Salt-N-Pepa. "I might have been one of the girls. He's a man ... and he's kind of cute!"

Susie Essman, who stars on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," said people should treat the matter like adults. "I wasn't like, 'Oh, not Dave. It couldn't be! ... He had a relationship with somebody. What's the big deal? He wasn't married. He wasn't cheating on his wife."

This is where the situational ethics in the egocentric world of entertainment begins to look ridiculous. Letterman didn't marry longtime companion Regina Lasko until March, but they're been together since 1986, and they had a son together five years ago. So was he free to cheat on her because they weren't married? Here we go again: Conservatives are held to moral standards because they have them; liberals aren't because they don't.

Then there's another line of defense raised by others, among them actress Jamie Lee Curtis: "David Letterman makes this revelation about his personal life because he was being extorted. I understand he was staying ahead of the wave and I commend him for it, but really, is this any of our business? Why should this matter?"

There's another way of putting it: Is anyone surprised? Surprised that a Hollywood superstar has affairs? Stop the presses! On that score, I'm almost willing to agree with Ms. Curtis. Almost.

But then Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies goes on CNN and in defending Letterman, actually underscores why Letterman's behavior was so distasteful. "It's not like Bill Clinton having sex with an intern," Mankiewicz said. "It is the story of a guy who was single for 25 years, a sort of pronounced bachelor, having affairs with women who worked on his staff. That may be a problem for CBS. I really don't think it's a problem for anyone else in the country." He insisted: "I just don't see the scandal, and I certainly don't see the hypocrisy."

That leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It's clearly hypocrisy.

Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales also saw zero hypocrisy, even as Letterman mocked every sex scandal subject from Clinton to Gov. Mark Sanford: "Letterman can continue to lampoon sleazy political figures with no real fear of hypocrisy, however, because a TV comic is not an elected official responsible for the well-being of the nation or its citizenry."

But is Letterman only a "clown," as Shales put it, or does mocking adultery imply a moral judgment? AP television writer Frazier Moore forwarded a list of scandal figures Letterman has mocked, and then trumped it. With Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Letterman demanded the governor resign: "I mean, can you imagine," said Letterman, "if this happened to me how fast they'd have my (backside) out of here?"

Shales insisted the scandal shouldn't ruin Letterman's reputation as "the wisecracking, self-deprecating, overgrown adolescent who has one of the keenest, cleverest and funniest comic minds of all time."

Shales then went to an online chat at the Post website and defended Roman Polanski's rape: "In Hollywood I am not sure a 13-year-old is really a 13-year-old."

L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. To find out more about Brent Bozell III, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM

In some specialized businesses, there may also be licenses required, either due to special laws that govern entry into certain trades, occupations or professions, which may require special education, or by local governments who just want your money. Professions that require special licenses run the gamut from law and medicine to flying airplanes to selling liquor to radio broadcasting to selling investment securities to selling used cars to roofing. Local jurisdictions may also require special licenses and taxes just to operate a business without regard to the type of business involved.

In Thailand, for example, it is necessary to register a particular amount of capital for each employee, and pay a fee to the government for the amount of capital registered. There is no legal requirement to prove that this capital actually exists, the only requirement is to pay the fee. Overall, processes like this are detrimental to the development and GDP of a country, but often exist in "feudal" developing countries.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. – Right when Torii Hunter's three-run homer hit the rock pile beyond center field at Angel Stadium, two bursts of fireworks shot up from the artificial boulders.
The moment hardly needed the pyrotechnic punctuation. After several years of playoff frustrations against the Boston Red Sox, the Angels finally have a breakthrough.
John Lackey pitched into the eighth inning of his first postseason victory since 2002, and Hunter's big hit in the fifth inning sent the Angels to a 5-0 victory over their longtime playoff nemesis in their first-round opener Thursday night.
While Lackey's steady brilliance kept Boston off the postseason scoreboard for the first time in 14 years, Hunter's shot broke open a scoreless game. It also seemed to topple any mental barriers Los Angeles might have faced against the Red Sox, who ended three of the Angels' past five seasons in the division series, winning nine of 10 games.
"Whatever the hex is, I guess somebody un-hexed it," Angels leadoff hitter Chone Figgins said. "We've played tight games with them before, and they came out on top. But we had the ace going on the mound, and Torii got a big hit."
Boston didn't manage an extra-base hit while getting shut out in the playoffs for the first time since Game 2 of the 1995 division series against Cleveland. The shutout was the first in the Angels' 53-game postseason history.
Game 2 is Friday night at Angel Stadium, with Boston's Josh Beckett facing Jered Weaver.
The AL West champion Angels snapped a six-game home playoff losing streak behind Lackey, who used fine control and good defense to win in the postseason for the first time since Game 7 of the World Series seven years ago.
"(Lackey) went out there and set the tone early," Hunter said. "Man, we were so pumped up from then on. I'm excited about this start today."
After striking out four and allowing four singles over 7 1-3 innings, Lackey doffed his cap to a standing ovation. Darren Oliver finished up with 1 2-3 innings of hitless relief.
"Even in the bullpen, I knew my arm was feeling good," said Lackey, who pitched just once in the previous 11 days. "The extra rest that I had really helped me out. I really felt like my arm was pretty live tonight. ... Our fans get dogged for not being loud enough, but they brought it tonight, and that ovation I got coming off the mound meant a lot to me."
Jon Lester allowed four hits over six innings for the wild-card Red Sox, who had won five straight playoff series openers. Lester wasn't as sharp as Lackey during his second loss since July 19, but he avoided trouble until the fifth.
Erick Aybar started the rally with a leadoff double down the left-field line. After Bobby Abreu walked, Hunter smashed Lester's second pitch off the Disneyland-esque artificial rock pile for his fourth postseason homer.
"That was huge because of the way Lackey was pitching. Three runs looked like a lot," Boston manager Terry Francona said.
Kendry Morales added a late run-scoring single and Abreu drew four walks for the Angels, who had lost six straight home playoff games. Although they've made six of the past eight postseasons, the Angels lost three of four last fall to the Red Sox, who won the World Series after bouncing Los Angeles from the division series in 2004 and 2007.
"I think by and large we're a pretty good offensive team, and Lackey shut us down with four singles," Jason Bay said. "Four singles and three errors isn't going to win too many ballgames, so you tip your hat a little bit. But I think we can be better."
Boston took the first two games at Angel Stadium in last season's division series, including Lester's 4-1 win over Lackey in the opener. In fact, the Angels had lost 12 of their 13 playoff games against Boston since the infamous Game 5 of the 1986 AL championship series, won in extra innings by the Red Sox after a ninth-inning rally capped by Dave Henderson's homer.
Lackey had to escape just two jams in the first six innings, stranding two runners in the third on Dustin Pedroia's fly to right before getting Kevin Youkilis' grounder to third with two on in the sixth.

Los Angeles padded its lead in the seventh on Morales' run-scoring hit and a heads-up play by Juan Rivera, who advanced to third and then scampered home when Jason Bay's throw from left field got away. J.D. Drew threw out Morales at the plate moments later to end the inning.

"We gave them some extra opportunities," Francona said.

Despite the Angels' ominous playoff history against the Red Sox, the noisy Orange County crowd didn't seem to be anticipating disappointment while clacking its ThunderStix and easily drowning out the surprisingly small Boston fan contingent on a slightly chilly night.

Neither pitcher faced much trouble until the third, when Lester issued back-to-back walks to load the bases before striking out Vladimir Guerrero on three pitches.

The Red Sox couldn't get a break from first base umpire CB Bucknor, who twice called Howie Kendrick safe after Youkilis snagged wide throws. On both plays, in the fourth and sixth inning, replays appeared to contradict Bucknor's calls — but the Angels did nothing with either opportunity.

NOTES: Francona didn't appear in pregame introductions because he wasn't feeling well. He still managed the game. ... Abreu's four walks tied David Ortiz's division series record, set Oct. 5, 2007, against the Angels. ... Lackey thought he had ended the third inning with Jacoby Ellsbury's grounder back to the mound, but plate umpire Joe West made a very late call of catcher's interference, well after broadcaster TBS had already gone to commercials. Lackey still coolly retired Pedroia.