Print edition for September 14, 2006

Editorial: Press on with research: The report, prepared by the Institute of Medicine and led by a Johns Hopkins University physician, was sponsored by the Veterans Affairs Administration and released Tuesday. It concludes that although nearly a third of the soldiers who served in the Persian Gulf War have reported such ailments as fatigue, memory loss, muscle and joint pain and rashes, the pattern of such symptoms has not been unique or comprehensive enough to pin on a single syndrome.

Waiting is part of the naming game: By Emily Richmond; They brought photographs of their loved ones, multipage resumes and glowing letters of recommendations from community leaders. Tears fell as two young cystic fibrosis patients spoke of the doctor who saved their lives, and laughter remembering a principal's crazy quest to build a rain forest in the desert.

Letter: Histrionics detract from memory of 9/11: Why not take a couple of pages from the Japanese of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the millions of victims of the Holocaust, the thousands of victims of World War II who every year manage to commemorate quietly their own horrific experiences. The repetition of the axiom, "Our lives will never be the same," is but self-centered and plays into the agenda of the politicians and media to sell themselves to the unsuspecting public.

TAKE FIVEX2 : MEXICAN SUPERSTARS: For fans of Latin music, it doesn't get much better than this weekend. Two Mexican superstars perform in back-to-back concerts at the Mandalay Bay Events Center - Pepe Aguilar on Friday and Alejandro Fernandez on Saturday. Aguilar kicks off a 15-city tour in the United States with his concert.

Bet. Lose. Cut. Run!: Sam Skolnik; Every year, the Strip's biggest casinos - the ones that cater to the whales and other high rollers - loan huge amounts of cash to keep some gamblers betting.

Editorial: Looking to the north: According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., and four retired military and U.S. Border Patrol officials have recommended sending 8,000 National Guard soldiers to patrol the Canadian border, including surveillance of crossings on 1,000 paved roads.

Editorial: No finessing of grant funds: The Health Resources and Service Administration, however, should have made this ruling in 2004, when the Nevada State Health District first received a share of a national bioterrorism preparedness grant.

FLASHPOINT for Sep 14, 2006: So who are the greatest male and female comedians in America? My vote goes not to Robin Williams or Ellen DeGeneres but to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Did you hear about the letter these two cutups - the Democratic leaders in Congress - sent to the major TV networks? They demanded equal time because they say - cue the laugh track - President Bush has been using the networks for partisan gain on national security. What? During an election year? And so the solution is to let the Harry and Nancy Comedy Duo get the same amount of time ...

Letter: Reserving judgment on use of grant: In response to the Clark County School District's crying need for 2,700 new teachers for the current year, it received a grant of $1.8 million "for innovative educational programs and services." The district started the year short nearly 400 teachers.

Improving air quality was doctor's passion: Dr. Joseph Tangredi had a consuming passion to help Las Vegans breathe a little easier.

Your name goes here, for a cool $500,000: By Emily Richmond; How much are you willing to pay to have a school bookstore named after you?

Letter: America an unsafe place with Bush in charge: Mr. Bush repeats a mantra about "keeping America safe." Ask the people in New Orleans how safe they felt while waiting for days on end for help to come. Mr. Bush couldn't even figure out how to get food and water to them, let alone rescue them from contaminated floodwater, or transport hospital patients to hospitals where they could receive medical help. How many people died from Mr. Bush's negligence?

Dead bodies make good models: Spencer Tan sits five feet in front of a woman who is perpetually posed in a tennis serve. He sketches her. Her racket extends upward, her left arm is in the air and her eyes are focused. She is skinned. Except for what remains of leathery genitalia, her muscles, bones, organs and tendons are exposed.

Low-income residents pushed closer to streets: By Timothy Pratt; Donald Avery, a 45-year-old with asthma, has lived since March with a lack of air conditioning, sharing the warm temperatures in his apartment with bedbugs.