US – Saturday, November 7
National
Military base is site of soldier’s rampage
An Army psychiatrist who had treated soldiers wounded in foreign wars opened fire with two handguns on soldiers preparing for foreign deployment at the Fort Hood U.S. Army post in Texas on Thursday, killing 12 and wounding 30 others.
 
International
Sante D’Orazio: You can’t hide from this lens
With Sante D’Orazio behind the camera, celebrities will do the craziest things. Famous faces from Angelina Jolie to Pamela Anderson have posed for the photographer. Now D’Orazio presents his favorite photos from the past 10 years in a new book, “Barely Private.”
 
The Word
A wee little way to try to get famous
There are hundreds of ways to get your name in the paper: appear on reality TV, get knocked up by a reality star, film yourself while getting knocked up by a reality star ... the list is endless. But here’s a new one: A model named Yvette Monet has put a restraining order on ex-boyfriend Verne Troyer, according to RadarOnline.
 
Movies
A ‘Carol’ that hits some high notes
REVIEW. There is something creepy about the way Robert Zemeckis makes movies. In his last three films — first “The Polar Express,” then “Beowulf,” and now “A Christmas Carol”— the director has employed a hybrid method that crosses live action with animation. He no doubt thinks the work is pioneering, but “pioneering” usually has a positive connotation.
 
Business
Wal-Mart: $20 meal for 8 people
NEW YORK. Wal-Mart has cut prices on turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples. U.S. stores began yesterday selling whole, 12-pound turkeys for 40 cents a pound. That’s a third of last Thanksgiving’s average price.
 
My Travel
Get your groove back in Jamaica
Haunted colonial mansions, triathlons and motivational theme parks — not things you think of when you think of Jamaica? Think again, mon. Jamaica is fast becoming the health and activity capital of the Caribbean. Feel like you need to recharge rather than merely relax? With direct flights on JetBlue launching in January and locals that welcome you with open arms, you’ll be getting your groove back in no time.
 
Published 22:36, September the 11th, 2007
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President Bush, on the lawn of the White House yesterday.President Bush, on the lawn of the White House yesterday.
Photo: AP
 

Officials: Bush to cut troops

President will address nation, adopt Gen. Petraeus’ drawdown plan

WASHINGTON. President Bush will tell the nation tomorrow night that he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.

In a 15-minute address from the White House at 9 p.m., Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, administration officials said. The White House plans to issue a written status report on the so-called surge on Friday, they said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush’s speech is not yet final. Bush was rehearsing his remarks even as the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker were presenting their arguments for a second day on Capitol Hill.

In the speech, the president will say he understands Americans’ deep concerns about U.S. involvement in Iraq and their desire to bring the troops home, they said. Bush will say that, after hearing from Petraeus and Crocker, he has decided on a way forward that will reduce the U.S. military presence but not abandon Iraq to chaos, according to the officials.

The address will stake out a conciliatory tone toward Congress. But while mirroring Petraeus’ strategy, Bush will place more conditions on reductions than his general did, insisting that conditions on the ground must warrant cuts and that now-unforeseen events could change the plan.     

The Associated Press