The Rev. Jesse Jackson – no stranger to negotiating the releases of hostages from hostile lands – is proposing to go to Iran to try and win the freedom of a jailed American journalist. Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old South Dakotan who has been living in Iran since 2003, was accused of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison. “I would be anxious to travel with a delegation to Iran, if we are permitted, and make an appeal for her freedom,” the longtime civil rights activist said at a peace conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “Whenever we’ve brought people out of captivity, whether in Syria, Cuba, Iraq, or Yugoslavia, or Liberia, it’s always opened a diplomatic door to reduce tensions.” President Obama has denounced the Iranian courts for the one-day, closed-door trial that led to the sentence. Saberi’s attorney has promised to appeal the verdict. Jackson has a history of success in winning the release of American hostages. In 1984, he secured the release of a Navy pilot held in Syria; in 1991, he helped get 500 “international guests” freed from custody in Iraq; and in 1999, he convinced Yugoslavia to release three U.S. soldiers held there during the Kosovo conflict. Saberi has freelanced for several news organizations, including National Public Radio; she was also writing a book about Iranian culture.

Guevara helped free Cuba, supported Africans. The fearless warrior who helped Fidel Castro gain Cuban independence and went to the Congo to help Black freedom-fighters is given a bad rap, says a popular actor. Benicio Del Toro, who portrayed Ernesto “Che” Guevara, disputes links to Guevara with terrorism. A former medical student, Guevara became a warrior for oppressed people until he was executed in the 1960s. Apart from his fearless training of other revolutionaries in battle, Guevara was known to teach the illiterate to read and help feed the hungry.

Congressional Democrats drop child health bill. Congressional Democrats have scrapped plans for another vote on expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The move spares Republicans from a politically difficult vote just weeks before elections this fall, the Washington Post reports. Before the summer recess, Democrats had vowed repeatedly to force another vote on the popular program. But Democrats say they have shifted course, after concluding that President Bush would not sign their legislation and that they didn’t have the votes to override a veto. Mr. Bush vetoed two earlier versions of the legislation, which he denounced as a dangerous step toward “government-run health care for every American,” and the House sustained those vetoes.  The move effectively shelves the legislation, which was aimed at expanding state health care coverage for  poor and middle-income families, is effectively dead for now. “We are not going to change any votes on the children’s health insurance bill. We still don’t have enough to override a veto,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “Those who opposed this bill can face the voters and explain why they believe 10 million kids should not get health coverage.” 

Free drug samples could cost uninsured more. Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues. The retrospective study looked at the prescribing habits of more than 70 physicians in a university-affiliated internal medicine practice in the months immediately before and after the closing of their drug sample closet. The results indicate that the availability of free samples from pharmaceutical companies greatly impacts whether an uninsured patient is given a prescription for a generic or a brand-name drug. The complete findings can be found in the September issue of Southern Medical Journal. “It’s true that samples can save patients money in the short-run,” said David P. Miller, M.D., lead researcher and internal medicine physician at Wake Forest Baptist. “But our study shows that they may end up paying more in the long run when they are given prescriptions for brand-name only drugs.” After looking at 2,000 cases, researchers found that, for uninsured patients, the percentage of medications prescribed as generics rose from 12 percent to 30 percent after the clinic closed its drug sample closet. For Medicaid patients, however, there was no significant change in generic prescribing.
Natural label is no guarantee. The word “natural” on a food label sounds like it might mean the food is better for you, but a University of Missouri nutritionist says that isn’t necessarily the case. “The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets standards for the nutrition information and health claims that can be made on a food label,” said Tammy Roberts, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Claims made on food labels are to be truthful and not misleading. Still, it’s easy for some claims to be confusing.” The three terms that many people are confused about are “natural,” “healthy” and “organic,” Roberts said. “Many people think they all mean about the same thing, but there are different specific meanings for all of these terms,” Roberts told U.S. News & World Report. When a food is labeled as “natural,” it means that the product does not contain any synthetic or artificial ingredients or is minimally processed. According to Roberts, the food label should explain how the producer is using terms such as “no added colorings” or “no added artificial ingredients” along with the “natural” claim. For a food to be labeled as “healthy,” it must meet certain criteria for the amount of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and have specific minimum amounts of vitamins, minerals or other beneficial nutrients. If a food is labeled as “organic,” it must meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the way the food is grown or produced. “It is important to note that USDA makes no claims that organically grown food is more nutritious or safer than other non-organically produced food,” said Roberts.

Here’s this week’s photos of Black and Brown faces in the news worldwide.
World Lens: The Olympic opening ceremony is spectacular; U.S. basketball players soar in China; and fighting leads to destruction in Georgia. See these pictures and more here.

Southern African Countries Form Free Trade Zone. Fourteen Southern African countries will formally launch a free trade zone at a summit on Saturday, South Africa said on Tuesday. The hope is that they can boost the region’s trade and economic growth. The Free Trade Area (FTA) will exempt 85 percent of trade from tariffs, with full implementation expected by the year 2012. South African Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said while that was a realistic target, greater efforts were needed to develop and integrate the region. “The launch of the FTA is not an end in itself but a beginning of a process we need to embark on to build both productive and trade capacity, improve competitiveness of our industries…,” Mpahlwa said in a statement.The 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) needed to focus more on strengthening its agricultural industries and improving infrastructure.

Russian troops have started leaving Georgia. Almost a week after their troops advanced deeper into Georgia’s South Ossetia region, Russia has started pulling back its forces from the city of Gori, according to Georgia’s Interior Ministry. This move allows for Georgian police to return to the city and attempt to regain control, reports CNN. Georgian police, and most of the citizens, left the city a few days after being heavily attacked by Russian troops. Russia says they entered into the area to guard abandoned military hardware. The fighting began last week when Georgian forces moved into the South Ossetia region (a region where many people support becoming a part of Russia) to attack rebels. Russia responded quickly, sending in tanks to the region. Russia’s latest move comes after negotiations with Georgia on Wednesday. When the police presence is fully established, all of the Russian troops with leave the city.