New York Times

Around the Islamic world it is common currency that Muslims are perpetual victims of Western and Zionist conspiracies. The bill of particulars includes the handling of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Israel's inequitable treatment of the Palestinians, and the deaths of thousands of civilians in Iraq -- as a result first of United Nations sanctions after the Persian Gulf war, and more recently of the American occupation. The most articulate spokesman of such views is, of course, Osama bin Laden.

When doctors pull out their prescription pads, chances are good that they are relying on incomplete information about the safety and efficacy of the drugs -- from Celebrex to Zoloft -- you're about to take. That's because studies that come up with negative results tend not to appear in the medical literature, a problem known as ''publication bias.'' For years, critics have argued that drug companies and researchers who fail to publish negative studies are distorting the public record and leading doctors to prescribe the wrong drugs to the wrong patients.

The Bush administration is suddenly taking pains to calibrate the president's devoutness: yes, Mr. Bush is very religious, but he's not too religious -- not hearing-voices religious.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Iraqi Shiite leader, is concerned that Shiites may not be adequately represented in a future government, fueling worries that the national election scheduled for January may not happen. And even if the election does proceed as planned, many Sunni clerics in the turbulent central region of the country are urging their followers to boycott it.

Based on what Americans have been seeing in the news media about Afghanistan lately, there may not be many who believed President Bush on Tuesday when he told the United Nations that the ''Afghan people are on the path to democracy and freedom.'' But then again, not many Americans know what Afghanistan was like before the American-led invasion. Let me offer some perspective.

John Kerry, tough-talking war hero, cut an impressive figure at last week's convention, maybe impressive enough to threaten the Republicans' time-honored dominance of the manliness issue -- that is, national security. But you can already hear the Republican reply taking shape: O.K., you've shown us your muscles, but where's the beef? What exactly is your strategy for the war on terrorism?

Despite the finding by the 9/11 commission staff that there is no evidence of a "collaborative relationship" between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, Bush administration officials continue to insist the two worked together. As evidence, they frequently cite Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the 37-year-old Jordanian who is arguably the most dangerous terrorist in the world today. Mr.

1. A search of all your public statements and writings reveals that you apparently mentioned Osama bin Laden only once and never mentioned Al Qaeda at all as a threat to the United States before 9/11. Why?

Even if their applications are rejected, citizens of developing nations must pay $100 for a non-immigrant visa to the United States. Not only is this policy unfair and counterproductive, but it is also unpatriotic.

The unfairness is obvious: people should not be charged for something -- in this case, a visa to the United States -- that they do not receive. And $100 is a huge sum in nations like India, with an annual per capita income estimated at $2,600 in 2002, or even Poland, where it is $9,700.

On the heels of Friday's glum Labor Department report, Americans have a right to be confused. Soaring growth, stocks and consumer confidence have heartened investors. And yet, the country remains mired in a jobless recovery. The reality is that the economy has become more uncertain and anxiety-producing for most of us -- not just over the past three years, but over the past 30. But by fixating on the day-to-day ups and downs, analysts have largely missed the more telling trend: an increasing shift of economic risk from government and corporations onto workers and their families.