Hot and dark in Baghdad

As hot and sticky as it’s been in the Southland for the past few days, at least we have electricity round the clock. Residents of Baghdad don’t; they have power only a few hours a day, and temperatures can rise above 120 degrees this time of year.

This is the fourth consecutive summer of electricity shortages in the capital, although U.S. officials say Iraq actually met its production goals this month for the first time since last summer. The shortages are attributed to increased demand because of an influx of appliances after Saddam Hussein’s regime was ousted.

That’s of little consolation to a mother of three, who says that the combination of curfews and electric shortages confines her family to a dark, sweaty home day and night. “We just stare at each other....It aggravates us,” she says. “Most of the people in my neighborhood tend to explode over the littlest things.” Page A16

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A way for kids ‘to have a chance’

Harsh living conditions, unfortunately, are never in short supply across the globe. Yet some citizens of this country are willing to discard comfort and seek the kinship of the poorest.

Three Southland women, for instance, are heading to a small Tanzanian town where they will run a Christian mission for children orphaned by AIDS. One is a teacher, one is a teacher’s aide, the other is a nurse. They’ve all been to Tanzania at least twice before, and they say they have no illusions about life in a town devoid of indoor plumbing and electricity.

Their goal: to help.

“It’s something the Lord put in my heart,” one says. “I want those kids to have a chance.” Page B4

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When caregivers seek assistance

Taking care of those less fortunate is an exercise in selflessness. But even the selfless have practical considerations. Question is, what’s the best way to address them?

Foster parents in the state of Washington are trying to start a union, which could put them on the road to higher pay and health insurance. Advocates see foster parenting as a profession, and say better benefits, more respect and higher standards for the caregivers would ultimately help children.

Not everyone agrees. One state lawmaker who’s also a former foster parent says unionization would tell mistreated and neglected kids that they’re commodities, not children. “This idea takes away from the whole purpose of why people should take these kids in, which is volunteerism,” he says. Page A4

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Show your papers -- and your DNA?

DNA testing is becoming part of the immigration process. Some people now provide test results along with birth certificates and school documents when they try to bring family members to this country.

Government agencies say DNA testing is used infrequently in immigration matters. But private companies that do the testing report a boom in immigration-related business.

Some immigrants’ advocates are concerned that the cost -- $700 to $800 -- can be prohibitive. And though the tests might not be painful, sometimes the results are. One man found out he wasn’t the biological father of the two teenagers he had raised. Page B1

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It’s all for the children ... right?

Bob Sipchen, in his weekly School Me column, notes that people operate with complex, and even conflicting, motives. So what about the motives of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa regarding the deal that would give him more control over L.A. schools?

Sipchen believes Villaraigosa is sincere about wanting to improve students’ lives. He also believes that Villaraigosa wants to be governor someday, and that therefore the mayor never wanted to fight with teachers’ unions. In striking the deal last week, Sipchen writes, “Ambitious Antonio smacked down altruistic Antonio.” Page B1

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No affection for a confection?

Politicians, unions, children’s well-being. Serious stories, sure -- but there’s always room for a little bit of fluff, right?

Maybe not. One Massachusetts politician is suggesting limits on the amount of marshmallow cream -- the local favorite is named Fluff -- in school lunches. And another lawmaker wants to proclaim the Fluffernutter as the state sandwich. Page A4

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High-fives and a first-place perch

The Dodgers took back sole possession of first place in the National League West by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-4. Los Angeles swept the three-game series, collecting 39 hits and outscoring the pitching-poor Pirates, 24-8. Next up for the Dodgers: a trip to Minnesota, where they haven’t played since the 1965 World Series. Page D1

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HEALTH

Out with the old

Those venerable age-busters, face-lifts and collagen, might just be displaced by some younger, more vivacious competitors. A new class of dermal fillers -- injected substances that minimize wrinkles and improve facial topography -- is gunning for their jobs. Can consumers trust the newcomers? Page F1

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The steep cost of fake injectables

The American obsession with youth and the boom in cosmetic injectables brings a host of unpleasant, and in some cases life-threatening, consequences.

Counterfeit products are so widespread that sometimes even medical professionals administering them in legitimate clinical settings are unaware that the goods are fake. Compounding the problem is the high price of drugs that prompt many to seek unwise financial relief.

“Consumers think it’s like putting on makeup; that anyone can do it and there is nothing to it,” one UCLA plastic surgeon says. “Well, there is a lot to it.” Page F10

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The great divide on birth control

Statistics show that uneducated, low-income women are significantly less able to control their fertility than educated, more affluent women. But a new study suggests that birth control is more than a matter of money.

Although the federal government subsidizes 90% of state costs for birth control for low-income women, the unplanned pregnancy rate among this demographic increased 30% from the mid-1990s through 2001.

California spends $124 on family planning for every woman in need; Nevada spends $32. Yet both states have among the highest abortion rates in the country. Page F1

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Who wants to know?

The mandate of the Health Information Technology program is to figure out how to convert paper medical records into electronic form. The benefits of such a streamlined database are clear: more efficient and more accurate filling of prescriptions, easier tracking of public health threats, greater access to disease research, and less wasteful repetition of tests.

The challenge is privacy. At present, about 150 people, from nurses to billing clerks, have access to some portion of a patient’s hospitalization records, and 600,000 payers, providers and assorted institutions have some access as well. Page F3

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BUSINESS

Should state limit greenhouse gases?

Scientists say the Earth’s atmosphere is heating up, and debate over what to do about it might hit the boiling point today in Sacramento.

A state Senate committee will consider legislation to force industries to limit greenhouse gases beginning in 2012. Environmental lobbyists say the measure would help save the planet. Business lobbyists say it would kill the state’s economy.

Gov. Schwarzenegger backs the goals of the bill, expected to be the most controversial of the year affecting business. But he hasn’t said whether he would sign it, even if it passes. Page C1

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Sandler again clicks with fans

The remote control in “Click” is supposed to be otherworldly, but maybe the real magic rests inside Adam Sandler, who has conjured up another hit.

“Click,” in which Sandler pushes buttons to speed up, slow down and rewind actual life, grosses an estimated $40 million over the weekend and becomes the star’s eighth film to debut at No. 1 in the box-office race.

Of more consequence to Hollywood, ticket sales are up from the previous year for the sixth straight weekend and the 13th in the last 14 weekends. And box-office revenue is up 4.5% this year. Page C1

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SPORTS

On Wimbledon’s menu: Swiss streak

Roger Federer knows a thing or two about streaks. At Wimbledon, he’s won three consecutive titles and 21 consecutive matches. If he wins his opener today against France’s Richard Gasquet, he’ll set a record for the most consecutive victories on grass courts, surpassing Bjorn Borg. That’s worth recognizing, right? Maybe with a trophy?

Not so, says the 24-year-old Swiss champ, though French Open officials recently honored Rafael Nadal for his record clay-court winning streak. Federer contends it’s “not the right thing to get a trophy for streaks.... I know that this will never happen here in Wimbledon. I’m not even expecting it. I wouldn’t want it, either. You should get a trophy at the end of a tournament, not after a first-round win.” Page D1

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CALENDAR

Is the show about art or the brain?

“How Art Made the World,” a series co-produced by KCET and the BBC that begins tonight on PBS, could have been renamed “How Dopamine Made the World,” writes critic Christopher Knight.

That’s because the series lingers on the concept that so much great art is simply the result of the human brain’s hard-wired propensity to want to “exaggerate, alter and otherwise misquote the ordinary human form.”

“The show’s theme is less art than brain chemistry,” Knight writes. Page E1

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War on terror’s seeds sown in Iran

Mark Bowden rose to fame with “Black Hawk Down,” his newspaper series, book and blockbuster movie about the deadly buzz saw that confronted a group of U.S. soldiers in Somalia.

Now, Bowden is back with a documentary on the Discovery Times Channel based on his latest book that examines the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Iran by Islamist students.

Bowden’s thesis is that 444-day hostage crisis portended the current war on terror. Page E3

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ON LATIMES.COM

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THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY

Budget time for L.A. supervisors

The L.A. county supervisors hold their only scheduled hearing on the nearly $20-billion budget proposed for the next fiscal year. The hot housing market has boosted property tax revenue, possibly allowing expansion of the Sheriff’s Department, more beds for the jails and better programs for foster children and the homeless. The county still faces severe healthcare costs. Once approved, the budget takes effect July 1.

WEDNESDAY

It’s draft day for the NBA

UCLA’s Jordan Farmar, the sophomore guard who led the Bruins to the NCAA championship game last season, will find out where his pro career will begin when the NBA conducts its annual entry draft. Farmar is projected as a mid- to late-first-round selection, and teammate Ryan Hollins is a possible second-round pick. Barring a late deal, the Lakers won’t pick until 26th in the first round; the Clippers have no first-round pick.

THURSDAY

Koizumi heads to Graceland

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in the United States to meet with President Bush, heads to Memphis to visit Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate, with Presley’s daughter and her mother. A longtime fan of the late singer, Koizumi shares a birthday with The King and styles his flowing locks in an Elvis-like pompadour. Last year, he serenaded Bush with the Presley tune “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.”

THURSDAY

Fed expected to raise rates again

The Federal Reserve meets, and once again its action is hardly in doubt. The Fed, which has raised interest rates methodically by one-quarter of a percentage point at every meeting for the last two years, is widely expected to extend its campaign into a third year. That would lift the benchmark federal funds rate, which was 1% in June 2004, to 5.25%. Will the committee offer some hints about when the rate-raising campaign will end?