Reporters on the Job

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China Daily/Reuters
MOTHERS AND SONS: For Zhang Guofu (left), in Hangzhou, China, Mother's Day means washing his mother's feet. Actually, he's been doing it every day since he retired 17 years ago.

Hospitality Returned: Staff writer Howard LaFranchi knew that the Iraqi families he visited Saturday at a camp for people displaced by the fighting of Sadr City were embarrassed when they were unable to offer him any water or tea when he stopped by their tents.

"No matter how basic their living conditions, Iraqis always offer you something when you enter their home," Howard says. "But these families had nothing."

That got Howard thinking that the least he could do was provide some water. "Normally I try to remain the objective reporter and avoid any involvement in the situation I'm reporting on. But the more I thought of all the cool water and hot sweet tea Iraqis had offered me, the more some action in kind seemed appropriate. We bought some bottled water, and the families seemed happy when we returned."

David Clark Scott

World editor

Wednesday, May 14:
Berlin Tibetan leader Dalai Lama visits.
Jerusalem – President Bush holds separate meetings with Israel's president, Shimon Peres, and prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

Thursday, May 15:
Bogota, Colombia INTERPOL news conference on forensic investigation of slain FARC commander Raul Reyes' laptop.

Friday, May 16:
Lima, Peru EU-Latin America Summit.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia President George Bush meets with King Abdullah.

Saturday, May 17:
Johannesburg, South Africa Marches in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.
Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt President Bush meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Associated Press

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