Enriched

Sprouted-grain bread offerings in the market have been slowly but steadily on the uptick of late, and a number of health claims have attached themselves to the spongy, nutty-tasting loaves: more digestible, richer in protein and higher in vitamins and minerals compared with other breads. But are the claims true? Yes -- and no. Sprouted-grain products have distinct nutritional advantages over white breads, but when compared to other whole-grain breads, they're usually nutritionally comparable -- although nutrient contents can vary, depending on the sprouts included.

WASHINGTON - The United States and five other countries have agreed to offer a joint proposal to Iran at a high-level meeting next week in an effort to open a path for negotiations to curtail Tehran's disputed nuclear program and to ease the threat of war. When they meet in Baghdad on Wednesday, the six powers will offer to help Iran fuel a small reactor used for medical purposes, and to forgo seeking further United Nations economic sanctions....

As a student in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I have found that communication is often an insurmountable obstacle. District officials neglect the opinions of teachers and administrators, and the students suffer. There are not enough supplies, and there is no funding for field trips. However, the teachers still try their best to make do with what little they have, and most of them do a great job. Therefore, I was not surprised when the most senior staff began to depart from the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies one by one ("Parents Say Bureaucracy Is Luring Teachers Away," Oct. 27)

TEHRAN - Iranian officials expressed skepticism Saturday about possible Obama administration support for allowing the country to continue enriching some uranium but said it could be a good start for further negotiations on its disputed nuclear program. Senior U.S. officials have said they might agree to let Iran enrich uranium up to 5% purity if its government agreed to the unrestricted inspections, strict oversight and numerous safeguards that the United Nations has long demanded.

Iran has expanded the number of machines producing medical reactor-grade uranium, an incremental step that could increase its ability to produce the highly refined material necessary to build a nuclear bomb, said two diplomats in Vienna, home of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency. The disclosure, first revealed by news agencies Friday, ups pressure on diplomats struggling to find a resolution of the confrontation between Tehran and the United States, Israel and their European allies over the nuclear program.

Re "Artists Will Get By Without Grants," letter, July 6: Your letter writer's example of Vincent Van Gogh as a great artist who "never received a public grant from the French government, yet ... managed to leave the world an inspired body of work" may be true, but imagine if Van Gogh had received public grants for his innovative and inspiring works; perhaps he would not have lived a life of rejection and depression that ultimately led to his suicide....

Presenting a united front on Iran's nuclear energy program, President Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev warned Sunday that they were losing patience with Tehran and wouldn't wait much longer for it to accept a proposal to resolve the dispute. After an hourlong meeting in Singapore on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the two leaders expressed dissatisfaction with Iran's response to a proposal to ship its enriched uranium abroad to be refined further for use in an Iranian reactor to produce medical isotopes.

Iran's move on Tuesday to produce higher-grade uranium for a medical reactor prompted widespread international condemnation and an uncharacteristically harsh response from Russia, whose support is key to U.S.-led efforts to impose tough new sanctions against the Islamic Republic. But the response from China, which like Russia wields a U.N. Security Council veto and maintains robust economic ties with Iran, was far more muted, suggesting a tough road ahead for the Obama administration and Western allies seeking to put pressure on Tehran.

A state-owned Iranian television station quoted unnamed diplomats today as saying Iran, in a possible compromise to a U.N.-backed proposal, is willing to send 800 kilograms, or 1,764 pounds, of its enriched uranium abroad to be exchanged for fuel for a medical reactor. The original proposal, backed by the Obama administration, had called for Iran to send abroad 1,200 kilograms, or 70% of its nuclear material supply, by year's end, temporarily lowering Iran's capacity to build a nuclear bomb and creating the diplomatic breathing room for a possible broader deal.

Re "Actor Played a Powerful Role in Civil Rights Gains," obituary, Feb. 5: What more can one say about Ossie Davis than the world and our country in particular were vastly enriched by the way he chose to live his life. Dirk Blocker Santa Barbara

WASHINGTON - In what would be a significant concession, Obama administration officials say they could support allowing Iran to maintain a crucial element of its disputed nuclear program if Tehran took other major steps to curb its ability to develop a nuclear bomb. U.S. officials said they might agree to let Iran continue enriching uranium up to 5% purity, which is the upper end of the range for most civilian uses, if its government agrees to the unrestricted inspections, strict oversight and numerous safeguards that the United Nations has long demanded.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - The stakes will be high when diplomats from six world powers meet with Iranian officials here over the weekend to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program: War or peace, the global economic recovery and a U.S. presidential election may ride on the outcome. Expectations are much lower. It will be enough for the diplomats if there is sufficient common ground with Iran to keep talking. As recently as a week ago, there were doubts that the long-delayed talks would even take place.

I was just trying to help L.A. City Atty. Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich keep a campaign promise recently when I went looking for an airplane that would fly around downtown with a sign reading: "Nuch is a liar. " And now it occurs to me that there's another promise I should help him keep: His pledge to also donate $100,000 to a program that helps kids. That would be LA's Best After School Enrichment Program, which serves 28,000 students at 186 schools. It turns out Trutanich's check has not yet arrived.

Iran has stepped up production of enriched uranium and has refused to answer key questions about its nuclear development program, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency declared Friday in a strongly worded report that does little to resolve Western concern about whether Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. U.N. nuclear inspectors continue "to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," Yukiya Amano, director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, writes in the report issued Friday.

An Israeli bombing attack might set back Iran's nuclear development program by one to two years, America's top intelligence official told a Senate committee Thursday, indicating that viable military options are far more limited than Israeli leaders have suggested. James R. Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said he does not believe that Israel has decided to attack Iran's uranium enrichment and other nuclear facilities. Clapper said the U.S. intelligence community believes that Iran's leaders have not decided to build nuclear weapons but are pursuing technology that might allow them to do so. Clapper's appraisal comes as the standoff with Iran has raised concern in Washington and other capitals that Israel may launch a preemptive airstrike, as it did against nuclear targets in Iraq and Syria.

Baseball is a game of endless numbers and statistics, but here's a line you've probably never seen before: From May 2005 through last May, Albert Pujols hit .527 (39 for 74) in 22 games, with 12 homers and 25 runs batted in, following events in which he interacted with people with Down syndrome. "It uplifts the kids, but I think it uplifts Albert even more," said Todd Perry, the Pujols Family Foundation chief executive who researched those numbers. "It's amazing how good he plays when he's around these kids.

Linda Blandford's "Private Faces, Public Spaces" columns (Commentary) are outstanding! Her use of the language is marvelous--just the very right words to make me fully aware of her subject, and the life of that person. So much is packed into that small space. I always finish reading feeling so enriched--as if I'd been given a much desired gift. Thank you, Ms. Blandford. PAT CORPE West Covina

Re "U-turn toward common sense," Opinion, July 19 In his article, Graham Allison implies that 500 pounds of low-enriched uranium that Iran has produced so far could easily be converted to highly enriched uranium for bombs. A couple of clarification points are missing from this article. First, Iranian-produced enrichment material remains under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Second, converting this fuel to highly enriched uranium would take months. Any changes to the current facilities would be noticed by the IAEA instantly.

Europe slapped a boycott on Iranian oil Monday, signaling that the Islamic Republic's second-largest market is likely to dry up as part of a U.S.-led sanctions campaign that has already inflicted serious damage on Iran's economy and sharply increased tensions. The value of Iran's currency is falling dramatically, prices are rising and Iranians are stocking up on supplies in fear of worse to come. Iran, which receives an estimated 70% of its revenue from oil sales, has threatened to retaliate by choking off the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz at the southern end of the Persian Gulf.

There is a great deal of music in the world, and no one knows exactly why. But it does have its ready uses. The music business can make you rich and famous. The pianist Christopher O'Riley admitted in The Times last week what a lot of classical musicians won't: He learned the piano, at least in part, to attract the attention of girls. As I write this, a sparkling new recording of Tod Machover's "Sparkler," an infectious overture for orchestra and live electronics, is playing on my stereo and making itself useful.