Reconstruction

After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered country with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the first year that a new unit of measurement was born. Pentagon officials determined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion haul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift of all time.

Gov. Jerry Brown had a cancerous growth removed from the right side of his nose in an outpatient procedure Friday in Oakland, according to a statement released Saturday by the governor's office. After the procedure to remove basal carcinoma cells, and some reconstructive surgery, Brown was released to return home. Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common forms of skin cancer, and can be caused by sun exposure. The statement released by Brown's office said the procedure was conducted under a local anesthetic.

The general director of the Bolshoi Theatre has confirmed that what's seemed like a never-ending reconstruction of the Bolshoi's historic building is finally coming to an end; he promised that a gala concert in October will cap a tough period in the life of this Russian symbol you can see on the crumpled face of a 100 ruble bill. Anatoly Iksanov's announcement last month, however, came like a drink designed to take away the bitter aftertaste of the theater's most recent scandal, in which several dozen pictures of explicit homosexual sex were displayed on a short-lived website closely resembling the Bolshoi's official one. The impostor site contained the biography of the ballet company's longtime manager and popular character dancer, Gennadi Yanin, who appeared in the pictures.

Susan Kovinsky underwent outpatient surgery recently at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The procedure, a hysterectomy, began at 10:40 a.m. By 3 p.m., she was on her way home. The hospital bill: $65,514.97. "When I saw that number, I was sure it couldn't be right," Kovinsky, 44, of North Hollywood told me. "How could just a few hours in the hospital cost that much?" Yet this is a story of the healthcare system working as it's intended to. Cedars-Sinai did its job. Kovinsky's insurer, Blue Shield of California, did its job. Kovinsky has no complaints about either.

Japan's need to raise huge amounts of money for reconstruction after the disastrous earthquake raises the prospect of higher U.S. costs to finance its own budget deficit and ultimately higher costs to American consumers on financing everything from houses and cars to credit card debt. Tokyo has long been a major purchaser of U.S. Treasury bonds, helping to keep demand for U.S. debt high and the cost of financing it low. Last year, Japan bought about $130 billion in Treasuries, much of it with funds accumulated from the nation's trade surplus.

In the latest salvo aimed at his Western backers, Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared Tuesday that reconstruction and development units supported by the NATO force should be phased out. The president's assertion appeared to catch NATO's International Security Assistance Force by surprise. A military spokesman said no timetable had been set for the shutdown of provincial reconstruction teams, known in military parlance as PRTs. The teams, based at Western military installations, operate in 27 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, providing services such as community healthcare and educational support.

Former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier broke his silence Friday, five days after arriving unexpectedly in his Caribbean birthplace, expressing condolences for the victims of last year's earthquake and a wish to participate in the struggle for the country's reconstruction. The aging and frail former "president for life," known as "Baby Doc," read softly from a prepared statement. He glanced periodically at the crowd of journalists packed into the entryway of the luxurious guesthouse he now inhabits in the hills of Port-au-Prince.

The Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy shot in the face by an East Los Angeles gang member came out of sedation Thursday after the first of several planned surgeries to reconstruct his face, an official said. Doctors initially feared that Deputy Mohamed Ahmed, 27, would lose an eye, but sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said surgeons are still hopeful that would not be the case. Ahmed and his training officer were on patrol Tuesday night near Floral Drive and North Brannick Avenue when they saw a car parked in a red zone.

Gray ribbons of fresh concrete streak the side of Clarisse Brisson's broken home, where she and her family are slowly making repairs. Inside, she reads Bible verses to sustain her. Next door, the neighbor's home is a heap of crumbled stone and rusted iron bars. "We are just living on a daily basis, watching and waiting," Brisson said, sighing and leaning her head against a bent metal doorjamb. "For a year. " A year ago, one of modern times' worst natural disasters struck one of modern times' poorest nations.

Ducks tonight AT BUFFALO When: 4 PST. Where: HSBC Arena. On the air: TV: None; Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 18-15-4, Sabres 13-16-4. Record vs. Sabres (2009-10): 1-0-0. Update: Buffalo has been struggling to produce goals. That didn't change after Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving the Sabres a 2-15 record when trailing after two periods. But now the Sabres will be without center Tim Connolly, who will undergo reconstructive surgery.