Friday, February 27, 2009

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Roseanne Colletti: Budget Diet Top
Dieting is no fun, whether it's for your waistline or your wallet. Now that you've accepted that all-purpose truth, get over your fear and loathing and find $100 you don't need to spend each week. Impossible you say? "Not so," says Wendy Kaufman of Balancing Life's Issues, a national corporate training company. "Many people don't even know how much money is slipping through their fingers each week and identifying that is the first step," according to Kaufman. Next step annualize each expense. Add up what it will cost you over the year. That realization usually convinces even the most recalcitrant to come up with a bail out plan for fiscal restraint. Now, where do you spend your money? If you're male apparently surveys show you spend it on lunch, hobbies such as golf and electronics, including media rooms. If you're female you spend it on hair, clothes, cosmetics and other beauty products. For most people this isn't discretionary spending but part of their living expenses. Unfortunately, many can no longer afford their own lifestyles. So, what can you give up and what won't you give up? According to Donna Rosato of "Money Magazine" gym memberships are the number one "can't live without" ironically followed closely by "eating out". On the other hand, those surveyed were most likely to forego new gadgets, sporting events and big vacations. That being said, here is a list of 10 things from which you can pick and choose in order to eliminate $100 a week from your budget: Coffee out Meals out/take out Weekend golf/skiing Movies out Snacks on the go Lottery tickets Happy hour Manicures/pedicures Massages/facials Recreational shopping You can also cut back on spending in some areas even though you think you can't: Pet care and products-learn to bathe the dog yourself. Dry cleaning try to save dry-clean only items for special occasions. Gym- look for one that's less expensive or do without the personal trainer. Housekeeper- reduce from once a week to bi-weekly, even once a month. Do some of the chores yourself. Landscaper- find a local student to mow the lawn and trim the hedges. Insurance- try combining car and home for savings. Utilities- conserve and look for extras and waste you can eliminate. After all of this disciplined belt-tightening, you'll probably feel you've earned a vacation from the stress of thinking about every nickel and dime you spend. And the truth is vacations re-energize us to better deal with life's challenges. However, continuing with the program of why spend more when you can spend less, don't fly, drive and look for all-inclusive packages. Better yet, stay home and get to know your community in a different light. You may discover a wonderful restaurant, art gallery, park, wine store, bakery, and bowling alley. Think of the new frugality as an adventure and a challenge and there is a point to all of this penny-pinching. Your reward is your own money, fruit of your labor that can make you feel more secure, fuel your retirement and your children's education. And it's not just a case of long-term goals; you'll actually have more money to do the things you really want to do now. More on The Recession
 
Cheryl Benard and Edward O'Connell: Power to the People: Rebooting Conventional Diplomacy Top
The story of how President Obama engineered a grass-roots campaign, mobilizing formerly disengaged U.S. citizens with new media and new technologies, has reached almost mythological proportions. Less well known however, is the story of similar grass-roots efforts -- aimed at countering violent extremism -- emerging in local communities around the world. Unfortunately, these activists often operate in isolation, lacking the web of international or even regional networks that the extremists they oppose have come to rely on. Compounding the problem is the recent framing of our relationships with the Middle East, Africa, and Asia in terms of "who is the enemy" or "talking to the enemy." The administration may be overlooking our natural allies: not foreign governments, but their people. For the past four years, the RAND Corporation has worked to locate, document, and then to offer assistance to these people. Contrary to what many Americans have been led to believe, since 9/11 ordinary people in conflict zones overseas have not stood frozen on the sidelines while their armies fought, radicals attacked, and politicians exchanged rhetoric. Throngs of young people in Afghanistan turning out for Afghan Idol, rebellious magazine editors in Bosnia, and even film producers in Syria have continued to greet us with "Friend! Where have you been?" rather than "You are the enemy, you must leave!" The U.S. government doesn't need to give these people a message. They are already "on message." The job of U.S. diplomats and experts isn't to direct these people's efforts but to support them, so these activists can increasingly draw sustenance, inspiration, and most importantly expertise from each other. Like our fellow citizens at home, people we meet across the world grasp the possibilities of new communications technologies. Officialdom has tried to follow, and so it should, within its limitations. The State Department will never generate a website that Egyptian teenagers will find cool, or produce a radio station that Iranian students will find addictive. Indeed, few things are more unwittingly comical than a bureaucracy trying to be edgy. And why waste millions of dollars trying, when American teenagers can do the job much better on YouTube for free, when Iranian-American ham radio operators in California already have a huge fan base across their country of origin, or when Iraqi women can stage street theater about violence and reconciliation on their own? America is a republic -- pioneering, egalitarian, and yes, sometimes naïve. But the country can't make friends by trying to become something it's not. The Islamic world doesn't expect Americans to be fluent in Arabic or discourse knowledgeably about the Koran. In our experience, people like Americans because they are open, generous, curious about the world and other cultures, enterprising and optimistic. It is no accident that the best examples of effective "U.S. diplomacy" we have witnessed in our travels are small initiatives pioneered by young soldiers or middle-aged travelers moved as human beings to reach out to those around them. We recently attended an innovative forum in Los Angeles titled "Rethinking Counter-Terrorism," hosted by a young professionals' network. Among those who attended were young people from inner city high schools who brought their own understanding of conflict, sectarianism, armed gangs, and volatile neighborhoods. After the forum, they were joined by people of all ages who gathered in a circle well into the evening, discussing how they might best share their experiences and friendship with those gathered like them in some troubled corner of the world. And therein lies the secret to establishing a new relationship with the Islamic world. Americans can connect with a society that is as diverse as theirs -- a society which, like theirs, is not primarily composed of government officials and policy wonks, but of poets, grandmothers and stamp collectors, aspiring singers and chess players, and video-sharing kids. Identifying, promoting, and networking a transnational network of countervailing voices will require some of America's best diplomats: citizen diplomats, not from Foggy Bottom, but from the ranks of the American public. In a sense, Americans are all diplomats now. Given the size of the problems faced, that's a good thing; every single pair of hands is needed. Cheryl Benard and Ed O'Connell are co-directors of the Alternative Strategies Initiative (ASI) at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. For more information on ASI they can be contacted at benard@rand.org and oconnell@rand.org. More on Egypt
 
Stephen C. Rose: Epitaph for The Yuppie Class Top
I published this in my somewhat obscure blog a while back under the title Spoiled Yuppie America, a sort of Greil Marcus nod. I was incensed at the mindless MSM reaction to Geithner's completely clear initial statement of what he was up to. Since then, there has been a general failure by the MSM to comprehend that when the Obama administration is not spoon-feeding the public, they are in fact broadcasting intentions with utter clarity. And being politically as wise as serpents. The administration really is about change, as Obama promised. It takes time to change. And it takes time for the MSM to rub its eyes and see the reality. Anyway here's the piece, just for the heck of it. Do not read this if you hate irrational rants. Poor market. The Treasury guy did not give enough details and so everyone pouted with their portfolios and waited for a silver spoon to gratify their Yuppie dependence on privilege and arrogance to win any face-off. I remember when this Ugly American breed first emerged. It was at the apex of the Reagan Presidency. You knew them by their rude pushiness. Their utter disdain for the etiquette of public space. And for the strident and near-comical tone of their voices. It was at this time that the use of the word like emerged as a speech connector. Everyone began punctuating their strident public conversation with the words like...like...like . This served to plunge everything into the realm of illustrative metaphor or emotional exhibitionism. I always figured it was insecurity. Now I am thinking it was self-serving vulnerability, faux angst. Yesterday's market performance revealed that the market, yuppie dominated, cannot connect the dots. Nor for that matter can the New York Times and everyone else who interprets the Geithner performance yesterday as having been scanty on details. Yesterday was not about details, dear Yuppies. You will get details for sure. Ah, but there is no such thing as patience to be had from this sociological cesspool. Yesterday was about being loud and clear and few got the message. The Yuppies were brought up by parents who barely knew how to live themselves and when the Yuppies came of age they covered their own ignorance by resorting to resources such as the New York Times, which is in reality a primer on how to live above your means and put your foot down on the heads of those who cannot keep up. The Pour and all that. So we have a spoiled constituency turning the market into a punching bag just as Geithner broadcasts that we are about to have some order in the house. I devoutly hope that Spoiled Yuppie America is brought to some self-knowledge, though my own attitude is so dismissive that if I were reading this and had Yuppie blood, I would diss me big time. But let me try to preach some truth here: Dear Yuppies, henceforth we are going to make it harder and harder to have an economy based on the artificial inflation of values so that you can earn an artificially high salary for dunning those who do not understand what you are up to. We are going to regulate you. And we are no longer your willing servants, moving when you get peremptory on us. We are going to save the market because that is where normal people have a stake. The day will come when your petulance will not be able to set off bells and alarms. We are going straight back to the era that your parents wanted to escape. bemused by the allure of glamour and the belief that Roadmasters would rule forever. Only this time we are going to do it right, with enough force to save you in spite of yourselves. This is a grow up call and maybe a couple of you will get the message. The rest of you can go back to your drugs and alcohol. Your day is done. Twitter for all updates and such More on Regulation
 
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Johnny 'Red' Kerr, Legendary Bulls Coach And Broadcaster, Dies Top
CHICAGO — Johnny "Red" Kerr, the former Chicago Bulls coach who spent more than three decades as a broadcaster for the team, died Thursday. He was 76. Kerr died at his home after a battle with prostate cancer, Bulls spokesman Tim Hallam said. "His name was synonymous with basketball, both here in Chicago, and throughout the entire NBA," Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. "Those that were fortunate enough to have known Johnny were touched by both his tremendous compassion for people, and his lifelong passion for the game of basketball. We will miss him greatly." Kerr's death is a double blow for the Bulls, following the death also Thursday of Norm Van Lier, one of the most popular players in Bulls history. Van Lier was 61. "We're deeply saddened by the whole course of events today," Hallam said. The Bulls unveiled a statue of Kerr at the United Center during an emotional ceremony earlier this month that included taped messages from President Barack Obama and commissioner David Stern and speeches from Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. Pippen said Kerr "makes Chicago Bulls basketball what it is," while Jordan called him "an inspiration to me as a basketball player and as a person." Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was informed of Kerr's death during his team's victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. "We traveled a lot together over the 11 years I was with the Bulls, nine as the head coach," Jackson said. "It's with a degree of sadness that we remember him. We knew he was failing, but we didn't know it would be this quick." A Chicago native who served as the team's first head coach and received NBA Coach of the Year honors for leading the Bulls to the playoffs in the inaugural 1966-67 season, Kerr also received a photo collage from Bulls GM John Paxson and the Basketball Hall of Fame's John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from Jerry Colangelo during the ceremony. "I want to thank everybody here in the audience who has seen the Bulls play not because of Red Kerr but because of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and all the other people in the organization," said a choked up Kerr. Kerr played 12 seasons (1954-1966) in the NBA for the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers and the Baltimore Bullets. From 1954 to 1965, the three-time NBA All-Star appeared in a then-NBA record 844 consecutive games. He is survived by five children and 10 grandchildren. Plans to honor Kerr were pending, Hallam said. ___ AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report. More on Sports
 
ATF Agents Closing In On Nation's Most Notorious Cigarette Bummer Top
WASHINGTON--A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced Tuesday that the agency has intensified its manhunt for an individual suspected of bumming more than 75,000 cigarettes nationwide. ATF agents, who have tracked the elusive cigarette moocher for nearly four years, claimed they could be just days away from apprehending the "single greatest threat" to American smokers. "For far too long, this lowlife criminal has preyed upon unsuspecting cigarette owners," ATF spokesman Stuart Thompson said. "But we are confident that recent developments will finally allow us to bring down this menace to justice once and for all." More on The Onion
 
Palin Backs Parental Consent Abortion Bill Top
Gov. Sarah Palin on Thursday threw her support behind a controversial bill that would generally require parental consent before girls under age 17 could get an abortion. She called a press conference Thursday and surrounded by a dozen lawmakers including state Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, and Sen. Donny Olson, D-Nome, said: More on Sarah Palin
 
Rocky Mountain News Says Goodbye Top
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to you today. Our time chronicling the life of Denver and Colorado, the nation and the world, is over. Thousands of men and women have worked at this newspaper since William Byers produced its first edition on the banks of Cherry Creek on April 23, 1859. We speak, we believe, for all of them, when we say that it has been an honor to serve you. To have reached this day, the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News, just 55 days shy of its 150th birthday is painful.
 
Cave Home In St. Louis: Family Struggles To Pay For Secluded House (SLIDESHOW) Top
*scroll down for slideshow* FESTUS, Mo. — A lot of people are struggling to keep their homes in these tough economic times. One suburban St. Louis family is trying to keep its cave. That is, a cave that's also a home. Curt and Deborah Sleeper of Festus bought 3 acres of property and a cave in Festus in 2004, after they spotted it online. They fell in love with the unique geography of the old mining cave and figured out how to build a house inside of it. But they've got a big payment coming due on the property and don't think they can afford it. If they can't secure new financing, they've got a backup plan _ auctioning their cave home through eBay. Bidding starts at $300,000. "I get the financing, or I sell the property, or I lose everything," Curt Sleeper, a self-employed Web designer and small business consultant, said Thursday while giving a tour of the home. Missouri has its share of homes built into the geography _ houses built into the ground or in a hillside. The Sleepers' home is unique even among them. In the late 1800s, limestone mining created their bowl-shaped yard at the base of a hill. The 17,000 square foot cave where they live was hollowed out by sandstone mining through the 1930s. Festus resident Sue Morris bought the cave in 1958. In 1960, she opened a roller rink there and hosted concerts, including shows by Ted Nugent and Bob Seger. The rink closed in 1985. A glass recycling center moved in until 1990, when the property switched hands between a private owner and then a realty team. The Sleepers enlisted friends to help build the unique structure. A gray timber frame exterior was constructed in the 37-foot-tall opening of the cave. Thirty-seven sliding glass doors also are used as windows throughout the three-story, three-bedroom home, allowing natural light throughout the finished sections of the home. Inside, the walls and ceiling are comprised of the natural cave stone. A huge umbrella is positioned above the living room furniture to catch grit that falls from the rock. Three large dehumidifiers keep the interior from getting too damp or musty. The family ran several tests to make sure the air quality was OK before moving in. The home has electric, water and sewer, a decked-out kitchen and a whirlpool tub. It also has a goldfish pond. Behind the living quarters sits a large cave chamber that serves mainly as storage. Curt Sleeper said there are no bats in the cave, and no bugs beyond the normal stuff. "Nothing a cat or two won't handle," he wrote on a Web site. One plus to living in a cave is climate control. The cave is at a constant 62 degrees. In fact, the home doesn't even include a furnace or air conditioner. Sleeper said he'd never want to own a traditional house after his time in the cave home. "I'd never live in a box again," he said. The cave home sits alongside a working class neighborhood just a few minutes away from the shopping centers and gas stations of Festus' business district. The community of 11,000 residents is about 30 miles south of St. Louis. After buying the cave, the Sleepers lived in tents inside of it as they spent about four years on the construction. The home was completed last year. Sleeper said the family paid about half of the $160,000 purchase price for the cave up front. The seller agreed to allow them to pay the rest of the property costs after five years. They've also invested another $150,000 to build the home, he said. But the balance of the purchase price is due in May, and the family doesn't have the money. Sleeper said the seller has been generous. He doesn't want to try and renegotiate with them, but says banks have been wary of offering a loan on the unconventional property. The Sleepers also are not willing to accept donations. At a time when people are losing their jobs or seeking government assistance, Curt Sleeper doesn't consider his family to be in a bad financial way. Hence the eBay auction, which has generated a lot of interest. The TV networks have come calling. The Sleepers have received some 6,000 e-mails in the last two weeks. Potentially losing the family's home isn't the only change for the Sleepers. Deborah gave birth last weekend to a boy, the family's third child. The birth took place at the cave home. Curt Sleeper isn't too worried about how things will turn out. "It's not terribly stressful," he said. "It's life. There are things you can control, and things you can't, and the hardest part is figuring out which is which." __ On the Net: Cave Home listing on eBay: http://sn.im/cqpzg More on Slideshows
 
Caption This Photo, Vote For Yesterday's Best, See Wednesday's Winner Top
Our fabulous video editor grabbed this image off the TV, so there's no "original caption." But I can tell you this Glenn Beck and Chuck Norris on Fox News holding candy. You fill in the rest! YESTERDAY'S FAVORITES: WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: The truth about the stock market has been revealed - It is being run by a bunch of financial pirates playing chicken. By digital. More on Caption Contest
 
Ari Melber: In First Interview, New MoveOn Director Backs The President, For a Change Top
Justin Ruben had a good meeting with President Obama last week. As the new executive director of MoveOn.org, the 35-year-old Texan was invited to a small White House gathering for allies on February 18, where he brought a message from his five million members to the new President. "This is a moment to go big," he said, citing daily conversations with MoveOn activists. "We understand that's not going to be easy, but people are mobilized and willing to fight to make it happen. That's really what I carried with me into that room," he said. Ruben outlined MoveOn's goals, its Obama strategy and its mechanisms for grassroots accountability in an exclusive interview with The Nation this week, his first extensive discussion with the media since taking the helm of one of the largest progressive organizations in the country. As executive director, Ruben must now take a network that has long battled bad ideas - impeaching Clinton, invading Iraq, gutting Social Security - and adapt it to supporting and broadening the administration's agenda. "We're in this amazing position now where we get to fight for stuff," he says. MoveOn's four "core" policy areas, decided by members during December house meetings, are economic recovery, universal health care, climate change and ending the Iraq war. "Finally our top priority," he enthused, "is winning real substantive changes that will make a difference in the lives of everyday Americans." That change agenda tracks closely Obama's, obviously, and excludes some popular liberal issues that the administration has sidestepped. Politico's Andie Coller noted, for example, that MoveOn's new agenda does not address "holding the Bush administration accountable; fighting for gay rights and LGBT equality; and reforming campaigns and elections." And while MoveOn loudly led the battle against the Iraq "surge," Ruben said he not expect ending the war Afghanistan, where Obama is deploying additional troops, to make the priority list. The "overwhelming priority" is still Iraq, Ruben explains, and while his members are concerned about Afghanistan, they tend to "differ on what ought to be done about it." Some critics complain that the organization has already swapped its independence for incumbent boosterism. "Clearly MoveOn has completed its morph into an Obama Cheerleading Squad" said John Stauber, a liberal critic of the group and longtime corporate gadfly . Ruben, who has organized for labor, trade and environmental groups, thinks people have the ability to back incumbents and hold them accountable. "Having spent a lot of time with MoveOn members, I think folks are loyal first and foremost to their vision of the country. They are tremendously hopeful about Obama," he acknowledged, while stressing how netroots activists gather a rich range of views on policy debates. "In the end they will come to their own judgment, and it will be informed by what he says, and what we say, and what they read in the New York Times and blogs -- and certainly Moveon members are pretty independent. They're not going to believe it just because we said it, or because the president said it." While MoveOn is more democratic and member-driven than many liberal interest groups and virtually all foundations, the decision to tap Ruben was still made by five people, without any input from the group's millions of members. The board, made up of MoveOn's founders and the group's popular outgoing executive director, Eli Pariser, simply tapped Ruben from his post as organizing director. In our interview, Ruben was sympathetic to the idea that the members who provide the labor and money that fuels MoveOn should have more influence, but he argued that they control important decisions in other ways. It is worth quoting at length: Ruben : The thing that's so interesting that a lot of folks don't get -- it wasn't obvious to me until I came work for MoveOn - [is that] you can only work on the stuff that is right on the tip of people's tounges, right on the forefront of their consciousness -- the things that people are looking for a way to have an impact on. As an organization, a huge part of our focus is just oriented on just trying to figure out what those things are -- what people want to work on and how we can give them opportunity to make biggest impact, much more so than any other organization I've ever been a part of. That's our DNA. It's our whole core operating model. In that sense, I've found MoveOn to be more member-driven than formally democratic institutions that I've been part of. The Nation : Like unions? Ruben : Yes, or other more local grassroots groups that work by consensus. Because there are always power dynamics in situations -- things are formally democratic but you can heave leaders who aren't seeking out what the great majority of folks are most passionate about. That said, technology is a powerful tool for aggregating opinions and allowing people to make decisions together. I am really interested in how we can keep using technology to make MoveOn more member-driven....When I think about role that members play in the organizaiton, I want to see more ways we can tap into ingenuity, skills -- a lot of them are smarter than me and know lots of stuff that I don't know. The question is more than just allowing people to click and sign a petition, make phone calls or organizing a rally... Can they be formulating policy? Finding opportunities for other MoveOn members to get involved? We have a small staff, [so] we tended to not be very process intensive. Historically, that's something that people like about us: "I don't have to do lots of meetings; I can do it right from my house; Let me know exactly when there's something to do." [We want] to do more, but without the trappings of process that an end up excluding folks. In a blog post last August, Ruben wrote that he could envision MoveOn adding "more formal democratic mechanisms," noting that members could not "vote for the board" or "fire the staff" or "frame the questions" in emails, and such reforms might make the group stronger. For now, the focus is on trying to "devolve more responsibility to shape our campaigns on the ground," Ruben said, though he doesn't know if members will vote on the next executive director. In the end, it is hard to balance moderated grassroots energy with coordinated national campaigns, or to toggle from White House meetings with the President to hammering the administration with independent pressure. But for a relatively young, self-organized political organization, these are good problems to have. -- Ari Melber writes for The Nation, where this piece first appeared . He twitters on politics here .
 
Cornyn Preaches Moderation, Then DeMint Calls Obama "World's Best Salesman Of Socialism" Top
Speaking before a red-meat conservative audience in Washington D.C., National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn did something a bit rare, he pleaded for political moderation in the party's efforts to regain control of the Senate. "I would rather have a Republican who votes with me 80 percent of the time than a liberal Democrat who would vote with me 0 percent of the time," said the Texas Republican. "I understand that occasionally we get frustrated by the way that some of my colleagues vote, I do too. But a circular firing squad is no solution to the problems our party faces right now." It was one of the few times that the audience had been asked to put aside their ideological orthodoxy in exchange for electoral leverage. Indeed, the vast majority of speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference had enthusiastically rejected the notion that the Republican Party needed a re-thinking of its philosophical pillars. What was needed, they offered, was firmer, more passionate and aggressive opposition to the Democratic powers that be. As if on cue, the very next speaker to address the crowd, Sen. Jim DeMint, laced into congressional leadership -- accusing it of a lack of willingness to say the word "freedom" -- and the president himself, calling Barack Obama "the world's best salesman of socialism." Cornyn, for sure, didn't tone down the sharp critiques of his political opposition. But his was a numbers game. "Having 41 [Republican Senators] means that we have leverage to block bad legislation or more importantly to shape it. And to bring Democrats to the negotiating table," he said. "Our mission is clear: we must win most republican seats. We must build a new majority." As for the 2010 elections -- which seem, at this moment, to offer Democrats a good chance to expand their majority -- Cornyn called the landscape "promising." "We have to hold," he said, open seats in Ohio, Missouri and Florida. While there was a chance for the GOP to pick up seats in New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, "and yes, even California."
 
Lincoln Mitchell: The Potential Impact of Jindal's Message Top
Bobby Jindal's response to President Obama's speech on Tuesday was deservedly panned by pundits across the political spectrum. Avoiding the temptation to make ad hominem attacks on Governor Jindal due to his awkward folksiness, and extraordinarily reductively inaccurate analysis of the problems in our economy and his proposed solutions is not easy, but I will try. Jindal's speech, nonetheless, suggests that the Republicans are not going to try to reinvent their party, but will instead go back to the playbook which, for the most part, has served them well over the last third of the twentieth century. The following passage from Jindal's speech, while singularly unoriginal, taps into something powerful in Republican mythology. "Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need?" While the delivery evoked the image of a high school debater struggling through an awkward opening statement and the anecdotes that followed were not exactly Reaganesque in their charm or delivery, the central messages, that the Democrats are the party of tax and spend and that government is part of the problem, were the ones that have helped Republicans get elected reasonably consistently for most of my lifetime and would not have sounded out of place coming from Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich or any number of Republican politicians who have led their party to big victories over the last decades. While the Republican Party may seem to be all out of ideas and, at least for now, not really relevant to policy making in Washington, we should not underestimate the resonance of these appeals. In recent decades, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested by conservatives in convincing the American people that the Democrats are the party of tax and spend and that government is part of the problem. Although any reasonably serious observer of politics over the last decade can see that the Democratic Party certainly has no monopoly on taxing and spending, Jindal's narrative about the Democratic Party is still powerful. The Bush administration, as we all know, took fiscal irresponsibility and deficit spending to levels unprecedented in American history, but for many voters, the Democratic Party still remains the party of tax and spend. Thus, while Jindal's critique is not precisely true, it is believable, and in politics the latter is at least as important as the former. While it is not, in any meaningful sense, the case that the Democratic Party is the party of tax and spend, they are a party of tax and spend. Of course, the other party of tax and spend, or more precisely, borrow and spend, is the Republican Party. For Jindal, and other calculating Republican strategists, this nuance can be brushed over, because what matters is not which party is fiscally responsible, but which party voters see as being more fiscally responsible. Jindal is betting that the Republicans are still seen this way by voters who will be willing to forget the Bush years, or dismiss them as an aberration, just as many quickly forgot the massive debts run up by the Reagan administration. Over the next few months, charges like those made by Bobby Jindal, will become increasingly common. The Republicans will likely repeat these charges, which after decades, voters are primed to believe, until they begin to sink in. The task for the Democrats, at all levels, is to remind voters that this analysis is not true; and that it was Republican policies of tax, borrow and spend, albeit largely on foreign policy fantasies rather than useful infrastructure and programs, that created the debt problem our country will face for years to come. It should also be kept in mind that the real cost of the Iraq war will likely dwarf even this massive stimulus bill. No Republican should be allowed to get away with a speech like the one Bobby Jindal made without the Democratic leadership; and not just, or even primarily, the White House, pushing back and reminding Americans about the enormous debt the Bush administration ran up, and the shoddy record of Republican fiscal prudence, which goes back for decades. Moreover, it is critical to proactively take this issue away from the Republican Party by attacking them for their fiscal incompetence and the rampant spending during the six years that their party controlled congress and the presidency. Even in a best case scenario, the economic recovery will be slow. The Obama administration, as is evident from the proposed budget, is not close to being finished with the work we all need them to do. It is imperative that the serious efforts to rebuild our country and our economy not be sidetracked by desperate Republicans who suddenly have gotten religion regarding balancing budgets. Jindal's speech is easy to dismiss, but the potential power of his misleading message must be taken seriously. More on Bobby Jindal
 
Gregg May Have Had Conflict Of Interest In Commerce: AP Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's former nominee to become commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg, steered taxpayer money to his home state's redevelopment of a former Air Force base even as he and his brother engaged in real estate deals there, an Associated Press investigation found. Gregg, R-N.H., personally has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cyrus Gregg's office projects at the Pease International Tradeport, a Portsmouth business park built at the defunct Pease Air Force Base, once home to nuclear bombers. Judd Gregg has collected at least $240,017 to $651,801 from his investments there, Senate records show, while helping arrange at least $66 million in federal aid for the former base. Gregg said he violated no laws or Senate rules. But the senator's mixture of personal and professional business would have been difficult to square with President Barack Obama's campaign promise to impose greater transparency and integrity over federal budget earmarks _ funding for lawmakers' pet projects. Gregg said that during his consideration for the Cabinet job, the White House did not know about his Pease earmarks, although the administration knew about his investments at Pease. Under new Senate ethics rules, Gregg had to certify that federal aid he directed to specific projects was not intended solely to enrich him or immediate family, including siblings. Senators are also supposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, though the Senate Ethics Committee seldom investigates or disciplines senators when questions are raised about their activities. "I am absolutely sure that in every way I've complied with the ethics rules of the Senate both literally and in their spirit relative to any investment that I've made anywhere," Gregg told the AP. "These earmarks do not benefit me in any way, shape, manner financially, personally or in any other manner other than the fact that I'm a citizen of New Hampshire." Gregg abruptly announced earlier this month that he was stepping aside from consideration for the Cabinet post, citing philosophical differences with Obama. The senator has said his withdrawal had nothing to do with anything the White House uncovered in his background. A White House spokesman, Ben LaBolt, declined to discuss the matter with the AP. AP began looking into the Greggs' activities at Pease before then but had not yet contacted them or the White House before Judd Gregg withdrew. Obama's administration has wrestled in recent weeks with embarrassing revelations about his choices for the Cabinet and other high-profile jobs, including the treasury secretary's failure to pay $34,000 in income taxes on time. Obama's first choice for commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, withdrew due to the disclosure that a grand jury was investigating the awarding of a state contract to one of his major political donors. Gregg told the AP the White House expressed no concerns about his involvement at Pease. He said he does not believe his investments there or his role in obtaining federal aid would have affected his consideration for the job. The Greggs have long been a wealthy and powerful New Hampshire family. Judd Gregg's selection by Obama gave him national prominence, and he was among GOP lawmakers the president invited to a meeting earlier this week on the nation's financial health. Gregg was governor in the early 1990s when Pease became the first base shut down in closings under then-President George H.W. Bush. Gregg created a state development authority to approve development projects at the former base, and he supported millions of dollars in state-backed bonds and at least $10 million in state roadwork to help transform Pease from a military installation to a business center. Such efforts to convert defunct bases were encouraged by the federal government. But the personal financial involvement of Gregg and his brother, Cyrus, at Pease sets it apart from other bases' redevelopment. Cyrus Gregg is a partner in Two International Group, a developer that quickly established itself as a major player at Pease. It has built roughly a dozen office buildings there since the base closed. Judd Gregg has invested in several of Cyrus Gregg's projects through limited partnerships and limited liability companies: 222 International LP, Say Pease LLC and other LLCs using variations on the "Say Pease" name, according to New Hampshire corporate records and the senator's financial disclosure reports. The senator said 222 International's and the limited liability companies' only real estate holdings were at Pease. An office building at 222 International Drive developed by Cyrus Gregg and his associates was valued at just under $11 million last year, according to local assessment records. Judd Gregg said he put money into his brother's Pease developments as a passive investor and had no role beyond that. "I've throughout my entire lifetime been involved in my family's businesses and that's just the way our family works," he said. "We support each other and our activities." By putting government money into the former base, Gregg helped it become a desirable place for employers to locate, making developments there more valuable. Gregg took in at least $240,017 and possibly as much as $651,801 from the investments between 1999 and 2007 in rent and capital gains, according to his Senate filings. He said it was too soon to say whether the real estate deals will be profitable: "That's obviously why you invest your money. You do hope to make money." Gregg said he was proud to bring development and jobs to the former base. "When it closed as an air base it was a devastating event," Gregg said. "It's been the most successful redevelopment of a closed military base in the country." In the Senate, Gregg has repeatedly won federal money for Pease's redevelopment: _ At least $24.8 million for a new federal building. The senator said the city of Portsmouth wanted to move an unattractive federal building out of its picturesque downtown. The new building hasn't been built yet, he said. _ At least $24.5 million for other New Hampshire National Guard projects at the base, including a new fire and crash rescue station, a new medical training facility, repair to an aircraft parking ramp and the upgrade of an aircraft parking apron. _ $8.9 million for a new wing headquarters operations and training facility at Pease for the Air National Guard. _ At least $8 million to help Pease's airport transition from military to civilian use, including improving terminal security, buying snow removal equipment, building an aircraft deicing area and adding a parking lot. _ $475,000 to shield office buildings at Pease from noise from the former Air Force runway, which is now used by private planes and the New Hampshire Air National Guard. Earlier, Gregg lined up $25,000 in federal money for noise monitoring equipment at Pease. _ $400,000 for development of a photonics and laser technology program at the New Hampshire Community Technical College campus at Pease. Earlier, Gregg and then-Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., won federal money to develop the college's biotechnology lab, and education and training center at Pease. Gregg leases a former guard post at the Pease entrance and uses it as one of his Senate offices. Gregg listed the real estate investments in his Senate financial reports, identifying the dollar values in broad ranges as ethics rules allow rather than giving specific totals. He declined to tell AP exactly how much he has invested there. Gregg's Senate reports do not include the addresses of all the Portsmouth properties where he invested; AP pored through local real estate records to identify the Pease developments. Gregg's investments in the partnerships date back at least to 1999, when he had $15,001 to $50,000 invested in 222 International Drive LP, according to his Senate reports. By 2007, Gregg had a total of $465,000 to $1.05 million invested in four businesses: 222 International Drive LP, Say Pease LLC, Say Pease II/IV LLC and Say Pease VII LRC, according to his most recent Senate report. Gregg has sometimes officially sought his brother's expertise on development. As governor in 1989, he appointed Cyrus Gregg to a panel considering the future of state land in Laconia, N.H., that had been the site of a home for the developmentally disabled. The lakeside parcel eventually was used for a prison. State records that might show what, if any, other interactions Cyrus Gregg had with his brother's administration no longer exist. New Hampshire does not require governors to turn over their records to the state archives when they leave office and Judd Gregg didn't, State Archivist Frank Mevers said. Gregg's Senate office told AP that Gregg hasn't kept papers or other materials from his previous elected positions. In all, Gregg had $5.6 million to $12.8 million in assets in 2007, including those cited in his Senate reports and the $2.5 million home in Rye, N.H., that he owns with his wife. Judd and Cyrus Gregg have been involved in various businesses in New Hampshire and elsewhere, as was their father, Hugh, before his death. Cyrus Gregg is less known than his father and brother, though he has been active in Republican Party politics and seems to have made no secret of his involvement at Pease. His name appears in numerous corporate filings and local real estate records. Besides its activities at Pease, Two International also develops properties elsewhere in Portsmouth, recently selling a $1 million-plus condominium at its One Harbor Place development to J. Bonnie Newman, Judd Gregg's former chief of staff. Gregg agreed to become commerce secretary if the Democratic New Hampshire governor named her to succeed him. The senator said he had no involvement with the sale or the Harbor Place development. Newman said she has known Cyrus Gregg for years and approached him about the condo. "We see one another on a pretty regular basis socially, so I think I may have said, `Let me know what you're doing with the apartments. I could be interested,'" Newman said. She used to have an office in the building, and it was well-known around Portsmouth that one floor was being converted to condos, she said. Newman negotiated the purchase through the fall and said she signed the purchase agreement in November, long before there was any indication Judd Gregg might be a Cabinet pick. "It's a wonderful old building in a very special waterfront area," Newman said. The condominium hasn't been built yet.
 
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Unemployed Afghan Youth Turn To Taliban For Jobs Top
Residents of Kandahar province say that lack of job opportunities is the main reason that some youths in the province join the Taliban. More on Afghanistan
 
Jon Soltz: On the Right Path, Finally, in Iraq Top
Today's announcement from President Obama on the future in Iraq is encouraging. Removing roughly 100,000 troops from Iraq while leaving residual training and specialized forces is a huge step toward winding down the war. Those of us who served in Iraq have fought for this for years. We commend President Obama for having the clarity of vision to do what is right, and follow through with his promise to begin the process of redeploying from Iraq. It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: The war in Iraq was one that should have never been waged, and one which led to years of lost opportunity in Afghanistan, billions of dollars wasted, a tarnished reputation around the world, and thousands of young American lives tragically lost. It made America less safe, and decimated our military. It is the main reason that VoteVets.org was formed. It's the reason that we've spent millions of dollars over the past few years to push policymakers to redeploy, not escalate, in Iraq. Now, getting out of Iraq won't be quick, and it won't be easy. In many ways, it's tougher to get out of a war, than it is to get into it. As we leave, there may be casualties, and if there are, there's always the temptation to send forces back in. But, the President must not give in to any temptation if that time comes. President Obama must continue this direction in Iraq, with the ultimate goal of having all troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011, or earlier, as agreed to in the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. If President Obama does continue to draw down - and we believe he will - we will be more secure, and our military will now have a chance to repair the damage done to it by the previous administration. More on President Obama
 
James Boyce: When You Don't Understand The Business You're In, You're Screwed. (Good Bye Newspapers) Top
My father taught at Harvard Business School a long time ago, and one thing he never ceased to marvel at was businesses that didn't understand the business they were in. A simple case of confusing tactics with strategy. He started a long list of historical examples and since his passing, I have added a few. His top two were the railroad companies at the turn of the last century, depending on who does the rating, between six or eight of the ten largest companies in America in 1900 were railroad companies. But he believed they were in the people transportation business and, as such, or if they had defined themselves as such, the largest airline in America would have been the spawn of a railroad company. He also thought it was a shame that American Express hadn't viewed themselves in being in the cash dispensation business versus the traveler check business. He never understood why all the ATMs in the world weren't owned by American Express. Today, I look at the end of the newspaper industry with a touch of nostaglia but also with the same sense of bewilderment. For the better part of the past 20 years, newspapers have been focused in the paper and not the news. "All the news that's fit to print" is fine, when printing was the only option available. "All the news" is really the core issue. The Rocky Mountain News's road ends today. The San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post Intelligence and many more are not far behind. Ironically, delivering news through new media is cheap, fast and easy. Readers made the transition, it's just too bad so many newspapers, with so many good people, never did.
 
Sandy Goodman: Bobby Jindal Is A Phony As Well As A Lousy Speaker Top
Not only did Bobby Jindal make a fool of himself in his Republican response to President Obama's speech to Congress, Jindal revealed a few days earlier that he's also a con man. Even most right-wingers saw his speech as terrible. "I think it's insane. I think it's a disaster for the party," commented conservative columnist David Brooks. Another conservative, Blogger Andrew Sullivan, remarked that the Governor of Louisiana talked down to his audience "as if he were speaking to kindergarteners." Even the Republican Party's real leader, Rush Limbaugh, was critical of Jindal's style, if not his substance: "We cannot shun politicians who speak for our beliefs just because we don't like the way he says it," the language-mangling Limbaugh remarked. But days before his awful speech Tuesday night, Jindal said something totally misleading - something that made him an idol to wingnuts - at least until his unfortunate television appearance. He declared last Friday, then repeated it a week ago Sunday on "Meet The Press," that he decided not to take a tiny fraction of the $3.9 billion in federal funds for which Louisiana is eligible from the national stimulus bill President Obama signed into law last week. Jindall said he'd reject about 2.5 per cent of the money, amounting to $98 million, all of it in more benefits for unemployed Louisiana workers. Jindal said that although he'd accept the part of the stimulus that provides unemployed workers with $25 more a week, he'd turn down the part that requires the state to change its law to increase by about 4,000 the number of people entitled to unemployment compensation. Many of them are part-time workers. Jindal told the "Meet The Press" audience he'd reject the money because, he said, "The word 'permanently' is in the bill. It requires the state to make a permanent change in our law." The state's business and industry association, representing employers, "agrees with me," Jindal added. "They say, 'Yes, this will result in an increase in taxes on our businesses, this will result in a permanent obligation on the state of Louisiana'." A state official estimated that the extra cost to employers could be $12 million a year, according to the New Orleans Times Picayune. It comes as no surprise to anyone that businessmen in Louisiana or anywhere else would rather not pay more taxes to ease the plight of workers who lost their jobs. American capitalism should not, after all, be confused with philanthropy. But for executives , or Jindal, to argue that the law must inevitably force them to pay increased business taxes after the extra federal money runs out is ridiculous. The stimulus law does provide that money for increased unemployment benefits can go to a state only if the increased benefits are "in effect as permanent law," and that the law cannot be "subject to discontinuation." That means a state law cannot be written with a sunset provision that automatically drops the extra benefits when the federal funds run out after 2011. So Jindal is correct when he says that current Louisiana law would have to be changed. And Louisiana's Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu was wrong when, arguing against Jindal's position, she said that any new law could be sunsetted. But the federal government could not stop the state legislature from repealing that change when the stimulus expires. So says Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy organization for low wage workers. Jindal himself admits as much. His office concedes that any such "permanent" state law could be changed, but adds that do so would be wrong. "You can't make a change with a nod and a wink that says we'll come back and change it later," the Times Picayune quotes one state labor official as explaining. Apparently, to Jindal and his aides, changing the law is, somehow, like cheating. And, like most of today's Republican politicians, the governor would rather cheat the poorest unemployed workers in his state of an extra few dollars than cause its businessmen, his bigtime buddies, to pay a little extra in unemployment taxes. So Jindal's argument that Louisiana would have to "permanently" change its law, while not an outright lie, is almost totally misleading. That has not, of course, stopped his becoming a hero to several other Republican governors, including those in South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi, who have also threatened to refuse to take some of those federal unemployment funds that would help thousands of jobless men and women. In the event that Jindal or any of the others do actually decline to take all they're entitled to, there are plenty of other governors - including Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger of California - who say they'd be only too happy to take all that money instead. More on President Obama
 
Jason Mannino: How To Care For Yourself In Times Of Crisis Top
It would be a disservice to avoid the fact that so many of us are in the midst of what appears to be profound chaos, uncertainty and fear. We are hearing daily about the state of our economic environment and unemployment. I am not just talking about what we read and hear in the news; I am talking about the personal conversations we are having with our loved ones, friends, co-workers and even the conversations we are having in our own minds. I have noticed how easy it is during these chaotic, stressful periods for people to allow their level of self-care to become severely diminished. Allowing stress to hijack your ability to care for yourself has negative ramifications for your health, which inhibits the ability to successfully manage challenging circumstances. Also, your availability to your loved ones in their time of need is stifled when you have even been unavailable to care for yourself. With this in mind, I'd like to offer some essential self-care tips. Maintain self-worth I have a client who recently lost her job as a legal secretary. While she was employed, she was making close to six figures with overtime. The company went through an across-the-board headcount reduction only taking salaries and employee categories into consideration. It's as if they didn't even look at people's names in considering who to layoff, and my client got one of the axes. After placing herself in the job market, Gail received a call from a recruiter who was very excited to talk to her and anxious to present her to one of his litigation clients, and told her that her salary would be comparable to what she had been making before. She met with the recruiter and invested hours taking all of the skills tests that any of us who have ever signed up with an employment agency know to be a normal ritual. In addition to a legal secretary, the firm needed support opening a new litigation office in Los Angeles, a project that would include implementing technical systems and training staff in various software packages. While Gail was well-equipped to handle all of this, she was surprised to hear from the recruiter that the firm intended to decrease her salary by $5k because "litigation" was listed third in her experience at her last employer--even though she had primarily provided litigation assistance at her previous job. The fearful voice in her head wanted her to move forward with this interview even though she felt the offer was an insult to her value. However, the self-respecting voice in her head told her that she was worth more than they were offering and that another company would recognize this, so she declined the interview. The recruiter and Gail's sister were shocked to learn that she had turned down a job in such a grim economy, but she held steadfast to her resolve. Right now we are in an employer's market and many will get away with undervaluing their employees in compensation packages. However, Gail has just begun her job search and had the courage to maintain her self-worth, which I agree is important. However, regardless of where she or anyone else is in their job search, no one should feel pushed into undermining their own self worth. For some a 5k pay cut is acceptable, for Gail it was a compromise she was unwilling to accept, and I commend her for her personal integrity. I encourage you to ask yourself in a situation like Gail was in what your own limits are, and to access the inner qualities necessary to maintain your self-worth. Laugh and smile There is actual research to support the fact that both smiling and laughing can support you in shifting your mood and maintaining a healthy attitude and it's contagious. So, do it! Take care of the little things: Another client of mine recently shared with me that he had been driving with an expired license for three months. He said that he would experience a pang of anxiety while driving sometimes, and wondered what might happen to him if he were to get pulled over. He found out when he drove himself right into a driver's license checkpoint and watched the police tow his car away. Additionally, what would have been a $30 transaction for him became a $500 lesson. When I asked my client what lessons he received from this, he replied, "I learned what happens when you abandon yourself." I encourage you to use this as an example of why it's important to be responsible and handle the little things, even if they present an inconvenience. Where in your life are you not taking care of little things that could turn into big issues? Stay present I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who just had a very stressful week at his job at the Walt Disney Company, where he has been employed for 25 years. His division had just gone through a significant lay-off and my friend was experiencing a lot of fear. "What would I do if I lost my job?" he said to me, and proceeded to go on in similar fashion. Finally I stopped him. "Where are you?" I asked. My friend looked at me, unclear what I meant. "What do you mean?" he replied. "Well, when you ask questions like 'What would I do if I lost my job?' you are creating an experience of a future, unwanted fantasy, which takes you away from the present moment and elicits the experience of anxiety and stress. It is not self-supportive." I encouraged my friend to come into the present moment where he still has his job and all of his needs are met, thus eliciting an experience of gratitude, satisfaction, peace and equanimity and allowing him to consider his future from a place of empowerment rather than resistance and fear I encourage you to ask yourself if the fear or stress you may be experiencing is a result of a future, unwanted fantasy or a direct result of a circumstance in which you currently find yourself. The latter is rational. The former is irrational. If your fear is irrational I encourage you to engage in the self-caring gesture of shifting your thinking to something you can be grateful for. Doing this will support you in staying present While it can be easy to allow things like layoffs, financial distress to elicit a diminished sense of self-worth and even self-neglect, it is more critical than ever to remain conscious of engaging in very simple practices to support you in caring for yourself and moving gracefully through global chaos that can become personal challenges. With this in mind, ask yourself this: What are some of the things that you do to care for yourself? *** To learn more about Jason and A.C.T.ion Centered Transformation go to www.jmannino.com For tips on how to manage your mind and reverse negative thought patterns e-mail Jason for his complimentary e-book: "Mind Your Mind; Manage Your Thoughts." @ info@jmannino.com More on Balanced Life
 
Amsterdam Crash Victims: Experts Work To Identify The Dead Top
AMSTERDAM — Forensic experts worked Friday to identify the dead in a Turkish Airlines crash that killed nine people in the Netherlands, while investigators at the scene mapped the exact location of each piece of mangled debris in search of the cause. As 40 investigators swarmed the crash site Friday, the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recordings were being analyzed in Paris. Sandra Groenendal, spokeswoman for the Dutch Safety Authority, said a first assessment of what went wrong according to the black box data would likely be released by Wednesday. Five Turks _ including both pilots _ and four Americans were killed when the Boeing 737-800 plunged into a farmer's field Wednesday morning, smashing into three pieces. Two of the dead Americans were Boeing employees. Marion Laan, a spokeswoman for the Haarlemmermeer municipality, said authorities had no new information Friday about the injured. On Thursday, 63 survivors remained hospitalized, including six in critical condition. Flight TK1951 was coming in from Istanbul with 135 passengers and crew when it crashed about one mile (1.5 kilometers) short of the runway at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. One survivor, Henk Heijloo, said the last message he heard from the captain was for flight crew to take their seats. He said it took him time to realize the landing had gone wrong. "We were coming in at an odd angle, and I felt the pilot give the plane more gas," he said. He thought the pilot might have been trying to abort the landing, because the nose came up. Mayor Theo Weterings of Haarlemmermeer said Friday the relatives of the people who died had been informed, but not all the bodies had been officially identified. Once that is done, families will be able to bring the bodies home. Pieter van Vollenhoven, head of the Dutch agency investigating the crash, said Thursday that the Boeing 737-800 had fallen almost directly from the sky, which pointed toward the plane's engines having stopped. He said a reason for that had not yet been established. Groenendal said engine failure was still only "one of the possible scenarios" for the crash. Other possible causes range from weather-related factors to insufficient fuel, loss of fuel, navigational errors, pilot fatigue or bird strikes. "(It) just fell straight down and then you heard the engines at full power as if it was trying to go forwards," survivor Fred Gimpel told the Dutch NOS news. "It probably went up too steeply and stalled, and then the tail hit the ground." Survivor Kerem Uzel, a student, told Turkey's NTV television that he didn't realize anything was wrong until the plane was skidding through the muddy field. Witnesses on the ground said the plane dropped from about 300 feet (90 meters). Several crash survivors returned to Istanbul on Thursday _ including a young man with a bandaged wrist in a wheelchair. Boeing Co. confirmed that two of its employees had been killed and a third was injured in the crash. The condition of a fourth was unknown. It did not identify who had been killed. Turkish Airlines chief Temel Kotil said the captain, Hasan Tahsin Arisan, was an experienced former air force pilot. The airline also denied reports that the plane, which was built in 2002, had had technical problems in the days before the accident. The plane underwent routine maintenance Feb. 19, and it had to delay a flight Feb. 23 _ the day before the crash _ to replace a faulty caution light. Weather at the airport Wednesday morning was cloudy with a slight drizzle. ___ On the Net: http://www.liveATC.net?
 
Senate Votes To Ban Return Of Fairness Doctrine Top
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Wednesday to bar federal regulators from reimposing a policy, abandoned two decades ago, that required balanced coverage of issues on public airwaves. The pre-emptive strike against the so-called Fairness Doctrine has been actively pushed by conservative radio talk show hosts who have warned that Democrats would seek to revive the policy to ensure that liberal opinions get equal time. The 87-11 vote added the measure as an amendment to a bill giving District of Columbia residents a vote in the Houses. Most Democrats voted along with the amendment, pushed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., but said it was unneeded because President Barack Obama has stated he has no intention of reviving the Fairness Doctrine. They added that it is generally recognized that it is no longer relevant with the proliferation of television networks, some 14,000 AM-FM radio stations and the Internet. The measure now goes to the House. The Federal Communications Commission implemented the doctrine in 1949 but stopped enforcing it in 1987. But DeMint said it was still necessary to get in writing a guarantee that the government would not apply quotas or guidelines to programming. The doctrine, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, "amounted to government control over political speech." Congress needed to "kill the so-called Fairness Doctrine once and for all." Before the vote, the Senate approved by 57-41 a parallel amendment by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., restating existing law that federal regulators would work to promote diversity in media ownership and that the DeMint provision would not take away FCC authority to ensure that broadcasters meet their obligations to operate in the public interest. House Republicans have introduced similar language to prevent the FCC from implementing a new version of the Fairness Doctrine.
 
Iran, Iraq Presidents Start Official Talks Top
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Friday started the first round of official talks with Iranian officials by meeting his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the presidential palace in Tehran. More on Ahmadinejad
 
Old Navy Ads Imitate Us Weekly Top
NEW YORK — Clothing retailer Old Navy, the overtly quirky Gap Inc. offshoot, is launching a new ad campaign Thursday with a flier patterned like a celebrity magazine, a bevy of mock-models it is calling "Supermodelquins" and a renewed focus on its target market of young moms. The move is part of an effort to reverse slumping sales at the chain. As consumers cut back on discretionary spending and hunt for bargains, Old Navy, long known for its value offerings, seems well poised. But tough competition and an unfocused brand message have hurt its results. After a sparkling debut in 1994, Old Navy enjoyed several years of rising sales and profit. But in recent years it became an increasing drag on parent Gap, which itself has seen sales sink. Old Navy's sales in stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales, dropped a sharp 34 percent in January. That compares to an 18 percent drop at Gap-branded stores and a 22 percent drop at their sister chain, Banana Republic. "When Old Navy launched it was an iconic brand, an early mover into the budget-priced but still somewhat trendy family apparel business," said Morningstar analyst Joseph Beaulieu. "Since then, a lot has changed, and there's a lot of competition." Retailers such as Target Inc. and Kohl's Inc., among others, have since blossomed in the same space. Old Navy President Tom Wyatt, 53, who took the helm as acting president a year ago this month, is the first to say the company strayed when it shifted its focus over the last two years from moms with young children to teens and "fast fashion." "We walked away from our customer," he said, citing an ad campaign that broke last April and featured a gold-lame bikini. "That is not what a 25- to 35-year-old mom is looking for," he said. The new TV ads, which launch Thursday on prime-time network TV, portray a variety of mannequins in Old Navy stores cracking jokes and talking to each other about denim and the value of Old Navy clothes. A circular debuting in Us Weekly Friday shows the mannequins wearing Old Navy clothes and touting one-day sales. "We want to reassure the customer who has trusted us since 1994 that we have great product that is a great value for her family," Wyatt said. The campaign is the latest part of an integrated effort that began shortly after Wyatt arrived, replacing Dawn Robertson. He was named president permanently in August. For a sustained turnaround, however, product is more important than advertising, analysts say. "The positioning part isn't even half the battle," Beaulieu said. "They've got to get merchandising right." Wyatt readily agrees. He said new products and promotions in stores now exemplify the new focus, including a "goga" line of casual athletic wear, with yoga pants for $15, and a section in some stores devoted to items selling for $5, $10 and $15. Mark Breitbard, named by Gap in January to the newly created role of chief merchandising and creative officer for Old Navy, is charged with guiding product strategy from conception to the arrival of products in stores. Breitbard held merchandising roles at each of Gap's brands between 1997 and 2005 before heading to Levi Straus & Co. as president of retail. Wyatt hopes the campaign, created by Crispin Porter and Bogusky in Miami, will bring back the sense of quirkiness they say is inherent to the brand. "There are a lot of people that portray value, but no one portrays value with our quirky spirit," Wyatt said. "Old Navy has always owned fun."
 
Lyons, Mankiewicz Respond To Critics: "Just Wrong" Top
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — "At the Movies" critics Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons have been taking it as well as dishing it out since joining the show last fall. That's especially true for Lyons, who's gotten heat from fellow critics and others for hobnobbing with Hollywood insiders and his alleged quest for blurb glory in movie ads. They don't like his reviews much, either. While everyone's entitled to their opinion, Mankiewicz said, the thumbs-down for his colleague is "just wrong." "Nobody who meets him is going to doubt that this guy knows a lot about film and is thoughtful about it, is interested and wants to talk about it," he said. "Everything came through this prism of presuming that he's young and didn't know what he was talking about." Lyons said the attacks are inaccurate but leave him unfazed. "It hasn't bothered me, hasn't affected me. I'm traveling, working, have a couple different jobs going on. I'm too busy to let it get to me," he said. "I do look at it as I criticize people's work, someone's going to criticize my work." During lunch in a chic hotel (tuna sandwich for Lyons, chicken soup for Mankiewicz), they're as eager to discuss the Oscars as their show. The pair contrast sharply: Mankiewicz, 41, is low-key and droll, while Lyons, 27, is all boyish enthusiasm. When Lyons mentions their different opinions of the dysfunctional family drama "Rachel Getting Married," which he declares he "loved," Mankiewicz pulls a face. "It's not over yet. I think it's 98 hours long and it's just about ready to wrap up," Mankiewicz quips. Lyons, a Hollywood reporter and film critic for "E! News" and others, and Turner Classic Movies host Mankiewicz started last September on the show distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. They replaced Richard Roeper, who'd been working with guest critics since illness took Roger Ebert off the air in 2006. (Ebert's trademark thumbs up-down is gone, too.) Lyons and Mankiewicz commute from Los Angeles to Chicago, where the show is produced, for tapings. Viewership initially dipped, with 1.8 million tuning in compared to the nearly 2.4 million it was averaging last season. But there's been a steady uptick, to 2.3 million viewers in January, according to ratings released by Disney. Lyons and Mankiewicz say their on-air chemistry still is jelling as they move at a fast clip through films, squeezing in an extra review _ about six total, along with DVD critiques _ in the latest incarnation of the long-running show. Observers have criticized the revamp as a surrender to lightweight criticism, with Lyons bearing the brunt of the attacks. "It's kind of mindboggling to me that we're at this point that Ben Lyons basically has become the face of film criticism," said Erik Childress, vice president of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He was willing to give Lyons a chance but "it seems every week he's out there saying something completely moronic," Childress said, adding that Mankiewicz is trying "to keep the spirit of the show alive." Scott Johnson, a blogger who founded StopBenLyons.com, said Lyons "seems more interested in kind of playing into what's the latest vehicle for hype and seeing if he can jump on the band wagon rather than being critical and offering an opinion that's going to challenge people." Lyons takes issue with claims that he's angling to get quoted in movie ads and panders to the industry. His reviews have been "blurbed" far less than those of other critics, he said. And mingling with Hollywood insiders is helpful as long as he keeps his reviews honest, Lyons said, insisting that he does. "In the past, it might have hurt the show a bit that (reviewers) were isolated in Chicago. I enjoy the fact that I'm out here in L.A. and I know writers and directors and actors. I'm young and I'm going to be out and social and to meet people and develop genuine friendships with them and understand the (artistic) choices they've made," he said. Mankiewicz's wry aside: "I'm not young, I'm not social and I don't enjoying going out. But I want to establish that we get along really well." It's the latest twist in the journey of "At the Movies," which had its roots in a 1975 PBS series with Chicago newspaper critics Ebert and Gene Siskel (who died in 1999) and became the leading national TV forum for film criticism. Ebert, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and Siskel offered brief but trenchant TV assessments of movies that they analyzed in greater depth and detail in print. That was then and this is now, Mankiewicz and Lyons said. "This is a TV show and the notion that only people who qualify to talk about film criticism are people who have written for a newspaper seems silly," Mankiewicz said. Look at it this way, he adds: Would anyone suggest that NBC anchor Brian Williams write "750 to 2,500 words on the stimulus package before he discusses it on the air?" That does not signal any less respect for films or those who make them, the pair say, and they produce family history as evidence. Mankiewicz's grandfather, writer Herman Mankiewicz ("Citizen Kane") and great-uncle, writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz ("All About Eve," "A Letter to Three Wives") both are Oscar winners. Lyons, whose grandfather was New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons, went to screenings as a child with his dad, critic Jeffrey Lyons, who encouraged his appreciation of classic films. When it comes to movie criticism, Lyons and Mankiewicz say tradition is giving way to the rising chorus of voices online. That gives them a sharp appreciation of their "high-profile platform," Lyons said. "Everybody can be a critic but that doesn't mean that everybody takes it seriously or responsibly, and that's something we can do. It's our job, it's what we do and love, so we treat it with the utmost respect." ___ AP Writer Caryn Rousseau in Chicago contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: http://www.atthemoviestv.com http://www.rogerebert.com
 
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Acne Pill Kills Healthy British Teenager Top
A fit and healthy teenage rugby player died 12 hours after taking treatment for acne, a coroner said today. More on England
 
Jewel Woods: Venus and Serena Williams: Ousted By Racism Top
Per usual, Venus and Serena Williams continued to dominate on the court last weekend with big sister winning her 40th singles title in Dubai , after barely nudging past younger sister in the semifinals. And, as always, the more uncomfortable questions about their extraordinary careers are taking place outside the tennis court lines. In the lily-white world of women's professional tennis, the two statuesque sisters with chocolate skin, flamboyant style and curvaceous figures are pretty hard to ignore. But somehow the Williams sisters were omitted from a list of the 10 Most Beautiful Women posted on the official Web site of the 2009 Australian Open. The list was filled with sleek, thin images, and European names such as Dementieva and Hantuchova, and gushings over Jelena Jankovic?s ?No. 1 body to go along with her No. 1 ranking.? Curiously, there was no mention of the two women of color whose unique looks have challenged Eurocentric standards of beauty all around the world. Of course, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." But the omission and the photo slide showing effusive praise for European standards of beauty is still jarring. After more than a decade of dominance in the world of tennis, the Williams sisters still have not managed to raise everyone?s consciousness about what it means to be beautiful. (To see just how wrong they were, check out The Root's Venus and Serena photo gallery.) In general, black athletes have always had to struggle with the elevation of their physical gifts above their mental gifts. Black male athletes are consistently praised for their physical prowess. Sports Illustrated did an entire feature dedicated to gawking over LeBron James' body with poetic prose describing how his "raised veins run like tiny interstates up his arms and calves." Black female athletes, on the other hand, are put in the unique position where developing their bodies makes them the object of spectacle. For female athletes, the perennial insult is, "You look like a man." As a result, any girl?black or white? involved in sports has to make choices that a boy never has to make. In the same way Don Imus infamously referred to black women athletes as "nappy-headed hos," these constant slights, insults and even thoughtless oversights still must hurt. I have always wondered whether Serena's interest in fashion and beauty was somehow related to the way she constantly has to fend off criticism of her weight or questions about her commitment to her profession because she does not look like her opponents. Serena, when asked about her body yet again, said, "Just because I have large bosoms, and I have a big ass [laughter], I swear, my waist is 30 inches, 29 to 30 inches, it?s really small! I have the smallest waist, but just because I have those two assets, it looks like I?m not fit." Imagine that! You are the most dominant person in your sport in the world, but you consistently have to defend having your curves. Listening to commentators persistently speculate and scrutinize Serena about her weight and fitness?which are metaphors for her body?is like having the buttocks and breasts of Hottentot Venus debated for public consumption. As the husband of a woman who looks like Venus and Serena, it offends me that my standards of beauty are not recognized or validated in professional sports. And as the father of a 6-year-old black girl who loves to run, jump, sweat, grimace, grunt and do all the things that are necessary for her to excel as an athlete, it pains me to think of the choices that will be forced upon her as she gets older because of these standards. So, to the Williams sisters and their family, I would like to say to you: Most of us don't know the cost and sacrifice it takes to excel in a sport that has so few African Americans. Many of us had never heard of the tragic and triumphant story of Zina Garrison and her constant battles with depression stemming from bulimia? a life-threatening eating disorder that also affects women of color ?exacerbated by never being validated in the elite world of tennis. However, I also want you to know that like President Barack Obama, who wrote in his autobiography about taking a black women to see Ntozake Shange's play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf , we understand black women's struggles for recognition in a culture that does not value black bodies and black beauty. If the Williams sisters were stung by the slight, you wouldn?t know it. Serena is too busy opening a school in Kenya, writing her own manuscript and developing a fashion line. Venus is holding it down as CEO of her own interior design firm, cultivating a dynamic client base and developing her own clothing line . In other words, the Williams sisters are too busy redefining what it means to be "black and beautiful " to wait for the world of tennis to catch up. Jewel Woods is an author and a gender analyst specializing in men's issues. He is the Executive Director of the Renaissance Male Project Inc , an advocacy and accountability organization for men and boys. WATCH a related photo slide show of the Williams sisters over the years. Originally published at theRoot More on Dubai
 
Bob Burnett: How Bad Is It? Top
In the midst of the worst recession of the last fifty years, many Americans worry about how bad economic conditions will get before there's a recovery. Paul Krugman observes, "this isn't your father's recession. It's your grandfather's, or maybe even... your great-great-grandfather's." 2009 will be difficult; expect things to get worse before they get better. The bubble burst : Near the end of the last decade, there was an Information Technology "bubble" fueled by speculation in Internet technology and startups. When it ended, late in 2000, investment fever shifted to the housing market. As housing prices increased astronomically, more and more investors rushed into the housing market. There was a widely held belief that owning a home was a safe investment because if the owner got in trouble they could either refinance or sell their house for a profit. In many areas of the country, particularly along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, vast areas were overbuilt. Many investors purchased houses they could not afford lured by "sub-prime" mortgages. In 2007, the housing bubble burst as prices fell and defaults grew. If this had only affected homeowners, developers, and mortgage lenders, we would be suffering from our "father's recession." But the impact was systemic. The banking system failed : The consequences of the collapse of the housing market spread throughout the financial community. In March of 2008, the Bear Stearns investment bank teetered on the edge of collapse and was forced into a merger with the J.P. Morgan bank. On September 15th, the Lehman Brothers investment bank filed for bankruptcy, causing a global financial panic. On September 18th, then Secretary of the Treasury Paulson presented an outline of a bank bailout plan to Congressional leaders. On October 3rd, Congress authorized $700 billion to shore up banks. Coinciding with the housing bubble was spectacular growth in the financial services sector, particularly in non-standard banking activities - the so-called "shadow" banking system. When these failed, they dragged down the conventional banking system, which stopped lending money. This produced a recession that looked like "your grandfather's recession," the Great Depression. Unfortunately, there was a significant difference: the impact was truly worldwide. There were global consequences : The Great Depression affected the Americas and Europe, but had a limited impact on the Far East and none at all on Russia. The current recession is global. Paul Krugman notes, "A large part of the increase in financial globalization actually came from the investments of highly leveraged financial institutions which were making various sorts of risky cross-border bets. And when things went wrong in the United States, these cross-border investments... [drove] fresh rounds of crises overseas." Because this is a worldwide financial emergency, global trade has stopped and many developing countries have currency crises. Krugman likens this to "the recession that followed the Panic of 1873... [that] lasted more than five years" - our great-great-grandfather's recession. How bad is it? The most obvious indication of the recession are housing starts - at their lowest level in fifty years - and the plunge in auto sales, but there is over-capacity throughout the market. As a result, most sectors of the economy are slowing down; last quarter the US economy shrank at a 3.8 percent annual rate. The national unemployment rate is 7.6 percent and rising; some analysts predict is will pass the 10 percent mark next quarter. Consumer confidence is at a record low. By year-end, credit card default rates are expected to reach a record 11 percent. Every day the financial press brings more bad news. Lurking behind over-capacity is daunting problem: businesses do not have the necessary access to credit. They can't get money to make a payroll, expand facilities, or to ship product overseas. Despite an infusion of Federal capital, most banks aren't lending because they are buried under a mountain of debt. What needs to be done? Three challenges face the economy: spending, credit, and confidence. In his February 24th speech, President Obama addressed each of these topics. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act aims to stimulate spending. It's a good first step, but there may need to be an additional stimulus bill. On February 10th, Treasury Secretary Geithner described his "Financial Stability Plan," which will inject further capital into banks in order to get them to lend funds to businesses and consumers. President Obama's speech was well received. Polls indicate Americans have confidence that their new President is doing all he can to end the emergency. How long will it take? It will take at least a quarter for the efforts of the Obama Administration to bear fruit. Therefore, look for the second quarter of 2009 to be worse than this quarter - unemployment will rise and the economy will continue to shrink. On February 24th, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke told Congress that 2010 could be a year of recovery if Obama's efforts bear fruit. That's a realistic assessment. Meanwhile, look for the balance of 2009 to be grim. More on The Recession
 
Rachael Ray To Return To SXSW Top
NEW YORK — Rachael Ray is bringing more music and mojitos to the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference this year. The TV talk show host and foodie put on one of the most popular showcases when she made her debut at the massive festival last March. This year, she's signed up the Hold Steady, the New York Dolls, Ra Ra Riot and other bands to perform for her music- and food-filled bash on March 21. Ray says she hopes to "blow the doors off Austin again." The South by Southwest music festival runs from March 18 to 22. ___ On the Net: http://www.rachaelray.com/feedback http://www.sxsw.com
 
Consumer Reports: GM, Chrysler Least Reliable Cars, Ford Fares Better Top
Chrysler and General Motors (GM) took the bottom two spots, respectively, in Consumer Reports magazine's new automaker for reliability, even as the pair seek billions more in federal loans to stay afloat. The third of Detroit's Big 3 automakers, Ford Motor, fared better at fourth from the bottom, also beating Suzuki. More on Cars
 
China Hits Back, Denounces US 'Rights Abuse' Top
China has responded in detail to a US report published this week criticising China for alleged rights abuses. More on China
 
Facebook To Let Users Play "Meaningful Role" In Site Policies Top
NEW YORK — Facebook is trying its hand at democracy. The fast-growing online hangout, whose more than 175 million worldwide users could form the world's sixth-largest country behind Brazil, said Thursday that those users will play a "meaningful role" in deciding the site's policies and voting on changes. Facebook is trying to recover from last week's policy-change blunder, which prompted tens of thousands to join online protests. At issue was who controls the information, like photos, posts and messages, that people share with their friends on the site. As Facebook becomes an integral part of its users' daily lives, a place to muse about everything from relationships to root canals, they understandably worry about who gets access to their private information and whether it could end up in the wrong hands. On Thursday, founder Mark Zuckerberg sought to reassure users that they own their information, not Facebook. And in a broader step, the company also said its users will get a hand in determining the various policies _ such as privacy, ownership and sharing _ by reviewing, commenting and voting on them before they are put in place. If more than 7,000 users comment on any proposed change, it would go to a vote. It would be binding to Facebook if more than 30 percent of active users vote. Based on Facebook's current size, that would be nearly 53 million people. By comparison, a group created to protest Facebook's new terms has roughly 139,600 members as of Thursday. "As people share more information on services like Facebook, a new relationship is created between Internet companies and the people they serve," Zuckerberg said in a statement. "The past week reminded us that users feel a real sense of ownership over Facebook itself, not just the information they share." Zuckerberg said the purpose of Facebook is to make the world more transparent by giving people the power to share information, and as such Facebook itself should be transparent as well. It is unusual, but not entirely unprecedented, for companies to let users help shape their governing policies. LiveJournal, a social diary site that's part blog, part social network, let users share their thoughts on a proposed set of user policies last year _ though it didn't go as far as calling for a vote. Earlier this month, the site quietly updated its terms of use _ its governing document _ sparking an uproar after popular consumer rights advocacy blog Consumerist.com referred to them as "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever." After tens of thousands protested, Facebook decided to revert to its previous user policies while it figured out how best to update them. The latest controversy was not the first time Facebook angered its users, who have come to expect a sense of privacy even as they share things with friends. From its start as a college students-only site five years ago, Facebook has always billed itself as a guarded place that gives its users control over who can access their profiles, posts and even list of friends. But there have been several hiccups along the way. In late 2007, a tracking tool called "Beacon" caught users off-guard by broadcasting information about their shopping habits and activities at other Web sites. After initially resisting, the company ultimately allowed users to turn Beacon off. A redesign of the site last year also prompted thousands to protest, but in that case Facebook kept its new look. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook is privately held. Microsoft Corp. bought a 1.6 percent stake in the company in 2007 for $240 million as part of a broader advertising partnership. More on Facebook
 
Anger Rises Among Unemployed Over Govs Who Want To Reject Stimulus Funds Top
As governors in nine states, mostly in the South, consider rejecting millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for increased unemployment insurance, there is growing anger among the ranks of the jobless in those states that they could be left out of a significant government benefit. More on Bobby Jindal
 
Officials: Obama sets Aug. 2010 as Iraq end date Top
WASHINGTON — A "substantial" number of the roughly 100,000 U.S. combat troops to be pulled out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, will remain in the war zone through at least the end of this year to ensure national elections there go smoothly, senior Obama administration officials say. That pacing suggests that although Obama's promised withdrawal will start soon, it will be backloaded, with larger numbers of troops returning later in the 18-month time frame. Obama was to announce his strategy Friday at the sprawling Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where thousands of Marines are soon heading to another war front, Afghanistan. The administration now considers Aug. 31, 2010, as the end date for Iraq war operations. That timetable is slower than Obama had promised voters, but still hastens the U.S. exit. Even with the drawdown, a sizable U.S. force of 35,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq under a new mission of training, civilian protection and counterterrorism. The potential size of that remaining force doesn't please leaders of Obama's own Democratic Party, who had envisioned a fuller withdrawal. Obama personally briefed House and Senate members of both parties about his intentions behind closed doors Thursday. Still, war critics are ready to hear Obama's public words. They see his much-anticipated announcement as the beginning of the end of a long, costly conflict. The last of the U.S. troops will be in Iraq no later than Dec. 31, 2011. That's the deadline set under an agreement the two countries sealed during George W. Bush's presidency. Obama has no plans to extend that date or pursue any permanent troop presence in Iraq. Administration officials spoke about Obama's Iraq decision under condition of anonymity to discuss details of the strategy ahead of the announcement. The Iraq war helped fuel Obama's presidential bid. Most Americans think the war was a mistake. More than 4,250 U.S. military members have died in the war. From the Jan. 20 start of his presidency to his deadline for ending the combat mission, Obama has settled on a 19-month withdrawal. He had promised a faster pace of 16 months during his campaign but also said he would confer with military commanders on a responsible exit. Officials said Thursday that the timetable Obama ultimately selected was the recommendation of all the key principals _ including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The timeline was settled on as the one that would best manage security risks without jeopardizing the gains of recent months. With 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, Obama plans to withdraw most of them; the total comes to roughly 92,000 to 107,000, based on administration projections. Officials said Obama would not set a more specific schedule, such as how many troops will exit per month because he wants to give his commanders in Iraq flexibility. "They'll either speed it up or slow it down, depending on what they need," said one official. Yet the officials made clear Obama wants to keep a strong security presence in Iraq through a series of elections in 2009, capped by national elections tentatively set for December. That important, final election date could slip into 2010, which is perhaps why Obama's timetable for withdrawing combat troops has slipped by a few months, too. One official said Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commander in Baghdad, wants a "substantial force on the ground in Iraq to ensure that the elections come off." Another official said Odierno wanted flexibility around the elections. "The president found that very compelling," the official said. Obama has maintained that getting out of Iraq is in the security interest of the United States. He planned to emphasize in his comments on Friday, however, that the U.S. has no plans to withdraw from its interests in the region and will intensify its diplomatic efforts. The senior administration officials sought to describe Obama's decision-making process as one that was not driven by his political promise to end the war. They said he consulted extensively with his military team while interagency government teams reviewed the options. Obama made the final decision on Thursday, officials said. The U.S. forces that will remain in Iraq starting Sept. 1, 2010, will have three missions: training and advising Iraqi security forces; providing protection and support for U.S. and other civilians working on missions in the country; and targeted counterterrorism. Obama had promised all along to keep a residual force in Iraq. "When they talk about 50,000, that's a little higher number than I had anticipated," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said before the briefing at the White House. Among others there was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has also expressed concern about the troop levels. Violence is down significantly in Baghdad and most of Iraq, although many areas remain unstable. U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security after a troop buildup in 2007. More on Iraq
 
Mayor Who Sent Obama Watermelon Email Quits Top
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year." Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday's City Council meeting. Grose came under fire for sending the picture to what he called "a small group of friends." One of the recipients, a local businesswoman and city volunteer, publicly scolded the mayor for his actions. Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city. Grose said he didn't mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons. Located in Orange County, Los Alamitos is a 2 1/4-square-mile city of around 12,000 people. More on Barack Obama
 
Nancy Doyle Palmer: R(e)X: Remedies For The Recession Top
With the current economic downturn, the mantra is save, save, save. Downsize, stop spending, and, well, freak out. But there is another way to go. Things you can do, not not do. Purchases that will help, not hurt. Having your way out of being a have-not. There are pro-active ways to save money in a recession. And to save yourself. Not by doing nothing, stopping, hiding, shrinking, and withdrawing from life, but actually finding a way to get more for less, with a positive mindset, not a negative retreat. How to find abundance and luxury without feeling guilty. Ways to feel cleaner, simpler and stronger. And yes, save money. Imagine it's a snow day and you're stuck inside - latch onto that good feeling when you are forced to stay indoors, cook whatever is in the kitchen, pull out old photo albums, games, favorite DVDs, pause, and enjoy all the gifts in your life because you can't get out and buy more. My mother had a resale clothing store for many years and I often helped out. Time and again women in their 50s would come in with bags and bags of clothes in perfect condition, some brand new. "I don't need fifteen cashmere sweaters," one would say, "I need five. Sell them!" At the time I couldn't believe anyone wouldn't want something beautiful in all the colors of the rainbow, but now that I'm older, and times are tight, I get it. So many of us, particularly women running households and families, are so used to moving forward - getting the next thing, adding to the collection, hunting and gathering, if you will, working from to-do lists, running errands and getting things done that we feel stuck and stymied and lost with the new reality of less to spend. It doesn't have to mean there is less to do. Or have. On the other hand, many have been hit more drastically than others, and while I wouldn't presume to offer advice to people facing bottom line challenges, I do think these ideas can help all of us. It's sort of a prescription, an RX, a remedy for the recession - with the emphasis on the RE.... REVIEW: This is the act of literally eye-balling everything you have - go through everything. Look at it all. Sort through it, weed it out, take it all in. You have a lot. We all do. Go from the very top part of the house to the bottom and make a mental or literal inventory. The truth is many of us have so much already. It drives Europeans crazy. If something breaks or we just get tired of it we get another. Ads on TV, magazines and the internet tell us we need new. All the time. Despite our new President's claim that we Americans are not ashamed of our lifestyle- we have a lot and we shop a lot - we replace without thought and we discard without sentiment. This can be stalled and reversed. And the fact is our closets, drawers, toy chests, and cabinets are most likely full to brimming. And full of pretty much the same purchases over and over... REFLECT: On all you have. Remember where you got something - a special purchase or outing. A souvenir or memento of a wonderful time. The beautiful party you wore the dress to. Shoes purchased when your best friend needed your company. Your child's Mother's Day cards. Objects are just that unless infused with our memories of obtaining them and enjoying them. Then they have a story and a soul. Reflect upon all the gifts, remember, we can't look forward without looking back. But then get to work. RECOVER: Enjoy the beauty of a found object. Again. Find a renewed purpose or pleasure from it. Share, trade, and rediscover. More metaphorically, use this time to find things lost, whether it's pictures, a favorite book from high school or college or an old acquaintance or long-lost friend. Paperwork: old letters, diaries, papers, yearbooks, manuscripts...look at it with new eyes. And you can literally recover too - the way new fabric brings an old chair to life - a new use for or way to wear something you've had forever makes it new again. Or give it away. RECYCLE: It's not just for trash anymore. It's a revolutionary concept that is changing our world and can also change your life. Re-use, send along, move it forward. Organize a weekend afternoon with a bunch of like-minded friends and bring your stuff - GOOD stuff you just don't need anymore and swap it out. And if you can't trade it, give it away. Find use again for what you no longer need. And if not - if its use, beauty or meaning is done for you - pass it along to someone else. It not only helps everyone, it's good for you and you will feel better. REDUCE -- Get rid of clutter, duplicates, things that upon reflection mean nothing and do nothing for you. The aesthetics of simplicity can truly bring clarity and freedom. Work to have less and you will have so much more. Guess what else costs nothing, but has a big return - losing weight. Eating less, exercising more - all cost-efficient, and buying a new pair of pants one size smaller will be one of the best buys of your life. REJOICE! You have so much. We all do. Gifts, treasures, precious, precious things that once satisfied you so much - they can again. Truly more than enough. And taking simple, joyous pleasure in what you have not only creates less and less need for more, it helps you let it go. Gratitude makes you feel rich. You can have abundance, you can treat yourself, there are pleasures to have. Enjoy your gifts. It's not a sin - it's medicinal. REWARDS - The upbeat in downsizing - the fun and the new. It's ok to look forward to something, to be tempted, to imagine, anticipate, even lust. It's simply a matter of scale. Dine out once a month at the more expensive restaurant instead of several times at the local eatery. Buy chocolate from a specialty store. Research and contemplate a perfect pinot noir. Shop online exhaustively until you find the best price for one new accessory per season (after swapping out your old bag or shoes first, of course) And if you have to indulge and overdo or splurge - go to the drug store for a brand new skin care regimen or get 12 new pairs of athletic socks at Costco. Go wild! Just remember - REPLACE, don't REPLICATE. Find joy and abundance in what you have - simply rearranging, reorganizing, and reprioritizing can bring riches and satisfaction to the new downscale lifestyle. Simplicity - of ownership, of intent, and of your soul will get you though these difficult times. Restore, Repair, Return, Reboot and Redeem yourself. More on Inner Life
 
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Stephen Colbert Challenges Michael Steele To A Freestyle Rap Debate (VIDEO) Top
Last week, Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele, in an interview with the "Washington Times," said he was planning an "off the hook" public relations offensive for the RNC. "We need messengers to really capture that region -- young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ... We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings." Steele also referred to the stimulus package as just "bling bling." Colbert has latched on to this hip-hopification of the GOP and challenged Mr. Steele to a freestyle rap debate about core conservative values. WATCH: The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Stephen Challenges Michael Steele Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy More on Stephen Colbert
 
Laurie David and Allen Hershkowitz, Ph.D: Will Recycled Fiber Toilet Paper Become the Next Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb? Top
Toilet paper may not be the sexiest environmental issue, but it really is one of the most important considering the manufacturing of that product causes deforestation, which causes more global warming pollution than all the combined emissions of cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and ships in the entire world. So we were thrilled to see the New York Times publish a prominent front-page article highlighting the ecological stupidity of making toilet paper from natural forests. Although toilet paper is a product that we use for less than three seconds, there are more types of forests at risk from makers of toilet paper than you can imagine: ancient forests, old growth forests, virgin forests, second growth forests, natural forests, high conservation value forests, temperate forests, tropical and sub-tropical forests and boreal forests. (Who knew there were so many?) There are enormous ecological impacts associated with the pulp and paper industry. Perhaps no industry has forced more species into extinction, destroyed more habitats, polluted as many streams, rivers, and lakes. The pulp and paper industry is the third greatest industrial emitter of global warming pollution in industrialized countries (after the chemical and steel industries), and its CO2 emissions are projected to increase by roughly 100 percent by 2020. And how about this for a mind blowing fact: the pulp and paper industry is the single largest industrial consumer of freshwater (11% of all water used in the 30 most advanced industrial countries goes just to make paper products). Virgin timber pulp-and-paper mills are classified under U.S. federal law as "major" generators of hazardous air pollutants, including dioxins and other highly toxic pollutants considered to be carcinogenic. (Okay, we'll save that for another blog.) No industry has caused as much taxpayer dollars to be spent on ecologically dangerous landfills and incinerators. So talking about toilet paper may be easy to dismiss, but its serious folks. And you can do something about it. All toilet paper should be made from recovered, second generation fibers. No forest of any kind should be used to make toilet paper. Toilet paper made from trees should be phased out in the same way we're phasing out the use of incandescent light bulbs starting with our schools, theaters, auditoriums, office buildings, and of course our homes. A little "sacrifice" on the "need" for three seconds of softness vs. a whole lot of healthy forests left standing, providing habitat, inspiration, clean water, and soaking up carbon would be a very good change for this New Year. Let's stop flushing our forests down the toilet. To learn which tissue products are preferable to buy, go here . More on Green Living
 
Fortune 's Stanley Bing: Why I hate Google alerts Top
So yesterday Ted calls me. He's upset. Why? "I'm looking at this story on the internet and it says that our company has been taken over by aliens and I'm actually a warlord from the planet Zox who is siphoning off public funds and sending it back to my boss back home. I don't think I like that very much. I hope it doesn't go viral." "Where in the world did you even see such a thing?" I ask him. "I'm sending you the link," he says. I wait a second and there comes the link in my inbox. It's to something called lyingbuttheadnews.com. And no, don't try to go there. I'm making up the name, but not the kind of destination we're talking about. There are a ton of them. In fact, you probably read a bunch of them every day. They don't report stories. They just talk about stuff. The way I'm doing with you right now. They don't research. They don't check. They just say whatever. Whatever is what the Internet is all about. Sure enough, there's the story on the site. It's quite long. It has pictures of a lot of people I know, and there's a big headline and the whole thing is full of it, of course, but that doesn't mean I don't have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just imagine the number of sites - financial, political, opinion, gossip - that would love to link to this kind of nonsense. "So Ted, tell me," I say, "how does a guy who types with one finger figure out how to get to lyingbuttheadnews.com. I never even heard of the site. Nobody reads it. The posting itself has exactly zero comments attached to it. Why do you know about it?" "Google alerts," says Ted proudly. "See, Bing," he says, "I have everything related to our company on Google (GOOG) alert. When any news at all comes out about us, anything on the entire Internet, I get an alert and I can see it." "But why, Ted," I ask him. And I really want to know. "Why do you need to see every lie, every piece of whimsy, every nasty turd that somebody with no accountability wants to throw at you, at us? How are our lives enhanced by this?" "I gotta go," says Ted. And I can tell he's looking at his screen again. I'm hoping we get lucky this time and it's something nasty about one of our competitors. I read the other day that they're the descendants of Nazi clone babies. So far they haven't denied it, either. More on Google
 
Economy Shrinks By 6.2%, Worst In 25 Years Top
WASHINGTON — The economy contracted at a staggering 6.2 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as consumers and businesses ratcheted back spending, plunging the country deeper into recession. The Commerce Department report released Friday showed the economy sinking much faster than the 3.8 percent annualized drop for the October-December quarter first estimated by the government last month. It also was considerably weaker than the 5.4 percent annualized decline economists expected. Looking ahead, economists predict consumers and businesses will keep cutting back spending, making the first six months of this year especially rocky. The new report offered grim proof that the economy's economic tailspin accelerated in the fourth quarter under a slew of negative forces feeding on each other. The economy started off 2008 on feeble footing, picked up a bit of speed in the spring and then contracted at an annualized rate of 0.5 percent in the third quarter. The faster downhill slide in the final quarter of last year came as the financial crisis _ the worst since the 1930s _ intensified. Consumers at the end of the year slashed spending by the most in 28 years. They chopped spending on cars, furniture, appliances, clothes and other things. Businesses retrenched sharply, too, dropping the ax on equipment and software, home building and commercial construction. Before Friday's report was released, many economists were projecting an annualized drop of 5 percent in the current January-March quarter. Given the dismal state of the jobs market, though, some believe an even sharper decline in first-quarter GDP is possible. The nation's unemployment rate is now at 7.6 percent, the highest in more than 16 years. The Federal Reserve expects the jobless rate to rise to close to 9 percent this year, and probably remain above normal levels of around 5 percent into 2011. A smaller decline in the economy is expected for the second quarter of this year. But the new GDP figure _ like the old one _ marked the weakest quarterly showing since an annualized drop of 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 1982, when the country was suffering through an intense recession. American consumers _ spooked by vanishing jobs, sinking home values and shrinking investment portfolios have cut back. In turn, companies are slashing production and payrolls. Rising foreclosures are aggravating the already stricken housing market, hard-to-get credit has stymied business investment and is crimping the ability of some consumers to make big-ticket purchases. It's creating a self-perpetuating vicious cycle that Washington policymakers are finding hard to break. To jolt life back into the economy, President Barack Obama recently signed a $787 billion recovery package of increased government spending and tax cuts. The president also unveiled a $75 billion plan to stem home foreclosures and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said as much as $2 trillion could be plowed into the financial system to jump-start lending. For all of 2008, the economy grew by just 1.1 percent, weaker than the government initially estimated. That was down from a 2 percent gain in 2007 and marked the slowest growth since the last recession in 2001. In the fourth quarter, consumers cut spending at a 4.3 percent pace. That was deeper than the initial 3.5 percent annualized drop and marked the biggest decline since the second quarter of 1980. Businesses slashed spending on equipment and software at an annualized pace of 28.8 percent in the final quarter of last year. That also was deeper than first reported and was the worst showing since the first quarter of 1958. Fallout from the housing collapse spread to other areas. Builders cut spending on commercial construction projects by 21.1 percent, the most since the first quarter of 1975. Home builders slashed spending at a 22.2 percent pace, the most since the start of 2008. A sharper drop in U.S. exports also factored into the weaker fourth-quarter performance. Economic troubles overseas are sapping demand for domestic goods and services. Businesses also cut investments in inventories _ as they scrambled to reduce stocks in the face of dwindling customer demand _ another factor contributing to the weaker fourth-quarter reading. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke earlier this week told Congress that the economy is suffering a "severe contraction" and is likely to keep shrinking in the fix six months of this year. But he planted a seed of hope that the recession might end his year if the government managed to prop up the shaky banking system. Even in the best-case scenario that the recession ends this year and an economic recovery happens next year, unemployment is likely to keep rising. That's partly because many analysts don't think the early stages of any recovery will be vigorous, and because companies won't be inclined to ramp up hiring until they feel confident that any economic rebound will have staying power. More job losses were announced this week. JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Thursday said it would eliminate about 12,000 jobs as it absorbs the operations of failed savings and loan Washington Mutual Inc. That figure includes 9,200 cuts announced previously and 2,800 jobs expected to be lost through attrition. The NFL said Wednesday that the league dropped 169 jobs through buyouts, layoffs and other reductions. Textile maker Milliken & Co. said it would cut 650 jobs at facilities worldwide, while jeweler Zale Corp. said it will close 115 stores and eliminate 245 positions. On Monday, troubled flash memory maker Spansion Inc. said it will lay off about 3,000 employees and computer chip maker Micron Technology Inc. announced it will slash as many as 2,000 workers by the end of August. More on Economy
 
Stocks point lower after Citi deal, GDP reading Top
NEW YORK — Stocks are pointing to a sharply lower open as investors worry about Citigroup Inc.'s plans to give a bigger stake to the government and as data show the economy stumbled more than expected in the final three months of 2008. Stock futures had moved lower on the Citigroup news. Word that the economy contracted at a faster-than-expected 6.2 percent pace in fourth quarter is only adding to investors' worries. Wall Street forecast that the economy shrank at a pace of 5.4 percent from October through December. The government estimated a month ago that GDP fell at an annualized pace of 3.8 percent. Dow Jones industrial average futures are down 158 points at the 7,020 level. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are down 18 at 734 and Nasdaq 100 index futures are down 22 at 1,110.75. More on Citibank
 
Biden: Green Jobs Will Aid Middle Class Top
Joe Biden is kicking off his Middle Class Task Force work in Philadelphia today, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer: Vice President Joe Biden will be in Philadelphia today to hold his first official Middle Class Task Force meeting. The focus of the meeting this afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania's William B. Irvine Auditorium is creation of green jobs as the pathway to a strong middle class and the economic recovery. In advance of the talk, Biden penned an op-ed for the Inquirer, highlighting some of what are likely to be his key talking points : Right here in Philadelphia, for example, there are 400,000 rowhouses that could be weatherized and made more energy-efficient. Just doing that would lower household energy consumption by 20 to 40 percent, saving families hundreds of dollars a year. Fortunately, as we will stress in our meeting here today, Mayor Nutter, Gov. Rendell, and other state and city officials across the nation are ready to help us build a greener economy. Philadelphia, for example, is working with its unions, universities, and community colleges to impart green skills to workers from all walks of life. The city is also proposing a new public authority to support large-scale green investment, especially in weatherization, building retrofits, and infrastructure. More on Joe Biden
 
Shelly Palmer: Piven Back in Fishy Water: MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer February 27, 2009 Top
Jeremy Piven was back on Broadway yesterday for a hearing between Actor's Equity and the Broadway League over his early departure from Speed-the-Plow . Sources say Piven broke down several times during the hearing, however, a ruling in the case was not made. The show's producers are now pushing for arbitration to recoup their loses, claiming that Piven continued to schmooze at nightclubs despite his alleged mercury poisoning. GM will cut $800M of its advertising and marketing budget as it struggles to survive. This is staggeringly bad news for the media business. The only question is who will it hurt the most; TV, radio or print. Cablevision , the owners of Long Island paper Newsday , plans to charge users to read content online . Announced yesterday, Newsday will be one of the first general interest papers to adopt a paid online revenue scheme. Sony Chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer is set to take over as President . Stringer, who has been with Sony for 4 years and was the first foreign executive, will run Sony's vital electronics business. Ryoji Chubachi, the current President, will become Vice President amid the restructuring. Yahoo CFO Blake Jorgensen is leaving the search company amidst restructuring . The move came as part of new CEO Carol Bartz's strategy to turn the struggling company around. Jorgensen, who was an ally to former CEO Susan Decker and had only been with the company for 2 years, will stay on until a replacement is named. Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards ). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here . Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net More on Yahoo!
 
Burma Deliberately Blocked Cyclone Aid: John Hopkins Report Top
International aid for cyclone victims in Burma was deliberately blocked by the military regime, the first independent report into the disaster has found. More on Burma
 
Recession Economics: Store "Sells" Goods For Free Top
Free trade is flourishing once more in the Financial District - the hippie commune variety, that is. No money is exchanged at the Free Store, which recently opened at 99 Nassau St., and all the merchandise - which ranges from jewelry and vintage clothing to knickknacks - is literally priceless. More on The Recession
 
US-China Resume Military Ties, Suspended Over Taiwan Arms Sale Top
BEIJING — China's five-month suspension in U.S.-Chinese military contacts to protest Washington's arms sales to Taiwan has ended with the visit this week of a U.S. Defense Department official, a top Chinese officer said Friday. However, in opening the discussions, the Defense Ministry's head of foreign affairs said military-to-military ties remained in a "difficult period," and demanded that the U.S. remove unspecified obstacles to improvement. "We expect the U.S. side to take concrete measures for the resumption and development of our military ties," Maj. Gen. Qian Lihua was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. Such routine calls are generally seen as a form of protest against U.S. military contacts with self-ruling Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary. China put military exchanges on hold in October over a $6.5 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, including such advanced weaponry as Patriot missiles and Apache attack helicopters. China said the sale interferes with internal Chinese affairs and harms its national security. Beijing canceled a U.S. visit by a senior Chinese general, other similar visits, and port calls by naval vessels. It also indefinitely postponed meetings on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Writing in the official English-language China Daily newspaper, Rear Admiral Yang Yi said formal contacts would resume with the exchanges Friday and Saturday between top Chinese officers and David Sedney, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asian security affairs. However, Yang said Beijing would continue to protest arms sales to Taiwan and rejected U.S. criticisms over a lack of transparency in China's military buildup. "China will not tolerate any infringement into its core national interests and will make no concession on this principal issue," Yang wrote. "China's reasonable military development and military transparency has long been an outstanding issue in Sino-U.S. bilateral relations," he said. Yang also contended that improved relations between Taiwan and China over recent months have "deprived the U.S. of any excuses for continued arms sales to the island." Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949, but decades of hostility have eased in recent years amid growing economic and civil links. That rapprochement has sped up since the election last year of China-friendly Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, although Ma has made clear his intention to maintain a robust military and rejects Beijing's calls for unification talks. The U.S. Embassy said the two-day Defense Policy Coordination Talks being co-chaired by Qian and Sedney were closed to the media, but that a briefing would be held on Saturday. Nearly 20 years of annual double-digit percentage increases in China's defense budget have raised concerns from the U.S. and China's neighbors, although Beijing says any worries are unfounded. That figure will be closely scrutinized when the national legislature opens for its annual session next month, amid from falling exports and declining tax revenues. More on China
 
Bangladesh Mutiny: Troops Find Mass Graves, Raising Death Toll To Over 50 Top
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Security forces searching the headquarters of a mutinous Bangladeshi border guard unit on Friday discovered the bodies of dozens of officers in shallow graves on the compound, raising the death toll to 54, officials said. The discovery comes a day after the mutinous guards surrendered at the compound in the capital Dhaka, shortly after the government sent tanks in a show of force. The mutineers had been promised amnesty to persuade them to surrender. However, overnight Thursday, authorities setting up roadblocks around the country detained hundreds of fleeing border guards, many of them disguised in civilian clothes. After meeting with family members of the dead officers, newly elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the amnesty would not apply to those who carried out the killings. "No one has the right to kill anyone," she said. It remained unclear whether the amnesty would apply to those guards who tried to flee. Syed Hossain Khan, a firefighter involved in the search, said 32 bodies had been found Friday, bringing the toll to 54. However, officials say dozens of people remain missing and it appeared likely that the death toll would rise further. "We are digging out dozens of decomposing bodies dumped into mass graves. We are still taking the bodies out, so I can't give you an exact number," Brig. Gen. Abu Naim Shahidullah told NTV. All the victims appeared to be officers, he said, and were wearing combat fatigues. Many of the bodies were found in shallow holes that had been hastily covered with mounds of dirt. Others had been thrown into the sewers of this sprawling compound that housed the soldiers and many of their families. As the toll mounted, the government declared two days of national mourning for the officers, said Hasina's spokesman Abdul Kalam Azad. Dozens of families _ particularly those related to senior border guard officers _ still did not know what had happened to their relatives. "Let me talk to my father. Where is my father?" cried 10-year-old Mohammad Rakib, standing outside the devastated headquarters of the border agency Friday. Rakib was with his mother looking for his father, Capt. Mohammad Shamim. Fire official Dilip Kumar Ghosh said two of the bodies _ a man and a woman _ were found at the home of the border force's chief, Maj. Gen. Shakil Ahmed, but that the commander was not one of them. One officer said earlier that he saw Ahmed killed immediately after the mutiny began Wednesday. "I was confronted by the soldiers three times, but I have survived," that officer, Lt. Col. Syed Kamruzzaman, told ATN Bangla television station. "Allah has saved me from the face of death." Authorities would not comment on the chief's whereabouts. The insurrection was the result of longtime frustrations over pay for the border guards that didn't keep pace with that of the army's _ highlighted by rising food prices in the chronically poor South Asian country as the global economic crisis grows. The guards make about $100 a month. Their resentment has been heightened by the practice of appointing army officers to head the border guards. The border guards also do not participate in U.N. peacekeeping missions, which bring additional pay. The army plays a pivotal role in Bangladesh, and only recently allowed the country of 150 million return to civilian rule. There have been 19 failed coup attempts since the country gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, and two presidents have been killed in military takeovers. More on Asia
 
Suz Redfearn: GERM BAG: Tot Darwinism Top
My kid is a tough little broad. She's only 2, but we can already tell she will not be taking any crap from any age mates. In fact, she just ambled home from pre-preschool with one of those Ident-A-Kid cards bearing a mug shot so fierce that we're certain no other 2 year olds would dare get up in her grill. It's the older kids who worry me. The older kids are out to get her. Ok, not all of them. Just some of them. But a large enough segment of that population that it gives me pause. Not just for her, but for our species. What does it mean for humanity when little kids want to take out littler kids? It can't be good. The tot Darwinism kicked in as soon as Eve arrived on the planet. She was just a few weeks old and we were in the company of two siblings, one age 8 and one around 3, the baby of the family. I had to leave the room to run and fetch a rather hulking bassinet, and there were no other adults in the house. I asked the older child to please watch my motionless bundle of larvae for 15 seconds - 20 tops. He agreed. The instant I was out of eye shot, the 3 year old struck. He shoved past his big brother and violently depressed the couch next to baby Eve so that she rolled like a sausage into back of it, face mashed helplessly into the upholstery. When I ran back into the room, the brothers were fighting and my baby looked like she was going to suffocate. I was just relieved little dude hadn't depressed the couch on the other side of her, or he'd have catapulted her onto - or into -- the coffee table. Now, that 3 year old comes from a stellar family, and overall seems like a good kid, a normal kid. He's no demon seed -- just slightly mischievous. And yet, this? This? Yes, this. It's rampant, I'm finding. It's built into a lot of them. The couch incident stands out only because it represents my first glimpse into the unsavory world of whippersnapper-on-tinier-whippersnapper crime. Several other such incidents have followed and thus I have learned to stay hyper vigilant around the smalls. At crowded playgrounds, I move from structure to structure with Eve, my eyes sweeping over the crowd to spot them, the one or two diminutive assailants. I keep them in my sights once I ID them, and as they draw closer to Eve, so do I. Sometimes my proximity thwarts them, sometimes not. Sometimes I need to hold out a protective arm to keep a sneaky hip check or punch from connecting, causing Eve to give me that look of utter dismay that says, "Why? Why would they do that?" They are always there, these kids. Usually boys but sometimes girls. As I watch them, they also watch me, looking for the window, hoping I'll take a cell phone call or just go sit and read People magazine. And if I do look away, within a minute or two, more often than not, there is some sort of little-kid blitzkrieg. I am not by nature a hovercraft. None of this comes naturally to me. Hell, I was spawned by parents who dropped me at random parks in random towns when they wanted time to themselves, coming back for me sometimes after dark. I did so much unattended roaming the streets in our questionable little burg that I carried a Coke bottle with me, just in case. There is no well-worn pathway in my brain for how one appropriately protects a child; practically daily, I have to actively think it through, step by step. And that's ok. I just thought it'd be the beefy molesters and recently released prisoners I'd have to guard against, not people no taller than a file cabinet. It happened just the other day. We were at a party, my husband, Eve and I, and there was a girl of maybe 9 in a playroom by herself. I could smell it on her, the compulsion. So I stayed in there with she and Eve as they played with baby dolls. But sure enough, as soon as I turned my head to talk to another party goer, BAM, Eve would get a hard pillow smack to the face, or the girl would suddenly grab her ankle, yank her to the ground. And Eve would look up at me, confused. I don't want to believe it's pure evil, or some kind of lurking Columbine-kid-ism among that much of the under-10 set. Large chunks of my brain want to believe that maybe, hopefully, it's a birth order thing. Maybe the youngins with older siblings are so used to getting pummeled, that's what they think you do with littler kids: beat the Fruit Roll-Ups out of them. My older siblings were certainly guilty. I remember my sister holding me down and tickling me way past the point of sobbing (me sobbing - not her). I also remember waking up in the middle of the night to a cluster of siblings trying to quietly slide my hand into a bucket of warm water so I'd pee the bed and then experience the resultant trauma. Maybe it's... natural. And we can't discount the baby-of-the-family thing as a factor. The baby as jealous aggressor, the baby who is so used to getting cooed at and fussed over, that when a younger kid saunters into view threatening to steal the love, the interloper must be destroyed immediately if not sooner. I think that might have been at play the day tiny Eve got mashed into the back of a couch, victim of a tyke strike. And yet, I was the baby of five and I distinctly remember not wanting to destroy any of my underlings. I had the opposite reaction to babies and kids younger than me: I wanted to hide from them. They scared me. What did they want? What were they trying to say? I didn't know, couldn't tell, so off into the next room I ran, pretending to be very, very busy. Or tired. Kids. They prey on the weak, just like animals. Well, some of them do. Maybe it's just straight-up Darwinism channeling through them. Maybe the rest of us have learned to squelch the urge to stamp out those who are slower, smaller or sicker than us, but little kids, lacking impulse control, haven't. Or maybe it's just that children are an alternate society unto themselves, one that we don't understand and never will. All I know is that for now, I stand near and I protect. And Eve lives on. Pretty soon, though, my close presence at the playgrounds and the parties is going to get her labeled a dork, a wuss - or both. I'm going to have to stop in a year, perhaps two. Or maybe not. Maybe I will continue. Maybe I will be there at, say, junior high band practice with her, my arms out making a big C around her, a giant second ribcage that will keep a-holes from elbowing her while she tries to master the vibraslap. And maybe I'll have to do it at her wedding, too, in case the bridesmaids get envious and try to take her down. Because you know bridesmaids. They're just awful.
 
World's Best Job Website Flooded In Final Hours Top
BRISBANE, Australia — A lucky 200 people have been shortlisted for the chance to become the caretaker of a tropical Australian island, dubbed by promoters as the "Best Job in the World." But tourism officials acknowledged Friday that many last-minute applications were lost because the Web site was flooded with traffic. Nearly 35,000 people submitted video applications for the job with Tourism Queensland, which pays a salary of 150,000 Australian dollars ($97,000) to relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the island. The job is part of a AU$1.7 million campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland state. Anthony Hayes, Tourism Queensland's chief executive, said a wave of 7,500 applications hit the Web site in the 72 hours before Monday's deadline. "This massive amount of traffic understandably slowed the site down and regretfully some people weren't able to get their video application in on time," he said. "It has been frankly heartbreaking because people have gone to so much trouble, and we have lost some fantastic applications. But to be fair to everyone, we have to be consistent." The tourism board will announce 50 finalists Tuesday on its Web site. The public will then have until March 24 to vote for their favorite applicant. The top vote-getter and 10 other people chosen by the tourism board will be flown to Hamilton Island for interviews. The winner will be announced May 6, and the job begins July 1. ___ On the Net: Best Job in the World: http://www.islandreefjob.com/ More on Australia
 
Hale "Bonddad" Stewart: Banking Is In Critical Condition Top
From the FDIC: Expenses associated with rising loan losses and declining asset values overwhelmed revenues in the fourth quarter of 2008, producing a net loss of $26.2 billion at insured commercial banks and savings institutions. This is the first time since the fourth quarter of 1990 that the industry has posted an aggregate net loss for a quarter. The ?0.77 percent quarterly return on assets (ROA) is the worst since the ?1.10 percent in the second quarter of 1987. A year ago, the industry reported $575 million in profits and an ROA of 0.02 percent. High expenses for loan-loss provisions, sizable losses in trading accounts, and large writedowns of goodwill and other assets all contributed to the industry's net loss. A few very large losses were reported during the quarter-four institutions accounted for half of the total industry loss-but earnings problems were widespread. Almost one out of every three institutions (32 percent) reported a net loss in the fourth quarter. Only 36 percent of institutions reported year-over-year increases in quarterly earnings, and only 34 percent reported higher quarterly ROAs. This is the first time since the fourth quarter of 1990 that the industry has posted an aggregate net loss for a quarter. It's been 17 years since we've seen the banking industry this sick. In addition, return on assets hasn't been this low in 20 years. What caused the the last set of problems? The savings and loan crisis. High expenses for loan-loss provisions, sizable losses in trading accounts, and large writedowns of goodwill and other assets all contributed to the industry's net loss. This represents a double whammy for banks. Not only are their assets decreasing in value, so are their loans. That means they're getting hit from both ends. Regarding the "A few very large losses were reported during the quarter-four institutions accounted for half of the total industry loss." Yes, there are some money center banks that are in deep trouble. These are the institutions referred to as "Zombie Banks". But note the remainder of that statement. "but problems were widespread." In other words, if we take care of two of three big banks, we'll still have big problems. Consider the following statement from the summary: "Almost one out of every three institutions (32 percent) reported a net loss in the fourth quarter. Only 36 percent of institutions reported year-over-year increases in quarterly earnings, and only 34 percent reported higher quarterly ROAs." Bottom line -- those are terrible numbers. In addition, consider the following statements from the report: Insured banks and thrifts set aside $69.3 billion in provisions for loan and lease losses during the fourth quarter, more than twice the $32.1 billion that they set aside in the fourth quarter of 2007. Loss provisions represented 50.2 percent of the industry's net operating revenue (net interest income plus total noninterest income), the highest proportion since the second quarter of 1987 when provisions absorbed 53.2 percent of net operating revenue ..... Net income for all of 2008 was $16.1 billion, a decline of $83.9 billion (83.9 percent) from the $100 billion the industry earned in 2007. This is the lowest annual earnings total since 1990, when the industry earned $11.3 billion. The ROA for the year was 0.12 percent, the lowest since 1987, when the industry reported a net loss. Almost one in four institutions (23.4 percent) was unprofitable in 2008, and almost two out of every three institutions (62.5 percent) reported lower full-year earnings than in 2007. ..... Net loan and lease charge-offs totaled $37.9 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of $21.6 billion (132.2 percent) from the fourth quarter of 2007. The annualized quarterly net charge-off rate was 1.91 percent, equaling the highest level in the 25 years that institutions have reported quarterly net charge-offs (the only other time the charge-off rate reached this level was in the fourth quarter of 1989). ..... The amount of loans and leases that were noncurrent rose sharply in the fourth quarter, increasing by $44.1 billion (23.7 percent). Noncurrent loans totaled $230.7 billion at year-end, up from $186.6 billion at the end of the third quarter. More than two-thirds of the increase during the quarter (69.3 percent) came from loans secured by real estate. Noncurrent closed-end 1-4 family residential mortgages increased by $18.5 billion (24.1 percent) during the quarter, while noncurrent C&I loans rose by $7.6 billion (43.0 percent). Noncurrent home equity loans increased by $3.0 billion (39.0 percent), and noncurrent loans secured by nonfarm nonresidential real estate increased by $2.9 billion (20.2 percent). In the 12 months ended December 31, total noncurrent loans at insured institutions increased by $118.8 billion (107.2 percent). At the end of the year, the percentage of loans and leases that were noncurrent stood at 2.93 percent, the highest level since the end of 1992. Real estate construction loans had the highest noncurrent rate of any major loan category at year-end, at 8.51 percent, up from 7.30 percent at the end of the third quarter. Here are relevant charts from the report presented in no order of importance: More on Economy
 
White Collar Crime Consultant: Gets His Training From The Web Top
White-collar criminals have long employed coaches to prep them on what to expect when they trade in their designer clothes for institutional khaki. Past students include Martha Stewart (securities fraud), Leona Helmsley (tax evasion) and financier Ivan Boesky (insider trading). Now a new crop of consultants is using the Web to democratize this rarefied service, reaching out to small-time hustlers who saw the opportunity of a lifetime and seized it, regardless of the consequences.
 
Nancy Pelosi's Hair Through The Years (SLIDESHOW, POLL) Top
See how the length of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hair has changed through the years, then voice your preference in the poll below. SLIDESHOW: POLL: More on Slideshows
 
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CO2 Famine: Exxon-Paid Scientist Says Earth Is Short On Greenhouse Gases (VIDEO) Top
The Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee had an unusual guest recently: a man who says we are in a carbon dioxide famine . Treehugger's John Laumer spotted the video, which is actually really much more interesting to watch than a lot of scientist-on-politician action. Part of it is just his manner -- lazily slumped over a chair, smirkingly saying that our planet used to have four times as much CO2, and that things were "prosperous" then. Of course, as Laumer points out... Somehow it always comes back to this: "Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who heads the committee, said after Happer's testimony that he is affiliated with an institute that received hundreds of thousands of dollars from ExxonMobil over the past decade." With that in mind, check out this video. Especially interesting is when Boxer points out that "a lot has changed" in 80 million years, which is actually a rebuttal of something Dr. Happer has said. More on Environment
 
Citigroup, Gov Reach Deal For Up To 36% Stake Top
NEW YORK — The U.S. government will exchange up to $25 billion in emergency bailout money it provided Citigroup Inc. for as much as a 36 percent equity stake in the struggling bank. The deal announced Friday _ the third attempt at a rescue plan for Citigroup in the past five months _ is contingent on private investors also agreeing to a similar swap. The aim is to keep the New York bank holding company alive and bolster its capital as it faces growing losses amid the intensifying global recession. Existing shareholders would see their ownership stake shrink to as litte as 26 percent and the bank said it is eliminating all dividends on common shares. Investors appeared disappointed in the deal and expected dilution of their stake, sending shares plummeting 94 cents, or 32.8 percent, to $1.56 in premarket trading. The news also dragged down stock futures ahead of Friday's market opening. Underscoring its precarious nature, the company also disclosed that it recorded a goodwill impairment charge of about $9.6 billion due to deterioration in the financial markets. The Treasury Department, which has provided a total of $45 billion to Citi, said the transaction requires no new federal funds. But it left the door open for Citigroup to seek additional government funding or for the conversion to common shares of the remaining $20 billion in federal bailout money it received late last year. The government currently holds about an 8 percent stake in Citi. For now, that $20 billion in government funding will be converted into a new class of preferred shares that will be senior to other bank debt and it will continue to pay a yearly 8 percent cash dividend. As part of the deal, the payout for all other preferred shares will be suspended. Citi will offer to exchange up to $27.5 billion of its existing preferred stock held by private investors at a conversion price of $3.25 per share. That's a 32 percent premium over Thursday's closing price of $2.46. The Government of Singapore Investment Corp., Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Capital Research Global Investors and Capital World Investors are among the private investors that said they would participate in the exchange. The conversion will help provide Citi the mix of capital to withstand further weakening in the economy. The stock-conversion option was laid out by the Obama administration earlier this week as an option for providing relief to banks. It gives the government greater flexibility in dealing with ailing banks. It also gives the government voting shares, and therefore more say in a bank's operations. But common shares absorb losses before preferred shares do, which means taxpayers would be on the hook if banks keep writing down billions of dollars' worth of rotten assets, such as dodgy mortgages, as many analysts expect they will. On the other hand, common stock in banks is incredibly cheap, and taxpayers would reap gains if the banks come back to health and the stock price goes up. In Washington, the Treasury Department confirmed the deal. "Treasury will receive the most favorable terms and price offered to any other preferred shareholder through this exchange," the department said in a statement. One of the hardest hit banks by the ongoing credit crisis, Citi has also received guarantees from the government that protecting it from the bulk of losses on $300 billion of risky investments. Citi has been especially hit hard by investments in the mortgage market, which began to collapse in 2007. The deal comes as Citi is in the process of shedding assets and cutting staff as it looks to reduce costs and streamline operations ahead of splitting its traditional banking businesses from its riskier operations. Last month, Citi reached a deal to sell a majority stake in its Smith Barney brokerage unit to Morgan Stanley. Citi will also reshape its board of directors, Richard Parsons, the bank's chairman, said in a statement Friday. The board, which currently has 15 members, will have a majority of new independent directors as soon as possible, Parsons added. Three board members in recent weeks have already said they would not seek re-election as the company's annual shareholders meeting in April. Two others will reach the mandatory retirement age by the time of the meeting. Earlier this month, Roberto Hernandez Ramirez said he would not stay on beyond his current term. Last month, Robert Rubin, a former Treasury Secretary who was a longtime Citigroup board member, and Win Bischoff, most recently chairman at Citigroup, both announced their retirement from the company. The goodwill charge announced Friday was added to Citi's 2008 results along with a $374 million impairment charge tied to its Nikko Asset Management unit. The charges resulted in Citi revising its 2008 loss to $27.7 billion, or $5.59 per share. _____ AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger in Washington contributed to this report. More on Timothy Geithner
 

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