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San Francisco Man In Massive "Wife Swap" Fallout (VIDEO) Top
(SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS) SAN FRANCISCO - It's safe to say Stephen Fowler probably wishes he never appeared on "Wife Swap." Fowler's stint on the ABC reality show last month, in which he called a rural Missouri woman spending two weeks in his San Francisco home stupid and simple, has made him famous in the worst way. His performance has inspired a Web site, StephenFowlerSucks.com, a Facebook group, "I Can not Stand Stephen Fowler from `Wife Swap,'" and public condemnation by his own wife, who on her blog urged him to get professional help. What has generated such wrath is Fowler's condescending treatment of Gayla Long, a mother of four from rural Missouri whose family likes fast food and paintball. In wince-producing remarks, Fowler, who is British, wrote off middle America with such pronouncements as "Your two languages seem to be bad English and redneck." Three weeks later, Fowler's "Wife Swap" antics are still a YouTube sensation, with at least 10 postings from the show's Jan. 30 episode displayed on the Web site, most with headings such as "ridiculous elitist" and "elitists gone wild." Last week, Yahoo posted a clip of the show on its site under the heading "Husbands Behaving Badly." Each new posting or story generates thousands of views and hundreds of galled comments. Fowler, an environmental entrepreneur who develops biofuels, apologized in a statement posted on his wife's blog for behaving "like a complete jerk" and said he has resigned from the boards of two nonprofit corporations for reflecting badly on the organizations. Some news outlets have reported that Fowler says he has received death threats. Neither Fowler nor his wife, Renee Stephens, could be reached to confirm the reports. "Wife Swap" is a social experiment of sorts in which wives from two very different families exchange lives for two weeks. Stephens, a self-described life coach and "destination coach" (who says her goal is "to eradicate weight struggles from the planet") joined Long's husband, Alan, the mayor of a town of 55 residents in Missouri. Fowler, wearing T-shirts that say "Go Solar," "Tree Hugger" and "Sustainability," hosted Gayla Long with his young son and daughter. At one point, as Long read a list of rules for the Fowler family, Fowler told her, "I didn't know you could read." When Long challenged Fowler for acting like he was better than her, he responded: "I probably make more in a week than you make in a year." At the end of the visit, he said, "God, that woman is the most stupid woman I've ever met in my life." Friends quoted anonymously in the San Francisco Chronicle said Fowler told them he was instructed to ham it up by "Wife Swap's" producers. His performance evoked a stereotype of the San Francisco elitist liberal -- the tree-hugging do-gooder who acts morally superior while putting down others. The Fowlers, who live in a large Victorian house in the affluent enclave of Noe Valley, work from home, but a neighbor said he had not seen them in a few days. The backlash against Fowler appears to have hit his wife as well. On Friday, her blog, on personallifemedia.com, was defaced by a strip of bacon -- an apparent reference to her boast on "Wife Swap" that her family only eats the finest organic, healthy food money can buy. ****** HIGHLIGHTS: HIGHLIGHTS PART 2 More on Video On HuffPost
 
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"Dark Knight" Breaks $1 Billion Top
"The Dark Knight" has become the fourth film to take in more than $1 billion in worldwide box office. Warner Bros. made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying that the combined domestic and international gross had totaled $1,001,082,160 to date -- about $533 million domestically and $567 million overseas. More on Heath Ledger
 
Conan's Final "Late Night" Episode: Will Ferrell, Classic Skits, Andy Richter, Tribute To Staff (VIDEO) Top
"Late Night" with Conan O'Brien aired its final episode Friday night, ending its run in New York after 2,725 shows. Conan will be moving to Los Anges to over Leno's "Tonight Show" slot, starting in June. Conan had been counting down to the moment all week by taking apart his stage piece by piece and giving it to fans, as well as airing many of the show's best moments. The final episode said goodbye with an appearance from Will Ferrell as George Bush, a satirical song from John Mayer, a visit from former sidekick Andy Richter and music from the White Stripes. But perhaps the best moment was the end, when a clearly emotional O'Brien put aside all pretense to humor and offered thanks to all those who worked with him, and inspired him, over the years. Speaking of TV producer Lorne Micheals, who gave him his job, Conan said: "Lorne Michaels single-handedly made my career in television. "I don't know what I did. I think I must have saved his life at one time. He certainly saved mine." Watch highlights from the episode below. More details about the show from the AP . Watch more classic moments here . HIGHLIGHTS: Will Ferrell, Conan's favorite skit, classic Andy Richter skit, Conan's promise for his new show, his tribute to his staff. Will Ferrell appears (and strips) Conan introduced this as his favorite "Late Night" segment A classic skit in which Conan takes Andy to a 'NBC Turkish spa' Conan promises he won't grow up when he moves to his new time slot. Conan's moving tribute to his staff, as well as to Leno and Letterman. More on Video On HuffPost
 
Hale "Bonddad" Stewart: Overall The Economy Is Terrible Top
A few days ago the Fed released the minutes of its latest meeting. I love these types of reports because they show us what the Federal Reserve is seeing. Therefore, it gives us an idea for what they are thinking. These reports also provide a great overview of the current economy. Employment continued to contract. Private nonfarm payrolls fell sharply in December, with substantial losses over a wide range of industries. Indicators of job vacancies and hiring declined further, and layoffs continued to mount. The unemployment rate increased to 7.2 percent in December, the share of individuals working part time for economic reasons surged, and the labor force participation rate edged down for a second consecutive month. Above is a chart of the year over year percentage change in total payrolls. Notice the latest percent change is now lower than the 1990s and 2001 recession. We're in 1982 territory -- a particularly nasty recession. I wrote a longer article on the jobs market after the latest BLS report which has a longer list of data points. In December, industrial production posted a sharp decline after falling substantially in November; the contraction was broad-based. The decrease in production of consumer goods reflected cutbacks in motor vehicle assemblies as well as in the output of consumer durable goods such as appliances, furniture, and carpeting. Output in high-tech sectors contracted in the fourth quarter, reflecting reduced production of semiconductors, communications equipment, and computers. The production of aircraft and parts recorded an increase in December after being held down in the autumn by a strike and by problems with some outsourced components. Available forward-looking indicators pointed to a further contraction in manufacturing output in coming months. Capacity utilization -- the amount of our industrial capabilities that we use -- is near the lows of the 1982 recession. Also note it Durable manufacturing is falling off a cliff as well. It's rate of decline is that of the mid-1970s contraction. The rate of decline of non-durable manufacturing is also are mid-1970s levels. Real consumer spending appeared to decline sharply again in the fourth quarter, likely reflecting the combined effects of decreases in house and equity prices, a weakening labor market, and tight credit conditions. Real spending on goods excluding motor vehicles was estimated to have fallen noticeably in December, more than reversing an increase in November. Outlays on motor vehicles edged down in November and December following a sharper decline in October. Early indicators of spending in January pointed to continued soft demand. Readings on consumer sentiment remained at very low levels by historical standards through the end of 2008 and showed little improvement in early January. Real (inflation-adjusted) expenditures are near record lows for the year over year percentage change as well. This figure includes retail sales, which are also abysmal Single-family housing starts dropped at a much faster rate in those months than they had in the first 10 months of the year. Multifamily starts also fell in those months, as did permit issuance for both categories. Housing demand remained very weak and, although the stock of unsold new single-family homes continued to move down in November, inventories of unsold homes remained elevated relative to the pace of sales. Sales of existing single-family homes dropped less than sales of new homes in November and turned up in December, but the relative strength in sales of existing homes appeared to be at least partly attributable to increases in foreclosure-related and other distressed sales. Although the interest rate on conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgages declined markedly over the intermeeting period, the Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices that was conducted in January indicated that banks had tightened lending standards on prime mortgage loans over the preceding three months. The market for nonconforming loans remained severely impaired. Several indexes indicated that house prices continued to decline rapidly. Let's start with existing homes (thanks to Calculated Risk for all the image) While it looked as though existing home sales had evened out they dropped again month before last and ticked up last month. We'll have to wait and see if this is the start of a new downward trend or just a statistical blip. Existing home sales inventory dropped in December, but this is typical. Sellers take their homes off the market only to put them back on in the first quarter of the next year. The months of inventory at the current sales dropped as well, but again, inventory typically drops in December so this number will probably increase again in the next few months. Either way, this rate is still incredibly high. New home sales have been falling off a cliff for several years and will probably continue to do so. New homes available for sale have been dropping for some time, which is good. The problem is sales have also been dropping meaning The months of inventory available for sale at the current pace has been increasing for some time. In other words, it's still going to take us awhile to work off the inventory of both new and existing homes. As a result of all this Home prices have been dropping and will continue to drop for the foreseeable future. In the business sector, investment in equipment and software appeared to contract noticeably in the fourth quarter, with decreases registered in all major spending categories. In December, business purchases of autos and trucks moved down. Spending on high-tech capital goods appeared to decline in the fourth quarter. Orders and shipments for many types of equipment declined in October and November, and imports of capital goods dropped back in those months. Forward-looking indicators of investment in equipment and software pointed to likely further declines. Construction spending related to petroleum refining and power generation and distribution continued to increase briskly in the second half of 2008, responding to the surge in energy prices in the first half of that year, but real investment for many types of buildings stagnated or declined. Vacancy rates for office, retail, and industrial properties continued to move up in the fourth quarter, and the results of the January Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey indicated that financing for new projects had become even more difficult to acquire. Net investment has decreased in 8 o the last 11 quarters. In addition, note that investment barely increased in one of those quarters. Here's the bottom line: it's terrible out there. More on Economy
 
Will Ferrell's Play Recoups Investment, Breaks Records Top
Will Ferrell's "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush" has recouped its original investment of $2.09 million, one of the show's producers, Jeffrey Richards, said. Last week "You're Welcome America" broke the house record at the Cort Theater, taking in $846,507.05 for the seven days ending Feb. 15.
 
James Gandolfini Preps For Broadway Debut Top
James Gandolfini had people praying for their lives on a regular basis as mobster Tony Soprano. But to land a role in Broadway's "God of Carnage," which begins previews Saturday, the three-time Emmy winner was the one doing the begging after seeing the play last year in London.
 
AP: Even Military Split Over Iraq Pullout Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama faces split opinions within the military on whether to make the speedy withdrawal from Iraq he championed on the campaign trail. Obama's top generals in Baghdad are pressing for an elongated timetable, while some influential senior advisers inside the Pentagon are more amenable to a quicker pullout. Although Obama has yet to decide the matter, his announcement last week that he's sending thousands more combat troops to Afghanistan implies a drawdown of at least two brigades from Iraq by summer. But that does not answer the question that has been dangling over Iraq since he took office in January: Will Obama stick to his stated goal of a 16-month pullout or opt for a slower, less risky approach? Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commander in Baghdad, favors a longer timetable for leaving Iraq. He sees 2009 as a pivotal year, with parliamentary elections set to be held in December; he doesn't want to lose more than two of the 14 combat brigades that are now in Iraq before the end of the year. And he believes the U.S. military will need to remain engaged in Iraq, to some degree, for years to come. Odierno's boss at U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, leans toward Odierno's view. Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has steered clear of the debate over withdrawing from Iraq, but he sees his battlefield as an increasingly urgent priority _ not just for additional combat troops but also for Iraq-focused surveillance aircraft and more civilian support. There are now about 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, compared with 38,000 in Afghanistan. Obama has directed 17,000 more to head to Afghanistan, including Marines and soldiers who had been in line for Iraq duty. At the Pentagon, a more mixed view prevails. The uniformed service chiefs see Iraq as a strain on their troops and, more broadly, a drain on their resources. The Marines, in particular, are in the tough position of having a foothold in both major U.S. wars _ Iraq and Afghanistan. As a relatively small service, they would prefer to concentrate more fully on Afghanistan, if only they could get out of Iraq. Neither Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said publicly whether he supports a 16-month withdrawal timeline. But they have their own perspective _ an obligation to consider the full spectrum of threats and potential threats to U.S. national security. "There's a very clear understanding of what is at stake here," Mullen said Feb. 10. "And it's very natural for Gen. Odierno to want to go slower and to hang onto capability as long as possible," he added. "That's not unusual. It's very natural for Gen. McKiernan to say, 'I need more.' And so that's the tension. We don't have an infinite pot (of resources and deployable forces). We have to make hard decisions about where to accept risk." In internal discussions, the emphasis appears to be on getting out responsibly rather than quickly, several officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made. Obama must weigh an array of hard-to-figure tradeoffs in security and politics. And he must reconcile his conviction that the combat phase of U.S. involvement in Iraq must end with his commanders' concern in Baghdad that hard-fought gains could be squandered. It boils down to this: How much more effort is the Iraq war worth? What is the risk of leaving too soon? Is the 16-month timetable too short, given the uncertain state of stability and political reconciliation in Iraq and the potential cost of seeing the country slide back into widespread sectarian war? And is anything substantially beyond 16 months too long, given the call for still more troops in Afghanistan, where Obama himself has said the battle against extremists is going in the wrong direction? Obama is still considering his options, which officials say includes a less hurried, 23-month withdrawal. The deadline he inherited from the Bush administration is Dec. 31, 2011, the date set in a security agreement with Baghdad that says all U.S. troops, not just combat forces, must be gone by then. One clue to some of the thinking inside the White House might lie with the views of Obama's national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. James Jones. Jones co-chaired a study published in January 2008 on the way ahead in Afghanistan. The group endorsed the idea of providing more military support for Afghanistan, including resources that become available as combat forces are withdrawn from Iraq. The president has an additional factor to weigh: the political cost of backing off the 16-month pullout timetable that was a prominent feature of his campaign. Although he has said he thinks 16 months is a reasonable timetable, he also has assured military leaders that he will consider their advice. Notably absent, at least so far, is even a whiff of public pressure from fellow Democrats to stick to a 16-month timeline. That suggests Obama's party might be satisfied so long as he makes early and clear steps in the direction of ending U.S. combat involvement in Iraq, even if on a somewhat longer timeline. Obama campaigned for the White House on a promise that he would end the war and get U.S. commanders moving immediately on a transition to Iraqi control of their own security. He said military experts believe combat troops can be pulled out safely at a rate of one to two brigades a month, meaning all 14 combat brigades there now could be gone within 16 months, which equates to mid-2010. Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who was the executive officer for Petraeus when the general was in Baghdad overseeing the "surge" of U.S. forces in 2007-08, said he thinks it likely that Obama will pull at least four combat brigades out of Iraq by the end of this year. But he hopes the president does not insist on getting all 14 brigades out within 16 months. "If the president orders it, the military can do it, but whether it's advisable or not is a different story," he said in a telephone interview. "Quite frankly, I don't think it is, given the risk you would incur to potentially upsetting the political situation" inside Iraq. ___ EDITOR'S NOTE _ Robert Burns has been covering national security affairs for the AP since 1990. Associated Press writers Robert Reid, Jennifer Loven, Pam Hess and Lara Jakes contributed to this report. More on War Wire
 
Obama: Tax Cuts Will Be Felt By April 1 (VIDEO) Top
WASHINGTON — The notoriously slow Congress passed the $787 billion economic stimulus package in a matter of weeks. President Barack Obama signed it into law less than one month into his presidency. So, just how soon will Americans start reaping the benefits of tax cuts in it? By April 1, according to the president. "Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. He said the Treasury Department has begun directing employers to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from people's paychecks in accordance with the new law, and that in six weeks, a typical family will start taking home at least $65 more every month. Obama says his signature "Making Work Pay" tax break will affect 95 percent of working families. WATCH WEEKLY ADDRESS The $400 credit for individuals is to be doled out through the rest of the year. Couples are slated to get up to $800. Most workers are to see about a $13 per week increase in their take-home pay. In 2010, the credit would be about $7.70 a week, if it is spread over the entire year. People who do not earn enough money to owe income taxes are eligible for the credit, an attempt to offset the payroll taxes they pay. Obama's expensive and ambitious package of federal spending and tax cuts is designed to revive the economy and save or create 3.5 million or more jobs. It will inject a sudden boost of cash into transportation, education, energy and health care, while aiming to help recession victims through tax cuts, extended unemployment benefits and short-term health insurance assistance. It also will add to a rapidly growing national debt. The president signed the measure into law Tuesday. In his weekly address, Obama said he was grateful to Congress, governors, mayors and everyday people who supported the measure. Still, he added: "It is only a first step on the road to economic recovery. And we cannot fail to complete the journey." He said the country also must stem foreclosures, repair the banking system, get credit flowing again and revamp financial industry regulations. And, even as he promoted the record-breaking spending plan, he called for doing what's necessary to control "exploding" deficits as the economy begins to improve. Obama is holding a bipartisan "fiscal responsibility summit" at the White House on Monday to talk about ways to control the trillion-dollar budget deficit. The next day, he is to address a joint session of Congress, a speech expected to focus heavily on the economy. On Thursday, Obama will send a budget request to Congress "that's sober in its assessments, honest in its accounting, and lays out in detail my strategy for investing in what we need, cutting what we don't and restoring fiscal discipline." Republicans are certain to hold him to that. In the GOP's weekly address, Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said his party wants to work with Obama to solve the country's economic problems "in a responsible way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt." "We can't borrow and spend our way back to prosperity," Camp said. "If he is serious about dealing with the tough issues and getting spending under control, his budget will show it." ___ On the Net: http://www.whitehouse.gov More on Video On HuffPost
 
Chandra Levy Case: Arrest Close In Slaying Top
WASHINGTON — An arrest may be near in the nearly decade-old slaying of federal intern Chandra Levy, whose disappearance in 2001 ended Gary Condit's congressional career, several television stations reported. The California Democrat was romantically linked to Levy, but was not considered a suspect in her death or disappearance. Television stations, KFSN and KCRA in California and WRC in Washington, D.C., reported that police were seeking an arrest warrant. Levy's parents said Friday outside their Modesto, Calif., home that police called them and told them an arrest was near. "Your child is dead and gone and it's painful, but we're glad that the police and people are doing something, and investigating, and making a difference so somebody's not on the street to do it again," Chandra's mother, Susan Levy, told KGO-TV in San Francisco. The parents did not say when an arrest warrant might be issued. The 24-year-old Levy disappeared in May 2001 and at the time, she was wearing jogging clothes when she left her apartment. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park in Washington about a year later. Authorities questioned the married Condit in her disappearance. He reportedly told police that he and Levy were having an affair, and while he was not considered a suspect, the negative publicity was cited as the main cause of the Condit's re-election defeat in 2002. Investigators also interviewed Ingmar Guandique, 27, a Salvadoran immigrant who has denied any involvement in Levy's disappearance and killing. Guandique was convicted of attacking two women in Rock Creek Park shortly after Levy disappeared and is serving 10 years at a federal prison in California. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier would not comment Saturday on the imminent arrest reports. After Condit did not get re-elected, he sued several media outlets that had connected him to the disappearance and death of Levy. He reached an undisclosed settlement with three tabloid newspapers.
 
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"Slumdog Millionaire" Composer In Oscar Spotlight Top
A. R. Rahman knows how big a deal it would be if he wins an Oscar on Sunday. One of the most prolific and successful film composers in India, he has three nominations, all for "Slumdog Millionaire": best original score and best original song, for both "Jai Ho" and "O ... Saya," a collaboration with the Sri Lankan-British rapper M.I.A. (The film, by Danny Boyle, has 10 nominations, and last month Mr. Rahman won a Golden Globe for best score.) "It would be a great honor," Mr. Rahman said with characteristic diffidence in a phone interview this week from Los Angeles, where he was preparing to perform at the ceremony. "It would help me to do bigger things." More on The Oscars
 
Stephen Foster: San Francisco Man Faces Fallout From Behavior On "Wife Swap" Top
SAN FRANCISCO — It's safe to say Stephen Fowler probably wishes he never appeared on "Wife Swap." Fowler's stint on the ABC reality show last month, in which he called a rural Missouri woman spending two weeks in his San Francisco home stupid and simple, has made him famous in the worst way. His performance has inspired a Web site, StephenFowlerSucks.com, a Facebook group, "I Can not Stand Stephen Fowler from `Wife Swap,'" and public condemnation by his own wife, who on her blog urged him to get professional help. What has generated such wrath is Fowler's condescending treatment of Gayla Long, a mother of four from rural Missouri whose family likes fast food and paintball. In wince-producing remarks, Fowler, who is British, wrote off middle America with such pronouncements as "Your two languages seem to be bad English and redneck." Three weeks later, Fowler's "Wife Swap" antics are still a YouTube sensation, with at least 10 postings from the show's Jan. 30 episode displayed on the Web site, most with headings such as "ridiculous elitist" and "elitists gone wild." Last week, Yahoo posted a clip of the show on its site under the heading "Husbands Behaving Badly." Each new posting or story generates thousands of views and hundreds of galled comments. Fowler, an environmental entrepreneur who develops biofuels, apologized in a statement posted on his wife's blog for behaving "like a complete jerk" and said he has resigned from the boards of two nonprofit corporations for reflecting badly on the organizations. Some news outlets have reported that Fowler says he has received death threats. Neither Fowler nor his wife, Renee Stephens, could be reached to confirm the reports. "Wife Swap" is a social experiment of sorts in which wives from two very different families exchange lives for two weeks. Stephens, a self-described life coach and "destination coach" (who says her goal is "to eradicate weight struggles from the planet") joined Long's husband, Alan, the mayor of a town of 55 residents in Missouri. Fowler, wearing T-shirts that say "Go Solar," "Tree Hugger" and "Sustainability," hosted Gayla Long with his young son and daughter. At one point, as Long read a list of rules for the Fowler family, Fowler told her, "I didn't know you could read." When Long challenged Fowler for acting like he was better than her, he responded: "I probably make more in a week than you make in a year." At the end of the visit, he said, "God, that woman is the most stupid woman I've ever met in my life." Friends quoted anonymously in the San Francisco Chronicle said Fowler told them he was instructed to ham it up by "Wife Swap's" producers. His performance evoked a stereotype of the San Francisco elitist liberal _ the tree-hugging do-gooder who acts morally superior while putting down others. The Fowlers, who live in a large Victorian house in the affluent enclave of Noe Valley, work from home, but a neighbor said he had not seen them in a few days. The backlash against Fowler appears to have hit his wife as well. On Friday, her blog, on personallifemedia.com, was defaced by a strip of bacon _ an apparent reference to her boast on "Wife Swap" that her family only eats the finest organic, healthy food money can buy.
 

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