Saturday, February 7, 2009

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Obama Continues Stimulus Push Top
WASHINGTON — With the Senate moving toward a tenuous compromise on the White House's economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama hammered at the urgent need to pass a bill that will jump-start the struggling economy and put people back to work. "Americans across this country are struggling, and they are watching to see if we're equal to the task before us. Let's show them that we are. And let's do whatever it takes to keep the promise of America alive in our time," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. Obama made an aggressive push for House and Senate lawmakers to work quickly to resolve their differences in an economic bill whose pricetag has swung from $720 billion upward toward a trillion dollars. The new president had hoped to sign economic legislation on his first day in office, but instead has spent his first three weeks in office wrangling with a reluctant Congress _ including fellow Democrats _ to heed his leadership. Obama inched closer to a completed economic bill, as lawmakers sought to put their own stamp on the legislation. The House _ without a single Republican vote _ passed an $819 billion bill that gave many moderates pause for its size and scope. Senate leaders went to work paring down that bill, working late into Friday to produce a $780 billion version. A vote on the measure could come as soon as Monday. Most Republicans still looked at the bill skeptically, with only two publicly signing onto the proposal. Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican opponent in last November's election, mocked the bill and said lawmakers could call it many things, "but 'bipartisan' is not one of them." Obama and his advisers have grown more assertive in recent days, reminding Democrats that voters gave them the White House, the House and the Senate to bring change, not partisan gamesmanship. "In the midst of our greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the American people were hoping that Congress would begin to confront the great challenges we face," Obama said in the address, released before he made his first trip to Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains. "That was, after all, what last November's election was all about." Republicans characterized Obama's rhetoric as arrogant. "Democrats have controlled both branches of government for less than a month. And you have to wonder if all that power has gone to their heads," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said in the GOP's weekly address. "For the last two weeks, they've been trying to force a massive spending bill through Congress under the guise of economic relief." The economic bill is the first legislative test of his presidency, one his top aides have worked to turn into a victory. But Obama has found it increasingly difficult to manage the liberal wing of his party, which wanted more money directed to infrastructure, governors who wanted more money allocated to help patch their thin budgets and moderate members of his own party. He also sought to bring Republicans into the mix, pledging to listen to them, praising the late-Friday negotiations. Obama said that "by the evening, Democrats and Republicans came together in the Senate and responded appropriately to the urgency this moment demands." GOP leaders, however, said the rhetoric didn't match what was written. "Republicans stand ready to work with reasonable Democrats to do what is right for America," Steele said in his first address as chairman of his party. "But it will take more than bipartisan words from the president. It will require fair-minded action from Democrats in Congress." Republicans have pushed for the bill to include more tax cuts and less spending. The Senate's top Republican took the floor of the Senate to oppose the measure. "Now, if most Republicans were convinced that this would work, there might be a greater willingness to support it," Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said. "But all the historical evidence suggests that it's highly unlikely to work. And so, you have to balance the likelihood of success versus the crushing debt that we're levying on the backs of our children, our grandchildren, and, yes, their children." Obama acknowledged the bill was far from perfect but said it would be too dangerous to leave it lifeless on the table. "Legislation of such magnitude deserves the scrutiny that it's received over the last month, and it will receive more in the days to come," Obama said. "But we can't afford to make perfect the enemy of the absolutely necessary. The scale and scope of this plan is right. And the time for action is now." ___ On the Net: Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov Steele: http://www.youtube.com/rnc
 
Shepard Fairey Arrested In Boston Top
Shepard Fairey, the controversial street artist riding a roller coaster of publicity with his red, white, and blue posters of President Barack Obama, was arrested last night on his way to DJ an event kicking off his exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Fairey, a 38-year-old known for his countercultural style, was arrested on two outstanding warrants and was being held at a police station, according to a police official with knowledge of the arrest who requested anonymity.
 
Chrysler Chief Could Be First Test Case Of CEO Pay Limits Top
The first test case of the Obama administration's tougher executive compensation standards may very well be the man who a few years ago was a symbol of corporate excess: Robert L. Nardelli. In 2007, Nardelli was ousted as chief executive of Home Depot after a series of strategic moves failed to boost the firm's stock price. Much to the outrage of shareholders and lawmakers, the company pushed Robert Nardelli out the door with a $210 million golden parachute.
 
Biden: Time To Repair Relations With Russia Top
MUNICH, Germany — Vice President Joe Biden says it's time to repair the rift in relations between the U.S. and Russia. Biden told a gathering of world leaders here that NATO and Russia should cooperate to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaida. But he warns that the U.S. will continue to have differences with Moscow, including opposition to its efforts to carve out independent states in Georgia. Biden's comments come just days after Kyrgyzstan (KEER'-gih-stan) announced it will shut down American access to the Manas air base, which the U.S. uses to resupply troops in Afghanistan. The decision came when Kyrgyzstan's president was visiting Moscow, hours after securing more than $2 billion in loans and aid from Russia. More on Russia
 
Julia Moulden: Save The Girls, Save The Economy Top
The video begins with a provocative statement. "The world is a mess." And asks the viewer to agree or disagree. How would you respond? ( Watch video .) Well, the word out of the World Economic Forum in Davos is a definitive "agree". And an interesting trio is suggesting that investing in girls in developing countries is a sure-fire way to make sure they don't become victims of the global financial meltdown. In fact, with our help, they will be able to lead the way into the future. Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation, and UNICEF's executive director Ann Vaneman believe that investing in girls and women will help them transform their families, their villages, and, ultimately, their countries. It all begins with providing girls with education and economic opportunities so that they can avoid, for instance, becoming commodities in the sex trade. There's more about what these organizations are doing at The Girl Effect . Of course, it's not just world-famous people who are making a difference in the lives of girls and women in Africa. In 1980 or so, I read about female genital mutilation, or excision, a practice common in many African countries. I was horrified, and mentioned it to my anthropology professor, eager to discuss why it was encouraged, and what might be done about it. He dismissed it as nonsense, "That doesn't happen." Today, we know otherwise. And each year, more people are trying to eliminate the practice. A documentary on CBC Radio last Sunday afternoon told the story of women in the Dogon Hills of Mali who are defying centuries of tradition by saying "No!" to excision. One is Madame Fifi, who rides around Mali on a motorcycle, educating women about the dangers of the procedure, which more than 85% of the girls in her country endure (and it's being done on younger and younger girls as the older girls begin to resist). The other is a doctor who once treated the survivors of excision - yes, there are all kinds of physical complications, including infection, massive bleeding, and difficulty giving birth years later. Today, Dr. Joséphine Traoré-Keita is the director of the Malian government's anti-excision agency. To listen to David Gutnick's report, visit the Sunday Edition site , and choose the February 1, 2009 program. To read David's in-depth article, click here . Clearly, New Radicals - ordinary men and women like us who are putting the skills we acquired in our careers to work on the world's greatest challenges - are cropping up everywhere. Sometimes when I'm delivering a speech about the New Radicals (for more, please see archived articles ), I pose a question to the audience that's not unlike the one asked at the beginning of the 'girl effect' video, "Do you think the world is getting better or worse?" Most often, the response is mixed. Once in a while, more hands go up for "better", particularly when I'm speaking to educators. As one teacher put it last year when I remarked on the difference, "We're graduating the future." New Radicals believe that things may be bad, but it's not hopeless, and that each of us can make a difference. So, can investing in girls in developing countries save their lives and the economy, too? Please share your thoughts by commenting below, or emailing me at julia@wearethenewradicals.com . • In a related story, have you heard about playwright Eve Ensler's extraordinary efforts to bring the world's attention to the issue of violence against women in the Congo and around the world? Visit her site to learn more, and see if the woman best known for her play, The Vagina Monologues, is going to be in your town as she tours North America with Dr. Denis Mukwege. More on Davos
 
RNC Chair Steele Faces Questions Over Campaign Spending Top
Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors. Federal agents in recent days contacted Steele's sister, a spokesman for Steele said yesterday.
 
Tara Stiles: Yoga For Rod Blagojevich (VIDEO) Top
There is a term in used in yoga teachings, originating from Buddhism, called Monkey Mind. When a person jumps from thought to thought like a monkey jumps from tree to tree they have monkey mind. According to Zen Buddhist tradition, the untrained mind is like a cluttered room filled with wild screaming monkeys running loose in your head. If you feel unsettled, restless, inconstant, confused, indecisive, or uncontrollable, that's monkey mind. Rod Blagojevich, the former Governor of Illinois is a poster child for monkey mind. It seems he is a match for his astrology. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 10, 1956 sits Rod not only in the year but the month of the monkey too! Chinese astrology says a double monkey wants to wheel and deal. Monkeys tend to be accident prone due to a lack of high morals. They create a world of their own device and will address nothing outside that. Nothing but his world is the real world. The monkey wants to control. It wants life to go his way. Chinese astrology says this year is a good time for Rod to travel but wealth is running out. Rod's Chinese element is fire. A fire monkey, that pretty much says it all. 10 facts about Monkey Mind and Blago 1. If you're running around doing interviews on The View, The Tonight Show, and my personal favorite, The Rachel Maddow show, and you don't have anything groundbreaking to say, or a book coming out, you have monkey mind. 2. Gum chewing is an ally of monkey mind. 3. If you say you are the Anti-Nixon for more than one interview you have monkey mind. 4. If you cut off Rachel Maddow because you like the sound of your own voice and are busy incriminating yourself, you have monkey mind. 5. Monkey mind can be cured with a regular meditation practice. Watch the video for Blago's routine. 6. If you are doing everything else besides focusing on your upcoming trial, you have monkey mind. 7. If Dave Letterman says, "I would not give this guy's trouble to a monkey on a rock," about you, you probably have monkey mind. 8. If you're thinking about playing yourself in the TV movie version of your life that hasn't been thought up by anyone but you, you probably have monkey mind. 9. We all have monkey mind sometimes. 10. Monkey mind may be falsely diagnosed as OCD or AD/HD. A restless mind can be calmed with meditation. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Penis Photo Causes Walkouts At Will Ferrell's Bush Broadway Show Top
So far six audience members have stormed out midperformance of the Broadway show "You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush," the comedian Will Ferrell's lampooning of the 43rd president, according to those keeping count at the Cort Theater. But they haven't been leaving after a particular Ferrell quip. They've been standing up, instead, after the projection of a supersize photo on the backdrop of the stage. A photo of a penis. Specifically, as Mr. Ferrell (who plays President Bush) leads the audience to believe, the president's penis. Except that's not quite right. "It's an anonymous but age-appropriate public domain Internet penis," said Adam McKay, the play's director. "We went on the Web and got a penis."
 
Madonna And Gwyneth's Trainer Opens $900/Month NYC Gym Top
THIS is the woman responsible for Madonna's arms. Tracy Anderson pulls down on resistant elastic bands strung across the ceiling; dances around the room; endlessly circles her arms. She moves her torso back and forth and sideways to strengthen the abdominals, and then lies on her -- of course -- taut belly for a series of butt-toning leg lifts. To spend an hour working out with Ms. Anderson, with an iPod blasting and the heat cranked up, is to get a taste of what it's like to prepare for a grueling concert tour, striving for that sinewy muscle tone. Or so you can tell yourself. Maybe this is how it feels to sweat like Gwyneth Paltrow, bopping around your blond-wood home gym in the Hamptons, losing the pregnancy pounds with Ms. Anderson's mat exercises and dance routines. "You really are how you move," Ms. Anderson said. More on Gwyneth Paltrow
 
Kids' Jackets From Gwen Stefani's Line Recalled Top
LOS ANGELES — Love, angel, music, recall? The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling kids' hooded sweat shirts from Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers line. The hoodies, which sell for about $75 at department stores, have a drawstring through the hood that can pose a strangulation hazard, the organization said. The jackets were voluntarily recalled by their Southern California-based distributor this week. No injuries have been reported. An e-mail to Stefani's representative was not immediately returned Friday. ___ On the Net: Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cspc.gov Gwen Stefani: http://www.gwenstefani.com Harajuku Lovers: http://www.harajukulovers.com
 
9-Month Pregnant M.I.A. Plans Sunday Grammy Performance Top
LOS ANGELES — M.I.A.'s planned performance at the Grammys might be more labor intensive than most. The pregnant rapper is nominated for two Grammys, including record of the year for her hit "Paper Planes." She could give birth to her first child at any moment. Yet she has agreed to perform during the Grammy telecast, to be aired live on CBS on Sunday. M.I.A. said she'd been asked to perform with Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne on the Grammy-nominated "Swagga Like Us," which is based on a sample of "Paper Planes." But in a recent interview, she admitted that she worried such a performance "might induce labor. "When I read these books on childbirth they are like, 'If you want to induce labor, try having a game of arm wrestle with your friend.' I am like, 'Oh my God, my option isn't an arm wrestle _ it's like being onstage and with Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and Kanye and T.I.' To me that is really exciting, to be a nine-month pregnant woman," she said. M.I.A. has had a lot of excitement already in the past year. Not only is she due to give birth to her child with fiance Benjamin Bronfman and nominated for Grammy awards, she was nominated for an Oscar for her song "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," which she wrote with A.R. Rahman. "It was literally like day by day, you know somebody is like 'You have been nominated for a Brit (Award), and then it was like 'You are nominated for an Oscar' and it was like ... I was just really confused by it all," she said. Besides dealing with all the awards hoopla, the 31-year-old is working on a new album as well as producing her new artist, Rye Rye. M.I.A. _ who says she doesn't know the sex of her baby but calls it "he" anyway _ said the baby is already a fan of what it's been hearing. "Every time I go for an ultra scan the baby is like in crazy positions with legs star-shaped and stuff. It's not like in a baby position at all," she said. "I feel like he is used to base lines and beats and receptive to that, which is cute." ___ On the Net: http://www.grammy.com http://www.miauk.com/
 
KBR Wins $35M Pentagon Contract Despite Criminal Probe Into Electrocution Deaths Top
WASHINGTON — Defense contractor KBR Inc. has been awarded a $35 million Pentagon contract involving major electrical work, even as it is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The announcement of the new KBR contract came just months after the Pentagon, in strongly worded correspondence obtained by The Associated Press, rejected the company's explanation of serious mistakes in Iraq and its proposed improvements. A senior Pentagon official, David J. Graff, cited the company's "continuing quality deficiencies" and said KBR executives were "not sufficiently in touch with the urgency or realities of what was actually occurring on the ground." "Many within DOD (the Department of Defense) have lost or are losing all remaining confidence in KBR's ability to successfully and repeatedly perform the required electrical support services mission in Iraq," wrote Graff, commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency, in a Sept. 30 letter. Graff rejected the company's claims that it wasn't required to follow U.S. electrical codes for its work on U.S. military facilities in Iraq. KBR has said it would cost an extra $560 million to refurbish buildings in Iraq used by the U.S. military, including Saddam Hussein's palaces, which among other problems are based on a 220-volt standard rather than the American 120-volt standard. KBR announced last week it won a new $35.4 million contract from the Army Corps of Engineers to design and build a convoy support center at Camp Adder in southern Iraq. It will include a power plant, electrical distribution center, water purification and distribution systems, wastewater and information systems and road paving. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the new KBR contract was inappropriate. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he has formally asked the Corps of Engineers whether it was confident KBR could accomplish it and whether the Corps had any alternatives. "This is hardly the time to award KBR a new contract for work they've already failed to perform adequately, and which put U.S. soldiers at even greater risk," Dorgan said in a statement. "Ultimately, contractors must be held accountable, and so should those who continue to award these contracts." A KBR spokeswoman, Heather Browne, said the company was committed to providing quality services and would comply with the military's requirements in its work on the Camp Adder contract. The AP has learned that Army criminal agents have reopened the death investigation of Staff Sgt. Christopher Lee Everett, 23, a member of the Texas Army National Guard. Everett was killed September 2005 in Iraq when the power washer he was using to clean a vehicle short-circuited. KBR and another contractor, Arkel International, performed the electrical work on the device's generator, according to a civil lawsuit filed by Everett's family. "I think it's something that needs to be done so these electrocutions don't continue to happen," Everett's mother, Larraine McGee of Huntsville, Texas, told the AP in a phone interview. "There's no excuse for this whatsoever." McGee said the Army's senior criminal investigator at Fort Hood notified her about the reopened investigation. The AP previously reported that the Army has reclassified another soldier's electrocution death as a negligent homicide caused by KBR and two of its supervisors. Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, a Green Beret from Pittsburgh, was electrocuted in his barracks shower. An Army investigator said KBR's contractor failed to ensure qualified electricians and plumbers did the work. The case is under legal review, and KBR has said it was not responsible for Maseth's death. The deaths of Everett and Maseth are among the 18 under review by the Pentagon's inspector general. Some of the deaths have been blamed on improperly installed or maintained electrical equipment. In three cases, service members were shocked while showering. Families of Maseth and Everett also have sued KBR in federal court for wrongful death; the company is attempting to have the lawsuits dismissed. The Corps of Engineers said KBR has earned $615 million on 30 similar contracts as the newest it awarded to the company and noted that KBR has not been banned or suspended from winning U.S. government contracts. The government can ban companies in cases of fraud, antitrust violations, bribery, tax evasion or for actions that reflect "a lack of business integrity or business honesty," according to federal rules. "KBR has not been debarred, suspended, nor have they been proposed for debarment from government contracting," Corps spokeswoman Joan Kibler said. KBR was previously owned by Halliburton Co., the oil services conglomerate that former Vice President Dick Cheney once led. Democrats have long complained it benefited from ties to Cheney. Separately, court papers filed in Houston on Friday show KBR is preparing to plead guilty to federal bribery charges for promising and paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to officials in Nigeria in exchange for engineering and construction contracts between 1995 and 2004. Browne, the KBR spokeswoman, said the company had no comment. The company is expected to appear in federal court next week as part of a plea deal.
 
Raging wildfires kill at least 14 in Australia Top
SYDNEY — Walls of flame roared across southeastern Australia on Saturday, razing scores of homes along with forests and farmland in the sunburned country's worst wildfire disaster in a quarter century. At least 14 people died and the toll could rise to more than 40, police said. Witnesses described seeing trees exploding and skies raining ash as some of the hottest temperatures on record combined with raging winds to create perfect conditions for uncontrollable blazes. More than 30,000 firefighters were struggling Saturday night to make headway against the largest of about a dozen fires in Victoria state that earlier in the day ripped unchecked across at least 115 square miles (30,000 hectares) of forests, farmland and towns. "The whole township is pretty much on fire," Peter Mitchell, a resident of Kinglake, where six of the 14 confirmed deaths occurred, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio during the inferno. "There was no time to do anything ... it came through in minutes." Victorian Premier John Brumby, whose parents' house was among those saved by firefighters Saturday, said the death toll was expected to rise "considerably." "It's been, I think, the worst day in our history," he said. Temperatures that reached a state record of around 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 Celsius) plummeted late Saturday as a cool front moved through the hard-hit Gippsland region, but along with it came wind changes that pushed the fires in new and unpredictable directions. Forecasters said hot and uncertain weather conditions would continue Sunday, and scores of fires burning in three states suffering through the heat wave could easily flare again. Television pictures showed skies clogged with steel-gray smoke, flames roaring to two-story heights, homes and businesses afire. At least one fire truck was roasted, though the crew escaped injury and went on to rejoin the fight, officials said. In the Gippsland town of Taralgon, resident Lindy McPhee watched in fear as a fire front edged closer to the town until rain began falling late Saturday. "It's raining black soot," McPhee told Sky News television. "We'd been watching the glow for hours." In Wittlesea, another Gippsland town, organizer Sally Tregae said she canceled performances at the town's annual country music festival and sent thousands of visitors out of town to safety. "I saw trees explode in front of me," she said. "It's a horrible thing, and a horrible thing to see. I have friends who have lost houses." Victoria's Country Fire Authority deputy chief Greg Esnouf said the conditions on Saturday were "off the scale" in terms of danger. "We've still got a massive amount of work to do to get these fires under control," Esnouf told Sky. "It's going to take days and days to get them under control." Victoria deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe said 14 people were confirmed dead at four sites, all connected to the same fire in Gippsland, a large farming region dotted by small towns and national parks of old-growth eucalyptus trees. Of those killed, six died in the same vehicle at Kinglake. "This has been an absolute tragedy for this state," Walshe told a news conference. "We believe this figure may only get worse, we are concerned that this figure could even reach up into the 40s." More details would be known Sunday after investigators returned to the fire zone. Police said they believed some of the fires were deliberately lit. In New South Wales state, police detained and questioned a man in connection with a blaze but released him without charge. Earlier Saturday, Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, was shrouded in a pall of smoke from three fires burning north of the city. Crews battled into Saturday night to keep several uncontrolled fires away from homes. In South Australia, the third state in the heat wave's grip, a large fire was close to being contained after hundreds of crews battled it most of Saturday. Wildfires are common during the Australian summer, as rising temperatures bake forest land tinder dry and blustering winds fan embers. Fire conditions have been made worse by a long-running drought in southern Australia _ the worst in a century _ leaving forests extra dry. Some 60,000 fires occur each year, and about half are deliberately lit or suspicious, government research says. Lightning strikes and human activity such as use of machinery near dry brush cause the others. Australia's deadliest fires were in 1983, when blazes killed 75 people and razed more than 3,000 homes in Victoria and South Australia. In 2003, hundreds of houses were destroyed and four people died when a huge blaze tore into the national capital, Canberra. In 2006, nine people died in fires on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.
 
NATO Chief Calls For More European Troops In Afghanistan Top
MUNICH — NATO's top official chastised Germany and France for refusing to commit more troops to Afghanistan, but the two European powers skirted the issue Saturday even while agreeing that Washington should not be left to fight international conflicts alone. Vice President Joe Biden came to the Munich Security Conference amid expectations he would forcefully repeat President Barack Obama's calls for greater European troop deployments in Afghanistan, as Washington prepares to double American troops there to roughly 60,000. But Biden kept his Afghan comments general in an apparent attempt to avoid a heated public dispute among allies. Biden asked only for European "ideas and input" on a joint Afghan strategy "that brings together our civilian and military resources that prevents terrorists a safe haven and that helps Afghans develop the capacity to secure their own future." German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the general concept of more European military backing of the U.S. through NATO, but did not address U.S. calls for additional European deployments in Afghanistan. "International conflicts can no longer be shouldered by one country alone," she declared. "No country can go it alone, so the cooperative approach needs to be guiding us." Germany has argued that its military is already too far stretched to send more troops beyond the 4,500 maximum it has committed to the relatively calm north of Afghanistan. About 3,500 are now there. Instead, it says the focus should be on future civil reconstruction, in conjunction with military security. The French parliament voted in September to keep 3,300 French troops in the Afghan theater, but has no current plans to increase the French contingent. French President Nicholas Sarkozy argued for a Europe more ready to defend itself instead of relying on others, but also managed not to touch on the Afghan troops issue. "Does Europe want peace, or does Europe want to be left in peace?" he asked. "If you want peace, then you ... need to have political and military power." But NATO's exasperated secretary general, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, said if Europe wants a greater voice, it needs to do more. "The Obama administration has already done a lot of what Europeans have asked for including announcing the closure of Guantanamo and a serious focus on climate change," he said. "Europe should also listen; When the United States asks for a serious partner, it does not just want advice, it wants and deserves someone to share the heavy lifting." De Hoop Scheffer added the same principle applies to Russian requests to be involved in Washington's plans to place a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. He said Russia cannot talk of a new "security architecture" yet build its own new bases in Georgia and support Kyrgyzstan's plans to close the Manas air base, used by the U.S. to resupply troops in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan's president announced this week his country was kicking Americans out of the base after securing more than $2 billion in loans and aid from Russia. U.S. officials said Kyrgyzstan acted as a result of pressure from Moscow, but Russia and Kyrgyzstan denied that. Biden also urged European nations to take in Guantanamo detainees once the U.S. closes the detention facility for suspected terrorists on Cuba. Several European nations already are considering the U.S. request. On Iran, Biden said the new U.S. administration was willing to negotiate but will act to isolate and pressure the Islamic Republic if it does not abandon its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism. "We will draw upon all the elements of our power _ military and diplomatic, intelligence and law enforcement, economic and cultural _ to stop crises from occurring before they are in front of us," Biden told the security gathering. The Islamic Republic asserts its intentions are purely peaceful. Merkel also said the West was ready to push for harsher penalties, alluding to the possibility of more U.N. Security Council penalties to force Tehran to end programs that could produce such weapons. The U.S. plans interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic. Washington has said the system is aimed at preventing missile attacks by "rogue states" such as Iran, but Russian officials claim the true intention is to undermine Russia's defenses. Saying defense shield plans remained on the table, Biden warned the U.S. would continue to have differences with Moscow, including opposition to its efforts to carve out independent states in Georgia. But he said the two sides needed to cooperate on common interests.
 
Anne Naylor: 3 Roadblocks To Success And How To Get Around Them Top
"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." George Bernard Shaw from Mrs. Warren's Profession , 1893 Have you ever found that when you know what you really want (to be, to do or to have) that there seem to be any number of reasons why you cannot be, do or have it? It can be that the more deeply you aspire, the greater the apparent obstacles. Yet there is a purpose in this: to bring forward more of your innate talent, gifts, creativity and personal resource to overcome whatever may be holding you back. Blocks can be transformed into assets, new understanding, greater commitment and enthusiasm. The three blocks I usually hear are: Time , Money and Other People . Have you ever heard yourself say something like: if only I had the time, I would easily fit an exercise regime into my day? Or, I just don't have enough money to make that trek across the Sahara. My partner would never let me. My boss does not want to promote me. I have to cook for my family - I could never adopt a healthier pattern of eating that works for me. "One very positive way to look at life is to realize that everyone - everyone - who comes to you is teaching you freedom."

 John-Roger So looking at each of the three blocks: 1. TIME There are only so many hours in the day. True. But have you ever noticed how time is "elastic"? When you are doing something that fully engages you, you lose all sense of time? When you are bored, time seems interminable. Managing time is really about managing yourself effectively in the time you have available. That is to say becoming more productive in all areas of your life. I highly recommend the work of David Allen as a resource for stress free productivity. Check out his website here . "We can't change the wind, but we can adjust the sails." If time is your issue, your opportunity is to clear the decks so you have less draining your energy. You can get done all you need - with time to spare. 2. MONEY The current financial crisis may make better money managers of us all. We may need to learn to select more carefully how we spend, save and invest our funds, so that we do not become victims of forces outside of ourselves. Is this possible? I think so. Even though times are very tough for many of us, nevertheless there are those, who have always been relaxed about money, generous and resourceful with their funds, who are not suffering. When you are truly enthusiastic about an objective, it is amazing how you can find the money you need. Money has been called a "mirror of consciousness". If you are experiencing an issue concerning money, relative to what you want, then you may learn what is limiting you that money reflects to you. Do you lack a sense of personal value, for example? Are you afraid of success, or failure? Could you be more accountable, generally, for your how your life is unfolding? "Listen, there is endless supply. Once you understand that, you are on your way to a much higher level of freedom." John-Roger 3. OTHER PEOPLE If we have any hidden doubts about what we want, you can be sure that those closest to you will reveal them. When you talk about something you really want, it is amazing how people can show up with all the considerations why not to go ahead. What might happen if..., ? Have you thought of all the dangers? You're much too old to do that - what if you get ill and need a doctor? The nay sayers can really discourage you. However, they do serve a purpose in helping you to be clear. When you are 100% sure about what you want, no one can stand in your way. My suffragette great aunt, when she was campaigning for the women's vote in England, would say to me that men would stand aside to let her do what she wanted. What a role model! "As you realize that there is no reason to hide what is true for you, you find yourself living a life of integrity, a life of loving. In so doing, you open yourself to an inner experience of loving and freedom that transcends words." John-Roger The love that we are is the greatest liberator. When we can love the blocks that show up, they have a way of dissolving. When we are feeling stuck, we also need to love ourselves through those times; to be kind. compassionate and forgiving. No matter the challenges we meet, the love within us is much greater and can overcome all fears, doubts, or obstacles on our path, releasing new energy in the process. What blocks have you experienced, and how have they given you the resources to achieve what you want? Have you found ways of transforming blocks into assets? How have the challenges you have met been valuable for you? I would love to hear from you. *** For information about Clear Results Consultations and Training; for a copy of the Clear Results Self-Assessment, or for a copy of the Guidelines For Possible Dream Meetings,contact clearresults@mac.com .
 
Buffalo Springfield Drummer Dewey Martin Dies Top
LOS ANGELES — Dewey Martin, the muscular, gregarious drummer and singer who helped found the pioneering country rock band Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young and Stephen Stills, has died. He was 68. Martin was found dead Sunday by a roommate in his Van Nuys apartment, longtime friend Lisa Lenes said. She said Martin had health problems in recent years and she believed he died of natural causes. Martin, along with Young, Stills, singer-songwriter-guitarist Richie Furay and bassist Bruce Palmer, formed Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles in 1966 and quickly became one of the hottest live acts on the West Coast, helped in part by the grinning, blond Martin. Their self-titled debut album included the hit "For What It's Worth," a solemn observation of 1960s turmoil. They would later produce such classics as "Bluebird" and "Rock & Roll Woman" and Martin's husky vocals were featured at the start of another Springfield favorite, Young's "Broken Arrow." The band broke up in 1968 amid tension between Young and Stills, but several members went on to even greater success and Buffalo Springfield's stature grew over the years, with Young often expressing regret they didn't stay together longer. Young has had a highly successful solo career and also joined with Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Furay formed Poco, another early country rock band. Jim Messina, who replaced Palmer on bass, teamed with Kenny Loggins and had several hits as Loggins and Messina. Martin continued performing under various incarnations of the band. He and Palmer toured as Buffalo Springfield Revisited in the mid-1980s, and for a time in the 1990s he played shows as Buffalo Springfield Again. (Palmer died in 2004.) Martin also formed other groups, including Medicine Ball, which released one album. Born Walter Milton Dwayne Midkiff in Chesterfield, Canada, he began playing drums as a teenager and settled in Nashville in his early 20s, playing for Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich and other country artists. He then moved West and joined the influential bluegrass band, the Dillards, before Young helped bring him into Buffalo Springfield. Lenes said Martin will be buried in his native country.
 
Natascha McElhone Speaks After Husband's Sudden Death: "I'm OK" Top
Sorry I'm late!" says Natascha McElhone, parking a pram in the corner beside me. "And I had to bring him because the childcare didn't work out." The day we meet, McElhone, the British actress and star of Californication and The Truman Show, is on the front pages of some of the papers at her premiere of her new movie The Secret of Moonacre, a magical adventure story. It was her first public appearance since her husband died suddenly last May when she was pregnant, and she went with her three kids - including Rex, her newborn baby son.... I ask how she has coped. "I'm OK," she says. "I'm really OK, through necessity I think. Do you know, I'm just terribly grateful for everything I have." So she doesn't feel miserable all the time? "No, I don't think I have any right to feel miserable all the time. I don't know why, it's just happened to me that, aside from feeling utterly grief-stricken and bereft and devastated, the chinks and shards of light that shine through are so strong and so buoyant I can't ignore them." Thank God for that, I say. "Thank God for that," she echoes. 'I don't know why that is - that they're so bright that they reach me. Thus far, anyway."
 
Saving Abel Rocker Accused Of Sex Assault Top
OAKLAND, Calif. — The co-founder of the rock group Saving Abel and another employee of the band are facing charges after authorities say they forced a 17-year-old girl to perform a sex act following a concert in Oakland. Thirty-three-year-old Jason Null and 21-year-old Brandon Danger were arraigned Friday on charges of forced oral copulation and forced oral copulation on a minor. Null, a founder and lead guitarist with the group, pleaded not guilty. His attorney says the charges are "baseless" and his client will be exonerated. Danger has yet to enter a plea. Police say the girl was lured onto the band's tour bus Tuesday night thinking she would be in a rock video. Once inside, they say she was forced to perform the sex act. ___ Information from: The Oakland Tribune, http://www.oaklandtribune.com
 

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