Saturday, February 21, 2009

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Travis The Chimp's Mom Was Also Shot Dead During Rage Top
The banana doesn't fall far from the tree. Travis, the crazed ape shot dead after chewing off a Connecticut woman's face, suffered the same fate as his mother, the Daily News has learned. Travis' mom, Suzy, was gunned down in 2001 by a teenager after she and two other primates escaped their Missouri ranch and wreaked havoc, sources and experts told The News.
 
Jeff Madrick: Phil Gramm takes no blame Top
Former Senator Phil Gram published a piece in Friday's Wall Street Journal exculpating himself from any serious role in the credit crisis-and his fell Republicans, of course. It was government bleeding hearts who did it all. This is of course now the accepted line of the Republican stalwarts, mouthed by policymakers and some well-placed media pundits alike. Encouraging Fannie Mae to make SOME mortgages to low income Americans apparently somehow forced investment bankers to borrow forty times their capital, cajoled credit agencies to give almost anything a triple-A, made Washington Mutual and Countrywide give countless interest-only mortgages to individuals they knew could not pay unless housing prices kept soaring, and gave the green signal to Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Merrill and so on to borrow short (commercial paper) and lend long (CDOs). What's with these guys? Do they care not a bit for logic or the future of the system? Are they constitutionally incapable of taking any responsibility? Here's one of Gramm's Jokers. He argues it couldn't have been the deregulation bill that he co-authored back in 1999-- and that Bill Clinton happily signed, by the way--that led to any of this. The bill allowed commercial banks and investment banks to merge, remember-- mostly to allow older line commercial banks to act like investment banks. To prove his case, Gramm writes smugly that it was the sole investment bank, Lehman, that went under, not the diversified conglomerate JP Morgan. Did Gramm suddenly forget about the travails of those other highly diversified banking conglomerates, Citigroup or, now, Bank of America--both beneficiaries of his deregulationist good graces? When you are desperate to defend yourself, this transparent gambit is what you come up with. Also, when you are merely preaching to the converted. JP Morgan was simply smart enough to avoid many of the mindless, greedy trades--it had nothing to do with diversity. So was the non- bank Goldman Sachs. The main reason investment banks are now becoming bank holding companies is to get the FDIC insured deposits that are stable. They want federal regulation to protect them. Gramm now works for the investment banking arm of UBS, the Swiss bank. UBS may have to fork over the names of 52,000 depositors who may have been trying to avoid paying their incomes taxes in the U.S. No doubt, Gramm will blame government for that, too. After all, if America didn't have any income taxes at all, UBS wouldn't have been forced to hide all that money illegally. Gramm's deregulationist spirit is all over this crisis. More on Goldman Sachs
 
Jonathan Richards: Stimulus Centerfold Top
Tax cuts are more stimulating for some than for others.... More on Stimulus Package
 
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Stanford Surrenders Passport, Antigua Units Seized Top
Regulators seized Texas billionaire Allen Stanford's banks and companies in Antigua and Barbuda, the Caribbean state at the center of fraud charges against him, as the financier surrendered his passport to U.S. authorities. Antigua's government, which in 2006 gave Stanford a knighthood, and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank announced the takeovers on Friday, after a rush by depositors this week to withdraw their funds from Stanford banking affiliates.
 
Damien de Veuster, Priest Who Aided Lepers In Hawaii, To Become Saint Top
VATICAN CITY — A 19th-century Belgian priest who ministered to leprosy patients in Hawaii will be declared a saint Oct. 11 at a Vatican ceremony presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. The Rev. Damien de Veuster's canonization date was set Saturday during a meeting between Benedict and cardinals at the Apostolic Palace. De Veuster will be canonized along with four other people, the Vatican said. In July, Benedict approved a miracle attributed to the priest's intercession, declaring that a Honolulu woman's recovery in 1999 from terminal lung cancer was the miracle needed for him to be made a saint. He was beatified _ a step toward sainthood _ in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. Born Joseph de Veuster in 1840, he took the name Damien and went to Hawaii in 1864 to join other missionaries of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Nine years later he began ministering to leprosy patients on the remote Kalaupapa peninsula of Molokai island, where some 8,000 people had been banished amid an epidemic in Hawaii in the 1850s. The priest eventually contracted the disease, also known as Hansen's disease, and died in 1889 at age 49. The Rev. Alfred Bell, who spearheaded Damien's canonization cause, said the priest had given his all to help those in need. "He went there (to Hawaii) knowing that he could never return," Bell told Vatican Radio. "He suffered a lot, but he stayed." Bell said Damien's concern for others was a model for all the faithful today, particularly the young. "Father Damien's example helps us to not forget those who are forgettable in the world," he said. The Vatican's saint-making procedures require that a miracle attributed to the candidate's intercession be confirmed in order for him or her to be beatified. Damien de Veuster was beatified after the Vatican declared that the 1987 recovery of a nun of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was a miracle. The nun recovered from an illness after praying to Damien. After beatification, a second miracle is needed for sainthood. The Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints said Audrey Toguchi's 1999 recovery from lung cancer defied medical explanation, and in July, Benedict agreed. Toguchi, too, had prayed to Damien. The Vatican announced the date for Damien's canonization and that of nine other people. Five will be declared saints at a ceremony April 26, five others, including Damien, on Oct. 11.
 
US: 13 Civilians Killed In Afghanistan Strike Top
KABUL — An operation the American military at first described as a "precision strike" instead killed 13 Afghan civilians and only three militants, the U.S. said Saturday, three days after sending a general to the site to investigate. Civilian casualties have been a huge source of friction between the U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has stepped up demands that U.S. and NATO operations kill no civilians and that Afghan soldiers take part in missions to help prevent unwanted deaths. A U.S. military statement said the decision to dispatch a general to the western province of Herat to investigate shows how seriously the U.S. takes civilian casualties. The U.S. rarely releases the findings of civilian casualty investigations, and the disclosure this time could show the effect of Karzai's criticisms. The U.S. military originally said 15 militants were killed Tuesday in a coalition operation in the Gozara district of Herat province, but Afghan officials said six women and two children were among the dead, casting doubt on the U.S. claim. Afghan officials say the group targeted in the airstrikes were living in two tents in a remote area. An ethnic group of Afghans known as Kuchis travel the countryside with livestock and live in tents. Photographs obtained by The Associated Press from the site showed the body of a dead young boy _ bloodied and dirtied. In response, Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan traveled to the site to meet with Afghan elders. Investigators found weapons and ammunition, but concluded that 13 civilians were killed along with three militants, the U.S. said. An expert on civilian casualties said she was "cautiously optimistic" the U.S. is taking a new approach in dealing with civilian casualties. Sarah Holewinski, the executive director of The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, said more high-ranking military officials are visiting gravesites and apologizing. In recent weeks, she said, Defense Secretary Robert Gates "turned the old way of doing things on its head." "Instead of immediately denying civilian deaths, which deeply angers Afghans and with good reason, he said the U.S. will instead immediately investigate, make apologies and provide amends where appropriate," she said. The U.S. on Saturday released photos of Ryan talking with Afghan elders and embracing a mourning man. "We expressed our deepest condolences to the survivors of the noncombatants who were killed during this operation," Ryan said in a statement. "Our inquiry in Herat demonstrates how seriously we take our responsibility in conducting operations against militant targets and the occurrence of noncombatant casualties. "Our concern is for the security of the Afghan people. To this end, we continually evaluate the operations we conduct during the course of our mission in Afghanistan and have agreed to coordinate our efforts jointly," Ryan said. Holewinski said an upfront apology is what "U.S. and allied troops should have been doing from the beginning." "Avoid harm, investigate when it occurs, apologize and provide compensation or other amends," she said. After increasingly angry demands by Karzai for more U.S.-Afghan military cooperation, the American and Afghan militaries announced plans this month to increase the number of Afghans who will take part in U.S. operations. The Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the civilian deaths in a statement Wednesday but noted it would take more time to implement the agreement. It also urged U.S. forces to "be very careful during their operations." The investigative team's trip to Herat came one day after the U.N. released a report saying 2,118 civilians died in the Afghan war last year, a 40 percent increase over 2007 and the most in any year since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that ousted the Taliban's hard-line Islamist regime. The report said U.S., NATO and Afghan forces killed 829 civilians, or 39 percent of the 2008 total. Of those, 552 deaths were blamed on airstrikes. Militants were blamed for 55 percent of the deaths, or 1,160. President Barack Obama this week announced the deployment of 17,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to bolster the 38,000 already in the country to fight an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency. A higher number of troops in the country also means that civilian casualties could increase. In Kabul, meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Karzai for talks about the ongoing American strategic review of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, the president's office said. Pelosi, D-Calif., arrived in Afghanistan on Friday to meet with Afghan officials and U.S. and NATO military leaders and troops, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman. Afghanistan was to send a high-level delegation headed by Foreign Minister Dadfar Rangeen Spanta to the U.S. on Sunday "to review the joint strategy and the fight against terrorism," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. Afghanistan's interior and defense ministers, its national security director and chief of intelligence are on the delegation. Pakistan is also sending representatives. Spanta and Pakistan's foreign minister are expected to meet together with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. More on Afghanistan
 
Montana Governor Ribs Palin For Skipping Governors' Meeting Top
Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer ribbed Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin Friday for announcing at the last minute that she will not be attending a Sunday discussion of energy policy that the two governors were scheduled to lead at this weekend's meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington. "I don't know where she's going to be. You'll be stuck with me," Schweitzer told ABC News. "There will be no glamour, certainly no snappy dressing. I brought my best two pairs of jeans. There's a little bit of a horse s**t stain by the knee. But I've been washing that stuff out." More on Sarah Palin
 
Dem Governors Skeptical Of Stimulus Boycott Top
Many of the Democratic governors assembled in Washington this weekend for the National Governors Association's annual meeting doubt that four Republican governors will follow through on their threat to reject stimulus funding. Republican Govs. Haley Barbour (Miss.), Mark Sanford (S.C.), Bobby Jindal (La.) and Sarah Palin (Alaska) have all said they intend to turn down some of the funding. Other Republican governors have said they will generally accept all the funds allocated to their state, though some have hinted they may join the group over certain portions of the bill they oppose. More on Bobby Jindal
 
North Korea May Be Ready To Test-Fire Missile: Report Top
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea could be ready to test-fire a missile within days as satellite imagery has shown increased activity at a missile site over the past 48 hours, a respected defense publication reported. A significant increase in launch preparations has occurred at the Musudan-ni missile site on the communist country's northeastern coast, said Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a senior analyst at Jane's Information Group who specializes in North Korean defense and intelligence matters. "The latest satellite images ... indicate that North Korea is preparing to launch either a prototype Taepodong 2 intermediate-range ballistic missile or a Paektusan 2 space launch vehicle within a matter of days," Jane's Defence Weekly said in a report issued Friday in London. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have repeatedly warned North Korea against firing a missile, saying it would trigger international sanctions. The Taepodong 2 missile is believed capable of reaching U.S. territory. Bermudez said satellite images show the activation of launch equipment and radars, and the arrival of numerous trucks and support vehicles. Support facilities for the engine test stand were undergoing expansion, the report said. North Korea unsuccessfully launched a Taepodong 2 missile in 2006. That test alarmed the world and gave new energy to the stop-and-start diplomacy over North Korea's nuclear program. The North is believed to possess up to a dozen nuclear warheads. Ahead of the possible launch, the U.S., Japan and South Korea have increased intelligence collection efforts, including sorties of reconnaissance aircraft and the deployment of Aegis-equipped naval vessels and specialized reconnaissance ships, the Jane's report said. North Korea has said it has the right to "space development" _ a term it has used in the past to disguise a missile test as a satellite launch. When it test-fired a shorter-range Taepodong 1 missile over Japan in 1998, it claimed to have put a satellite into orbit. On a regional tour, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged North Korea to halt "provocative actions," noting Friday that such a missile test would violate a 2006 U.N. Security Council resolution banning the North from pursuing missile or nuclear programs. She also warned North Korea that its relations with Washington would not improve unless it stops threatening South Korea. However, North Korea continued its harsh rhetoric toward the South on Saturday, accusing President Lee Myung-bak of "blatantly" attacking and insulting its socialist system by suggesting it was responsible for the country's food shortages. The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which handles relations with South Korea, warned that the North would "settle accounts" with Lee's administration "through the most merciless and resolute measure." The statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, did not elaborate. Tensions have been high since Lee, a conservative, took office a year ago and introduced tougher policies toward North Korea than his liberal predecessors, who had sought closer ties. The North has responded by cutting off all reconciliation talks and suspending key joint projects. More on North Korea
 
Meghan McCain Not Impressed With Michael Steele, Sarah Palin Top
Meghan McCain wasn't impressed with Michael Steele, or Sarah Palin, in an interview with ABC Radio's Curtis Sliwa today. More on michael steele
 
Steve Rosenbaum: Obama: Madoff Behind Bars Top
President Obama... I have to ask, why isn't Bernie Madoff behind bars? I hate to admit it, but I've got this sinking feeling that the Obama Administration doesn't understand the optics of how the market looks to average Americans. It starts with Bernie Madoff. He's a criminal. He's a fraudster. He's a con-man. His sons have as much as said so. But despite a $50 billion dollar fraud, he's living in his lovely NY Apartment -- under what has been called ""a kind of gilded penthouse incarceration ." The Fed's didn't have to let that happen. But, despite the idea that this isn't going to be an era of politics as usual, there's been not a single person put in prison from the shocking array of con men and fraudsters that have been exposed in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Obama's housing bailout has the media talking about holding "irresponsible" homeowners responsible for taking on loans they couldn't afford. Let me get this straight, average Americans went to get a mortgage, filed papers with their income and assets, and were give sub-prime loans that ballooned and left them unable to pay their bills. Explain to me how working class folks were supposed to know that they couldn't afford the mortgages that the banks approved them for. Isn't that the whole purpose of the mortgage review process? So, lets re-cap. Madoff. Crook. Keeps his house, ok, he's got security guards, but guess who's paying for them, and for the monthly mortgage on the apartment, well, the folks he stole from are paying to keep him comfortable. That's just wrong. Meanwhile, the folks who strove to become homeowners, only to find that mortgage companies sold them loans that exploded in their hands, and forced them in to default, well they're now out on the street. There's lots of hand wringing about why the market is doing so badly. Yet Madoff, R. Allen Stanford, Marcus Schrenker and a long list of other equally scammy fraudsters who've manipulated the market are all being treated as white-collar criminals. Wall Street is a marketplace that requires investors to trust that there is fundamental honesty in the way everyone participates. Treating the largest criminals and con men better than a guy who robs the corner newspaper stand reminds people trying to keep their homes that the game is rigged. Until the Federal Government comes down on all of them with a hammer, puts them behind bars, seizes their assets, and looks to make investors whole, the average investor isn't going to be able to tell the difference between the legitimate market and the increasingly large number of stock scammers who've created Ponzi schemes and ruined the lives of mom-and-pop investors whose life savings are now wiped out. Madoff isn't a little story. His smarmy grinning face, clearly remorseless and unbothered by the financial fire-storm he's unleashed. It seems like little more than the tip of the iceberg. He ends up representing Lehman Brothers Chief Executive Richard Fuld, who sold his $14mil house to his wife for $100 to avoid potential judgments. The Justice Department should act. Swiftly -- and visibly -- to jail and prosecute those that have undermined our national faith in the stock market with bare-naked greed and criminal enterprises. In the case of Madoff, there is little doubt that many individuals knew that $50 billion dollars worth of stock transactions never took place. The prosecution should reach far and wide. The Justice department should take a hard look at the SEC, which based on its far too chummy relationship with Madoff and his family seemed to turn a blind eye to legitimate concerns raised about the Madoff organization. The fact that Madoff essentially was brought down by the market, not any investigation is deeply troubling on its face. Had the market not turned, the Madoff scam would have continued unabated. Restoring faith in the market will require holding criminals who've undermined the market responsible. Anything less will leave average American's faith shaken, and the markets without the participation of the retail investor. Barack, ask the Justice Department to get busy here. In order to restore faith in the financial system, there needs to be some accountability and penalty for those that break the law. Slow motion justice sends the wrong message in the Madoff case. More on Bernard Madoff
 
Jim Messina: WaPo Profiles Obama's 'Fixer' Top
Holed up in a windowless West Wing office, Jim Messina is working on his usual assignment: fixing President Obama's problems. The exact nature of that task changes from day to day. In January, when tax troubles surfaced, first threatening Timothy F. Geithner's nomination, Obama asked Messina, his deputy chief of staff, to smooth over the situation on Capitol Hill. (He did.) More on Barack Obama
 
Jamie Lee Curtis: A Fish Called Denial Top
Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not "Every man for himself." The London Underground is not a Political Movement and Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Sorry John Cleese but I couldn't help myself... The brilliant New Yorker cover with A-Rod signing autographs for juiced, pumped up young fans started this particular blog train. Where we stop on the way is of course the economy, the stimulus, né bailout, and then of course ending this weekend at the Hollyweird Station: Oscar-ville. First stop -- the roids. I have one thing to ask. What about football? Cycling, tennis, soccer, skiing, swimming, and every professional sport that exists? Are we all really so deluded as to think that baseball is an exclusive club? Isn't it interesting or ironic or terrifying that the real dope dealer in the movie, The Wrestler , Scott Siegel, was popped for dealing? Wonder if he'll make bail and end up on the red carpet on Sunday. He is just supplying what so many want. My guess is that there are Scott Siegels haunting the locker rooms of every sport in every city. How can you contain this? These athletes are just trying to stay in the game and perform. Is there any way to get clean without wiping out the entire roster of teams that we all have invested in and who we are partially responsible for urging on in this terrifying game of juice on the loose? Are we too so drugged as to think that the idea of Corporate greed and avarice and the lies and misdeeds are a new thing? Madoff's Ponzi worked (longer than most) but it worked because people didn't ask questions, they just really liked the returns. Is this new? Did the banks and the mortgage lenders and Feds really just figure out that there was a problem. We are all to blame. We are addicted to the dope of credit and each plastic card purchase sets off the phenomenon of craving for more. Then advertisers and marketers (lobbyists in better suits) and the media tell us we need it and the banks and the credit companies tell us we can have it and boom -- we are all in over our heads. My fellow Americans, wake up and smell the new Starbuck's instant coffee. We all have a part in this. The climate crisis, the water crisis (in California) and the ongoing real estate and credit crises. We here in California live life to a fault or at least on one and yet how many are really prepared and have put plans in place? Is that really any different than a drought or even a financial crisis. Shouldn't we always prepare for a potential fall, be it financial, liquid or groundbreaking? And now as the whistle blows we pull into Oscar-ville. There was a real headline today that seemed pulled from the pages of The Onion : "Slumdog Kids Come to LA to Attend Oscars" I have attended the Oscars and let me tell you, the Oscars are no place for children! I am so happy to celebrate great works of art and this year there are plenty of examples, multi-layered, heartfelt, shattering, tragic, transformative and transcendent but the machine behind it all, the sickening amount of money spent to create this delusion, in this very real time of difficulty seems so misguided. My hometown newspaper now has a section called The Envelope, telling us months in advance who is "in the club" and by their omission, who "isn't." Actors have been turned into models, flaunting their borrowed clothes, jewels and faces; some are even paid large sums of money simple to wear a dress or diamond. This isn't glamour. This is advertising. Glamour is internal. The rest is window dressing. The obsession and addiction of celebrity window dressing has reached a fever pace. How many versions of the Rihanna and Chris Brown incident have you heard? People should be very concerned about her's and every battered women's face and this very young and public example of violence against women. However sickening it is to see, and it is (and how horrible it is that it as leaked by the very institution that aims to protect and defend), her beautiful face, ethereal and with eyes closed and without the TMZ stamp may yet be the most powerful image to shatter the ether of denial and bring real attention to this very real , chronic problem. I am also concerned about the disfigurement from plastic surgery that I see. The former is inexcusable and mostly unpreventable but the latter is elective and fully preventable. I'm sorry that Michael Jackson, a great artist, has to carry the burden as being the first but there are so many people, young and old, men and women, who have followed and yet, like the roids and the sub-prime loans and the drought and the violence, people talk about it in private and yet nothing happens. It is an epidemic of dysmorphic proportions and I am saddened by it. This polyester red carpet that draws everyone to it is as ubiquitous as the word change. Change: To cause to become different; implies a radical transmutation of character. A radical transmutation of character ! Can we radically transmute? Can we change? Do we really want to change? Are we going to change or are we going to just get back on the train and let it take us wherever it goes? We need to build new tracks, cleaner trains and return to a time of sacrifice and fortitude and grace and beauty. All aboard...? More on The Oscars
 
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Permanent Taliban Cease-Fire In Swat: Pakistan Official Top
MINGORA, Pakistan — Pakistan has agreed to an open-ended cease-fire with Taliban militants in the Swat Valley, government officials said Saturday, extending a truce as the country pursues broader, much-criticized talks aimed at calming a large swathe of its northwestern region bordering Afghanistan. The Taliban leader in Swat, however, said the militants would only decide on whether to halt fighting for good after a 10-day cease-fire announced last Sunday expires _ and that decision hinged on the government taking unspecified "practical steps." The twists underscored the fragile nature of peace talks in Pakistan's northwest, where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have established strongholds. Past peace deals have collapsed, including one last year with militants in Swat that security officials said simply allowed the insurgents to regroup. Also Saturday, a roadside bomb killed one person elsewhere in Pakistan's chaotic northwest along a supply route that is used heavily by U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the mother of an American kidnapped in southwestern Pakistan issued the family's first public appeal for his release. Taliban fighters in the Swat Valley have beheaded opponents, torched girls schools and terrorized the police to gain control of much of the one-time tourist haven, despite a lengthy military offensive. Hundreds have been killed and up to a third of the valley's 1.5 million residents have fled, making the government increasingly desperate to pacify the area. In a talks with a hardline, Taliban-linked cleric, the government agreed Monday to impose Islamic law in Swat and surrounding areas if the extremists stop fighting. It also suspended the military offensive, though it did not pull out troops. The cleric, Sufi Muhammad, was dispatched to persuade the militants to agree to peace. On Saturday, senior regional official Syed Muhammad Javed told reporters in Swat: "The government and the Taliban fighters have decided to observe a permanent cease-fire. The Taliban has agreed to it and so do we." Area government official, Shaukat Yousufzai, confirmed that both sides agreed to extend the cease-fire but told the AP the talks between Muhammad's group and representatives of Swat Valley Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah _ Muhammad's son-in-law _ would proceed. "Our representatives have listened to them, and they will listen to them if there is anything more they want to convey," he said. Fazlullah said the Taliban still had to discuss the deal. "We will consult again after the 10-day cease-fire," he said in a radio address. "We will also observe a permanent cease-fire if the government takes practical steps." Though he did not specify what those steps should be, Fazlullah urged Pakistan to enforce Islamic law in the area and create "an environment of confidence." The U.S., NATO and Britain _ as well as human rights activists _ have voiced concerns about the talks, with NATO warning they could create a safe haven for Islamist extremists. Pakistan has deflected the criticism, saying they were merely responding to long-standing local demands for a more efficient justice system. The legal changes they have publicly mentioned are technical, and do not involve the harsh interpretations of Islamic law adhered to by many Taliban, such as banning female education. Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters hidden in sanctuaries in northwestern Pakistan have managed to strike at the Western military effort in Afghanistan without crossing the border, by attacking traffic along the main land supply route to the Khyber Pass. The roadside bomb Saturday apparently targeted an oil tanker headed to NATO troops in Afghanistan, local government official Ameer Zada Khan said. The remote-controlled bomb killed one person and wounded two others near the Landi Kotal area, he said. As Pakistan's overall security has deteriorated, foreigners have become popular targets. United Nations official John Solecki was taken captive Feb. 2 in the southwest city of Quetta in Baluchistan province, and his kidnappers have threatened to kill him. His 83-year-old mother, Rose Solecki, asked the people of Baluchistan for help in securing her son's freedom. "I cannot begin to explain the sorrows and pain that I am going through right now," Solecki said in an audio message released through the U.N. "My husband and I are old. We want to be with John again." Solecki's kidnappers have identified themselves as the previously unknown Baluchistan Liberation United Front, indicating they are linked with separatists, not Islamists. ___ Associated Press Writers Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Riaz Khan in Peshawar, and Asif Shahzad and Nahal Toosi in Islamabad contributed to this report. More on Pakistan
 
Paterson Admits He Ordered Staff To Deny Kennedy Was Top Choice Top
For the first time, Gov. David A. Paterson acknowledged Friday that he personally ordered his staff to contest Caroline Kennedy's version of events in the hours after she withdrew from consideration to be United States senator. However, Mr. Paterson said that he was bewildered when his staffers subsequently unleashed harsh personal attacks against Ms. Kennedy, saying he merely wanted them to challenge the assertion from Ms. Kennedy's camp that she had been his first choice to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton. More on Caroline Kennedy
 
Will Ferrell's Final "Late Night" Striptease Top
Will Ferrell stopped by in the form of George W. Bush to wish Conan well on the eve of his last show as host of "Late Night." The former president smacked O'Brien on the ass and called Will Ferrell an "asshole." Ferrell then stripped off his clothes to reveal a slutty leprechaun outfit and danced up on Conan for the last time on "Late Night." Conan takes over the "Tonight Show" as of June 1. For a look back at Conan's run check out highlight's here. WATCH: More on Conan O'Brien
 
Alex Geana: Fashion's Divided. Top
During Fashion Week the stock market searched for bottom, again. Roland Burris was caught in an expected scandal. The BCBG Max Azira Group, which showed three times this week, was downgraded by S&P from "B-minus" to "CCC-plus". A move showing, Wall Street does follow fashion. The week started with Anna Wintour telling the Wall Street Journal that value is in and flashy things are out. Some designers hailed her wise words, others' chose to ignore. Michelle Obama was to attend the events, yet sent her social secretary Desiree Rogers instead. The normally elusive Wintour was almost omnipresent this season. Diversity might become the new buzzword as designers just making a name for themselves: Jason Wu , Jill Stuart, Christian Sirano , Adam Lippes and Mara Hoffman. Who gave us wearable and comforting clothing, made well and with just the right amount of color and style showed strong. I can't add Alexander Wang to this category because he's definitive luxury. Bankers might not be able to shop for their girlfriends this coming fall. Young designers are using this slowdown to their advantage. As the higher priced tiers and the fashion houses women aspire to wear. Have divided and split from the lower economic rungs of the fashion world. As shoppers look through their wardrobe and figure out what they can simply make do with or without. Donna Karen successfully created a line that bridged the commercial and artistic divide. While others chose to go with overt fantasy and scream from the runway "I'm here, buy my clothes" the more pared down collections that resounded to the designers base were the most successful. Lacoste created an almost mesmerizing array of fall coats that anyone must have and should have. Michael Kors went with neon, a decision I'm not quite sure about. Somewhere during the week, shoulder pads became tied to an economic slowdown as did an almost nocuous kaleidoscope of color patterns. Please stop. Diesel launched a new store and greeted us with a reinterpretation of the jazz age , yet the clothing sent down the catwalk were thoroughly and unmistakably their brand ethos. A day after, they promptly sent an army of punks dressed in mohawks and spiked leather jean jackets to hand out leaflets to the throngs around the park. Leather, fur and the exotic is fighting it's way back into the wearable. Or at least designers hope. Most chose to go with the faux variety, yet Dennis Basso chose to throw in every conceivable creature alive, Bassarisk anyone? (Is that a Harry Potter character?) Numerous ateliers chose to trim, line or give us leather pants. This might be their version of durability much to PETA's shudder. Domico Vacca , although new to the tents, brought forth a look for the affluent that is enjoyable, contemporary and sexy. He might find his niche after all. In an undercurrent caught by a few, Elie Tahari, Adam Lippies , Akiko Ogawa and the students of the Academy of Art University - inspired by everything from Japanese landscaping , to wallpaper to embroidery. Provide us with something new, well-done and exciting. The models are fuller and more accessible then in years past. Gone are the wire hanger frames and protruding elbows and ribs. The men are masculine the women are ethnic and diverse. The world of fashion is embracing the "Obama-effect" whole-heartedly. As the strong showing from Arise Magazine proves. Monarchy gave us a great look at the new American man . The industry is trying to redefine itself. Trying to understand, like the rest of us, what this new era means to them. The young designers breaking through can use this downturn to move up the rungs of this dynamic industry. For what we wear. How we show the world who we are. Will always be vital, important and personal. As our image and our affinity to brands change over time. This period will be a boon to some and a hit to others, as the houses who chose correctly what the consumer will care about and desire. Will move forward. Color and a more sculpted look will come back. Disposable clothing will be out. New ways of dressing will help us redefine this new world we've all been collectively thrust into. Alex Geana loves fall fashion , the arts and writing . Follow him on twitter . More on Michelle Obama
 
Khatami Websites Blocked By Iran Top
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian authorities have blocked two Web sites promoting the presidential bid of Mohammed Khatami, reformists said Saturday, in a first sign that powerful hard-liners might seek to thwart his challenge to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election. Khatami declared on Feb. 8 he would run again for president, setting the stage for a major political showdown in coming months between the popular reformist _ who made dialogue with the West a centerpiece of his eight years as president _ and the country's ruling hard-liners. His candidacy poses a serious threat amid popular discontent with Ahmadinejad over the sagging economy, and the action against the Web sites came as Khatami named leaders in charge of his election campaign. The Web sites, and , were set up last summer in anticipation of Khatami's candidacy. They could not be accessed from inside Iran on Saturday, though they were viewable outside the country. Khatami's own campaign site, , was still accessible. Links: http://www.yaarinews.com http://www.yaari.ir http://www.khatami.ir "At midday, we learned that our Web sites have been blocked. ... Closing down our Web sites means hard-liners are not going to tolerate Khatami challenging Ahmadinejad," Behrouz Shojaei, editor of one of the sites, told The Associated Press Saturday. Yaari News, which Shojaei runs with other Khatami supporters, has reported on his candidacy, the reformist's views and growing support for his presidential bid. The other targeted Web site presented people's views on Khatami's candidacy. Shojaei said the government was also likely angered after the sites reported that provincial officials bused people in to attend a rally where Ahmadinejad was speaking in the city of Yazd on Wednesday. Ahmadinejad allies claimed that the relatively large crowd showed the hard-line president's popularity. It might also have been an attempt to strike a blow to Khatami, whose birthplace is Yazd. Prominent Khatami ally Majid Ansari said blocking the sites was simply an attempt to increase pressure on reformists before the election. "Reformist opponents assume they can block the path of people's understanding but people are wise enough to judge these actions," Ansari said. "Blocking sites won't stop Khatami from challenging (Ahmadinejad)," he said. Khatami's candidacy poses a serious challenge to Ahmadinejad, whose mixture of anti-Western rhetoric and fiery nationalism sharply contrasts with Khatami's tempered tones and appeals for global dialogue. Khatami's decision to run against Ahmadinejad could significantly shake up Iran's politics, appealing to citizens disillusioned by the country's failing economy and Ahmadinejad's staunch anti-U.S. foreign policy. Relations between the United States and Iran improved marginally during Khatami's eight years in office, and he encouraged athletic and cultural exchanges. But it deteriorated after the Sept. 11 attacks when former President George W. Bush declared Iran belonged to an "axis of evil." Ahmadinejad widened that gap after he was elected in 2005. But Khatami's decision to run comes as President Barack Obama has signaled a willingness for a dialogue with Iran, particularly over the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program. Hard-liners have vowed they would never again allow reformists to take control of the government and have used the Guardian Council, an election watchdog that vets candidates, and other institutions they control to block reformists from gaining power. It is unclear if the Council will move to block Khatami's candidacy. Reformists have suffered setbacks in past years as hard-liners and conservatives have consolidated power. Hundreds of reformist newspapers have been shut down, and the Guardian Council barred thousands of reformist candidates from running in parliamentary elections in 2004 and 2008. More on Ahmadinejad
 
Clinton Assures China On US Investments, Calls For Stronger Ties Top
BEIJING — Relegating human rights, U.S. and Chinese officials on Saturday emphasized the economy, security and climate change as priorities for cooperation. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed Beijing's continued investment in U.S. government securities and hoped the Chinese would avoid the kind of environmental "mistakes" that accompanied development in Western countries. After a day of talks on her first visit to China as America's top diplomat, Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said a regular dialogue between their countries on economic issues would now include troubling security issues. Details will be finalized by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao at an economic summit in London in April. With the export-heavy Chinese economy reeling from the U.S. downturn, Clinton sought in meetings with Hu, Yang and Premier Wen Jiabao to reassure Beijing that its massive holdings of U.S. Treasury notes and other government debt would remain a solid investment. "I appreciate greatly the Chinese government's continuing confidence in United States treasuries. I think that's a well-grounded confidence," Clinton told reporters at a news conference with Yang. "We have every reason to believe that the United States and China will recover and together we will help lead the world recovery," she said. Yang said China wants its foreign exchange reserves _ the world's largest at $1.95 trillion _ invested safely, with good value and liquidity. He said future decisions on using them would be based on those principles, but added that China wanted to continue work with the U.S. "I want to emphasize here that the facts speak louder than words. The fact is that China and the United States have conducted good cooperation, and we are ready to continue to talk with the U.S. side," Yang said. Beijing is the last and perhaps most important stop on Clinton's weeklong visit to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China that she was to conclude Sunday by attending church services and meeting with women who are leaders in civil society. China last year surpassed the United States as the world's leading producer of greenhouse gases. Clinton said she and Chinese officials had agreed to develop clean energy technology that would use renewable sources and safely store the dirty emissions from burning coal. Visiting a new gas-fueled power plant in Beijing, Clinton urged China not to repeat the "same mistakes" that Western countries had made when they developed. "When we were industrializing and growing we didn't know any better," she said. "Neither did Europe. Now we are smart enough to figure out how to have the right kind of growth, sustainable growth, clean-energy driven growth. This plant could be a model." Along with cooperating on the financial crisis and climate change, the U.S. wants China to step up efforts to address threats from nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and the tenuous security situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In addition, Clinton said the U.S. would like to see China play a positive role in Myanmar and Sudan, which receive large Chinese investments but whose governments are at odds with Washington. The emphasis on the global economy, climate change and security highlight the growing importance of U.S.-China relations, which have often soured over disagreements on human rights. Authorities in Beijing are facing a difficult year on the rights front as they deal with politically sensitive anniversaries. It has been 20 years since the crushing of the Tiananmen Square democracy movement and 50 years since the failed Tibetan uprising that forced the Dalai Lama to flee into exile. Activists complained Saturday that Chinese police were monitoring dissidents and had confined some to their homes during Clinton's two-day visit. Several of those targeted had signed "Charter 08," an unusually open call for civil rights and political reforms that circulated in December, according to the China Human Rights Defenders. But ahead of her talks, Clinton signaled that China's poor human rights record, while still of deep concern to the United States, would not be at the top of her agenda. She noted that both sides already knew the other's positions on the matter and said that human rights concerns "can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises." Her comments drew immediate fire from rights groups, which said they sent the wrong message, undermined efforts to promote basic freedoms in China and squandered Washington's leverage with Beijing. Asked to respond to the criticism, Clinton said "the promotion of human rights is an essential aspect of our global foreign policy," noting in particular the issues of Tibet, religious freedom and freedom of expression. "Human rights are part of our comprehensive agenda," she said. But she added that the work of civic groups and private advocates that she has highlighted is "at least as important in building respect for and making progress on human rights" as government-to-government contact. Yang appeared pleased by Clinton's reply, saying China was happy to engage on human rights with the United States but only "on the basis of equality and noninterference in each other's internal affairs." More on China
 
Bank Of America CEO Lewis: We Can "Make It Through This Downturn On Our Own" Top
With his company's stock sliding Friday, Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis pushed back strongly against talks that the company may soon be taken over by the Federal Government. From Bloomberg News: Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis, under siege from investors on concern the company may be taken over by the U.S. government, said he doesn't need any more federal assistance and can "make it through this downturn on our own." Lewis, speaking in a memorandum to employees yesterday as his stock price plummeted as much as 36 percent, said he aimed to "prove cynics and critics wrong" by spurning attempts at nationalization. Bank of America, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, has already received $45 billion in bank rescue funds. Read the full memo via the Wall Street Journal. In its introduction to the memo the Journal notes that "Bank of America's shares hit an intraday low of $3.19 a share today, a level not seen since August 2, 1984, when the bank traded at $3.17 a share." Bank of America's closed the day down 3.6 percent Friday. It was also reported Friday that New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed Lewis as part of his ongoing investigation into whether the company misled investors in regards to its acquisition of Merrill Lynch. More details from Bloomberg : Cuomo subpoenaed former Merrill CEO John Thain and Bank of America Chief Administrative Officer J. Steele Alphin last month for information related to bonuses paid to Merrill executives before the Jan. 1 completion of the takeover. The attorney general said at the time that it was "troubling" that Merrill appeared to have accelerated the timetable for bonuses typically paid early in the calendar year. His probe is part of an investigation into billions of dollars of payments to executives by New York-based Merrill late last year. More on Bank Of America
 
With new name and fresh paint, Abu Ghraib reopens Top
BAGHDAD — A gym, barber shop and planters of plastic flowers: Welcome to the gentler face of the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. The lockup where U.S. military guards tortured and humiliated Iraqi prisoners west of Baghdad has reopened with fresh paint and a new name in a bid to shed its notorious reputation. Mohammed al-Zeidi, the assistant director of the Iraqi Rehabilitation Department, insisted the new prison would be operated in accordance with international standards. "All kinds of human rights violations took place in this prison. So we felt that it was our duty to rehabilitate the prison," he said Saturday during a press tour of the grounds. "We turned it into something like a resort not prison. The first step was to change the name." Iraqi officials defended their decision to reopen the facility _ now called the Baghdad Central Prison _ saying they need the space as the U.S. military has begun handing over the thousands of detainees in its custody under a new security agreement that took effect on Jan. 1. "We have decided to reopen and renovate the prison because building a new one would take a long time and we already have crowded prisons," Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said, adding authorities also planned to build a larger prison north of Baghdad. The Iraqis also promised to treat prisoners in accordance with international standards as they face concerns by the United Nations and human rights groups about overcrowding and violations against inmates already in Iraqi custody. Judicial authorities showed off the nearly $1 million renovated section Saturday that included a sewing room, exercise equipment, computers, a library, outdoor recreational areas and a barber shop. Plastic flowers lined the halls. Iraqi officials said they expect the rest of the prison renovations to be done by the end of the year. Greenhouses stood in the field outside where once tents were erected to house the overflow from prisoners when Abu Ghraib was controlled by the U.S. military. No U.S. soldiers were on the premises Saturday. Abdul-Mutalb Jassim, general-director of the Iraqi Rehabilitation Department, said about 400 convicts of crimes ranging from theft to murder have been transferred to the prison. A total of some 3,000 inmates are expected shortly with an eventual total capacity of 12,000 to 15,000, according to the Justice Ministry. The compound of gray, stonewalled buildings and watchtowers west of Baghdad became the center of a global scandal in 2004 after photos were released showing U.S. soldiers sexually humiliating inmates. Outrage over the pictures fueled support for the insurgency as well as anti-American sentiment among Iraqis. The 280-acre (113-hectare) prison, which was already notorious as a torture center under Saddam Hussein, closed in 2006 after the U.S. handed it over to the Iraqis. But the photos from Abu Ghraib brought the prison to the world's attention, adding another serious stain to America's reputation after worldwide protests against the March 2003 invasion. They also discredited Washington's claims that it was trying to build a country based on rule of law and respect for human rights on the wreckage of dictatorship. In all, 11 U.S. soldiers were convicted of breaking military laws and five others were disciplined. American authorities implemented a series of policy changes in the aftermath, including separating extremists from prisoners considered more moderate and implementing educational programs, although they still faced complaints about prolonged detentions without charges. More recently, concern has been raised about the Iraqis' ability to care for inmates. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch warned in a December report that defendants in Iraqi custody often are detained for long periods without judicial review and abuse in detention appeared common. The failings "show disturbing continuity" with Saddam's era, it said. Iraqi officials said that would not be the case at Abu Ghraib, with each cell to hold eight prisoners, as opposed to 30 per cell under Saddam. "This prison has had a bad reputation," Jassim told reporters in a light blue and cream colored corridor that was separated by iron gates and helmeted guards. "Now it is a place where law and justice are respected and prisoners are rehabilitated." Last year, the government said it would turn a section of the prison into a museum documenting Saddam's crimes but not the abuses committed by U.S. guards. Ibrahim said the plan was to establish the museum in the cell blocks where some of the worst abuses occurred, but authorities were still trying to figure out how ordinary people could get into the prison to visit it. The Justice Ministry has about 17,000 prisoners under its control, while the U.S. military recently said it had 14,500 remaining in its custody after it began this month releasing an average of 50 detainees per day in accordance with the security agreement. ___ Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.
 
Mario Ruiz: Anna Wintour Has A Fur Blindspot - What's the Rest of the Industry's Excuse? Top
Anna Wintour has been a successful fashion editor - the most powerful woman in fashion, the press gleefully likes to parrot - for a reason. Her choices of models, clothes, photographers and subjects are obviously sophisticated. What makes her stand-out, however, is her broader definition of style. Anyone can show off an expensive label and pray for Bill Cunningham to take his or her picture, but it takes more than that to be invited to dinner at the home of Oscar and Annette de la Renta. Being well read and culturally astute have a place at the table. It's why Wintour champions women of true style, the Jill Bidens and Michelle Obamas of the world -- women with purpose, humility as well as pride, in addition to good fashion sense. It's not hard to preen for Patrick at a Madison Avenue boutique opening, or to affect a reality-TV version of chic, but you won't see a Paris Hilton or a [insert name of blonde, borrowed-clothes wearing "socialite"] profiled in Wintour's magazine any time soon; knowingness matters as much as surface. But when it comes to fur, Wintour, famously, has a blindspot. She just can't get past the past. Perhaps she thinks of it as a game, a way of sticking out her tongue at PETA. 'Throw a pie at me ... or a dead raccoon , see if I care,' she seems to taunt. But this many years later, hasn't she proved her point already? Isn't the dead horse beaten enough ? And enough ? We get it , already. We get that she's "won" her pyrrhic victory over the "PC" anti-fur army. (I think her fur outfits look silly , anything but "modern," but that's not my point here, which is that Wintour clearly feels empowered by showing PETA that they can screw off, she'll wear what she likes. And that she believes that fur is part of her signature, "iconic" (instransigent?) look -- which even rival French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld had the temerity to call similar to that of a " puppet ." So Anna won't give it up. She'll even wear coyote . But why do so many lemmings in the fashion industry feel that Anna's championing of fur obviates any need on their part to set their own moral compasses when it comes to animal cruelty? Otherwise fashion-forward people seem to be willfully indifferent. "I like it, and that's all that matters," they petulantly declare. Even Marc Jacobs, who seems so sharp and cool, had this to say during Fashion Week about why he was sporting a fur (lambskin?) coat (at 10am in the morning): "I love fur. And you know what? I don't care. This is who I am." But if you're forced to sound so defensive about what you're wearing, you've become your outfit, and so it may be time to give it a rest. For fashionistas who think they're being bold by proclaiming their love of fur, no facts and no images can sway them. (What would be truly courageous would be for these people to say something like, "fur? but it's 2009!! not for me, thanks ...") It's amazing how people who pride themselves on, well, themselves , can be so clueless. How many celebrities (et tu Maggie Gyllenhaal ? and Upper East Side ladies feel comfortable wearing fur while they spoil their King Charles spaniels and Yorkshire Terriers? The dissonance is mind-blowing. But people do evolve. Take animal-loving Martha Stewart , who showed genuine courage by admitting that she turned a corner on fur: "I had a change of heart when I learned what actually happens to the animals." "So much violence in the world seems beyond our control," she said, "but this is one cruelty we can stop..." And it does seem like over time the tide will turn, with many designers and retailers already going public with their anti-fur stances. My friends at PETA and I will be rooting for that change of administration at Vogue. Maybe then fashion folks will stop mindlessly turning to the High School Queen Bee for her approval, as well as for their style cues.
 
Late Night Jokes Of The Week: A-Rod, Walker Texas Ranger, And Tonya Harding Top
Both Leno and Letterman continued to go after A-Rod for his steroid use, with Letterman saying he too used performance enhancing drugs, but not to play baseball, and Leno taking a shot at Rodriguez's relationship with Madonna. Jimmy Kimmel showed a clip from an interview with Tonya Harding, explaining her disgust at Obama's invocation of her name, and Conan dusted off a "Walker, Texas Ranger" clip for the last time. WATCH: More on Funny Videos
 

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