Monday, February 23, 2009

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Dennis Perrin: SNL's Last Survivor Top
The contrast couldn't have been clearer. Attending Michael O'Donoghue's wake in his crowded New York apartment, pressed up against the likes of Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Buck Henry, Al Franken, Margot Kidder, and James Taylor, I could see that these former cutting edge figures had settled into quieter, comfortable lives, sipping bottled water, straight as arrows. Then I smelled some incredibly pungent weed. It seemed at once out of place and perfectly appropriate. I turned and spotted Tom Davis, Franken's former comedy partner and sometime collaborator with O'Donoghue, toking on a large joint. A few people looked at Davis with pinched, agitated expressions. But he didn't care. He kept hitting that number, spreading the thick, sweet scent over those who long ago gave up such chemicals. Davis offered a direct reminder of what the original SNL offices smelled like, something that the late Mr. Mike, a weed fancier himself, would've appreciated. When I became O'Donoghue's biographer, I got to know Tom Davis a bit, and learned that his pot smoking was not a stunt. He still enjoyed the bud, and made no apologies for his preference. Problem was, he was practically alone among his old comedy peers, and this had a negative effect on his writing career. Once a powerful voice within SNL, Davis was soon marginalized and banished, unable or unwilling to embrace clean corporate living. His humor remained sharp as his former colleagues softened their approaches, another professional strike against him. Looking back, Tom Davis doesn't appear to have many lasting regrets. His new memoir, Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss details his triumphs and defeats, offering one of the more candid looks inside the original SNL. Davis lays it out so honestly that he had Grove Press delay the book's release until Minnesota's Senate race ended, not wanting to give Norm Coleman any ammo against his ex-partner Al Franken. This generosity of spirit permeates Davis' memoir, though he's not lax in the graphic remembrance department. Some of his anecdotes, primarily those dealing with his heroin and cocaine use, are hard to read, simply because you wonder how he survived some of these scenes. Yet he did, and is here to tell us how it all went down. Davis' timeline jumps all over the place, from his upbringing in Minneapolis, to he and Franken struggling as club comics in early-70s Los Angeles, to his intense friendships with Timothy Leary and Jerry Garcia, his many relationships with incredibly beautiful women, and naturally, his various runs on SNL, beginning in 1975. His depictions of Lorne Michaels, "The Boss" as Davis calls him, are the most forthright since O'Donoghue, who rarely if ever kissed Lorne's ring, a requirement for many seeking comedy fame. Not that Davis trashes Lorne; he repeatedly thanks SNL's godfather for the opportunities Davis enjoyed. Still, Lorne comes across as a Machiavellian figure, pitting egos against each other, showering certain people with praise while freezing others out. As Lorne became wealthier and more powerful, these traits solidified, turning SNL into a mirror of his personality. The show's rough edges were sanded down to the bland, celeb-worship model we see today. None of this reflects Davis' comedy, which is why over time, he too was slowly erased from SNL. The writing on the wall became evident in this scene: "I returned to the show as a writer in January of '88, and was given my own office as far away from Lorne's as possible. Things had changed and I hadn't . . . Dana Carvey (I thought it was Danic Harvey) was immensely popular with the Church Lady character. As I took a seat in the writers' meeting with Jim Downey, now head writer, he asked me what I thought of the show. Me: "It's great -- but what is with this Ruth Buzzi Church Lady shit?" Jim: "Gotta love ya' for that, Davis." He laughed. Then I took a joint out of the breast pocket of my flannel shirt and lit it up. There was a collective gasp from all the young writers. Jim: "Uh Tom -- there's no more smoking in the office." The beginning of the end. Davis produced some first-rate sketches, proving he'd maintained his satiric chops. But his chemical appetites became a distraction, and helped fuel his nasty break-up with Al Franken, who had quit drugs and tried to get his partner to do the same. Davis wasn't interested. Ironically enough, Davis later tried to talk Chris Farley out of drug taking, an emotional appeal that clearly didn't register. When Davis explained to Farley how his abuse was similar to John Belushi's, and that Farley was barreling toward oblivion, Farely smiled, which caused Davis to cry. Despite the human wreckage that Davis recounts, it was drugs that inspired SNL's most identifiable characters: The Coneheads. Davis and Dan Aykroyd traveled to Easter Island where they ate acid and soaked in the giant stone heads staring off into eternity. "The Heads! The Heads!" Aykroyd kept saying, and soon he and Davis turned these visions into what remains one of SNL's strangest creations. The physical impact of the giant skulls combined with Aykroyd and Davis' conceptual, mechanical dialogue instantly set The Coneheads apart. Though Davis contributed to other classic SNL moments -- Aykroyd's Julia Child bleeding to death perhaps the most memorable -- and performed a number of great Franken and Davis bits, The Coneheads are perhaps his true comic legacy. Drugs are only part of the story. Tom Davis has written a book any fan of American comedy will enjoy. His mind remains keen, his comic insights penetrating, his natural humor and humane persona evident throughout. Tom is one of the good ones. How I wish I hit that joint at O'Donoghue's wake. More on Al Franken
 
Jon Chattman: Hugh Mistake: Oscars and All That Schmaltz Top
After presenting his third of four Oscars, Will Smith looked into the camera and the audience and said something to the effect of "yes, I'm still here." That essentially sums up this year's Oscar telecast, a bloated and overdone spectacle that left us bewildered, unenthusiastic and exhausted to the point where only "Randy The Ram" could have saved the show by laying the smackdown on the all-schmaltz affair. Sadly, he never entered the ring. The 81st Academy Awards played off as a Tony Awards retread featuring painful musical numbers (love Hugh Jackman but that G-rated opening medley was a bit much and that whole "musicals are back" number seemed dated and would've played off better the year Chicago won), matched with endless and unnecessary montages (Was it really a banner year for animated flicks? Space Chimps got more mileage than Doubt -- need I say more?), and forgettable (not counting Steve Martin and Tina Fey, who stole the show) and too few presenters. The show wasn't a complete train wreck although, admittedly, it came pretty close. Aside from the overall Broadway feel of the whole thing (Did anyone else expect to see Carol Channing wearing a "Jai Ho" T-shirt?), it was classy and refreshing to see past Oscar winners on stage together praising each individual nominee even though it took too long to get to the actual winner. On a related note, it would've been nice if Cuba Gooding, Jr. praised nominee Robert Downey, Jr. instead of trying to upstage him and recreate his Jerry Maguire speech from over a decade ago. Other highlights were the speeches: Heath Ledger's win for Best Supporting Actor in which his family accepted on his behalf was one of those big Oscar moments we will be seeing for decades to come; Philippe Petit's acceptance was effortlessly glorious; Slumdog Millionaire 's humble speeches made you really happy it had won so many awards, and Kate Winslet finally bringing home a gold guy was joyous -- notably her terrific "shampoo" line and her "whistle" shout out to her dad. Still, there's no question this year's Oscars were a dud. It's time to lighten up and trim the fat. The Indie Spirit Awards are always entertaining because they're carefree, and above all else, just two hours long. It's time for the Oscars to cut the montages, the original score sets and the music performances. How fast did John Legend leave the stage after performing in the medley? Who can blame him? Three hours is enough. We don't need a forth. As is typically the case, the host ends up getting lost as the show goes on. That's why I suggest the Academy go back to its 1980s theme of having a couple of hosts. Wouldn't the telecast seem fresh if say Ricky Gervais opened the show, Will Ferrell did the middle, and Conan O'Brien finished it off? I think so. The awards need to be a celebration of film, but more importantly, a form of entertainment that keeps us entertained -- and as history has shown -- laughing. Billy Crystal did the best job of that. Steve Martin was extremely underrated as well. Bottom line is it's bad enough the Oscars don't award mainstream movies like The Dark Knight , why should we have to sit through a telecast of meaningless vignettes and old-fashioned singing and dancing? I mean really... last night's telecast beat us over the head senseless. More on Conan O'Brien
 
Oscar Ratings Look Up Top
NEW YORK — A preliminary measurement of the nation's biggest markets shows ratings for this year's Academy Awards went up 6 percent over last year, yet the telecast is still likely to be among the three least-watched Oscars ever. Nielsen Media Research says its estimate of the Oscar audience's size will come later Monday. Last year's audience of 32 million was the smallest ever measured for an Oscar telecast. Last year and in 2003, when "Chicago" won best picture before 33 million viewers, are the low-water marks for the annual show. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles were the markets with the highest Oscar ratings Sunday. More on The Oscars
 
Wall Street's Hall Of Shame Top
There's plenty of blame to go around for the current financial crisis. But we think there are a number of people (26 to be precise) who are particularly responsible for getting us into this mess. More on Financial Crisis
 
Jerry Weissman: The Art & Science of Oprah Winfrey: Part I Top
Oprah Winfrey shares a unique distinction with Lucille Ball, the 1950s television comedienne, and Mary Pickford, the 1920s movie actress: all three attained extraordinary popularity in front of the camera, and all three became powerhouses behind the camera, as heads of their own production studios. But Oprah differs from the other two women in that her stardom is based on her own personality, rather than on the assumed role of a character in a comedy or drama. Miss Ball played "Lucy," a scatterbrained housewife, in her television series, and Miss Pickford, known as "America's Sweetheart," portrayed ingénue leads in her films. Miss Winfrey, on the other hand, from the very start of her career in television news and through every progressive step along her way to her own enormously successful The Oprah Winfrey Show, has always been herself--just Oprah. Her uncanny ability to be natural in all settings has enabled her to create, as her own web site states, "an unparalleled connection with people around the world." Miss Winfrey's talent to connect is both an art and a science; the science is the foundation, and the art the expression. The science, which provides the best insight to her success, will be the subject of tomorrow's post, and, her art, the following day. More on Oprah
 
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: The Post's (the Other Post that is) Racial Correctness Gone Ape Top
Talk about racial correctness gone ape. How else can you describe the Washington Post's apology for an offensive cartoon that really didn't or at least shouldn't have offended any one? The cartoon depicts a woman hoisted over the shoulder of a very warm and fuzzy looking ape. The cartoon was a spoof of the Below the Beltway column in the Washington Post magazine that took a light hearted look at a survey that claimed women are sexually aroused by more things than straight men (women) and gay men (men). One of the supposed sex arousal tip points for women were shots of apes having sex. The cartoon did not demean women, men, blacks, or apes. The Washington Post editors overreacted to the other Post's sin with a panicky apology. The Post apologized because it's scared stiff that someone might think that the ape depiction was a racial slur against blacks. Apparently, the Post editors had a nightmarish vision of being deluged with a torrent of angry letters, emails and faxes lambasting the cartoon and the Post as racist, trembling as the NAACP and Al Sharpton lead shouting protesters in front of the Post demanding an apology and a firing, and the threat of a boycott. The Post's apology is more than a case of silliness. Or even a case of the staid, Post fearfully clawing at misguided political and racial correctness to plant itself firmly on the journalistic high ground. The Post's apology gave a perverse back door egg on to the tiny but vocal minority who screamed that there is nothing wrong with the New York Post's Obama slurring Chimp cartoon. This bunch bought the Post's initial line that the cartoon was a good natured political poke at a president and his economic policy. Now, they'll howl that the Post's apology will further chill political criticism. It will make a writer think twice before jotting a critical word about a politician. Or in this instance a cartoonist will look over their shoulder before they draw a line skewering a politician or any other public figure. If that happens then that's one more bad behaving politician or public figure who gets a pass. The public loses. The Post's needless act can be likened to the ancient brawl over the use of the word nigger. Some publications are so jittery and fearful of offending blacks that they absolutely bar the use of the word in their publication. The paranoia has morphed into calling nigger, the N word, N.............., the word, or simply N. The word is objectionable when it used to racially slander and pillory blacks. This is hardly the same as the use of the word in a thoughtful, critical article or discussion on the controversy over the word or the damage that use of the word has wreaked. The New York Post cartoon was, of course, not a legitimate use of free speech, a political spoof, let alone instructive punditry. It was vicious, vile, and a veiled incitement to violence against a president. The New York Post cartoon obliterated the line between legitimate political criticism and racial denigration. The Washington Post cartoon didn't come close to that. The editors offered a mea culpa for as they explained the image and text inadvertently may conjure racial stereotypes that the Post does not countenance. They pleaded that they regretted the lapse. The lapse was their senseless apology. They went ape over nothing. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is How Obama Won (Middle Passage Press, January 2009). More on Wash Post
 
Marguerite Manteau-Rao: Green Window Into the Future Top
It started with a tweet : Twitter is great that way. I know of no better forum for validating one's seemingly universal thoughts and feelings. Yesterday, I got seized with a severe case of eco² panic. Eco like green. Eco like economic. Images of CO2 going nuts, and us still not getting our act together, despite almost daily global warming alerts . And the specter of another Great Depression , only worse this time around. Thank God, Franke was there to tweet back prompto to shake me up good: I must say, I felt a bit ashamed for having given into "defeatism". Imagine if all the citizens voiced out their secret despair as I did. That would be the end of it. Even Bill's chiming in and lecturing Barack, telling him he's not hopeful enough. Yes, we can. And we shall. Still, I could not let go completely of the reality of my malaise. That was a pretty wishy-washy tweet. I wasn't even sure where I was going with it. Until Franke's response: Thank you, Franke for gifting me, us with your such a wonderful image. Now, whenever I start feeling blue, I will imagine a green window, opening to a new landscape of windmills, and solar farms, and electric cars, and workers going about their green jobs . . . More on Global Warming
 
Sarah Newman: 7 Ways to Grow Your Own Food and Save Money Top
Can't take the heat? No, not the kitchen heat but the intense heat our society is generating from the stresses and horrors of our continuing economic decline and the fury directed at Wall Street, politicians, the stimulus bill and everyone and anything else possible. From rural towns dotting our nation's landscape to corner coffee shops in our cities, the economic meltdown and resulting inferno are evident everywhere. People who used to smugly discuss their multiple homes are now racing to plant "for sale" signs in their lawns. And, many more people are now being forced to cut back on staple expenses such as food. It's distressing that millions of Americans will be food insecure (meaning they do not have secure food access), there are measures that people can take to ensure they have better access to food during these serious times (though we obviously need fundamental system changes to address the root causes of our financial crisis and its results). Stop getting steamed and grow some food to steam! 1. Tear up your front lawn and plant a garden. If it seems to radical to tear up your entire front lawn (and this might not go over well with those of you who have strict neighborhood associations), I suggest planting a section in the back, side or flower boxes. In the long-term, it will be a lot cheaper than shopping at the supermarket. And, you can share your harvest with your community. 2. Pick produce in public areas. Did you know that the branches of your neighbor's lemon tree that gracefully bow over the public sidewalk is actually public property? How about the fruit trees in the medians of public streets? Those are for you too. 3. Join a community garden. It's an easy way to grow your own produce, meet fellow gardeners and support the greening of our cities. 4. Become a guerrilla! No, not against the government but a guerrilla gardener who plants in public areas in your hometown (such as traffic medians, under trees, etc). 5. Grow herbs indoors. As long as you get some decent sunshine at a window, you can easily grow some herbs. 6. Join with friends to participate in a CSA . (Community Supported Agriculture). You will receive a weekly box of beautiful, fresh produce from a nearby farm and also have the opportunity to work on the farm. 7. Yes, we can, can! Can your own foods rather than buying pre-made ones at the store. You can can, pickle, jam and freeze virtually anything with fresh produce. I've been enjoying delicious summer sweet corn during Los Angeles' long, dark winter days. 8. Adopt an egg-laying hen! It's not a rooster, so it won't wake you or the neighbors up before dawn, but it will provide you with plenty of nutritious eggs. These tips won't save Detroit, Wall Street or stop millions of foreclosures. But, hopefully it will help to ensure that a few more people have daily healthy foods on their plates. This crisis requires all of our efforts to ensure that no one goes hungry. If you are fortunate enough to be food secure, please also consider supporting your local food bank. Sarah's Social Action Snapshot originally appeared on Takepart.com More on Financial Crisis
 
Karen Talavera: Americans at the End of the Road: 5 Reasons to Help Now Top
This is not the follow-up to " A Thousand Dollars Away From Homeless " I planned to write. The follow-up to the story of Debbie Hobson and family (who in September 2008 were less than $1,000 away from eviction) that I pictured writing would convey the scintillating success of how tens - maybe even hundreds - of total strangers selflessly, generously made small expendable cash donations to save Debbie and her family from homelessness in Bradenton, Florida. It would recount the boot-strapping, heart-warming tale of how Debbie's husband, once a white collar hospital professional, quickly became a truck driver just to provide for his family, and succeeded in pulling them out of the chasm of despair they had plummeted into. It would thank with adulation the multitudes who realized we are connected to one another in far more intricate ways than economically, socially, or politically. It would signal the bottom of the avalanche in this wretched economic mudslide we're in. Surely, we'd all rejoice, pat ourselves on the back, and go on with our lives. I was wrong, and this is much harder than I thought it would be. So I am asking for your help. Instead, the story I'm compelled to report is the latest and I fear, final chapter in Debbie's Herculean efforts against nearly impossible odds to keep her family off the streets. Despite financial contributions from many of you, the Hobson family is once more a week away from a shelter. Unless, of course, we do something about it. If you are not new to this story and want to help Debbie and her family immediately, let me explain a few things. First, this is my final effort to raise assistance for Debbie, which not only means I won't be asking again, but also means that it's your last and perhaps only chance to give. Because of that, Debbie and I agreed to make it a big one, and to make it about more than her family alone. To see Debbie's family financially through her husband's two-month truck driving training period to his full-time employment will take $3,000. But because I know the audience I can reach with this article, (and I know the wealth they represent) I want this appeal to generate far more than $3,000. Here's the plan : all proceeds in excess of $3,000 will be donated equally to two charities aiding the homeless and hungry in America: The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) , and Feeding America (formerly America's Harvest). The easiest way to contribute to this appeal is to send money via PayPal directly to Debbie. You don't need to already have a PayPal account to send money through PayPal . Simply head to www.paypal.com , click the "Send Money" link at the top of the page, and follow the instructions. You will make your contribution to Debbie Hobson at email address dhobsonb@aol.com . For other contribution options, email me at karentalavera@comcast.net. Let me also address honesty and integrity, because I'd be naïve not to in these days of Ponzi schemes galore. Debbie is no fraud and neither am I. This is not a scam. In fact, I couldn't possibly stake my professional and personal reputation on this if it weren't the real thing. In order to assure you of that, Debbie and I will both have access to her PayPal account and document all contributions. I will also publish a public accounting of donations to anyone who requests it (yes, you can be an anonymous donor if you wish) and, should donations exceed $3,000, will happily ask an outside third party to audit the account if necessary. If you are new to this story let me take a paragraph to bring you up to speed (or you can read more here ): I met Debbie Hobson last August through an Obama Campaign email discussion list - Florida Women for Obama. When she mentioned in her one post to the list that despite having held house meetings for the Obama campaign and supporting the candidate in ways far beyond what most of us had done, she was at the end of the road - a few days away from the power being shut off and a few weeks at most from eviction from her family's rental home - I couldn't resist asking how much money it would take to prevent that. When I learned it was less than $1,000 it seemed impossible to do nothing - so I did some quick fact-checking, gave Debbie the money she needed and began writing her story. In the six months I've known her I've learned much more about Debbie than how she, her husband Randy, and their two children (a daughter, 20, disabled, and an 11-year old son) came on tough times (they both lost their jobs over a year ago). I learned about the strength of character and bottomless hope of this woman even in the face of incredible uncertainty on both national and personal scales. How she has not keeled over from an ulcer or heart attack, or turned to drugs or abandoned her kids is nothing short of a miracle in my book. Rest assured, both those who've followed this story and those who are new to it, Debbie is the real deal. This is no scam artist, member of a fraud ring, addict, gambler, or someone trying to work the system. Debbie instead could be a poster child for the millions of honest, hard-working, disadvantaged Americans who have slipped through the cracks, who despite receiving limited government benefits (she gets a Social Security survivor's death benefit for her late husband) are disqualified for the very government benefits (welfare and food stamps) that might help her more. Who despite searching relentlessly for work, can't get hired (she's over 50, she has no references), who despite contacting every aid agency (governmental and otherwise) and charity group she can think of, can't obtain the assistance she needs because there are hundreds or thousands more needy than her, and you know, there are limits to how many times you're allowed to visit the free food bank every thirty days. Here, in Debbie's own words, is her situation today: "We've come so far, been through so much already and this (truck driving job) was our only chance to get out of this mess, We both knew to some degree each of us would suffer somewhat but it was worth it to get a job and get our life back in order. But as it stands we are going far beyond suffering - it's killing us. Randy is on the road right now with $5.00 left in his pocket and no means of getting any food or drinks for at least a week until he gets paid. And here at home we are going to be kicked out unless we pay the rent owed for February. My phone is about to be shut off any day and neither of us have any means to get in touch with the other. I called a few shelters which all have waiting lists. One lady told me I should put my name on the list immediately even if I'm not homeless yet because there are about 400 people already on the shelter's waiting list and once you get in you can only stay for five days - after that you have to find either another shelter or a box to live in. So I added my name to the list since the month is coming to an end and come the first I will have to pay the rent or leave, so I figure I better do this while I still have a phone and Internet service which could go at any given minute. To have to throw in the towel now would be just horrible. We just don't know what to do. Karen, I just don't know what to do anymore I just don't. I guess we did all we could and have reached the end of the road." So why am I asking you to help Debbie again, and why should you? Here are five good reasons : 1) Many Hands Make Light Work . First, I wouldn't ask others to do what I haven't already done myself. I have personally given more than $1,500 to Debbie's family. The fact of the matter is I can't afford to save Debbie single-handedly. I need my tribe. The beauty of any situation like this is that when we all give just a little, it is effortless for everyone. 2) It Is in Your Own Best Interest to Help . Second, it's in our collective economic interest not to let families like Debbie's go under. Sound familiar? It should, it's the same principle behind Obama's Mortgage Relief Plan. It only hurts us to have more vacant homes glutting the excess inventory already on the real estate market. Additional foreclosures create a cascading domino effect, driving down neighboring home values and putting landlords (like Debbie's) out of business because they can't re-rent investment properties. Additional unemployed and homeless further drain welfare and government aid systems. Simply put: help your neighbor, and you help yourself. 3) This is a Bridge, Not a Bail-out . Debbie and Randy need a bridge to employment, not a permanent handout. We've taken Debbie's family so far that it would be a shame to quit now. For the assistance so far I'd like to take a moment to sincerely thank everyone from my personal family, to business colleagues to friends to anonymous donors I don't know for the contributions they've made to Debbie already. The bad news is it has not been enough to carry her through today. The good news is considerable progress has been made and can continue to be made. Thanks to those donations, Debbie's husband Randy was able to train for a new career. Formerly a hospital administrator, he was unable to find work after close to a year of interviewing. He knew he had to get a job - any job that would pay well - fast, and truck driving was the best option. He entered truck-driving school in November and completed it with flying colors. Unfortunately, the $285 a week after taxes he makes during the two-month training period he must complete prior to getting his own truck is even less than what he earned on unemployment; plus he needs money to eat on the road. Hence, their current Catch-22. 4) The Stats on Homelessness in America . 700,000 people are homeless on any given night. The average age of a homeless person in America is nine years old. 76% of homeless families who receive needed services like substance abuse treatment, education, and job training stop being homeless. Homelessness is a condition that we have the power to end. 80% of homeless families who received subsidized housing remain stably housed. However, less than 1 out of 3 people who are eligible for low-income housing, receive it. 5) Because You Can . And finally, if you're even barely contemplating a contribution, if you're thinking of giving a mere $5, then you should because you can . That's right - because you can . And that's the ultimate bailout lesson in this country. The ultimate bailout will be provided by those of us who have resources to share . If you're not among the recently unemployed, laid off, and hungry; if you're holding steady and going strong, or best of all if you're per chance prospering during these tough economic times (and I know many of you who are) then guess what? YOU ARE MEANT TO HELP. It's that simple. But don't just take my word for it - look around. What's really happening in America is a redistribution of wealth unlike this country has ever seen. Our government has already taken billions of our collective tax dollars to bail out our financial institutions and it looks like the car companies are next in line. Hey baby boomers, do you honestly think you won't be bailing out your twenty or thirty-something kids and grandkids who've been laid off from Motorola or Adobe or GM? Hey forty-somethings and fifty-somethings, do you honestly think you won't be bailing out your parents whose retirement savings accounts have tanked? Hey everybody, do you honestly think you won't be helping your brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors who've lost jobs when the unemployment runs out and they aren't re-hired yet? If you think you're exempt, think again, because the challenges you are witnessing are just the beginning. Most of us have underestimated the situation, despite our President's attempts in his inauguration speech to emphasize the severity of these "gathering clouds and raging storms". "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met," said Barack Obama on January 20. I'm learning, as you're learning, the totality of his words: there will be no quick fix. It's going to take many efforts, from many people, to weather this storm. Persistence and innovation are, perhaps, our only keys to success. What I want even more than to help Debbie (and I want that pretty damn badly), what I want most painfully and honestly and humbly from deep down in my soul is for everyone to realize that the contrasts are increasing so we'll see more clearly. The negativity of humanity has to go somewhere. It ends up with the poor, the homeless, the diseased, and the destitute. Sometimes it becomes intensely concentrated (i.e., Haiti) so we can't miss it. Other times, like now, it grows widespread so we'll at long last realize our inextricable connectedness to one other. We need each other, and we're meant to. Why? For the survival, and evolution , of us all. Old systems will fail, new ones will be invented in their place, and along the way there will be collateral damage. I pray Debbie and her family won't be expendable in the process, but they might. As tough as this story has been on me to tell, I can't begin to walk in Debbie's shoes. What I can do is be a portal for making the story of the American family like Debbie's visible; I can lend my voice to raising awareness and hopefully, aid; and I pray I can inspire and motivate you to do the same. I freely admit, in retrospect it would have been so easy to just ignore that first email from Debbie; to let myself be distracted and look away. It would have saved me buckets of heartache to simply have sent Debbie a check, then ended the conversation. I can't give you an intellectual, logical reason why I've come this far. I can only illustrate it with these two closing points: 1) Ode Magazine describes empathy as "When you see yourself as connected to all things, you will be incapable of doing nothing". 2) In the words most commonly attributed to philosopher Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. " (Hey, you knew that was coming, right?) I'm prepared for you to disagree with me (if you do, please add your comment below). I'm prepared for your criticism of my tactics and technique. If you have a better idea, please share it. I'm prepared for just about anything. The only thing I can't handle is to stand by and do nothing in the face of need. To recap : This is the final appeal for financial assistance for Debbie Hobson and family. We are striving to raise as close to $3,000 as possible. It should be easy; heck if 200 people donate $15 each that's the total right there. But I'm an incurable optimist, so I want "big fish" donors too since all proceeds over $3,000 will be given equally to The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) , and Feeding America (formerly America's Harvest). To donate send your contribution via PayPal directly to Debbie at email address dhobsonb@aol.com . For other contribution options or if you have a legitimate full-time salaried job opportunity for Debbie or Randy in or near Bradenton, Tampa, or Sarasota Florida (or even elsewhere) contact me at karentalavera@comcast.net. And by all means, please act today. Debbie has one week to pay the rent.
 
The Nine Weirdest PSAs Ever Made (VIDEO) Top
There are many serious issues here and abroad that deserve more attention and non-profit advocates have taken to the airwaves to solicit contributions and raise awareness. Unfortunately, some of them miss the mark and give us incredibly creepy videos that make us want to hide from the moving image forever, or create a cult classic that has lost its weight and power due to some unfortunate casting or strange music choices. Of course there are also the kind of Public Service Announcements that start out normal, but end up taking their point to an illogical conclusion therefore making you think, "the anti-pot group must have been high when filming this." Here are the nine weirdest, creepiest, funniest, or similarly bizarre PSAs available on the internet... I'm not sure what this anti-drug ad is for, but regardless I think we can all agree they present some pretty impressive reasons for using cocaine. I am a huge "Starship Troopers" fan, giant bugs being fought by pseudo-nazis and Doogie Houser? Amazing. But I don't know that I would have revived Casper Van Dien's career to help children in need. An anti-vermin PSA maybe, but this is too far of a leap. Raise your hand if you would let this man in your house? No one? Oh, that's a surprise considering he's deeply creepy, an obvious liar and British. Too bad this lady knew all that and just kept giggling instead of screaming for help. I really enjoy when people dress up like condoms. Usually I get my fix of this at the New York Halloween parade, but in this case an Indian PSA about safe sex that informs viewers "I come in different flavors and colors," will last me a lifetime. Really Weird Indian Condom Commercial - Watch more Funny Videos In this anti-child swinging PSA, we learn that child-swinging in general is a bad idea, but drunk child-swinging is a definite no-no. I wasn't even allowed to play with a basketball indoors, why do people allow this man to whip his child around like a lasso? PeeWee says, "Don't do crack," and when Pee Wee speaks, everybody listens, especially when you're trapped in a dark room with him. Did you know that mumps can make your testicles swell? If not this ad is for you. Is it just me or does this ad make doing Meth look kind of awesome? My apartment is a mess and I don't have cheery music following me around during the day. Find more videos like this on AdGabber Don't smoke pot before your big Karate show, ok? It's a really bad idea: If you have more PSAs we should see please post them in the comments section! More on Advertising
 
Cancel Amex, Get $300 Top
Well, this sure is a different kind of deal. Instead of paying you a bonus to join, New York-based American Express will give you a $300 American Express prepaid card if you agree to say goodbye. American Express says that it is making this "deal" so that customers can "simplify" their finances.
 
Presented By: Confessions From Closet Rehab - hip-T: A Wallet Friendly Accessory To Cover Assets and Revamp The Shortest Shirts Top
Here is an economic stimulus plan for closets everywhere. No need to cash in on an array of new spring t-shirts and layering tanks. A hip-T does double duty by renewing length to cotton favorites, bridges the gap between low rise jeans and any top, and offers modest coverage where northern cleavage is concerned. Less is truly more with this fashion accessory. (PRWeb Feb 21, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2124754.htm >> Read more Ads by Pheedo
 
Harry Shearer: Plenty of Nothin' for New Orleans? Top
NEW ORLEANS--Yes, there's bitching and moaning about what's in, and not in, the stimulus package. And then there's this , from last Friday's Times-Picayune: The giant economic stimulus bill signed into law this week by President Barack Obama will provide $3.8 billion in financing and tax cuts for Louisiana, but none of it is earmarked specifically for hurricane recovery. My first thought when reading that was, "Damn, three and a half years along, and we're not shovel-ready." Then, in the same paper, there's this : Regional levee commissioners said Thursday that they fear that the Army Corps of Engineers is running into money problems in its efforts to build better flood protection by 2011 and that to cut costs, the corps might recommend what the commissioners consider to be unacceptable projects. This, it should be noted, is the new, reformed, professional levee board, not the old political-hack operation. Reform of the levee boards is one of the first successes achieved by citizen action in New Orleans following the 2005 flood. But back to the stimulus, and the long-running discussion I've been having with HuffPo readers about candidate-now-President Obama's level of commitment to the intelligent and compassionate rebuilding of this city. Here's verbiage from the President on Friday : "The residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who are helping rebuild are heroes who believe in their communities and they are succeeding despite the fact that they have not always received the support they deserve from the federal government," Obama said in a statement. "We must ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated." But the chief failure of the past was the failure to adequately fund flood-prevention projects designed and constructed by the Army Corps, as well as to subject those designs to rigorous peer review. We appear well on the way to repeating those failures, words to the contrary notwithstanding. More on President Obama
 
Diane Dimond: Stupid Is As Stupid Does - And We All Pay For It Top
Our country is built on a foundation of laws designed to keep order in our society. Some of these laws are passed by legislatures; others are society's laws, the ethical and moral laws that guide us. Two stories playing out in the news these days underscore the importance of this very basic cornerstone of American life. The California single mother of six, whose addiction to test tube babies caused her to give birth to 8 more and the President of the Peanut Corporation of America, from which salmonella tainted products were shipped, have something in common. When faced with monumental choices they chose badly. They thought of themselves first -- their happiness or their paycheck -- with no regard to how others would be impacted by their lousy decisions. To make matters worse those entities, who we rely on to protect us from the foolish (even criminal) decisions of others, failed us. Let's deal with 33 year old Nadya Suleman first. No husband, no job, no house of her own, her parents with whom she lives have had to declare bankruptcy under the burden, and three of her 6 in-vitro-conceived children have disabilities. She decided to go back for even more in vitro fertilizations! Her doctor presumably knew her situation, but defied his own medical profession's guidelines and implanted way too many embryos. Eight more human beings brought into the world, because Nadya longed for a "huge family" to make up for the loneliness of being an only child. Geez, I am an only child but I never thought of giving birth to my own nursery school full of children! Suleman, who also appears to be addicted to collagen lip injections, said she gets no welfare. We now know that's not true. She declared she'll raise all 14 of her children alone. We know that's impossible. Suleman must sense the public assistance spigot may dry up as she's started a web site for donations. I for one refuse to help pay for her delusional behavior. Maybe it would be better if the state took custody of Suleman's babies and placed them with people who can actually afford children. Next, let's consider the case of the peanut company CEO, Stewart Parnell, another fantasy thinker. According to several congressional witnesses, and corroborating e-mails written by Parnell himself, he knew there was deadly salmonella in P.C.A. products. But instead of destroying the tainted items and sanitizing his plants Parnell made the choice to do a little "lab shopping" to see if a different laboratory would come up with a different test result. Really bad choice. In the meantime, Parnell's e-mails reveal bitter complaints about how the company is losing money. "We need to discuss this," Parnell wrote to his plant manager. "The time lapse...is costing us huge $$$$$..." Here is a man faced with the prospect that his product could kill people and he's more worried about the bottom line, and his own paycheck. Later, via another e-mail, Parnell orders the questionable products be "let loose" to schools, nursing homes and manufacturers who make cookies, candy, crackers, ice cream, granola bars and other products Americans gobble up. It was no surprise when Parnell took the fifth at congressional hearings. The result was deadly. Nearly 600 people were made so sick they reported it to health officials. To date, 9 deaths are linked to Parnell's salmonella tainted products. Plaintiff's lawyers are lining up to file suit against the corporation, which just conveniently filed for bankruptcy. Prosecutors are researching whether to file negligent homicide charges against Parnell. Now, may I just ask where was the Food and Drug Administration, which admits that reports of salmonella at P.C.A. plants stretched back to last summer! Where were the federally mandated inspections? And in the case of Octo-Mom, as Nadya Suleman is now nicknamed, where was the medical community? Unlike other countries we don't have legislation limiting in vitro procedures. Lawmakers have left it up to the doctors to police themselves. Nice job, guys. One could argue that the actions of both Parnell and Suleman were criminal, one crime against consumers, the other against tiny, incubated babies struggling to live. I am the last one to call for more government regulation. But the FDA is already in place! The laws are there, the salmonella reports at A.P.C. were longstanding. Someone we taxpayers paid failed to be our backstop. I'd like to know who. And, the medical community already has its guidelines firmly in place. The American Society For Reproductive Medicine concludes no more than two embryos should be implanted at a time in a woman Suleman's age. Won't even one medical association stand up and publicly condemn the doctor who caused these eight babies to be born? Too bad we can't pass laws against short-sighted stupidity. -30- Diane Dimond can be reached through her Web site: www.DianeDimond.net or via Diane@DianeDimond.net More on Nadya Suleman
 
City Connects Street Cameras To Central Network With Homeland Security Grant Top
The technology, a computer-aided dispatch system, was paid for with a $6 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security. It has been in use since a trial run in December. "One of the best tools any big city can have is visual indicators like cameras, which can help save lives," Mr. Orozco said. In addition to the city's camera network, Mr. Orozco said, the new system can also connect to cameras at private sites like tourist attractions, office buildings and university campuses.
 
Steve Young: The Train, The Mouse And ACORN: Right Wing Radio's Synopsis of The Stimulus Bill Top
If you happen to be an evening MSNBC fan, haven't had an opportunity to turn on Fox News, or have yet to open your deluge of forwarded emails from your prolific Republican cousin, conservative talk radio and TV were here to give the Folks the real story behind the Stimulus..., I mean, Spending Bill. Get it? 'Cause the bill costs money. Heh-heh. Did you know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) included a provision in the economic recovery law calling for $8 billion to be spent on a high-speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas? Thanks to talk radio and Fox News, the Folks™ know. Did you know that House Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) put $20 million into READ THE REST OF THE UNFAIR WAY WE TREAT TALK RADIO OR HERE. Award-winning TV writer Steve Young blogs at the appropriately-named SteveYoungonPolitics.com More on Fox News
 
Taylor Marsh: Secretary Clinton's China Candor Draws Criticism Top
by Taylor Marsh Secretary Clinton's first overseas tour has gotten a lot of attention and deservedly so. In catching up with Clinton, because of being on the road moving from west coast to east (now reporting from Washington, D.C.), one of my favorite moments was when Clinton made a refueling stop that took some in the traveling press by surprise. We made a standard refueling stop here, between Beijing and Alaska, but to the reporters' surprise, hundreds of military personnel and their families had gathered here for a campaign-style event in one of the airport hangers. No one on the secretary's team had told us this was planned. [...] The message on the 20,000-mile trip, Clinton said, is "that United States is ready and eager to lead. We can't solve all the problems ourselves. But the world can't solve their problems without us." Then Clinton plunged into crowd, shaking hands and posing for pictures. She had transformed a standard refueling stop into another opportunity for the selling of the Obama administration's foreign policy. In China, Clinton made it clear that our two nations are inextricably linked: "Our economies are so intertwined... The Chinese know that in order to start exporting again to its biggest market . . . the United States has to take some drastic measures with the stimulus package. We have to incur more debt. The Chinese are recognizing our interconnection. "We are truly going to rise or fall together. ..." Subtle hint that reminds everyone America's pocketbooks rev China's engines. But not everyone is happy about Clinton's candor or her efforts to undo the Bush-Cheney double standard when it comes to reality, human rights and telling it like it is. You know, instead of talking in vapid streams of political gibberish that amount to a campaign with no intent to back it up, because "war on terror" policies make a mockery of diplomatic efforts. Of course I'm talking about the criticism coming Clinton's way from human rights activists and others who have taken exception to her statements focusing on economic realities, instead of China's appalling history of subverting human rights: "But our pressing on those issues can't interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis." - Secretary Clinton Amnesty International USA quickly reacted, saying they are "shocked and extremely disappointed" by Clinton's remarks. "The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues," he said. "But by commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future US initiatives to protect those rights in China," he said. Students for a Free Tibet said Clinton's remarks sent the wrong signal to China at a sensitive time. "The US government cannot afford to let Beijing set the agenda," said Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of the New York-based advocacy group. This is just stupid and easy to say when you only have to think about one thing in a vacuum of reality. As for Clinton's dialogue, think Nixon going to China. Only he could do it back when. Only Clinton could do it and talk economics in the face of what we all know to be true. First lady Hillary Clinton put herself on the map in China back in the 1990s in a speech that has become famous, the foundation of her foreign policy philosophy on human rights. Secretary Clinton certainly doesn't need nor deserve a lecture from the activist peanut gallery on China's human rights or her commitment to calling them on it when the time is right. But Clinton's candor is drawing "mixed reviews," according to the Post , though Craig Nelson's comment not surprisingly is the one that nails the issue squarely. "I think she clearly feels it's necessary to induce realism and perspective to expectations and performance, and to tell the Chinese that Obama knows that we all need to work together, so she is determined not to let less centrally vital issues handicap that," said Chris Nelson, who writes an influential newsletter on Asian policy. That Clinton would state she knows what Beijing would say when approached about human rights in that country or in dealing with Tibet, especially as we come upon the 50th anniversary of the Tibet uprising, is realistic talk from a person who knows what she's talking about. "I think that to worry about something which is so self-evident is an impediment to clear thinking," Clinton told reporters traveling with her. "And I don't think it should be viewed as particularly extraordinary that someone in my position would say what's obvious." No one, certainly not Secretary Clinton, is ignoring the human rights reality in China, a subject on which she's made herself clear. Anyone refusing to juxtapose our economic entanglements with China as being anything but central today misses that unless President Obama sets a firm foundation from the start with China, doing anything on human rights will be impossible. Righteous activism oblivious to economic survival is rendered toothless, revealing myopia from having only one thing on your plate at a time. President Obama's Secretary of State has no such luxury. More on Economy
 
Tim Giago: Indigeous People Ask: "Where is the Outrage?" Top
Last week the Jesuits of Oregon Province in Alaska filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Why were they forced into this action? Because more than 60 lawsuits alleging sex abuse by Jesuit priests have been filed against them and in all, there are 200 known claimants in the five western states covered by the Province. Most of the victims are from Alaska. Where is the outrage? It is contended by many of the abused Natives of Alaska that long before it became a state it was the dumping ground for pedophile priests . For a couple of generations the stigma attached to the abuse kept the victims silent, but when the roof fell in on the Anglican Church in Canada and the horrifying details of sexual abuse against the Natives of that country came to light, the buried secrets of abuse by several churches, the Mormons, Methodists, Episcopalians and others went unpublished, but not undocumented. Ken Roosa, the attorney representing the abuse victims in Alaska, said he expects more claimants to come forward. "By the time this is over, it wouldn't surprise me to see the number double. And these all will of course involve childhood molestation by Jesuit priests and brothers, or people who were being supervised by Jesuit priests and brothers." The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, isn't talking publicly about filing for bankruptcy. In a press release the Society said it believes Chapter 11 reorganization is the only way all of the claimants can receive a fair settlement. The Jesuits say they have less than $5 million in assets and their liabilities come to nearly $62 million. Roosa said those figures will be a major point of contention during the bankruptcy proceedings. He said, "There will be debates about whether the Jesuits own the universities and high schools, whether those universities and high schools are assets that can be held accountable or used to pay the claims. All of that will be argued before the bankruptcy judge." Elsie Boudreau, Yu'pik Eskimo and Alaska Native, a sexual abuse victim who sued a priest and the church in a separate lawsuit and won, said of the bankruptcy filing by the Jesuits: The day has come for Native people to free ourselves from the bondage of shame and secrecy that kept us powerless within the Catholic Church because we are no longer a people sitting idly on the sidelines while Jesuits continue their deceptive maneuverings to shield heinous crimes of sexual abuse of our innocent children. We are speaking loudly and clearly. "The era of gross and deliberate human rights violations by those neglectful and careless men hiding behind the cloak of Christ has come to an end. We, as a Native people, will no longer tolerate the scarring of our souls by those entrusted to protect and nurture our spirituality. Clearly upset by all she has been through over the years, Boudreau added, "The Oregon Province filing for bankruptcy is a clear admission on their part that our Native people have been the recipients of an evil so great, so inconceivable, so out of this world, that it would bring Jesus Christ to tears." Boudreau has made it her life's mission to encourage other Native victims of abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church to put away any guilt or fear they may feel and to speak out. She said, "Our ancestors' wisdom tells us we do not treat our people that way -- we take care of our people. Why then would we tolerate the abuse of those entrusted to save our souls? It is time for Native people to hold on to our teachings and secure a place of honor and respect for our children for generations to come." In the warm climes of San Diego, CA, the Diocese of San Diego is about to make an appearance in bankruptcy court in order to minimize the damages done to it by clergy accused of sexually abusing Native children there. And so the beat goes on. Long hidden crimes by the Catholic Church and its Jesuit priests, brothers and their minions are now revealed to the light. The deep, dark secrets now out in the open are apparently still too gross and vile to be stomached by the rest of America. When the victims of these heinous crimes were white, the horror was on every front page of every major newspaper and on the prime time news of every television station in America. When it comes to Native Americans and Alaskans, where is the outrage? Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, was born, raised and educated on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He was the founder and publisher of Indian Country Today, the Lakota Times, and the Lakota Journal. He can be reached at najournalist@msn.com. © 2009 Native American Journalists Foundation, Inc.
 
Carl Pope: Who Is Getting It Done? Top
America is rejoining the world in the 21st century -- and the world is responding. After a global effort to solve the problem of mercury pollution was repeatedly stalemated by the Bush administration and then almost collapsed of its own weight, suddenly this week it sprang back to life. After seven years of resistance, the U.S. has signaled it wants a treaty and, in the words of U.N. Environmental Program Chief Achim Steiner, everything has changed: "Only a few weeks ago, nations remained divided on how to deal with this major public health threat which touches everyone in every country of the world," Steiner said. "Today, the world's environment ministers, armed with the full facts and full choices, decided the time for talking was over -- the time for action on this pollution is now." The change in the U.S. position came in a letter from White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley. Once the Obama administration said it would reverse Bush's recalcitrance, China, India, and other nations also agreed to endorse the goal of a mandatory treaty. What is most astonishing about this turn of events is not that the Obama administration favors controls on mercury -- you would have expected that. But how, with virtually no one yet in place or confirmed, did the administration manage to get to this issue so promptly? How, indeed, has President Obama managed to maintain an unprecedented level of momentum with almost no one to do the work? Only Friday I talked with one of the undersecretaries-designate, and he lamented that in his department only the Secretary has been confirmed -- so no one else can do any work yet. I think there's a hidden, and important, back story here. The current skeleton crew of administration appointees cannot be producing this much change this fast. There simply aren't enough of them, even though they're all working twelve-hour days, seven days a week, and are dog tired. So how is this seeming miracle happening? The secret ingredient, I believe, is that the career civil service was so abused by Bush for eight years that they've been eagerly waiting for the chance to reverse course. And President Obama has shown, both during his campaign and during the transition, a remarkable capacity to get the best out of people by sending them clear signals -- and getting out of their way. This is where the organizer in him becomes so important -- and we're now seeing that he can enlist as allies not only his own team but also the civil service he has inherited and, perhaps, if the way in which the rest of the world rallied around the idea of mandatory mercury treaty, the civil services of other countries as well. All President Obama needs to do is raise an eyebrow, and things start to happen. It may be a wild but highly productive ride. More on Barack Obama
 
Presented By: Local Business Leaders Can Learn Social Media Marketing Skills to Benefit their Companies, While Benefiting Bereaved Children Top
Industry leaders from Jamaica and US teach one-day Social Media Workshop for business owners and marketing professionals to learn about Facebook, Twitter and other internet marketing tactics. (PRWeb Feb 22, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2125604.htm >> Read more Ads by Pheedo
 
Oscar Backstage Photos: Kidman, Cruz, Berry, Jackman, Penn & More (PHOTOS) Top
Stars hugged, celebrated, looked stunned at winning, and had their makeup touched up off-camera at the Oscars. Below is a slideshow of some moments captured by the AP that were not shown on television. See Vanity Fair photos Red carpet photos Show photos Best-dressed photos BACKSTAGE PHOTOS: More on Slideshows
 
Deepak Chopra: Our biggest "toxic asset": ideology Top
http://www.sfgate.com/columns/chopra/ The government is trying to solve the problem of toxic assets that have infected America's biggest banks. But apparently it hasn't disinfected its own toxic asset -- political ideology. It was ideology that made House Republicans vote against the first bailout in September, a bailout proposed by their own party. Ever since, the same ideological stubbornness has led to constant obstruction of any Democratic-endorsed plan to end the economic meltdown. Since time is of the essence, it's a race between history and ideology at this point. Hanging over us is the memory of the Great Depression, when Republican obstruction was a constant, year after year, no matter how dire the economy became. What is ideology, and why does it have such a tight grip on the mind? In its simplest form, ideology is group think. Neocons on the right think alike, as do liberals on the left. Each has an ideology. The problem is that group think can become so rigid that it forbids actual thinking, which needs to be open and flexible. We hear euphemisms like "philosophy," "tradition," and "mind set" that cloud the problem and make it hard for people to admit that they are victims of rigid ideology. Many Republicans feel that they are opposing every rescue plan that involves government spending because it isn't part of their philosophy to be big spenders. This flies in the face of reality, however. Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt, and the past eight years under George Bush repeated the feat through runaway spending led by House Republicans. The key point is that a philosophy opens your eyes to reality, while an ideology blinds you to reality. When ideology gains power, it forces blindness on others. North Koreans are starving but must still worship their benefactor, the "dear leader," or else. (This recalls the Soviet Union seventy years ago, when starving Russians lived in "a workers' paradise" and the mass murderer Stalin was benign "Uncle Joe.") It becomes habitual for ideologues to turn suffering into a false rosy picture. Thus Iraq was touted by neocons as a fledgling democracy when in reality it was a killing ground for hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Ideology freezes the mind. It substitutes a dogma for rational thought, and the dogma cannot be shaken. At this moment, free-market ideologues are unshakably wedded to permanent tax cuts that would beggar future government programs. Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican Party, absurdly declared that government has never created a single job. To an outsider, these are irrational lapses of the mind, but they are symptoms of a fixed ideology. If your dogma tells you that government is bad while creating jobs is good, then like a mathematical formula, government never creates jobs. How can bad create good? The toxic asset of ideology, when masked by power, can force dissenters to keep quiet. But by extending a hand to the right wing, President Obama is doing more than promoting bipartisanship. He's running a reality check. So far, the Republicans have stuck to their ideology in the face of dire need in the country. They are turning the free market into a morality-free market. The suffering of ordinary citizens demands as a duty that government relieve that suffering. The moral choice couldn't be clearer. But the embattled Republican minority feels that its only chance for survival is to wish failure on the stimulus, the rescue, the bailout, and Obama's administration in general. There is another alternative, however. The right wing could actually help in restoring hope and prosperity to the shattered economy. To do that would mean abandoning, or at least altering, their ideology. Blindness isn't the only way to live, but it is if you refuse to open your eyes. Published in the San Francisco Chronicle
 
Marian Wright Edelman: National Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Summit This Week Top
As most children grow up in America, they hear the out-loud dreams and expectations that their parents and other adults have for them: doing well at school, a fulfilling career and a family. Regrettably, those are not the dreams and expectations that many poor Black and Latino children grow up with. For too many of them, childhood means starting school not ready to learn, not reading at grade level, being pushed out or dropping out of school at younger and younger ages, then hanging out on the corner and getting a "street" education. This often leads to getting sucked into the pipeline to prison, which can best be described as a living nightmare. As part of a growing campaign to expand public awareness and catalyze action to stop this scourge that threatens the lives of countless children and the future of our nation, the Children's Defense Fund is joining with five national partners--the NAACP, National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, U.S. Conference of Mayors and PolicyLink--to conduct a California Cradle to Prison Pipeline Summit on February 25-26, 2009, in Sacramento to sound an alarm and share solutions and strategies for dismantling the pipeline to prison and rerouting children to healthy adulthoods. There is no more urgent concern for America or children of color in America. Nationwide, a Black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime; a Latino boy has a 1 in 6 chance. California operates the largest prison system in the United States and incarcerates more than one of every 10 prisoners in America. California's prison pipeline traffic is burgeoning--there were 232,849 juvenile arrests in 2006, more than 600 each day. A large number of them, 36,496, were not for violent or dangerous crimes but for status infractions such as truancy, incorrigibility, running away and curfew violations. The disparity in spending on youth incarceration compared to spending for education reveals how perverse the state's priorities have become. During the 2007-08 school year, California spent an average of $11,935 for each K-12 pupil, but the state is projected to spend more than 20 times as much, $250,000, for each youth in a state juvenile facility in 2008-09. Our states spend on average about three times as much per prisoner as per public school pupil. I can't think of a dumber investment policy. No wonder California can't balance its budget! We must mount a concerted national effort to dismantle the prison pipeline by attacking it at its root causes--poverty and racial disparities, lack of access to health care, poor early childhood and public education, a broken child welfare system, and inequitable administration of juvenile justice. Zero tolerance school discipline policies are criminalizing children at younger and younger ages. We are hopeful that the new Obama Administration will begin to transform some of these issues at the national level. A high priority should be national health coverage to ensure that every child and pregnant woman has access to affordable, comprehensive health and mental health coverage for all medically necessary services so that at-risk mothers, as well as pregnant mothers and babies, are identified early, and children don't begin life with three or more strikes already against them. We know what to do. There are promising approaches that can be replicated at the state and local levels. For example, the CDF Freedom Schools ® program empowers children through academically and culturally enriching summer and after-school programs that promote a love of reading in young scholars and encourages them to engage in service and civic activities. In 2008, CDF Freedom Schools sites served nearly 9,000 children through partnerships with churches, schools, colleges and universities and community organizations. Each young adult servant leader intern works with 10 children from low-income families setting high expectations and helping them believe they can make a difference in the world. California's Homeboy Industries, located in Los Angeles, has enjoyed great success as a model gang intervention program diverting thousands of young people from the pipeline to prison for two decades. Homeboy Industries offers intensive hands-on counseling, job training and placement in useful employment. It provides assistance in enrolling in school, legal aid, help with immigration problems and classes that teach life skills. Many youths are employed in Homeboy Industries' enterprises: Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café, Homeboy Maintenance and Homeboy Silkscreen & Embroidery. The pipeline is not an act of God; it has been created by our human political choices. Our summit is part of an ongoing campaign to rouse the nation to act with urgency and demand new choices for our children and to level the playing field for all children to survive, thrive, learn and contribute according to their God-given potential. Please do your part. Learn more about CDF's Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign . Marian Wright Edelman, whose latest book is The Sea Is So Wide And My Boat Is So Small: Charting a Course for the Next Generation , is president of the Children's Defense Fund. For more information about the Children's Defense Fund, go to http://www.childrensdefense.org/.
 
Princess Daughter Of Rajasthan: Hospitality Begins At Home Top
She was born into a family of Indian royalty, maharanas who call themselves "custodians" over the region surrounding the city of Udaipur in India and who trace their lineage back 1,500 years through 77 generations. But both by choice and necessity, Ms. Mewar, 29 years old, and her generation seem increasingly removed from the insular wealth and privilege of their ancestors. Ms. Mewar said in an interview that she "could have chosen to live a very luxurious lifestyle without lifting a finger," but following the entrepreneurial leads of her father and grandfather into the global business community proved too compelling.
 
Michael Wolff: Chimp Cartoon Writes NY Post Editor's Obit Top
Col Allan, the editor of the New York Post whose career will likely be ended by the cartoon equating President Obama with a chimpanzee, has worked for Rupert Murdoch for 34 years. He is among the people at Murdoch's News Corp. who are closest to the boss. He was promoted to his job at the Post from the editorship of the Daily Telegraph , Murdoch's paper in Sydney, by Murdoch's son Lachlan. The Murdochs are wealthy, educated and, in their way, genteel aristocrats. Allan is a hard-drinking, profane, sometimes violent newspaper hack without education or polish--and, yet, he's as close as you get to a Murdoch family alter-ego. When Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal little more than a year ago, one of the first things he did was take Col Allan to meet the editors there--that was Murdoch's way of screwing with the fancy heads of the Journal staff, making it clear that Allan was his kind of editor and journalist. The fact that Allan is now being hung out to dry, and his obituary written, over a cartoon, is more mind blowing to Allan than to anyone else. After all, the Post has always been all things a tabloid should be--what Murdoch wanted it to be. In your face, politically incorrect, gleeful in its disregard of journalistic propriety. If you took issue with that, well, the Post would rough you up a bit. The aggressive, reckless, racially insensitive nature of the chimp cartoon is just business as usual at the Post . Continue reading at newser.com
 
David Weiner: McDonald's McScrews Hero Out of Money Top
Eyebrows are raised as high as golden arches at the colossal cold-heartedness that McDonald's has shown in regards to the treatment of its employee, Nigel Haskett. Last summer Haskett was working at a McDonald's in Little Rock, Arkansas when he jumped from his post to take down a man who was abusing a woman in the fast-food joint. As the two men tussled, Haskett was shot multiple times. His recovery has required several operations amounting to $300,000 in medical bills . A hero? Not according to Mickey D's. No, instead the company is pushing to deny Haskett any worker's compensation that could go towards paying down his medical debt and moving on with his life. According to the Arkansas Times , Haskett filed a claim with the state Workers Compensation Commission. Misty Thompson, a claims specialist with McDonald's insurer, Ramsey, Krug, Farrell and Lensing, said in a letter to the Commission that "we have denied this claim in its entirety as it is our opinion that Mr. Haskett's injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment." I'll admit that I do understand the argument McDonald's is making: their employees are told not to play hero and that they should let the cops deal with any problems, so therefore Haskett should never have gotten involved in the first place. But Haskett denies that he was ever informed of this policy, and frankly, having seen how well-trained most fast food employees are, I'm gonna believe. And anyway, what kind of message does that send to your employees, let alone to the customers? "Come to McDonald's, We'll Always Turn A Blind Eye!" Chances are McDonald's will be shamed by the press into playing nice with Haskett. That would be wonderful for him, I'm sure. But it's incidents like this that should be eye-opening to all Americans. Lately we've been asking people to do their part and pitch in, that we need to look out for each other no matter the personal cost. A 21-year-old kid heeded that call and nearly died in the process. Corporations, apparently, haven't gotten the message yet. More on Video On HuffPost
 
Ken Levine: Oscars 2009 Top
It was Bollywood's big night. The Oscars! I got to watch them in Hawaii where they were tape delayed three hours. What a break! I went online, saw who won, and made huge bets with guests around the pool at the Kapalua Ritz-Carlton. I made a fortune on Sean Penn alone! The night was summed up perfectly by one of the idiot Red Carpet show hosts when he said, "This is what the Oscars is all about. All ages, all ethnicities, coming together to look their best." KTLA morning news anchor, Jessica Holmes asked Kevin Kline: "At the Oscars, when you come, do people ask you dumb questions as you hop along?" Tawny Little, you may have finally met your match. On to the show: Hugh Jackman was sensational. Kudos to the producers for turning to an actual movie star to host instead of seeing who's available from Comedy Central. Jackman was the best host since Billy Crystal and maybe even Johnny Carson (sorry, Ellen). More amazing than his enormous talent and charm was how he seemed so damn comfortable up there? How does he do that? Those chandeliers over the audience were designed to give the Kodak Theater a more intimate nightclub feel. It makes me wonder how many high school productions of Phantom of the Opera ended tragically when chandeliers crashed down on the first seven rows? Actors of course, were in the front section, right up close. Other winners had to vault a little fence to get to the stage. Hollywood loves Slumdog Millionaire ...now. It's the Best Picture of 2009. Of course a year ago that same Hollywood was ready to send it direct-to-video. Kate Winslet finally won after six tries. The Titanic was not her fault! Since when do they give out the Best Director award before Best Actor and Actress? I'm sorry Robert Downey Jr. lost for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Tropic Thunder . He'd have more Oscars as an African-American than Will Smith. How'd you like to be an animated movie going up against WALL-E ? I bet the Kung Fu Pand a producers were seated in the balcony behind Kate Winslet's dad. Phillip Seymour Hoffman came as Sam Kinison. For the acting categories it was nice to see former winners (especially my neighbor Eva Marie Saint, way to represent the hood) but did the nominees really need that additional overblown stroking? Every performance was "courageous," "genius," "inspiring." Come on. Marisa Tomei looked good naked. My favorite was Cuba Gooding Jr. saying, "Let's talk about risks." This is a guy who won an Oscar then went straight into Snow Dogs and Boat Trip . Michael Douglas is really starting to look like his old man. Now HE'S Spartacus. As usual in Hollywood it's all about marketing. The Reader : come for the sex, stay for the Holocaust. Former Oscar winner and worst-Oscar-host-ever, Whoopi Goldberg was saying on The View . a few weeks ago that each Oscar is numbered. Only a very few have ever won one in the "two hundred years of motion pictures." I forget, when Lincoln was shot was he at a play or Clint Eastwood's first film? Sarah Jessica Parker is morphing into Carole King. Many believe WALL-E should be the actual Best Picture of the Year. It showed just as much garbage as Slumdog Millionaire and although the sex wasn't as good as The Reader , I'd still rather watch robots make love than Nazis. Wow! Sophia Loren can still get into her prom dress. Congrats to Simon Beaufoy for winning Best Adapted Screenplay for Slumdog Millionaire . And all the Slumdog winners but I'm partial to the writer. How did Happy Go Lucky , a movie that was improvised even get nominated for Best Original Screenplay? And how could WALL-E , the most innovative script in years, not win? Who designed Miley Cyrus' gown? Her dad? Talk about the cake that got left out in the rain... Did you notice that Tina Fey got a much bigger reception than Steve Martin? And when Jennifer Aniston was presenting they cut to Angelina Jolie at least three times? Meow. Quick: Which of these Best Song nominees won? "Jai Ho" or "O Saya"? Dump this stupid category already. It's become as relevant as Best Silent Picture. Ben Stiller doing Joaquin Phoenix was very funny... for thirty seconds. After that, co-presenter Natalie Portman deserved combat pay. I guess Judd Apatow now only makes movies for his personal friends to enjoy. That's what YouTube is for, Judd, not the Oscars. Without a doubt, the highlight of the evening was Queen Latifa singing "I'll be Seeing You" over the "In Memoriam" tribute. It was beautiful and touching. I bet, like me, you watch and try to guess who's going to be last? Paul Newman was perfect. One question though: where was Heath Ledger? And the lowlight: Bill Maher. He's the embarrassing cousin that's never invited to any family function but shows up anyway. Why do they have to tell us every year what Costume Designers do? Who thinks that Keira Knightley wore her own street clothes in The Duchess ? Dustin Lance Black gave a lovely heartfelt acceptance speech on gay rights. And it saved the show because Hollywood obviously couldn't decide on what their "cause" would be this year. The need to go green? Oppressed diamond mine workers in Africa? What?? There was not even agreement on the color of ribbons this award season, that's how bad it got. Sean Penn's plea for equal gay rights was also appreciated although the message might have had more impact if he hadn't started his speech with calling the audience "You commie homo-loving sons of guns." And when Sean was thanking everyone in the world, he could have included his wife. Seeing Tilda Swinton's outfit all I could think of was "I can show you to your table now." Glad Slumdog Millionaire beat Benjamin Button for Best Editing. As my daughter, Annie says, "No movie over three hours should even be eligible to win Best Editing." Benjamin Button did win "Best Make-Up." They made Brad Pitt look younger. The real trick is to do that with Goldie Hawn. Congratulations to Penelope Cruz. Even with subtitles she won. Expect to see Will Smith in the next seven Woody Allen movies until he gets his. Mickey Rourke came dressed in no tie and cautionary tales. I'm guessing at 3:00 he realized he didn't have anything to wear so he just beat the crap out of Tom Wolfe and took his suit. It brings new meaning to "who are you wearing?" I guess we'll never hear Mickey's outrageous expletive-filled acceptance speech now that he lost. But Penn deserved the award. He really became another character. Mickey Rourke played Mickey Rourke without shampoo. Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire was the most gorgeous woman in the room. And yet, when they kept cutting to shots of the cast they showed everyone but her. I don't care that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail finds Jack Black amusing. Show me Freida!! Major crisis averted!!! Dani Janssen did not cancel her exclusive Oscar party. She wanted to when pal Clint Eastwood received no nominations (that'll show 'em!) but was convinced by close friends that this country, in its fragile state, couldn't weather that much disappointment. By the way, you are not invited and never will be. Whoever designed Jessica Biel's gown also dreamed up Aretha Franklin's hat at the Inauguration. The Jerry Lewis tribute had the potential for trainwreck written all over it. He could have done one of his celebrated gay jokes, or wondered why The Reader was so honored while his Holocaust film about a circus clown imprisoned in a death camp, The Day the Clown Cried was deemed unreleasable. But instead he gave a brief, sincere, and thoroughly classy speech. Nicole Kidman is starting to look like Joel Grey. Not a lot of surprises this year. Heath Ledger - who knew? But thanks to Hugh Jackman and a more streamlined presentation (no salutes to "Great Ice Skating Movies of the Past" or other vintage genres) this year's Oscarcast was the best in recent memory. And with that big production number in the middle with Jackman and Beyonce, it qualifies for the best Tony Awards show in ages too. Aloha. You can read more from Ken at kenlevine.blogspot.com More on The Oscars
 
Bil Browning: Justin Cole: The future of LGBT organizing Top
The best interview I've done was with Justin Cole, GLAAD's Director of Digital and Online Media. Justin is one of the movement's brightest minds. He gets social networking and how to work in an online environment. He knows how to work with traditional media and the blogs. For all of the complaining I've done about LGBT state and national organizations who don't understand how to work with new media, Justin lays it on the table swiftly and succinctly. It's a whole new world out there in LGBT activism. Those groups will either have to a) catch up quickly to continue being viable or b) fold. These two clips are part of a much larger conversation between Justin and I and I've tried to keep the rhythm and flow. Since a lot of Part 1 is background, Part 2 is where it gets good.
 
W. David Stephenson: Recovery.gov: the First Step Toward Smart Regulation? Top
The Obama Administration created Recovery.gov as a critical stimulus component, taking a "don't trust us, track us" approach to assure funds are distributed quickly and fairly and "recipients and uses of all recovery funds are transparent." It will also provide clues about how serious the Administration is about campaign promises to use the Web to transform government. Recovery.gov could be an additional reporting burden for local government agencies and companies. Or, it could be a critical step toward the "smart regulation" critics call for since the current regulatory system failed to prevent the economic collapse. The Netherlands offers a model for the latter that could be easily adapted to US needs. If eventually adopted not just by Recovery.gov but agencies in general, such an approach could dramatically reduce companies and local governments' reporting burdens; improve regulatory oversight by giving agencies simultaneous, real-time access to the same data; and, as a bonus, help improve organizations' efficiency. The Dutch Taxonomy Project grew out of a promise to cut red tape. The voluntary program lets companies scrap traditional forms they had to file with numerous agencies, banks, and other bodies -- typically 30 or 40 -- and instead submit a single comprehensive data file which every agency can simultaneously access. The data are what are referred to as "structured." That is, each is bracketed by "tags" -- defined by international standards groups (so they'd be equally applicable here) -- describing the data (typically, the ones applying to business, under a system of tags referred to as XBRL , are standard terms such as "net profit" or "assets." Agencies configure their software to automatically access the relevant data. If the government chose, data could be reported on a data-in, data-out real-time basis (standard quarterly reports are remnants of an era when it took months to accumulate data and write the report. Technologically, there's no reason reporting couldn't be on a real-time basis, which might well be important given fast-changing current conditions). Dutch agencies had to, for the first time, agree upon how various data would be defined. They went from nearly 200,000 data items required in legacy reports to only 8,000 , a staggering reduction with no loss of reporting rigor. In fact, the remaining data are more valuable to regulators because multiple agencies can now share the data simultaneously, allowing for scrutiny that might well have avoided the current debacle. In fact, Bryant University Professor Saeed Roohani said that if the Dutch approach had been in effect here, it might have avoided the crisis : "there would have been little room for mystery about types of portfolios and derived financial instruments.. Alarms would have been sounded long before reaching a crisis, and the government and stockholders could have taken preventive action." The Dutch government estimates businesses could cut government red tape by 25%, or $515 million a year, in compliance costs with the Taxonomy Project. Imagine what the savings could be in the much larger US economy! The FDIC now requires XBRL reporting by banks , and the SEC will require it on a phased in basis , beginning with the 500 largest publicly-owned businesses this year. If businesses must incur the costs of tagging data for these reports it would be in their best interest to urge a unified, government-wide approach to amortize the investment. In fact, Harm Jan van Burg, who heads the Dutch project, criticized the US initiatives because they didn't also bring in the IRS and other agencie s: the real benefits for companies and regulators alike come when XBRL becomes the government-wide standard. There's still another benefit of moving to XBRL: a company or government agency tagging data for reporting can easily also give its employees access to it. For many, this would be the first time the entire workforce has real-time access to valuable, actionable information. That could dramatically improve efficiency, improve response to fast-changing conditions, and encourage collaborative problem solving. Recovery.gov could just add a new burden for participants. Or, if it becomes the core of an ambitious "smart regulation" switch, it could cut corporate costs, improve governmental efficiency, and produce the kind of transparency the stimulus program demands. More on Stimulus Package
 
MJ Rosenberg: DiCaprio To Convert to Judaism To Marry Bar: Arab World Says To Hell With Him Top
Israeli journalist, Guy Bechor, writes on the Israeli website gplanet (Hebrew language) that the Arab world is going crazy over reports that Leonardo DiCaprio is converting to Judaism in order to marry Sports Illustrated cover girl, Bar Rafieli, an Israeli. The report appeared on Al-Arabiya website and, according to Bechor, is quite vicious. Apparently, Leo is a hero in the Arab world (everyone loved Titanic) but that the combination of his relationship with the Jewish beauty, and his conversion, should it happen) instantly transforms him to dirt in their eyes. I thought the Arab world had changed? I thought that their objection is only to the occupation not to Israel itself, let alone the Jews. But now Leo is being attacked the same way Elizabeth Taylor was when she became a Jew 45 years ago and was boycotted by the Arab world. I think she still is. Anyway, if you know Arabic, read the 144 nasty contacts about Leo (and Bar) in Al Arabiya. It appears that they may hate us. They really do! But who can hate Leo and Bar?
 
Presented By: See and Hear How Convoke Systems Solves Accuracy and Data Integrity Problems at the ACA International Conference Top
Convoke Systems speaking about how the company solves the complex data integrity, accuracy and consumer information security problems that plague the Financial Services and Accounts Receivable Management Industries. Convoke Systems securely automates and accelerates accurate business information for the recovery of debt. (PRWeb Feb 23, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2124034.htm >> Read more Ads by Pheedo
 
Obama Takes Veiled Shot At GOP Governors Top
As he did with the Mayors on Friday, President Obama just told the nation's governors that he would not hesitate to call them out if they push wasteful programs from their stimulus dollars. More on Stimulus Package
 
Supreme Court Won't Hear Appeal From Daley Aide Sorich In Patronage Case Top
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's former patronage chief and two other former city officials have failed to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to consider setting aside their fraud convictions. The justices, in an order Monday, are letting stand Robert Sorich's conviction and 46-month prison term. Sorich and the others were found guilty of skirting laws that ban political city hiring. The federal appeals court in Chicago earlier upheld the convictions. The court rejected defense arguments that the men couldn't be convicted of criminal fraud because they didn't take bribes or kickbacks. Justice Antonin Scalia says he voted to accept the appeal and decide the case. The case is Sorich v. U.S., 08-410.
 
Ford, UAW Strike Tentative Deal Top
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union says it has reached a tentative deal with Ford Motor Co. on how the company will fund a trust that will pay retiree health care expenses. The union says that a 2007 agreement with the automaker about funding for the union-run trust had been modified, but no details were released. The Ford deal is likely to be the template for Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp., both of which must change funding for their trusts under the terms of their government loans. Chrysler and GM so far have received a total of $17.4 billion in loans and are seeking a total of $39 billion. The loan terms set a target for Chrysler and GM to exchange half their cash payments to the trust for equity in the companies. More on Auto Bailout
 
Burris Returns To Senate Under Cloud Of Controversy Top
This week will be a critical test of Burris's hold on that seat. The three-week-old senator shut out the press this weekend, forgoing any public appearances or media interviews, but will be unable to continue that blackout in the halls of the Senate. And legislatively, this week could bring crucial early votes on federal budget issues as well as long-stalled legislation to provide the District of Columbia with voting rights . A spokesman for Reid said Burris is welcome at the Democratic caucus lunch on Tuesday as usual, but it remains unclear how welcome he will be among his fellow lunch guests.
 
James Moore: Things I Don't Get Top
Hypocrite: the man who murdered both his parents... pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. ~Abraham Lincoln When Rick Santelli made his CNBC rant about bailing out homeowners who were upside down on their mortgages and couldn't make their monthly payments, I found myself, just for a moment, in agreement. I wonder how much of my tax money is going to be expended to help the irresponsible get out of messes they created. Frankly, it ain't right. Why do I and millions of others who are working our butts off to pay our own mortgages have to bail out people that had eyes and dreams bigger than their wallet and managed to find irresponsible bankers to enable their premature ambitions for a home? We shouldn't have to give them this assistance. But that's not the point. Santelli and others are guilty of extreme hypocrisy, the type that only raises its moral head when it serves a particular constituency. Nowhere was this more evident than in the US Senate and House of Representatives when the stimulus bill was being debated. Oh the horror, the outrage, the ignominy that we were about to spend billions on homeowners and small businesses and infrastructure projects. My gawd, what good can this possibly accomplish? Are we creating a socialist state? Tax cuts for middle-class wage earners? Surely, this cannot trickle down. Tax cuts are for rich people and big corporations, aren't they? Where were these screaming opponents of irrationality when the Bush administration was writing blank checks to Wall Street and the auto giants with no strings attached? That was something that simply had to be done or our economy might plummet into chaos. And once they got the resources, the banks could then start issuing loans to get businesses going again. Except they didn't. The home mortgage refinance game seems to be doing quite well just now but new business loans and new home loans, the precise types of financing the banks were supposed to facilitate, just aren't happening. But all of our tax money is in those institutions. Aren't they already nationalized? All of the financial services firms and banks are fretting about President Obama executing a plan to nationalize but that appears to have already happened through the nature of the investments made by taxpayers. The US government spent $45 billion of your tax dollars to buy 6 percent of Bank of America, a company that is only valued at about $195 billion. Even I can do that math; it ain't exactly a deal for those of us who look at our paychecks and see big chunks going to Washington. So back to those people who we are bailing out of their mortgages. I'd much prefer my tax money be used to help them than those idjits on Wall Street that have rolled up "perceived collateral" into "tranches" and sold it to even bigger idjits to get our economy into a pyramid scheme where even the schemers didn't quite know what the hell they were doing. But when it all went to pieces, the free market capitalists cried for help; they needed the government to keep them from total collapse. The only time they really like free markets is when they are getting ridiculously rich. They hate capitalism when it all falls down. Privatize the profits. Socialize the debt. Which means Rick Santelli and the politicians complaining about helping out the little guy need to shut the hell up. If they'd been truly against government bailouts, they might have spoken up when Wall Street put out its elegant hand. Now that the little guy is asking for an assist, they're all wailing. Be quiet. Keep your hypocrisy to yourself. The bailout boat has left the harbor with full sails and it's on a beat to the coast of an even bigger crisis. Also at http://www.moorethink.com
 
Chris Matthews' Senate Decision Process Explained By Chuck Todd Top
NBC White House Correspondent Chuck Todd has a theory on why MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews begged off from running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by Republican Arlen Specter. "Because [Chris] had a really good friend of his say to him, 'What are you going to do when you get there?' and he couldn't answer the question and he realized that, and that's why he didn't run," says Todd.
 
Jack Hidary: Live from DC - The Energy Summit Top
Here in the Newseum in Washington , DC, many of the leaders of the United States are all in one room focused on clean energy. To name a few: 1. Majority Leader Harry Reid 2. Speaker Nancy Pelosi 3. DOE Secretary Steve Chu 4. Interior Secreatary Ken Salazar 5. Energy Czar Carol Browner 6. VP Al Gore 7. President Bill Clinton 8. Senator Byrdon Dorgan 9. Senator Jeff Bringaman 10. Congressman Ed Markey 11. John Sweeney, AFLCIO 12. John Podesta 13. Carl Pope, Sierra Club 14. Ex-CEO Wal Mart - Lee Scott 15. Boone Pickens 16. Van Jones 17. Bobby Kennedy, Jr. While clean energy broadly speaking is on the table, the summit is mainly focused on power transmission - how do you get solar, wind and other renewables to the grid? Senator Reid opened up the gathering with a focus on our dependence on imported oil. He noted its corrosive effect both on the US economy and national security. Senator Wirth then asked Bill Clinton why it took so long to get to this point of action on clean energy. "We didn't have the votes," said President Clinton causing a humorous stir in the group. President Clinton went on to talk about the critical need to gather steam on a climate bill that would put a price on carbon. Al Gore then spoke and highlighted the reasons to move to the clean energy grid faster than ever thought possible. Pelosi then spoke and acknowledged Bill Clinton and Al Gore saying that they are "broad in their thinking and specific in their recommendations." Boone Pickens took up the mic and said "I am 80 years old, I don't have much time - I am not a big believer in R & D because I am afraid the answer might come too late [laughter in the room]. " Pickens went on to highlight the need to build out a clean grid and also to use natural gas for large, long-distance trucks. Van Jones then focused on green jobs and the low-income populations. "We can fight poverty and climate change at the same time....let's have kids put down handguns and pick up caulking guns, " he stated. More on Bill Clinton
 
Susan Cosier: Al Gore Asks Scientists to Take Up Politics Top
Former vice president Al Gore needs scientists; he needs them to get involved in politics. When he addressed a crowd at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference last week, he asked the scientists in the audience to advocate sound political actions that can alleviate the dire consequences of climate change. "The solution to this crisis depends on the spread of science into the world of politics," he said. "Scientists can no longer in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live. I'm asking for your help." Gore made the request after showing an updated version of his slide show given in his Oscar-winning movie, An Inconvenient Truth . Ever improving his message, Gore even had slides of the recent fires in Australia, which scorched the continent just days before the talk. He even had the photo of a fireman giving the usually reclusive koala bear a sip of water. Powerful energy companies are trying to convince the public that coal, which is the dirtiest and most abundant fossil fuel in the U.S., can be clean, he said, which is making it difficult to convince the public that global warming is indeed a crisis. He cited Upton Sinclair, who said that "it's difficult to get a man to understand something if he salary depends on him not understanding it." But scientists can help people understand and work towards solutions to the problem. Now that the tide had turned, now that we have new leadership and advisers who know the science, we have to make a decision as a species, he said. "If I could find a way, I would convey my sense of urgency straight from my heart to yours. Leave this city and start getting involved in politics. Keep your day job, but start getting involved in this debate." This post was originally featured on Audubon's website . More on Global Warming
 
Joseph A. Palermo: Neo-Confederacy Erupts with Governors' Rejection of Stimulus Money Top
Southern Republican Governors Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas, and Mark Sanford of South Carolina are making noises about "refusing" federal dollars from President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package. They are posturing in a way reminiscent of an earlier generation of Southern governors who stood for "states' rights," which was a euphemism for Jim Crow racial segregation. Given that these GOP governors preside over the nation's "black belt," Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina accurately called their obstructionist stance "a slap in the face of African Americans." Haley Barbour, before winning the governorship of Mississippi was a high-powered Washington lobbyist and a former chair of the Republican National Committee. When he's not attending barbeques hosted by the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens (C of CC) he's figuring out new ways to tax poor people while denying them government aid. Mississippi has the most regressive tax structure in the country and is ranked 50th among the states for per capita spending on social programs. Bobby Jindal is the Indian-American rising star of the Republican Party. To prove himself to the country club set he adheres to the harshest of anti-poor ideologies. Jindal is also a right-wing Christian fundamentalist who calls for teaching "intelligent design" in public schools. His talk radio conservatism is tinged with the fanaticism of someone who comes from a "subaltern" group. Jindal's immigrant background leads him to compare his own experience to that of African Americans and conclude that the black community must be inherently dysfunctional. Jindal must distance himself from the first African-American president or he'll jeopardize his lilywhite political base and dash his presidential ambitions, and what better way to do so than to posture against federal aid? And don't forget Texas Governor Rick Perry. A mad executioner like his predecessor, Perry is closing in on his 200th execution since taking office (George W. Bush only managed 152, but both governors hold national records). Perry also vetoed a measure that would prohibit executing mentally retarded people. "At a time when the country -- including Texas -- is opening its eyes to the problems that plague capital punishment," Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA said, "Governor Perry has chosen to remain blind to its flaws, further tarnishing Texas' human rights reputation." The vast majority of inmates Perry (as well as Bush) put to death were blacks and Hispanics. And then there's Mark Sanford who rose out of Strom Thurmond's Republican Party in South Carolina with an abysmal record on all issues affecting the lives of African Americans. His policies always somehow benefit the well-healed white folks in his state while leaving behind everybody else. Governor Sanford proudly flies the Confederate flag over the South Carolina state house, a fitting tribute to the rise of the Neo-Confederacy. On that score, Sanford must be the new Jefferson Davis. These Neo-Confederate governors are following in the tradition of President Andrew Johnson of the Reconstruction era. Johnson vetoed over twenty pieces of legislation that would have created a set of federal institutions in the former Confederacy to help guide the transition from slavery to freedom of four million former slaves. Today, the Neo-Confederacy obstructs the federal government's attempt to alleviate some of the suffering of the descendants of those slaves even while the nation endures its worst economic disaster in 70 years. These Southern governors are even refusing federal help to continue unemployment benefits for tens of thousands of people who have recently lost their jobs. Now that's pretty harsh! But there's hope. The Department of Justice has the tools to bring Southern obstructionist governors in line as it did in the 1960s. "There's a new sheriff in town," and there are plenty of federal statutes on the books protecting the rights of poor people and minorities that Attorney General Eric Holder could enforce far more vigorously than his Republican predecessors. The process of Southernizing the Republican Party has reached a more advanced stage after the election of the first African American President. What began in 1968 with Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy" continued to mature through the Reagan years and the Newt Gingrich "revolution" until, in the 2000s, George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, and Bill Frist brought it to apotheosis. The Southern wing and its Sunbelt allies gave the Rockefeller Republicans the heave-ho leaving only a distilled rump party filled with ideologues, zealots, and "Ditto-Heads"; note the inordinate hostility aimed at Olympia Snow, Susan Collins, and Arlen Specter for voting for the stimulus bill. Vacuums in political leadership never last long. And some of the most backward elements in our political discourse are poised to take control of one of our nation's major parties. "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice," Barry Goldwater famously said. But it might be bad politics. In 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated the Republicans had 36 Senators and 117 House seats; four years later, when FDR began his second term, the Republicans had 16 Senators and 88 House seats. Of course, the madness is not limited to the South. The state of California is reeling after six years of a Republican governor and an obstructionist Republican minority in the legislature. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to power through a circus-like, GOP-financed "recall" election, where Gary Coleman and a porn star also ran, for the sole purpose of stroking his overblown ego. Schwarzenegger's abysmal record coupled with the crippling Republican "supermajority" needed to pass budgets means the Golden State ain't so golden anymore. When "the Terminator" came to power the state's budget deficit was about one-fourth the size it is now and he failed to get any federal help from his "good friend" George W. Bush. He spent most of his political capital trying to privatize the public employee pension system and break the teachers' and nurses' unions. He spent a lot of time in 2008 out on the stump campaigning for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Most recently he couldn't even get members of his own party to vote for the desperately needed budget. The devastated U.S. economy is tearing families apart and the cutbacks at the state level are coming at exactly the wrong time. The California Republican Party is every bit as backward and reactionary as its Southern counterparts. California Republicans are up in arms because a handful of GOP legislators voted to keep the state from going belly up. They were apparently willing to let the state hemorrhage $400 million halting construction projects rather than show "bipartisanship." Like their brethren in the Neo-Confederacy, California's Sunbelt Republicans would rather see the state drop off into the Pacific Ocean than take the step of raising taxes on their wealthy friends or give a helping hand to those who are suffering in these terrible economic times. More on Sarah Palin
 
Presented By: Research Shows Internet Green Job Scams Are Growing, New Green Jobs Clearing House Identifies Best Sites Top
With the increased interest on environmentally focused jobs and an economy in shambles, the Internet green jobs market is hot, and so apparently are the job scams according to research by the Live Green, Live Smart Institute, which launched a list of vetted, best green job locations, on its site (www.livegreenlivesmart.org) this week. (PRWeb Feb 23, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2135184.htm >> Read more Ads by Pheedo
 
Kristen Breitweiser: Just Desserts--Sweetening President Obama on Why We Need a Truth Commission Top
Last month, 9/11 families were invited to the White House by President Obama to discuss the prosecution of alleged al-Qaeda operatives and Obama's intention to close GTMO within one year. At the meeting, President Obama couldn't have been nicer. He was both accommodating and understanding. He easily spoke of such democratic principles of openness, transparency, and accountability--he even committed to criminally prosecuting individuals if credible evidence warranted doing so. (Admittedly, this question did not involve Executive Administration personnel, it was asked about certain CIA agents and their role during the USS Cole bombing. Refreshing, nonetheless.) President Obama told us everything we expected (and wanted) to hear from him given his campaign promises. Truthfully, after shaking his hand, looking him in the eyes, and receiving his word that he would be committed to openness, transparency, and accountability, we were charmed and lulled into complacency. So we weren't probing enough in our questioning of Obama regarding: the past overuse and misuse of the "state secrets" privilege, the swift, just, and successful prosecution of enemy combatants formerly held at places like Guantanamo and Bagram, the release of the 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry of Congress' Investigation (JICI) into the 9/11 attacks, the swift declassification of many overly-classified 9/11 documents, and the Bush Administration's broad use of renditions, indefinite detentions, and torture. Given the Obama Administration's decisions in the past two weeks (www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18policy.html), we should have been more direct and demanding in receiving concrete, specific answers to our questions from the President. Because it would seem that the Wall Street Journal's editorial page might be alarmingly correct in saying that the Bush Administration's anti-terror architecture is "gaining new legitimacy" as President Obama embraces many aspects of the Bush counterterrorism "approach." That approach includes Obama's embracing of the state secrets privilege, renditions, indefinite detentions without trial, the use of enhanced interrogation techniques when given "additional authority" to do so, and potentially the continued use of military tribunals, not to mention the lingering prospect of keeping GTMO open after a newly-issued Pentagon report ordered by President Obama found that GTMO followed the Geneva Conventions. Who would have thought an Obama Administration would be lending legitimacy to Bush counterterrorism policies? Of course, when you rely on information gathered by the Pentagon who is responsible for the abuses that were carried out at GTMO, one wonders about the very foundation of your judgment. The same goes for relying on the CIA to tell you whether torture works in extracting valuable information from detainees. I mean really, why would the Pentagon or CIA have any reason to lie? Next time we're invited to the WH, perhaps we'd be better off meeting with Vice President Biden instead, since he seems more willing to look towards the future while also keeping at least one judgmental eye on the past. On September 3, 2008, ABCNews reported: Vice President Biden promised that an Obama-Biden government would go through Bush administration data with "a fine-toothed comb" and pursue criminal charges if necessary. "If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation," he said, "they will be pursued, not out of vengeance, not out of retribution - out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no one, no attorney general, no president, no one is above the law." Go Joe! Of course, the only problem is the venue by which we can hold an Attorney General, a Secretary of Defense, a Vice President, or even a President accountable. Sure, a Truth Commission like the one suggested by Senator Leahy might do. But unfortunately it seems that not enough support (or legitimacy) is gathering in this direction particularly from the Obama Administration. So, please, if you support the Truth Commission sign on. Yet, perhaps we need more than signatures to make Senator Leahy's Truth Commission more appealing? Recently reported by the NYTimes was that the Palestinian Authority had presented a declaration to the International Criminal Court (ICC), formally accepting the Court's "jurisdiction for an indeterminate duration over acts committed on the territory of Palestine since July 1, 2002 when the Court's authority began." The Times further reported, "lawyers say such a declaration allows for the joining of the court on an ad-hoc basis and has been allowed before in the case of Sierra Leone, which is not a member." I'm not here to debate whether the PA should be granted jurisdiction by the ICC. But I do think the idea of applying for ad-hoc jurisdiction from the ICC is worth pursuing as a possible approach to holding the Bush Administration accountable. At a bare minimum, it's a nice way to turn up the heat and send a strong message that many of us believe in holding Bush Administration officials accountable for their past criminal acts. And clearly, if given the choice between a Truth Commission or the International Criminal Court, I would assume Leahy's Truth Commission would suddenly become the more appealing alternative for all interested parties--past or present. Undoubtedly, Vice President Cheney wielded way too much power and influence over President Bush. But, right now, a little influence by our new Vice President might not be such a bad thing. Vice President Biden truly understands the importance of holding people accountable for their past bad behavior--no matter who they are or how politically uncomfortable that process may be. Back during the Clinton Administration, Vice President Gore and President Clinton famously dined for lunch together weekly. Maybe it's time for that tradition to start anew. The need for Senator Leahy's Truth Commission seems like just the topic for the dessert course.
 
Nicholas Stephanopoulos: Taking the Critics at Their Word Top
The U.S. House and Senate are both primed to pass the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009. If enacted, the bill would give the District a voting Representative (instead of its current nonvoting Delegate) in the House. Utah would also obtain an additional House seat, thus rebutting the argument that the bill is a partisan power-grab rather than an honest effort to provide representation to the long-suffering citizens of the District. None of the Act's opponents, of which there are many, have claimed that the District should remain unrepresented in Congress indefinitely. Instead, they have based their objections on the bill's alleged unconstitutionality, and contended that other means--a constitutional amendment, statehood for the District, retrocession to Maryland, etc.--should be employed to give the District representation. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) , for example, testified about the "unfairness of Washington, D.C.'s taxation without representation," but argued that a constitutional amendment is the way to fix the problem. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) similarly stated that "citizens of the District . . . deserve to enjoy full representation in Congress," but recommended retrocession to Maryland as the remedy. The Act's adversaries are correct that its constitutionality is uncertain (though there are certainly strong arguments for its validity). But the problem with the approaches of Rep. Gohmert, Rep. Chaffetz, et al., quite simply, is that they are politically dead in the water. A constitutional amendment to give the District representation in Congress passed the House and Senate in 1978, but then was ratified by only sixteen state legislatures--far short of the needed thirty-eight. There is no indication that such an amendment would fare any better today. Similarly, the citizens of the District voted for statehood in 1982, but Congress has steadfastly refused to admit "New Columbia" to the Union ever since. When the statehood bill was last seriously debated in the House, it lost by a margin of almost two-to-one. As for retrocession to Maryland, neither Congress nor Maryland has shown much enthusiasm for the idea, and the Twenty-Third Amendment (which enables D.C. to participate in presidential elections) might have to be repealed before Maryland could reclaim the District. In contrast, the D.C. House Voting Rights Act has the votes right now to pass in both the House and Senate, while also enjoying the support of President Obama. If the Act is upheld by the courts, then representation for the District--the professed goal of both the Act's supporters and its opponents--will become an immediate reality. The District's odds of eventually getting a voice in Congress would also be improved even if the Act is stricken. Judicial intervention to strip the District of its new Representative would likely provoke controversy and shine a spotlight on the injustice of the undemocratic status quo. Politicians would thus find it more difficult to object to a constitutional amendment, statehood, or retrocession, and they would no longer be able to make the argument that something like the Act should be tried first. The less radical alternative would already have been unsuccessfully pursued. We will therefore soon learn how sincere the Act's opponents' commitment is to representation for the District. If they are able to explain how, contrary to appearances, a constitutional amendment, statehood, or retrocession might be politically feasible--and if they then fight their damnedest for one of these options--then their protestations of support will be believable. But if they merely object to the Act while failing to lift a finger on behalf of any of the alternatives, then it will be clear that their actual motivation is raw partisan advantage. With the Senate debating the Act today and the House soon to follow, the moment of truth is nigh for the Act's critics. Here's hoping that democratic principle prevails over party loyalty for a change.
 
Coleen Rowley: Why the RNC Commission Report Won't Help Future Planners of National Security Special Events Top
One of the notable aspects of President Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington was that, somehow, without tear gas, tasers or thousands of people dragged off in handcuffs, professional law enforcement was able to provide exceptional public safety in our nation's capital, even when crowds swelled to almost 2 million people. Those peaceful scenes contrasted sharply with what happened in St. Paul a little over four months before. For the majority of residents for whom the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul is but a distant bad memory and who don't have the time or inclination to wade through the recently released 97-page RNC Commission Report & Executive Summary , there's little reason to read beyond the first footnote. There, former criminal prosecutors Thomas Heffelfinger and Andrew Luger lay out their response to community members, like me, who asked whether such aggressive "police state" action during the RNC was actually necessary. Their simplistic answer is that it was, but they furnish little by way of proof for that conclusion. Apparently, all the prosecutors thought they had to do to justify charging their $130,000 fee was look up the term "anarchist" in their Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary to spot a partial reference to violence and note that the word rhymes enough with "terrorist" to stoke fear and hatred sufficient to make us all forget the First Amendment and local officials' promise to effect a "softer" community-based policing. The old "us vs. them" byproduct of the "Global War on Terror (GWOT)" gives the report its wedge to divide "good protesters" from bad ones; "real" journalists from those considered activist, like Amy Goodman; and the law protecting civil liberties from our need for security. What this propagandistic device doesn't do, however, is help maintain Americans' security at such public events while permitting (and encouraging) the exercise of First Amendment rights. Three overarching problems, although somewhat counterintuitive to the average person (and possibly even to the report drafters), stand out. Notwithstanding their emphasis by former President Bush in waging his GWOT, law-enforcement professionals have widely come to recognize the ineffectiveness of profiling (including data-mining and "link analysis" based on such profiles) and of harsh "shock and awe" tactics. Profiling doesn't work For starters, terrorist attacks on public gatherings in the United States have been extremely rare and are almost always perpetrated by secretive loners -- like Eric Rudolph, the Unabomber or the Fort Detrick anthrax killer or twosomes like McVeigh-Nichols (who bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City) or the Washington-area sniper duo -- not by protest groups. Equating the entire philosophy of "anarchism," in all its varied permutations and interpretations, as a prime indicator of terrorism is totally absurd given that, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold," according to The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. To say then that such a profile dilutes and distracts from focusing on true threats is quite an understatement. The report's clarification that it's the "sophisticated, organized and tenacious activists" who are the problem and its "regrets to any non-violent anarchists" (for unnecessarily including them in the stereotype) do little to help law enforcement draw meaningful distinctions. Basically such characterizations are overly broad and under-inclusive at the same time and, as such, are little different from the old racial profiling tactics widely used until recently by various police agencies throughout the country in making their highway drug stops. (Not until University of Pittsburgh law professor David A. Harris conducted illuminating research showing that most racially profiled highway stops did not yield illegal drugs but that use of the stereotype was, on the contrary, allowing more drug traffickers to escape detection, did most authorities drop use of the racially-based drug-trafficking profiles). Speaking of under-inclusiveness and terror threats, what happened to Al Qaeda and all the other terror groups not even mentioned by Heffelfinger-Luger? Data-mining and link analysis also don't work Even worse than the counterproductiveness of singling out and elevating the taunts and "cat and mouse" games of "anarchists" among all potential acts of violence that have occurred and could in the future happen at a National Security Special Event, the Heffelfinger-Luger report omitted to explain that authorities went one step further and built on the profile by data-mining and creating "Social Network Analysis (SNA)" charts from data gathered from the public websites of the 100-some some other peace and social-justice groups that were participating in events surrounding the RNC. A document has recently come to light showing that "Power Centrality Rankings" and "betweenness" forms of "link analysis" were applied to Troops Out Now, Women Against Military Madness, Protest RNC 2008, the Anti-War Committee and other organizations, and then all of these peace groups were graphed out on the Department of Homeland Security's "SNA" Chart to link them into "the pattern of most terror networks." One of the FBI's top former counterterrorism undercover agents and author of the post 9-11 book "Thinking Like a Terrorist" agreed that such "link analysis" is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Former agent Mike German's exact quote (who now works for the ACLU in Washington) was: "It's just nonsense that plays into law enforcement fears that causes an increase in 'defensive' mobilization that is then directed at innocent persons who look like what the police perceive to be 'fringe' elements." Luckily, just one month after the RNC, a report was published by the National Academies of Science (ironically per a Department of Homeland Security request) that concluded that data mining for terrorists is an exercise in futility because it would create too many false positives and would implicate the rights of too many innocent people. Harsh, repressive police tactics don't work Finally the report seems to fall into the trap of condoning harsh, repressive police tactics, including preemptive raids and detentions, as well as the liberal use of chemical weapons and effecting of mass arrests by militarized police as effective in preventing or reducing violence during the RNC. There is a natural tendency to misjudge the deterrent value of this kind of "shock and awe" because it provides an illusion of control to those wishing to preserve order. In fact, it is very easy to intimidate and deter J.Q. Peaceful Public from venturing onto the street. The talk of "stinky anarchists," "mowing down" protesters and police tasers begun in earnest several months before the RNC (excerpts at " KTLK Thug Radio ") did, in fact, reduce participation in the peace and social-justice marches, cutting the number at least in half who were expected to participate. It's far less clear what deterrent effect this kind of intimidation would have upon an actual determined terrorist. Harsh tactics also carry the danger of ratcheting up tensions and provoking otherwise peaceful people to violence. It's well known that unnecessary and indiscriminate violence in war situations "squares the error" in radicalizing and producing more "enemy." In a similar way, shockingly violent actions and wrongful brutality on the part of police not only can radicalize some people but also break down the public trust necessary for effective community policing and accurate intelligence-gathering. Harsh repression, in other words, intimidates otherwise "good citizens" from exercising their rights and can "breed contempt" for the law. These criticisms of the RNC Commission Report should not be interpreted as minimizing the difficulty of police officers and officials trying to do their jobs to prevent violence, stop property damage and maintain public safety during large gatherings, especially in the midst of widespread citizen opposition these last few years to government policies. But good and bad models exist. Instead of promoting the over-broad, under-inclusive profiling, data-mining and linking, and harsher police tactics that were employed at the RNC in St. Paul and which serve to blur dissent with terrorism, it would be better for future "National Security Special Event" planners to study and follow the better model. Hopefully, with the far more professional D.C. policing exercise as a guide, the repressive "police state" methods seen in St. Paul, will not be repeated no matter how many Orwellian-type reports are commissioned by the city to whitewash the actions of its agents. No trade-offs between civil liberties and security Perhaps the worst mistake made in the RNC Commission Report is falling for the notion of trade-offs between security and liberty instead of seeing them as intertwined. President Obama phrased it well in his inaugural speech statement, when he said "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals". Obama's peaceful inauguration constituted the proof of his statement and the proof that policing doesn't have to be the way it was during the RNC in St. Paul. (The original version of this article was published at MinnPost Community Voices on Feb. 20, 2009.)
 
Martha McCully: A Trip Back to Bountiful Top
This is strange, but absolutely true. My bathroom ceiling in New York is leaking. I came back east to go to fashion week for a media client. (Yes, I'm happy to fly back using miles -- I need the day rate -- and yes I still have my apartment in New York, which is cheaper than my one in Venice Beach). What does it mean that water is pouring into both my Venice and Manhattan bathrooms? I am waiting for the new Super, whom I have never met, to come over at 11:30 pm to fix it. I don't want to live under a dark cloud. Is this some kind of sign that the bathroom ceilings in both my rentals are falling in? Am I no longer living in a bubble, am I vulnerable, what does it mean? I am trying to start a new life, fresh, and clean. There is an inch of dirty, urine-y water over everything in my New York bathroom. As I wait for the Super, I feel ridiculously overdressed. I've been wearing a black, sparkly evening dress under a turtleneck, a trick a fashion stylist once taught me. But it's too much; I felt uncomfortable all day and now I feel awkward in my own apartment. I'm turning on New York, I can feel it. Editors get dressed up for fashion week, it's part of the deal, but I'm missing my slip-on Born clogs and Kauai sweatshirt I wore for a week straight in Venice. The first familiar person I see as I venture near the fashion tents is my dear friend, The Mentor (one of the only mentors I have had in my 25-year career, we'll get to that in another post). I respect him and have always depended on his wise career advice. On my way back from LA, I received an email from him, the subject line was, "Are you ok?" He grabbed me, "I need to talk to Martha," brushing away the other people who wanted to speak with him and me. "What are you doing? Why did you move? What's going on with you?" and looked at me with the fatherly eyes of someone whose daughter has just had a nervous breakdown. He told me that the PR Director in his publishing company had also circulated my last post to him, worried. I didn't realize that my departure from my past reality would be met with skepticism, or condescension, or frantic worry. How could anyone not see my California move I've been talking about for two decades as total liberation from a life too traveled? I told him to picture me on Venice Beach with the weightlifters, see the humor in it, and know I am actually really happy. I'm trying to console him. But also it's pretty easy to trip my panic button. Suddenly I'm worrying about my rent(s); maybe I can save a few days worth in New York since my bathroom isn't functioning? I'm taking showers at Equinox. Sitting in the tents all dressed up I wonder who else over 40 is pondering their rent. Of course the economy is a topic of conversation. But there are still sequins and furs on the runways; fashion is about escape, dreams, optimism, right? The contrast is jarring. I see a Vogue editor on Sixth Avenue. I am impressed that he is walking and not getting into a Town Car which most editors keep waiting 24/7 all week long. Then I remember the Vogue office is only one block away. But Town Cars, fashion, luxury, it's all changing. Luxury isn't fancy anymore. There's an ad on Taxi-TV for Smith & Wollensky; the big juicy steaks look so good but I wonder, who is eating there? I think about my bungalow in Venice. Yes, it smells a little like cat. And I really would like a TV and a rug. But I'm motivated to find more work to pay for it, because the feeling of freedom I get when I'm in it is something rare, something I covet. Isn't that luxury? The fashion show I was most captured by was William Rast; jeans, sleeveless black vests and t-shirts tucked in. The show's flier describes the inspiration as Thelma and Louise, "featuring two strong and confident women, traveling across America, offering inspiration in their attitude of freedom." Love them. It's almost midnight; The Mentor has emailed with a personal project he wants to pay me to do. I'm mortified. The Super has finally arrived and looked at the ceiling with a bit of compassion. Maybe it's water from an upstairs tub, not toilet, filling my sink and coating my floor? My black suede Robert Clegerie boots are going to get wet, I can tell. Then I can't help but notice the Super is kind of attractive. Is this my silver lining?
 
Conan's Final Episode Scores Big In The Ratings Top
CONAN O'Brien went out with a "Late Night" bang. O'Brien's final "Late Night" telecast Friday snared the show's best overnight ratings in two years. Friday's "Late Night," which included much reminiscing by O'Brien - and a visit from former sidekick Andy Richter - averaged a 2.6 overnight rating, according to Nielsen data. More on Conan O'Brien
 
Mohammed al Dayni, Sunni Lawmaker, Wanted In Green Zone Cafeteria Attack Top
A Sunni Arab lawmaker is wanted in connection for a string of retaliation attacks and mortar strikes on the fortress-like Green Zone compound after a pair of his senior bodyguards stepped forward with incriminating confessions, a military official said Sunday. More on Iraq
 
Government Records Show Most Fertility Clinics Break The Rules Top
NEW YORK — The California fertility doctor who implanted the octuplet mom with lots of embryos was no lone wolf: Fewer than 20 percent of U.S. clinics follow professional guidelines on how many embryos should be used for younger women. "Clearly, most programs are not adhering to the guidelines," said Dr. Bradley Van Voorhis, director of the fertility clinic at the University of Iowa. The furor over Nadya Suleman and her octuplets has brought scrutiny to U.S. fertility clinics and how well they observe the guidelines, which are purely voluntary. The controversy had led to talk of passing laws to regulate clinics, something that has already been done in Western Europe. "There are enough clinics that quite openly flout professional guidelines that we really do need to start thinking about public policy in this area," said Marcy Darnovsky of the Oakland, Calif.-based Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group. "I think it's way overdue." The 20 percent figure is contained in reports filed by clinics with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fertility doctors say there are many reasons clinics skirt the guidelines: pressure from patients who want to use more embryos to improve their chances of getting pregnant; financial concerns from those who are paying for their treatment out of their own pockets; and the competition among clinics to post good success rates. And the only penalty for violating the guidelines is expulsion from some of the industry's professional organizations, though that can affect whether insurance companies will cover a clinic's treatments. "You have patients who are desperate and you have doctors who are driven by success rates. It's not a good combination," said Pamela Madsen, founder and former head of the American Fertility Association. When the guidelines were issued in 1996 by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the intent was to cut down the number of multiple births, particularly triplets and higher, that can result when many embryos are implanted and more than one takes. Big multiple births can lead to disastrous, life-threatening complications, lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy, and crushing medical costs. The guidelines suggest how many embryos doctors should use, with the number varying by age and other factors. They also allow for some flexibility for more if previous attempts have failed or the embryo quality is poor. "These decisions are complex and need to be individualized, which is why we strongly believe that guidelines are better than hard rules," said Dr. David Adamson, a former president of the reproductive medicine society. The group credits the guidelines with reducing triplets and higher multiple pregnancies from 7 percent of attempts to 2 percent in 2006. Nearly two-thirds of the procedures involved four or more embryos in 1996; that has fallen to 16 percent. But for women under 35, government records show that just 83 of 426 clinics followed the guidance calling for one and no more than two embryos. The average for fresh embryos (as opposed to frozen) implanted in women in that age group ranged from a 1.4 to 4.8. The vast majority of the clinics averaged between two and three embryos. Dr. Mousa Shamonki, director of the IVF program at the University of California, Los Angeles, said his patients frequently ask for more embryos to boost their chances of getting pregnant. He tells patients that it's not OK to end up with triplets or even twins. "The only thing that happens when you add additional embryos is you're increasing the multiple pregnancy rate," he said. "You're rarely increasing the overall pregnancy rate significantly." The UCLA program had one of the highest transfer rates in 2006 for younger women. That rate _ 3.5 embryos per cycle _ matched that of the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, Calif., where Suleman was treated. Shamonki said changes he implemented after he took over drove down UCLA's rate to 2.1 embryos the next year. Fertility specialists have attacked Suleman's doctor, Michael Kamrava, for using so many embryos. Suleman, 33, has said she had six embryos implanted; two presumably split. She said she refused selective abortion to reduce the number, which is a common option in such cases. Kamrava has declined requests for interviews. The reproductive medicine society and the Medical Board of California are looking into the case. Europe has brought down transfer rates and multiple births through laws and voluntary agreements. England and Sweden have laws barring more than two embryo transfers for younger women. In Sweden, "we have a slogan: One at a time," said Dr. Karl Nygren, former head of an IVF monitoring committee for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Seventy percent of in vitro fertilization procedures in Sweden involved only a single embryo in 2005, according to Nygren. For Europe, the average was 20 percent. By contrast, only 11 percent in the U.S. involved one embryo in 2006. A key difference, though, is that health programs in Europe cover the cost, so that if one attempt fails, women can try again without having to worry about the expense. In the U.S., most patients have to foot the bill for IVF, which costs about $12,400 per attempt. Only 14 states make insurers cover some infertility treatments. ___ On the Net: CDC fertility clinic reports: http://www.cdc.gov/ART/
 
Dems Target 12 Republicans On Stimulus Top
A dozen House Republicans are targeted in a new House Democratic political campaign that criticizes the GOP lawmakers for opposing the $787 billion stimulus package. More on Stimulus Package
 
Jesse Kornbluth: Leonard Cohen Live: Nothing On His Tongue But 'Hallelujah' Top
I couldn't blame my wife for her sudden ambivalence when a guy outside the theater offered us $1,000 for each of our front-row balcony seats --- we'd had to get our Leonard Cohen tickets from a scalper, and for what they cost, we could have bought several hundred shares of Citigroup. A year ago, I wouldn't have given a second's thought about that sidewalk offer. Leonard Cohen appearing on an American stage for the first time in 15 years? No-brainer: we're there. But Cohen was performing at the end of a week when George Soros was saying the financial system had collapsed and there's "no sign that we are anywhere near a bottom." In that world, $2,000 in cash just doesn't drop in every night. But... Leonard Cohen . Now 74 years old. The author of songs made for tough times. The last time I saw him, five encores. The impulse to sell passed very quickly. If you don't care for that near-monotone of a voice or think his songs are uniformly depressing, the high regard I have for Leonard Cohen is as incomprehensible as, say, admiration for Dick Cheney. If you're in the cult of Cohen, however, you know a Cohen appearance is not just a concert, nor can Cohen be reduced to "singer-songwriter." For the faithful, Cohen is more than a musician --- he's our intimate stranger, the poet laureate of our secret lives, our personal bard. Try this: In my life, women have come and gone, but I've been faithful to Leonard Cohen for 40 years. I grant that is hyperbolic. But in 1968, when I was in the kindergarten of professional writers, I had a book published by The Viking Press. That season, Viking also published Cohen's second novel, Beautiful Losers . In the ads, our books leaned against one another --- such a small thing, but even the faintest connection brought great pleasure. I was dazzled and confused and threatened by 'Beautiful Losers'. I went back and read Cohen's first novel, The Favorite Game , which I liked much more. That winter, I got an early copy of his first CD, Songs of Leonard Cohen , and became an enthusiast of his music. And ever since, it's for his music that I've been interested in Cohen. Why have I never tired of a guy who is, in his songs, mining a very small patch? Because the subject of almost all of Cohen's songs is love, or, more correctly, the "war between the man and the woman" that may take the form of an incurable disease we call love. That strikes me as the most important topic in music (and every other medium), and so, over the years, I've subjected lovers to his CDs. Reactions have varied, and I have slowly, and sometimes painfully, learned that a woman's affection for Cohen does not predict that she'll have long-term affection or understanding for me. When our kid was a colicky baby, Cohen's was one of two deep bass voices --- George Jones was the other --- who could calm her. My wife, for her part, has endured my praise and admiration for Cohen, read my appreciations of Cohen, even listened to him. Along the way, she's collected recordings of "Hallelujah" ---- especially Rufus Wainwright and kd lang and Jeff Buckley . But how do you prepare someone for a three-hour-plus immersion in the man himself? Cohen made it easy. It's not often said about him, but he's a great showman. And at the Beacon Theater, he put on a great show. He wore a sharp black suit, gray shirt, and black patent leather shoes, and topped off that boulevardier outfit with a black fedora; if he'd had a cane, he would surely have twirled it. Old? Frail? Spry? None of the above. The adjective to describe Cohen is timeless. He's a ladies' man who will be attractive to women of every age until he takes his final breath --- and he knows it. Cohen dropped to his knees for some songs. For others, he stood stock-still, knees touching and feet apart, like the young Frank Sinatra. When he wasn't singing, he gave his full attention to whoever had the spotlight. That wasn't just showmanship. His three backup singers and the members of his band executed at such a high level the concert was like watching a beautiful machine --- from the inside. You had to watch every little thing because small bursts of theatricality went off like fireworks at unexpected moments: acrobatics from the backup singers, Manet lighting on the Spanish guitarist. Oh, the songs . All the greatest hits, served up so you could see why this is, with Dylan's, the most significant North American catalog of the last half-century. As a writer, no one's more audience-friendly than Cohen; his lines are short, declarative, essential. And --- something else rarely noted --- he can be very funny, both in his songwriting ("You told me again you preferred handsome men/but for me you would make an exception") and his banter ("Hard times are coming. Some people say it will be worse than Y2K.") This concert and Cohen's tour are only happening because Cohen's longtime manager had ripped him off for more than $5 million, leaving him with only $150,000 to show for four decades of recording and touring. "That person did the world a favor," my wife said afterward. Want proof? Watch the DVD of the concert , hear the live CD . See if, as Cohen says, a mature, sophisticated cheerfulness doesn't keep breaking through. [Cross-posted from HeadButler.com]
 
Biodegradable Credit Cards: The Good Kind Of Financial Breakdown Top
While archeologists might someday value these relics, most credit cards -- which are typically made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC -- outlive their usefulness after three years. And after expiration, they are cut up and thrown away, passing the rest of their indestructible lives in a landfill. In December, Discover Financial Services introduced a biodegradable credit card that breaks down when exposed to microorganisms. Like a traditional card, it is also durable enough to stay intact in the dark pockets of your wallet and through normal wear and tear for at least four years. However, in a "fertile" environment full of microorganisms, such as compost, waterways, the ocean, dirt and landfills, these biodegradable cards, its inventors say, break down.
 
Australia's Daylesford Residents Brace For Worst As New Fire Threatens Town Top
A BUSHFIRE was bearing down on the Victorian resort town of Daylesford last night, hours after an out-of-control grass fire threatened Melbourne's eastern fringe, engulfing one building. More on Australia
 
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