Monday, March 30, 2009

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Verena von Pfetten: Eyebrows: Why Bushy Is Better Top
Eyebrows. They're the most under-appreciated feature on your face with arguably the most impact -- a good brow can make eye makeup a moot point or take an ordinary look extra-ordinary places. While there's no right or wrong way to shape your eyebrows -- every face is different! -- there is absolutely nothing worse than an over-plucked arch (something most of us have learned the hard way.) And in light of that fact, we hereby proclaim that the bushy brow is back! First off, we're huge advocates of anything that supports our case against make-up and what better way to lighten the cosmetic load than to let your luscious brows be front and center? Toss the eyeliner, drop a coat of mascara, boldly bare your lips and let your eyebrows do the talking. Case in point: if there's one thing these ladies have in common, its an au naturel visage . Even the red carpet-ready looks made liberal use of earthy tones with a minimalist lip. And for you lazy, er, low-maintenance ladies -- the bountiful brow is a veritable gift! You'll save yourself oodles of time not plucking, painting, and puckering -- because in this case, bigger really is better! Which brings us to our next point: we hate to say it (and, to be honest, we never thought we would!), but this is the one case where Michelle Obama's pluck is not a good thing. Ah, well -- the woman had to have some fault. And lastly, if you're like me and have been cursed with a barely-there and/or blonde brow, I recommend taking the seconds you saved in your morning routine to fill them in. (I'm also gonna go ahead and take the liberty of recommending Benefit's Bow-Zings kit -- the wax lets you get some color on every last spindly hair you've been blessed with in ways that no ordinary pencil ever could. Look at me! I'm nothing if not service-y.) Join the revolution, ladies! Let your (eyebrow) bushes be free! More on Photo Galleries
 
Scott Malcomson: Barack Obama Joins the Group of 20 Top
World leaders have been acting strangely in the run-up to the G20 summit in London this Wednesday and Thursday. (There's also the big Afghanistan meeting in The Hague on Tuesday, featuring Iran, and Obama's first Nato summit, also in Europe, on the Friday and Saturday.) Late last week Lula of Brazil, accompanying Gordon Brown, started going on about how "white people with blue eyes" had caused this economic crisis, and issued a call for more dark-skinned and indigenous bankers (though not for female bankers). Meanwhile the Czech republic's tottery prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, having lost the confidence of the Czechs, let himself loose, saying the American stimulus plan was the "road to hell." Zhou Xiaochuan, head of the People's Bank of China, also went all wacky, saying, in an essay published (in English) on the bank's website that the time had come to rethink the dollar's status as a reserve currency; perhaps the IMF's "special drawing rights" (SDRs) should take its place? No one ever said integrating the emerging markets into global governance was going to be easy. But these people are really thinking outside the box. London may, just possibly, be one seriously kooky summit. I'm glad Barack Obama plays basketball. Because the other side is getting giddy. They're sensing something - not victory, but a change in the game, a shift in momentum. It's tricky to play in those circumstances. The West will have morale issues going into the summit; the Europeans have been playing some very messy ball these past few weeks; and the U.S. is not used to coming from behind. But Obama is. He's been coming from behind all his life. In the past few days, the administration has been lowering expectations. They're holding out, I suppose, for a real improvement in IMF financing and a broadening of its structure to give more power to emerging markets. The financing can be sold as a type of "stimulus," even if not the kind of stimulus Geithner has been urging and the Europeans have been rejecting. I would guess also that, at the other meetings, the U.S. will get some real commitments from the Europeans regarding Nato and Nato-in-Afghanistan. Not troops, perhaps, but more than is currently expected. But the main thing is integration of the emerging powers into global decision-making, and that should be advanced by the G20 almost regardless of what concrete deliverables make the final list. I wish I were going to be there. It would be fascinating to watch Obama work this very diverse cast of heads of state. He doesn't seem to lack advisors, but, just in case, the best single guide I know of to how to restructure global governance responsibly is a book called "Power and Responsibility: Building International Order in an Era of Transnational Threats," by Bruce Jones, Carlos Pascual and Stephen Stedman. It came out in March. I know Stedman a little from when he was working as research director for the United Nations High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change (what a name!), and had the chance to meet Pascual last year when he presented the book's conclusions at a conference in Austria. (Rumor is that he will be the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico, which could be among the half-dozen most difficult, and important, ambassadorial postings in this administration.) The three of them are very steady, very serious and very experienced. Their book artfully splits all the many differences between the privilege of sovereignty and the necessity of global coordination, not just for the U.S. but for all countries. They advocate a G16 approach to getting the G8 out of its rut, integrating the emerging economies into an enlarged group that is nonetheless small enough to be effective; and they do so with an eye toward the moral valences of global governance that does not slip into the bloodless (and all too colonial, in effect if not intention) moralism of the G8's usual noblesse oblige. In short, they are ideally suited to mapping the future that the G20 is, in rather desperate circumstances, attempting to navigate. The authors' freedom from dogma is remarkable. "It cannot be stated too often," they write, that "any proposed international order must promote the interests of those states capable of creating the order." By "capable" I take them to mean "powerful and motivated enough." Their even-tempered realism allows them to acknowledge the virtues in emerging institutional arrangements (such as regional groups), including ones they openly oppose (democracy leagues). Relatedly, they let their reporting take them where it may, so they find interesting things: I had not known that the Organization of the Islamic Conference had been such a strong backer of Nato's military intervention in Kosovo. They conclude: "Institutionalized cooperation between the major and rising powers will depend in substantial part on a new emphasis and style in American foreign policy, but also on Europe and Japan accepting that their seats at the table will be adjusted" - they mean, their positions will be weakened - "to accommodate the rising powers. And it will depend very heavily on the willingness of the leadership of the rising powers to place long-term interests above short-term tactical advantage, to act with restraint rather than their own sense of hubris." Remarks about "white people with blue eyes" would, I suspect, come within their definition of "hubris." I wonder whether there is any principle behind the rising powers' understanding of their long-term interests - I mean, other than revenge, pure power-lust, ever expanding pride, and a fear born of distrust of the West. The rising powers are not often reported on and analyzed as a group; when they are, it often leads to a re-warming of anti-colonial themes that, to my mind, lack the explanatory power they once had. (I should say: it is increasingly a strain to fit our present into that past.) The rising powers' ambitions to "fit in" to the existing order jostle their heartfelt rejection of Western superiority or right-to-rule. It's hard to have both, but both is what we have. The International Monetary Fund's recent travails capture the moment: the heavy weight of the past, the new global-governance momentum, the limits of government in solving economic problems On one hand, IMF rejiggering seems to have been settled on as a deliverable for the G20 (maybe the only one, apart from an attack on tax havens). Some quibbles aside - look to Germany, again - no one is opposing IMF reform. The Special Drawing Rights discussion is likewise, of course, IMF-centric, since it is the IMF that issues SDRs, and the debate has brought in a variety of advocates apart from Zhou Xiaochuan: George Soros, for example, who has a long-standing interest in the subject, and the UN General Assembly's Commission of Experts on Reform of International Finance and Economic Structures, headed by Joseph Stiglitz. The Commission came out last week in favor of raising up the SDR and reducing the dollar's reserve-currency role. On the other hand, the IMF itself - the real one, not the potential one -- has been noticeably struggling to find borrowers. Responding last year to the crisis, and to venerable criticisms of its strict loan conditions and repayment structures, the fund came up with a "short-term credit facility" colloquially known as "E-Z loans." No one wanted it; the program has been shut down. (It makes for an interesting comparison to recent American programs that, to remain market-neutral, simply forced banks to take "help" they didn't always want. The fund doesn't have such means of compulsion to make countries take its money, and the fashion until recently had been to pay off all IMF loans and loudly declare financial "independence.") So the fund has developed a replacement loan, with even easier conditions: a "flexible credit line." The new product was greeted last week by South Korea and Singapore saying they had no intention of taking such a loan. "South Koreans tremble and financial markets turn sensitive whenever they hear the word 'IMF,' so it's not easy for us to participate in the program," was how a South Korean finance official put it. Yes, no one said integrating the emerging markets would be easy. And meetings like the G20 summit almost always disappoint. Government institutions, national and international, do have power, but not often the kind they want. They can, for instance, make markets "turn sensitive" in a heartbeat. They find positive change, like creating a market for toxic asset-backed securities, much harder. But as I said earlier, I think/hope Obama has realistic expectations, and is looking to advance this global power transformation, as symbolized by the integration of emerging-market economies into a newly vital G20, one step at a time. He can play a bold game, he can play a deliberate game. His style is not unlike that of the authors of "Power and Responsibility," which almost makes me think Carlos Pascual should be at NSC rather than in Mexico. More on Barack Obama
 
Michelle Madhok: Spring At Bebe Means Sexy Safari, Sexy Animal Prints, Sexy Ruffles, And So On... Top
Bebe described its new spring lookbook as a move toward chic, which piqued my interest, considering the mall favorite usually sits somewhere firmly in the middle of trendy and trashy. Metallics, safari, ruffles--popular runway-inspired themes--are all there. Yet, nearly everything has been sexified. Like women's Halloween costumes, no Bebe shopper wants to be a cat, she wants to be a sexy cat. And for the store, it's not a safari shirt, but a sexy safari shirt. The Sexy Sheen Safari Jacket ($149) with the Sexy Sheen Shirred Pencil Skirt ($89) is a good example. I like the details that come with the safari look, but not in shiny, tight, white polyester. I can't count the ways that fails. The Panther Silk Strapless Dress ($129) is as literally jungle-inspired as they come. This handkerchief on steroids doesn't leave a lot of room for error (aka bending over), and if you're pushing 35, let's hope no one confuses the panther for a cougar. There was one acceptable piece in the bunch. Click to see it . Check out our Mall Stores feature , where we did happen to find some good stuff from Bebe's past seasons, although it wasn't an easy feat. More on Sex
 
Donna Norton: Peaceful Revolution: Can Congress Stop the Growing Numbers of Homeless Kids? Top
Carol and her children watched, stricken, as their beloved photo albums, stuffed animals, and baby blankets were thrown on the curb. Despite heroic efforts to save the family home from foreclosure, the unthinkable happened. Carol, her husband, and their three children found themselves suddenly homeless. One out of fifty children are now homeless and these numbers are only expected to worsen as 2.4 million families are projected to lose their homes this year. Women, and particularly, women of color, are disproportionately affected by the sub-prime and housing crisis. The Consumer Federation of America found that women were 32 percent more likely to receive sub-prime loans than men, even though they had roughly the same credit scores. And this disparity rose with income level. Among high income earners, African American women were as much as five times more likely to receive sub-prime mortgages than white men. It is time for all of us to stand up against discriminatory lending policies and practices and make sure that families at risk of losing their homes get immediate help. Preventing foreclosure is not only a lifeline for families, but also helps the economy by preventing further collapse in the housing market. Earlier this month, the House passed the "Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act" that would provide real relief to the 11% of homeowners whose mortgages are now in some form of distress . Under this legislation, bankruptcy judges could cut the principal on a homeowner's mortgage, reduce the interest rate, and extend the terms of a home loan to help families make it through tough economic times. In the coming weeks, this legislation will move to the Senate where it will face a tough fight. MomsRising.org is urging the Senate to take action now to keep families in their homes by passing the "Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act." Send a letter to your Senators by clicking here . Our children are our nation's future. One out of fifty children are already homeless, missing critical years of education, healthy development, and community support. Where will these homeless children be in twenty years? Will they be the healthy, educated, and productive workforce which our economy demands for long term prosperity? Clearly, it is both in our short and long term economic interest to take action now to prevent more families from losing their homes. A Peaceful Revolution is a blog about innovative ideas to strengthen America's families through public policies, business practices, and cultural change. Done in collaboration with MomsRising.org , read a new post here each week. More on Bankruptcy
 
Incest, Rape And Family Dysfunction Around The World Top
A quick round-up, just of this month, reveals a troubling repetition of incest, rape and depraved family dysfunction stories from around the world. Whether this is an increase from the past or just the norm is yet to be determined. *** March 16th story of Daniel Rinehart, a Missouri man accused, among other charges, of fathering four children with his daughter. From the Kansas City Star : Daniel Rinehart pleaded not guilty to multiple counts Monday in Harrisonville in a case where he's accused of fathering four babies with one of his daughters. Judge Jacqueline Cook entered not guilty pleas for Rinehart in Cass County Circuit Court. Authorities say Rinehart had an incestuous relationship with a daughter that lasted five years and produced four babies. Only one, a 3-year-old boy, survives. He is in state custody. March 17th story of Josef Fritzl, an Austrian man who plead guilty to fathering seven children with his daughter. From the AP: An Austrian who fathered seven children with a daughter he held captive for 24 years refused to even speak to her for years, coming into the squalid cellar only to rape her, often in front of the youngsters, a prosecutor said Monday. Wearing a mismatched gray suit and hiding his face behind a folder as the trial began, Josef Fritzl pleaded guilty to incest and false imprisonment, but he denied enslaving his daughter Elisabeth or murdering her newborn son. He pleaded only partially guilty to additional counts of rape and coercion. March 21st story of a Mumbai businessman, accused of raping his two daughters on the advice of his tantrik (astrologer). From the Hindu : A local court on Saturday remanded the 60-year-old businessman, who allegedly raped his two daughters after a tantrik reportedly told him that the act would bring prosperity to the family, to police custody till March 26. His wife and the tantrik, Hasmukh Rathod, at whose behest the crime was supposedly committed, were also remanded to police custody till March 26. ... According to police, the couple was under the influence of Rathod who told them in July 2000 that the family would prosper if the father was to have a sexual relationship with his elder daughter, who was then 11. March 27th story of Michele Mongelli, an Italian man arrested for sexually abusing his daughter over 25 years and for teaching is son to do the same. From Times Online: Neither the accused nor their victims were named. Police said the 64-year-old man's daughters and granddaughters had been kept in "conditions of slavery and mistreatment", with the man's 34-year-old daughter often locked up in the dark in her bedroom "without electric light". The man and his son, both street traders dealing in scrap metal who moved to Turin from Apulia in southern Italy, have been charged with rape, incest, and obscene acts in public because some of the sexual abuse took place in a car. March 29th story of Arcebio Alvarez, a Colombian farmer accused of conceiving eight daughters with his own daughter. From the AP: A 59-year-old Colombian farmer accused of incest for allegedly fathering eight children with his daughter denies that he is the woman's biological father, an official familiar with the case said Sunday. Arcebio Alvarez, a widower, was arrested Friday on charges of incest and sexual abuse, according to Bogota councilwoman Gilma Jimenez, a specialist in family-abuse issues who filed the complaint in the case. Keep in touch with Huffington Post World on Facebook and Twitter . More on Sexual Violence
 
San Jose Earthquake: 4.3 Magnitude Temblor Strikes California Top
A minor earthquake hit California this morning. Geologists placed the epicenter of the earthquake near Morgan Hill . Courtesy of the US Geological Survey, here are some stats on the San Jose quake : Magnitude: 4.3 - regional moment magnitude (Mw) Time: Monday, March 30, 2009 at 10:40:29 AM (PDT) Distance from: Morgan Hill, CA - 18 km (11 miles) N (7 degrees) Seven Trees, CA - 19 km (12 miles) E (91 degrees) Alum Rock, CA - 20 km (13 miles) ESE (117 degrees) San Jose City Hall, CA - 25 km (16 miles) ESE (104 degrees)
 
Steele Discusses Hard-Partying Past, Getting Kicked Out Of College (VIDEO) Top
Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele treated CNN viewers on Sunday to another premeditated moment of candid weirdness. Steele told CNN's Don Lemon that he was doing some serious partying when Johns Hopkins University gave him the boot his freshman year. "I got kicked out of school when I was a freshman at Hopkins," Steele said. "They were like, 'I'm sorry, this isn't gonna work.'" Steele said he was terrified of his mother's disapproval and that he pleaded every day with a dean to be let back in the school. Asked if he was partying, Steele answered with gusto. "Was I partying? Absolutely! Absolutely!" Steele said. "I was like 'Look at her. Hey, what's up!' I was doing the whole thing." Steele, who attended a monastery after college, told Lemon that he's a big believer in second chances. "Everyone at some point has some thing or some circumstance in which they want to redeem themselves." Drop us a note if you attended school with Steele, we'd love to hear some stories . WATCH: Send us tips! Write us at tv@huffingtonpost.com if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team. More on Michael Steele
 
Ford Shuts Down Chicago Plant Temporarily As Demand Lags Top
Ford has temporarily shut down its plant at 126th Street and Torrence Avenue on the city's Far South Side. The Torrence Avenue plant and numerous other Ford plants will sit idle for the next three weeks, as demand for cars and sport-utility vehicles continues to lag. More on Auto Bailout
 
John Norris: Natsios Slow Dances with Bashir Top
Andrew Natsios, the former head of the United States Agency for International Development and a special envoy to Sudan in the Bush Administration, has a new piece on Sudan up on ForeignAffairs.com . For those of you who do not remember Natsios, he is the same gentleman who assured the American public in April 2003 that the cost to taxpayers for rebuilding Iraq would absolutely be no more than 1.7 billion dollars. ("The American part of this will be 1.7 billion. We have no plans for any further-on funding for this," said Natsios in a statement that was so far off that it has joined 'Mission Accomplished' in the pantheon of disastrous policy pronouncements.) In his Foreign Affairs piece, Natsios brings the same savvy sense of judgment and comes down hard on the arrest warrant for Bashir, insisting that it will only make peace impossible. Natsios, like several others, just gets it plain wrong. The fact that the International Criminal Court would hold Bashir accountable is not the real impediment to peace in Sudan; the fact that Bashir keeps committing war crimes is the real impediment to peace in Sudan. Because diplomats like Natsios have been eager to sweep these mass killings under the rug for years is exactly why Bashir thinks he can literally get away with murder. Natsios also makes the case that the indictment is somehow a form of neo-colonialism but derides traditional Darfuri justice and reparation efforts: "The traditional form of reparation in Darfur has been blood money paid by the perpetrator to the victim's family -- a mechanism that, before the ICC's intervention, the Darfuri rebels accepted (albeit at a high asking price) and Khartoum obliged with in the form of reconstruction money (accompanied with some self-serving rhetoric)." If anyone sounds like a clumsy neo-colonialist here, it is Natsios. First, we are not sure what Natsios means by "traditional," but we do not think that most Darfuris would appreciate him reducing their complex cultural traditions to greedy and corrupt bargaining over the loss of their loved ones. Natsios does not even bother to take into account the perspective of any of the families or the victims. Natsios admits up front in the article that the government of Sudan has conducted numerous war crimes. He then shamefully quibbles about the numbers of dead in Darfur during the last year, as if Darfuris and the world should be somehow less appalled because Bashir has slowed down the pace with which he kills people. Natsios concludes his masterwork by essentially arguing that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, that ended the North-South war must be pursued to the exclusion of all other efforts in Sudan, such as the arrest warrant or a lasting peace inn Darfur. No one has ever said that CPA implementation is not absolutely imperative. However, with Bashir now having cut off direct aid to more than a million people in Darfur, shouldn't trying to keep them alive perhaps also figure into the grand scheme of things? The tactics being used in Darfur are a replica of those used by Khartoum in the earlier war with the South, and Sudan will never achieve lasting peace in the South, West or East as long as the international community allows Khartoum to engage in such practices with impunity. If the new Special Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration, is looking for a textbook on how not to deal with Sudan, Andrew Natsios has helpfully offered his own well-worn blueprint for failure. Maggie Fick contributed to this post. More on Darfur
 
Joel B. Schwartzberg: Viewers riled up over NOW show on illegal immigration Top
" No one could ask for a better performance from a sheriff in a state that has to apprehend the lawbreakers, catch illegal aliens, and jail those that are caught according to the judge's sentencing." -- Sean T. "He allowed response times to erode, major violent crimes to go un-investigated, and left areas underprotected while he deploys officers on his pet crusades. He may be popular, but as a law enforcement officer and a public servant he is a disgrace ." -- Bill in Arizona. This week's special NOW on PBS investigation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a hard-line sheriff from Maricopa County, Arizona, received an unprecedented avalanche of responses from NOW viewers . Sheriff Arpaio has made the most of federally-granted authority to enforce immigration laws, but has he crossed the line when it comes to serving and protecting his community? Some critics have accused him of racial profiling and neglecting other criminal activity under his watch. See for yourself what Sheriff Arpaio was and wasn't doing in the name of law enforcement. Then, stay for the contentious interview -- between Arpaio and NOW on PBS Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa -- that has so many talking. An excerpt of that interview: Watch the full show online and take part in an interactive debate on illegal immigration. More on Immigration
 
Filmmaker Ken Burns Spotted At White House Top
Famed documentarian Ken Burns was spotted walking into the West Wing on Monday for what appeared to be a meeting with administration officials. The filmmaker behind the Baseball , Civil War and Jazz films was accompanied by two other men, one of who took snapped photos of Burns with the White House in the background. Burns, incredibly nice and in a talkative mood, was holding a massive binder for his upcoming project: " The National Parks: America's Best Idea ." That 12-part series, Burns told the Huffington Post, is due out in September. Filmed over the course of six-years, it will be a history of the parks, he said, not something akin to a travel documentary.
 
Mike Alvear: Butt Dialing, Drunk Texting and Other Ways Technology Ruins our Relationships Top
You're a finalist for a great job that requires reserve and diplomacy. You find out your phone called the HR director nineteen times in the past 24 hours. Or rather, your butt did, because every time the phone rustled in your back pocket your sphincter went on a drunk dialing binge. And probably farted a few times so it sounded like your ass was making obscene phone calls. You're at a dinner party with someone you've been dating. He's clearly in love; you're killing time. The host buys a block of silence when she says, "Hey, your date changed his status from 'single' to 'in a relationship;' how come you haven't?" You wake up one morning, after being knee-walking drunk the night before, to find out you sent that shy hottie -- the one you had half a chance with if you'd have played it cool -- a text that said, "I wanna pound the dust out of your rug." It's gotten to the point that I can't buy new technology or sign up for a new social media service without asking myself, "In what satanic way will this thing humiliate me?" (click here to see my top 5 funniest videos on the subject). Take my new iPhone. It has a nasty habit of not hanging up when you push the "End Call" button. So you're talking to a friend who insists on telling you, in excruciating detail, how much he enjoyed the ski trip you couldn't go on because the recession turned your 401k into a 101k. You take it all in with grace. You hit the "End Call" button; turn to your roommate and say, "Mouth St. Helen just erupted." You look down, see the phone's still connected and hear what amounts to the human version of ice tinkling in the silence of a faux pas. Clearly, MIT needs to come up with anti-humiliation technology. And quick, before I lose more friends, jobs, and people I use as arm-candy until I find love. Here's what I suggest: • The Text Breathalyzer Test. Automatically shuts down texting when you blow more than .08. Advanced feature screens out contacts your phone thinks you're going to make an ass out of yourself with. • Out of Pocket Dialing. Phone automatically shuts off when it senses it's in your pocket. Or near your ass. • Shape-shifting Relationship Status Facebook feature. It sets to "In a relationship" for some friends, "Single" to others. Of course, maybe we don't need technology to overcome technology's humiliations. Maybe we should just stop drinking. Or get Apple and Anheuser-Busch to partner up and make a commercial that says, "Text Responsibly." Or take turns being the "Designated Texter" for the night. At the very least, every phone should come engraved with a version of that message on my prescription meds. Something like, "WARNING: MAY CAUSE HUMILIATION. Alcohol could intensify this effect -- use caution when operating new technology or dangerous machinery." Click here to see my top 5 funniest videos on technology and its unending ability to humiliate us. Includes the most popular vid (18 million views and you won't believe who stars in it). More on Technology
 
Summit To Launch New Commitment To Afghanistan Top
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A 72-nation conference on Afghanistan will launch a broader international commitment to the security of the region, including neighboring Pakistan, special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said Monday. The hastily convened conference opening Tuesday in this Dutch city brings together all the countries bordering Afghanistan, including Iran, and all nations contributing troops to the NATO-led international force fighting Taliban insurgents. It will be opened by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. With the meeting scheduled to last just seven hours including lunch, few countries will be able to give a nuanced analysis on the conference's stated theme: a comprehensive review of Afghan strategy in a regional context. Most will not have a chance to speak at all. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected to outline the policy review unveiled last week by President Barack Obama. The president said he will send an extra 17,000 soldiers and 4,000 advisers to train Afghan military forces, plus hundreds more civilians to work on development issues. More than half of the 70,000 troops now in Afghanistan are Americans. Despite its brevity, Holbrooke said the "big tent meeting" in The Hague is "tremendously important," and its success already was guaranteed by the lengthy list of attendees. "The very fact that they are here signals that the world has not forgotten Afghanistan, and that now we know that Pakistan is part of the issue," he said. Of the 73 nations invited, only Uzbekistan has declined to come, organizers said Monday. Holbrooke called the conference "the launch point for the international recommitment to the effort in Afghanistan and western Pakistan." Unlike previous international conferences, the Hague meeting was not intended to raise money or troops _ issues that may be raised at subsequent meetings including a NATO summit next weekend. But Holbrooke said the U.S. administration is devoting much thought to financing the Afghan operation. "The current costs of the Afghan security forces vastly exceed the capacity of the governments that support them," he said. Holbrooke declined to be drawn on the potential implications of the meeting for U.S.-Iranian relations, which he called "a work in progress." But he said Iran was a crucial player that had to be included. "How can you talk about Afghanistan and exclude one of the countries that is a ... neighboring state," he said after meeting the conference host, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. Last week, the U.S. State Department ruled out any "substantive meeting" between U.S. and Iranian officials. Iran has an interest in stemming the flow of refugees and drugs across its 580-mile (930-kilometer) border with Afghanistan, said Willem Post, senior analyst at the Clingendael Institute think tank in The Hague. At the same time, Obama has an interest in sharing the burden, and Europe should accept the chance to deepen its engagement with the Obama administration, he said. "There is a real risk that otherwise the military surge and civilian surge will become Americanized," Post said. "We are all in this together." Holbrooke and Verhagen made it clear U.S. involvement was not a one-way street, and that Afghanistan had a contribution to make: cracking down on corruption and cleaning up its political system to ensure a free and fair presidential election later this year. "Afghanistan can and must do better," said Verhagen, whose country has contributed 1,600 troops with the NATO-led international force. More on Afghanistan
 
Crooked Politicians Costing Illinois $300M In 'Corruption Tax': Professor Top
As taxpayers look down the barrel of a major income tax increase, another tax already is draining their wallets. But this one isn't found anywhere in the tax code. It's the "corruption tax" -- the extra money Illinois residents pay because of dishonest public officials. People pay the tax when politicians give government jobs to unqualified cronies and contracts to expense-padding donors. They pay when public employees take bribes to overlook violations, when law enforcement spends millions prosecuting crooked politicians and when people are injured because of government misconduct. "It means hundreds of millions of dollars lost in waste," said Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman and head of political science at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Every state has its share of bad apples, but Illinois is notoriously corrupt. Residents and politicians sometimes seem to embrace the state's "anything goes" culture. All together, 1,000 public officials and businessmen have been convicted of public corruption in Illinois since 1970, Simpson found. That includes 19 Cook County judges, 30 Chicago aldermen, two members of Congress and two governors -- plus another imprisoned for crimes unrelated to state government. Then there's Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested in December on charges of trying to squeeze money out of candidates seeking an open U.S. senate seat. His arrest seemed ramp up anger over public corruption. It's impossible to calculate the full cost of the corruption tax. Simpson has come up with a $300 million estimate, but that focuses on the Chicago area and doesn't directly apply to taxpayers downstate. Still, experts point to many ways corrupt government is more expensive than honest government. ------ Shoddy work Someone put in a government job because he knows the right people isn't likely to work hard for his paycheck. In extreme cases, he might not show up for work at all, instead becoming what's known as a ghost payroller. One Cicero "health inspector" got $133,000 in salary and benefits for a job he never performed. He also got a one-year prison sentence. Likewise, a company awarded a city contract through bribery isn't going to worry about performance; a lousy job won't jeopardize contract renewal. Just look at Chicago's "Hired Truck" program, where the city outsourced hauling jobs to private firms. Many companies, some with Mob connections, paid bribes to get contracts then collected taxpayer money while doing little or no work. A federal investigation has resulted dozens of corruption convictions. ------ Unnecessary expenses When corrupt officials want to create work for political allies, they sometimes fill jobs that don't need to be filled or produce unnecessary "consulting" contracts. Just after Blagojevich became governor, the state suddenly started paying a company more than $500,000 to wash buildings, bridges and even road salt storage domes. Yet the work could have been done by state employees. The firm's president turned out to be the brother-in-law of a high-ranking Transportation Department official, who eventually resigned after the contract was suspended. ------ Law enforcement It costs money to catch a crook. FBI agents and U.S. attorneys can spend years -- and multiple criminal trials -- working their way up the corruption ladder to someone like Gov. George Ryan. First come the footsoldiers, then middle management, then high-ranking advisers and finally the top guy. Investigations of Ryan, for instance, stretch back to 1993. The federal probe kicked into high gear in 1998, and Ryan was convicted in 2006. He's now serving 6{ years in prison. Officials could not estimate the total cost of Ryan's case, but it's clear their time and money could have been spent going after the mob or drug dealers or crooked businessmen. "Every time we have a federal prosecution, that's a cost," said Cindi Canary, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. ------ Outright theft Corruption doesn't always involve shady contracts and political scheming. Some people just steal. The former manager of an East St. Louis federal housing agency was convicted in 2006 for embezzling nearly $158,000. She spent most of the money on gambling. And an employee in the state treasurer's office was convicted of stealing at least $263,000 from taxpayers by opening a bank account under a false name and depositing state money in it. ------ Lost business Businesses weigh many factors when deciding where to locate or expand operations, including tax breaks and regulatory policies. They also look at the political climate. Businesses concerned they won't get their fair share of government services without paying bribes, or who think backroom deals dictate government policy, may very well decide Illinois isn't for them. "Businesses fear getting dragged into something that will get bad press or get involved in a federal or state investigation. That's huge," said George Ranney, president and CEO of Chicago Metropolis 2020. "If there's a real cloud, it's probably as important as tax breaks." More businesses mean more jobs, and more money flowing into the state treasury to help take some of the burden off struggling families. Corruption also can be a factor for smaller Illinois companies or entrepreneurs who hope to get businesses off the ground but hesitate to seek government contracts because they haven't donated to the right politician or greased the right palm. Taxpayers, in turn, miss out on competition for state work and businesses that could create jobs and pay taxes are weakened. The belief that government doors are closed to most people, whether ambitious entrepreneurs or just average taxpayers, hurts everyone, says Sen. Dan Cronin, R-Elmhurst. "People become hardened, they withdraw from the system, they don't follow what's going on," Cronin said. "Then what happens? It only gets worse because nobody's watching." ------ More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Gibbs Struggles To Contrast Auto, Wall Street Bailouts Top
Robert Gibbs had to know it was coming. The press briefing on Monday was sure to focus on an apparent double standard from the administration when it came to the auto industry and financial sector bailouts. But when asked to explain the disparity -- such as GM's CEO Rick Wagoner being forced to step down while bank CEOs remain in their perches -- the Obama administration press secretary seemed to struggle for words. Was there a double standard? Read Gibbs' answer for yourself: "Understand that we have taken and are prepared to take extraordinary steps to help the auto industry get it back up on its feet, to put it on a firmer ground, and see it return to a stronger position, to support the companies, the workers and communities they are in," he replied. "I think if you look at, I think this question was asked over the course of the last 12 hours. The original agreements contemplated a March 31 deadline whereby you would either give additional assistance or call the loan. So what I think what the president and his task force are doing is taking the steps forward to help these companies. At the same time [we are] expecting a plan for viability in the future. I would also say that the decisions that are made on any entity receiving assistance is done in a way that we think will stabilize the economy, create jobs, in some cases it is to protect jobs, and have to a have manufacturing base, like with GM, Chrysler and others. It is to get lending moving again. But I think that this administration is rightly matching and balancing the notion for responsibility, at the same time understanding that we want to be a partner in ensuring strong and viable auto industries moving forward." Say what? Some members of the press in the room snickered. One reporter muttered under his breath: "that made absolutely no sense." Luckily for Gibbs, and those who wanted answers, he was given another bite of the apple. Responding to a question on the sacrifice that mid-westerners were being asked to make, he noted that Obama himself had traveled to those hard-hit towns and was acutely aware of their despair. Gibbs himself said he had spent the night before on the phone with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. But his remarks still seemed defined by vagaries. Gibbs dismissed one question as "general and somewhat non-specific." But when asked later if he wanted questions about individual banks, he said he didn't have specifics. Pressed repeatedly to explain why Wagoner was told to go but bank CEOs were not -- or, for that matter, why labor contracts for auto-workers were reworked when it was deemed illegal to revamp bonus contracts for AIG execs -- he declared a "hesitancy" to "look at every entity the same way." Earlier, he was asked if Wagoner's departure would serve as a warning to the CEOs of bailed-out banks, that poor performance with taxpayer funds could result in the loss of a job, Gibbs refused to be nailed down once again. "I think it is imperative or important to ensure that we look at these things all individually," he said. "I think that it is safe for anyone to assume, and I don't mean just for CEOs, but obviously we've got, there are 300 million taxpayers who any of us owe it to be responsible with their money. We are going to do what needs to be done to ensure and protect their money and to use whatever we use wisely to get our economy moving, whether it is assistance to a bank that we hope will turn around and lend that money to a family or a small business, or whether that is in helping an icon like GM or Chrysler get back on its feet again."
 
Phil Bronstein: A true measure of economic woes? The Geithner (Forehead) Index Top
We need Timothy Geithner. His two-places-at-once magic press act this weekend just confirms it. It's not because the Treasury Secretary was on George Fluffalupagus' show and "Meet The Press" at the exact same time, though he gets a Ubiquitous Obama award for that. And it's not because the Geithner guillotine guessing odds flipped and flopped Sunday just as they have for several weeks while he's alternately infuriated, confused and given a little confidence to the public and Congress. Although waiting to see if he "steps down" the 40 flights of concrete stairs out of the Administration is a fun and distracting diversion and much less nerve-wracking than paying attention to the actual economy. No, Mr. Geithner is no mere political parlor game. Even if you watch him in interviews and at hearings with the sound off, he still gives off an economic indicator as reliable as the Homeland Security color-coded advisory warnings . Let's call it the Geithner Index: It's his forehead. Really. Check it out next chance you get. I could be charging for this inside information (or be charged, if Eliot Spitzer were still in the right side of prosecution), it's so good. Here's how it works: count the wrinkle rows on Mr. Geithner's forehead and you can tell if he believes what he's saying or not , and to what degree. The more the forehead undulates, the more likely he's trying to sell you the equivalent of a used GM car . I haven't figured this out more precisely, but maybe we could get one of those body language "experts" from the tabs, or a doctor, the kind who are always "not treating" the celebrities they analyze but seem to have plenty of opinions anyway. It may even turn out to be the reverse: more lines, more truth. I just know that I'm right about the value of the indicator. Forget virtual town halls with the President, or even hacking into the Obama twitter account. Mr. Obama's entire face is one smooth canvas. Joe Biden, well, there's just no predictive value when chemicals are involved. (As one botoxed famous actress reportedly said, "The hell with it. Let them guess what I'm feeling.") In these uncertain times, tea leaves aren't nearly enough. Fortunately, we don't need to wonder. Five forehead folds? Code red! Sell everything! We have a polygraph for this administration better than faith, good feelings, blind trust or Republican/Democratic Congressional panic, posturing and backlash. It's the space between Timothy Geithner's eyebrows and his hairline. Watch and learn. For more, read Bronstein at Large . More on Timothy Geithner
 
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Switched To Stocks Right Before Collapse Top
WASHINGTON - Just months before the start of last year's stock market collapse, the federal agency that insures the retirement funds of 44 million Americans departed from its conservative investment strategy and decided to put much of its $64 billion insurance fund into stocks. Switching from a heavy reliance on bonds, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation decided to pour billions of dollars into speculative investments such as stocks in emerging foreign markets, real estate, and private equity funds.
 
Kim Stolz: The Global Economy: A Global Blame Game Top
As the Michigan State basketball team gears up to participate in the NCAA Final Four tournament in their hometown of Detroit, the city is preparing for more than just a sporting event. This morning, President Barack Obama laid down the ground rules for how he plans to overhaul America's failing auto industry, namely GM and Chrysler. "My administration will offer GM and Chrysler a limited additional period of time to work with creditors, unions and other stakeholders to fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional taxpayer money," Obama said in a press conference this morning. To break it down, he will give GM 60 days to slash prices and debts and essentially turn the company around, now that their CEO Rick Wagoner has resigned - which came after a virtual order from President Obama that he indeed step down. Chrysler, in fact, only has thirty days; their assignment is to merge with Italian automaker Fiat. The task is stated, the consequence simple: if they fail, they will end up in bankruptcy court. The culture of immediacy facing the auto industry reflects the sentiment of not only the US government and media but also globally, which some would say is bad timing for Obama's trip tomorrow to the G20 Summit, aimed at coming up with solutions for the global economic crisis. Here in the US, we, as Americans, and the media have shifted our blame from companies like AIG to people like Bernie Madoff to CEO's like Rick Wagoner of GM to former presidents. Simultaneously, automakers are criticizing President Obama today for treating their industry more harshly than the financial industry, who begged for their round of bailouts months ago. Financial companies, **hint hint** AIG, have fired back in disagreement, and the Obama Administration has responded to the criticism saying that they treat each company and situation on a case-by-case basis. So far, we expect all of this. Industries blame each other for bringing down the economy. The UAW (United Auto Workers) may have a legitimate claim that they are continually losing workers, while the legal contracts of those at the top of the AIG ladder were allowed to receive money to stay on at the company. A closer look might show that now the AIG-ers may have to pay back somewhere around 90% of their recent paychecks, pending legislation. It's complicated, and from wherever you stand, it seems like your industry is getting hit the worst. My friends in the fashion industry are dealing with a lack of consumerism, my friends in the print and magazine industry live every day in fear of their publications folding, and we at MTV are trying to find our place in competition with not just television networks but gossip and video websites as well. Any economist (who isn't tied to a specific industry) will tell you that no one entity brought down our economy. It wasn't just the financial industry or the automakers; it wasn't just Bernie Madoff either. It was all of us. Which is why it worried me when I turned on the television this morning and saw rallies and crowds in Europe holding up angry signs blaming the United States and even the Obama Administration for leading the world in an economic downfall. European nations have remained skeptical of Obama's stimulus plan, and even more skeptical of his advice to nations overseas to conduct their own stimulus plans. The President will make a sound argument to the European nations at the G20 summit, but it is doubtful that they will accept his policy direction with open arms. How can they, anyway, with thousands of their people rallying the streets in anger, cynicism, and blame. So the question becomes not whether names like Bush, Madoff, Wagoner, Geithner, or Obama are to blame. Those names could not have greater range in policy, reputation, and certainly occupation. The question is why, if we are in a global economic crisis, are we playing a global blame game? Well, with any knowledge of human nature or of intergovernmental relations when a crisis emerges, the answer is simple, the question rhetorical. However, as a 25 year old native of New York City and someone beginning to seriously feel the impact of the recession, I have to hope that at the G-20 Summit meeting in Europe, Obama's initial popularity in Europe will translate into results rather than fade into just another blame game. More on The Recession
 
CBS Stock Falls On Analyst Downgrade, Auto Industry Fears Top
CBS stock is down big Monday following UBS's downgrade of the media stock from "neutral" to "sell." The downgrade stems from fears of the auto industry's troubles adversely affecting the advertising climate. More from Dow Jones Newswires (password required): A significant portion of CBS' revenue - 65% - is generated through advertising sales, and the auto industry has traditionally been one of the largest advertisers. "With the news about the auto industry, there are questions about the future of auto advertising," Gabelli & Co. analyst Christopher Marangi told Dow Jones Newswires, adding that a large portion of CBS' advertising is local ads, which "tend to have a very high component of autos." In their report, UBS analysts expressed worry about CBS' credit risk and predicted permanent changes to the ad market as a result of the auto industry's troubles: "Ad buyers are looking for higher return on their marketing investments. Given a structural reduction in demand, we believe a significant portion of these changes will likely be permanent." CBS stock opened at $4.20 Monday morning and was down almost 16% from Friday's close of $4.61 as of 1:55 PM Monday. Posted by Danny Shea More on CBS
 
Blue Dog Membership List Released Top
Call it service journalism. The updated membership list for the influential conservative Democratic group, the Blue Dog Coalition, is available below. Progressive bloggers, who pound the group mercilessly, have been searching for an updated list of members online. By popular demand, then, we asked Blue Dog spokesperson Kristen Hawn to forward the list to the Huffington Post. It includes 51 members in total. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) is co-chair for administration, Baron Hill (D-Ind.) is co-chair for policy, and Charlie Melancon (D-La.) is co-chair for communications. Sophomore Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) rounds out the leadership list, serving as Blue Dog Whip. The Blue Dog Coalition was founded in 1995, following the GOP sweep of Congress, with the intention of claiming the center for the Democratic Party. Its membership is largely made up of Democrats elected in districts that voted for Bush in 2004. Democrats currently hold a 75-seat advantage over Republicans in the House -- 254 to 178. But 218 votes are needed to pass legislation, meaning that if the GOP stays united, Democrats can only lose 36 members on a given vote. Three seats are vacant, with a tightly contested race in upstate New York to take place Tuesday in a district that trends heavily Republican. The seat's former occupant, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), was a Blue Dog. Scott Murphy, the Democrat seeking to replace her, has said he will become a Blue Dog too. Here's the full updated membership: Blue Dog Leadership Team Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration Rep. Baron Hill, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy Rep. Charlie Melancon, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications Rep. Heath Shuler, Blue Dog Whip Blue Dog Members Altmire, Jason (PA-04) Arcuri, Mike (NY-24) Baca, Joe (CA-43) Barrow, John (GA-12) Berry, Marion (AR-01) Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) Boren, Dan (OK-02) Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) Boyd, Allen (FL-02) Bright, Bobby (AL-02) Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18) Carney, Christopher (PA-10) Chandler, Ben (KY-06) Childers, Travis (MS-01) Cooper, Jim (TN-05) Costa, Jim (CA-20) Henry Cuellar (TX-28) Davis, Lincoln (TN-04) Donnelly, Joe (IN-02) Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) Gordon, Bart (TN-06) Griffith, Parker (AL-05) Harman, Jane (CA-36) Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD) Hill, Baron (IN-09) Holden, Tim (PA-17) Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01) McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) Marshall, Jim (GA-03) Matheson, Jim (UT-02) Melancon, Charles (LA-03) Michaud, Mike (ME-02) Minnick, Walt (ID-01) Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) Moore, Dennis (KS-03) Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) Nye, Glenn (VA-02) Peterson, Collin (MN-07) Pomeroy, Earl (ND) Ross, Mike (AR-04) Salazar, John (CO-03) Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47) Schiff, Adam (CA-29) Scott, David (GA-13) Shuler, Heath (NC-11) Space, Zack (OH-18) Tanner, John (TN-08) Taylor, Gene (MS-04) Thompson, Mike (CA-01) Wilson, Charles (OH-06) Holden, Tim (PA-17) Frank Kratovil, Jr. (MD-01) McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) Marshall, Jim (GA-03) Matheson, Jim (UT-02) Melancon, Charles (LA-03) Michaud, Mike (ME-02) Minnick, Walt (ID-01) Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) Moore, Dennis (KS-03) Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) Nye, Glenn (VA-02) Peterson, Collin (MN-07) Pomeroy, Earl (ND) Ross, Mike (AR-04) Salazar, John (CO-03) Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47) Schiff, Adam (CA-29) Scott, David (GA-13) Shuler, Heath (NC-11) Space, Zack (OH-18) Tanner, John (TN-08) Taylor, Gene (MS-04) Thompson, Mike (CA-01) Wilson, Charles (OH-06) More on Evan Bayh
 
Sulim Yamadayev, Former Chechen Rebel Boss, Assassinated In Dubai Top
An opponent of Chechnya's Moscow-backed president, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot dead in Dubai. The murder of Sulim Yamadayev is the latest in a line of killings of Chechens who opposed the rule of Mr Kadyrov and again raises questions about the nature of his rule. Mr Yamadayev, like Mr Kadyrov, was a former rebel who fought against Russia during the 1990s and then switched sides. He had been awarded Russia's top military medal, and until recently was the commander of Vostok, a federal army battalion made up of Chechens that had a fearsome reputation. He led Vostok into South Ossetia during last summer's war, and the battalion played a major part in the Russian invasion of Georgia. But despite this success, relations with Mr Kadyrov had already soured. The Yamadayev brothers - Sulim, Ruslan and Badrudi - headed a powerful clan that had a long-running feud with Mr Kadyrov, exacerbated when a convoy led by Badrudi Yamadayev refused to make way for Mr Kadyrov's cortege in Chechnya last April, leading to a shootout. In September, Ruslan Yamadayev was assassinated in central Moscow. Many pointed the finger at Chechnya's President, though Sulim Yamadayev at the time said he did not want to believe that Mr Kadyrov was behind the killing. He then disappeared from public view; according to reports in the Russian press, he had been living in an upmarket area of Dubai for the past four months. He was reported to have been fatally wounded while getting into his car in an underground car park on Saturday afternoon. There were unconfirmed reports that a Russian citizen had been apprehended as a suspect. In 2004, two Russian intelligence agents were convicted of assassinating a former Chechen separatist president, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, in Qatar. Recently, a new spate of murders has started, with the Yamadayev brothers just two of several Chechens to meet sticky ends far from the Caucasus Mountains. Chechen exile groups claim that three Chechens have been murdered in Istanbul in recent months, while in January Umar Israilov was murdered in Vienna. Mr Israilov, a former bodyguard of Mr Kadyrov, had claimed to have witnessed acts of torture carried out by the Chechen President himself. Mr Kadyrov, who has also been mentioned as a possible suspect in the murder of the investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, rejected those accusations with the unsettling defence that he did not kill women. Chechen officials denied that Mr Yamadayev's killing was related to Mr Kadyrov and suggested that it was a provocation designed to implicate the Chechen President falsely, and cause friction ahead of a visit of the Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, to Moscow. Read more from the Independent. More on Russia
 
Amy Ephron: Stop the Short Sellers Top
There's probably a baseball analogy in here somewhere but I'm not sure where it is. Oh well, here goes. A shortstop's job is to stop players from getting to third base and if you can't get to third base, there's no way you can score a run. And while I'm at it, the image of Chris Dodd in an umpire suit standing on the third base line with his thumb in his ear, is sort of sweet, too. As is, the image of Tim Geithner in a catcher's mask looking the other direction while rogue players steal home (it's not his fault, it was in their contract from the previous season). But, baseball analogies, aside, the truth is, we have to stop the short sellers. England outlawed short selling in the 1800's and you can track the beginning of the downturn in the stock market from July 6, 2007, the day the Bush Administration deregulated and got rid of the "uptick" rule. This SEC rule mandated that every short sale transaction be entered at a price that is higher than the price of the previous trade. Introduced in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as Rule 10a-1. It was implemented in 1938. The purpose of the uptick rule was to prevent short sellers from increasing the downward momentum when a stock is already experiencing sharp declines. It's gone. And, now, every time the market has an upswing, the short sellers, (or as a broker I know refers to them, "the vultures), just lay in wake to come in and drag everything down. The stock market had a sharp spiral downward this morning. Some are blaming it on GM and uncertainty about the upcoming G20 conference. But, really, an analyst at Morgan Stanley named Jason Todd "determined that" investors should sell U.S. stocks following the steepest rally since the 1930s because earnings are likely to keep weakening. And the vultures came out swinging. Good job. It's easy in a market as volatile as the one we're in, now, to come out with a self-fulfilling prophecy. And, not to sound like Pollyanna but it's time for some old-fashioned values and common sense. Invest in something you can believe in. Don't create a toxic environment where people can profit from failure and loss. We ran into someone on the street over the week-end who is in the consulting division of Goldman Sachs. Their job is to assess business plans and make recommendations for investment or raising capital for same or taking a company public. Do you know how many companies they've recommended in his office in the last year. Zero. Cash-saving tip to Goldman Sachs, shut down the consulting department. If all you're going to say is, "no", you could do it on a pre-recorded message. Shouldn't some of these companies who've taken bail-out money be required to sometimes place a bet? And not to bring up another baseball analogy, but you can't win if you don't play. And neither can any of us. More on Goldman Sachs
 
Smaller Cities Avoid Consumer Lending Crunch Top
Consumer-lending activity has increased in numerous midsize cities in the U.S., a sign they are riding out the recession better than big cities and rural towns, an analysis of credit data shows. As banks pull back on risk taking across the nation, consumer-loan balances in places like Huntsville, Ala., are rising. In Huntsville, a metropolitan area of 376,000 that is home to many government contractors, borrowing increased 13.2% per household in last year's fourth quarter, compared with the year-earlier period, according to data provided to The Wall Street Journal by Moody's Economy.com and Equifax Inc.
 
Navy Secretary Nominee Taped Wife And Priest In Nasty Divorce Top
President Obama's nominee for secretary of the Navy was involved in a divorce that drew national attention for his secret taping of a conversation between his wife and his family priest that he used against her in court proceedings.
 
Israel Drops Gaza Probe, Calls Claims Hearsay Top
Israel has officially ended its investigative probe into any possible misconduct by Israeli troops during the Gaza incursion known as Operation Cast Lead earlier this year. The probe -- originally in response to incriminating conversations between soldiers that leaked to the press -- is now being called-off for lack of substantive evidence beyond the initial hearsay, Israel says. As Haaretz reports: [Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Avichai Mendelblit] said it was unfortunate that the soldiers, who discussed their Gaza experiences in private on Feb. 13 at a military academy session which was later leaked verbatim to the media, had been careless about accuracy. "It will be difficult to evaluate the damage done to the image and morals [of the armed forces] in Israel and the world", his statement said. In a press release issued Monday the army said that the preliminary Military Police investigation into the testimonies revealed that they "were based on hearsay and not first-hand experience." The original incidents that spurred the investigation are now considered to have been tainted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) rumor-mill beyond the scope of admissibility. Al Jazeera English has more on the troubling nature of the incidents in question: Investigators highlighted two specific incidents which were widely reported, of the cold-blooded killing of civilians and allegations of deep contempt for Palestinians amid Israeli army ranks. They said one a soldier who alleged that a comrade was given orders to shoot an elderly woman had not witnessed such an event and "was only repeating a rumour he had heard". They said they noted that a woman who approached troops and was suspected of being a suicide bomber had been fired upon repeatedly to try to stop her advancing on them. ------ Keep in touch with HuffPost World on Facebook and Twitter . More on Gaza War
 
Scott Payne: A Dual Track Strategy to Secure America's Interests in Afghanistan Top
A Dual Track Strategy to Secure America's Interests in Afghanistan By Scott Payne and Peter O'Brien Numbers are antiseptic in war - it is anecdotes that tell the story. In Afghanistan, one vital part of that story is the brutality and depravity of our enemy. In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, Afghanistan veteran Lt. Kristen Rouse notes that the Taliban routinely targets children "for maiming, dismemberment and attack." She writes of the aftermath of a Taliban assault on a school, where one of her fellow soldiers watched a Marine fight tears as he tried vainly to save a dying boy and attempted to treat a little girl with a massive open wound on her skull. This is the enemy we are fighting. Security to Afghanis is not an abstract concept. That's why the US and NATO cannot succeed in any meaningful way in Afghanistan without restoring some semblance of security for the people. The situation is dire. The Taliban has gained control over large sections of southern Afghanistan, violence is up dramatically and the Karzai government is corrupt and weak. According to a new poll, the Afghani public is becoming more pessimistic and this skepticism is based equally on the worsening security situation and the underwhelming economic performance since US forces invaded in 2001. On its current track, Afghanistan seems doomed to collapse back into chaos. It is important to remember what chaos in Afghanistan means: a safe haven for al Qaeda to plan attacks against the US, a launching pad to destabilize Pakistan, and a return to power for truly brutal elements of the Taliban that are more than willing to kill children to enforce their beliefs. This is why the United States must implement the new dual track strategy for Afghanistan that President Obama is set to announce. For the first time, this conflict will have a plan to secure the population in Afghanistan while improving economic opportunity throughout the region. Track one must focus on restoring security. President Obama's announced deployment of 21,000 US troops will allow the international mission to finally reach the troops-to-population ratio in southern Afghanistan recommended by the Army Counterinsurgency Manual. Reaching this ratio will allow forces to undertake a more sustained and sophisticated effort against the Taliban in its stronghold. Poppy cultivation in southern Afghanistan provides the Taliban with $300 million annually and funds the insurgency. Attacking the drug trade is a key to succeeding in Afghanistan. The United States needs a comprehensive approach that provides international agriculture advisors to assist in crop substitution, targets Afghani drug lords, including extraditing captured drug lords and trying them in US courts, and when necessary, forcefully eradicating poppy crops by hand or aerial spraying of herbicides. Finally, in order to restore security, we must focus on strengthening the Afghan national security forces. Ultimately, the forces that will provide security for Afghanistan and connect the Afghani people to the central government are the Afghan National Army and Police. The President's plan to send 4,000 military advisors is crucial to this effort. Track two of this strategy must build stability through diplomacy and development aid. Afghanistan's history has been one of regional instability and proxy wars fought on Afghani territory. To bring this cycle to an end the United States should work with all the regional powers to resolve outstanding disputes, such as a final agreement on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the dispute in the Kashmir. Such negotiations would free these countries to work for a more stable Afghanistan rather than pursue their narrow interests in chaos. To create an incentive to work for stability, development aid needs to be redirected to reward success. As former British Foreign Service officer Rory Stewart has noted, international aid programs perversely reward failing provinces in Afghanistan while ignoring more stable ones, and has lead Afghan regional leaders to joke that they need to set off bombs in their province to get aid. The international community should begin funneling its aid to more secure provinces in central and northern Afghanistan and away from the insecure south. Focusing aid in secure regions would create an incentive for local leaders to work for security, rather than the current system that allows corrupt local officials to pocket cash while chaos reigns around them. Succeeding in Afghanistan will be hard, but that does not mean success cannot be achieved. With the President's new dual track strategy for Afghanistan and the region, we can secure America's interests in Afghanistan. Scott Payne is a Policy Advisor at Third Way. Peter O'Brien is an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and served in Afghanistan in 2001-2002. He is a resident of Whitman, MA and is the Massachusetts State Captain for VoteVets.org. This is a longer version of the op-ed published today in the Boston Globe. More on Barack Obama
 
John Krifka: d'Artoon -- Divisible V8 Top
GM CEO fired on less than all cylinder performance. Classic model to be redesigned. More on Barack Obama
 
John W. Delicath: FOX Nation: New Website Delivers Just What You'd Expect Top
Today marks the launch of FOX Nation , an opinion and news site that was immediately heralded at FoxNews.com, where Grover Norquist wrote : "I believe that FOX Nation has the potential to do to the Internet what FOX News did to cable television. That is, be a disruptive, transformative-but also profoundly constructive-media force." I get the idea that Fox News was a "disruptive" and even "transformative" force. But "profoundly constructive," who ya foolin'? Indeed, FOX Nation looks like just another platform from which Fox News can be " the voice of opposition " to the Obama administration. In fact, the site is off to a great start, offering the same kind of "fair and balanced" drivel disseminated from the mothership at Fox News. Fox News Senior Vice President Bill Shine said he hopes the site will be "a mix between the Huffington Post and Drudge." You'll have to forgive me for judging so quickly----after all, the site has only been up for a few hours---but, it's looking much more like the latter. Indeed, in Drudge-like fashion, one of the main functions of the political content at the site appears to be crafting inflammatory and widely misleading headlines for links to articles by news organizations whose content contradicts the Fox headline. Here are just a few of the top stories at the FOX Nation homepage: Scary! Obama nominee wants one world order . The link goes to a NY Post article that tries to scare readers about the legal beliefs of Harold Koh, the former dean of Yale Law School and President Obama's nominee to be the State Department's legal adviser. Obama fires GM CEO . The actual headline of the article at Politico : "GM CEO resigns at Obama's behest." Rush says Hillary twice the man Obama . For some reason, FOX Nation actually seems to want to call attention to this sexist smear. Though, I don't get the sense that they are doing so critically. " Affirmative Action for Muslims in the White House ?" Ah yes, the infamous Drudge question mark. Of course, the answer is "No;" the article to which the headline links says nothing about affirmative action. Instead, it reports that based on an "effort, driven by community leaders and others, including U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn" a group submitted to the White House "a book with resumes of 45 of the nation's most qualified [Muslims] -- Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted." And speaking of that last story, you should read some of the outrageous, vile, and hateful comments posted in response to this fairly innocuous bit of news. Here's just a sample: I can't believe people still don't get what animals muslims are. They will not stop until they've killed us all and ended our way of life. I will never forget what they did to us on 9/11. It's either us or them people!!! If Mr Obama wants a democratic presidency, why doesn't he let "The People" vote for whether or not "WE" want Muslims in this country at all! He is making a mockery of the office of "President". What a disgrace. YOU SAY OBAMA I SAY OSAMA YOU SAY BIN LIDEN I SAY BIN BIDEN YOU SAY TERRORIST I DSAY PRESIDENT!!!!!!!! WOW , IS THERE ANYTHING HE CANT DO BESIDE RUIN ONE HECK OF A LIFE. Can anyone say Manchurian Candidate? kill all ragheads Osama Muslin HUSSIEN Terrarist!!!!!!!!!!!! After reading those, you can only imagine what the comments are like for the "Scary! Obama nominee wants one world order" article. I look forward to Fox addressing the issue of comments to the site two months from now. You see, Fox News Senior Vice President Joel Cheatwood told Howard Kurtz: When registration begins in two months, users will be asked to abide by "core principles of tolerance, open debate, civil discourse and fair and balanced coverage of the news," with insulting comments deleted. "If they're critical of Fox News, that's fine," Cheatwood says. "You just can't say anything that's hateful or hurtful to someone else." I guess until then, visitors are free to write whatever "insulting comments" and despicable garbage they desire. Profoundly constructive indeed. More on Fox News
 
Gioia Diliberto: What Will Michelle Obama Wear For Tea With the Queen? Top
Will Michelle Obama wear sleeves to meet Queen Elizabeth II later this week? Flats? Perhaps a hat? Will she recycle a previously worn ensemble, as a nod to the global economy's perilous state -- which everyone blames on America -- or debut a dazzling new outfit? Does it matter? You betcha, as Sarah Palin might say. The self styled hockey mom and Alaskan governor learned it the hard way, when she wore a $2,500 Valentino jacket for her big speech at the GOP convention. Had she chosen something more in tune with her down home rhetoric, she could have avoided an avalanche of bad press. Clothes have great symbolic power, as every mom who's saved her kids' baby shoes knows. For someone of Mrs. Obama's stature, that power can be a social force. Because of the intense interest in the First Lady's fashion choices, the world will closely be watching what she wears on her upcoming trip with the President to London, France, Germany and Turkey. How the First Lady presents herself and how she's perceived could go far towards quelling resentment of Mr. Obama's economic policies. First stop for the First couple is London, where Michelle is wildly popular, her every fashion decision breathlessly reported in the press, and where the headline of one newspaper recently cried, "Why doesn't the UK have a Michelle Obama?" Sorry, Carla Bruni, Michelle is the new Diana. According to the White House schedule, Mrs. Obama will join the President for many of his European events, including tea with Queen Elizabeth II. While Mr. Obama is busy at the G-20 economic summit, his wife will join Sarah Brown, Britain's First Lady, and the other leaders' wives on a visit to a London health facility. In Strasbourg, France, Mrs. Obama will tour a cathedral and a hospital. At all these events, the First Lady will be standing with Carla Bruni, the 40-year-old ex-supermodel who is the third wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Bruni is the kind of dazzling, professional beauty who tends to blur everyone around her. Still, it is Jackie Kennedy who is perhaps Michelle's biggest competition on this trip. No doubt, the press will be comparing Michelle's performance and appearance to Jackie's on her triumphant European trip with President Kennedy in the spring of 1961. That visit, at the height of the Cold War, reinforced Kennedy's popularity in the free world, but the French-speaking Jackie stole the show. Kennedy was staggered by the adoring crowds who greeted his wife wherever she went and introduced himself at a news conference in France by saying, "I am the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris." In her simple sheaths and streamlined ball gowns, Jackie was the very image of modern elegance, "subliminally reinforcing the Kennedy administration's message of forward-thinking dynamism," according to the catalogue for the 2001 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years." Like Jackie, Michelle is married to a young, handsome, charismatic president who in his personality and accomplishments embodies the bold, optimistic spirit of America. The same can be said of Michelle's clothes, those fresh and original outfits by such U.S designers as Maria Pinto and Narciso Rodriguez, Jason Wu and Isabel Toledo. Beautiful clothes can deceive you that the world is a better place than it is - that's why they're so intoxicating. Still, as Coco Chanel once said, "If there's no woman, there's no dress." Michelle Obama breathes life into everything she puts on. I can't wait to see what she wears for tea with the Queen. More on Michelle Obama Style
 
Governor, Legislature Holding Closed Meetings Despite Reform Message Top
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn and the top legislative leaders strode down a stairwell and into a Capitol hearing room for a private meeting with the House and Senate lawmakers--all fellow Democrats--who together control state government.
 
GM CEO Rick Wagoner's $20 Million Retirement Package Top
Rick Wagoner will leave his post as CEO of bailed-out General Motors with a $20 million retirement package, the company's financial filings show. Although the Treasury Department has barred GM from paying severance to Wagoner or any other senior executive, Wagoner is eligible to collect millions in retirement benefits from his former employer, according to the documents reviewed by ABC News. More on Auto Bailout
 
Netanyahu Pledges Support For Peace Effort: Will Do All Within His Power Top
Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday afternoon commended his soon-to-be predecessor Ehud Olmert for his peace efforts and said the Likud-led government would do all it could to strike durable agreements with all of Israel's neighbors. More on Israel
 
Bill Ayers Naperville School Speech Canceled By Officials Top
The Naperville School District has canceled a scheduled speech by Bill Ayers after it sparked "outrage" in the community, the district said in a statement Monday. Ayers, an education professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago whose controversial past as a member of the 1960's radical group the Weather Underground resurfaced during the presidential campaign, was scheduled to speak at Naperville North High School on April 8. The school district said last week that students would need signed permission from their parents in order to attend. But in a statement released Monday, Supt. Alan Leis said that, "Dr. Ayers' appearance has clearly become a 'lightning rod,'" and that the controversy surrounding the speech would outweigh its value to the students. The full statement: The appearance by Dr. Bill Ayers at Naperville North High School next week has been canceled. On Friday, it was announced through a Talk203 email that we were reviewing the decision to invite him and that we were also exploring the possibility of moving the appearance to another venue. Initially, many people were upset about his appearance in a school building, even though it was to have been with a select group of students with required parental permission. Several people offered worthy suggestions about how to make the event more meaningful by concurrently inviting someone that would provide an equally strong opposing viewpoint. Over the weekend, however, it became clear that this issue was not really about where Dr. Ayers was speaking, but that he was speaking at all. Each day, the level of emotion and outrage has seemed to increase, along with the number of emails and phone calls received. What was most unfortunate was that a few directed their anger toward an outstanding high school and at a well-regarded, award-winning teacher who encourages students to think for themselves. While parents and others have written urging us to continue with the event because they want students exposed to diverse viewpoints, Dr. Ayers' appearance has clearly become a "lightning rod," both inside and outside the District 203 community, because of his past actions. It is clear that any value to our students would be lost in such a highly-charged atmosphere, and that any debate of issues or viewpoints would be overshadowed by media coverage and anger over the event itself. Dr. Alan Leis, Superintendent of Schools Naperville Community Unit School District 203
 
Venice To Get Half Of Its Electricity From Algae Top
Most talk of algae and renewable energy on TreeHugger involves liquid biofuels, but a new plan being put forth in Venice hopes to use algae to generate electricity and allow the city take one large step towards being entirely off fossil fuels: The idea is to take two kinds of algae which are brought in attached to ships, Sargassum muticum and Undaria pinnafitida, and use it in a new 40 MW power plant. The €200 million ($264 million) plan would supply 50% of the electricity required by Venice's city center. More on Italy
 
Kim Morgan: Happy Birthday To A Singing Warren Beatty Top
In honor of Warren Beatty's Birthday (he turns 72 today) I'm revisiting (yet again) my adoration of both Ishtar and Bulworth... According to an older edition of Robin Morgan's The Book of Film Biographies , actor Warren Beatty is "more famous for his espousal of liberal causes and his affairs with actresses from Joan Collins to Madonna -- despite his achievements." How unfortunate. But we know he's so much more than this reductive, stale statement. This Hollywood legend has gone from pretty-boy method actor in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass to producer and star of the seminal anti-establishment picture Bonnie and Clyde . He created and starred in films like The Only Game in Town , a fascinating George Steven's gambling picture opposite a blousy but still beautiful Liz Taylor; The Parallax View , a superb paranoid political thriller; Shampoo , a dark satire in which he plays the only straight hairdresser in California; Robert Altman's masterful McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Heaven Can Wait , a sweet romantic comedy that, consistent with '70s cinema, manged to feel depressing. He also directed and starred in Reds , the critically acclaimed saga of John Reed and worked a violent, seductive Bugsy Siegel in Barry Levinson's smart  Bugsy. For anyone who knows a few things about film history or read Peter Biskind's gossipy Easy Riders Raging Bulls or really, has any cine-telligence, you should understand Beatty's contribution to cinema is significant. But how about his contribution to comedy? Just as I revere Beatty for his work with Kazan, Arthur Penn, Robert Altman and Hal Ashby, I believe the lothario looker to be one of the most underrated comic actors in the business. In his knack for it, the man is near brilliant. Where did he prove this best? Oddly, in two that place him in a musical mode -- Elaine May's Ishtar , one of the most misunderstood and under-watched great comedies of all time and Bulworth, a film that's almost a masterpiece. I've witnessed countless people make the sour face when I bring up both films only to learn they have usually never even seen Ishtar or simply discount Bulworth as a silly mistake. How wrong they are. Some don't even know the genius Elaine May (who directed and co-starred in the sublime A New Leaf with Walter Matthau and directed both Mikey and Nicky and The Heartbreak Kid ) even directed Ishtar . The mind reels. But due to the press attacking the over-budget supposed turkey; it was maligned beyond the level of Gigli. This was The  Heaven's Gate of comedy. Not funny. So if you haven't (and if you say you have and haven't then shame on you!), watch Ishtar -- and laugh and feel its strange poignancy. Especially the hilarious first half hour. Beatty's handsome, shrewd dark side, seen in films such as Lilith , is nearly obscured by a perfectly timed, soft-spoken dumbbell act. Playing the supposedly less attractive friend to "The Hawk" Dustin Hoffman (also hilarious) his half of a struggling songwriting act is so funny and oddly poignant that the moment he opens his mouth to talk, or simply, breath through it, he's comical. Driving an ice cream truck while proudly coming up with the jingle: "Hot fudge love cherry ripple kisses. Lip smacking, back slapping perfectly delicious," we see a guy who's obsessed with his "skill" no matter how much he stinks (and honestly, he's not so bad at times). He strains to think, he stumbles over words (his attempt to pronounce "schmuck" is timed with perfection) and he tries so hard -- especially when he belts out: "Telling the truth can be dangerous business, honest and popular don't go hand in hand. If you admit you can play the accordion, they'll never hire you in a rock and roll band!" (Yes, yes, I have all these songs memorized. I have nearly worn out my beloved VHS copy --  why isn't this movie on DVD?! ). He is humorous, in a way no other acted could have been in this big, sad-sack of a hack musician, while being absolutely heartbreaking. There's a moment on a rooftop ledge between the two men (the film's greatest scene, in fact) that makes you realize how powerful Beatty's talent can be. It's not just his soft, lost, lovely eyes, it's his vulnerability -- and how we are charmed, warmed and agonized by it that moves us. Saving his suicidal friend is saving himself too -- and watching his confused eyes piecing this together is oddly wrenching. When he says, with such deep conviction: "It takes a lot of nerve to have nothing at your age, don't you understand that? Most guys'd be ashamed, but you've got the guts to just say 'to hell with it'. You say that you'd rather have nothing than settle for less, understand?" Funny yes, but darkly true. I fall in love with him every time I watch that scene. Beatty must have given more credence to truth, particularly within  Ishtar's  lyrics than originally imagined. Telling the truth is dangerous business, and Beatty proves it in Bulworth , a political satire that offers an intriguing look at Beatty's sharp cynicism. Written, directed and produced by Beatty, Bulworth tells the story of a U.S. senator from California who becomes insanely depressed during his bid for re-election. Sick to death of his political rhetoric ("we stand at the doorstep of a new millennium"), Bulworth (Beatty) has a nervous breakdown and plots self-assassination. Then he meets Nina (Halle Berry), sheds his old, crooked ways and starts anew by, shockingly, telling the truth. But he's still got a problem: a man is trying to kill him. Once we see where Bulworth is going, the picture branches into two stories, that, the more I watch, the more I find compatible. One is a biting comedy that lampoons white liberal dishonesty. In this story we have a man who, during a speech in a church packed with black supporters, says it is obvious the Democratic Party doesn't care about African Americans. He asserts that they will never amount to anything if they don't put down their "chicken wings and malt liquor" and if they continue to support a "former running back who stabbed his wife." In defense of his candor he shrugs, "Hey, I'm just calling a spade a spade." But there is also a screwball love story that puts whitey in the hood. Here, he hangs with a group of under-age drug dealers, smokes weed, does coke and gets drunk at a black nightclub where he dances crazy style with Nina (an incredibly sexy moment). Wearing baggy shorts, basketball shoes, a gold chain and a ski cap, Bulworth continues his campaign by rapping on national television--and gains popularity. It is inevitable that Bulworth's rushed, insane honesty (accompanied by Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Membrane") will lead to his downfall. And Bulworth falls hard. Beatty is hilarious showing his new black consciousness, and though his comedic talent could have been bolstered even more by a sharper political wit, the film moved into brave territory that unlike other un-PC lampoons, rarely plays simplistic or merely for shock value. Part of what makes Bulworth  so fascinating and daring is that Beatty is presenting blacks in a disadvantaged, urban milieu, but he isn't pandering to them as victims. He finds humor and relevance in the complex tension between the races. And, on the comic end, Beatty also perfects his "why are you looking at me?" stare. His comedic talent lies in his Dorian Gray ability to reflect through deflecting: We won't see how horrible the world is when we look into Beatty's deceptively childish eyes, and even if we do, we won't care, because they are such nice eyes. The ugliness of his actions in Bonnie and Clyde , the selfishness of his hairdresser in Shampoo , the violence of his psychologist in Lilith and his hacky songwriting abilities in Ishtar are all effectively made pretty, and Beatty is smart enough to know this. As Hoffman says in all seriousness to Beatty in Ishtar : "Shit man, when you're on you're on."  He's on. Read more Kim Morgan at Sunset Gun . And visit her photo and video page Pretty Poison .
 
Lee Camp: Soulless, Greedy Bastards of America: We're Tired of Being Villainized Top
NEW YORK - Twelve of the nation's top soulless, greedy bastards gathered today in Manhattan to announce they're sick and tired of being villainized by politicians and the American public. The group included top execs from AIG, GM, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and others. They made a brief, tearful announcement in which they said they've been called horrible names in the media for the past several months. They stated that the joy they get from the millions and millions of dollars they've taken home while America sinks into near-depression does not compare with the pain they feel when someone calls them "evil." As one AIG exec put it, "We may be greedy, and we may be bastards, and we certainly don't have souls; but you know what we do have? Feelings. That's right, feelings. And no soulless, greedy bastard likes to have his feelings hurt. So please stop the villainization. We all need to come together to turn our frowns upside down."
 
Frances Beinecke: Galbraith Calls Clean Energy the Next Engine for Economic Growth Top
width="130" height="36" align="right" /> Every meeting I have with the Obama administration or members of Congress these days focuses on the economic crisis. But that doesn't mean we aren't also talking about environmental solutions as well. The two are closely linked. A recent Washington Monthly article by economist James Galbraith expressed this powerfully. Galbraith believes that clean energy investment will be the next engine for economic growth in our society. That is what we desperately need right now: an engine for growth. We need individuals and companies to invest in something on a massive scale in order to instill confidence in the financial sector, create millions of jobs, and provide a decent quality of life. Galbraith points out that World War II jumpstarted a period of growth that helped establish the financial wealth of the middle class. In the late nineties, the dot com bubble propelled private investment. Over the past decade, the housing market was the driving force in our economy. Now we need the next engine to pull into the station. It won't be a consumption-based one: buying consumer goods made in China will not dig us out of this deep a hole. We need an investment-driven model that builds real economic and infrastructure value here in America. According to Galbraith, only one prospect fits the bill: clean energy and climate solutions. Energy touches on every aspect of our economy, and the process of refashioning it into something cleaner and more sustainable will generate growth across the nation. This includes weatherizing our homes, building more efficient cars, laying down public transit systems, and writing software to engineer it all. This process of building a cleaner American energy system will create jobs, expand the economy, and, Galbraith believes, restore financial wealth to the middle class. He writes that a comprehensive, national effort to address energy security: "If done right, combining planning and markets, could add 5 or even 10 percent of GDP to net investment. That's not the scale of wartime mobilization. But it probably could return the country to full employment and keep it there for years." But Galbraith makes another critical point: in order to create this brighter future, we have to act today. I couldn't agree more. I have known for several years that the scientific data on global warming points toward urgent action. Now the economic data is telling us the same thing. We have to take bold steps right now in order to prevent the worst climate and economic impacts from profoundly damaging our society. President Obama's stimulus package and federal budget offer a good start: both offer major support for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean fuels. But public funds alone won't do the job. We need policies to unleash private investment--policies like a cap on global warming pollution or a national renewable energy standard that give incentives for companies to spend on low carbon solutions. If we get these rules right, the private sector investment will follow the public stimulus funds. Once that happens, we will enter into a new phase of prosperity. What is the next engine for growth? The realization that a cleaner energy system and a healthier planet are the best source for job creation and financial security. This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog .
 
Frances Beinecke: Galbraith Calls Clean Energy the Next Engine for Economic Growth Top
width="130" height="36" align="right" /> Every meeting I have with the Obama administration or members of Congress these days focuses on the economic crisis. But that doesn't mean we aren't also talking about environmental solutions as well. The two are closely linked. A recent Washington Monthly article by economist James Galbraith expressed this powerfully. Galbraith believes that clean energy investment will be the next engine for economic growth in our society. That is what we desperately need right now: an engine for growth. We need individuals and companies to invest in something on a massive scale in order to instill confidence in the financial sector, create millions of jobs, and provide a decent quality of life. Galbraith points out that World War II jumpstarted a period of growth that helped establish the financial wealth of the middle class. In the late nineties, the dot com bubble propelled private investment. Over the past decade, the housing market was the driving force in our economy. Now we need the next engine to pull into the station. It won't be a consumption-based one: buying consumer goods made in China will not dig us out of this deep a hole. We need an investment-driven model that builds real economic and infrastructure value here in America. According to Galbraith, only one prospect fits the bill: clean energy and climate solutions. Energy touches on every aspect of our economy, and the process of refashioning it into something cleaner and more sustainable will generate growth across the nation. This includes weatherizing our homes, building more efficient cars, laying down public transit systems, and writing software to engineer it all. This process of building a cleaner American energy system will create jobs, expand the economy, and, Galbraith believes, restore financial wealth to the middle class. He writes that a comprehensive, national effort to address energy security: "If done right, combining planning and markets, could add 5 or even 10 percent of GDP to net investment. That's not the scale of wartime mobilization. But it probably could return the country to full employment and keep it there for years." But Galbraith makes another critical point: in order to create this brighter future, we have to act today. I couldn't agree more. I have known for several years that the scientific data on global warming points toward urgent action. Now the economic data is telling us the same thing. We have to take bold steps right now in order to prevent the worst climate and economic impacts from profoundly damaging our society. President Obama's stimulus package and federal budget offer a good start: both offer major support for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean fuels. But public funds alone won't do the job. We need policies to unleash private investment--policies like a cap on global warming pollution or a national renewable energy standard that give incentives for companies to spend on low carbon solutions. If we get these rules right, the private sector investment will follow the public stimulus funds. Once that happens, we will enter into a new phase of prosperity. What is the next engine for growth? The realization that a cleaner energy system and a healthier planet are the best source for job creation and financial security. This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog .
 
Meghan McCain Spotted With Side Ponytail At Viper Room Top
John McCain's "socially liberal" daughter Meghan rocked one single suspicious ponytail to the Viper Room in Hollywood this weekend -- a tail that happened to be styled to one particular side of her head ...
 
Dan Dorfman: It's the Bedroom, Not the Boardroom Top
From the workplace and the marketplace, the devastating effects of the nearly $12 trillion worth of wealth-destruction over the past 15 months are reaching the bedroom big time. Or put another way, the sexual appetite of many financially-strapped couples seems to be going the way of the hula hoop. This bleak turn of events on an integral part of everyday life is what I get from a cross-section of sex therapists and psychologists who relate today's bevy of economic horrors--such as a sagging economy, massive numbers of layoffs or fears of job losses, a big drop in the stock market and declining home values--to mounting sexual problems. "No two ways about it; the financial turmoil is taking its toll in the bedroom," says Kara Nichols, a clinical psychologist in Chicago, whose practice focuses on singles and couples in the 25-45 age group. Pointing to growing money worries among her clients, largely stemming from fear of job losses and steep stock market losses, she takes note of a consequent increase in the incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders, symptoms synonymous with decreased sex drives. "It's a definite trend that's likely to reach growing proportions if the current economic stress is sustained," she says. It seems, she says, there is even a greater trend toward those couples feeling stressed about money and job stability increasingly involved in more conflicts and arguments, which, in turn, results in less desire to engage sexually with one another. In her cases, Nichols finds that both men women seem to be equally affected as most of the women contribute financially to the family. Women and men, though, do experience the stress differently, with men wanting to distance themselves and have more alone or down time (if they can't solve the financial issues outright), while women are more inclined to discuss the financial stress the couple is under. In any event, the difference in these coping styles in itself adds to the stress, Nichols points out, by leading to an increased rift in the relationship and consequently less sex. Amy Levine, a New York City sex coach and sex educator, says the financial crisis is definitely impacting a percentage of Americans, resulting in no sex, infrequent sex or sex that only lasts a very short amount of time. Differentiating on how the crisis is specifically affecting men and women, she finds some men, notably those feeling insecure, having erectile problems, while women, due to decreased sexual desire, postponing sex. "The extra stress from money problems is clearly leading to less love-making," one of Denver's leading sex therapists, Dr. Neil Cannon, tells me. "It's also affecting our business," he complains, observing that some people who have lost their jobs have stopped coming for therapy, while others have cut back the frequency of their therapy sessions to once a month from one a week. He also notes a number of clients who used to come during work hours have stopped doing so for fear of putting their job in jeopardy. What's advice is he giving on the money-sex relationship? "I tell clients to focus on what they have, not what they lost," he says. "I also tell them not to lose sight of the fact that sex is free, that it's one of the few things in life that doesn't cost money." A retired New York psychiatrist, Lynne Maidman, who is wired into the who's who of business and finance, says declining interest in sex in a financially troubled environment is a natural offshoot among couples who have become emotionally stressed over job or stock losses. "Today's kings of the universe want to be macho, have the ability to buy anything, go to great restaurants and order great wines," she says, "and when they're thwarted in this respect and become depressed, sex has to suffer and that's precisely what's happening." Dandordan@aol.com More on Sex
 
Art Brodsky: $350 Million In Mapping Money To Be Wasted, Unless... Top
It's unfortunate that the issue of broadband mapping is taking up any time and energy, much less about $350 million in stimulus money. Discussion of mapping takes away from discussion of the real issue - deployment, and why large companies have to be begged to provide service to some areas while they go to court and to state legislatures to prevent others from filling the gap. The whole point of a legitimate broadband mapping exercise is for the public and policymakers to see where the service is being offered, at what speeds and price and, as importantly, where it isn't. The "why" it isn't being offered is a separate question the map can't answer. The whole strategy of the telecom industry is to keep any mapping from revealing embarrassing information, like low speeds, high prices and spotty coverage and to keep anyone else from verifying the information it does put forward. It is against that background that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) devoted one session of its marathon series of events on the broadband part of the stimulus package to mapping. Just about everyone on the panel on implementing the broadband mapping part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stressed the need for detailed information and for transparency of data. Speakers such as Sharon Gillet, commissioner of the Mass. Department of Telecommunications and Cable, talked about the need for transparency and accountability, for accurate, verifiable information. She demonstrated the difference between data supplied by the telecom carriers to the FCC, and data collected locally, with more unserved areas appearing on maps with independent information. Erin Lee, from the National Governors Association, raised the possibility that information might have to be collected by ordinary citizens if it isn't provided by telecom carriers. I was on the panel also and made the same point - that NTIA needs a Plan B in the extremely likely event that the operators of telecom networks stick to their traditional posture of providing the information they want to provide, Any guesses which panel participant wasn't with the program. That would be the representative from the telecom industry. It's not surprising, because the industry, along with its cable brethren, doesn't want transparency nor does it want accurate information to be reported. It was left to Gillet to put the capper on the discussion. Massachusetts had spent considerable time and energy doing its own broadband mapping. Discussion moderator Robert Atkinson asked her what took up most of her cost and time. Her answer: Negotiating with carriers over data. The game of hide the ball wasn't part of the original discussion. It was overlooked in Congress' enchantment over broadband mapping. The idea of mapping to find the gaps in broadband deployment was an easy sell for legislators two years ago when the stories started circulating on Capitol Hill in legislators' offices and at hearings. It had all the elements - those public/private partnerships of which Congress is so fond, startling results in a rural state not known for technical capability, lots of pretty charts and graphs, endorsements from not only the telephone companies but also from the Communications Workers of America. And when it came to writing a bill, Connect Kentucky's friends were front and center, creating a model to connect the nation, as it were. The legislation, called the "Connect the Nation Act," was introduced April 24, 2007 by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), was written by and for the Connected Nation model, singling out non-profits to receive grants, for example. The key concepts have survived today in mapping bills passed last year, which was incorporated into the stimulus package. Now with $350 million on the table - an absurd amount by any reckoning - mapping has moved front and center again. While representatives of governments and public interest groups argued for transparency and accountability, the telecom industry was sticking to its guns, trotting out the line Connected Nation used in its comments to the FCC, asking for deference to industry-backed groups. Connected Nation is already gearing up to capture a big piece of the action, holding a webinar to tell state agencies that CN is one go-to group, one-stop shop that states need to make their mapping dollars work. That would be unfortunate on any number of levels, in part because the industry strategy has been to use public dollars to privatize the mapping function, as PK, Common Cause, the Media and Democracy Coalition and Reclaim the Media argued in a recent report . And their representative was front and center defending their model which, not surprisingly, puts a premium on protecting their information, as opposed to the new stimulus law, which does not. The original Connected Nation bill, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin in 2007, was written to the CN model, complete with restricting grants to eligible non-profit groups and lots of mentions of. Much of that DNA survived into the next iteration, which passed last year as S. 1492, also known as the Broadband Data Improvement Act,which was then funded through the stimulus legislation . The industry representative at the NTIA panel kept up the company line when he urged NTIA simply to aggregate existing state maps produced by those receiving grants. This theme was consistent with the Connected Nation theme, when that group urged the FCC in prior comments not to do any mapping on its own, but to aggregate the work done by state groups. CN made that same argument in comments to the FCC. They want grantees under their designated grant program, including "special confidentiality protections" to do the work to be submitted to the FCC. Nowhere in their comments was the mention of the very restrictive non-disclosure agreements that CN requires or the sponsorship of the organization by large telecom and cable carriers. Enough already. It's clear that the public sector wants transparency and accountability in broadband data reporting and subsequent mapping. The industry, voiced through Connected Nation, does not. There's no point in spending lots of time negotiating this. Both the Commission and NTIA should move to Plan B, which is collecting information without involving the telephone and cable companies. There are legitimate, for-profit mapping companies that don't have ties to communications carriers, there are community groups, there are any number of other approaches that could be used. It won't be the quick and easy way to getting the information, but it will have to do. Then we can move on to the real issue of how to bring broadband to areas that those same big carriers don't want to serve. They know where they are, even if they don't want to tell us. More on Stimulus Package
 
Human Rights Watch: US/Yemen: Break Impasse on Yemeni Returns from Guantanamo (Audio) Top
Nearly 100 Yemeni Detainees Pose Biggest Obstacle to Closing Prison Listen: Human Rights Watch interviewed former Guantanamo detainees in Yemen. These men say they're struggling to rebuild their lives -- and they're looking for help from the United States. Jessie Graham reports. (New York) - The United States and Yemen should quickly move to develop a humane repatriation plan for the nearly 100 Yemeni prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Unless the impasse in repatriation negotiations is swiftly resolved, the Yemenis will remain the biggest obstacle to President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention facility. "Many Yemenis are entering their eighth year without charge at Guantanamo," said Letta Tayler, terrorism and counterterrorism researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "The United States can't simply hold these men because it fears they might become dangerous in the future." The 52-page report, "No Direction Home: Returns from Guantanamo to Yemen," criticizes US and Yemeni proposals to transfer the detainees to a detention center in Yemen where they could continue to be held indefinitely, ostensibly for rehabilitation. Based on two weeks of field research in Yemen and more than three dozen interviews, including with former Yemeni prisoners and US and Yemeni officials, the report also warns of the potential for mistreatment in other plans being considered for the detainees. Human Rights Watch obtained a summary of the Yemeni government's rehabilitation plan for future Guantanamo returnees, which says the men would receive counseling, medical care and job training. However, the plan provides scant detail on how authorities would decide when the men were "rehabilitated." During meetings with Human Rights Watch, senior Yemeni officials said some returned men could be detained in rehabilitation for a year or more. Yemeni officials also said they may restrict the men's movements upon release from the center. While insisting they would not seek unlawful detention, US officials expressed security concerns arising from returned detainees. One US Embassy official in Yemen said the proposed center should be "basically a prison facility with a programmatic aspect." "The Yemenis' rehabilitation needs to be genuine, not a guise for continued detention without charge," said Tayler. "Moving them from one form of arbitrary detention to another is not a solution to Guantanamo." About two-fifths of the estimated 241 detainees currently at Guantanamo are Yemeni, making them the largest national group remaining at the prison. While the United States will likely prosecute a handful of them, talks with Yemen on repatriating the rest have stalled on several issues, including US fears they might "return to the fight," because al- Qaeda's presence in Yemen has been growing. In September 2008, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the US Embassy in the capital Sana'a that killed 18 people. If Washington does not work to create a repatriation plan for the Yemeni detainees, it may try to transfer them to the United States and continue to detain them without charge, Human Rights Watch said. Another option, sending some Yemenis to a locked rehabilitation center in Saudi Arabia, could also pose potential risks. The report also details the mistreatment and neglect of the 14 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo who have already been repatriated. Yemeni authorities jailed most of the men for a few months without charge. In the worst case, one man was held for two years and said interrogators tried to beat him into confessing he was a spy. Some of the returnees said they suffer from both psychological and physical problems emanating from years in US custody, yet despite their unlawful detention, none has received assistance from the United States or Yemen. Stigmatized as former "terror suspects," many cannot find jobs. The men are under constant surveillance, are banned from leaving Yemen, and must report monthly to authorities. The report recommends that the United States fund a genuine rehabilitation effort for returned detainees that includes counseling, medical care, and job training. It also calls on Yemen to let detainees challenge any restrictions and allow independent, nongovernmental organizations to monitor the repatriation process. "Yemeni authorities should not assume these men are terrorists simply because the United States held them at Guantanamo," Tayler said. "If they feel they must monitor the detainees or restrict their movement, they have to provide the men with a meaningful legal process to contest the measures." Human Rights Watch said that any accord between the United States and Yemen should also resolve the cases of two Yemenis whom the United States is holding without charge at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. "The best way to prevent the returned Yemenis from becoming a threat is to help them reintegrate into their society and repair their lives," Tayler said. Accounts from former detainees (pseudonyms used to protect them from possible reprisal): "They [the Yemeni authorities] beat me with shoes. There were insults, bad words and threats. I told them, 'If you're going to torture me, it won't be anything new. The Americans already put me through torture.'" - "Fahmi Muhammad," on being held for two years after his return in 2004. "It's a catastrophe. I have lost a lot of things - my health, my kids' childhoods, my career, and many years of my life." - "Malek al-Dhabi," on life since his return to Yemen in 2006. "No one will hire me because I was at Guantanamo. ... There is a girl I am interested in, but I can't ask her father for her hand because I don't have bride money or a way to support her. Her father wouldn't dismiss me if I had a job." - "Omar Fawza," on life since his return to Yemen in 2006.
 
Weekend Late Night Round-Up: Sarah Palin, Obama's Rabid Questioner, And Octomom (VIDEO) Top
Jay Leno created an hilarious mash-up this weekend of Obama and a rabid fan; "The Soup" took on Octomom and her former attorney, Gloria Allred; and Bill Maher mocked the GOP budget plan, saying: "The Republicans released their budget counter-proposal this week. It plans to address the deficit, global warming, health care, energy by (wait for it) massive tax cuts for the rich. Also, there are no numbers in this budget, it's a budget plan without any math in it. You know, Obama should've saved that Special Olympics joke for these retards." More from Jimmy Fallon on Sarah Palin below. To see the best jokes from last weekend, click here . WATCH: More on Late Night Shows
 
Michele Swenson: Dems & Repubs on Health Care: 'Love a Lobbyist' Top
Unleashing an era of unfettered corporate greed, in 1995 Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay herded lobbyist contributions to Republicans, in exchange for corporate-authored legislation to overcome much regulatory law. "Project Relief" was their brand for relieving corporations of regulatory oversight. "People who are pro-free enterprise should support people who are pro-free enterprise," reasoned Tom "The Hammer" DeLay, who opined "If you want to play in our revolution, you have to live by our rules." Gingrich warned recalcitrant lobbyists, "For anyone who's not on board now, it's going to be the two coldest years in Washington." More than a decade of extreme kleptocracy later, an insulated Washington leadership remains in the corporate stranglehold. The health care reform debate continues to be framed by the same insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies that wrote the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act to grant themselves billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies and inflated profits. Key participants in Washington health care reform talks are private insurers that are at the center of an unsustainable insurance bureaucracy that insures their profits by decreasing coverage and increasing premiums - more than 100% since 2000. Also at the table is Billy Tauzin , who, as a Republican congressman from Louisiana and chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, played a key role in the passage of an industry-friendly Medicare prescription drug bill. His payoff was to trade his seat in Congress for the lucrative role of leadership of PhRMA, the lobbying arm of the pharmaceutical industry. Democrat's point-man for health care reform, Finance Committee Chair, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) was also key in brokering 2003 Medicare reform. Named "K Street's Favorite Democrat" , perhaps it was a Freudian slip when Sen. Baucus explained, "Merck is not ready for single pay. I mean, America." The Center for Responsive Politics , reports that between 2003-2008 Sen. Baucus was the recipient of $588,185 from the insurance industry and $523,313 from the pharmaceutical/health product industry - in fact, the leading Democratic recipient of corporate largesse. "Lobbyists just want what's best for America," asserted Baucus at a bash with lobbyists. "Lobbyists are people, too," opined Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) - "They are "someone's father, mother, son or daughter." They just happen to be people proffering large sums of money to lawmakers in return for the favor of writing public policy. The joke is on taxpayers. Insurers actually welcome government intervention when it suits their purpose, e.g., when taxpayers subsidize them and pay for high-risk patients in public programs, leaving private insurers to corner the market on the healthy. Baucus and many Democrats stubbornly prefer the unsustainable Massachusetts model of health reform. America is simply not ready for a single-payer health care model, echoes House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry A. Waxman . Promising a universal health care package by year's end, he advocates building on the current failed system - "adjusting it, improving it to fill the gaps," and maintaining "a significant role for private insurance." Our legislators fail to acknowledge that meaningful health care reform - a single public-payer, private provider model of health care would not only save billions of dollars and provide health care for all. As the second largest budget item - 17% of GDP and fast approaching 20%, it would move the U.S. a long way toward economic recovery. Most Republicans have already rejected even a parallel public-payer option for health care. Promoters of "free-market competition" among insurances, including Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), protest the unfairness of private insurers forced to compete against the option of a government insurance plan like Medicare that maintains lower overhead costs - 3 percent - vs. 15-20 percent for private insurances. Following the president's March 5 health care summit, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo) made the appeal to "keep what works," stating that private health insurance competition for profit is the key to innovation. Gov. Bobby Jindal's rebuff of President Obama's congressional address rejected "government bureaucracy that comes between people and their doctors." Nevermind the huge isurance bureaucracy that games the system for profit by denying, delaying and reneging on claims, and devastates the patient-doctor relationship. Blunt compared "government health care" to the "DMV or the IRS," with long waits and copious paperwork. But, even as our legislators capitulate to the insurance lobby, many providers are buried under mountains of paperwork, ever-changing drug formularies, preauthorization requests and claims appeals for thousands of different insurance plans. Many overwhelmed practitioners are simply leaving medicine, decimating our primary care system. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tn) waxed hyperbolic as he described the president's health care proposal a "fast march toward socialism," verging on "class warfare." Defining health care "a privilege, not a right," Wamp blames the uninsured for "going naked" - without health insurance. "They end up in the emergency room costing you and me a whole lot more money," he barked into a TV camera. Viewing health care as a zero sum game and disregarding the fact that those with insurance are mostly underinsured, Wamp laments that benefits will be taken from those with health insurance to provide health care for those without. Rather than eliminating insurance profiteering, Wamp protests cutting excessive taxpayer subsidies of 13-19% to privatized Medicare, mischaracterizing it as "cutting Medicare benefits." Call it 'socialism' if you like, Congressman - you are the beneficiary of taxpayers, who pay at least 70 percent of your health coverage (another large subsidy to private insurances), not to mention your generous salary. There is a distinction between 'socialism' and 'social insurance' - insurance as intended is the largest risk pool to protect everyone from financial ruin. Much of the wasteful administrative cost of U.S. health care financing results from efforts by insurers to avoid paying for health care. Our leaders better hurry to get out in front of the people - polls have consistently demonstrated significant support for comprehensive health care reform. In May 2005, a Pew Poll revealed that 65 percent agreed government should guarantee health coverage for every American "even if it means raising taxes." A recent 2009 Survey by Lake Research Partners (2/2-8/09) found that nearly 7 in 10 voters express a desire for complete overhaul or major reform of the health care system. In April 2008 the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that 59 percent of U.S. doctors, too, supported "government legislation to establish national health insurance," an increase of 10 percent of doctors over 5 years. Legislators, take a cue from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who advised that to begin to achieve universal health care you have to ask the right question -- not how to provide everybody with insurance, but rather, how to provide everyone with health care. More on Health
 
Georgianne Nienaber: Ivory's Ghosts: White Gold and the Fate of the Elephant Top
Ivory's Ghosts: The White Gold of History and the Fate of Elephants ; John Frederick Walker. Atlantic Monthly, $25 (304p) ISBN 978-0-87113-995-5 John Frederick Walker functions as a "memorist," with his soul rooted in centuries past, as he begins his tour de force examination of the history of ivory, humankind's lust for this exquisite treasure, and the demise of the elephant and human decency in the process of this unholy quest. Ivory's Ghosts: The White Gold of History and the Fate of the Elephants opens with what amounts to a past life regression as Walker performs a hypnotic literary feat, transporting the reader to stand with a hunter at sunset on the slopes of Kilimanjaro as the stalker aims his rifle at an old bull elephant with a "withered hide." He aims and his mark is true. The old one would have sunk back on his hindquarters as his head dropped, burying the tusk points in the earth and assuming the posture of a sphinx; the heavy brow would have been propped high by the ivory posts, the trunk flopped lifelessly between. The undisputable testimony to the authenticity of this incident rests in a photograph of the "Kilimanjaro Tusks." They remain the largest tusks ever recorded and framed the entrance to the American compound in Zanzibar known as the "Ivory House," or Nyumba Pembi. Over the years a virtual who's who of the exploiters of Africa walked under these tusks -- slavers, smugglers, colonialists, explorers, actors and actresses on safari -- an archway leading to the beginning of the end of the elephant. In 1898, when the photo was taken, Walker says: None foresaw that less than a century later the appetite of uncontrolled commerce would threaten to consume the bulk of the remaining sub-Saharan herds that supplied it; back then, elephants in the yet to be exhausted interior were said to be as thick as flies. Image: Kilimanjaro Tusks (1898) At this juncture in Ivory's Ghosts, the reader is only on page three and should prepare for a dizzying trip through the ages, beginning in Paleolithic eras when carved mammoth teeth, now preserved, spoke for the voiceless giants. Tusks were carved, transformed into intricate jewelry, and ultimately buried as adornments in 28,000 year old human permafrost graves. Walker is a scholar and a perfectionist, but his meticulous examination of the allure of ivory reads like a novel that is impossible to put down. The atrocities perpetrated against elephant and mankind in the pursuit of white gold is the proverbial tale as old as time, with no end in sight. But, the reader desires a happy ending, and Walker does not sugar coat the fact that international disputes and especially the influence of China in modern times make the denouement look grim. China has elbowed its way into the committees at CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in spite of its inability to control its own black market in endangered species trade. Anyone who has been to central Africa will note the burgeoning influence of China in areas where human rights and animal welfare are of grave concern. China's recent trade pact with the Kabila government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for natural resources is a good case in point. Walker is able to present the politics of international maneuvering succinctly and takes a complicated subject, makes it palatable, and provokes outrage at the mess humans have made of wildlife management. That is the subtext of this book and the reason it works is that the story of ivory is compelling on its own. The United States does not get let off the hook. The ivory business in the Unites States took off with the boom of the industrial revolution. Factories in Deep River, Connecticut became the nexus for the exploitation of a resource found in Africa. When Deacon Phineas Pratt received a patent for a "comb-making machine," elephant "tusks were fed like logs into indefatigable machines." Imagine the smell of a dentist drilling into your teeth magnified a thousand times or more as ivory was fed into cutting machines that had to be water-cooled. The smell of burning animal product was disgusting as huge machines churned out piano keys and billiard balls by the millions. The sphere of a billiard ball had to test true and this meant that female elephants paid a huge price. The tusks of the female elephant are straighter and have a linear nerve channel, making the product roll well. Pond for pound, the source of the renewal of the elephant species was sacrificed for pool halls. Walker is a consummate storyteller, ably weaving conservation issues, politics, societal mores, international wrangling over treaties, anthropology, history, third world exploitation and slavery into a solid framework in which the history of the elephant and its compelling dentin tusks is a heartbreaking focus. Probably the best-loved and remembered elephant for Americans is the legendary Jumbo. He dies an ignominious death -- killed by a train. Walker's description of the stuffed behemoth, as told by Shana Alexander, has the mammoth being towed on a circus wagon with his "widow" draped in black with the rest of P.T. Barnum's elephants following and trained to wipe their eyes on cue with black-bordered bed sheets. But perhaps the most eye-opening vignette in Ivory's Ghosts has Walker standing in a storeroom in South Africa's Kruger Park. Kruger has a healthy population of at least 12,000 elephants. One of the by products of this success is tusks from dead elephants, or elephants culled because they threatened tourists or "flattened locals," but ivory bans require that this resource be stockpiled. Image: Elephants bathing at Kruger Park (2008) © G. Nienaber Kruger is not the only park with stockpiles of ivory recovered from elephants. In fact, one to five tons of ivory a year pile up in warehouses of the parks' departments of a dozen African countries; Zimbabwe alone adds ten. There is little agreement about what should be done with this ivory fortune. But as long as there are elephants this mountain of tusks will continue to grow. Walker does not shy away from declaring that the demand for ivory is never going to disappear. It has been prized since the Paleolithic era, but this demand "need not be the elephant's curse." Walker's book makes a compelling case for the tightly controlled export of ivory from Africa. He takes on animal rights groups that have fought CITES-supervised ivory sales and urges that we all need to assure the future of the people of Africa as well as the elephant. After all, it is their resource. Ivory's Ghosts is certainly not the end of the story, but unless something is done, the world may face the end of the elephant. Walker maintains a blog where he makes a controversial case regarding legal ivory sales. The idea that any legal ivory sales will surely encourage poaching is the mantra of anti-ivory campaigners (and widely repeated in the media), but on examination it just doesn't stand up. It's very hard to prove a causal connection between the two, as serious researchers have discovered. TRAFFIC, the joint World Wildlife Fund / IUCN wildlife trade monitoring network, says there's no hard evidence that these sales will lead to more poaching or increased illegal trade in ivory. In fact, legal sales may help suppress poaching. CITES expects the recent sale of tusks, at which legitimate ivory reached $152 per kilogram, to undercut black market ivory, which was said to be going for up to $800 a kilogram -- and it's those inflated prices that provide the primary incentive for poaching in countries suffering from poverty and corruption. Whether you agree with this approach to conservation or not, read Ivory's Ghosts if you have any affinity for the history and future of this magnificent animal that has been sacrificed over the ages for what amounts to the white gold of its teeth. Finally, Walker takes a hard look at the fact that while Africa boasts pristine, successful game parks like Kruger, there are many areas on the continent where elephants are not only the victims of poaching, but where chaotic climate conditions bring drought -- a grim reaper that decimates the once great herds. Add to that scenario the problems created by knee jerk reactions of animal rights groups and "conservationists" who do not want to see any elephant culled, even if the animal is tramping villagers and decimating crops. Africa deserves the right to manage its own wildlife. This book is a provocative, fascinating and compelling read. Highly recommended. John Frederick Walker is a journalist, conservationist, and artist. His writing on a wide variety of subjects, from adventure travel to wine, has appeared in a number of publications, including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Wildlife Conservation, and Saveur . He is the author of two books on natural history, Ivory's Ghosts and A Certain Curve of Horn . Walker has been traveling in, and reporting on, Africa since 1986, when he first became involved with endangered species conservation. More on Anthony Pellicano
 
Deepak Chopra: A self-help kit for closed minds Top
President Obama is meeting with resistance to some of his biggest and most daring plans for change. He repeats over and over that he is open to suggestions from all sides. When the Republicans balked at his current budget, he asked them to provide one of their own. They didn't, and the reason comes down to closed minds versus open minds. Much of the opposition to change -- and not just from the right wing -- comes from a rigid mindset and clinging to the past. It's typical of a closed mind to defend itself. Whether it's the right wing going back to Reaganomics, huge banks throwing a fit over regulation, or Wall Street resisting any interference with inflated bonuses, there's a stubborn resistance to change. The issues involved, even the principles being espoused, are beside the point. What a closed mind always wants to protect is its right to be closed. I'm impressed by the phrase "the tyranny of dead ideas," which is also the title of a new book by business journalist Matt Miller. His topic is economics, and the dead ideas he examines are on the order of "Your company should take care of you" and "Your kids will earn more than you do." Some dead ideas protect us from painful truths, in this case, the truth that companies won't take care of you and maybe your kids won't earn as much as you do. But painful or not, dead ideas blind us to reality and close our minds to change. Here, then, are some ways to get in touch with reality in the fastest and most efficient way, which is to renounce those habits that close your mind. 1. Stop believing that you're right. Examine the compulsion that forces you to be right all the time. 2. Don't make every argument us versus them. 3. Be less attached to winning and more attached to the truth. 4. Don't color every issue with morality. Right and wrong are generally useless when it comes to finding creative solutions. 5. Write down the five fundamental beliefs that guide your life. Now write down the best arguments against those beliefs. 6. When you are the most emotional about any issue, assume that you are blinding yourself. An open mind is calm, centered, flexible, and tolerant of opposing views. 7. When you are thinking of saying an idea that you know came from someone else, let go of it. 8. Most people either automatically agree or automatically disagree. Examine this trait in yourself and give it up. 9. Be aware of how you feel before you speak. Feelings are closer to the truth than words. 10. Walk in someone else's shoes before you judge them. These are lifelong lessons, and yet they're worth learning today, this very minute. To be in the company of open-minded people is to breathe freer air. Being in the company of the passionately convinced is to suffocate. It's tempting to grab the common coin of opinion and spend it like real money. Right now common opinion says, among other things, greed got us into this mess, the credit system is frozen, Wall Street destroyed the economy, bonuses are evil, the national debt is going to cripple our children and grandchildren. Yet these are all false coins, the tokens of second-hand thinking, received opinion, and the refusal to think for oneself. I'm not saying these opinions are wrong. There's a different point: If you stick a fixed idea in your head, you've effectively closed your mind. Speaking personally, I had accepted the fixed notion that the credit system was frozen. You hear this every day, and nobody seems to contradict it. Yet I subsequently read an analysis that concluded that American banks loaned more in the last quarter of 2008 than the year before. If true, it paints a more complex picture, one closer to reality. AIG has become the poster child for the evil of retention bonuses, but then I read a letter in the New York Times from an AIG employee who points out that his bonus had nothing to do with credit default swaps but with work he did to help the company get out of those toxic swaps (and repay the company's bailout loan). Again, the reality and the fixed notion don't fit. A Sunday morning pundit remarked that the economic crisis is going through the six stages of grief. We started with denial, and now we're on to anger, with the next stage, bargaining, on the horizon. I believe we're in a much simpler place. We're deciding whether to face reality or not. After a long period of economic delusion and reactionary ideology, our only hope is to face reality. But we can't do that and cling to a closed mind at the same time. Published in the San Francisco Chronicle More on Barack Obama
 
Jimmy Seidita: Ten Things to Consider Before we Start Building Nuclear Plants in Illinois Again Top
As lawmakers in Washington scramble to figure out how to avert the financial catastrophe caused by "toxic assets," our lawmakers in Springfield are preparing to vote on jumpstarting a new generation of the mother of all toxic assets, nuclear power plants. With 11 operating and 3 closed plants , Illinois already has the most nukes in the nation. ComEd customers get about 60% of their power from nuclear plants. (to see the chart, go here and click on Commonwealth Edison Company) But in 1987, around the time that construction was completed on the last nuclear plants, the legislature voted to place a moratorium on new nuclear plants in Illinois, until the United States "has identified and approved a demonstrable technology or means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste" A bill to lift the moratorium to allow new nuclear plants is now pending in Springfield, and set for a vote April 3. This is such an awful idea, for so many reasons, it's hard to pick, but here are my top ten: 1. The last nukes built here were horrendously expensive. While we've not had a Chernobyl or Three Mile Island-type accident, the economic impact of these plants has been nothing short of catastrophic, sucking billions of wasted dollars out of the state economy. Illinois' three most recent nuclear plants, at Byron, Braidwood and Clinton, were all completed years behind schedule, and each one a billion or more dollars over budget. Byron and Braidwood came in at five times the original cost estimates. Clinton at ten times. Because of the huge costs of the nukes, for most of the 1980s and 1990s ComEd charged residential electric rates that were almost double the rates charged by neighboring utilities without nukes. (For a meticulous blow-by-blow of the battle between ComEd and its customers over the costs of its nuclear program, see this treatise by James Throgmorton . In a better world, at least one legislator would ask a staffer to skim this book before they vote to start building nuclear plants again.) 2. The nukes we already built have been fantastically unreliable. Five of Com Ed's newest nukes have endured outages of a full year or more. The Clinton plant and both LaSalle units shut down for repairs in 1996. LaSalle 1 wasn't back in service until the summer of 1998, and LaSalle 2 and Clinton weren't running again until 1999. The two units at Zion were enduring similar long outages before ComEd decided to pull the plug on them permanently, in 1998. People often ask about wind energy: "What happens when the wind isn't blowing?" but that issue seems trivial when compared to huge plants that break down and need years of repairs to get going again. 3. There is still no place to put the waste. In fact, a national waste repository is even more remote now than it was in 1987 when the moratorium was passed. Earlier this month, new Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the administration was abandoning plans to put a national nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Although the federal government has spent 22 years and 13 billion dollars developing the site, they have decided to go to Plan B. And currently, there is no Plan B. So while they begin to figure out what Plan B is going to be, the waste stays here on site, and Illinois remains the biggest nuclear waste dump in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. 4. Reprocessing is not a solution. The industry lately has been saying that if we can't dump the waste somewhere, we can just "recycle" it, the way France does. (Funny that many of the same voices who are so appalled by France's socialist tendencies are also so enthralled by its socialist nuclear industry.) You know who really wants reprocessing even more than the nuclear power companies? Terrorists. Reprocessed waste is even more useful for a suitcase bomb or other fanatical mischief than the regular waste. If reprocessing was a dodgy proposition pre-9/11, it is simply unthinkable in the post 9/11 world. 5. After the debacle of the 1980s nukes, new laws were enacted to ensure that new plants would be needed, affordable, and sited in the right place. Those laws have all been repealed. The Illinois Commerce Commission, which rubber stamped the last round of plants and came to sorely regret it, no longer has even the rubber stamp. Along with the ICC, the state EPA and the Department of Natural Resources have been stripped of authority over siting of new power plants. Once this moratorium is lifted, no Illinois state agency needs to approve a nuclear plant for it to be built. And no state agency will have authority to stop it. 6. The task force that the legislature created last year to study this issue and report back has not studied the issue, and not reported back. After being created in July of 2008, the task force held their first and only meeting in December, where the chairs announced that there was no time to conduct any investigations or prepare any report, and they would seek to be reauthorized for 2009. But even in the absence of any serious analysis of these complicated issues, many legislators are ready to vote right now to green light more nuclear plants for Illinois. 7. More nukes will prevent the cleaner energy we really need. The state does indeed need to get busy getting the carbon emissions out of our electric grid. The best way to do that is to start adding substantial amounts of wind energy and efficiency to the system. But unlike renewables, which can be gradually added to the system, and scaled up or down to meet changing needs, nuclear plants come in only one size: humongous. If the state decides to go with a 1,000 megawatt nuclear plant, that's 1,000 wind turbines that don't get built. If we spend $5 billion on a new nuclear plant, that's $5 billion that isn't being spent to improve end-use efficiency (updating or replacing energy-wasting appliances, equipment and processes). After decades of being completely shut out by the nukes, renewables and efficiency are finally getting their foot in the door of the Illinois market. But ComEd spent more money on legal fees fighting over the costs of the last round of nuclear plants than they have ever invested in renewables or energy efficiency. 8. If we need to spend money to create jobs (and we do), there are better things to spend it on than nuclear plants. Nuclear fission is the most capital intensive energy technology, meaning the biggest share of the money goes to the steel and concrete needed to build the thing, and relatively little goes to pay salaries of people working there. Compare with labor intensive renewables like wind and especially, energy efficiency, where a much bigger share of the total costs goes to pay people. If you are trying to create jobs, nuclear plants are the worst choice. 9. We're still not sure what the final cost will be for the plants we already have. Estimates of the costs to decommission the plants (take them apart and store the pieces) vary widely, in part because none of the Illinois plants have been fully decommissioned. Although the original plan was to take the plants apart at the end of their useful lives and decontaminate or store the radioactive pieces somewhere, Com Ed has thus far gotten approval to postpone the process, even for plants like Dreden #1, and the two Zion plants, which have been shut down for over ten years. Other plants, such as the other Dresden units, got license extensions as they neared the end of their license lives. As decommissioning cost estimates continued to rise, it became clear that ComEd would not have enough money put aside to pay for the eventual dismantling and clean up of the sites. But they solved that problem a few years ago, by putting what money they did have into the stock market. How's that plan working guys? 10. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The moratorium passed in 1987 with huge majorities in both houses, of Democrats and Republicans, upstate and downstate. They didn't need to pass that law. No one asked them to, and at the time it seemed completely unnecessary. But that moratorium was a message in a bottle from the lawmakers of twenty years ago, saying in effect, "Going nuclear was a huge mistake that we all regret. It's made a mess of our electric system, our regulatory system, and worst of all, the state's economy. Please, don't go down this road again." Having witnessed the Wall Street bailouts, the nuclear industry is drunk with possibilities, and elbowing their way up to the trough. But this boondoggle won't be paid for by future generations of federal tax payers. This will be billions of wasted dollars that Illinois families and businesses are going to have to start paying right away through their electric bills. And it will further postpone the real transition to sustainable energy that we so urgently need. The bill is expected to come up for a vote on April 3. Interestingly, nearly none of the 33 listed sponsors was around when the moratorium originally passed. Here's hoping that when the general assembly votes next week to revisit the nuclear option, they take a moment to think about what happened last time. More on Green Energy
 
White House Press Briefing: Watch Live Video Top
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is giving the daily press briefing from the White House. Watch live:
 
Jeffrey Feldman: Fear and Anger in Michigan Top
As the economic crisis reaches the end of the early rounds, all eyes turn to Detroit--knocked to its knees by the credit crunch last November.  The news of the day: if GM wants more help getting back on its feet from Washington, there must be changes at the top.  Thus, 30-year car industry executive, Rick Wagoner, is stepping down.  One question:  If asking Rick Wagoner to leave is good for GM---and by extension, good for the country--why is there so much fear in Gov. Granholm's (D-MI) voice?  Why?  Fear and anger, that's why.  Fear and anger are rising in Michigan: Fear that things are about to get much, much worse than they already are; anger that the federal government is strong arming the Mitten State just a short while after opening up America's coffers to Wall Street with no strings attached.  New York gets what it wants, when it wants it from Washington, Michigan gets slapped in the face. The fat cats on Wall Street caused this problem, they sank the economy, and they got paid off by a robber-baron president as he scuttled out of office and tossed the keys to the new guy. Executives in Detroit get tarred and feathered and escorted to the door. Fearful, angry arguments are never subtle, never accurate, but always hotter than molten steel.  Fear and anger reduces politics down to the simplest of all logic:  they did this to us, and they will pay for it. Fear and anger are rising everywhere else, too, but in Michigan they are heating up at a pace that must have made a restful night's sleep a thing of the past for the beleaguered governor.   In an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, the tremble in Jennifer Granholm's voice is apparent: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy The governor looks tired, no question about that. But there is more than exhaustion in her voice. Granholm was not really speaking to Matt Lauer when she called Wagoner a 'sacrificial lamb.' She was speaking to the millions of Michiganders who woke up this morning fearful for the future of their families, and angry at Washington for pushing around a state that has fallen on hard times. The Obama administration must think--really think--or the fear and anger could explode into something much hotter.  We walked up to this ledge before, 75 years ago. In Studs Terkel's prophetic masterpiece Hard Times , psychiatrist Dr. David J. Rossman remembered those days: Big business in 1930 and later in '32 came hat in hand, begging Roosevelt.  They have never gotten over their humiliation, and they have never forgiven him for having the wits to do something about it The "humiliation" of GM began long ago.  It had nothing to do with the Obama administration, everything to do with a unforgiving market that turned its nose at what GM had to offer after decades of gobbling it up.  When GM fell to its knees last November and came hat in hand to the Bush administration, the people of Michigan blame their humiliation on fickle consumers and on Washington.  With hat in hand yet again and Rick Wagoner cast aside, the anger is focusing more and more on Washington alone. Fear and anger are rising in Michigan and everywhere else. This morning, there must be more than one governor worried that Michigan could be the place where flint finally meets steel. In the 30s, we are told, people never let their anger overtake them. They blamed themselves more than they blamed others.  Can the same be said today with Rush Limbaugh's broadcast bandwidth and accusations far larger and more toxic than Father Coughlin's ever were?  Will anger subside again as it did in those hard times?  In all likelihood, Jennifer Granholm does not think it will, which means Obama's auto industry plan is about far more than restructuring. The half-life of hope has come and gone in Michigan.  What the White House, GM and Chrysler do this week--and the next six weeks--could be the moment students study 100 years from now.  This was where the 2009 recovery worked or, god forbid, this is where it failed. In other words: What's good for Michigan is good for the country. (cross-posted from Frameshop ) More on Barack Obama
 
Adele Stan: O'Reilly and Barbara Walters: A Very Limited View Top
One would think that with four women co-hosts, Bill O'Reilly would have been put to the test in today's appearance on " The View " (ABC), given his producer's stalking of blogger Amanda Terkel and the uproar that has followed. But not one question was asked about the Terkel stalking, or subsequent efforts by Terkel's supporters to hold O'Reilly's advertising sponsors to account for their support of this outrageous bully. Which leads one to wonder: Are the producers of "The View" so unaware of what is happening in media that they somehow missed the uproar (which was featured prominently on The Huffington Post, and to which O'Reilly rival Keith Olbermann devoted two segments)? Or was there a pre-interview agreement between O'Reilly and The View that he would not be called to account for these actions ? Quick review: two weekends ago Amanda Terkel went away for a weekend to an off-the-beaten-track town in Virginia, only to be ambushed by two male employees of O'Reilly, who stuck a camera in her face and accused her of hurting a rape victim, Alexa Branchini, and her family, and called her "dishonest." (Terkel's crime was to highlight on her blog comments O'Reilly had made about a different rape victim, Jennifer Moore, in which O'Reilly virtually blamed the young woman for her own rape.) Terkel's blog post was prompted by the decision by Branchini's foundation, which advocates for rape victims, to invite O'Reilly to speak at the organization's fundraising event. (For a more complete accounting, click the links in this post.) But the clincher was the fact that O'Reilly never invited Amanda Terkel to defend her comments in-studio; instead he sent two men to trail her on the highway for two hours and then accost her. I find it deeply troubling that among the hosts of The View, none asked O'Reilly about this. Except for one, these are women known as fairly progressive -- women who've no doubt encountered discriminatory and bullying behavior by men during the course of their own careers. In letting O'Reilly slide by as they did, they enabled this known misogynist, allowing him to appear before a female audience as a nice-enough guy -- not one who would ever send a couple of guys out to stalk your daughter while she's on vacation. More on Bill O'Reilly
 
"The Simpsons" Mocks The Bailouts Top
Last night's episode of "The Simpsons" was about second weddings and bridezillas, but the opening sequence featured a chalkboard gag that mocked the bailouts. Bart wrote "My piggy bank is not entitled to TARP funds," over an over again before hearing the school bell ring and heading for home. Bart writes a different sentence on the blackboard each week, past gags have included: "No one cares what my definition of 'is' is," "Spitwads are not free speech," "My homework was not stolen by a one-armed man," "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does," and "I was not touched 'there' by an angel." Watch the opening sequence and full episode here. (h/t Matt Cooper) More on The Simpsons
 

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