Friday, March 27, 2009

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Peter Henne: Ali al-Marri and the Entropy of the War on Terror Top
Entropy, I was taught in high school chemistry, is one of the several laws ruling the universe. Disorder increases, and energy dissipates; certainty disappears under the inevitable pressure of time. And so it is in the United States' "war on terror." Moral clarity after the 9/11 attacks gave way to self-reflection and criticism. Almost eight years after the attacks, Bush's Crusade is defined primarily through a set of ambiguous terrorism trials, such as that of Ali al-Marri . Reasonable public judgment of US counterterrorism policies is impossible in the face of this ambiguity, and Bush's global war on terror (or GWOT) has become merely another partisan battle ground, mirroring underlying ideological differences. It did not have to be this way, however, and public uncertainty does not necessarily undermine the continued need to combat terrorism. Al-Marri was arrested in 2001; the US declared him an enemy combatant and placed him in military custody, most of which took place in a Navy brig in South Carolina. He was charged last month with conspiracy and material support to terrorism. Friends and family, however, describe al-Marri as a good husband and neighbor, not a terrorist. Like most such cases since 9/11, it is impossible to determine which side is correct, due to the secrecy surrounding the government's evidence and past terrorism cases of dubious validity. In the absence of clear information, partisan divides are revealed. Bush's critics will argue that al-Marri is innocent, another victim of the questionable legal policies of Bush's GWOT. Bush supporters, in contrast -- who believe civil liberties must be sacrificed to keep the US safe from terrorism -- will point to the need to maintain vigilance due to the continued terrorist threat. Neither view can be substantiated and any opinions advanced will reflect only one's initial attitude towards the Bush Administration. This citizen, though, is not ready to form an opinion. I am not one to refrain from expressing opinions, and pride myself on my contrarianism. This, however, is the reason for my indecision. While I opposed the Bush Administration's policies, I believe that AQ represents a threat to the United States, and agreed with some of Bush's counterterrorism policies. Yet I am also a progressive and pragmatist. I do not believe we must sacrifice civil liberties for the sake of security; I also believe that Bush's less-than-legal efforts were counterproductive in the struggle against terrorism. Lacking more information on al-Marri's guilt/innocence, my ideological divisions cancel each other out, and I am left -- to be honest -- confused. This is the problem. One of the benefits of democracy is the open debate on the government's actions, this "marketplace of ideas" theoretically producing the best-possible outcome. The restrictive environment in which the Bush Administration operated -- when they bothered to inform the public of their actions -- undermined this "marketplace," making it impossible for the American public to have an informed debate. The result is the wild swings in opinion we have seen since 9/11. Initially, the public was incredibly supportive of the Administration, to the point that questioning Bush's policies was derided as cowardice. By 2006, though, we had tired of the GWOT and the 2008 Presidential elections were basically a referendum on the Bush Administration. The outcome of this referendum was positive, but it raises the possibility of continued emotional shifts that could undermine President Obama's agenda and return the United States to GOP rule. Meanwhile, AQ is reconstituting along the Afghan-Pakistan border -- with a continued desire to attack America -- and our military and civilian agencies are working diligently to protect us from this threat. The public's fickle moods may not only harm Obama, they could also preclude the formation of an effective US counterterrorism policy. We -- the public and the Administration -- owe it to the men and women serving us to ensure we understand and support the policies behind their service. It is too late to determine the truth about the al-Marri case, but we have the chance to avoid future such dilemmas under Obama. This in part involves public attentiveness to international and domestic issues, but it also involves the Administration ensuring they provide the information needed to judge their policies, short of divulging classified information. Obama has taken admirable steps in this regard, but as the al-Marri trial proceeds and the Administration formulates its policies on public access to terrorism-related information, he will hopefully move to overcome the entropy surrounding US national security with a healthy dose of informed public debate. More on Barack Obama
 
SyFy Branding Agency: Don't Blame Us, It Was Internal! Top
"While we'd love to take credit for all the branding initiatives our clients take on," writes Ken Runkel, executive director of Landor Associates, the branding firm hired by Sci Fi. "We just can't. "Yes, we worked with the SciFi Channel, and it hired us to consult on the project. However, Syfy was a name generated internally and pre-tested at the channel before our involvement," he wrote.
 
John Ridley: The Practical Math of "Too Much" Telepromptering Top
The meme going around like a bad cold is that President Obama relies "too much" on teleprompters. A line so oft repeated it's officially reached the point of late-nite pop culture status. What makes this kind of nontroversial attack slick is that, different from easily proved instances of excessive use like "too much" Old Spice, the "too much" teleprompter tag is, of course, an empty accusation. There's no universally accepted measure for the appropriate amount of political telepromptering, which makes it difficult to do the practical math. Difficult but not impossible. The most accurate way to measure the president's teleprompteriness is by comparison of his first 66 days in office with those of his immediate predecessor. Reviewing archived video on C-SPAN and exempting such must-have prompter moments as their inaugural and State of the Union addresses, the empirical evidence is that compared to President Bush, President Obama is indeed teleprompter-dependent. Jan. 23rd, 2001: Bush unveils his education plan -- no teleprompter; Feb. 26th, 2001: Bush addresses the Nation's Governors -- no teleprompter; March 19th, 2001: Bush addresses the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce -- no teleprompter. A sampling, but you get the picture. However... Not being teleprompter-dependent isn't the same as being prompter-independent. As to be expected, in those addresses and others President Bush read from prepared text. No big deal and not much different than reading prepared text from a teleprompter. For those who have never actually used one, a teleprompter isn't some kind of science-is-magic communication genie. Merely having words projected before you does not give one the ability to speak those words with additional weight or emotion. Ladies and gentlemen, Bobby Jindal. So, maybe the better comparison isn't how much time a president spends reading from a prompter -- any prompter -- but how much time he spends speaking to a national audience extemporaneously. Thus far, President Obama has held as many solo press conferences as former President Bush over a similar time period -- two. Bush's having been on February 22nd, 2001 and March 29th, 2001. However, both of President Obama's press conferences have been during prime time with more viewers watching him work without a net. Bush didn't hold his first prime-timer until October 11th, 2001. President Obama has also held town hall meetings in Elkhart, IN, Fort Myers, FL, two in California, in addition to appearing prompter-free (for better or worse) on the Tonight Show as well as holding a virtual town hall meeting on the internet. All that is to say: compared to President Bush, President Obama is actually more likely to do "too little" telepromptering during "too many" Q&A sessions before "too many" people. And while phrases may deceive, numbers don't lie. For more insight please visit That Minority Thing.com More on Barack Obama
 
John Wellington Ennis: REVIEW: Sarah Palin's Makeover in Media Malpractice Top
Many people want to yell at their TV news. During the 2008 campaign, many did. In Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted , John Ziegler does that for you. And if you get the DVD , you can yell at Ziegler yelling at the media. Media Malpractice is a two-hour documentary that alleges the media's broad infatuation with Barack Obama led the press to do everything imaginable to crush Sarah Palin's chances. The film was made in just a few months. Essentially the entire film is news footage with John Ziegler saying what all the news reporters should have said, according to him. The only significant interview is with Sarah Palin, which itself was widely covered in the media in January. At the end of the film there are interviews in L.A. on Election Day, wherein Obama voters appear as clueless as guests on a Jay Walking bit from The Tonight Show. Otherwise, there are no authorities interviewed on media bias. There are no former network employees coming forward disclosing a company policy on covering politics. There are no telling memos that suggest a tacit agreement between media consortiums. There are no members of the press interviewed to refute or acknowledge any of these allegations or provide context. (Unlike, say, Brave New Films' Outfoxed , which uses all of these traditional methods of supporting its thesis.) There is no unaired footage that gives a feeling of looking behind the media mask. There is no verite footage of the press pool discussing how the campaign is going (for that, check out A Perfect Candidate , R.J. Cutler & David Van Taylor's classic documentary about Oliver North's '94 Senate campaign in Virginia.) The limited documentary elements used in this film make Ziegler's points harder to support beyond his own self-certainty. It is not just that the film and Ziegeler's approach are completely subjective. By definition, all documentary is, and any first-person account of current events is limited to that person's subjectivity. It's not even that Zeigler is highly opinionated. It's that the world that he sees and decries is forged from what he projects onto news footage. It is a cycle of reasoning that is self-perpetuating, supposedly validated by its own failure to be taken seriously. Take a look at this clip from the film which argues how easy the media went on Obama with the Rev. Wright fiasco: Ziegler sweepingly assigns blame and bias against the media, continually as a single collective, for not reporting the world the way he sees it. He points not just to excessive or sensationalistic coverage of an instant political celebrity like Sarah Palin, but at other news stories that Ziegler insists should have been a big deal. That these stories were not reported widely and continually proves that the media is 95% actively pushing for Obama, thus making Ziegler right. Ironically, as Ziegler spends an hour lambasting the media for not asking questions about a candidate (Were they sure Obama isn't a Muslim?), he lambastes the media for asking so many questions of Palin. Gov. Palin laments the storied speculation that her son Trig was secretly the child of her eldest daughter Bristol, and refutes it simply for being outlandish, adding that she is still being asked about it. For such a controversial topic that has haunted Palin, the film makes no effort to set the record straight. The Anchorage Daily News , eager to kill off these rumors, has repeatedly asked Gov. Palin's office to help by providing hospital records, and Palin's refusal to respond directly has not helped that story dissipate. (Alas, Andrew Sullivan's panties will remain wadded up tight .) But the questions that Ziegler thinks should have dogged Obama are many: Why didn't the media discuss William Ayers more? Why didn't the media talk in-depth about a 2001 radio interview where Obama said that the Warren Supreme Court "wasn't that radical," because it did not venture into the issues of redistribution of wealth, thus proving he is a Socialist? How could the media not seize on the incredible story that Obama said on audiotape in January 2008 that his cap and trade system to manage greenhouse gasses could levy costly penalties on coal mining plants, possibly running them out of business? The answer to all these questions, according to Ziegler, is clearly an agreed-upon meme within all media outlets to make Obama president. The film continues into a montage of well-worn Obama and Biden gaffes on YouTube, a cynical look at the media coverage of Obama's visit to his dying grandmother, and a montage of emotional election night commentators waxing about the historical moment. It even chronicles the advance coverage of the documentary itself, perhaps a first in film. There are perils to using network news footage for an entire documentary. Showing so many news clips and articles to hold up as wrong, then citing other clips to support a fact from the same networks and websites -- it is inherently a challenge to the credibility of the point, and fallacious. How can you say the media is horribly biased and wrong through certain clips, and then cite other clips to support your argument with facts from the same sources you just discredited? It's like disputing a book while referring to it for pointers. Alternating between clips from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, SNL, etc., does not prove the unanimity of news agencies; rather, it shows that some news can be construed as slanted and some can be relied on, and that the media is a vast teeming pool of varied attitudes and actors. Moreover, it illustrates how Ziegler likes some of the news, but not other parts of it. Almost forgotten is the fact that John McCain was the Republican candidate for president, not Sarah Palin, and that Obama and Palin were not running head to head, thus their media coverage would inherently differ. And while motormouth Joe Biden certainly received less coverage during the campaign than Sarah Palin, his gaffes have been documented on Capitol Hill for over 35 years, whereas Sarah Palin would have only been known to most people outside of Alaska before Aug. 29, 2008, through Wonkette . Absent from this film aimed at redeeming Sarah Palin's image is any discussion of her policy proposals, her record, or any attempt to defend the charges that she continually spouted untruths on the campaign trail , probably pissing off the press pool. It belies Ziegler's and Palin's myopic perspective of politics, that good press is all that matters, and Katie Couric is to blame for asking Palin how she gets her news. In the opening titles of the film, Ziegler singles out Obama for being elected president as a first-term senator without any major legislative accomplishments, then does not hold Palin to the same standard of her legislative record that makes her White House-worthy. While attacking the mainstream media's bias, the film itself is the antithesis of objective journalism. As a film, Media Malpractice is porn for people who need to hear what they already believe to reassure themselves that they are not wrong for getting behind lackluster Republican leaders -- it's that the media made their heroes look bad. You can also check out my interview with John Ziegler , director of Media Malpractice. More on Sarah Palin
 
Monika Kalra Varma: Beyond Band-Aids for Darfur? Top
A Regional Approach Is Needed to Stop the Bleeding in Chad and Sudan A newly released joint assessment from the U.N. and Government of Sudan predicts over one million people will soon no longer have access to such essentials as water, food and medical care after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's disbanding the efforts of sixteen humanitarian groups from Darfur. The United States and international community are scrambling to fill these gaps, forced to focus on what U.N. Under-Secretary General John Holmes calls "band-aid solutions, not long-term solutions." With all the focus on this emergency, a potentially larger crisis looms across the border -- an imminent attack in neighboring Chad. The U.S. has an opportunity to lead the international community beyond the band-aid solutions of the past to work to avert disaster, but the window is closing. As the U.S. and international community tries to undo President al-Bashir's death sentence through starvation and disease for Darfur, thousands of well-equipped Chadian rebels supported by the Government of Sudan are stationed on the border of Darfur ready to attack Chad's capital, N'Djamena. Meanwhile, Chadian President Idriss Déby has been parading his weapons through the streets for several months now, leading most observers to fear the worst about the expected clash. Chad and Sudan share a long porous border and are currently engaged in what is widely considered a proxy war , with both funding and emboldening rebel groups marginalized by their neighbor's political process. The Government of Chad harbors and funds Darfuri rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement while the Sudanese military has armed and trained Chadian rebels seeking to topple President Déby's government. The relationship between Chad and Sudan is further complicated by tribal and familial relations that pre-date the culturally tenuous border drawn between them. Chad is already home to more than 250,000 Darfur refugees. Some analysts estimate between 100,000 and 250,000 additional refugees could flood U.N.-administered refugee camps in Chad due to the current lack of food, water and medical care in Darfur. Such an increase could overwhelm an already thinly stretched humanitarian infrastructure in Chad. The result would threaten the security and well-being of a nearly doubled Darfur refugee population, in addition to the 166,000 internally displaced Chadians living in U.N. run camps, forced from their homes by rebel and security force clashes, cross-border raids by Sudan-based militias' and internal violence. Despite these inextricable connections, historically the United States has pursued separate solutions for Sudan and Chad. We have yet to devise a systematic policy capable of tackling these interwoven conflicts, without which there is little hope of promoting sustainable peace. The height of the refugee movements and fighting are both predicted to occur before the rainy season begins in April. Some speculate President Déby may shut down the border in the event of an attack, and could begin to limit the actions of U.N. operations and international aid organizations in Chad, leading to a possible situation eerily similar to what is now occurring in Sudan, unless the U.S. and international community act now to avert the crisis. This past week, I joined two revered civil society leaders and recipients of the RFK Human Rights Award, Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdalla from Darfur and Delphine Djiraibe from Chad to share this message with officials of the U.S. Administration, U.S. Congress and the United Nations. They brought the message of their families, colleagues and neighbors agreeing that if the United States and the international community want to protect the people of Darfur and Chad, future diplomatic efforts need a regional vision to avert such crises. Though the message was well received by the diplomatic community, little action is being taken to move beyond focusing on these conflicts and countries in isolation. A strong U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Major General Scott Gration , has been named, sending a message to Khartoum, but an equally strong message must be sent to Chad. The new administration must entrust Maj. Gen. Gration with a broad mandate to confront the interrelated problems in both Sudan and Chad to find regional solutions for peace, similar to the current approach to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He must be able to deal with all actors in the region, including not only governments and rebels, but also tribal, civil society, refugee and IDP leaders. Regional peace will also require attention to the national political processes in both Chad and Sudan. The US must work equally hard to help move stalled political processes forward by helping to negotiate a path for rebel groups in both countries to be brought into the political process and facilitating meaningful and inclusive talks between all stakeholders. Without a space in the political process, these rebels will have no choice but to fight. Any of these processes done in isolation will fail. Rebels reliant on rival nations for support can not be expected to come to the table and negotiate with their home governments in good faith. Any national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process is bound to fail if it does not address the constant flow of weapons and combatants across borders. Sustainable peace in the region requires regional talks that bring together all the necessary parties, include strong accountability mechanisms, and will require a parallel and on-going political processes within each country. Band-aid solutions can not be relied on to stop the bleeding in Darfur and Chad. The US must take this opportunity to lead in averting an impending crisis in Chad and begin to work towards finding a comprehensive sustainable regional peace. More on Darfur
 
Investors cash in some gains from big rally Top
NEW YORK — Caution reasserted itself on Wall Street Friday, sending stocks sharply lower but not enough to prevent the market from notching its third straight weekly advance. Major market indexes fell about 2 percent, but most analysts agreed that the pullback was a natural response to the market's powerful climb this month. Financial and technology stocks led the retreat, and energy shares fell along with the price of oil. A dip in personal incomes and a slowdown in personal spending gave investors reason to cash in some of their winnings after the Dow Jones industrial average surged 21 percent over just 13 days. Analysts said the sentiment in the market was still more upbeat than it was a month ago, but the economic numbers were a reminder that the economy and the banking system remain troubled. "There is still a definite caution in the air," said Doreen Mogavero, president of Mogavero, Lee & Co., a New York floor brokerage, adding that she's noted some hesitance among her clients. "I don't think people are completely invested yet." Mogavero noted that the money that has gone into the market over the last few weeks has been "short-term" in nature, which leads her to believe that most people are not convinced that the economy will soon recover. The market has been ratcheting up and down over the past week. Analysts weren't surprised by its retrenchments, including Friday's, because no one expects such a weak market to move consistently higher. And many analysts believe back-and-forth trading is actually a healthy way for stocks to recover, because it reflects a conservative rather than euphoric attitude among investors. Still, it was too early to tell whether the big March advance might go the way of Wall Street's year-end rally, which was more than wiped out in January and February. Although the gains of the past three weeks have been based on early signs of improvement in the banking system and the economy, those advances are vulnerable to critical economic data due next week and first-quarter earnings reports that will begin in a few weeks. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow fell 148.38, or 1.9 percent, to 7,776.18. The index is up 17.3 percent in the last three weeks, its best gain since September 1982 and its longest string of advances since May last year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 16.92, or 2 percent, to 815.94, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 41.80, or 2.6 percent, to 1,545.20. More on Financial Crisis
 
Rev. Lennox Yearwood: Give me liberty, AND give me death? Top
As you may know the D.C. Voting Rights Act has been postponed in the Congress, and will likely not be brought up in the House until late April. The bill provides full congressional representation to the District of Columbia and an additional House seat to Utah, and has wide support on the Hill. However a handful of legislators are manipulating the bill with a nonrelated amendment. There is no excuse for Sen. John Ensign attaching an amendment to the voting act that would eliminate the city's ability to enforce necessary gun laws. The Senator may reside in the district when the Congress is in session, but he does not live in the part of the city plagued by gun violence. When I walk the streets of Washington I do not hear cries for more guns, I hear cries of loss. I urge the Senator to meet with Kenny Barnes, who lost his son in 2001. Barnes now runs Reaching Out to Others Together, an organization that mentors young people and encourages them to steer clear of crime. If he did, Ensign would meet a man who is caring for his own community, not meddling in the affairs of others. If he did he would realize that Washington does not demand more guns. The city marches and speaks out only to end "taxation without representation." Even still, opinions on D.C. guns should have no place in the discussion about our city becoming an equal part of the American democracy. To try to combine two separate issues is to play politics with a non-political issue. NRA members in Idaho and Oklahoma are trying to impose an ideology on an urban community that does not ask for it. As a leader of an inner-city I do not concern myself with the legal prostitution in Senator Ensign's state; I'm concerned only with the murders on my block. So there must be no compromise, because it is immoral to compromise with snakes, posing as congressman, who're too scared to bring their own cause to a vote by itself. I encourage the sane members of Congress - a Congress I hope to soon have a say in - to keep the gun amendment out. If it does remain though, and the NRA keeps tabs on how members vote, I want to make it clear that I will be keeping tabs too. The Hip Hop Caucus may not have the funding of the NRA, but we do have a grassroots constituency. The Caucus is up to 700,000 members in 48 states, including Nevada. And our members will flood the Capitol with phone calls, not to impose and ideology, but to look out for each other's safety and liberty. For the Hip Hop Caucus this will not only about the right to vote, for us it is about life and death. For Future Generations... Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. President, Hip Hop Caucus
 
Erin Burnett: Bank CEOs Interviewed Following Obama Meeting (VIDEO) Top
Erin Burnett of CNBC sat down with several bank CEOs following their luncheon with President Obama on Friday. The interviews were with Ken Lewis of Bank of America, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, John Mack of Morgan Stanley and Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase. WATCH: More on Video
 
7 States See Jobless Rate Top 10 Percent Top
WASHINGTON — Double-digit unemployment rates hit more states in February, with North Carolina and Rhode Island seeing their rates hit record highs. The U.S. Labor Department's report, released Friday, showed the terrible toll the recession, now in its second year, is having on workers and companies alike. Seven states have unemployment rates that topped 10 percent last month. That's up from four states in January. "It's spreading like wildfire," said Richard Yamarone, economist at Argus Research. The U.S. unemployment rate, released earlier this month, rose to 8.1 percent in February, the highest in more than 25 years. Economists predict the national jobless rate will have climbed to 8.5 percent in March when the government releases that report next week. It will probably hit 10 percent by year end even if the recession were to end later this year, they said. Michigan's jobless rate climbed to 12 percent, the highest in the country. South Carolina registered the second-highest at 11 percent and Oregon came in third at 10.8 percent. North Carolina came in fourth with an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent, the highest there on records dating back to 1976. California and Rhode Island tied for fifth place at 10.5 percent each. That was an all-time high for Rhode Island. The seventh state with a jobless rate above 10 percent was Nevada at 10.1 percent. Georgia's unemployment rate rose sharply to 9.3 percent, also a record high. Earlier this week Shaw Industries Group Inc., the world's largest carpet maker, said it would close two plants in the state and lay off about 600 workers. Layoffs in manufacturing, construction and retail _ sectors hard hit by the housing collapse _ are common threads running through the higher unemployment. Another thread: difficulties faced by states, such as South Carolina, Michigan and Rhode Island, to lure new types of companies to help cushion the loss of manufacturing jobs and retrain laid-off factory workers for other kinds of employment. Joblessness continued to be the worst in the West _ home to California and other states badly battered by the housing bust _ and the Midwest, where the troubles of U.S. automakers has been sorely felt. Currently 5.56 million people are drawing state unemployment insurance, the highest on records dating back to 1967 the federal government reported Thursday. The crush has exhausted unemployment funds in California, New York and elsewhere, forcing them to tap the federal government for money to keep paying benefits. Rising unemployment means lost revenue for already squeezed states. "It's a vicious cycle," said Michael Williams, dean of Touro College's Graduate School of Business. States are forced to cut back services at a time when people need them the most. "What about health care? What about education?" he wonders. All told, Friday's report found that 49 states and the District of Columbia saw their unemployment rates move higher in February from the previous month. Only Nebraska recorded a slight drop. Its jobless rate dipped to 4.2 percent. Wyoming once again had the lowest unemployment rate, 3.9 percent. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the recession could end this year, setting the stage for a recovery next year only if shaky financial markets are stabilized. To brace the economy, the Fed has slashed a key bank lending rate to an all-time low and has embarked on a series of radical programs to inject billions of dollars into the financial system. The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus package includes money that will flow to states for public works projects, help them defray budget cuts, extend unemployment benefits and boost food stamp benefits. The administration also is counting on programs to prop up financial companies and reduce home foreclosures to help turn the economy around. Companies are cutting jobs and other costs to survive the recession. Sales and profits have been hurt as consumers have hunkered down. That's caused the economy to shrink. Analysts believe the economy will keep on shrinking through the first six months of this year.
 
Michael Markarian: 400 Dogs in Wire Cages Top
My friend Joe Trippi asked me to be a guest contributor on his blog today, and I posted this piece about our work to combat irresponsible puppy mills. I wanted to share it with you here as well, and ask you to get involved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Monday, The Humane Society of the United States and local law enforcement officials rescued nearly 400 dogs living in unacceptable conditions at a large-scale puppy mill in Logan County, Ark. The dogs, ranging from Shih Tzus and poodles to Akitas and Shelties, were suffering from serious medical ailments and housed in filthy and dilapidated structures. Many of the dogs were severely matted and suffering from untreated lacerations and serious skin and eye infections. Some of the first to be freed were day-old puppies. It was obvious that many of these animals had never known life outside their wire cages. It was a new day for those hundreds of rescued dogs who will now have a chance at a loving home. But it's just another day in the fight against abusive puppy mills. In recent months, similar raids have taken place in Montana , North Carolina , Oregon , Tennessee , West Virginia , and Quebec . A series of HSUS investigations pulled the curtain on pet stores that support puppy mills. The Oprah Winfrey Show exposed this cruel industry to a nationwide audience. At puppy mills, breeding dogs are often stacked in filthy, wire cages for years on end, to produce litter after litter. The puppies are sold through pet stores or over the Internet, but the mother dogs live their lives in confinement, with no socialization, exercise, or human interaction. They never know the simple joys that our own dogs know--a treat, a toy, a walk on the grass. They are not treated like family pets, but like a cash crop. Because the dogs receive improper care, unsuspecting customers often have to bear the burden of thousands of dollars in veterinary bills, or the death of a pet they just purchased. As Joe Trippi reported last week , consumers have filed a class action lawsuit accusing the Petland retail chain and the Hunte Corporation of conspiring to sell unhealthy puppy mill dogs to the public. Since the lawsuit was filed, hundreds of people have contacted The HSUS to tell their heartbreaking stories of purchasing dogs they were told came from good breeders. Lawmakers, too, are taking action. Last year, state legislators in Louisiana , Pennsylvania , and Virginia passed tough laws to crack down on puppy mills. Now, more than 30 states are considering similar bills. In the U.S. Congress, the final Farm Bill enacted into law in 2008 banned the import of young dogs from foreign puppy mills--stopping the long-distance transport of unweaned puppies from China, Mexico, Russia, and other countries. When the Obama Administration enforces the law, thousands of puppies will no longer endure extreme temperatures in airline cargo holds, freezing to death or arriving at LAX and JFK airports sick or diseased. Federal lawmakers are also preparing to address the problem here in the United States. New legislation--known as the "Puppy Uniform Protection Statute" (PUPS), or "Baby's Bill" in honor of rescued puppy mill survivor Baby who is the subject of Jana Kohl's new book " A Rare Breed of Love "--will soon be introduced in the Senate by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and in the House of Representatives by Reps. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.). The legislation will close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that currently allows large, commercial breeders who sell puppies online and directly to the public to escape licensing and regulation. Only facilities that breed dogs for commercial resale through pet stores are required to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thanks to a gaping exception in the law, puppy mills that sell directly to the public are exempt from any federal oversight whatsoever, allowing unregulated Internet sellers and other direct sales facilities to sell thousands of puppies a year to unsuspecting consumers. The bill also requires that dogs used for breeding be removed from their cages for exercise every day. It's a modest step, but a much-needed upgrade to our nation's laws that protect man's best friend from cruelty and harm. On Sunday, April 19, the Humane Society Legislative Fund will hold house parties across the country to call attention to the problem of puppy mills, and to push for state and federal policy changes. You can host a party or attend one in your area , and join a nationwide conference call on puppy mills with me, Ben Stein, and Reps. Sam Farr and Jim Gerlach. Please join us in speaking out for dogs, and making sure these creatures get the protection they deserve. Find out more by visiting humanesociety.org/stoppuppymills .
 
Obama Admin Likely To Ask For More Concessions From Automakers In Exchange For Federal Aid Top
DETROIT — The Obama administration is likely to impose deeper concessions on Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. in exchange for additional federal loans, a person briefed on the government's plan said Friday. The concessions could go beyond the requirements imposed by the Bush administration when it agreed to loan the automakers money last year, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the government's plans have not been revealed. President Barack Obama will announce the administration's plan for the auto industry on Monday. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama's auto task force was "winding down the decisions that have to be made" and finalizing the plan. Both automakers are operating on a total of $17.4 billion in government loans, trying to weather the worst auto sales downturn in 27 years. In addition, GM is seeking another $16.6 billion, while Chrysler wants $5 billion more. General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner met with members of the task force on Friday, an Obama administration official said. The term sheets that came with the first loans require extensive restructuring, including executive pay cuts and labor costs that match Japanese automakers. Both companies also must persuade the United Auto Workers to take equity in exchange for half of the payments the companies must make to union-run trust funds that will take over retiree health care costs starting next year. And they must get debtholders to swap equity for two-thirds of the companies' debt. "There may be more extensive conditions than were laid out initially in the term sheets," the person said. Both companies face a Tuesday deadline to turn in finished restructuring plans to the government, but neither company is likely to have everything done. Neither GM nor Chrysler have deals with the union on the trust funding or concessions from their debtholders, although talks are continuing. "Our union is continuing to work with the task force and the auto companies to find a solution to the may issues we face," UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said Friday through a spokeswoman. President Barack Obama made clear Thursday that the companies would face having to make tough concessions for additional aid, but it was unclear if that meant concessions beyond the initial loan terms. The president said if the companies were "not willing to make the changes and the restructurings that are necessary, then I'm not willing to have taxpayer money chase after bad money." He said the current business model for the U.S. auto industry was unsustainable and various industry stakeholders _ suppliers, unions, creditors, dealers _ would need to make concessions. A task force created by Obama has been meeting with industry officials and reviewing restructuring plans submitted by the companies to revitalize the industry through shared sacrifices. The government can recall its loans to GM and Chrysler if they fail to sign deals for debt restructuring and other concessions from stakeholders, including the UAW, by March 31. But the administration has not indicated it plans to do so. GM owes roughly $28 billion to bondholders, while Chrysler owes about $7 billion in first- and second-term debt, mainly to banks. GM owes roughly $20 billion to its retiree health care trust, while Chrysler owes $10.6 billion. Bondholders have been reluctant to go along with the cuts, saying they're being required to sacrifice more than other parties, but they have been holding discussions about the changes. The union has agreed to other terms of the loans, including work rule changes and reducing total hourly labor costs at U.S factories to a level comparable with Japanese automakers. ___ Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas reported from Washington, D.C.
 
Ray Hanania: Battle to Save the Illinois Republican Party has Unlikely Foes Top
State Sen. Chris Lauzen is in a fight, unbelievably, to give Republican voters the right to directly pick their own leaders on the party's "Board of Directors," the State Central Committee. I say unbelievably because the biggest foes of changing the existing law which allows Republican committeemen in the 19 Illinois Congressional Districts to select the State Central Committeemen and Committeewomen are some of the Republican Party's own leaders, like state GOP chief Andrew McKenna. Lauzen has introduced Senate Bill 600 to change the practice and let Republicans vote directly for the State Central Committeeman and State Central Committeewoman in each of the state's 19 Congressional Districts. The two posts are equal and have given women equal voice in state politics. Democrats already directly vote for their counterparts. It's only the Republican voters who are denied that right. Former Gov. Jim Thompson, who didn't blink at donating his firm's legal services to help his corrupt pal former Gov. George Ryan, took away the right of Republican voters to select their leaders in 1988 in a move to consolidate his own power. If you had to trace the total collapse of the Illinois Republican Party to any single move or person, it would be to that date and to that former governor. "If everything were going fine in the Republican party, would say we have other things to take care of. But we have been losing so many campaigns. We're in the super minority in both chambers of the legislature, for practical purposes. We don't have one of the executive branch officers in the state of Illinois," Lauzen explained during an interview on RadioChicagoland on WJJG 1530 AM Monday. "We have problems in Illinois because the checks and balances of the two-party system no longer exist. And we have to believe in the founding principles that the people are in charge, not the politicians, and one-person and one vote, or we don't." The Illinois Republican Party has been in utter collapse, with Orland Township's Elizabeth Doody Gorman using her influence as former County GOP Chief to give Democrats a pass in the elections last November, but only slating one candidate to take out her Republican rival, Tony Peraica. Peraica and Gorman serve on the Cook County Board and Gorman slated someone to challenge him in his primary bid to become Cook County State's Attorney, giving all the Democrats on the ballot a total pass. She has since been forced to step aside. Now, Sen. Lauzen and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno are planning to push for the adoption of a bill that would restore the right of Republican voters, taken away by Thompson in 1988, to directly elect the State Central Committeemen and State Central Committee Women (co-equals in a system that has empowered woman leadership in Illinois) and McKenna has threatened to file a lawsuit if the bill is passed. McKenna, the Republican Party chief, wants to prevent Republican voters from deciding who should represent the party? No wonder the Illinois Republican party is an absolute mess. McKenna has been arguing that the state voters should get the right to elect the U.S. Senator, demanding that the seat held by the controversy-plagued Roland Burris should be decided in a special election. Give the voters a voice, he says. But when it comes to giving Republicans a voice in who should be leading their party, he feels differently. Citing McKenna's opposition to SB600, Lauzen said, "The centralized leadership of the Republican Party has really come out very hard against this. I am surprised with all the problems that they have. All we are talking about is returning to the great traditions of this country where in the founding document of the Declaration of Independence it says the just powers of the government are derived through the consent of the governed. That is the many people, not the few. It starts out as We the people not we the politicians." Lauzen added, "McKenna says 'special election, special election' when it comes to Roland Burris. But when it comes to the board of directors of the Republican People, we can't elect them by the people. On a good day, it is irony. On a bad day is just hypocrisy." He called McKenna's threatened lawsuit "a sign of desperation. We want our vote back. This is about reform in Illinois. If we want better government we need better candidates coming from the grassroots. We need to reconnect the voters and make this party stronger." Listen to Lauzen's podcast interview from Radio Chicagoland last Monday on WJJG 1530 AM Radio by clicking here . Get more information at Lauzen's web site at www.Lauzen.com .
 
Tri Robinson: Sustainability's Three Big Questions Top
When I consider a life of sustainability I can't help but think about what it would have taken for those first pioneers to load their small wagons for such an expedition. They had to pack everything to sustain their families on a long treacherous journey as well as enough to hold them through their first winter. They would also have to include the tools necessary to forge out a homestead capable of sustaining a family for the years ahead. True sustainability is not just some romantic thought to me; rather, it's one of deep admiration and a testimony to the durability of the human existence. Sometimes I tie up my horse and wander around these old places where the residents have been long gone. I find myself contemplating what they must have felt like living in such isolated areas, what resources they used to build structures, and how they engineered water systems, root cellars, smoke houses and feed storage. In addition to the homesteads, I have noticed where people settled there is usually an abandoned one-room schoolhouse, post office, church and graveyard only a short wagon ride away. There is much to be gained by wandering through the remnant ruins of a people who understood true sustainability. Some of my discoveries have challenged me to ask three thought provoking questions in my own pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle: 1. What would I put in my wagon? If I had foresight in preparing for a life journey toward sustainability and knew that money may become hyper-inflated, what would I purchase now? Stockpiling food may be helpful in the short term, but if planning for a life of sustainability I would consider not just my immediate need for food, but how I might produce it, preserve it and store it for the future. I would think about every kind of food--vegetables, grains, fruits, eggs and meat. I would also consider how I would feed the chickens that would lay the eggs and the other livestock that would provide milk and meat. I would consider sustainable and renewable forms of energy for heat, cooking and electricity. I would consider materials necessary to develop clean water resources and seed to be reproduced and used season after season. I would need to prioritize and ask myself the kinds of questions that I've never had to consider before--those such as what is really important for the welfare of my life and my family. I would need to evaluate and establish what my priorities really are--realizing that the wellbeing of those I love is at stake. 2. What would I put my hands to? What would I first invest my time, money and energy into if I were to begin building a sustainable life based on what history tells me? What kind of a dwelling would I live in--how many square feet would I want to heat and cool? What rooms would be the most important? I would need to consider garden plots, orchards and animal housing. Plans would have to be made for food storage, animal feed storage, irrigation and tools for harvesting hay and other crops. I would need to have vision and a master plan that would fit the amount of property I had available. I would need to possess physical stamina for the labor before me, and also family or friends that were willing to lend a hand. 3. What kind of community would I be a part of? Why did every successful pioneer community have a school and a church as a foundational centerpiece of their community? If history holds true, community is an essential element of the sustainable life, and that community provided not only physical help, protection and a means of commerce, but ministry to the mind and soul of each person as well. Even today, people are discovering their need for community. People have never done well as an island unto themselves, but communities that held common and Godly values ultimately prevailed even through seasons of extreme hardship. One great example is that of the Pilgrims of New England in comparison to those who attempted to establish Jamestown. The Pilgrims suffered but prevailed because their motive for a sustainable life in a new world was based on a dream to worship God freely. Those who inhabited Jamestown were motivated by the goal of economic prosperity. The residents of Jamestown ultimately failed and the majority of their community perished even though they faced less extreme conditions than the Pilgrims. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Communities function best when the individuals involved are not looking out purely for their own interests, but for the interests of the common group. If you are interested in learning more about faith and environmental issues, join me at the 2009 Flourish Conference on May 13-15 in Atlanta for gathering of leaders to discuss how these two issues intersect and impact culture. Tri Robinson is the founding pastor of the Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, ID and author of Saving God's Green Earth: Rediscovering the church's responsibility to environmental stewardship and Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to live simply and love extravagantly. In his spare time, Tri manages his homestead, which is moving toward sustainability, and blogs about it at www.timberbuttehomestead.com . Follow him @ Twitter: tri_robinson.
 
Conservatives Embrace Snuggie Fad In Attempt To Be Funny Top
Never known to be cutting edge, conservatives have only recently warmed to the Snuggie--nearly one month after the New York Times covered them , and two months after "The Today Show" endorsed them . From Politico : "Never let it be said that conservatives and libertarians have no sense of humor," says Americans for Tax Reform's Derek Hunter, who's been doing his best to photograph fellow conservatives sporting the trend of the moment: the Snuggie. And it's working: So far he's convinced Joe the Plumber, Tucker Carlson and Andrew Breitbart to adorn the "blanket with sleeves" that has people mocking it while simultaneously wearing it. His boss, ATR President Grover Norquist, was the first "political celebrity" to put it on.
 
Linda Milazzo: "Word Cloud" - Your Brain On CNN! Top
Any viewers of cable news, who for even one silly second doubted corporate media's desire to fry the brain of its audience and render it hopelessly confused, need only to have seen Tuesday night's bizarro 'WORD CLOUD" on CNN. In fact, if you weren't privy to this visual catastrophe of upside down sideways multi-colored multi-sized words in incomprehensible disorder, permit me to introduce you to "WORD CLOUD" or YOUR BRAIN ON CNN : What the hell was CNN thinking? This master-mush of nonsense was CNN Vice President David Bohrman's advance visual interpretation of the focal points of Barack Obama's opening remarks for his second prime time press conference, gleaned from the preview copy of the speech. Really, Mr. Bohrman?! That hodgepodge of confusion was your representation of the lucidity of President Obama? Methinks, sir, you are perhaps the victim of too many word games and fantasy films and in desperate need of a dose of reality and a sugar cube of truth. Sadly, Mr. Bohrman, you didn't serve the veracity of news any better on election night November 4th, 2008, with your hologram foray into Star Wars than you did with your wall of jibberish. In your election night conflation of fantasy and reality, you dissed reality to beam celebrities from Chicago to CNN for illusory interviews by anchors. While I love technology and applaud its advances, for me, sir, holograms are not meant for news. News is reality. It's not illusion or sleight of hand. Here's a video of Mr. Bohrman after the Obama election discussing his hologram process with Wolf Blitzer. For what it's worth, Mr. Bohrman, Star Wars creator, George Lucas, is a genius -- but Mr. Lucas doesn't produce the news. In news an interviewee should be present in real form. In fantasy the interviewee can be a talking shark. They just ain't the same ! For some bizarre reason, Mr. Bohrman, based on your hologram and your " WORD CLOUD ," you and CNN seem to believe that news is well-served as a nonsensical portrait of words or fantastical recreations of people. Well, Mr. Bohrman and CNN, here's some news for you. Real news isn't fantasy. Real news isn't supplanted images and incomprehensible collages. Real news demands reality delivered factually and comprehensibly. Furthermore, real news doesn't include placing on your schedule hyperbolic megalomaniacs who advance their personal causes -- Lou Dobbs being CNN's prime example. Finally, I am clearly not alone in recognizing the silliness and unintelligibility of the " WORD CLOUD ." Note the response of Anderson Cooper and his fellow CNN-ers (all members of CNN's shamelessly self-described "Best Political Team On Television"). Notice their inability to shield their amusement and probable embarrassment over the sheer idiocy of the " WORD CLOUD ." CNN and Vice President Bohrman, do you truly believe we viewers are dumb enough to accept a bizarre word scramble as the thesis of a literate and clear thinking President? Do you truly believe you respected our intelligence and our knowledge by displaying a condescending collage absent even one complete thought? Well here's news for you, Cable News Network -- this viewing public ain't buyin' it. Either you step up to our level of intelligence or we're going to see that you're gone. We've had our fill of your attempts to dumb us down. You blindly cheered a president for eight long years who brought our nation to its knees. You whored your corporate wags to bring us to war and even hired composers to score it. Despite your bombastic attempts to lead us like sheep, we have self educated through alternative media that tell us the truth. We don't learn from you. We scoff at you. We study you -- not to grow from you -- but to force you to elevate -- or to force you to leave. More on Barack Obama
 
Ray Hanania: Government Forced to Back Down on Misdirected Halliburton Case Top
In a surprise move, the U.S. Justice Department withdrew its 10-count major frauds charge against Jeff Mazon and instead accepted a misdemeanor plea agreement. Mazon, a former contract manager for the scandal-plagued Halliburton and its spin-off counterpart KBR, had been accused of rigging a contract bid allegedly in exchange for a $1 million bribe from a Kuwaiti businessman. But Tuesday, before U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade, Mazon pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of failing to inform his supervisor of a contract that had been inaccurately inflated, but later corrected. Mazon successfully fought off the charges twice, winning deadlocked juries in both trials last year in April and again in October, arguing that the inflated amount was an error that reflected an increase that precisely matched a reverse monetary conversion between U.S. Dollars and Kuwait Dinars. The error did not come to light until Mazon had left KBR/Halliburton and had explored, many months later, doing business with the contractor, a practice that was not unusual for others at the company. After the second trial deadlocked and Judge McDade tried to pressure the sole holdout juror to change her verdict, prosecutors had said they expected to go back to trial a third time this month. In fact, prosecutors originally told me they did not know if they would seek a third trial. But later the same evening, they leaked the news that they planned to seek a third trial to another reporter in Rockford who had not covered the case but had given the government friendly and shallow news coverage. The plea agreement is a victory for Mazon and a black eye both for the Justice Department and Judge McDade, who oversaw both trials first in Rock Island where the Halliburton contract was associated, and later in McDade's home court room in Peoria, Illinois. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Justice Department issued a release explaining that Mazon and the government have agreed that the defendant will be credited for time served, and that for the first six months of a one-year term of supervised release, the defendant will be under home confinement. These terms are subject to approval by the Court. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2009. Having covered parts of the first trial and having personally sat in the court room through the second trial, it was clear to me that the evidence presented by the government was sketchy and circumstantial. Much of the testimony was based on witnesses who admitted having engaged in misconduct themselves. Some speculated that Mazon was being targeted by the Bush administration and Vice President Dick Cheney to prevent Halliburton from becoming the focus of the corruption charges, which appeared endemic there. Cheney served as the company's CEO, but later resigned when he became Vice President. McDade had prohibited Mazon's attorneys, Orland Park lawyers J. Scott Arthur and Alan Brunell from arguing that Mazon was being made into a scapegoat. Prosecution witnesses also admitted that contracts were routinely given rushed approval and little scrutiny, suggesting that errors were extremely likely. They also testified that it was not unusual for former Halliburton and KBR contractors to later, after leaving their employ, work for contractors with whom they did businesses. Those facts became the foundation of the prosecution's weak and unsuccessful case. Many things have happened since the second trial ended that would push the government to back out of the case. Bush and Cheney were replaced by President Barack Obama, who has other priorities including forcing the Justice Department to apply the rule of law rather than prejudice as the cornerstone of their evidence. Halliburton reportedly has relocated its corporate headquarters to Dubai. And there are increasing calls for war crimes charges to be brought against Cheney. Mazon had won over the sympathy of several jurors in the first trial and a sole juror in the second trial. That juror reportedly had been ostracized not only by the judge but by the other jurors who were anxious to finish the nearly three week trial. She had written on the back of her legal note pad words that not only are significant in the Mazon trial, but that also reflect a spirit of change in the Obama-led Justice Department. "Innocent until proven guilty." (Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist and Chicago radio talk show host. He can be reached at www.RadioChicagoland.com and by email at rayhanania@comcast.net.)
 
Karen Salmansohn: The Truth Will Set Your Limited Income Free! Top
We humans have no trouble doing stupid things. But we do have trouble seeing the stupid things we do - even if they're smack in front of our nose -- or worst, smack ON our nose -- which is why we need to gather input from others. For example: If you have a problem with ink on your cheek, you won't know unless someone tells you. And...if you have a problem with being too damn cheeky at meetings, you won't know unless someone tells you. A big business secret: Seek criticism as much as compliments. Facing the harsh truth about what you need to improve is the only way to ensure you will grow your valuable skillsets -- and thereby grow your income. Hence why I recommend you create what me and my friends call a power posse -- a group of people you feel will always tell you the harsh and helpful truth. How do you collect together a power posse? Seek out people you respect and feel "safe" hearing harsh-truth criticisms from. One of my favorite expressions is "A friend is someone who stab you in the front." Power posse people are friendly front-stabbers. Power posse people can be from other professions. Just make sure the people are smart, honest, insightful, and good-natured. Pick one night a week for the next three months to share your career problems and ask for honest feedback and business tips. Promise yourselves that you will listen closely and be open to feedback and tips. Recognize: If more than one person tells you that you've been walking around with the equivalent of "career ink of your nose," chances are it's time to come clean! The Power of A Power Posse Speedily Explained: If a group of people each give one another 1 dollar -- they each get nothing monetarily by this exchange. But if a group of people give each other an idea or insight - they can literally make millions together. The exchange of ideas is super powerful, because each of our lenses on the world are so very different. By merging our lenses we create a powerful magnifying lens and telescope to see the world through! Keith Ferrazzi, the best selling author of Never Eat Alone , is the ultimate expert of people-powering your business. He is always strongly recommending getting a little help from your friends -- creating what he calls "peer-to-peer pressure." Ferrazzi offers these wonderful Power Posse tips... 1. Continuously define and redefine goals. 2. Ensure you are all maintaining a balanced "Personal Success Wheel" which includes: * health & wellness * spirituality * job & career * intellectual & cultural * financial * deep relationships * giving back 3. Make sure your goals are SMART : S pecific, M easurable, A ttainable, R elevant and T ime-Bound. 4. Cheer each other on, sending inspirational songs, helpful website links, whatever it takes. I also personally recommend Ferrazzi's website, www.greenlightcommunity.com -- where you can find an internet full of infinite virtual accountability buddies to booster you to your goals. I also recently discovered an inspiring large and growing Power Posse group here in NYC, which began in Spring 2008, with six senior level female executives -- including Frances Cole Jones (author of "How to Wow" and President of Cole Media Management) and Karen Giberson (President of the Accessories Council). Frances and Karen named their group Brain Barter -- each with strong entrepreneurial spirits. Quickly these Brain Barter dinners grew into a monthly gathering of over fifty members. Besides offering empowering front-stabbing business advice, members barter their talents -- which is a perfect money-saving way to grow your business in today's tight-wad economy. While there are many women's networking groups out there, Brain Barter is very different because its members are all 100% focused upon the very simple and very powerful question: "How can I help you?" *** Karen Salmansohn is a best selling author of self help books for people who wouldn't be caught dead reading self-help books - with titles like "How To Succeed In Business Without A Penis" and "How To Be Happy Dammit". For more life boosting tips: http://notsalmon.com/ More on Careers
 
Cristina Page: Vasectonomics Top
"Why are we suddenly having an explosion in guys asking for vasectomies?" This is a question Dr. Steven Jones' staff asks him a lot lately, the Cleveland Urologist told CNN . Dr. Marc Goldstein, a New York-based urologist in practice for over thirty years, told the network, "I have never seen anything like this. When things started to go south in the stock market, then the vasectomy consults went north." The folks over at vasectomy.com no doubt were pleased for snagging that most awesome domain name. Little did they know a bad economy would provide their payday; the number of appointment requests through their site spiked 30 percent in January. It's not just men who are suddenly concerned about their family's future. Consumers are spending more money on all types of contraceptives, according to the Nielson Company. Indeed, the embrace of family planning appears to be a critical step in financial planning. Nielson said sales of over-the-counter contraceptives jumped a dazzling 10.2 percent in the first two months of the year. The company reports that, while other retail sales slip, condom sales jumped up 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008 and 6% in January, compared with the same time periods last year. Sales of Essure, a non-invasive, irreversible birth control method for women were up also, 28% over last year's sales . Planned Parenthood clinics, the leading provider of contraception in the country, also report increased traffic over the past several months, according to Tait Sye, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "There's no question we're seeing increased traffic at most clinics, and many clinics report an increase in new patients as well," Sye said. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa told the local TV news the number of women in the state asking for access to birth control is up nearly 40 percent. So much for contraception being a non-sequitur in discussions about the economy. Just a couple of months ago, Congressional Republicans, fresh from their first meeting with Obama, stood snickering before the press about the inclusion of a family planning provision in the president's emergency economic plan. What does birth control have to do with the economy? they chided, suggesting Obama might be trying to sneak a liberal social program by them. Minority Leader Representative John Boehner protested , "Regardless of where anyone stands on taxpayer funding for contraceptives and the abortion industry, there is no doubt that this once little-known provision in the congressional Democrats' spending plan has NOTHING (emphasis his) to do with fixing the economy and creating more American jobs. " It was lost on the Republicans, many of whom oppose contraception for 'moral' reasons, that rational people facing hazardous economic times need to control the number of children they have to support. And, by the way, that kind of responsible behavior is good for the economy which can hardly afford the social programs to support families who can't make it on their own. (Republicans are supposedly for responsibility except...when they're not.) Boehner might want to check in with that Joe the Plumber demographic who, if recent trends are any indicator, not only considers contraception a great form of protection against uncertain times but is opting for the permanent form at that. (And for any Joe without insurance that vasectomy will cost between $500-$1000, probably twice as much as his tax cut. The contraception provision in the stimulus package would have extended coverage for this kind of contraceptive and others to those earning above 200% of the federal poverty level. So Joe, when you lay out that stack of cash don't forget to thank Boehner who thinks your decision to prevent an unaffordable pregnancy is too silly to cover.) The Salt Lake Tribune recently interviewed a local couple in their twenties who see pregnancy prevention as key to their family's survival. They have two kids, 2 years old and 3 months, and were attending a state insurance fair to sign up for health insurance. He works two part-time jobs and she stays at home caring for the kids. Money is a constant worry-- he foregoes medications to pay for diapers and the electric bill. She explained that they are being "way more careful" about preventing pregnancy. The couple is hoping to qualify for government insurance in order to get birth control. "I just worry if the economy is going to get worse. I would starve myself before my kids [go hungry]. What if it gets so bad I don't have food for them?" Cut to eye-rolling Congressional Republicans. Family planning is nothing less than a foundation on which many Americans build sturdy, responsible lives. Regardless of political affiliation, that's exactly what many are struggling to do right now. Those who have lost their jobs and health insurance are in great need of family planning. They're also, alarmingly, the ones with the least access to it. Meanwhile Republicans openly mock attempts to include family planning as a part of the economic recovery, actively work to defund Planned Parenthood, promote policies that encourage health care workers to deny patients access to contraception, and defend programs that withhold basic information about contraception to sexually active teens. (Then they're baffled to find the number of teen parents spiked during the Bush years.) Family planning is an American family value and, as national data indicate, something we rely on in our greatest times of need. Attacks on our right to plan our families shred the social safety net. The Republicans are welcome to titter and heckle the next time a proposal to support family planning crosses their desks. Doing so will only reveal how astoundingly out of touch they are from American's real lives and needs. More on Economy
 
Geithner vs. Geithner: "Meet The Press," "This Week" Both Book Treasury Secretary Top
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has double-booked his Sunday morning! Both ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet the Press" will host the Treasury Secretary this weekend and they are both touting his first interview with a Sunday morning program. George Stephanopoulos wrote : Our headliner on "This Week" Sunday: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. It's Geithner's first Sunday interview since taking the reigns [sic] at the Treasury Department. "Meet the Press" Executive Producer Betsy Fischer tweeted : MTP Guests for Sunday: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in his first live Sunday interview plus an exclusive with Sen. John McCain. The difference, of course, is that "Meet the Press" promises Geithner's "first live Sunday interview" (emphasis added), while "This Week" claims his "first Sunday interview." So what gives? ABC tells us that Geithner will pre-tape an interview with Stephanopoulos at 8AM in Washington. The interview will be "live to tape," while David Gregory will interview Geithner live at 9AM. Secretary Geithner's office did not return an email asking about the double-booking. Both "Meet the Press" and "This Week" will be forced to compete with "Face the Nation," which has booked President Obama for his first Sunday morning sit-down. ABC counters with Geithner critic Paul Krugman on the panel, which should make for exciting television, while NBC follows Geithner with Senator John McCain. Last week, "Meet the Press" won solidly in the ratings, averaging 4.315 million viewers, 45% more than "This Week" (2.981 million) and 57% more than "Face the Nation" (2.753 million). An appearance by President Obama on "This Week" on January 11 has been the only time "Meet the Press" failed to win in the ratings since David Gregory took over as moderator. More on Timothy Geithner
 
Bird Strike Records Proposed Confidential By FAA Top
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to keep secret from travelers its vast records on how frequently and where commercial planes are damaged by hitting flying birds. The government agency argued that some carriers and airports would stop reporting the incidents for fear the public would misinterpret the data and hold it against them. The reporting is voluntary because the FAA has rejected a decade-old recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board to make it mandatory. The agency's formal secrecy proposal came just after FAA officials had said they were going to release the huge database to The Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. As President Barack Obama promises a more open government, the FAA says it needs to expand secrecy to cover this safety data because if the public learned the information then airports and air carriers wouldn't report damage from birds. "To have the government actually chill public access to safety information is a step backward," said James Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Public awareness is an essential part of any strong safety program." After a multiple bird strike forced a US Airways jet to ditch in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, the AP requested access to the bird strike database, which contains more than 100,000 reports of bird strikes that have been voluntarily submitted since 1990. In a Feb. 18 conference call, FAA officials promised the AP the agency would turn over the data within days. Since then, the FAA has said only that the AP's request for the data under the Freedom of Information Act was "under review." Last Thursday, the FAA quietly published its proposal to keep the data secret in the Federal Register, the government's daily compendium of new and proposed rules and regulations in their dense legal language. The agency's proposal rested on the assumption that some carriers and airports it regulates would allow concerns about their image and profits to override efforts to keep passengers safe. "The agency is concerned that there is a serious potential that information related to bird strikes will not be submitted because of fear that the disclosure of raw data could unfairly cast unfounded aspersions on the submitter," the FAA said in the Federal Register. The FAA is particularly worried that the public will compare the data on various airports. "Drawing comparisons between airports is difficult because of the unevenness of reporting," it said. Not only do some airports do a better job than others of reporting strikes, they also face different challenges based on the bird habitats in their areas, the agency said. "Inaccurate portrayals of airports and airlines could have a negative impact on their participation in reporting bird strikes," FAA added. "It sounds like the FAA is going back to their early 1990s view that their job is to promote the carriers and look out for their bottom line," said Mary Schiavo, former Transportation Department inspector general. "They were criticized for that and then said they also were concerned with safety, but this sounds like they're reverting to being cheerleaders for the industry." "In this case, secrecy is going to kill," added Schiavo, a pilot herself. She said that since the US Airways incident, businessmen have told her of corporate jets damaged in bird strikes and their interest in researching the problem, which she said the FAA's proposal would hamper. The Airports Council International-North America, a trade group that represents the operators of most U.S. airports, said it was consulting its members on how to respond to the FAA proposal. The FAA has rejected another method of dealing with the problem of unequal reporting by airports and airlines. In 1999, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the voluntary reporting system fails to produce reports on many bird strikes so the FAA database "grossly underestimates the magnitude of the problem." Further, the board quoted Agriculture Department experts as saying "over 50 percent of the reports lack the most critical piece of information about a strike, the species of bird." As a result, the board recommended that the FAA require that bird strikes be reported. But the FAA refused. Meantime, the FAA acknowledges that, with increases in air travel and in the populations of dangerous large birds like Canada geese, the problem is growing. It said the annual number of strikes reported has grown from 1,759 in 1990 to 7,666 in 2007. The FAA bragged in the notice that its wildlife strike database is "unparalleled." On Wednesday, after last week's FAA proposal to keep the data secret, Melanie Yohe of the FAA told the AP the release of the database was "way overdue" and that "it should be with you right now." She said there is "no reason for it to take this long." FAA officials have emphasized that the loss of both of a jetliner's engines to bird strikes is very rare. The FAA's engine safety rules do not require that engines continue to produce thrust after a bird strike, only that they do not break into pieces upon impact with a bird weighing eight pounds or less. Two years ago, the Bird Strike Committee USA, a voluntary group of government officials and industry executives concerned about the issue, sought additional action. Richard A. Dolbeer, then committee chairman, wrote the safety board about four incidents in 2005-2007 in which both engines of an airliner were damaged _ by yellow-legged gulls in Rome, canvasback ducks in Chicago, starlings in Washington, D.C., and doves in Ohio. In a 2005 incident, a Falcon 20 freight aircraft ingested mourning doves into both engines, lost all power, slid through an airport security fence in Ohio and across a highway into a corn field. Noting that the incidents "occurred in widely diverse geographic locations and involved four different species of birds," Dolbeer wrote that they "show the margins between safety and catastrophe are becoming rather thin."
 
Leo W. Gerard: Colleges must stop killing student athletes' dreams Top
With college teams lined up in brackets, March Madness reminds me of greyhound racing. It's not the obvious similarities - all the wagering over both competitions or all the sleek strength on display. No, it's that just like broken down greyhounds, injured college players often are tossed aside. Of course, a college can't euthanize a ball player whose injury renders him unable to resume play or whose grades disqualify him - at least not the way a race track can put down an injured dog. What universities can do is kill players' dreams. And they do. Over the past year, 169 players have "disappeared" from the rosters of the teams in the men's basketball tournament. The National College Players Association, which is supported by the United Steelworkers, compared the 2007-08 rosters to the current ones and noted the missing players. Universities advertise themselves all over TV, particularly during college basketball and football games, as places where dreams are made. A National Collegiate Athletic Association policy, however, destroys dreams for many young athletes. It forbids schools to dole out more than one-year scholarships to athletes. This means they disappear from sports rosters and enrollment rolls at the same time. It's unfair and unnecessary. A bum knee may keep a kid from playing ball but certainly shouldn't prevent him from becoming a sportscaster or a civil engineer. In addition, a second National College Players Association study found that players also suffer because the NCAA prohibits universities from providing athletic scholarships that equal the cost of attendance. That means athletes, often from impoverished backgrounds, are expected to pay out-of-pocket for expenses not covered by what was described to them and their families as "full" scholarships. The study found the average cost to the athletes is $2,763 a year, but it's as high as $6,000. The NCAA needs to spend more on scholarships from the $545 million it receives each year from CBS Sports for the right to televise the men's basketball tournament. The NCAA must end the prohibition on full scholarships, and the scholarships must be awarded for five years, an athlete's typical length of stay. If an athlete drops out, or fails out, that's one thing, but he should never lose his ability to attend school because a coach doesn't like him or because he's injured. The National College Players Association study that concluded 169 players "disappeared" from the rosters of men's teams now in the basketball tournament excluded those young men who graduated or got drafted into the National Basketball Association. Athletes disappear for less positive reasons than finishing school or getting big pro contracts. They no longer qualify to play because grueling athletic schedules and inadequate academic support lead to poor scholastic records. They're injured, can't play, and their coaches revoke their scholarships. Coaches take a dislike to them, find promising high school players to replace them and cancel their scholarships. The loss of the scholarship means not only that there's no chance of going pro but also, for many students, there's no chance of finishing college. All dreams are dead. It's galling. Until that point, the college used their likeness, their name, their accomplishments to sell tickets and t-shirts. The college coaches raked in million-dollar salaries and the universities and conferences pulled down tens of millions from the television deals and corporate sponsors. But the student is left with nothing. Even athletes who are lucky enough to remain on the roster until graduation, retaining their year-to-year scholarships as they go, may end their college careers thousands of dollars in debt. The National College Players Association and Ellen J. Staurowsky, a professor of sport management at Ithaca College in New York, calculated the scholarship shortfall costs at Division I universities. For the average athlete, who attends five years, the shortfall ads up to $13,800. But what students must pay at some schools is much higher. The steepest is at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. There it's $6,000 a year, for a total of $30,000 over five years. University of Oklahoma player Courtney Paris snared huge publicity this March Madness season when she swore she'd return her scholarship money - estimated to be worth as much as $100,000 -- if the Sooners didn't win the national basketball championship. That's easier for her to say than most players, however. For one thing, it's expected she'll go pro, a prize only one percent of all college athletes attain. In addition, her father, Bubba Paris, a former tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and owner of three Super Bowl rings, might be able to help her pay tuition with less difficulty than the average college athlete's dad. The National College Players Association is not asking for pay for play. Its demand is much more basic, and fair: five-year complete scholarships for student athletes. No more deceptive one-year partial deals. For greyhounds, there's a rescue and adoption society to give those who are spared a good life after the trials of the track. Student athletes aren't asking to be "kept." They just want a fair chance to compete in the classroom. More on March Madness
 
Rod Shrader: Entrepreneurs and Optimism Top
Read the papers and watch the news these days and the drumbeat of seriously bad economic news keeps rolling on. An recent event at the Chicago Hilton and Towers reminded me that behind the macro trends is a very simple truth: the economy is made up of an enormous number of very small transactions. Each person's job, each person's mortgage, each business that makes a sale or purchase, each corporation that decides to retain or release employees is part of all that when added together makes up the economy and the direction that it moves. In saying this I am fully aware that a lot of bad and unusual things have happened in the finance sector of the economy. That is why good policy, vigorous oversight, and transparency are so important. Right now, though, I'm thinking about all those small transactions. At the Hilton and Towers, the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame welcomed 25 new members. These are people like Edward Miller, who founded the $34 million global contract manufacturing company Prince Industries , and Colleen Kramer, who grew Evergreen Supply Company from a home-based business started by her mother into a company with $17 million in annual sales. The Hall of Fame is housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Business Administration, which is itself one of the national centers for entrepreneurship education. Gerald Hills, the Coleman Foundation Professor of Entrepreneurship at UIC, who is retiring, received a standing ovation for his role in starting the focus on entrepreneurship at UIC more than 25 years ago. A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Doris Christopher, who started her business, The Pampered Chef, in her suburban Chicago home, struck a nerve in a nation full of self-starters and she had the pleasure of seeing her firm bought by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway in 1971. These days The Pampered Chef finds itself at the intersection of renewed interest in home based business and a population with a renewed interest in eating at home. Opportunity. This was a roomful of people who have not given up. It was a gathering of optimists. There was plenty of conversation about what the government should be doing to improve the business climate at the grassroots level. The topics were familiar--ease the burden of health care; improve access to short term credit and loan facilities; support investment through tax credits. Keep it all simple so people other than accountants can be winners. There was even an undercurrent of conversation about what something like the Olympic bid might mean to the local economy. The amount of business to be done in connection with the Olympics would be, well, herculean. The region's entrepreneurs are well aware of it and ready to be involved. It's business. But mostly the conversation was about the stuff of day-to-day enterprise. Entrepreneurs have a way of looking at the world that is highly resilient. It's probably rooted in the well-known fact that a lot of business startups go through failure on the way to success. So entrepreneurs don't dwell on what's going wrong. They ask themselves where opportunity might lie and then go after it. We need more moments like the one at UIC's Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. We all know the big problems facing the economy. It is important to remember that it is the small steps, added together, that will move us out of this mess. More on Economy
 
Danielle Cavallucci: Outrageous Reallocation of Planned Parenthood Funding Top
Birth Choice Health Clinics, a staunch supporter of abstinence-only education for young women seeking sex education and abortion options within the Orange County area, is slated to receive the reallocation of funds ripped from Planned Parenthood by the Orange County supervisors a few weeks ago. The fact that the religious leanings of the supervisory crew could so detrimentally affect the access of young women to factual information about their legal options is outrageous. The fact that, in a nation where freedom of religion is a cornerstone, where we've gone so far as to ban 'God talk' in schools and push the Pledge of Allegiance out of the classroom due to religious overtones, this blatantly misinformed decision on the part of those who would like to impose their moral and religious views on the general populous, ignoring overwhelming evidence proving that abstinence-only education does not work, is abhorrent. Funds given to Planned Parenthood were used for education and examinations, for religiously unbiased, medically sound advice to the poor, marginalized and disadvantaged women of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Denying women access to every tool legally at their disposal in favor of imposing an idealistic set of options wrought of those who concern themselves more with fetal rights than the rights of the living children of our nation holds none of our democratic principals in reverence, and acts in a dictatorial fashion shove the belief system of the few down the throats of the rest. That, my friend, is not democracy, nor is it American.
 
International Olympic Torch Relay Barred By I.O.C. Top
After a protest-marred torch relay preceding the Beijing Games last summer, the International Olympic Committee has decided to bar future organizing committees from taking the torch relay international. More on Olympics
 
Lora Somoza: Big Brother Flies The Friendly Skies Too Top
So, I was flying out of New York the other day and was pleased as punch to find I could get a little web surfing done with American Airlines' new partner, Aircell's www.GoGo.Inflight.com . $12.95 and a few minutes later, I had returned some emails, created a new, absurd Facebook status and caught up on the gossip. Nothing left to do but a little work. So as your friendly neighborhood sex columnist, I went looking for some sex. But it wasn't there. Well, let me be more specific. I wasn't looking for entertainment like Lord of the G-Strings or any other such subtle titles. I went to a few sites for plain old sex information. Just a little research. Like sex101.com . But what I got was a screen saying it was not available. (Mind you, this is not a porn site, but an information site.) I tried a few more tried and true sites, thinking maybe the site was down, but no dice. All erased from my inflight web. But the funny thing is, I could go over to innocent little "lady" sites, like Ivillage.com to read about pasta recipes and oral sex techniques. Then I could pop over to FemaleFirst.com to see how Brad and Angelina are fairing, but not before reading about tales of bondage and backdoor love. Even that dirty porn site known as Oprah.com , I can get my jollies learning about female ejaculation, sex toys and the latest fashions that will flatter my figure for the spring. What about more hard core porn sites? You know, the ones that ask you to click whether or not you are 18 before you enter. Wow, that's some serious security, huh? Sure those are gone, that's a no brainer but some of those pictures you CAN view on sites like FemaleFirst are just as erotic and... naughty. Or a couple of clicks and a little bit of luck can get your boat to float on that all-American Youtube. And forget going to buy a vibrator while flying the friendly skies... at least GoGoInflight won't let you go the normal, sex toy site route. But hey, who cares, when family friendly Amazon will sell you a rabbit or any other intimate play toy when you're cruising 35,000 feet in the air. Look, I get the argument that we don't want our children able to view porn on flights. Although, do you really see a lot of 12-year-olds flying solo with their own computer and Amex card? And no, I don't want to sit next to Mr. Smarmy Dude who's drooling over goat porn. I just want to know where do we draw the line and who's in charge of that line? I called and emailed Aircell, the company who gives us gogoinflight.com, to ask them. They never responded. American Airlines issued the following statement in regards to filtering offensive content: "While we have not currently experienced any issues with this, we want to be responsive to the feedback of our customers and employees. We are researching potential technology options that would filter pornographic content over the Aircell system." So you keep researching what's good for me, Mr. American Airlines and Mr. Aircell. I will keep wandering down the wrong paths. The ones right under your nose. More on Sex
 
White House Not Ruling Out Troops In Pakistan Top
President Obama has just laid out his new war strategy. And he's made it clear that the fight is both in Afghanistan and Pakistan. So I asked Dennis McDonough, with the National Security Council: Does that mean U.S. ground forces in Pakistan? Or more drone attacks? "I'm not going to comment on the notions you laid out there," he answered, during a White House conference call with bloggers. More on Pakistan
 
Jeff Biggers: His Eyes Are on the Spadaro: Coalfields Need Jack Back at MSHA or OSM Top
Jack Spadaro is a singular figure in the mining world. With nearly 40 years of experience as a mine safety engineer and expert, Spadaro is one of those very rare government regulators who is revered alike by miners and coalfield citizens for his meticulous commitment to safety, health and environmental standards in the coalfields. On the heels of last December's TVA coal ash pond disaster, and the EPA's recent decision to review mountaintop removal policies more closely, which has set off a flurry of miscommunication in the mining industry, Spadaro's legendary expertise and clarity could not be more needed in the transitioning corridors in Washington, DC. Whether it is a high level appointment at MSHA or the Office of Surface Mining, the Obama administration could use someone with Spadaro's integrity to rebuild the public trust in our regulatory agencies; that mining companies and the agencies responsible for enforcing mine health and safety and environmental laws must carry out their proscribed duties and be held accountable when they fail to do so. "Jack Spadaro always put the safety of the communities first," says Teri Blanton, with the Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. "He is one of my heroes. He carefully documented a disturbing history of violations leading up to, and following, the Martin County Coal sludge disaster. When the Bush administration pressured him to ignore the violations and sign a watered down report, he refused to back down, and it eventually cost him his job. I can't imagine a greater sacrifice to make in the name of public service." During the draconian era of the Bush administration, Spadaro's incorruptibility forced him out of his job at MSHA, where he served as the Superintendent at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, and investigated the Martin County, Kentucky coal slurry breakage in the fall of 2000 under the Assistant Secretary of Labor. One of the worst environmental catastrophes in the US until the recent TVA coal ash pond disaster, the Martin County spill at the Massey Energy site dumped over 300 million tons of toxic sludge into 100 miles of streams, contaminating the water supplies for 27,000 people, and wiping out 1.6. million fish. When Spadaro blew the whistle on the subsequent downplayed investigation reports and watered-down enforcement actions by the incoming Bush administration appointees, he found himself locked out of his office. In the end, Massey was cited for two minor violations and fined $110,000. As independent journalist Beth Wellington reported, House Committee on Education and the Workforce members, including Representatives George Miller, D-CA, Robert Andrews, D-NJ and Major Owens, D-NY, wrote to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao about the machinations behind the 2002 attack on Spadaro's crusade for safety and enforcement: "Obviously Mr. Spadaro's status as a whistleblower--questioning the conduct of the Martin County Coal investigation and the Department's use of no-bid contracts with friends and associates of Department officials--raises a very serious concern about the nature of the current disciplinary investigation against him." Since 2004, Spadaro has served as an independent mine safety & health and environmental expert. In accepting the Jenco Foundation Award for his long-time commitment to the Appalachian region in 2004, Spadaro looked back at his career beginnings: "My own job began in November 1968 at the Farmington Mine near Fairmont, West Virginia, where 78 miners died in a methane gas explosion. I had worked the summer before the explosion in that mine as an engineer trainee, so the deaths of those men was a devastating experience for me. In response to that disaster, Congress enacted the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, which became the foundation for mine worker health and safety for the next 35 years. I did dedicate my life at that time to doing anything that I could in my career to improve working conditions and living conditions for miners and their families in the Appalachian coalfields. "Later, in 1972, I went to Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia where a coal waste dam had failed around breakfast time on February 26. The dam failure sent 132 million gallons of black sludge down the narrow valley, killing 125 men, women and children and destroying homes in 17 communities. Some communities were literally swept away, never to be rebuilt. I spent the spring and summer of 1972 interviewing survivors and writing an engineering report regarding the cause of the dam failure. I'll never forget the faces or the voices of those people and the suffering they endured." In 2006, Spadaro received the Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award for his significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of constitutional rights. Here's a clip from that award: As the Obama administration begins to make its high level appointments at MSHA and OSM, let's hope Jack Spadaro will be there to usher in a new era in the coalfields. More on Barack Obama
 
Ray Mabus, Obama's Pick For Secretary Of The Navy Top
JACKSON, Miss. — President Barack Obama will nominate former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus to be secretary of the Navy, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday. Mabus, 60, is a Democrat and campaigned extensively for Obama last year. He had been previously talked about as a candidate for a place in Obama's cabinet as secretary of education. The person with knowledge of the Navy nomination requested anonymity because the White House has not yet made an official announcement. Mabus served in the Navy from 1970-72 as a surface warfare officer on the Newport, R.I.-based USS Little Rock. Before then, he was in the Naval ROTC while he was an undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi. He was governor of Mississippi from January 1988 to January 1992. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994-96 under President Bill Clinton. Mabus' name surfaced as a possible Navy secretary soon after Clinton was elected president. Mabus' term as governor overlapped part of Clinton's tenure as governor of neighboring Arkansas. Mabus' nomination would need to be approved by the U.S. Senate. The secretary is the civilian leader of the service and is responsible for a wide range of duties, from recruiting and mobilizing to overseeing the construction and repair of ships, equipment and facilities. If confirmed, Mabus would succeed Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said Friday he had been made aware of Mabus' pending selection. "I have been made aware of it and fully support the nomination," Wicker said as he boarded a commercial flight from Washington to Mississippi. "I look forward to working with him." Mabus was an early supporter of Obama's presidential campaign, endorsing the Illinois senator in 2007 and surprising some political observers who had expected Mabus to support Hillary Clinton because of Mabus' past political ties to Bill Clinton. Mabus launched his state government career in 1980 as an assistant to Mississippi Gov. William Winter. Mabus was elected state auditor in 1983, and angered many county officials by demanding greater accountability in their handling of public money. He used the corruption-fighting platform to emerge from a crowded Democratic primary field in the 1987 governor's race, then defeated Republican Jack Reed, a Tupelo businessman. Mabus sought a second term as governor in 1991, but lost to Republican businessman Kirk Fordice of Vicksburg. Mabus has a master's degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Harvard University. From June 2006 to April 2007, Mabus was chairman and CEO of Foamex International Inc., and helped move the manufacturer of polyurethane foam products out of bankruptcy. He has served on the boards of several corporations and charities.
 
Sanjay Khanna: "Pessimists Die Quickly" (Gulp) Top
Bruce Sterling humdinger arrives via tweet from SXSWi '09 Bruce Sterling, sci-fi author, essayist, design thinker, and one of the founders of cyberpunk, delivered a closing keynote at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (a.k.a. SXSWi), the jewel in the crown of U.S. tech bashes held annually in Austin, Texas. He said, "In times of real trouble like today, pessimists die quickly." Sterling's pithy quote, picked up via Twitter ( Mickipedia ), raises the salient issue of what might constitute a meaningful optimism, given the tectonic shifts that are undermining the world and the planet we know. "In times of real trouble like today." Scientists and economists are prone to conservatism. According to the March emergency summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, 2,500 climate experts agreed that climate change might surpass the worst-case scenarios outlined in the 2007 report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). At the same event, Sir Nicholas Stern , economist and author of The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change , said he had "underestimated the climate crisis." As a writer, it's safe for me to go out on a limb and project that climate change will continue to exceed worst-case scenarios. Here's why: Scientists measuring the retreat of ice cover in the Arctic and West Antarctic are discovering new mechanisms that accelerate climate change almost every year. Furthermore, incomplete climate models are also contributing to the pace of climate change being continuously underestimated. Despite time running down on the climate front, the economic crisis, not the climate crisis, remains at the center of government agendas around the world. This is based on the premise that governments need to reignite economic growth to recoup the trillions lost so they can eventually get around to making climate change the priority. In the midst of this, many governments want to institute a new Kyoto-style cap-and-trade mechanism as a key part of mitigating climate change. But as James E. Hansen , leading climate scientist and director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has pointed out , "The worst thing about cap-and-trade, from a climate standpoint, is that it will surely be inadequate to achieve the sharp reduction of emissions that is needed. Thus cap-and-trade would practically guarantee disastrous climate change for our children and grandchildren." So, barring literal, Bible-style miracles, we're on direct course to Disaster. Full. Steam. Ahead. "Pessimists die quickly." There are two kinds of pessimists: First, there are those who are pessimistic about how things will unfold (James Lovelock, 90, author of just-released The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning , and The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis and the Fate of Humanity , is a pessimist of this variety). Next, there are those who are pessimistic about human nature. Hard evidence of accelerating climate change would behoove us to eventually adopt a Lovelockian pessimism, but to remain optimistic about our inherent goodness. Times of great turmoil and struggle -- such as those implied by climatic and economic disruption (food, water , shelter, money, and reliable information would be in shorter supply) -- demand that we awaken optimism. That optimism aids in survival has been shown in refugee camps, among disaster survivors, among those living in poverty, among the wrongfully imprisoned, heck, even among tech entrepreneurs burning through cash and looking for exit strategies. I concur with Lovelock that things aren't going to turn out well from an economic, ecological, or climatic perspective. Nevertheless, I believe we need to place trust in one another and create community-based responses, whole or piecemeal, in the face of constraints that are bound to grow over time. A few more thoughts: Wishful thinking turns all-too-readily into pessimism. When the bubble of wishful thinking bursts, it transforms into pessimism. Today, it represents increasingly wishful thinking to assert we can do battle against the entire planet's climatic response to industrial and agricultural activity. Why? Because the synergistic effects of falling aquifers, melting ice sheets, receding glaciers, declining biodiversity, a toxic atmosphere, and polluted rivers, lakes, and oceans, are proving too awesome to address, in part because pursuing wealth has historically been accorded more value than safeguarding nature in the collective societal and corporate imagination. Taking constructive action regardless of the outcome, however, and avoiding being ruled by either fear or hope, could make a difference: At minimum, working together will help us to envision and build an ad hoc human network for mutual support. The twenty-first century will constrain choice. Given accelerating climatic, economic, social, and technological change, the twenty-first century will demonstrate the limits of human agency. Severely limited choice and a destiny of hardship would be a massive shock to those of us who have been inculcated to experience identity and self worth through consumerism. The question is, what positive steps can individuals and communities take before climate change becomes distressingly tangible and before we're attuned to its irrevocability? Under regimes of water shortages, extreme pollution, climate catastrophes, and an economic Darwinism virtually unimaginable 30 years ago, we would need to find the inner strength to go DIY , grow food , forge community relationships, and share resources, such as they are, so that kindness and generosity could touch as many people as possible. Kindness matters. The twinned effect of a shrinking global economy -- and a dawning realization that a future of climate chaos is real -- would contribute to a mass psychology of fear, which represents a fundamental threat to human kindness, the most important tool we have for maintaining a social fabric. As it becomes clearer that survivability, not sustainability, is all we'll be able to prepare for, I believe a concerted effort to be actively kind with our intelligence, our inventiveness, and our resources can help to build a storehouse of community goodness that may well become our most valuable asset. More on Twitter
 
Obama's Afghanistan Plan, Amid Wide Praise, May Be Followed By EU Troop Contributions (VIDEO) Top
President Obama's plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan has so far been widely well received. According to a Reuters round-up : spokesmen from Afghanistan and Pakistan both welcome the plan as an "extraordinarily positive sign." Also, as Sam Stein reports , the plan leaves Afghani President Karzai feeling "extremely gratified." In the U.S., Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, as well as the senior Republican committee member Dick Lugar, have both expressed support for the president's plan. In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi praises the plan as "wisely" focused; and speaking for NATO, James Appathurai welcomes the increased dedication of resources. However, it is difficult to tell exactly who the Afghani and Pakistani spokesmen represent. One important group that could be missing from the laudatory chorus is the Afghan people . In a press release, film director Robert Greenwald, who has just returned from Afghanistan where he is filming a documentary on U.S. policy in the region , provides a less than sanguine report: "I just came back from Kabul and found that in Afghanistan, troop escalation is on the top of nobody's wish list," said Greenwald. "Having seen the devastation of the conflict up close and having talked directly to numerous Afghans, I can say that a policy involving a surge of 21,000 teachers, doctors and sanitation workers would be far wiser than a policy of 21,000 more troops." But, despite this blemish, it seems as though the widespread support for Obama's plan could go beyond just words, with EU Amabassador John Bruton suggesting on CBS that Europe may show support by contributing more troops to the effort as well. From CBS: On CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged" today, European Union Ambassador to the United States John Bruton, the Former Irish Prime Minister, said that Europe may send additional troops to Afghanistan. "There may be some additional troops for some purposes," Bruton said. "Particularly training was mentioned by President Obama [in his speech this morning], and I've no doubt that we would be willing to provide training for the Afghan army and the Afghan police. The development of the Afghan police is very, very important." [WATCH:] More on Afghanistan
 
Jason Rosenbaum: Do you want a straight majority vote on health care? Top
It comes down to this: Do you think health care reform should get a straight majority vote in Congress? Or should a few Senators be allowed to single-handedly block reform? As we speak, the Senate is working on President Obama's budget. At stake is something called "budget reconciliation," a Senate rule that forces Senators to take a simple majority vote on the budget. In other words, the budget cannot be filibustered. The bill the House Budget Committee passed yesterday includes "reconciliation instructions" for health care , which means health care reform, according to the relevant committee in the House, should be passed with the budget and by budget rules. The question is, will the Senate committees do the same? Or will we repeat the mistake Bill Clinton called his worst one? It goes without saying that having a majority vote on health care, as opposed to needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, makes passing health care reform easier. The argument that this is "not bipartisan" doesn't hold much water. George Bush passed his tax cuts this way. And as Mike Lux points out in The Progressive Revolution , not a single Republican in the House voted for Social Security under FDR. But there is principle to this argument, too. The American people voted for Barack Obama - largely because of his health care plan - and we only needed a majority vote to elect him. Shouldn't the Senate only need a majority vote to pass this major piece of his agenda and bring to America the change we need? We missed this opportunity to do health care reform last time around : In 1994, the Clintons wanted to use reconciliation to pass health care, but Robert Byrd, the Senate's hallowed parliamentarian, said no. Clinton has said that his worst mistake in health care was not fully appreciating the blow his strategy had been dealt. Let's not make the same mistake again. If you think a couple Senators should be able to block reform, if you think health care deserves a straight majority vote, then click here to call your Members of Congress . Tell them you want to give health care reform a majority vote. (also posted at the NOW! blog ) I'm proud to work for Health Care for America Now.
 
Dana Joy Altman: Real Food Rehab: Because Beautiful Food Is Your Birthright Top
Forget everything you've been told about food. There's a virtual minefield of information out there about how and what to eat and I find most of it confusing, conflicting and oppressive. White flour is bad for you, eat small meals throughout the day, corn syrup causes diabetes, eat five servings of fruits and vegetables, how many calories are ideal for my body weight - It's exhausting, right? So, by any means necessary, let it all go. As of right now, you're starting over with a clean slate. Like most people, I want to look great, feel great, and have abundant energy to accomplish my life's work. And as someone who's experienced a lot of angst around eating, I completely understand how tempting it is to search outside oneself for answers in the latest health study, diet fad or celebrity success story. What has helped me is to quiet down all the external chatter - all the "shoulds" we live with everyday - and listen to what it is I really desire. I've discovered that what I yearn for is satisfaction - in every sense of the word. I know I'm not alone in this. What truly satisfies me and what makes the most sense to me is eating real food - foods that are unprocessed and as close to their natural state as possible. In the last 20 years, technology, marketing and politics have taken over food production and completely gotten in the way of us eating in our own best interests. Eating real food is no longer the norm. We've lost our taste for it; our senses have been dulled to accept processed, cloying and chemical flavors. But before I lose you to what might sound like ideological grandstanding, let me assure you that the road back to real food isn't as difficult or as joyless as it sounds. In fact, it's brought me daily doses of joy and beauty, a healthy, energetic body, new friends and acquaintances, a creative outlet, a connection to nature and so much more. I believe in every fiber of my being that real food is the answer to what many of us are looking for without even realizing it. It's our direct connection to health, to community, to culture, to nature, to creativity, to pleasure, and to nurturing ourselves. Not to mention that to eat real food is to work with your body's innate wisdom, not against it, which naturally brings with it the benefits of health and vibrancy. Eating well is a life skill. It's about learning to trust ourselves, getting back in touch with our instincts and returning to those things that nourish us and give us pleasure. Remember pleasure? I do. And we all need a whole lot more of it, especially right now. So, through an ongoing education of trial and error, I've developed Real Food Rehab, a practical philosophy of eating well that I would be honored and delighted to share with you. I'm a native Chicagoan with a macro-force of resources to help make this process as simple, pleasurable and delicious as possible. I realize many of you are starting at different levels of knowledge, skill and experience. I also understand that not everyone wants to cook - some people simply want to be able to throw together a healthy meal for themselves. To those of you who say you have no time to shop, to cook, to satisfy yourselves and your family with real food, I say, that is a choice you make . It can be a brutal and busy world out there, I get it, but time isn't something we're given, it's something we take. This is not an all or nothing proposition either. This is a process you take step by step at your own discretion and the good news is Chicago is chock full of delicious resources for every taste and budget. And wait until you taste some of the beautiful food produced and grown right here and in the surrounding area. I promise it will make the quality of your lives that much better. Here's yet another important point I want to raise: I don't believe that any real foods are inherently bad for you. Not one. Trust that only you know what makes you feel good or bad. So, cut out the fear and eat and embrace what you love. Learn to cook what you're passionate about; follow what fascinates and moves you. Use the best, quality ingredients you can afford. For example, say you love a grilled cheese sandwich every now and then. Elevate it by buying yourself a gorgeous loaf of sourdough at a local bakery, use real butter and maybe try some Comte, Gruyere or Fontina Val d'osta cheese. Invite a friend over, crack a bottle of wine, and make a simple green salad. Bring out the cloth napkins. Why not make it special? We are only here for a short time and beautiful food is your birthright . Next Week: Resources to Create a Real Food Fridge & Larder More on Food
 
Virginia M. Moncrieff: Asia's Very Own 'Fairness' Doctrine Top
Just like Botox, the practiced eye can tell if someone has been applying fair-skin creams, or fairness creams. There's a flat kind of paleness to the face, seemingly devoid of color and pigmentation; like a burn victim well on their way to recovery. Benazir Bhutto always struck me as the perfect example of over-enthusiastic application of fairness creams -- a surreal paleness all at once flat and unflattering. And just like Botox, you're never going to influence our Asian sisters (and increasingly, our Asian brothers too) to steer clear of the fairness creams. The most rich and most famous people are always fair, aren't they? Just off the top of your head, I challenge you to name one darker skinned Bollywood actress. Can't? That's because you'd be hard pressed to find a single dusky skin among them. (Though you're never going to convince people to be honest about using creams. In India, I once asked a friend who had all the signs of using fairness creams if she thought they worked well. "I have no idea," she defensively mumbled, "I don't use them at all"). Fair skin, oh the magic of having fair skin! It can get you a cashed up husband, launch you in Bollywood, get you a job promotion and respect in the eyes of society. In India's newspaper wedding classifieds a girl will be promoted for her "wheatish" skin, which is better than being dark, but not as good as being "fair." Men looking out for the perfect bride will happily declare "caste no bar" but go onto specify that she must have "wheatish" or "fair" skin. Put bluntly, dark skin is considered uncivilized in many parts of Asia. Westerners tend to flatter themselves that Asian women are trying to emulate us, but in fact it is more about economic and social status than anything to do with the West. Dark people toil in the fields, do hard labor and are exposed to actual work. Fair people represent luxury and idleness, wealth and social standing. For a few rupees in India -- the biggest fairness cream market in the world -- you can buy a tube or jar from your local snake oil merchant. Half of these products wouldn't meet the most rudimentary safety standards but they are eagerly bought with any disposable income that women (and increasingly men) might have. You can also buy hideously expensive whitening creams -- Western visitors to Asia will see whole lines by famous cosmetic houses that have lines aimed purely at the fairness obsessed local consumers. Duty-free shops at airports groan with fairness and whitening washes, masks, creams and serums. There have been scares about fairness creams recently; products containing lead and dangerous amounts of chemicals, consumers being burnt by too much bleach or other dodgy ingredients. (Recent tests of 36 fairness creams done in Hong Kong found that eight of them had dangerous levels of mercury). None of this seems to turn people off, and cosmetic companies use increasingly wild promises to sell their creams. Some come with "fairness indicators" -- cardboard strips you can hold up to your face to see the promised miracle conversion of your ugly dark skin to becoming 6 shades lighter in just one week. Last month, the Indian Health Minister Mr. Anbumani Ramadoss acted to ensure that fairness creams provide a scientific evidence of their claims. "This needs to stop," he declared. "They cannot say within one week (that) you will be white and all this. They need to provide scientific evidence." I imagine his stern warnings fell on deaf, but fair, ears. And it won't stop. The fairness cream industry rolls on, and Asian women fork out big bucks for the promise of a lighter skin, followed by a job promotion, parental approval, a better marriage and a happier life. Easy, huh? More on Asia
 
Irene Rubaum-Keller: Are You a Compulsive Overeater? Top
Compulsive overeating is characterized by an obsessive compulsive relationship to food. It is the sister to binge eating disorder, where one eats large amounts of food, sometimes 5,000 calories or more, rapidly. Most people with these disorders feel out of control when they eat, eat alone due to shame, eat really fast, don't savor the food and get high from the serotonin that is produced in the brain. Following the high there is guilt and depression, which can lead to another eating episode to try and feel better again. This same syndrome, when accompanied by purging, is called bulimia. Why some people suffer from this, and others don't, we are still learning about. Since we are just now able to look at different genes, and experiment with turning them off and on, there are daily and amazing advances that I hope will lead us to a cure. Meanwhile, if you suffer from these issues, there is hope and treatment. Most compulsive overeaters are not food connoisseurs. While it may seem like the problem is loving food too much, what we find is that it is really the love of the "high" they get from eating certain foods, in large quantities. Not the food itself. People who really love food tend to eat slowly, are very selective about what they eat, and tend not to eat past the point of full. Compulsive overeaters eat way past the point of full. Some I have worked with have consumed up to 60,000 calories in one day. Compulsive overeating and binge eating disorders are serious problems with the complications from each potentially fatal. If you suffer from these problems, a combination of talk therapy, medicinal and nutritional interventions have proven to be the best treatment. With help, it is possible to recover. I have personally suffered from compulsive overeating and exercise bulimia. Although the severity was less than in some, it was still a very difficult problem to overcome. It becomes like an addiction, and/or a very bad habit that is entrenched and resistant to change. While a cigarette smoker can quit, and an alcoholic can never drink again, a person with an eating disorder has to learn to manage food. This is very difficult, but completely possible. If you, or someone you love, suffers from these serious problems, please share your story with us. Your experience might just help someone else. If you'd like to participate in the research for Irene's new book about the process of weight loss, please visit http://www.eatingdisordertherapist.com/ and take the survey. More on Health
 
Youth Radio -- Youth Media International: Battle of the Sexting Top
A 14-year-old New Jersey girl who posted nude photos of herself on MySpace has been charged with distributing child pornography, according to the AP . The arrest is just the latest effort by sheriffs and district attorneys across the country to crack down on teenage "sexting"--texting explicit images phone-to-phone or posting them online--using laws that would result in registering convicted teenagers as sex offenders. Meanwhile, three high school girls in Pennsylvania are fighting back against similar charges. The New York Times reported Thursday that 15-year-old Marissa Miller and her two friends filed a lawsuit in federal court against the district attorney who threatened to charge them with sexual abuse of a minor. Investigators had found waist-up pictures of the girls wearing only bras that had been taken two years ago at a slumber party. The girls said the district attorney's threat was "retaliation" against them asserting their First and Fourth Amendment rights. As this ongoing story turns into a shouting match between adults, Youth Radio's Ahmina James weighs. She says we should teach "safe sexting" instead of charging teens with adult crimes. Read her article from earlier this month: Charging teen sexters with child pornography obviously isn't working as a deterrent for the simple fact that we're not afraid of what we don't know about. It also flies in the face of certain inevitabilities: that sexting is the product of new technologies and that teenagers are full of hormones. Charging teens as sex offenders isn't likely to stop the drive to find innovative ways to communicate, including innovative ways of sexting, anymore than it is likely to end puberty. The spread of underage porn is a big problem, but sexting itself is just not that serious. And it's not fair to punish us into our adult years - it can take decades to get off a sex offender list - for something so juvenile. Instead, let's have an awareness campaign about the risks of texting and posting our naked images - safe sexting? Then let's let teenagers be teenagers. More on Sex
 
Guantanamo Torture Decried By Former State Dept. Lawyer Top
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A former State Department lawyer tells The Associated Press that the Bush administration panicked after 9/11 and tortured prisoners. Former President George W. Bush denied anyone was tortured. But Vijay Padmanabhan is at least the second insider to publicly describe as torture the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" used by the U.S. Padmanabhan was the department's chief counsel on Guantanamo litigation. He says it was "foolish" for the Bush administration to declare that detainees were beyond the reach of U.S. and international laws and the Geneva Conventions. He told the AP Friday that "Guantanamo was one of the worst overreactions of the Bush administration." More on Guantánamo Bay
 
Esther J. Cepeda: Eternal Sunshine of Chicago's Mind: TIFs Need to be Brought Into the Light Top
Crooked politicians have run Chicago since I was born. That is a fact. Google Al Sanchez, "Hired Truck Scandal," Ed Vrdolyak, Jim Laski, "pay-to-play," I could go on and on but won't bother because we all know this. It's the stuff of legend. It's the Chicago Way! But we're supposed to believe that no backroom wheeling and dealing occurs when fat cats get together to carve out Tax Increment Financing Districts that take property tax money and supposedly reinvest it in communities? And I'm the queen of England, nice to meet you. TIF districts make peoples eyes glaze over because they're difficult to understand, difficult to track, and it takes decades to see the results of bad governance-- perfect conditions for pulling the wool over residents' eyes about how these things come to pass in their own back yards. So Ald. Manny Flores (1st) and Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) suggested bringing the whole process out into the klieg lights of this thing we call the internet so everyone who doesn't have time to hang out in council chambers can wrap their heads around what multi-million dollar deals might happen in their neighborhoods. And also where the money will go, since TIFs take that money out of local schools, parks, and libraries and put it ... somewhere else. Slam dunk, right? Ha, not in Chicago it ain't. Nope, all the king's men-- I'm sorry, I meant the majority of Chicago Aldermen and Women-- took a pass on more open, accessible, and accountable government. I asked Manny Flores why you should care, given that there's the sticky business of your spouse's job, the car note, the price of milk, and the entire global economy to worry about. "These are Chicago taxpayer dollars we're talking about," Flores told me over the phone Friday. "When is enough, enough? "People are looking at AIG nationally but you don't have to look any farther than the Republic Window company fiasco here," Flores said. "They received $10 million dollars of TIF money, whether they ever really invested into the community as they agreed to is questionable and then when they ran into trouble, they closed their doors - under cover of night - to relocate, and refused to pay the workers their due." So we should get mad as all hell and declare we're not going to take it anymore? "We have an opportunity to very easily provide more transparency in our government by publishing what should be public information and letting people participate in making those decisions," Flores said, "the taxpayers need to have better control over how their money is spent." Make it happen - find your alderman here and tell him or her that spring is here and it's time to let the sunshine in.
 
Craig and Marc Kielburger: Scars of Violence One Year Later Top
It's been said silence is golden - not here in Nairobi's Kibera slum. Kibera is Africa's largest slum and home to an estimated one million people. Last year at this time, it was also home to some of the most intense violence following Kenya's disputed presidential elections. Today, the affects of that violence linger in the sewage-lined streets and tin-roofed shacks. It's loudest in the five buildings that act as CARE International sexual violence reporting centers. Established early in 2008, these centers act as safe havens - places where survivors can gather and speak openly about their attacks. "We went into the urban areas that were highly-affected by post-election violence," says Beatrice Spadacini, a spokeswoman for CARE International in Nairobi. "But as the violence calmed down, that's when the issue of rape started to emerge." The violence that plunged Kenya into turmoil last year not only left 1,500 dead and 600,000 displaced. According to the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya, it also resulted in an estimated 3,000 rapes. Over of a year later, these women are not only dealing with the physical and emotional damage caused by their perpetrators. They are seeking justice. Even though it's slow coming, they refuse to stay silent. "Once you have a law in place, that's something you can't take for granted," says Spadacini. "But the implementation of that law and actually prosecuting is a whole different story." That story began on Dec. 30, 2007, when incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared re-elected despite challenges from his opponent, Raila Odinga. Riots erupted in the streets that involved ethic violence, particularly between the Kikuyu and Luo. At the Nairobi Women's Hospital, the doctors were overwhelmed. In the first two days of violence, the hospital's chief nurse reported treating 56 assaulted women and children and feared they weren't reaching hundreds of others. "Immediately after the violence, their medical needs were primary," says Spadacini. "Then there were the legal issues and how to get these women justice." Kenya's Sexual Offenses Act was passed in 2006. Before this, the law lacked a clear definition of rape or guidelines for sentencing. The new law has been difficult to implement - but the post-election violence provided a particular challenge because of the chaos and sheer number of victims. CARE went to work establishing reporting centers. Soon, the women began showing up. In all the centers have collected 300 testimonies - in 60, the reported perpetrators were members of the Kenyan military. "If they want to file, they can do so confidentially," says Spadacini. "Unfortunately, a lot have been perpetrated by law enforcement agencies so they are afraid." Unfortunately, a year later, only four men have been brought to trial. None have been convicted. Still, the women gather at the reporting centers - that's where Spadacini says their courage comes through despite the impunity. The women provide each other with the emotional assistance and the group gatherings ensure they do not feel isolated. Many have since tested positive for HIV - at the centers, councilors help them with treatment and therapy to deal with their new status. As well, Spadacini says the women have set up a loan program where they pool their monthly savings and donate it to individual women. This helps each of them rebuild their homes and businesses destroyed during the violence. Most importantly, it ensures the women do not remain silent. "I spoke with one woman who was raped and is now HIV positive," she Spadacini. "She told me, 'I am a Kenyan. I have the right to speak. And I'm going to for the sake of other women so that no one stays silent on these issues." That way, even when justice fails, the women don't. More on Kenya
 
Star Jones: Enjoying the Breeze, and Kicking a Little Knowledge Online Top
My PR dude said no, my manager said yes, my lawyer worried about the legal implications, and my guy just wanted me to not get my feelings hurt. In the end it came down to this: I am so fed up with the bickering, bitching, brawling, screaming, screeching ignorance masking as intelligence on the web that is just mean and nasty, for the sole purpose of selling books, getting ratings, garnering listeners, or generating headlines, that my head hurts. You would think that no one likes anyone anymore, no one has any friends, no one makes love, no one smiles and no one is proud of anyone other than themselves unless it benefits them. I'm a happy person right now. I got some stuff I still need to sort out and some work I want to do on myself, but all in all, I'm not hungry and I still have a place to sleep and my health is good. My parents are healthy, my 90-year-old grandmother is still alive and kicking, I have a few significant people in my life who love a respect me, and my country is on the right path with the right guy at the right time. It's tough out there, but can a sister enjoy a sunset for goodness sake? I'm stopping to enjoy the breeze, celebrate others who have brought joy to my life, and kick a little knowledge born of my ups, downs, and sideways. It may seem trite to others but it is my intent to celebrate what is blessed, good, smart, stimulating, interesting, inspiring, fun, joyous and positive in my life, my community, our country, and in our world. Oh stop with the violins! There are already enough stone-throwers and flame-starters on the web; this is my alternative. So no dirt-dishing, back biting, crab-in-the-barrel hatoration will take place on " Positively Star ." Like it or not, I vow to elevate only those thoughts, words and deeds of my gender and my race that are examples of excellence and stand as something we can all aspire to. That's what happens when you're closer to the grave than the cradle -- you mellow and take a little time to enjoy the view. Star's blog can be found at positivelystar.blogspot.com
 
Maggie Van Ostrand: Seabiscuit Gets the Last Laugh Top
On May 11th, a 44-cent rate-change stamp featuring the great thoroughbred racehorse, Seabiscuit, will be issued by the U.S. Postal Service. This stamp is significant for one huge reason: We the people did it! It took us eight long years, but we did it. People think we don't have power in Washington but, when there are enough of us, we can do anything. In 2001, when Laura Hillenbrand's best seller, Seabiscuit: An American Legend , was published, millions of readers were inspired by the true story of "an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse named Seabiscuit," who beat all odds and became a pop-culture phenomenon. Back in the Thirties, as many spectators attended his races as today attend the Super Bowl. Those who couldn't squeeze into the track hung off lampposts, stood atop their cars, and climbed onto roofs just to catch a glimpse of him. When President Obama appeared on the Tonight Show March 19, ratings rose higher than they'd been in years with 20 million viewers; when Seabiscuit raced, 40 million people listened on their radios. The stamp shows "the people's horse," Seabiscuit, beating the horsey crowd's favorite, the magnificent Triple-Crown Winner, War Admiral, in their famous match race, still regarded as the greatest horse race in history. Impassioned by the book, I took a guided tour of the Biscuit's home, Ridgewood Ranch, in Northern California and, at the showing of an old 8mm movie of his greatest races and life at the Ranch, I spoke with another tourist, a man from New Orleans. Over time and telephone, we became friends and he suggested we try to get Seabiscuit on a California coin. That idea evolved into the possibility of attempting to get the horse, an American cultural icon, on a U.S. stamp. Fat chance, right? We had no money, no lobbyists, and no Washington connections. We had only passion, and a belief that the word "No" really meant, "Try harder." We learned about the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, whose primary goal is to select subjects of "broad national interest for recommendation to the Postmaster General that are both interesting and educational." To give you an idea of the odds we were up against, merely 25 subjects are selected each year out of many thousands of submissions. Only one other horse in history (Secretariat) had ever been so honored, and he had big financial backing and Washington lobbyists. Undaunted, we started a grassroots movement, beginning with local book clubs, then book clubs nationwide. Their members not only signed our petition to the Committee, they circulated it to all their friends, who sent it to everyone they knew. We put the petition on the Internet to be printed and mailed by anyone interested. We trolled the streets for signatures; promoted the idea on sports news TV; haunted Santa Anita for signatures; and returned to Ridgewood Ranch for the premiere of the movie, Seabiscuit , getting signatures from attendees. We did everything we could think of and then some. Thousands of people pitched in, like an Arkansas soybean farmer, a Louisiana pharmacist, a Kentucky woman who cans hams for Hormel, a Massachusetts landscape designer; racetrack people; book lovers everywhere; and folks from all walks of life. Despite times of discouragement, disillusionment, and distress, we never gave up. If Seabiscuit himself never gave up when faced with insurmountable odds, how could we? If his fierce determination to win got him to the finish line to inspire Americans in the throes of the Great Depression, we intended to match his persistence. We may not be able to see the Biscuit run again, but we can all share in his heritage of beating the odds to achieve a goal. Give yourselves a round of applause and, when you hold the Seabiscuit stamp in your hand, remember that together, we the people can do anything.
 
Martha Burk: Moderate Taliban an Oxymoron Top
In my book "moderate Taliban" ranks right up there with "organic vienna sausage" as an oxymoron. But the President mentioned reaching out to the so-called moderate militias in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago in talking about how to quell the violence and fix the mess W left him with. Obama fleshed out his blueprint for gaining a peace on Friday, when he announced plans to send 4,000 more American troops and a few billion more dollars through a supplemental appropriation. Women's groups, both in the U.S. and Afghanistan, want to make sure any shifts in policy don't further harm women and girls. Despite Bush administration claims to the contrary, females have been set back -- way back--since 2001. Most are once again in the burqua, and girls are being attacked with acid for the crime of going to school. Women are often deprived of food, and have been kicked out of bread lines by the Taliban. Dr. Sima Samar, chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to sound the alarm. "I do not believe there are any moderate Taliban," she said Friday at a news aconference sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation. "The U.S. must not provide support for those who have terrorized women and girls and violated their rights." Pointing out that women's rights are human rights and not subject to so-called cultural norms, foundation President Eleanor Smeal called for increased attention to health and education, and expressed strong hopes that the Obama administration will attend to the plight of women. Afghanistan has ratified the universal women's human rights treaty known as CEDAW (the U.S. has not), and the Afghan constitution has basic protections for women. The challenge is bringing culture and practice, still under the grip of Taliban oppression, in line with the law. Smeal announced a new campaign, chaired by Mavis Leno and supported by women's groups and prominent leaders around the world, to insure that Afghan women will not fall victim to any new alliance of strange bedfellows. With a Secretary of State who is unapologetically pro-woman, and women in the Senate and House on their side, the the campaign has allies on both ends of Pennsylvania avenue. Congressional hearings led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on what is to be done for women have been promised. Due to a scheduling snafu, the women's news conference was taking place at the same time the president was announcing his plan for breaking the hold of the extremists. To his credit, he indicated that women and girls will not be forgotten in the new push, and he's no longer using the term "moderate Taliban. " But beyond that, there were no specifics on how to protect women. Good thing the girls were speaking up on the other side of town, because good ol' Ross Perot taught us the devil is in the details. It couldn't be more true for the future of women in Afghanistan. More on Afghanistan
 
Courtney Love Sued For Libel Over Online Rants Top
LOS ANGELES — Some of Courtney Love's online rants are now in a Los Angeles court. A fashion designer's libel and breach of contract lawsuit against the singer includes what she calls several "menacing and disturbing" statements posted on the Internet. Austin, Texas-based Dawn Simorangkir (Sim-or-AHNG-ker), also known as Boudoir Queen, says Love never paid her for work done. She filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The suit cites remarks from Love's Twitter and MySpace pages, and in the feedback section of Etsy.com. It said Love called Simorangkir a "nasty lying hosebag thief" and accused her of being a drug addict and a prostitute. Phone messages left for Love's publicist Thursday and Friday were not immediately returned.
 
Stephen Gyllenhaal: Mister President, you must not close Gitmo... Top
...because I can't imagine a moment in our history when we've needed it more. I mean Bush and company had some pretty fancy arguments for their use of it, but let's look at some hard realities. After 9/11 the guys who ended up there hadn't done any actual damage to our country (after all, none were convicted of involvement in 9/11 or much else). I assume there were some who wanted to do damage and I suppose under somebody's Constitution you can toss people in jail forever for that. And certainly some of the youngsters who ended up there might have grown up and become extremely dangerous, so point taken - but now we're in a situation where profound damage actually has been done, maybe fatal damage - to the Republic, its citizens, possibly to the very soul of the country... (Now, I want to make clear that I am in no way advocating that we throw into Gitmo all those upstanding gentleman - and the few token ladies - who lied to, stole from and manipulated Wall Street, the banking industry, the corporations and the governmental oversight agencies that were supposed to protect us against what they did.) I am completely against this. These stalwart men and women were only doing what our revered universities and enviable high-powered culture have been advocating for years - the survival, enrichment and blossoming of those who can achieve it, those who have stood with both feet on that centuries' old tapestry of "survival of the fittest" meets Calvinism, meets any reality show (all of them) with a tough, wily and not altogether honest (ha-ha) winner at the end. I'd say it's pretty much in our DNA by now, wouldn't you? I mean, didn't most of us play cowboys and Indians when we were kids? What was that about, other than a celebration of the most successful land grab in the history of the planet. And while we're on the subject of Indians, I think it's worth pointing out that Wall Street was purchased (fairly, after all - both parties agreed) for a handful of beads. So please don't blame these well-educated, generally well read and always hard charging folks for stealing, lying and spinning their way into McMansions, BMWs and big pensions funds (well, formerly big pension funds). It's the American way and it's generally worked like gang-busters. And, lest we forget, no more than six months ago it was all the rage to be one of those hard charging guys or gals. Only now, for instance, these poor AIG guys have been subjected to the rage. But do any of us really have the right to throw the first stone? I mean, how do you think it feels to get gabs of hate mail, even death threats? What's next? A guillotine? And why? Because they're unable to turn off the spigot of their finely-honed business acumen? How many of the rest of us have done any better shifting those life gears in these trying times, in any times? Let's be honest. Which is my point. Look at history. Have any of the movers and shakers from Rome to the British Empire been able to change their ways? And what has history taught us about what a populace does when it finally sorts out exactly how dreadfully it's been fleeced and manipulated? Which is where Gitmo comes in, Mister President. Because there are people waiting in the wings who just can't wait to stir that populace into a raging mob. And when that happens, heads will roll - literally - which will so totally screw up the possibility of this country ever pulling itself back from the brink that it isn't funny. So I plead with you President Obama, sir, send them all down to Gitmo for their own good. They'll get great tans. I'd suggest giving them great food too, maybe build a Four Seasons Hotel or two, except that the growing millions of out-of-work and homeless might look a bit askance at that. They might start sharpening that blade for you. So probably the better part of valor would be to reuse the cages already in place. Sadly there appear to be far more of these highly motivated ladies and gentleman who have bilked our country than the scum we rounded up before and sent to Gitmo, so that while those bad guys were maybe two to a cage, it would probably be necessary to up the number of the new visitors to between ten and fifteen. I am not in favor of this. At all. I believe people should be treated humanely. I believe we must never forget this or we are doomed as a culture, as a nation, as a Republic. I just don't think we have the money at the moment but there are a lot of things we're probably not going to have the money for when the dust settles: education, health care, alternative energy, research for almost anything new, you name it, the money won't be there. And I suspect it won't be there for a long time. But when it does start to come back, when the nation does begin to rise back onto its formidable feet, then let me be the first to demand that you build them more cages, sir, that you give them more room and better food, let them walk around and enjoy Cuba with it's calming white beaches and then... After the national rage subsides, after (hopefully) no irrational uprising has been set loose on the land, then I say -- forgive, forget and be understanding. Let them go free, because, though I wouldn't dare speak for the rest of you out there - at least in my case - I'd have to admit that, if I could have figured out how to do what they did, I might well have done it too. Lucky for me, I couldn't.
 
Paul Brest: Philanthropy on Another Planet Top
In my fourth post on Criteria for Philanthropy at its Best ®, I'll discuss NCRP's prescriptions for how a foundation should spend and manage its endowment or other assets. The Criteria require that a foundation (a) pay out at least 6 percent of its assets annually in grants and (b) invest at least 25 percent of its assets in ways that support its mission. NCRP starts from the unimpeachable premise that a foundation should take account of its mission in considering these matters. But the devil is in the details, and if the devil's task is to sow confusion, he's done a good job here. The central question is this: Should a foundation spend all of its assets today, or spend only the income they generate in order to preserve its ability to make grants in the future--perhaps in perpetuity. Hal Harvey and I devote a chapter of Money Well Spent to the contentions on both sides, which can be summarized as: • the needs of the present versus those of the future; • the growth rate of your assets versus the escalation of the problem you seek to address; • the existence of a strong actionable theory of change versus the likelihood of a better strategy in the future; • jump-starting versus sustaining fields and movements; • perpetuating institutional knowledge, culture, and reputation versus fossilization; • trusting future generations versus binding them to your views; and • various personal concerns. Although there are good reasons for a foundation to spend down its assets today, there are also legitimate reasons for it to continue its work in perpetuity. NCRP acknowledges this in principle, but--characteristically of the Criteria --only puts forward one side. In fact, its mandate to pay out 6 percent of a foundation's assets in grants probably requires the foundation to spend down and therefore decapitalize. The question here is what percent of its endowment a foundation can pay out annually and still maintain its value over time. The received assumptions are that, in the long run, a foundation can expect a return of 8 percent on its endowment, that inflation will average 3 percent, and that therefore the maximum payout to maintain the endowment's value is 5 percent. Here's what NCRP says about the issue: Studies demonstrate that 5 percent is not the highest sustainable payout rate and that foundations could pay 7 or even 8 percent and maintain their endowments. NCRP acknowledges that some well-intentioned leaders in the sector disagree with these findings and believe honestly that 5 percent is the highest sustainable payout rate. However, NCRP and others believe higher payout and perpetuity are not mutually exclusive... DeMarche & Associates analyzed investment returns for a hypothetical foundation and concluded that 5 percent may be too high a payout rate for a foundation to exist in perpetuity. Cambridge Associates also concluded that their findings supported a maximum 5 percent payout. These findings merit some robust debate and frank criticism. Foundation growth during the years in which the DeMarche study was conducted was so robust that the researchers acknowledged that foundations could have increased their payout rates to 6.5 percent with minimal to no impact on their corpuses. Moreover, when Perry Mehrling applied his own methodology to DeMarche's hypothetical foundation, he found that over the course of 20 years a payout rate as high as 8 percent would have maintained the foundation's asset size. Yet, DeMarche & Associates insisted that 5 percent was the maximum sustainable payout rate for any foundation seeking to exist in perpetuity. That's the sum of NCRP's analysis of this issue: It references studies that conclude that 5 percent is the most foundations can pay out without decapitalizing and cites critics of the studies who say they can pay out more. Then, with a condescending nod to "some well-intentioned" people who might disagree, but without any argument, NCRP asserts that foundations can pay out more. If NCRP intended to help foundation leaders reach their own conclusions, its Criteria might have included a coin for flipping. (Watch out, though, for a hidden weight on one side.) In any event, the analyses cited were done in relatively good times. Although the Criteria were published in March 2009, they say nothing about the last half year's precipitous decline in the markets that has reduced most foundations' endowments by a third. Not surprisingly, perpetuity has its bad times as well as its good ones. Let's suppose that we do flip the coin and decide that a foundation can afford to pay out 6 percent a year without decapitalizing. But NCRP requires more than this: the 6 percent must be paid out in grants. Any administrative costs, such as rent and salaries, must be in addition to this amount, so that a foundation's annual expenditures are necessarily greater than 6 percent. NCRP's refusal to include administrative costs in a foundation's mandated payout is inconsistent with its absolutely correct view that foundations should pay their fair share of a nonprofit grantee's administrative costs, of which staff salaries are the largest component. Good staff members are as essential for a foundation to achieve its mission as they are for its grantees. Moreover, fulfilling NCRP's mandate for mission investing (discussed below) takes even more staff time, paid for on top of the 6 percent payout for grants. Even for someone who agrees that a foundation's payout policy should take account of its mission, NCRP provides only one side of the story. The Criteria cite an article by two McKinsey partners who apply the investment concept of discounting to argue that a dollar spent today has more than a dollar paid out in the future. They quote a participant in a symposium moderated by Michael Klausner to support this view. But they neglect to mention Professor Klausner's own strong rebuttal of the McKinsey argument. In any event, the Criteria provide little guidance on when a foundation's mission calls for spending down and when not. Perhaps that's because--in contrast to grantmaking to mitigate climate change or nuclear proliferation--it's quite plausible that a foundation can benefit marginalized communities just as well in the future as by spending now. If NCRP's discussion of mission investing is somewhat muddy, that's because, other than the traditional vehicle of below-market program-related investments (PRIs), the ideas in this area are still works in progress. While I claim no expertise here, my own research suggests far more uncertainty than NCRP allows. And nothing in the Criteria justifies the requirement that 25 percent of a foundation's investments be mission related. The fundamental issue, especially when coupled with NCRP's payout mandate, is how much a foundation must sacrifice in endowment income when it makes mission investments. PRIs, which usually sacrifice income for mission, are accorded special treatment by the tax code. At the other end of the spectrum are investments in publicly traded companies: When such investments are consistent with a foundation's mission, they may make a foundation feel and look good, but they have no effect on the market or the behavior of companies. The complicated question is the extent of mission investment opportunities that can really make a difference at the same time as they get market-rate returns. As is its wont, NCRP cites only the scenarios that support its case. NCRP adverts to the possibility that low returns on mission investments, together with a high payout, would require a foundation to spend down its endowment. Nonetheless, the Criteria demand that a foundation that hopes to exist in perpetuity must "pay out 6 percent in grants only while also ensuring that at least 25 percent of its assets are invested in ways that support its mission." If it is possible to keep the endowment candle intact while burning it at both ends, NCRP does not say how. Somewhere, in a parallel universe, there's a planet almost like earth, but whose markets yield a high enough return on investment to meet NCRP's demands. In other ways as well, the Criteria might fit that planet better than ours. But for better or worse, we don't live there.
 
Chicago Olympic Committee Increases Minority Contract Promises Top
Dissatisfied black aldermen today convinced Chicago 2016 to up the ante on Olympic construction set-asides to 30 percent for black contractors and 10 percent for women. More on Olympics
 
Hani Almadhoun: Israel Make Over: Here Is a Start Top
Recent elections in Israel that resulted the victory of the Israeli right wing; the high death toll of civilians during the Israeli assault on Gaza, and the admission by Israeli soldiers that they viewed Gaza as a "shooting gallery" and randomly shot innocent civilians unconcerned about the consequences; the surge of racist and discriminatory practices against Palestinians and Palestinian citizens of Israel promoted by Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a member of the incoming government; a wave of bestselling books critical of Israel; Israeli soldiers sporting t-shirts depicting the killing of Palestinians; and the democratization public opinion via non-traditional media, have all given Israel a headache. Of course it did not help that a number of Jewish foundations lost millions of dollars to Madoff and his ilk. Now Israel has a lot of work to do and I am sure they are shopping for advice from their friends who reside anywhere between Manhattan and Hollywood. I'm sure they will be generous with their advice on how to give Israel the makeover it needs in these hard times. But since Israel won't be soliciting any input from me or anyone of my kind, I've decided to offer a few ideas anyway. Yes, I am a Palestinian from Gaza who lived under the Israeli occupation and my entire family still feels its impact twenty-four seven. Whatever decisions Israel decides to go with will surely affect me and millions like me. I am a realist and realize that Israel has to do things a certain way, and they will not joke around with their security or any existential threats (real or perceived). For Israel's sake, causalities will occur and homes will be demolished. Progress in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations is a casualty of the old dilemma: who came first the chicken or the egg? Palestinians want their land back, Israelis want to feel secure. Untying that knot depends on who lets go first: a Palestinian leader cannot deliver Israel security until he has a land upon which to enforce his rule, an Israeli leader cannot take the risk of giving up land, only to see it become a militant base camp. So, I've compiled a list of gestures Israel can make to improve their much troubled brand. How about next time you go after a "bad guy," try not to kill an entire family with him. And if for reasons unknown you want to take the family with the "bad guy" leave the neighbors alone. Palestinians are never short of stories of innocent civilians who became victim to random bombing and shooting. Perhaps when you impose a siege on Gaza as you are doing now, please allow in humanitarian supplies. In addition to banning any construction material and electronic devices, the lists also includes pasta, chick peas (no Humus or Falafel tonight) toilet paper (causing soggy bottoms and uproar in Foggy Bottom). Next time you send a notice of demolition to an Arab in Jerusalem because he added an extra story to his home, also send another notice of eviction to that nice family of Russian Jews who are living in a settlement that violates the international conventions on occupation. Do not open your doors to immigrants from all corners of earth while constructing walls to shut out the native inhabitants, keeping them from their families, schools and farms. Charity, as we know, begins at home. Perhaps instead of addressing the symptom of a particular problem, the Israeli government will muster the courage to address the real cause of the problem. Launching primitive rockets on Sederot is cruel and inhuman, but can the Israelis now empathize with the innocent Palestinians who live under constant and more sophisticated firepower? I won't hold my breath. If Israel is concerned about the demographic time bomb, research shows that education and development pushes down fertility rates. Why not allow Palestinian schools and universities to operate uninterrupted by forced closure and even invest in improving the Palestinian education system? Instead of importing foreign labor whose wages are repatriated to their home country, hire a Palestinian who would turn around and buy Israeli goods and spend his time at home watching TV rather an hanging with his homeboys cooking up trouble. The more settlers you send into the Occupied Territories, the more the two-state solution becomes obsolete. I anticipate the day when Palestinians start raising Israeli flags and calling for one man one vote. Democracy is a scary thing for those committed to a "Jewish" state. About those 10,000 Palestinian prisoners you are holding in your world class prisons. Do you really want to do this? America is fighting a "global war on terror" and has not managed to sweep up 10,000 prisoner from the entire world -- but from population of only a few million you hold 10,000 Palestinians as prisoners; obviously the threshold you have to meet to get into an Israeli prisons is very low -- only for Palestinians though. Change your military uniforms. To be honest the Israeli soldier is not what makes the solider, the uniform does. A mean looking solider with an intimidating uniform can be scary. Switch uniforms to more friendly ones such as clowns. It's friendly to the viewer and you know no one thinks of violence when they see a clown. Assert that you are actually "de-developing" the Gaza Strip in order to make it "greener." Cutting fuel supplies, bombing highways, along with the destruction of other major infrastructure, will turn a place greener. But, the irony is, green is Hamas' color of choice. Allow Palestinian students, especially ones granted scholarships, to go abroad and attend the colleges of their choice. Locking down the educated Palestinians will not do Israel any good and only turns those educated ones into frustrated idealists and potential militants, and no one wants to deal with the wrath of those people. It's wise for Israel to allow sick Palestinians to get medical care wherever offered. Palestinians need clearance from Israel to receive medical attention in Egypt, Jordan or whatever country will take them. I'm sorry, but healthy people with a positive outlook on life are Israel's best friends. Those are few gestures Israel can make to show good will toward the Palestinian people and the world community which has grown weary of Israel's unnecessary and inhumane tactics. Obviously, these suggestions may expose Israel to some risk, but the consequences of inaction could be much worse. Ultimately any Palestinian leadership has to reciprocate kind gestures by promising to work with Israel. And, positive Israeli gestures will surely give the Palestinian leadership ammunition with which to silent their opposition, especially those opposed to peaceful coexistence. And please take my unsolicited advice as you would take the advice of your college roommate, the one you must share a space with peace. More on Palestinian Territories
 
3 Classic April Fool's Day Pranks Top
Know what's just around the corner? Only the most funnest holiday ever -- April Fool's Day! I mean, who doesn't love April Fool's Day? No one. That's who! Name another holiday that lets you to engage in good-natured hijinks and tomfoolery with none of the ramifications you would normally expect? (I know what you're thinking. Ash Wednesday, right? But it turns out that churchgoers actually want the priest to leave that sooty stain on their foreheads, so that doesn't technically doesn't count as a prank.) So with this awesome holiday drawing near, I thought it would be a good time to review three classic April Fool's pranks for you to try out on your friends and loved ones. Remember, it's April Fool's Day, so it's just good clean fun!
 
Huffington Post Business On Facebook, Twitter Top
Executives getting introduced via Facebook. Shareholders receiving company filings via a Twitter post. CEOs using email to publicize their latest initiatives. And now... Getting the latest business news in real time on the Huffington Post Business page. Follow Huffington Post Business on Twitter here . Become a fan of Huffington Post Business on Facebook here . You will get real time updates with the latest business news, photos and links, and best of all, give the editor feedback and comments on the stories of the day Check out the Huffington Post Business page on Facebook and Twitter and become fans today! More on Twitter
 
First Lady Coifs: From The Beltway To The Runway (SLIDESHOW) Top
Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama aside, first ladies have historically been stereotyped as plain Janes. Contrary to popular belief, however, when it came to their coifs, the White House women of the past were actually pretty fashion-forward--if the recent catwalks are any indication! Check out these former first lady hairstyles and their runway counterparts. *For many more first lady hairdos that made it from the White House to the runway, check out Elle.com.* SLIDESHOW (Images courtesy of Elle.com ): More on Photo Galleries
 
Holbrooke Draws Comparisons To Rwanda In Advocating Obama's AfPak Policy Top
The rollout of Barack Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan policy has largely focused on a variety of military and diplomatic objectives, from the training of forces to serve in both country's armies and police forces to procedures to eradicate the drug trade crippling the Afghan economy. In a briefing with reporters on Friday, however, Obama's chief ambassador to the region, Richard Holbrooke, offered a humanitarian justification for the administration's approach. And he did so by drawing parallels to one of America's most glaring failures on this front: the genocide in Rwanda. Defending Obama's policy as being appropriately fluid and open to new proposals, Holbrooke noted that simple adjustments, like influencing the mediums of communication in the region, could have major humanitarian effects. "One of the most important ideas in this report," he said, "is the information issue. In Swat, for example, there are about 150 illegal FM radio stations, and Fazlullah is going around every night broadcasting the names of people they're going to behead or they've beheaded. Any of you who have a sense of recent history know that that's exactly what happened with Radio Mille Collines in Rwanda, and the United States did nothing, to our eternal regret." This was not the first time that Holbrooke has referenced Rwanda in an effort to drive home the importance of specific foreign policy adventures. He did the same in 1999 when discussing the basis for intervening in East Timor. He has also been openly critical former president Bill Clinton for a failure to act in Rwanda. Certainly, any reference to that genocide is designed to tug the heartstrings of America's foreign policy id. In this case, the specific focus of his remarks was meant to underscore the need to have a flexible framework, in which the administration can tackle new and emerging issues as the present themselves. "The way I think we've avoided it is that this is a not a straitjacket," said Holbrooke. The subject of his remarks, Maulana Fazlullah, is a hard-line Muslim cleric who heads a well-armed group of Pakistani Taliban that reigns over larges swaths of the northern Pakistan region, Swat. More on Genocide
 
Phil Bronstein: Obama and Clinton on Drugs: Just Say No. . . Sometimes? Top
Drug wars in Mexico are serious business, but, north of the border, the left hand seems to have forgotten what the right hand is doing. All the way to here in hazy San Francisco. Hey government dudes! (male and female). Give the bong back to Michael Phelps and make up your mind. Hillary Clinton hit Mexico City yesterday and, in the new Obama confessional of personal responsibility, conceded that our "insatiable demand for illegal drugs" is the fuel that gases up the violent trade that's become a corrosive acid on both sides of the migra fence. And that's admitting a lot, given the recent body bag action . How often do you hear big governments and their armies described by the POTUS himself as "brave" for taking on drug cartels? Probably not since the bleached white heights of Colombian cocaine hyperactivity. Only this is much closer to (our) home. Mrs. Clinton, continuing an impressively but surprisingly low-profile promenade around the world's trouble spots, preferred to concentrate on weapons smuggling back and forth, even though it's a lot harder to get gun control through the US Congress than it is drug legislation. (A cranked shout out to Ohio, where the Columbus Dispatch reports that prosecutors are seeking to eliminate some mandatory sentencing for dope offenses, including possession of some related chemicals.) So how to cauterize this transnational wound? Unclear from the secretary of state, other than promising to ship down there some more choppers and night vision goggles, which are probably pretty cool when you're loaded. The demand side went completely unaddressed. Remember: Bill didn't inhale. Maybe she'll resurrect Nancy Reagan's popular and successful "Just Say No" campaign. A slightly easier form of abstinence to sell. Or, at a minimum, she might talk Forbes magazine out of putting Mexican drug emperor Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on its world's richest people list just as a painful reminder. How would we feel if they put Bernie Madoff on theirs? Then there was that inconvenient Congressional withholding of about $200 million in drug counter trafficking funds for Mexico. "There have been lots of different voices from the Obama Administration," the NYTimes quotes Andrew Selee , director of the Mexico institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, as understating. Kind of like all the voices on those old " Firesign Theater " records. Back in the US, things are equally contradictory. Not to confuse medicine with recreation, but the new Attorney General, Mr. Holder, just a week ago said the Administration wouldn't go after medicinal pot distributors (legal ones.) That caused a federal judge in LA to postpone sentencing of a medical marijuana dispensary. Then two days ago, federal drug agents raided Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic on Howard St., even though they had a license from the Public Health Department. The Chronicle's ace reporter, Rachel Gordon, had a government source tell her the bust was about "alleged financial improprieties related to the payment of sales taxes." But wait! The president himself, asked at his virtual town hall Thursday about legalizing pot as a way to help our current money crisis , said he didn't think that good citizens growing weed and giving the government a bud or two worth as a levy "is a good strategy to grow our economy." So they're busting pot clubs for not paying taxes, don't want to tax pot otherwise and meanwhile five-foot-tall El Chapo ("Shorty") is the 701st richest man in the world. The Seattle Weekly says , "Maybe Shorty Can Help with Our Budget Deficit." Exhale. For more, read Bronstein at Large . More on Mexico's Drug War
 
Taliban Denies Polio Vaccine To 300,000 Children Top
Taliban militants in Pakistan's northern Swat Valley region are preventing UN officials from administering the Polio vaccine to hundreds of thousands of children with the claim that it is an anti-Muslim sterilization plot, the Telegraph reports . Radical Taliban clerics have taken to the radio and are even using megaphones to spread awareness of the "US tool to cut the population of the Muslims." The World Health Organization's (WHO) Polio Team was originally promised access to the area as part of an earlier peace agreement -- an agreement that has apparently been broken. The WHO is now declaring the situation -- which endangers up to 300,000 children -- a medical emergency. From the Telegraph: Yesterday government officials convened another meeting in Swat [in] an attempt to break the impasse, according to Dr Abdul Jabbar, the WHO's polio team leader in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Swat had recorded 4 cases of polio last year of the total 53 recorded by NWFP and the tribal areas. Pakistan had 118 cases in 2009. The WHO recorded 39 cases of polio in Pakistan in 2006, up from 28 in 2005. The disease is concentrated in NWFP where 60% of the refusals were attributed to "religious reasons". Sharia law was imposed on the Swat Valley region last month as part of an agreement with the Pakistani government, much to the chagrin of many human rights and health organizations, who warn of the traditional Islamic legal structure's sometimes brutal and repressive practices . According to AsiaNews , part of the new system dictates that NGOs be expelled from the region and that many imprisoned hard-line Taliban be released, guaranteeing that the polio vaccine will not reach the local inhabitants: Since Sharia came into effect on 16 February lawyers have lost their job, NGOs have not been allowed to operate, polio vaccination has been banned, Taliban in custody have been released, and demands that Islamic law be implemented in the other districts of the province have made. The agreement signed by the government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Tahrik-e-Nifaz Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) movement in a bid to end years of war and violence is bearing fruit. Under Sharia civil liberties and personal freedoms are being curtailed and what was once a famous destination for national and international tourism is being progressively "talibanised". The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Sunday also ordered all non-governmental organisations to immediately leave Swat. For the Islamist organisation "NGO is another name for 'vulgarity and obscenity'," because they hire women who work with men, in the field and in offices. "That is totally unislamic and unacceptable," TTP spokesman Muslim Khan said. The timing of the NGO expulsion is especially inopportune for Polio vaccinations because it is in the first three months of the year that transmission is lowest. According to the WHO Polio Team's Dr. Nima Abid in a press release: "Polio vaccination is effective in the first three months of the year when virus transmission is lowest and so there is no interference with the vaccine virus." More on Pakistan
 

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