Wednesday, March 25, 2009

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Valerie Tarico: Losing Your Religion? How to Talk to Your Kids Top
Sometimes I get letters from former Christians -- the evangelical/fundamentalist type -- who are also parents. "What do I say to my kids?" they ask. "I raised them to believe that without the blood of Jesus they are evil sinners. What a horrible thing for them to think! I feel guilty." "All of their friends are members of our old church, so we keep going. I don't want to tear them apart, but it's getting harder and harder for me to pretend." "When I try to talk to them they just cry. They think I'm going to hell." No matter what age the kids are or what the situation, telling them you no longer believe can be tricky. Here are three things to remember. Help them to understand your changes as a matter of spiritual growth rather than spiritual abandonment. The bottom line is that your personal evolution is very much in keeping with the history of human religion, including Christianity. Every past generation answered our deepest questions as best they could. What is real? What is good? How can we live in moral community with each other? But every generation was like the blind men and the elephant. They were limited by their cultural and technological context -- their point in history -- as well as the fact that they, like us, were imperfect. By outgrowing the answers that were handed down to us, we honor their quest and continue their journey. Here is how I explained my own loss of faith to my extended family. Even if you emphasize growth, both your own and that of our ancestors, your kids will ask about your current beliefs. After all, you've probably taught them to think that it's the answers that matter, not the process. Do you believe in God? Are you a Christian? Do you believe in Jesus? Are you going to Hell? Try to anticipate their questions and think ahead about some simple responses that are both honest and reassuring. But let them know that you are still learning and that you expect to keep learning for the rest of your life. The nice thing about this framework is that it allows your conversations to continue evolving. If your children are still at home, don't forget that they may need a new community. As you continue to grow and change, you may find community online or with your spouse or you might simply prefer solitude and good books in this next phase of the quest. But if you have raised your children with religion in the center of their lives, they will have their own need for explicit conversations about religion, spirituality and morality. What should replace Sunday school or Pioneer Girls or Bible study? On top of this are their social needs. Did your church reach out to kids with fun and music? Your kids may have their friends, their weekend activities, and their summer camps all integrated with religion. It's not fair to cut them off abruptly just because you've hit your own tipping point. Think about seeking out a moral/spiritual community that allows room for doubt or even atheism. A Unitarian church might be a fit, or a Quaker meeting or Ethical Culture Society . Within Christianity there are traditions that would allow your children access to familiar rituals and stories without feeding the belief that the Bible is perfect and their parents are doomed. Traditions I might look at include United Church of Christ , United Methodist , and Episcopal . All of these recognize the human handprints on the Bible and traditional dogmas--and they allow a humble, inquiring approach to the meaning of the Christian faith. However, this very much depends on the individual minister. Openness to interfaith or "interSpiritual" work can be one indicator that a group doesn't make exclusive claims about truth and salvation. Pay particular attention to whether your children would be offered explanations of the world that seem real and right to you, and whether they would have a group of peers. Trust yourself, even when you are feeling your way in the dark, to be a spiritual guide for your children. You may feel less wise or less confident than before, but that is because you have moved forward. Don't be afraid to talk with them about spiritual matters, just because you no longer have a clear set of pat answers. What you do have still is deeply held values and principles that guide your life. What are they? Have you ever put them into words? At the Wisdom Commons or the Virtues Project International or similar sites you can find quotes, stories, and curriculum materials to help you talk with your kids about your moral core. As complicated and awkward as it may feel to find the right words for all of this, it's worth it. You have the chance to model for your kids what it means to be a lifetime learner -- someone who cultivates the curiosity and humility that can make it actually feel good to discover you were ignorant. Along the way, if you keep asking questions, you will be making some wonderful discoveries, and part of the delight can be sharing them. You once gave your kids a fish. Now you can invite them on a fishing expedition. More on Religion
 
IBM To Cut 5,000 Jobs In The US Top
IBM will cut about 5,000 jobs in the United States, adding to similarly large cuts in the past few months, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The job cuts will account for over 4 percent of IBM's U.S. workforce, which totaled around 115,000 at the end of 2008. The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, said the cuts will mostly be in IBM's global services business, which includes outsourcing and consulting services.
 
Tuberculosis Cases At All-Time Low Top
New cases of tuberculosis in Chicago have dropped to an all-time low, according to a study released by the Chicago Department of Public Health, with blacks seeing the biggest decline in newly-diagnosed cases in 2008. More on Health
 
EPA Mountaintop Mining Backtrack: Permits NOT Frozen Top
Now I'm disappointed and more than a little confused by EPA's "clarifying" statement issued this evening. Based on this, it appears that EPA is taking a positive step forward -- but it's a more of a baby step. To wit: The Environmental Protection Agency is not halting, holding or placing a moratorium on any of the mining permit applications. Plain and simple. EPA has issued comments on two pending permit applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality. EPA will take a close look at other permits that have been held back because of the 4th Circuit litigation. We fully anticipate that the bulk of these pending permit applications will not raise environmental concerns. In cases where a permit does raise environmental concerns, we will work expeditiously with the Army Corps of Engineers to determine how these concerns can be addressed. EPA's submission of comments to the Corps on draft permits is a well-established procedure under the Clean Water Act to assure that environmental considerations are addressed in the permitting process.
 
Matt Wasson: Mountaintop Removal Blow-Back Top
If you're a reader of the Huffington Post Green Page then you are almost certainly aware that the Obama Administration signaled a major shift yesterday in how mountaintop removal coal mining will be regulated. In brief, Obama's head of the EPA, announced a decision to delay and review permits for two mountaintop removal mining operations, an action that calls into question more than 100 additional valley fill permits now pending that threaten to bury hundreds more miles of headwater streams and destroy dozens more Appalachian Mountains. In making this decision, President Obama also took another step in fulfilling his campaign promise to bring science back to it's rightful place in guiding the decisions of federal agencies. Over the course of eight years, the Bush Administration ignored the advice and analysis of the best scientists and systematically re-wrote the rules to allow companies to dump mine waste indiscriminately into streams. They also sought to allow higher levels of arsenic, selenium and other toxic metals from mine runoff in drinking water. Realizing that Bush's policies were wrong from the start, the coal industry and supporters in Congress quickly and conveniently rolled over and died. Not. Actually, the blow-back was immediate and fierce from the mining industry. Here's the response of the National Mining Association: This action, which applies to all mining-related 404 permits in the region, puts thousands of mining jobs and coal production in Appalachia at risk. While on the one hand the administration is spending billions in stimulus jobs, it is taking away the highest paying jobs in the region by delaying needed permit approvals. This is not good for jobs or for energy security. All of this pressure appeared to elicit an immediate backpedaling by the EPA, which issued a statement last night that seemed to contradict the early media reports. Moreover, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin quickly took to grandstanding and went straight to Washington today to talk with Administration officials about impacts on West Virginia's economy. All of these conflicting reports have left opponents of mountaintop removal with a little whiplash, but they should not be distressed. There is no question that the EPA's move signaled a seismic shift from the Bush Administration's lax enforcement of environmental laws, and the back-pedaling doesn't change the fact that EPA is going to bring actual science back into the permitting process. One of the most valuable aspects of all of this is that we now have a very complete picture of the coal industry's justification for why Obama should allow the destruction of the nation's oldest and most biologically diverse mountains, and the pollution of the headwaters of many eastern rivers to continue under the Bush Administration's rules. Here's their reasoning: 14,000 mining jobs are at risk . The savvy Huffington Post reader will probably be thinking: "14,000 jobs? Didn't the auto industry just layoff 100,000 employees? You're telling me that we are turning the oldest mountains in America into a parking lot for the sake of 14,000 jobs?" On the surface, this would certainly be a justifiable reaction. The numbers are miniscule compared to the total number of jobs in the region and the numbers we've been hearing about mass layoffs across the country over the past 6 months. According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics , Employers took 2,769 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the separation of 295,477 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits. But this misses a number of important points. In defense of the mining industry, 14,000 fairly high paying jobs mean a lot in this region, which is among the poorest in the country and already suffers rampant unemployment. But the most important point is that no jobs are being lost right away as a result of the EPA's decision. Anyone who says otherwise is posturing or bluffing. All the EPA's announcement means is that they will temporarily maintain the status quo that has been in place since March of 2007 when a federal district court judge suspended the permitting of most valley fills until the lax Bush Administration enforcement and evaluation standards were improved. There is not a single mine that will be shut down as a result of the EPA's decision. Presumably, mountaintop removal enthusiasts are really more concerned that new mountaintop removal mines will not come online as older mines reach the limits of their economically productive capacity and shut down. That is certainly what the author of this post would like to see happen, which may or may not make it a legitimate concern from the coal industry perspective, but it certainly changes the discussion dramatically in terms of impacts on the local economy. To be precise, if the EPA cracks down on mountaintop removal permitting what we're talking about is phasing out some proportion of 14,000 strip mining jobs in Appalachia over the next decade. But is this a significant number? Significant enough to justify what Vanity Fair has called "the greatest act of physical destruction this country has ever wreaked upon itself?" As an exercise - the EPA is not clear on how far they will go in reining in mountaintop removal - let's look at what might happen if the EPA completely eliminated all forms of surface mining, including mountaintop removal, in Appalachia over the next decade. I have created a number of PDF summaries of studies and reports on this subject that can be downloaded individually for those who want more detail, but here's a quick synopsis. 1. The only study that directly addresses the question of how restricting valley fill permits would affect the economy was conducted by a well-respected coal industry consulting group called Hill & Associates (H&A) in 2001. According to the study, restricting valley fills to watersheds no larger than 35 acres in size (basically cutting the amount of mountaintop removal mining in half) would decrease overall coal production by about 15% in Central Appalachia. This reflects a 65% decrease in mountaintop removal with a 10% compensatory increase in underground mining. The employment impact of this change would be 1,345 jobs. Here's a graph showing the difference between a baseline projection and a projection based on restricting valley fills to less than 35 acres (again, meaning mountaintop removal coal production would be reduced by about 65%): Another important point made by the H&A study is that even if no restrictions on permitting were put in place, both production and employment were projected to decline by 20-25% anyway because the most of the high-quality, easy to get coal is already mined out. Here's a quote from the study: "... the general downward trend of total tonnage from the study region under all cases is a result we see across many modeling projects.. [it]is exacerbated toward the end of the 10-year study period by the fact that significant blocks of higher-quality Central Appalachian reserves are starting to be exhausted. The better-quality coals in this region are slowly but surely being mined out." A final fascinating aspect of this study was that it also looked at how restricting mountaintop removal would affect the electric rates of consumers that rely on this coal for electricity. The impact would be somewhat less than 1% on electric bills. Let me repeat: reducing mountaintop removal by 65% would lead to a wholesale electric rate increase of less than 1% in states relying on this coal and an increase in residential electric rates even smaller than that. Here is my summary of the H&A study And here is the original study 2. According to several coal industry insider publications, the decline in coal demand resulting from the recession is likely to lead to many more underground mines being idled. According to the February 16th edition of the Coal & Energy Price Report : Given the weak economy and downward pressure on coal prices, in general, the table suddenly has tilted in such a way that more underground mines will be in danger of falling off the cliff. Deep mine operators who have been reluctant to idle mines in the face of a potential forced shut- down of surface jobs might re-think their hesitation. Given that underground mines employ 1.5 times as many miners per ton produced as surface mines do, this almost certainly means that EPA's action will actually protect jobs in the short term. But other industry reports show why relying on more mining jobs is a poor response to the economic crisis anyway. Here's a quote from the March 23rd edition of the U.S. Coal Review : Most large producers have already announced sizeable trimming efforts, and reductions by smaller operators, while more difficult to estimate, are no doubt taking place. But in the current market environment in which demand is seriously slumping, the cutbacks are expected to continue in fairly big numbers. Here is a link to some more excerpts of recent coal industry news 3. According to a 2005 report from the Appalachian Regional Commission, employment in the mining industry is one of the best predictors of poverty and other elements of "economic distress" in Central Appalachia. Here's an excerpt from the study: "Of all the regions in this analysis, Central Appalachia has been one of the poorest performers in relation to the ARC's economic distress measure over time. Furthermore, and unlike all other regions in the U.S., current and persistent economic distress within the Central Appalachian Region has been associated with employment in the mining industry, particularly coal mining." But people in Appalachia have long known that it's more than just "coal mining" that's the problem and that mountaintop removal specifically destroys far more jobs than it creates. If mountaintop removal created prosperity it should have done so decades ago. Instead, the counties where mountaintop removal occurs are among the poorest in the nation, with high unemployment rates and rapidly dwindling populations. The stark reality is that few industries want to follow mountaintop removal. After all, what entrepreneur wants to open a new business in a community where massive blasts are cracking the foundations of people's homes, where hundred-year floods are an annual affair, and where the tap water looks like tomato soup and smells like rotten eggs? This map, produced by Appalachian Voices, shows the dramatic correlation between mountaintop removal and poverty rates in Central Appalachia: This ARC study also offered an excellent roadmap for Central Appalachian coal counties looking to improve their economic conditions: "The counties that have emerged from distress in the region have consistently had fewer jobs in mining and a greater number of jobs in manufacturing when compared to the counties that have remained persistently distressed." The study also said: "...regional economic development is most likely to take place when national policies create the conditions to support it. As such, addressing persistent distress would seem to require a renewed national commitment, similar to the one that inspired the establishment of the ARC and the regional development policies of the 1960s." Sounds like President Obama is already on the right track with his green jobs and economic stimulus plans (unlike the coal state politicians that have a remarkably single-minded focus on an industry that supplies less than 2% of the jobs, but a much higher proportion of campaign contributions). Here is a link to some more excerpts from the 2005 ARC report That sums up the first part of the argument why President Obama should ignore the sky-is-falling predictions, disingenuous arguments and plain, old-fashioned rigged numbers that the coal industry and their supporters are throwing at him. The subject of a later post will be all of the opportunities there are and initiatives already underway in Central Appalachia to create new green jobs and diversify the economy beyond such a heavy reliance on coal. As a preview, here's a link to another recent study by the Appalachian Regional Commission that came out just a few weeks ago. According to the story by Ken Ward at the Charleston Gazette: An estimated 15,000 jobs per year for the next five years could be created, for a total of 60,000 new jobs, the study said. Annual energy bill savings would be almost $800 million, with that amount rising to more than $27 billion per year by 2030, the study concluded. Now there's some job numbers that might really start getting out of the economic doldrums. More tomorrow...
 
Tom Engelhardt: Economic Dirty Bomb Goes Off in New York Top
Crossposted with TomDispatch.com With a Whimper, Not a Bang... the Old Neighborhood Empties A block from my apartment, on a still largely mom-and-pop, relatively low-slung stretch of Broadway, two spanking new apartment towers rose just as the good times were ending for New York. As I pass the tower on the west side of Broadway each morning, one of its massive ground-floor windows displays the same eternal message in white letters against a bright red background: "Locate yourself at the center of the fastest expanding portion of the affluent Upper West Side." Successive windows assure any potential renter that this retail space (10,586 square feet available! 110 feet of frontage! 30 foot ceilings! Multiple configurations possible!) is conveniently located only "steps from the 96th Street subway station, servicing 11 million riders annually." Here's the catch, though: That building was completed as 2007 ended and yet, were you to peer through a window into the gloom beyond, you would make out only a cavernous space of concrete, pillars, and pipes. All those "square feet" and not the slightest evidence that any business is moving in any time soon. Across Broadway, the same thing is true of the other tower. That once hopeful paean to an "expanding" and "affluent" neighborhood now seems like a notice from a lost era. Those signs, already oddly forlorn only months after our world began its full-scale economic meltdown, now seem like messages in a bottle floating in from BC: Before the Collapse. And it's not just new buildings having problems either, judging by the increasing number of metal grills and shutters over storefronts in mid-day, all that brown butcher paper covering the insides of windows, or those omnipresent "for rent" and "for lease" signs hawking "retail space" with the names, phone numbers, and websites of real estate agents. I hadn't paid much attention to any of this until, running late one drizzly evening about a month ago, and needing a piece of meat for dinner, I decided to stop at Oppenheimer's, a butcher shop only three blocks from home. I had shopped there regularly until a new owner came in some years ago, and then the habit slowly died. The store still had its awning ("Oppenheimer, Established 1964, Prime Meats & Seafood") and the same proud boast of "Steaks and Chops Cut to Order, Oven-ready roasts, Fresh-ground meats, Seasonal favorites," but you couldn't miss the "retail space available" sign in the window and, when I put my face to the glass, the shop's insides had been gutted. Taken aback, I made my way home and said to my wife, "Did you know that Oppenheimer's closed down?" She replied matter-of-factly, "That was months ago." Okay, that's me, not likely to win an award for awareness of my surroundings. Still, I soon found myself, notebook in hand, walking the neighborhood and looking. Really looking. Now, understand, in New York City, there's nothing strange about small businesses going down, or buildings going up. It's a city that, since birth, has regularly cannibalized itself. What's strange in my experience -- a New Yorker born and bred -- is when storefronts, once emptied, aren't quickly repopulated. Broadway in daylight now seems increasingly like an archeological dig in the making. Those storefronts with their fading decals ("Zagat rated") and their old signs look, for all the world, like teeth knocked out of a mouth. In a city in which a section of Broadway was once known as the Great White Way for its profligate use of electricity, and everything normally is aglow at any hour, these dead commercial spaces feel like so many tiny black holes. Get on the wrong set of streets -- Broadway's hardly the worst -- and New York can easily seem like a creeping vision of Hell, not as fire but as darkness slowly snuffing out the blaze of life. A Stroll in the Neighborhood Let me take you, then, on a little tour of the new face of my neighborhood. Along the ten blocks closest to my home, the banks (with one exception), the fast food restaurants (Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, Blimpie), and above all the chain drugstores that crowd onto successive blocks (Rite Aid, Walgreens, Duane Reade) still stand. It's the small places that seem to be dropping like flies. So here we go up those subway steps at 96th where a branch of WaMu (Washington Mutual Bank, placed in receivership by the FDIC in September 2008 and quickly sold to JP Morgan) stands empty. Now, start walking up the east side of Broadway, past Citibank on 96th and the Bank of America at the corner of 97th, until you come to little Alpine Sound Electronics, or the shell of it anyway, where I used to buy my cheap, waterproof watches for my daily swim at the Y. Now it's gone, though an emphatic "sale, sale, sale, sale, sale" sign over the door is a reminder of its final moments. Take another sec and check out the other side of the street, where at mid-block a canopy advertising "Moroccan & Indian Home Decoratives... Aromatherapy... Exotic Gifts" still stands, but with a "Store for Rent" sign in the window and a desolate interior -- a couple of ratty shelves, a single chair, a half-filled black garbage bag, and a broom. Right beside it is (or was) a tiny children's clothing store. Its striped awning now sports a gaping hole in its center as if it had been hit by a missile, though its window still says, "Made in New York City... enjoyed worldwide!" Not so much today. But let's not tarry. Keep going past 98th, by that butchered butcher shop, but do note, next to it, another vacancy, the shell that housed a small wine bar and restaurant, Vinacciolo, that came and went. Only two long, bare, narrow tables remain on a floor scattered with trash. Now, we're almost at 100th, passing those two towers with their unrented frontages and, on the east side of the street, the classic façade of the old Metro movie house, closed to build one tower, and still empty. The cracked glass of the ticket teller's booth backed by plywood gives the neighborhood that distinctive Last Picture Show feel. Just above 100th on the west side of Broadway is the store once occupied by Sterling Optical. They moved more than two years ago (I followed them faithfully) and the metal security grill has remained in place ever since. Ditto the storefront next to it, empty but for a little hand-lettered sign on the door, "Fedex Please Knock Hard" -- it better be mighty hard! -- and a tiny "Zagat Rated 2006 Shopping Guide" decal on the window. Well, you get the idea, if you haven't already experienced the equivalent wherever you live. At 101st, A & S Art/Framing ("custom framing and mirrors"), a sliver of a store, has closed up shop. Between 102nd and 103rd, Planet Kids is emptying out. ("After 18 years we are closing on March 31st...") On 103rd, the Royal Kabab & Curry restaurant has, like the optician, moved on to lower-rent digs without being replaced; and, on 105th, Tokyo Pop, a Japanese restaurant, all of whose wait staff mysteriously spoke English with French accents, has also disappeared, though its papered-over windows uniquely promise a "Pizzabar" in the Spring. (I'm not holding my breath.) Actually, if you head in just about any direction, the toll is apparent. Go south on Broadway from 96th, for instance, and you pass the same proliferating patches of emptiness. At 93rd, the tiny storefront of the all-detective bookstore Murder Ink, which closed on the last day of 2006 (about the moment when this deepening recession officially began) remains unoccupied. Further south, there are slaughtered neighborhood restaurants galore. Not surprisingly, even in food-mad New York, people are eating out less and our streets, except perhaps on a Saturday night, seem visibly less populated. Near the corner of 91st, Mary Ann's, a festive Tex-Mex spot, bit the dust; just before 90th, the upscale seafood restaurant Docks Oyster Bar shut its doors so recently that its red "restaurant" sign is still lit ("Docks thanks you all for your loyal patronage over the years but this restaurant is now closed..."); at the corner of 88th, in the spacious two-floor space that used to house Boulevard (on whose paper tablecloths my kids and I drew faces with restaurant-provided crayons), and then a dizzying succession of restaurants whose names escape me, the bar chairs are carefully stored upside down on the bar and a "For Rent" sign is in the window; and, on 77th, Ruby Foo's, a giant pan-Asian joint, described by Zagat's as "Disneyfied," has shut, too. Only below 72nd street, where the neighborhood gets noticeably tonier, and the banks (TD, HSBC, Capital One, Chase, Bank of America) begin to breed and multiply, and the urban mall stores (Pottery Barn, Barnes & Noble, The Gap, Bed Bath & Beyond) proliferate, do the deaths end (except for a Circuit City branch at the corner of 67th that went down with that bankrupt chain). Here, stores are still clean, well-lighted places, though a remarkable number of them sport signs that say: "save up to 50%," "up to 70% off..." 9/11, The Sequel Let's not exaggerate. New York City is not downtown Elkhart, Indiana -- not yet anyway (although the other night on Amsterdam Avenue, just east of Broadway, I noted a block of 12 tiny storefronts, nine of which had been emptied). Yes, rents on avenues like Broadway remain sky-high and, these days, getting a bank loan if you're a small start-up is bloody murder, and the city's zoos are losing their state funding, the hospitals are getting rid of staff, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is having layoffs , the unemployment rate is rising fast , property values are sinking, mass transit riders are facing fare increases as well as major service cuts, and the Greater New York Orchid Society has canceled its annual show. Nonetheless, this global financial capital is still surfing the final modest wavelets of the tsunami of money that flowed through its veins in the good times (some of which continues to head "our" way, thanks to government bailout plans). Still, as you walk past those patches of darkness, a thought almost can't help but form. For the last seven years, we've been waiting for 9/11, The Sequel , to arrive from Afghanistan or some similar place. The media has regularly featured fantasy scenarios in which Islamic terrorists sneak atomic bombs or "dirty bombs" into cities like New York and set them off. ABC's Charles Gibson even highlighted such a possibility in a Democratic presidential debate. ("I want to go to another question... The next president of the United States may have to deal with a nuclear attack on an American city. I've read a lot about this in recent days. The best nuclear experts in the world say there's a 30 percent chance in the next 10 years...") And the Bush administration claimed as one of its great accomplishments the prevention of a repeat of 9/11. And yet, in a sense, as on September 11, 2001, maybe we were just looking the wrong way. After all, you might say that an economic dirty bomb did go off in downtown New York and this city (not to say, the nation and the world) has been experiencing a second 9/11 ever since, even if in slow motion. In my neighborhood, back in those fateful September days in 2001, you could hear the sirens, see the jets streak overhead, catch the acrid smell of the towers and everything chemical in them burning, and like the rest of America, watch those apocalyptic-looking scenes of the towers collapsing in clouds of ash and smoke again and again. But if the look then was apocalyptic, the damage, however grim, was limited. This time around there's no dust, no ash, no acrid smell, no sirens, no jets, and no brave rescuers either. And yet the effect might, sooner or later, be far more apocalyptic and the lives swallowed up far greater. This time, of course, the fanatical extremists were homegrown. Their "caves" were on Wall Street. They hijacked our economy and did their level best to take down our world. And they may have come closer than most of us imagine. Alpine Sound and Oppenheimer, Tokyo Pop and Planet Kids, Docks and Ruby Foo's have all gone down (and more are surely headed that way). For the people who owned, or ran, or worked in them, unlike the survivors of the original 9/11, there will be no moving bios in the local papers, no talk of compensation, and no majestic memorials to argue about. For the perpetrators, who have, at worst, gone home pocketing their millions, there will be no retribution. No invasions will be launched, no missiles shot into homes or hideouts. None of them will be pursued to their lairs, or kidnapped off the streets of New York, or from their palatial mansions, or apartments, or estates. None will be spirited to foreign lands to be imprisoned and tortured. None will be labeled "enemy combatants." Quite the opposite, in 9/11, The Sequel , the U.S. government is willing to pay many of them and their institutions in the multi-billions for their time and further efforts. In the second 9/11, all the pain and torture is in the neighborhood. Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project , runs the Nation Institute's TomDispatch.com. He is the author of The End of Victory Culture , a history of the Cold War and beyond, as well as of a novel, The Last Days of Publishing . He also edited The World According to TomDispatch: America in the New Age of Empire (Verso, 2008), an alternative history of the mad Bush years. More on New York
 
AKMuckraker: Drain, Baby Drain! 6 Million Gallons of Crude Oil at the Base of Erupting Volcano Could be Alaska's Next Exxon Valdez. Top
On its 20th anniversary, we all relive the human and environmental tragedy that was the Exxon Valdez oil spill. But today, right now, Alaska faces down another threat that could devastate a $1.5 billion annual salmon fishery, endangered beluga whales, and coastline communities in the most densely populated area of Alaska, from Kodiak to the Kenai Peninsula, to Anchorage, and beyond. Mt. Redoubt, a volcano which has awakened from slumber after a 20 year period of dormancy, has been erupting for the last few days, shooting ash plumes more than 9 miles into the atmosphere. Lahars (slides of mud, and volcanic debris) are flowing down its flanks in the direction of the shoreline where Drift River feeds into Cook Inlet. This would normally not be an issue of concern. The area is basically unpopulated, and the "Ring of Fire" has been having its way with this area of the world for a very long time. With the exception of some interrupted airline traffic, and 1/4 inch of ash deposited on a few small communities in the Susitna Valley to the north, the volcano hasn't had much impact so far. The problem comes when you take into consideration that between these lahars, which are filled with train car sized chunks of rock and ice, barreling down the flanks of Redoubt on the one side, and the point at which the Drift River meets the pristine waters of Cook Inlet on the other side is a tank farm. The tank farm is owned by Chevron, and two of the seven tanks contain, at this moment, 6 million barrels of crude oil perched, as it were, between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea . And the Devil ain't done yet. So far, Chevron and local media sources are reporting that the tanks "were successfully protected." Past tense. By "successfully protected," Chevron and the media lead us to believe that this is all over. After the near catastrophe at the tank farm in 1989 when Redoubt last erupted, containment walls were built around the tanks, and they have held so far. But, bear in mind, that volcanic eruptions are not predictable things. There have been six major eruptions in the last three days, and the Alaska Volcano Observatory shows Redoubt at "code red," which is just what it sounds like. A major eruption could be imminent. Photos released by Chevron and a video available on Alaska's KTUU confirm that the volcanic debris has breached the first containment wall, caused significant damage to buildings at the facility, and that there are incursions into the secondary diking system. It doesn't take a geologist, or a petroleum engineer, or a vulcanologist to look at the pictures and see that another major lahar means we're in trouble. Rumors persist that there is vigorous internal debate at Chevron, discussing whether or not to drain the tanks. In 1989, nobody at Exxon had the luxury of debating whether or not they'd turn the tanker around before it slammed into Bligh Reef, and hemorrhaged 11 million gallons of oil into the previously pristine waters of Prince William Sound. Chevron has that luxury, but may be thinking about the Supreme Court decision this June that let Exxon walk away from the mess with a slap on the wrist two decades later - payment of only three days profit to those whose livelihoods were destroyed. "That's not so bad," Chevron may be thinking. Redoubt may go back to sleep. It may send debris in another direction. Or it may wipe out a coastal tank farm and dump six million gallons of crude oil into one of the most economically and environmentally valuable bodies of water since....well....what Prince William Sound used to be. Are we willing to take that chance? The photographic evidence clearly shows us that there is zero room for an error in judgment. And what is the governor of the state of Alaska doing about this? Well, so far, nothing. A look at the most recent press releases on the State of Alaska website reveals she's been concentrating more on the "Latest Bogus Ethics Complaint", and commenting on the "President's Remarks on Leno" than stepping up to the plate and demanding that Chevron drain their tanks, and get the oil out of harms way. Perhaps it's time to help Governor Palin prioritize, and urge her to listen to Cook Inletkeeper and citizens who are calling on Chevron to draw down the oil in the tanks. "Worker safety is paramount, and we need to ensure the oil can be removed in a safe and orderly fashion," said Bob Shavelson, executive director of Cook Inletkeeper. "But we never knew Chevron planned to keep 6 million gallons of crude at the base of an erupting volcano until yesterday, because Chevron kept hiding behind the façade of Homeland Security ." Public agencies responsible for the safe and legal operation of the Drift River terminal include the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. More on Sarah Palin
 
Steve Ells: It's Time to Take the Pharma Out of Farming Top
Legislation was introduced to Congress last week that would prevent farmers and livestock producers from feeding antibiotics to healthy farm animals. You may be thinking: why would you give antibiotics to a healthy animal? The unfortunate truth is, it is a common practice. Antibiotics are routinely added to feed to make animals grow faster and fatter, and to reduce their chances of contracting diseases that come from being housed in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. This 50-year-old practice of giving antibiotics to animals that aren't sick is bad animal husbandry that endangers the animals, the environment, and humans. Just ask Russ Kremer, president of the Missouri Farmers Union, who might have died from being gored in the knee cap by the tusk of a boar that had been fed a steady diet of penicillin to ward off strep. The infection that Russ contracted didn't respond to the penicillin his doctor first prescribed, nor to the tetracycline, amoxicillin, or erythromycin that came after. Russ was lucky that a new generation of antibiotics existed at the time that kept him alive and, in his words, "woke him up to the fact that there's something wrong with our food system." In 1993, I founded a restaurant company that today serves more than 60 million pounds of meat from animals raised without the use of antibiotics. Many might think that a restaurant chain like ours would not care about this issue. After all, most restaurant companies focus largely on assuring a high-volume food supply, lower production costs, and increasing profits. From an ethical, economic, and public health perspective, pumping animals full of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick is way to cut corners, not a way to forge a sustainable and humane model for food production. Our country's demand for meat is high, but our demand for humanely and sustainably raised food is not high enough. Real change is needed in our nation's food chain, particularly in how farm animals are raised and cared for. Today, some 5 billion cows, pigs and chickens are being raised in barbaric conditions in industrial agricultural settings. We have built a sound business model that brings naturally raised meat to millions of customers every week. Through relationships with networks of family farms raising meat naturally, we have demonstrated that food produced with integrity can be profitable, can improve the economic livelihood of our communities, and can promote good animal welfare. By restoring family farms, regional farming, and farmer networks more animals can be raised on pastures without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Federal action to improve the conditions of our factory farms is necessary because these large farms account for the vast majority of meat produced in this country, but their practices carry a number of horrific unintended consequences - from polluting rivers, streams and coastal waters, to air quality problems, and endangering the lives of people by contributing to the proliferation of antibiotic resistant infections. Scientists and public health officials have offered a slew of recommendations to reverse these negative side effects, many of which are presented in a recent Pew Commission report on industrial farm animal production in America (available online at saveantibiotics.org ). While many people may not fully understand how rampant the practice of antibiotic use is in animal farming, it is alarmingly common. Reports on the use of antibiotics in livestock farming range from 17.8 to 24.6 million pounds per year, and the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70 percent of all antibiotics used in this country are used in the raising of farm animals. As antibiotic use rises, so too do the problems associated with their overuse. That is why the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization have all called for the banning of continual antibiotic feeding in farm animals. That is precisely what the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act that's now before Congress aims to do. I hope that private citizens will support the Act by contacting their local congressional representative. If the legislation passes, it could take as many as two years to phase out this indiscriminate overuse of antibiotics. It's time to get the process started. Let's preserve these drugs for the sick animals and humans who need them. Antibiotic use is not a prerequisite to life on the farm, but rather a threat to life itself. Steve Ells is founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle , which serves more naturally raised meat (from animals that are raised in a human way; never given antibiotics; and fed a pure vegetarian diet, with no animal by-products) than any restaurant company in the world. More on Eating Matters
 
Eric Cantor Attends Britney Spears Concert Top
And you all thought Washington wasn't sexy: the office of ambitious young House Republican Whip Eric Cantor has confirmed to your Wonkette that instead of watching President Obama's boring press conference last night like the rest of us dingbats, Cantor and a bipartisan group of legislators attended the Show Of The Century at downtown's Verizon Center: a Britney Spears concert. More on Britney Spears
 
Kristy Hinze, Jim Clark Marry (SLIDESHOW) Top
Swimsuit model Kristy Hinze became the fourth Mrs. Jim Clark on Monday. The 29-year-old Sports Illustrated cover model married the 65-year-old Clark, who founded Netscape. The beach ceremony was part of a four-day affair that took place on Clark's $100 million yacht, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson's private Necker Island and Virgin Gorda Island. Wearing an Oscar de la Renta dress and attended by seven bridesmaids, Hinze told the Brisbane Times : "It is a very relaxed-feel wedding and Jim and I are both calm and just enjoying each other - and being with our close family and friends."
 
"Where The Wild Things Are" Trailer (VIDEO) Top
The trailer for the long-awaited Spike Jonze adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are" is finally out. The big-screen version of the Maurice Sendak book is due out in October. The song in the trailer is "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire. WATCH: More on Video
 
Vickie Karp: Third Screen: A Big HBO Series About a Woman Named Precious Top
Photo (l to r): Actor Jill Scott, the late director Anthony Minghella, producer Amy Moore, and novelist Alexander McCall Smith on location. Photo courtesy of HBO. I confess. I never thought about how they teach law in Botswana until I met Alexander McCall Smith, the best-selling novelist of a series of books about Precious Ramotswe, the number one fictional lady detective in that beautiful sub-Saharan country. But McCall Smith's novels have less to do with law than they have to do with justice and well, women's intuition. A prolific writer of more than 50 books, he's co-authored a text on Botswana criminal law, written children's books with names like The Perfect Hamburger , and is now the best-selling author of several series of novels including The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Just listen to the names of his No. 1 Ladies novels: The Good Husband of Zebra Drive; In the Company of Cheerful Ladies; The Kalahari Typing School for Men; The Miracle at Speedy Motors; Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. Who could resist? Born in Zimbabwe and dividing his time between Scotland and Botswana, McCall Smith did not follow the path of America's John Grisham, who put his knowledge of jurisprudence to work in a series of legal thrillers. No. He fell in love. With a Botswana. Then fell in love again. With Precious, played to perfection by actor/singer Jill Scott in the upcoming television premiere. How will Precious fit in to the kickass American world of HBO when The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency launches as a weekly series this Sunday night? I stopped by to have a very small chat in a very large boardroom with McCall Smith about exactly this. Third Screen: You were born in Zimbabwe. You spend part of each year in Botswana. You write novels and children's books. You teach law at the University of Edinburgh, or did until recently. And then there's that contra bassoon-playing in the upcoming American debut of your Really Terrible Orchestra at Town Hall on April Fool's Day. How did you wind up doing all this? McCall Smith: Some interviews are definitely psychoanalysis by another name. Pre-psychotherapy. Perhaps this is going to be one of them. Third Screen: I'll do be my best. McCall Smith: What really worries me is when the interviewer starts talking about one's mother. Third Screen: Well, Precious does make a wonderful maternal figure. McCall Smith: Ah. Let's not go there. Third Screen: The writing then? McCall Smith: I suppose I was always interested in writing. I had another career but while I was doing that, I developed a career as a writer. People usually have to do that. Have to have some way of earning their living. I was a professor of medical law at University of Edinburgh. I started writing short stories in my twenties. And I ended up one day starting to write a short story set in Botswana about a woman who has a private detective agency, never knowing that that would turn into a novel. And then that the novel would turn into a series. And then that I would turn into a full-time novelist, which is what's happened to me. Third Screen: Why Botswana? McCall Smith: I was on loan from the University of Edinburgh, in regard to my work in the law, to the University of Swaziland in 1980. Then the following year I went and worked in Botswana in 1981. And I found myself increasingly intrigued by the country. And caught up in it. Taken with it, really. I went back every year. It's an exceptional country. It's been a wonderful success story in Africa. There are also extremely nice people there. Third Screen: That's part of what comes across in the books. McCall Smith: It's not just my reaction to the country. People say what a wonderful place. People say that similarly about many sub-Saharan African countries. Without romanticizing the place, people there have great human qualities which really are very very striking. When you see the picture that's presented of Africa, of sub-Saharan Africa, you don't see that. I think this is a terrible pity. Third Screen: They have diamonds. They have the Kalahari. They suffer from the AIDS epidemic. That's pretty much the summary you read in the press. McCall Smith: There's that side of it, too, in sub-Saharan Africa. But there are human qualities which are wonderful. Very interesting cultures with a lot to say. Yet all we get is a picture of disasters. Third Screen: Can you give me an example of what captivated you? McCall Smith: When I was in Swaziland, back in 1980, I was going stay with friends in Mochudi, north of the capital of Gaborone, for just a weekend. He's a doctor. And he and his wife live in this hospital house. So I went. And I had an extraordinary feeling of, what was it, that this was a good place. There's no other term for it. Sometimes one visits a place where there's a strong spiritual sense and you just feel that this is a spiritual place and I felt that about Botswana. There was an air of goodness, for want of a better term, that was almost tangible. And the reason for that is it's a country that was founded on rather idealistic principles. And there are a lot of people who are quite idealistic still. There's quite a strong and palpable feeling of idealism there. Third Screen: No nonsense idealism? McCall Smith: Now the difficulty with that is it's really quite tricky to put across without being accused of romanticizing the place. Or accused of being too sugary. I hope that that's not the impression that people get. If you go to a place like that, you will encounter the full range of human nature, you will encounter all sorts of people, but if you keep your eyes open, you will encounter extraordinary human goodness. And you'll encounter it in odd circumstances. People will have time for you. Somebody who may not have very much will nonetheless give you his or her moral attention. If you're receptive, you'll see a lot of very inspiring examples of the better side of human nature. Third Screen: Your main characters in the HBO adaptation include a secretary who has two typewriters - one missing an H and the other missing some other letter, a gay hair stylist, a shy car mechanic, a fake father, and of course, some serious criminals. McCall Smith: I didn't invent the hair stylist. He was invented by the scriptwriters but I'm perfectly happy with him. He's a good character. He's a very good foil. It was good advice. They felt they needed a few more men. Third Screen: Your main characters are women. How did it feel to have to use your women's intuition? McCall Smith: Well, what can I say about that? People often say how can you write from a woman's perspective? I would say that's part of being a writer. One must be able to empathize with other people. Women writers write from a male perspective and nobody thinks very much about that. Third Screen: In Memoirs of a Geisha, the author was a man and he got the same question. But really, what can be more exciting than going far in your understanding of being something else? McCall Smith: Yes. Third Screen: What is the story behind establishing that branch of the University of Botswana that concentrates on teaching medical ethics? McCall Smith: I was involved in setting up the department of law at the university. That's all. I helped get the program started. Third Screen: Did you teach British law? McCall Smith: No. It's the Common Law system. Pertaining to Botswana. In civil matters, it's Roman Dutch law which is the received Roman-based law of Southern African countries. That comes from the original Cape Dutch colonies. That's how Roman Dutch law came there. And then the criminal law of Botswana is based on an English criminal code. You find variants of that in many Commonwealth countries. Third Screen: Did you go on location during the shooting of the series? McCall Smith: I did. I was pretty struck by the sheer scale of the thing they built, this little village, and just the whole business of making a film. It involved 70 people rushing around in circles. Big catering lorries. And I saw the late Anthony Minghella directing. I was very struck by the gentle way he did this. Third Screen: I have a special fondness for the passionately restrained secretary of the agency, Grace Makutsi, played by Anika Noni Rose. McCall Smith: Yes. Miss 97%. The highest grade ever attained at the Botswana Secretarial College. Third Screen: But as she explains in the film, a useless trophy against Miss 42% with a short skirt. McCall Smith: Yes, I find her quite poignant. I'm interested in people who've done one thing in their life, whose lives are led within a comparatively narrow compass. And yet at the same time, all of our lives are constrained in one way or another. We have some little thing that is very important to us. Mma. Kutsi, in the beginning, had her little lace handkerchief, which was her only possession of beauty. Everything else was functional. The handkerchief represented, I suppose, a yearning. I'm interested in the idea of yearning and how we yearn for something in our lives. It was her tiny bit of luxury, a bit of beauty, in a very perfunctory life which was filled with functional things. And, of course, she had her 97%. Third Screen: How do you account for being such a high-functioning writer and nevertheless writing such compelling characters and situations? No writer's block? McCall Smith: I don't have to sit and say to myself what's going to happen now as long as I set myself up in the appropriate fictional world. If I know that I'm writing about Botswana, I then just almost go into a trance, which is a curious thing. It's almost like being in a disassociated state where what is going on around me is not really impinging too much on my consciousness. Third Screen: What's next? McCall Smith: The next No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, another Isabel Dalhousie in Scotland, and Portugese Irregular Verbs. Third Screen: That doesn't leave a lot of time for the Really Terrible Orchestra. McCall Smith: The Really Terrible Orchestra is playing in NYC on April Fool's Day. It's going to be our first and only American tour. We've hired the Town Hall. There will be a sing-along. We're going to play excerpts from Sound of Music , enabling people launching into Edelweiss . We're going to do excerpts from the 1812 Overture and you'll all be given paper bags so you can bang out the cannons. Third Screen: All 1,500 people banging out the cannons? McCall Smith: Yes. It's going to be terrific
 
Andy Borowitz: White House Replaces 'War on Terror' with Symbol Top
The White House announced today that it would no longer use the phrase "war on terror" and would instead replace it with a cryptic symbol once used by the funk rocker known as Prince. The new symbol made its first appearance today at a White House press conference in which spokesman Robert Gibbs answered a question about the war on terror by holding up a picture of the newly acquired icon. Mr. Gibbs said that the White House had decided to replace the phrase with the symbol after determining that its first-choice euphemism, "overseas contingency operations," was too much of a mouthful. "In the years that Prince used the symbol, it was totally confusing and no one knew what it meant," he said. "It should work perfectly for us." To acquire the rights to the symbol, however, the White House had to outbid an unlikely suitor, the insurance giant AIG. The embattled company, which recently stripped its corporate headquarters of its logo in the hopes of throwing protesters off its scent, had intended to replace it with the mysterious icon coveted by the White House. It was hoping to rebrand itself as "The Insurance Giant Formerly Known as AIG," a company spokesman said. AIG Chairman Edward Liddy was philosophical about being outbid by the White House for Prince's symbol: "All of our efforts were a total and abject failure, but on the plus side, that means we're entitled to a bonus." Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times , and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com . He is performing at the 92nd St. Y on April 30 at 8 PM with special guests Judy Gold, Hendrik Hertzberg, and Jonathan Alter. For tickets, go to 92y.org .
 
Patricia Zohn: Culture Zohn: Nicholas Hughes: In Memoriam Top
I am one of the legion of Sylvia Plath-Ted Hughes acolytes who populates the fringes of literary history. Like many young women, I found The Bell Jar , written by Plath, to be the first novel that dared broach subjects I was wrestling with myself. After at least a half dozen or more readings, its clear-eyed view of life is still contemporary. Plath's poetry was deep and thorny and took more digestion; I came to love it and understand it better as I grew older, even though she wrote some of it when she was in her thirties. She died, as everyone knows, by sticking her head in the oven with her children upstairs -- a victim of depression, yes, but also devastation that the love of her life, Ted Hughes, had met someone else. In the weeks up to her suicide she was still reading the Art of Loving to try to understand the disintegration of her marriage. Ted Hughes and a pregnant Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath Collection, Mortimer Rare Book Room, Smith College. Photograph by Marcia Brown Stern © Marcia B. Stern For a while, I lined up with those who thought Hughes a cold-hearted bastard. Then, I began reading his poetry, sometimes more challenging, as his points of reference were often beyond my ken (references to other literature abound), but like hers, so sumptuously laden with potent images as to be breathtaking. Then he released Birthday Letters , the book of poems which finally spilled some of the tortured beans he had been forced to carry silently, both for the sake of his children, Nicholas and Frieda, and out of deference to his own mental health. I have read all of the individual biographies and one that explored their relationship together and apart. Then in 2005 I went to a heartbreaking exhibition at the Grolier Club in New York, drawn from their respective collections at Smith and Emory which charted their lives in letters and photographs. I stood in front of the vitrines -- by then I understood about love and loss -- and absent the ability to actually handle the materials myself, was able to channel something of this historic couple. Though Hughes did not ask it of me, I forgave him. I saw that Plath was as difficult and challenging a love partner as Hughes and that as they say, nobody ever knows what goes behind the closed doors of a marriage. Finally, just a few months ago, I spent night after night reading the first volume of his letters that has been issued. I was absolutely entranced: Hughes was not only a brilliant correspondent, but herein was finally revealed some, if not all, of his agony as he separated from Plath, after her suicide and his herculean effort to shield the children. About marriage, he had this to say: "Marriage is a nest of small scorpions but it kills the big dragons." And about literary life: "Literary Life is more exhausting nervously, than most, because it works with nothing definite or regular, it is a continuous improvisation of reality out of illusions and fantasy, without set limit or hours. One needs to provide substance and duties to the life." There are tortured letters to Plath's mother about her wanting to visit the children in England after Plath's death, and Hughes resisting, always attempting to shield the children not only from public scrutiny but also from the private check-ups of the family. But the letters which touched my heart most deeply (as I am now a parent) were the ones to Nicholas as he grew old enough to understand something of what had happened when he was so very young. Hughes traveled delicately through the minefield of his marriage to Plath and shared finally with Nicholas the agony of protecting him from the demons of his own mother -- as much as he wanted him to know and revere her. When Nicholas was born in 1962 Plath wrote, "Nicholas is a true Hughes, craggy, dark, quiet and smiley." When I heard the news of Nicholas's suicide this week in Alaska, I could not have been more devastated if he had been a son of my own. Here was proof positive that we cannot separate our children from our own action, or inaction, and that no matter what we tell ourselves, the bonds, and inheritances of family run deep and twisted. I was relieved to hear he had a girlfriend, and that he had once found some measure of solace in Alaska and its natural world, about as far away from literary London as can be imagined. It is said by a family friend that it was when Hughes died that Nicholas's fragile spirit was then, finally, undone as his lifetime protector was no more. In about 1968 in his notebook, Hughes recorded the following dream: "As if... Sylvia had been brought back to life. The great hope was that she could see the children... she met all her friends, etc. in the States and had a whole day and night with Frieda and Nick." I don't usually believe in the afterlife, but in this case I very much want to: I imagine the reunion of the mother and the son she had barely known, and the father who could not protect either of them. I hope they are sitting around and getting to know each other.
 
Jeff Biggers: Van Jones: Talk to Eric Mathis About Green Jobs, Not Coal Welfare, in Appalachia Top
Dear Van Jones: You need to travel to Mingo County, West Virginia and meet Eric Mathis, a scrappy young economist in the Appalachian coalfields, who is putting together one of the most dynamic green jobs consortiums in the country. Their underfunded but clear-eyed, desperately needed and brilliant project--JOBS, or Just Open Businesses That Are Sustainable--is laying out a blueprint for a sustainable economy at ground zero in our nation's energy crisis. The JOBS message: Let's talk green jobs in the Appalachian coalfields of West Virginia, Kentucky and southern Ohio. Some of the JOBS proposals include a community wind initiative, and setting up manufacturing centers for renewable energy products. My favorite: a biomass facility. Mathis writes: "Here in Mingo Co. we are performing the preliminary feasibility studies for a 2.4 MW biomass facility. This facility would consist of 4 600KW rated biomass generators that will produce electricity at an 80% efficiency rate. Therefore, the peak energy production will be rated at 1.8 MW. For the proposed feed stock, we would use mill residues. In addition, the feedstock to energy ratio roughly 3 dry tons of feed stock to 1 MWh production. This facility would produce 12.6 GWh/yr. Therefore, we would need 37,800 dry tons of feed stock per year to develop this facility (I am in the middle of this analysis). The 1999 study done by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory said that there were roughly 727K dry tons of wood waste per year that were at a price tag under $30/ton. In case you were curious as to why we were just wanting a 1.8 MW capacity facility, this amount of electricity would be enough to power roughly 1200 households. According to the 2000 Census, there are only 11,303 households in the whole of Mingo County. With our current desire for distributed generation, as well as the desire of both FRIEnergy and The JOBS Project to develop a wind facility in Mingo County as well (i.e., CWI above), there will still be a need for electricity in the area so that we do not forsake our desire for distributed energy generation. We will need to secure roughly 2.5-3 million in funds in order to successfully complete this project. This is relatively low in comparison to wind energy development, with a price tag that is nearly 65% of the total cost. " More so, a study released last week by the Appalachian Regional Commission demonstrates that more jobs can be gained through energy efficiency initiatives than mountaintop removal operations: "The end result of this policy analysis, then, suggests that an early program stimulus which drives a higher level of efficiency investments can actually increase economic impact, creating an average of 16,000 net new jobs each year in the first five years of the study, and rising to an estimated average of 60,000 net new jobs over the last decade of the analysis. This is roughly equivalent to the employment that would be directly and indirectly supported by the construction and operation of 480 small manufacturing plants within Appalachia." In the meantime, the coal industry receives billions of dollars in federal and state subsidies. Read: Dirty Coal Welfare. A 2007 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimated that the coal industry receives about $8 billion per year in federal subsidies. This is on top of the fact that taxpayers continue to foot the bill for billions of dollars in the cleanup of abandoned mines and black lung program subsidies. According to one study, the "taxpayer-funded shortage (for the Black Lung Program) is expected to increase to $68 billion by 2040." When US Senator Robert Byrd was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1952, over 130,000 West Virginians worked in the coal mines. Today, roughly 20,000 actual coal miners descend into the underground mines or saddle up on heavy equipment to strip mine the ridges, according to official energy statistics from the US government. In truth, jobs have not been lost to environmental regulations; they have been subjected to the whims of the volatile energy market, super mechanization, including the often overlooked bane of longwall mining in the northern panhandle, and mountaintop removal. In eastern Kentucky, for example, coal mining employment in many counties have dropped by over 60 percent since 1980. The Kentuckians for the Commonwealth has put together a very illuminating chart of the economic realities of strip mining's wrath in stripping jobs and livelihoods from the community: http://www.kftc.org/our-work/canary-project/campaigns/mtr/county-profiles Even as Gov. Joe Manchin lobbies for more coal favors from the EPA today in Washington, DC, his constituents know why West Virginia was ranked 50th in a recent Forbes survey for best states to do business. Instead of traveling to Washington today, Manchin should have gone to Mingo County to meet Eric Mathis. Van Jones should beat Manchin to Eric's door. More on Barack Obama
 
Chickens For The White House Garden? Top
After the warm reception to the new White House kitchen garden, you'd think that the Obamas would be left alone on the locavore front, wouldn't you? If so, you wouldn't be Bill Niman and Nicolette Hahn Niman, who ask when the White House will get its own flock of chickens : The idea may sound far fetched, but is it, really? At the dawn of the 20th century, chickens were literally everywhere. Census figures show that 88 percent of farms had chicken flocks. Even in urban areas, there was a chicken for every two people (You can find the full citations for these numbers on page 40 of my book, Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms). More on Food
 
Kevin Grandia: 90% of the World's Coal to be Exhausted in 60 Years Top
The coal industry's spin doctors have been droning on about the abudance of coal for the last year, but new research by Dave Rutledge, Chair of Caltech's engineering and Applied Sciences Division, calculates that the world's coal reserves may be much less "abundant" than the coal industry would like us to think: "The record of geological estimates made by governments for their fossil fuel estimates is really horrible," Rutledge said during a press conference at the American Geological Union annual meeting. "And the estimates tend to be quite high. They over-predict future coal production." The coal lobby states that, "within our [US] borders, we have enough coal to last the next 200 years." But by Rutledge's calculations 90% of the entire world's estimated coal reserves will have been produced by 2069. You can check out a copy of Rutledge's powerpoint presentation here (4MB powerpoint file): Rutledge coal and oil reserves presentation. More on Climate Change
 
Doree Lewak: Letterman's Cold Feet Finally Thaw Top
David Letterman stunned the world -- and perhaps stunned his longtime girlfriend even more -- when he tied the knot to Regina Lasko after a 23-year "whirlwind" courtship. I wish I could say that this gallant gesture should give the rest of us hope that our boyfriends will "eventually come around," but indeed this is a cautionary tale to the scores of trusting women who pin false hopes on their lollygagging longtime boyfriends. If your ultimate goal is in fact marriage, then standing by a man who protests and mocks the institution to a national audience on a regular basis probably isn't your express ticket to the altar. For any woman facing "The Panic Years," staying in a protracted romance -- even if it is to the world's toothiest talk show sensation -- is a risky move if she wants nuptial validation. Every assertive woman who's grappling with "The Panic Years" should make her man put his matrimony where is mouth is -- not wait for years on end for a wedding that might or might not happen. But of course Lasko's risky calculation was one that ultimately paid off. If you consider toiling away with a child at home for years with a reluctant baby daddy to be a payoff. So are the couples who stretch out their courtship for years on end actually missing the boat on marriage and that elusive concept of happily-ever-after? Not according to Jenny McCarthy, who gushed about her ever-hot romance with Jim Carrey last week on Oprah . McCarthy said she and Carrey are blissfully unwed -- and they wouldn't have it any other way, going so far as to say that that piece of paper can oftentimes sour a soaring romance. (Oprah, of course, needed no convincing on that front.) Ultimately, there is no right or wrong approach with regard to marriage. As long as both people are on board with their arrangement, there's no issue. But you should be mindful of what the "right" timeline is for you and your relationship if crossing that nuptial finish line actually means something to you. More on David Letterman
 
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Let's Talk About Values, Obama Top
In times gone by men and women were motivated by a personal code of honor. People sought to increase their dignity and distinguish themselves through accomplishment. Money, like power, was pursued because it bequeathed upon its possessor a certain status. It was a symbol of success, of being a winner, of having attained society's top tier. For that reason, the millionaire captains of industry were expected to assume communal responsibility once they made their fortunes, either by using their wealth to build temples of learning, like Andrew Carnegie, or using their financial clout to selflessly rescue a collapsing market, like Pierpont Morgan in 1907, or bringing one's managerial skills to the political arena for the public's benefit, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York is doing. What was thought reprehensible was the man or woman who became wealthy at the expense of their honor and to the exploitation of the public, a man whose riches actually compromised, rather than enhanced, his dignity. But what the AIG scandal bonus and the never-ending stories of Wall Street corruption have taught us is that the only thing to be ashamed of in financial circles today is simply not being rich enough. It no longer matters how you make your money just as long as you have it. You can destroy billions and demand millions. You can suck the last drop of life out of a company and then sell the rotting carcass for a buck. Man, if only we Rabbis, ministers, and Priests were also rewarded for failure. Given the new poll just released that shows atheism increasing in America, we'd get a bonus. It's clear that our lust for wealth has now superseded our hunger for honor. We're making the mistake warned against by Eric Fromm of entering a 'having' as opposed to a 'being' mode of existence, where you begin to believe that 'the more I have the more I am.' If Descartes were alive today he'd modify his famous pronouncement to read, "I have therefore I am." Yet, amid the near-total collapse of our principles and daily revelations of greed and graft on Wall Street and politicians who spend billions on pork even as our country borrows from China to pay for it, there is a deafening silence. No one wants to talk about rotting American values. Noone wants to confront the true cause of the breakdown of our economy, the bastardization of the American dream into the endless pursuit of gold. It seems that few things other than money can motivate us any more. Not a personal code of honor, not civic responsibilities, not even love. More than ninety percent of women say that they would not marry a man earned less money than them. Indeed, I see the failure to address the deterioration of our values as the greatest omission of the Obama Presidency thusfar. Those of us who thrilled to Obama's speeches, who were mesmerized by his golden tongue, who went with him to the mountaintop are now wondering why he has failed to use that eloquence to lift America to reach for something higher. Will we forever live for plasma TV screens? Will we work each year to update our cars? Will making and spending money remain our most deep-seated pleasure? Forty years ago Martin Luther King articulated a dream that had nothing to do with money. He asked white America to reach for justice and to find it in their hearts to look at their black brethren as equal children of G-d. In other words, he reaffirmed the true American dream, a dream of liberty, a dream of being freed from the accumulate prejudices of generations, a dream of liberation from the social castes and class restrictions of Europe. We have not had an orator of his caliber in American life. Until now. Yet President Obama speaks daily from a teleprompter about derivatives and subprime mortgages, almost consciously omitting the larger, existential questions. And I am left pondering, why? Have the President's counselors told him that it would sound too alarmist, too defeatist, to tell Americans they have become bloated? Could it be that he really doesn't agree that loss of values lies at the heart of our economic meltdown? Might he be pandering to an electorate that finds it easier to watch TV than look in the mirror and prefers to lay all the blame for the economy on Wall Street culprits? I believe none of the above since Obama has many times demonstrated serious moral courage, like when he followed in the footsteps of Bill Cosby and addressed the breakdown of families in the black community and the need for fathers to step up to the plate. But does he think the white community doesn't have similar problems? Are our children not neglected by parents who spend far too much time in the office? Are our marriages similarly not broken? Are our children not suffering from the soullessness of the modern consumer society? Whatever the reason he is silent, history will judge the President harshly for his failure unless he decides to act now and help inaugurate a reconsecration of the time-honored American values of thrift, saving, hard work, family, and high moral character. In the same way that Lincoln inspired the North to fight through the sheer power of words and Churchill and Roosevelt stirred a generation to resist tyranny through the influence of oratory, Obama should find his voice to move to move Americans to free themselves from greed and material insatiability. He could begin with a major addresses enjoining young people to commit to a year of national service working in schools, homes for the elderly, beautifying parks, and working in Synagogues and Churches. By doing so he would be teaching our children the old American code of personal nobility that says that real honor in life comes from a life of giving rather than taking, in service rather than consumption. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is the founder of This World: The Values Network, and has just authored a new best-seller, The Kosher Sutra: Eight Sacred Secrets to Reignite Desire and Restore Passion for Life . Buy Rabbi Shmuley's newest book THE KOSHER SUTRA ! Join the national " Turn Friday Night Into Family Night " initiative. See Shmuley on the web . Friend Shmuley on Facebook.
 
AFL-CIO May Work Against Specter In Republican Primary Top
One of the highest-ranking political operatives in the labor movement offered a none-too-subtle electoral threat to Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday, saying that the Pennsylvania Republican's opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act could come back to bite him in his upcoming primary. "Certainly for us, any candidate will be judged by where they come down on this issue," said Karen Ackerman, political director for ALF-CIO. "With Working America we now have several hundred thousand registered Republicans as union members. So we have a lot of people with whom we communicate who can vote in the Republican primary. So I think we will have to see how this develops. We want to be able to convince Sen. Specter that he is ill advised if he thinks it is in his interest to go with the Chamber [of Commerce] on the Employee Free Choice Act. It is not good for him politically and it is certainly not good for the citizens of Pennsylvania." The remarks by Ackerman represent the first wave of pushback after Specter announced on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon that he would not support the union-backed legislation. And it was a hard pushback at that. Ackerman, who has been a behind-the-scenes operative on this issue up till this point, lambasted the Pennsylvania Republican for opposing a measure that he supported in '07 and cosponsored in '03. And she didn't shy away from suggesting that political motivations were at play. "I think it is no accident that he is in a very difficult position with his being challenged once again, probably, by [Pat] Toomey," she said. "You probably saw the Quinnipiac poll this morning that shows him 14 points down, head-to-head against Toomey. Sen. Specter is in a very difficult position for his primary... It is very interesting to us that he has supported the Employee Free Choice Act in past years and all the sudden he doesn't support the bill as it is." Saying that Specter's proclamation came as a "surprise" to her and other national labor officials, Ackerman did not consider his vote on EFCA entirely lost. Nor, for that matter, did she label it as absolutely vital to obtain. "First of all we are in discussions with other Republicans," she said. "We never thought that Specter would be the only Republican we could talk to. We have a lot of union members in other states who are communicating with their Senators as well, both Democrats and Republicans to shore up support of this." Going forward, the AFL-CIO will be flooding Specter's office with calls, letters, and delegations, urging him to reconsider his position. The union also will be stepping up its lobbying effort in favor of the legislation. One individual who could prove instrumental in the cause is President Barack Obama, who, reports say, is privately content with the notion that EFCA is now off the legislative table. Asked if she would like more public encouragement from the president, who has kept his backing confined largely to short but supportive statements, Ackerman responded: "The bill was just introduced last week... We have a ways to go on this. Of course there can always be more support. We want every elected House and Senate member as well as the White House to be very outspoken. We feel we are in a very good place. For the first time we do have the support of the White House and the leadership in the House and Senate." Questioned about an Employee Free Choice compromise -- which Specter hinted he might support -- Ackerman dismissed the only idea that has been floated publicly and insisted on her preference for the current bill. But she didn't necessarily close the door on that option. "The Lanny Davis compromise contains no possibility of majority sign up. The employer always makes the decision on a secret ballot election," she replied. "The second thing is there is no binding arbitration and the third thing is there are increased penalties on unions." "We have given a lot of thought to this bill and a lot of thought in terms of how to fix a broken system to give workers a fair shot," she said. "We recognize that there is going to be a lot of discussion on the House and Senate floor, particularly on the Senate floor and we are prepared to engage in this discussion. We are not talking about compromise at this point. We are going full steam ahead in terms of convincing Senators that this is the right bill. And yet we recognize that we have several months to go on this."
 
Kelly Carlin-McCall: Spring Equinox: Out with the Old Self and in with the New Self Top
Here in Southern California we are a bit like the red-haired stepchild when it comes to the changing of the seasons. Scrappy north-easterners sneer at our lack of seasons (while secretly envying them), while hearty mid-westerners laugh at our mentioning that, "Fall is here, or Spring has sprung," just because we don't have 50 degree temperature swings during these transitional days. These people from places of ice and cold just think we are delusional. Well, tell that to my Wisteria, Jasmine and Coral Tree this week. It may look subtle here, but there is springing, spranging and sprunging all over the place. Last Saturday March 21st was the Spring Equinox, which in my world meant that it was exactly nine months since my father, George Carlin's death. A period of time similar to a full, human gestation has occurred, and yes, I am being born, again. And just like childbirth, it is a messy and painful experience. This week I really would love to connect to the lavender and carmine colors bursting, and Robins and Swallows flirting all around me, but instead I find myself focusing on my breath and just trying to make it through the next five minutes (do they have Lamaze classes for personal re-birthing?). I am in the stage of mourning where I get to pull out all my perspectives and feelings around my relationship with my father and re-examining them and decide which ones to keep and which ones to release. Like the equinox that holds the light and the dark in equal measure, not only am I feeling the deep love, respect and adoration I have for my father, but I am also letting myself feel the pain, disappointment and rage toward him that I have kept locked in the basement of myself for over 40 years. The father/daughter relationship is certainly a complex one, and I am knee deep in it this week. Once again, I am humbled by this mourning process, and truly get that I do not get to be in charge of it all. I really would love to write to you all that I am blooming and blossoming and buzzing around like a Honey Bee, and that the warmer days and lighter evenings have put a spring in my step, but alas, not quite yet. Besides rummaging in the basement of myself, I think that these "birthing pains" are also occurring because I am finally looking at the reality of being an orphan. I am coming to terms with the fact that if I am to truly become anew, it is only I who can do the birthing now. There is no mom or dad to lean on, to live up to or to disappoint. They created me 46 years ago, and now it is my turn to create my self. But I feel like I want to scream, "But, I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no Self!" Yes, I have had many transitions, discoveries, new beginnings in my 45 years on the planet, but this level of new beginning, well it's just all so fucking brand new. And yet, those blooms, those birds, they know what to do, year after year, season after season. Maybe I can't revel in the spring yet, but I can certainly watch the wisdom. So here is what I promise: I will take it slow, wait until this baby (Me!) is at full term and truly ready to come out. I will push when needed, back off when appropriate, keep breathing, and know that when this labor of loving myself is through, there will be a miracle of life handed to me, and I will name her Kelly Marie Carlin-McCall. You know, now that I think about it, it kind of feels like the whole world is on the edge of birthing something new. We are all in the thrall of a huge spring cleaning - out with the old paradigm and in with the new! And I know that we can all get through it if we all breathe together, and yes even take some time to smell that Jasmine and flirt with those Robins. I will try if you will. Deal?
 
Tedisco Declares "I'm Not A Millionaire" -- But He Probably Is Top
New York Republican congressional candidate Jim Tedisco declared in a televised debate last night that he is not a millionaire. "I've lived, I've worked, I've represented upstate New York as a leader for many years," Tedisco said. "I'm not a millionaire, and I'm never gonna be a millionaire. When I get to the floor of Washington, I'll probably be the poorest person there in Congress." But according to personal financial disclosure forms ( PDF ), Tedisco isn't exactly a working-class stiff. The sum of the minimum value of the assets Tedisco reported -- including two addresses in Saratoga Springs -- totals at least $1,426,000. The maximum value is over $3 million. Tedisco's liabilities, including mortgages on those addresses, range between $400,000 and $850,000. The million-dollar-quip was directed at Tedisco's opponent, Democrat Scott Murphy, whom Tedisco has portrayed during the campaign as an out-of-touch Wall Street type. Tedisco campaign staff didn't respond to a request to clarify his net worth. Instead, they stuck to their message. "As a Wall Street insider, Scott Murphy is a product of the same greedy culture that has sunk our economy and resulted in such scandals as the one that occurred at AIG," wrote Tedisco campaign spokesman Adam Kramer. "Jim Tedisco has been fighting for Upstate working families his whole life because those are his roots." Murphy and Tedisco are in an ever-tightening race to fill the House seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand after she was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's seat in the Senate. Tedisco's once-commanding double-digit lead has dwindled in recent weeks, with Political Wire reporting today that internal Tedisco polling shows him ahead by just three points . The special election will be held on March 31. Watch here (Tedisco's millionaire statement comes at the end):
 
Bill Maher: New Rule: Test Tube Maybe Top
New Rule: Stop being so squeamish about human cloning... Check out Real Time with Bill Maher live Fridays at 10PM ET/PT - Only On HBO. More on Bill Maher
 
Scott Paul: Don't Leave China Out of the Climate Debate Top
China's pollution costs lives, warms the planet, and distorts trade. It also harms American jobs. Unless the damage caused by China's pollution is addressed, the debates on climate change and global trade will inevitably get sidetracked and deadlocked. China's steel industry deserves particular scrutiny because it accounts for a disproportionate share of China's pollution and carbon emissions by steel producers worldwide. It is the beneficiary of massive energy subsidies (more than $27 billion since 2000), and, as we now know, enjoys a tremendous and unfair advantage through a virtually non-existent regulatory regime. Having quadrupled production since 2000, China's steelmakers now account for more than one-third of global production, but their share of greenhouse gas emissions is more than the rest of the world combined. The carbon footprint of a ton of steel made in China is two to three times as large as a ton of steel made in America. A new report that our organization, the Alliance for American Manufacturing , issued on Monday shows the wide gap between the U.S. and China in environmental regulation and enforcement. Chinese companies emit more than five times as much sulfur dioxide, three times as much nitrogen oxide, and 20 times as much particulate matter as U.S. steel producers on a per ton basis. Little wonder that 750,000 premature deaths in China every year are caused by air pollution, or that one-fourth of the particulate matter over Los Angeles can be traced back to China. American steelmakers comply with air and water pollution standards that are six times tighter than China's. They spend at least twice as much to operate and maintain pollution control equipment. So it's important for policymakers to recognize that it is essential to keep manufacturing in the U.S. in a cap-and-trade world. While America must lead the way on climate change, we can't leave China out. China's products should face the same treatment as America's products under any cap-and-trade or tax regime. Otherwise, American jobs will leave, and as dirtier production ramps up in China, the climate problem will only grow worse. That's not a solution anyone can live with. More on Climate Change
 
Michael Hais and Morley Winograd: Positive Partisanship for a New Era Top
Bipartisanship. Other than "stimulus" or "bailout," perhaps no word has been written or spoken more often by politicians and pundits alike in Washington since the inauguration of Barack Obama. Commentators have generally characterized President Obama's attempts to engage Republicans as almost completely unsuccessful, while Republicans have derided his efforts as charming but ineffective, especially in light of the more partisan approach of his party's Congressional leadership. Liberals such as Thomas Frank dismissed bipartisanship as a "silly Beltway obsession," calling it "the most cynical stance possible." For his part , the president told columnist E.J. Dionne that the almost complete rejection of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by congressional Republicans reflected a combination of genuine "core differences between Democrats and Republicans" and an opportunistic attempt to "enforce conformity" and "reinvigorate their base." Obama then outlined the limits of his good will in a phrase sure to be repeated as the debate continues: "You know, I'm an eternal optimist. That doesn't mean I'm a sap." While some of this is just typical Washington politics, there is more to the argument over bipartisanship than mere gamesmanship. American politics has moved to a new era, one in which basic public attitudes toward government and the norms by which political activity is conducted and judged have been altered sharply and profoundly. Spurred as always by the emergence of a large and dynamic new generation, this makeover or realignment has changed almost everything about American politics, including the very meaning and practice of "bipartisanship." The most striking evidence of just how much things have changed was the extraordinary exchange between the president, congressional leaders from both houses and parties, and leaders from the private sector, both business and labor, at the White House Summit on "Fiscal Sustainability." The entire event was deliberately choreographed by President Obama to be demonstrably bipartisan and televised for the public to see. The dialogue between the president and Members of Congress suggested some principles of an approach to governing that can best be described as "positive partisanship." It is the way in which bipartisanship will be exercised in the new civic era that began with the election and inauguration of Barack Obama. The President himself summarized how this new approach should work, responding to U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who asked him to take the lead in telling Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats to be inclusive in their approach to developing legislation: "I do agree that the majority has an obligation to try and be as inclusive as they can, but the minority has to be constructive in return. The minority has to come up with their own ideas and not just want to blow things up." Exactly. In the 40-year long "idealist" era that just ended, bipartisanship reflected the circumstances of a nation dominated by the unflinchingly ideological and profoundly fractured Baby Boomer Generation. Within the electorate, and especially among Boomers, there were approximately an equal number of Republicans and Democrats and, at times, more independents than either. Voters were almost always sharply divided along the demographic lines of gender and ethnicity. In 14 of the 20 Congresses during the era, different parties controlled the presidency and at least one house of Congress, something favored by the American public in attitude surveys throughout the period. As a result, major alterations in public policy were rare and institutional gridlock was the rule rather than the exception. Historically, in previous idealist eras, "bipartisanship" meant seeking the lowest common denominator to bridge the differences between ideological extremes. During most of the idealist era between the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 and Abraham Lincoln in 1860, attempts to find a literal mathematical midpoint between the slave states and free states were the rule. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 divided the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase into free states north of latitude 36° 30' and slave states south of that line. Later, new states entered the Union in pairs, one slave and one free state at a time. A Whig politician, Henry Clay, gained the nickname "the Great Compromiser" for his efforts to achieve those middle ground solutions. In the idealist era that has just ended, political leaders, especially Democrats, were often forced to return to the bipartisan model of that earlier era. Bill Clinton, certainly the more successful of the two Democrats elected to the presidency between 1968 and 2004, often pursued an approach of "triangulation" between the ideological liberals of his own party and the conservatives of the opposition Republicans. "Centrist" Democratic groups (the very term obviously implying middle ground positioning) sought a "Third Way" between the ideological and partisan ends of the political spectrum. Party liberals often excoriated Clinton and the "centrist" Democrats for their ideological impurity. But the efforts to seek midpoint bipartisan policies made sense in a politically divided idealist era, especially one in which the opposition party held the presidency most of the time and divided government was the norm. But in 2008, America moved to a new political era and everything changed, including the meaning of bipartisanship, as the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression pushed the country into another civic era. In this environment, the American public, which had preferred divided government during the previous idealist era, now endorses unified government. A CNN survey conducted immediately after the 2008 general election indicated that a clear majority (59%) favored the idea of the Democrats controlling both elective branches of the federal government. Only 38 percent said that one-party rule was a bad idea. The public used a clearly civic era rationale to explain its changed attitude, telling Wall Street Journal pollsters that when the same party controls both the presidency and Congress, "it will end gridlock in Washington and things will get done." A recent CBS/ New York Times survey confirmed the desire for decisive action across the institutional lines of a newly unified government. A clear majority (56%) wants President Obama to pursue the policies he promised in the campaign rather than working in a bipartisan way with Republicans (39%). By contrast, an even larger majority (79%) wants congressional Republicans to work in a bipartisan way with the President rather than sticking to Republican policies. Faced with the need to deal with the deep national crisis that triggered the birth of the civic era, the majority of Americans no longer have the time or tolerance for the partisan and ideological rancor that fractured the political process and produced gridlock in the previous idealist era. If nothing else, the public expects calm, courteous, and polite discussion that focuses more on possible solutions and less on defining differences and distinctions. That tone was exemplified by the president as he conducted the Q&A with the Summit participants -- listening carefully to what they had to say, agreeing or disagreeing with some comments but always in a civil, and in some cases self-deprecating, way that made it impossible for the participants to engage in their usual hot-button rhetoric. Beyond demanding a new tone in political discourse, the public is also expressing its desire for decisive action with the majority party, currently the Democrats, having primary responsibility for governing. At the Summit, the president underlined some of the philosophical differences between the parties when discussing the question of individual tax rates or levels of overall revenue. But he made clear by his control of the session what he had told some Republicans earlier: "We won." He acknowledged both that the electorate had asked Democrats to take the lead in developing and implementing policies to deal with the major issues facing the nation and that he wanted the Republicans to play a role in finding the answers so long as they participated in a "constructive" fashion. This offer to engage puts the GOP in a quandary. It can choose to retain its ideological purity and hope to avoid blame if Democratic decisions turn out to be ineffective or harmful, but in doing so it is denying itself any role policymaking during Obama's presidency. Furthermore, such posturing is already creating an image in the public's mind of Republicans being too political and obstructionist. Alternatively, the GOP can resurrect the "Ev and Charlie Show" from the days of Lyndon Johnson when those two Republican congressional leaders participated in the policymaking process as a junior partner. If the Republicans choose this approach, they may leave themselves open to charges, similar to those leveled by Newt Gingrich at Republican congressional leaders when he first arrived in Congress, that they are a pale "me too" reflection of the Democrats, without any guiding principles of their own. But the approach does produce results. In the 1960s, Everett Dirksen and Charles Halleck collaborated with LBJ to provide the crucial votes on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The decisive support of Republican Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter for the recently enacted economic recovery act may be an unofficial and limited reflection of this approach early in the new civic era. Overall, however, the GOP seems inclined to avoid collaborating with Democrats in order to stay true to its idealist era ideology. While that may well promote party unity and discipline, from the perspective of enhancing the Republican brand, it seems to be a major error. In a recent Daily Kos survey, clear majorities had favorable opinions of the President (67%) and the Democratic Party (53%). Favorable attitudes toward congressional Democrats (44%), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (39%), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (34%) were not nearly as high. But, the favorable ratings received by the Democrats were substantially above those given to the Republican Party (27%), congressional Republicans (17%), John Boehner (13%), and Mitch McConnell (19%). Moreover, since the first of the year, favorable ratings of the Democratic leaders and the Democratic Party have remained stable or even increased, while those of the Republicans have declined. In 2008, the American people chose the Democratic Party to take the lead in confronting and resolving the grave problems facing the nation. They are expecting a decisive, civic-oriented response from President Obama. The Republican Party is left with the options of either joining the struggle or being left behind. Ultimately, both parties behavior will be shaped and judged by a new definition of what it means to exercise positive partisanship in a new era. Cross-posted at the NDN Blog . More on Barack Obama
 
Wayne Besen: Pope Condom Quote Undermines Credibility Top
Signaling a meaningful change from President George W. Bush's disastrous policies, the Obama administration last week endorsed a United Nations statement calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. The primary opponents of this measure were radical Islamist countries and the Vatican, representing a new unholy alliance across the globe. The previous day on his way to Africa, the Pope spoke to reporters about the role condoms play in the prevention of HIV. Unbelievably, the Pontiff said they make the epidemic worse. "You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms," the Pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane headed to Yaounde, Cameroon, where he began a seven-day pilgrimage on the continent. "On the contrary, it increases the problem." Internationally, people were stunned at the Pope's scientific ignorance and indifference to human suffering. Africa, after all, is a continent with more than 22 million people living with the disease. Only thin strips of latex have stopped this figure from rapidly multiplying and leaving behind an even more horrific trail of death. How many people is this man willing to see die to defend his outdated dogma? How high must the body count be before the Pope is no longer considered pro-life? French foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier justifiably reacted with exasperation when he said, "While it is not up to us to pass judgment on Church doctrine, we consider that such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life." German officials called the Pope's statement "irresponsible" urged the availability of condoms in Africa. How ironic that a Pope fixated on stanching the decline of the Catholic Church in Western Europe would declare something so out of touch with the modern world. His unconscionable cruelty has transformed him into crusty relic on the verge of irrelevance. Appearing on Fox's O'Reilly Factor last week, I debated the Pope's statement with writer Raymond Arroyo. I pointed out that UNAIDS, calls the condom the "single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV." Arroyo responded with a bizarre conspiracy theory saying that the United Nations group was only trying to "protect the government infusion of money to these condom programs that have demonstrably not worked at all." Then I asked Arroyo point blank: "If all the condoms in Africa magically disappeared, would the number of HIV cases increase or decrease?" He responded that HIV would decrease if people would model their lives on the Pope's "ideal way in which to live." In the ideal world promoted by Arroyo, priests would not rape little boys, while getting shuffled around parishes to protect the church. In the real world, the Vatican has spent millions of dollars to pay for child abuse lawsuits. In Arroyo's fantasy world, young people pledge abstinence until marriage. In the real world, studies show that teens taking virginity pledges were just as likely to engage in sex - and less likely to use birth control or condoms when they finally did. It is such wanton disregard for reality and wearing of rose-colored shades to blind oneself from avoidable carnage that define fanaticism. There is something pathological and perverse in the psyche of people willing to do enormous wrong in order to prove their doctrine right. The history books will not be kind to this Pope. From rehabilitating Holocaust deniers, to rampant homophobia, to fighting against legislation allowing victims of child sexual abuse to sue, "Bumbling Benedict" seems to lurch from one avoidable crisis to another. As he flails in his attempts to woo Europe and ultimately fails in the West, the Pontiff will increasingly dupe the developing world. His road show will focus on poor countries where people aren't as attuned to the ethical depravity of his unscientific proclamations. Indeed, few people will hear from those suffering after the Pope goes home and they die in silent anonymity - victims of a flawed and fatalistic vision. Far from infallibility, this Pope has failed on so many levels that he has virtually no credibility on matters of morality. During the show, Arroyo asked me, "What do you want him to do, hand out IUD's and condoms from the Pope Mobile?" If that's what it takes to save human lives, then the answer is yes. One would think that this is what a man of God would be commanded to do. But, sadly, compassion is out of fashion at the Vatican these days. More on The Pope
 
Jeff Kreisler: This Week In Cheating: Hedge Funds Top
The Times reports that 25 Hedge Fund managers made $11.6 billion in '08 . Get Rich Cheating Says: Run a hedge fund! Not a reserve of cash to pay your gardener, hedge funds are big green bales of cash separating the lawns of prosperity from the sidewalks of poverty. Their managers gets at least 1% of the value of the fund, regardless of how it performs, then another 20% of the profit. It's easy pickings : Manage a $1 billion hedge fund, so get 1% ($10 million) off the top. If you make no money, take that $10 mill. Or, lie and say the fund made $100 million, then take 20% ($20 million) of that. Or, steal the whole $1 billion, and take the $10 mill, too. (What do you do later when people question your numbers? That's right, you restate your past financials, declare bankruptcy, get immunity from your Congressional friends, and move to Turks & Caicos!!! Hooray!) You'll be the envy of your smarter, more experienced, harder-working friends. Your poor friends. Jeff Kreisler's first book, " Get Rich Cheating ," is now available for pre-order. "Just by reading this book you'll earn an asterisk next to your name. You'll be laughing all the way to the bank, assuming other cheaters haven't forced it into bankruptcy yet" - Rachel Maddow (MSNBC) http://GetRichCheating.com More on Rachel Maddow
 
Rob Kall: The Most Evil Corporations, Industries and Orgs Top
Lately, we're having more conversations about corporations whose behaviors have been outrageous, shameful, even criminal. These conversations sometimes lead to people saying this or that company is the worst, the most evil, the most murderous, the most corrupt or corrupting, the most destructive, most exploitative. Some of the companies often listed include AIG, Blackwater, Diebold, Dow, Enron, Exxon, Fox/Newscorp, Haliburton, Monsanto, Walmart, and then there are whole industries -- the Military industrial complex, big pharma, big agra, health insurers, porn, anti-net neutrality giants, the RIAA music industry fighting downloading, coal burning energy companies, privacy invading, spying telecoms, auto companies building gas-hog pollution machines, corpstream mainstream media selling corporate and government messages, chemical or livestock polluters, oil spillers. Then there are the enablers -- globalism and its manifestations -- the World Bank, IMF, WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA and those who endorse and promote them, saying they are the only way. The IMF has been known to demand that third world countries privatize their water supply , for example, and Naomi Klein, in her classic book, Shock Doctrine, has documented how these orgs work with the worst corporations to destroy democracy and destroy economies. In this world of bests and worsts, perhaps it's time to create a museum of evil, where the worst companies, industries, organizations are "awarded" with the honor of being named the most evil, most damaging to the planet and or humanity. The question is, Which of the corporations, orgs and industries would you say are the worst, and why . And are there any which have turned around and rehabilitated themselves? Or once bad always bad? In these trying economic times, when new ideas and approaches must be developed, maybe it is time we identify and deal with the real enemies of the good, of humanity and the earth. We are eliminating some companies, nationalizing others. Maybe we need to consider other reasons, besides economic bankruptcy -- like moral bankruptcy -- in deciding which companies will survive and which will no longer exist. Now that we've put these kinds of considerations on the table, why should profitability and financial viability alone be the only reasons to consider terminating or completely restructuring some companies, if they've done things that drastically change our world for the worst? So please, add your comments describing the companies, organizations and industries which deserve to be enshrined in the museum of evil. More on Fox News
 
Russia Magazine: An Oligarch, a Poisoning Suspect and an Opposition Leader May Run For Mayor of Sochi Top
By Marina Galperina What do the oligarch owner of the Evening Standard , possible murderer of renegade spy Alexander Litvinenko and a former deputy prime minister of Russia have in common? All three are entering the race to become mayor of a Black sea resort town with total population of 402,000. This town is Sochi and it will host the winter Olympics in 2014. A Putin critic and high profile banker Alexander Lebedev who has recently purchased the Evening Standard , a UK daily newspaper, announced in his blog that he will be running for the mayor of Sochi. Earlier this week, Boris Nemtsov, a vice prime minister under Yeltsin and an opposition leader under Putin, also announced his intention to run for mayor. Both Nemstov and Lebedev claimed that many Sochi residents appealed for them to run for town mayor by commenting on their respective blogs (we're not kidding!), asking them to "fix this town!" Andrey Lugovoy, a KGB officer turned possible murderer wanted for questioning by Scotland Yard turned Russian congressman has also joined the race, though without the warm invite. There is a reason for such a tightly packed lineup. In Russia, mayoral elections are the only elections left. Governors are appointed by the President, senators are appointed by the President, and congressmen are elected based on their political party affiliations (read - appointed by the President). The only reason mayoral elections were left untouched was that nobody could foresee that it might be important. And voila -- the city which hosts the Olympics in 2014 and becomes a showcase of Russian international standing over the next five years is up for grabs. That elevates the mayoral election in a small resort town of Sochi to the national level. Whoever wins the race will have influence over the most massive construction effort in Russia since Baikal Amur Mainline, a railroad across Eastern Siberia which was built in the thirties by half of the Soviet Union's students and all of the Soviet Union's prisoners. The federal government will have no choice but to make friends with the new mayor. Both Nemtsov and Lebedev (Lugovoy maintains professional silence) have speculated that they will not be allowed to run, which they most likely won't be. In the eyes of the government they are trying to take the Olympics hostage. Lugovoy could make a much better mayor. After all, he is more likely to stay in Sochi and not to travel outside of Russia much (he is still wanted for questioning about Litivnenko's polonium poisoning.) More on Russia
 
"Three Stooges" Film Cast: Sean Penn, Jim Carrey & Benicio Del Toro Top
MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for "The Three Stooges." Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard. The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe. More on Sean Penn
 
F-22 Crashes In California Desert, Air Force Says Top
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — An F-22 Raptor jet fighter crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California, Air Force officials said. Rescue crews were en route to the crash site and the status of the pilot was not immediately known, said Air Force Maj. David Small at the Pentagon. The two-engine stealth jet, which was on a test mission, crashed six miles north of the base on Harbor Dry Lakebed, Small said. The plane is flown by a single pilot. The $140 million supersonic F-22 is the force's new top-of-the-line fighter. The U.S. military has committed to 183 of the jets, down from a plan in the 1980s to build 750. Phone messages left with the base's public affairs office were not immediately returned Wednesday.
 
Ron Galloway: Wal-Mart and the Future of Healthcare Top
I gave a speech at a healthcare association last week, and the main topic of questions directed to me concerned the announcement that Wal-Mart will be selling an Electronic Health Records (EHR) software package to physicians at Sam's Club. Priced at $25,000 the EHR system is priced at half the cost of competing systems. The other EHR vendors at the conference were pulling their hair out. The physicians were loving the fact they could save over $20,000. Sounds like Wal-Mart, doesn't it? Wal-Mart is poised to become one of the largest forces in American healthcare. Ironically, they have formally partnered with the SEIU in trying to address the issue after withstanding withering criticism from the union for years on healthcare issues such as employees depending on Medicaid for their healthcare. In 2006 Wal-Mart identified healthcare related issues as a priority, as a tactical PR move, but principally as a way to control healthcare costs both inside and outside the company. Their efforts are beginning to now come to fruition, and I believe they'll affect us all. The first move Wal-Mart made was the shot across the bow of prescription drugs when they lowered the price of hundreds of generics to $4. What then happened? Everyone from Rite Aid to Kroger followed their lead. Wal-Mart's customers have saved $1 billion on prescriptions since this happened. But note nobody lowered their prices until Wal-Mart did. Wal-Mart is planning to open 400 health clinics in stores over the next few years. Why wouldn't they? 130 million people come through their doors every week. They already have the physical space. Wal-Mart will charge around $55 for a visit. Hospital executives around the country I've talked to welcome this because it will relieve the pressure on their ER's to take care of colds, scraped knees and other minor issues. Nurse practitioners are ecstatic because the clinics will be staffed by NPs, creating thousands of new jobs in their field and raising their profile. It sounded a bit silly a few years back when Wal-Mart opened optometry centers in their stores. Get your eyes checked at the same place you get tires and VapoRub? According to Carol M. Lazo, principal of Method Consulting, more than 13,000 people now work in these centers, and 6 million Americans rely on them for vision care. I often state that Wal-Mart is not a store, it is an Information Technology company. Their servers in Arkansas have the capacity to store everything on the internet two times over. It is in the area of electronic health records where they may have the most impact, through EHR software sales and applying EHR standards to millions of future customers in their health clinics. If it were king of Wal-Mart, I'd go ahead and store a patient's records on their Wal-Mart Money Card. Why not? WalMart may also become the largest referrer of medical care in the nation, by sending patients in their clinics to physicians when those patients have more serious healthcare needs. Ask a doctor, referrals are the lifeblood of a medical practice. In 1990 Wal-Mart hardly sold groceries at all. By 2003, by applying scale and IT to the industry, they were America's largest grocer. They apply these same assets to other industries. Wal-Mart is entering the convenience store market in a big way. They are essentially the record label for the Eagles and AC/DC. They decided the HD-DVD/BluRay battle, and may become the nation's largest electronics retailer. Shopped at a Circuit City lately? Thought not. Wal-Mart does not always succeed however. They tried to emulate Netflix with a DVD rental-by-mail program and failed when it seemed they had all the assets to dominate. They opened stores in Germany, and then closed them and left the country. My theory for this failure is that Germans don't quite understand greeters. But in healthcare I think through sheer scale they'll prevail, and change the landscape of the industry as a healthcare "black swan." The 3 characteristics of a Nassim Taleb black swan event are 1) it is unexpected, 2) it changes everything and 3) it can be explained in hindsight. Wal-Mart's healthcare effort fits these criteria, especially the second. It will change everything. The iPod black-swanned the music industry. Craigslist black-swanned newspapers. Twitter is black-swanning Facebook as we speak. In much the same way, WalMart will unexpectedly be a black swan in the future of healthcare. Just ask the SEIU . More on Walmart
 
Marc Abraham: Dancing With Assault Rifle Stars Top
I've seen a lot of dancing in my time, a lot of shuffling around. I've seen the gator and the funky chicken, a load of ducking and diving, but these days watching our representatives, our cabinet members and our president limboing under and around the gun control issue ... now that's a routine worthy of a reality TV show - Dancing with Assault Rifle Stars. If it wasn't such deadly business, I just might laugh. Take the latest response to the insane, gruesome, blood soaked carnage drenching the pavement in Mexico from Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and the White House. And this from people I count on being on the right side of the issue. They are intending to stop "illegal flows of laundered money and precursor chemicals... they are committed to reducing these illegal flows in both directions ... illegal flows - sounds like a plumbing problem in the guest house ... they are sending our Secretary of State to Mexico to announce "additional personnel to combat the problem and promoting better communication between the countries..." And of course we have the Congressman Lance smith of Texas who is unsure of the plan, wants more specifics but also wants to make sure they do not come at the expense of our gun rights. By the way a very tough dance floor move. Another important element of the program is a plan to reduce the demand for drugs by American consumers. Finally a consumer plan that encourages people to stop buying goods. That ought to be cinch; slowing down people's desire to dull their pain during a depression. What about just beginning to stem the catastrophic flood of guns. The GUNS - those handsome AK47 assault rifles that the NRA loves and our criminals covet. How about enforcing the ban on them that the Bush administration abandoned - a ban first implemented by Bush 1. How about demanding that the ATF stop allowing foreign exporters from shipping these sick weapons over here in bits and pieces, circumventing our barely enforced laws. These assault weapons are the drug of choice of the cartels. So what are we thinking - allowing even one single one of them in to the states and then impotently watching as they slip and slide south of our borders at the rate of a couple thousand a day? What is it going to take for a politician to stand up and state the obvious - we don't need these weapons. Go ahead; you can shoot your animal of choice with a shotgun or rifle. And as for the argument that we will never get rid of all these guns in this country; it is plain wrong. We will get rid of them if we start banning them for real. No, it won't happen in two years or even five, but the flow will gradually, successfully diminish. The cache will become depleted. And one day when our kids who are in nursery school today go to college, there will be millions of fewer weapons on our streets, in our neighbors backyards, in our neighboring countries backyards and we will be safer. When I was kid in Kentucky people used to say they'd never get folks to wear seat belts and no way would people stop smoking. "Hell, what'd they gonna do, kick you out of bar for lighting up a cig ... come on, give me a break." More on Mexico
 
Michael Vick Leaves Federal Prison For Bankruptcy Court Top
RICHMOND, Va. — Suspended NFL star Michael Vick has left a federal lockup in Kansas, apparently bound for Virginia to appear at a bankruptcy hearing next week. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site showed Wednesday that Vick was no longer at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. It listed his status as "in transit." It was not clear when he left, or where he was. But two weeks ago, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro demanded that Vick to testify at an April 2 hearing in Newport News about whether his Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan should be confirmed. Another judge issued a court order directing federal marshals to bring the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback to Virginia for the hearing. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Victoria Joseph said bureau policy prohibits disclosure of the prisoner's destination until after he arrives. Vick's attorneys did not immediately return phone messages left by The Associated Press. Vick is serving 23 months for bankrolling a dogfighting conspiracy. He is eligible to move into home confinement no earlier than May 21 and is scheduled to be released from custody on July 20. Vick will likely be kept in a southeastern Virginia jail until the hearing, but it wasn't known which one. Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said he had not been notified that Vick would be staying in the city jail, but it was possible Vick and federal marshals would show up unannounced. The judge overseeing Vick's bankruptcy case rejected the idea of allowing testimony by video hookup, saying he needed Vick in the courtroom so he could assess his demeanor and credibility. Vick's plan for paying his creditors is based largely on his intention to resume his NFL career. Vick was suspended indefinitely after his 2007 indictment, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will review Vick's status after he is released. The Falcons still hold the contract rights to Vick but have said they will try to trade him. Vick's bankruptcy plan would allow him to keep the first $750,000 of his annual pay. After that, a percentage would go to his creditors based on a sliding scale.
 
Press Corps: Obama Bored Us By Answering Our Questions Top
What did the media think about last night's big media event -- the second primetime press conference with President Barack Obama ? Well, first and foremost, the media did a great job. Just ask the media! Because they'll tell you ! At the same time, the media is also quick to point out that the press conference was " totally boring !" Well, that's certainly a strange coincidence! But bored they were! Here's how Peter Baker and Adam Nagourney -- who were hoping for either the "conversational president who warmly engaged Americans in talks across the country," or the "jaunty and jokey" Obama from The Tonight Show -- described last night's total buzzkill: Instead, in his second prime-time news conference from the White House, it was Barack Obama the lecturer, a familiar character from early in the campaign. Placid and unsmiling, he was the professor in chief, offering familiar arguments in long paragraphs -- often introduced with the phrase, "as I said before" -- sounding like the teacher speaking in the stillness of a classroom where students are restlessly waiting for the ring of the bell. Or, as Chuck Todd put it : More than anything else, Obama's news conference last night resembled a campaign TV ad -- one in which the serious candidate talks directly to the camera (although this one went on for nearly an hour, and it sometimes was interrupted by tough questions from the press). Indeed, how many times did we hear Obama mention his budget's top priorities: education, energy, health care, reducing the deficit? Indeed, HOW MANY TIMES DID OBAMA TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET? Jesus, it was almost as if he kept getting questions about the budget. In fact, it was ALMOST AS IF Jennifer Loven, Jake Tapper, Ed Henry, Chip Reid, and Chuck Todd himself asked a bunch of questions about spending and budgets! Was it like a "campaign TV ad?" Hmmm. I wonder if that's because Obama spent a lot of time, on the campaign trail, patiently explaining his budget priorities, amid approximately a million billion questions about "HOW WILL YOU PAY FOR THESE THINGS?" Yes. It's the repetition of perennial questions -- questions whose answers, offered long ago, were so satisfying to voters that they voted in accordance with their satisfaction -- that BORED, thunderously. Though Ed Henry's exciting twist -- coupling his boring question with an invitation to get emasculated on live teevee -- did blow up the Twitterverse for a while. (Henry was a "trending topic" last night on Twitter, just ahead of "The Biggest Loser.") If you look at the breakdown, a pattern emerges: the "traditional" media outlets brought the repetitive, dull, blunt force trauma, and the smaller, less-called-upon outfits provided the evening's flavor: TRADITIONAL Associated Press: Spending and budgets. MSNBC: Spending and budgets, masquerading as a question on "sacrifice." ABC News: Spending and budgets. CBS News: Spending and budgets. CNN: AIG bonuses, spending and budgets, invitation to publicly crush Ed Henry's balls, like so many seedless grapes. FOX NEWS: Sino-Russo currency conspiracy theories. NON-TRADITIONAL UNIVISION: Violence in Mexico. STARS AND STRIPES: Spending and budgets, but specifically related to care for veterans. POLITICO: Charitable donation taxes. EBONY: Homelessness. ABC RADIO: Race. WASHINGTON TIMES: Stem cell research, scientific ethics. AGENCE FRANCE PRESS: Israel/Palestinian peace process. What's really amazing about this is that credible reporters, like the Washington Post 's Lori Montgomery, actually believe there is public "outrage" over Obama's spending/budget plans , despite the clear absence of evidence to support this claim . So, you just know the media is going to keep right on asking the same question about spending and budgets, forever and ever, into the void of senseless infinity. Meanwhile, note the startling absence of many pressing topics from last night's presser. Nothing on Iraq. Nothing on terrorism. Nothing on the sweeping changes set to come to Afghanistan policy. One foreign policy question, in total. Nothing about pending appointments. Nothing about the Employee Free Choice Act. And ... oh ... what's that you say, Ezra Klein of the American Prospect ? I managed to miss it, but the transcript suggests that there wasn't a single question about the massive plan to risk a trillion dollars in taxpayer money to save the banking system. OH, YEAH. I heard something about that whole banking plan from somebody this week, I think! So there you have it. Your press corps, boring themselves silly asking questions that you aren't interested in, and awarding themselves medals for doing so. [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .]
 
Afghan Meeting: Iran Accepts US Invitation Top
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Iran has accepted an invitation to a conference on Afghanistan next week that also will be attended by the U.S., the conference's Dutch host said Wednesday. The invitation to Iran, which was first announced by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, was seen as part of Washington's policy toward greater engagement with the Islamic republic. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, who confirmed Iran's acceptance, said the identity of the Iranian representative was not yet known. Verhagen said the invitation fit Europe's two-track approach of offering inducements to Iran to cooperate with the international community while maintaining sanctions for pursuing its nuclear program. "It is of utmost importance that Iran is participating," Verhagen said. President Barack Obama is preparing a sweeping U.S. policy review toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Taliban insurgents have taken refuge. Verhagen said the U.S. review must "take into account that there is not a single solution for Afghanistan." The policy must be "a comprehensive approach of development, good governance and security." Although the Hague conference was scheduled to last just seven hours, officials said key diplomats, led by top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide, were working on a joint declaration that would commit participants to supporting Afghanistan's stability and development. The meeting will be opened by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Last year, a similar conference in Paris raised pledges of $20 billion for Kabul, but the Hague meeting was not intended to raise funds or discuss military aid to the government. Those issues were more likely to come up at other multinational meetings scheduled in the next week on Afghanistan. They include a NATO summit, Obama's conference in the Czech Republic with European leaders and a meeting in Moscow hosted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes Russia, China and several central Asian states. The Hague meeting includes all the countries that have contributed to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, which has about 55,000 troops from 26 NATO countries and 15 non-NATO countries. Russia, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and humanitarian groups were also invited were among the meeting of nearly 80 countries and 20 international organizations. More on Iran
 
Victor Capoccia: Getting to Truly Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Top
President Obama declared the other week that there is a "clear consensus that the need for healthcare reform is here and now." Ensuring that his call for comprehensive reform hears "every voice" goes beyond applause-worthy sound bites, and translates into action, is vital to fixing what ails our current system. To date, our current healthcare system has been deaf to some of those voices. Among those whose important concerns are often drowned out by the chorus that surrounds heathcare reform, are those representing the mental health and addiction treatment communities. Many people don't naturally think that the mental health and addiction fields have something to contribute to the healthcare reform debate. But experts in these fields must be heard because addressing the causes, consequences, and treatment of these diseases is vital to constructing a meaningful and cost-effective national healthcare strategy. Including mental health and addiction squarely in the scope of health reform -- where they belong =- will contribute to the improvements we all seek in health status and controlled costs. Today, our medical knowledge has advanced considerably since the foundations of our healthcare system were put in place. We know that mental health and addiction disorders are treatable and, when they are treated, significant cost savings are achieved. And yet we are wasting scarce dollars using hospitals and emergency departments as "holding tanks" for the untreated and getting poor outcomes in general medical care as a result. Mental health and addiction disorders combined account for roughly one-fourth of total resource use in community hospitals. These disorders are involved in about 24 percent of all adult hospital stays, and 22 percent of total hospital costs. For the uninsured, they account for 33 percent of all admissions. The numbers of people affected by addiction alone is startling. More than 23 million Americans suffer from addiction, but only one in 10 gets the treatment they need. University of Pennsylvania researchers studied the effects of alcohol or drug use, or both, on diabetes, sleep disorders, depression, and hypertension. They found that success in managing these four chronic conditions depends on concurrent management of addiction. Congress acknowledged last year that we can not heal the system as a whole without considering all of its parts when it passed parity legislation. This new law bars insurers from imposing limits on addiction and mental healthcare treatment that are not applied to other health conditions. But it is not enough to ensure that these treatments won't be discriminated against by insurers; we must make these treatments are covered. In healthcare, we already know that more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective. While America spends the most per capita on healthcare, those expenditures have produced a healthcare system that the Commonwealth Fund ranked as last in quality when compared with 19 other countries. As we examine what's broken in today's system, the missteps of past plans, and the elements of a successful future system, we must remember that America cannot take a piecemeal approach to what ails us today. Addiction and mental health treatment must be a part of a comprehensive overhaul of our nation's healthcare system.
 
How To Recycle: CDs, Crayons, Candle Jars And More Top
3. CDs and DVDs Mails discs to Back Thru The Future (cdrecyclingforfree.com), a woman-owned electronics recycling and data destruction company. 4. Crayons In my house, the most unpopular crayon colors are gray and pale yellow. I never thought twice about tossing the duds in the trash, but it turns out that crayon wax spends eternity in a landfill. Instead, put them in a small box and send them to the recycling program run by Crazy Crayons, where your castoffs will be melted down and turned into a new generation of crayons. For details, go to crazycrayons.com. More on Green Living
 
Ariston Anderson: Q&A with Swedish pop trio Peter, Bjorn & John Top
They've got a whistle famous the world over. Peter, Bjorn and John broke onto the music scene with their third album Writer's Block in 2006. Led by their hit " Young Folks ," the pop Swedish trio became a staple in the indie scene. The band, which has now been together for ten years, is back and bigger than ever with their fifth album, Living Thing , which releases on March 31st. Last week, the band performed an exclusive set in New York City, part of the W Hotel's Wonderlust Live tour. The series, presented by producer Bryan Michael Cox, and sponsored by Sony BMG and Mastercard, will be documented at each stop by legendary photographer Mick Rock. They played 90% of songs from the new album to a ballroom full of fans, and finished the night with a special performance of "Young Folks." With three upcoming tours, we can tell they're going to be the soundtrack for many an upcoming dance party. It's good old-fashioned, drink champagne, clap your hands, stomp your feet, get down and dance pop. The band proves once again they're a master of indie samplers. Their new single, "Nothing to Worry About," which Kanye West premiered on his blog , has a surreal childlike chorus backing the head-bopping hit. Living Thing is a staple record for the spring because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's able to incorporate the fun Swedish undertones of their old work, but is also something entirely new. We spoke to the band before the show to find out just what is behind the new album. Read on to find out why they're obsessed with Iggy Pop trivia, how Kanye discovered them, and why uptempo slow songs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. HP: So your single "Young Folks" really became a part of American pop culture. Kanye West sampled the song, it was in the film 21 , and it became the theme for New York in the very first episode of Gossip Girl . What was that like? Peter: I haven't thought about that. I actually haven't seen a lot of those TV series or movies. I think it's good for Gossip Girl because they have it in the intro and it kind of sets the tone for the whole New York experience. We never wrote the song like a New York theme, but you know, whatever. Whatever goes. I mean that song definitely made us spend more time in New York, so I guess it fits well. HP: Do you consider yourself an international band? Peter: We are all over the place at the moment. We used to just play Swedish pizzerias and Norwegian backyards. But something happened, and now we're all over the place. Now it's hard to pick where to go. Because we can go everywhere, and we like to go places, but we also want to stay alive. We've got a thing for the UK of course, because it was where we were first received in the media and stuff. We thought it would be like playing for 30 years and we thought it would be like a mojo, old times things, but then the media was craving us, and that was kind of funny. And then of course New York and L.A. is a huge thing for us because there's a lot of people here we like. Bjorn: We live in Stockholm still. It's a beautiful place. It's good to travel though, because we play a lot more shows now every year, and it makes us a better band. HP: Was there a moment when you knew that you made it and could quit your day jobs? Peter: Yeah that happened with the 3rd album, with "Young Folks." It was kind of difficult to know when though to actually stop work though. I had just gone back to university before that to become a librarian. I remember wondering what would happen in the upcoming year. Before that we were kind of half touring and half working. I'm glad that we got some money so I don't have to be a librarian. Bjorn: I was producing records, so I've been my own boss since 2001. HP: How does the music scene compare here to Sweden? Peter: There's a big difference. We don't have much of a live scene like you do here. People go out for drinks and there's some band in the corner playing. Here, it's more like you go see a band and then you go drinking. That's maybe why we're more in the studio, listening to records. We're kind of intellectual with the rock music in Sweden. We kind of get in to it and learn every Devo song, or know Iggy Pop's dog's name, which is by the way, Iggy Pop. HP: What were your influences for Living Thing? Bjorn: Afrika Bambaataa. Yeah, that's it. No, it's so hard to say actually, because we're all over the place, music wise. We listen to everything. Before we drew from the 60s, 70s, stuff we liked when we were kids. But now, maybe, we're taking a lot of stuff from what we listened to when we were a bit older, like preteen, and teen sort of stuff. HP: Why the venture into dance music? Bjorn: The last albums were more indie rock. This one is more champagne. The way we made the album was more experimental and less straightforward. But it sounds more pop. So that's kind of funny the way it twists and turns. HP: How did Kanye West get a hold of the track "Nothing to Worry About"? Peter: I guess he just likes music. I think someone played him the track. I don't know who. Everyone is always walking the corridors of record labels here in New York. So I think someone heard it and played it for him. His blog is very popular, and he wanted to play it so we said yes. HP: So the two tracks that have been released, what's the meaning behind them tracks? Peter: "Lay it Down," the first one that people heard, it was laid down after all the "Young Folks" mayhem. It was like a clear break. This is something new. Shut up, you know. We're a bit more aggressive. Even though that's a sad song too, melancholy, I think that was a good start. And it's a funny video too. And then " Nothing to Worry About ," it's also very different. So that's good to show people that it's different. But then they listen to the album and they think they recognize us. Bjorn: To us, it's a typical Peter, Bjorn, and John album. It's got all the ingredients of a Peter, Bjorn, and John album, it's just a bit bigger and better, and more expensive. I think it hurts more. It really feels more. It's taking over when you listen to it. But I feel that strongly. It's very intense, the album. It's also funny with the first song because they're kind of slow to be pop songs. We've never really written such slow songs. Uptempo slow songs, that's the newest thing. Photos by Krystyna Printup Peter, Bjorn and John are setting out on a European tour. Then they return for a U.S. tour with Chairlift, and finally head out with Depeche Mode for their summer tour. More on Gossip Girl
 
Obama Restarts Twitter Account Top
President Obama's Twitter account has been quiet since the day before inauguration. But now the POTUS is starting to use the outlet again, as part of his budget campaign. Obama posted a message Wednesday promoting tomorrow's online town hall . His first tweet since January 19th: Follow the Huffington Post Politics team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/huffpost . More on Obama's First 100 Days
 
Paige Donner: Greening Hollywood: the DL on Downtown's City of LA Fashion Week Top
The key words to this year's L.A. Fashion Week were "City of L.A., Vintage and (yeah!)...Eco." CoLA FW, City of L.A. Fashion Week , set the bar with their Friday and Saturday night closing weekend shows at downtown's Lady Liberty Building. Fashionista Scenesters at CoLA FW, Photo by Paige Donner "CoLA is about encouraging and supporting this city's talent. Our desire is to set a standard of sophistication that will invite fashion moguls and originals back to the West Coast," said Dani Michelle, CoLA FW Founding Principle. Team CoLA, including Executive Producer Shannon Leggett, staged two nights of back to back runway shows - flawlessly. Their Brian Lichtenberg theatrics was, by fashionista decree, the epicenter of our city's Fashion Week this year. Other labels that walked the runway were Fremont, Eksempel, B. Son, Joyrich and COA (a secret show). What set CoLA FW apart was that it was so seamlessly organized. We're talkin' "flow." The building's second floor was devoted to party space sponsored, in part by TyKu Asian Liquor. Runway shows were held exclusively on the 5th Floor of this loft space. The drama and theatre of the runway show collections were heightened by having their own devoted space. It was also clear that these were "industry events, not consumer events." Some images from the collections: Fremont collection, Photo by Paige Donner Fremont designer Brittany Pham noted that her collection was "Depression Era - inspired." She went for basic classics that hold to them the nostalgia of Hollywood Glam. CoLA FW featured Designer, Brian Lichtenberg Collection, Photo by Paige Donner Fremont collection by Brittany Pham, shown at CoLA FW, Photo by Paige Donner CoLA FW, backstage with models, Photo by Paige Donner Model and CoLA FW attendees, Photo by Paige Donner Downtown L.A. Fashion Week's Vintage: Classy, Timeless and Eco Rachel Griffiths, co-host of DLAFW, wearing Ferdinando Sarmi Vintage; according to Cameron Silver, co-host, it was the only vintage maternity dress in his Decades boutique. Photo by Paige Donner "I'm enthusiastic about fashion week taking place at the epicenter of the city's garment district," said Cameron Silver, owner of Decades Inc ., L.A.'s starring vintage fashion boutique, who was curator of Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week's show staged at the MOCA in downtown L.A.'s Little Tokyo. Designer Louis Verdad, at MOCA Geffen Contemporary, showing his Louver Collection, Photo by Paige Donner Panoramic view of DLAFW held at MOCA Contemporary Museum, Little Tokyo L.A., Photo by Paige Donner Thursday's "Evening of 20th Century Glamour" happened by the graces and sheer creative innovation of museum's Vanessa Gonzales and her team of "crazy fun" accomplices, including forward thinking DLAFW Executive Producer Leanna Lewis of Leanna Lewis Events . Silver, co-host of the evening along with actress Rachel Griffiths, said that the Geffen Center at MOCA was an exciting venue to stage a runway show and sees L.A. as being the attractive fashion debut destination for both N.Y. and Pan-Asian designers. "L.A. Fashion Week can really position itself well because everyone I want to dress is already here," added Silver, referencing some of the actors and celebs who showed up for the MOCA DLAFW event including Nicole Richie, Marisa Tomei, Rose McGowan and Nicki Hilton. "We need to import designers to L.A. rather than export our talent to N.Y.," said Silver. Vintage designers shown on the runway included the show hit, "Iconic Mermaid Coctail Dress - Red," by Norell. This number "stopped the show" and garnered the model, Monique, applause from the crowd. Other dresses included: YSL, Valentino, Azzaro, Dior, Givenchy, Mugler and De La Renta. DLAFW Founder, Lewis, feels that one of the most effective ways to be environmentally conscious is to re-use old(er) things. She also incorporated EcoNouveau into the DLAFW line up of event sponsors. She's a believer in putting L.A. on the fashion world's map. "I think there is a tremendous amount of talent in this city and it's my mission to expose it the right way, L.A. style. Fashion, art and music fused together. The success of the event last week is the beginning of the future of fashion here in LA and will initiate the credibility Los Angeles deserves." Louver Collection '09, Featured at DFWLA at the MOCA Contemporary Museum, Photo by Paige Donner Speculation by the crowd was that this year was "fashion freer." Freer in the sense that the corporate underwriting was no longer there [by Mercedes Benz, anyway] and that this therefore allowed the designers to "go a little crazy creatively" said some. Comparison of Louver's new collection with last year's reveals that he certainly showed a different side to his design spectrum. Co-host of DLAFW Cameron Silver commented that he has always been a huge fan of Louis Verdad and that "he was really the first designer to explore the 40's in a modern way. I was excited to see his collection on display at MOCA for the evening. He's a really, really talented designer." Battalion showed at the Los Angeles Theater the first weekend of Fashion Week as part of BoxEight's Fashion Weekend. Its Native American themed collection had the crowd raving. This is an eco line that says Lights, Camera, Eco-Action...with Style! Battalion Collection PHOTOS of collection. Lobby of Los Angeles Theater, National Historical Building, in Downtown L.A. where Eco-Line Battalion showed and also Society For Rational Dress along with Sahaaj, Photo by Paige Donner L.A. Fashion Week attendees were enthusiastic about the downtown venues where the shows were held. A particular hit was the Los Angeles Theater where GenArt and BoxEight staged their shows. Theater's rich history includes that its grand opening was attended by Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein. Women loved the roomy bathrooms which feature marble floors and an ornate, gilded makeup room. See LA Pretty for more Fashion Week L.A. coverage. CoLA FW's Eksempel show, Photo by Paige Donner GenArt's Society for Rational Dress, Photo by Paige Donner
 
Robert L. Borosage: Learning Deficits Top
Will Obama's transformative budget survive? As his press conference last night illustrated, it runs a serious risk of drowning in a swamp of cant. The budget is getting strafed by politicians in both parties for its deficits and debt. (the deficit is the annual shortfall between revenue and spending; debt is essentially the accumulation of net deficits over time). Republicans, having joined Rush Limbaugh in betting that Obama fails, have done most of the ranting. Sen.Judd Gregg, lead Republican on the Senate budget committee, fulminates that if we pass Obama's budget, "this country will go bankrupt. People will not buy our debt. Our dollar will become devalued." Richard Shelby, top Republican on the banking committee, warns Cassandra-like that Obama's budget will put the country on "the fast road to financial destruction." Eric Cantor, the hyperbolic House Republican Whip, brings it down to his favored level, railing about wasteful spending like "money that goes to remove pig odor." Conservative Democrats are chiming in also. Evan Bayh has formed what must be the twentieth new democratic rump group, arguing that "families and businesses are tightening their belts to make ends meet -- and Washington should too." Kent Conrad, Democratic head of the budget committee, is pushing for deep cuts in spending on domestic programs. "Moderate" Senators are expressing growing opposition to the president's spending plans. Even the Chinese, America's biggest creditor, are wringing their hands about US deficits, suggesting perhaps a new international currency might be needed to replace the dollar. Before this babel completely drowns out reason, a little common sense might be useful. 1. The newfound Republican fiscal probity is worth less than a drunkard's morning after regret. For the last decade, they merrily embraced the Dick Cheney dictum that "Reagan taught us that deficits don't matter. They doubled the national debt when the economy was growing, exactly at the height of the business cycle when they should have moved budgets into balance and reduced debt burdens. Fully $1.4 trillion of the largest annual "Obama" deficit - the $1.8 billion the CBO projects for FY 2009 that ends this October - was bequeathed to him from George Bush; the remainder comes from worsening conditions and the Obama stimulus spending to put people back to work.. Now as the economy verges on a depression, Republicans are indicting Obama for raising spending and deficits. This is like a gambling addict squandering the family fortune in a Las Vegas blowout and then scolding his wife for borrowing money to keep the kids in college. Had Republican leaders any sense of decency, they would just shut up and let adults address the mess they have left. 2. The greater worry in the short-term is that the deficits may be too small, not too large. We've just suffered what Warren Buffett calls an "economic Pearl Harbor." The accelerating downturn is turning into a global collapse. Consumers are cutting back; businesses laying off workers; exports have plummeted. The Fed has already cut interest rates to near zero. The only thing lifting this economy is deficit spending at the federal level. Senators intoning the comfortable mantras of the last years like Even Bayh can't seem to grasp that we're in a big-time trouble. If we took his advice, and cut federal spending and deficits, it would simply contribute to a downturn that is already the worst since the 1930s. That's why the high-church of economic conservatism, the International Monetary Fund, is calling on countries across the world to borrow more to stimulate the economy, not less. And that's why all the talk about deficits in the out years -six, eight, ten years from now - is simply a dangerous distraction. The Congress isn't passing the budget for a 2019. It is passing one for next year, and it should be spending more, not less, to put people to work and get the economy going. Once the economy recovers, we can act to bring deficits down to a sustainable level. 3. We can afford to take on the debt Before joining Judd Gregg in rending garments and mumbling darkly about the end of the world, legislators would be well advised to inhale deeply, calm themselves and look around. The Congressional Budget Office predicts budget deficits will total some $9.3 trillion over 10 years (Obama's budget which is more optimistic about the pace of recovery projects $6.97 billion). That's a lot of money. But this is a very big economy at $15 trillion a year and hopefully soon growing again. Bill Gates undoubtedly carries more debt than I or you do. But the burden of that debt - the carrying charges in relation to his income or the debt in relation to his assets - is far less than mine or thine. He can afford to take on more debt. After years of conservative misrule, the US isn't in as good shape as Bill Gates, but it isn't broke either, particularly in comparison to other industrial nations. The current US public debt is about 40% of our annual economic production (GDP). It's been far higher - reaching as much as 109% of GDP coming out of World War II. Post-war growth brought the burden down to about 25% GDP until Reagan gave us over to the seductive supply-siders and doubled the debt burden to about 49% GDP. Clinton brought it down to 33% and Bush drove it back up to about 40% even though the economy was growing. Under Obama's plans, the national debt will rise as a percentage of the economy to about 65-67%. That's a big change. But the reason countries carry low levels of debt is so they can borrow when trouble comes. And this is the mother of all trouble. But what is notable about that increase is that it will leave the US carrying only about the same debt burden that Germany, France and Canada were carrying - before they began adding to it in the current economic downturn. According the analysis of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2008, Germany's public debt was at 65%, France at 66%, and Canada at 64%. The Italians, always somewhat more fiscally dissolute, were at 106%. Sober Japan, coming out of its lost decade, carried a public debt that was182% of its country GDP. None of these countries are going bankrupt. The Euro isn't turning into toilet paper. The Japanese haven't boarded up the country. We are urging all of these countries to borrow and spend more to help counter the downturn. We can afford the Obama deficits and more if necessary to lift us out of what looks increasingly like a global depression. (And that's why if the Chinese are looking for a new currency to supplant the dollar, they'll have to invent it.) 4. The most dangerous deficit is our public investment deficit. Fact is we can't really afford to cut the public investments Obama would make in education, new energy, health care and 21st century infrastructure. For too many years, we've starved basic investments to pay for adventure abroad or top end tax cuts at home. Now we have a national security imperative to invest in new energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and begin to address catastrophic climate change. We can't compete as a high wage economy in a global economy without providing our children with a world-class pre-K to college (or advanced training) education. We must make the changes needed to provide Americans affordable high quality health care while getting health care costs under control. And we've pay the costs everyday of allowing our basic infrastructure to decay - from unsafe water to gridlocked roads to falling bridges to the outmoded electric grid. Obama's budget and recovery plans run up deficits to put people back to work while making a down payment on investments vital to our future. His domestic spending plans are, if anything, already too austere, reducing domestic discretionary spending to a lower percentage of the economy than under Reagan or Clinton or the Bushes. He argues correctly that we have to make investments in these areas to move our economy to sustainable growth, and away from the disastrous bubble economy that has now exploded in our faces. It is notable that his Republican critics don't dispute him on this point. They simply stand firm against any tax increases on the wealthy, while calling for cutting spending to reduce the deficits - without ever offering a budget of their own to let us know exactly what it is they think should be cut. The lesson? Let's make certain we spend enough to get this economy going. Once we do that, we must guard against making Roosevelt's mistake of trying to balance budgets too quickly, driving the economy back into the pits, as he did in 1937. Ignore the hyperventilating about America's pending bankruptcy. But let's make certain we stop spending money on pig odor, or whatever it is goofy Eric Cantor is whining about.
 
Isabel Cowles: What Alice Waters is Missing Top
For decades, Alice Waters has commanded attention for her love of the freshest, most local food. Last week, her crusade was the focal point of national attention, as Michelle Obama finally agreed to plant an extensive vegetable garden at the White House . If Ms. Waters is serious about changing the national food system for all Americans, she needs to get down and dirty on the economic issues tied to her edible ethos. At present, the food Waters espouses--clean, local and organic--is not sustainable to the American wallet. Two weeks ago, in honor of Houston's best growing season, I committed to eating only local foods for a full moth. For 30 days I planned to restrict my diet to whatever was grown, raised and slaughtered within 100 miles of my doorstep. My plan was derailed three days--and fifty dollars--later. Without the use of my own vegetable garden, the only way I could afford to live on strictly local food for the period would be to eat eggs (at $3.50 a dozen) with scant veggies and bulk beans. Normally, I buy staples from a super market and make meals that feature whatever is fresh at local farmers' markets. Without the addition of non-local grains, flour, butter, milk and affordable produce, I was left with esoteric dairy, (raw goat's milk) meat, mushrooms, dried black beans and lettuce--all at an exorbitant cost. It wasn't a huge surprise: in general, I spend almost as much at the farmers market as I do at the local grocery store each week, and the locally grown produce accounts for less than a quarter of what I eat. Trying to rely purely on my regional food sources was harrowing, though, and illuminated a major flaw in America's food system: for the first time in my life, I understood what it was like to be unable to afford the healthy food I wanted. Like so many Americans, I have been inspired by Waters' mission and believe that her far-reaching message has improved this country. Nevertheless, her current platform needs an update, or more bluntly, a reality check. When interviewed by Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes , Waters outlined her noble vision: "I feel that good food should be a right and not a privilege and it needs to be without pesticides and herbicides. And everybody deserves this food. And that's not elitist." Later, when asked about the exorbitant price of organic grapes, ($4 a pound) Waters said, "We make decisions everyday about what we're going to eat. And some people want to buy Nike shoes -- two pairs, and other people want to eat Bronx grapes, and nourish themselves. I pay a little extra, but this is what I want to do." The remark was rife with elitism -- the choice that most people face is not between name-brand shoes and grapes. The audience Waters referred to in her comment is probably already capable of choosing organic produce, at least part of the time. But the people for whom this "right" is absent aren't likely to be sporting the latest Zooms or Air Jordans. Or both. All people deserve good, clean food. But, if even professionals like me cannot afford to eat the way Ms. Waters eats, then it is highly unlikely that poor or even middle class Americans are going live off the organic produce at a local farmers markets. Ms. Waters should use this moment in the spotlight to strongly encourage political leaders to help subsidize and support regional farmers in their area. She should lobby for the construction of community gardens across the United States, especially in urban areas where farmers markets and fresh food are hard to find. Finally, she should write some of her persistent letters to the CEOs of Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other sustainable food franchises to see if prices can come down significantly, so that everyone can enjoy the sustenance they deserve. For Ms. Waters to be truly effective in the coming decades, she must address the unsustainable problem of sustainable food prices, or else the momentary excitement over the Obama victory garden will prove little more than a fad for the privileged.
 
Ali Larijani, Iranian Parliament Speaker, Slams Obama's Nowruz Greeting Top
Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's Parliament, on Wednesday criticized the United States in harsher terms than any other leading Iranian figure has done since President Obama extended his videotaped olive branch to Iran last week. More on Iran
 
Christina Bellantoni: POTUS' Twitter Feed Reactivated Top
First published at WashingtonTimes.com President Obama hasn't "tweeted" since just before his inauguration, but as the White House is going all out to build support for the budget, the first Twitter post of his presidency went live. The Barack Obama Twitter feed just posted a link to the WhiteHouse.gov online townhall forum , planned for Thursday. It's the first official Twitter post since Jan. 19, not counting the time the account was hacked . Wonder if text messaging may make a comeback for the president? —   Christina Bellantoni , White House correspondent, The Washington Times Please track my blog's RSS feed here . Find my latest stories  here , follow me on Twitter and visit my  YouTube page . More on Twitter
 
NYT Trying To Turn Obama Into Al Gore: Media Matters Top
How? By suggesting Obama is becoming something of a chameleon who reinvents himself depending on the political setting. The press spent most of 2000 depicting candidate Gore as somebody who was so unsure of his own political skin that he was constantly 'reinventing' himself. Basically, that Gore was a phony. More on Barack Obama
 

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