Saturday, March 28, 2009

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Biden Cautions Against Over-Regulating Markets Top
VINA DEL MAR, Chile (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday urged world leaders to act cautiously when redesigning global financial market regulations, amid growing calls for supervision from nations grappling with the global financial crisis. Biden made the appeal to a clutch of fellow world leaders at a meeting in Chile billed as a pre-G20 warm-up, at which British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for cross-border banking supervision and revamped international financial institutions. More on Joe Biden
 
Norm Stamper: Marijuana No Laughing Matter, Mr. President Top
The president's busy. He's got important things to do, like rescuing the economy, saving jobs and mortgages and industries. But we ought not to let him off the hook for his frivolous dismissal of a widely popular question he faced in Thursday's Online Town Hall . At the top of the televised event, the president announced that of the 3.5 million votes on the thousands of questions received in advance, one topic "ranked fairly high." It was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and encourage job creation. He responded: "The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy." He then asked rhetorically what the question says about "the online audience." Get it? His in-the-flesh audience got it, chuckling politely at the allusion to a Stoner Nation plugged in to the "internets." The problem for Mr. Obama is that marijuana reform was at or near the top of the list of all questions in three major categories: budget, health care reform, green jobs and energy. Our leader doesn't seem to understand that millions of his interlocutor-constituents are actually quite serious about the issue. Which is not to say that drugs, particularly pot, doesn't offer up a rich if predictable vein of humor. Cheech and Chong's vintage "Dave's not here!" routine is still a side-splitter. As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there." But there's nothing comical about tens of millions of Americans being busted, frightened out of their wits, losing their jobs, their student loans, their public housing, their families, their freedom... And show me the humor in a dying cancer patient who's denied legal access to a drug known to relieve pain and suffering. Having just returned from Minnesota whose state lawmakers are entertaining a conservative, highly restrictive medical marijuana law, I can tell you what's not funny to Joni Whiting. Ms. Whiting told the House's Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee of her 26-year-old daughter Stephanie's two-year battle with facial melanoma that surfaced during the young woman's third pregnancy. The packed hearing room was dead quiet as Ms. Whiting spoke of Stephanie's face being cut off "one inch at a time, until there was nothing left to cut." She spoke of her daughter's severe nausea, her "continuous and uncontrollable pain." Stephanie moved back to her family's home and "bravely began to make plans for the ending of her life." The tumors continued to grow, invading the inside and outside of her mouth, as well as her throat and chest. Nausea was a constant companion. Zofran and (significantly) Marinol, the synthetic pill version of THC, did nothing to abate the symptoms. Stephanie began wasting away. She lost all hope of relief. Joni's other children approached their mother, begged her to let their sister use marijuana. But Ms. Whiting, a Vietnam veteran whose youngest son recently returned from 18 months in Iraq, was a law-abiding woman. And she was afraid of the authorities. There was no way she would allow the illicit substance in her house. As she held her ground, her grownup kids removed Stephanie from the family home. Three days later, wracked by guilt, Joni welcomed her daughter back. "I called a number of family members and friends...and asked if they knew of anywhere we could purchase marijuana. The next morning someone had placed a package of it on our doorstep. I have never known whom to thank for it but I remain grateful beyond belief." The marijuana restored Stephanie's appetite. It allowed her to eat three meals a day, and to keep the food down. She regained energy and, in the words of her mother, "looked better than I had seen her in months." Stephanie survived another 89 days, celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family. Shortly after the holidays, Stephanie's pain became "so severe that when she asked my husband and me to lie down on both sides of her and hold her, she couldn't stand the pain of us touching her body." Stephanie died on January 14, 2003 in the room she grew up in, holding her mother's hand. A mother who, as she told the legislative committee, would "have no problem going to jail for acquiring medical marijuana for my suffering child." Following Joni Whiting's presentation, it was all I could do to hold it together during my own testimony. Such was the power of this one woman's story. And of the sadness and rage roiling inside me as I reflected on the countless other Stephanies who are made to suffer not only the ravages of terminal illness and intractable pain but the callousness and narrow-mindedness of their leaders. When I finished my testimony, a local police chief, a member of the committee, angrily accused me of disrespecting the police officers in the room--who'd shown up in force, in uniform, to oppose medical marijuana. Wearing a bright yellow tie with the lettering "Police Line, Do Not Cross," the chief charged me with placing more stock in the opinions of doctors than of Minnesota's cops. Guilty, as charged. Who are we, I asked him, to substitute our judgment for that of medical professionals and their patients? Who are we, for that matter, to deny the will of the people. There's much value in humor, even during times of pain and tragedy. So long as the joke is not at the expense of the suffering. It's been a bad couple of weeks for the president. His Leno comment about the Special Olympics while self-deprecating and not malicious was certainly tone deaf, followed soon after by his casting gratuitous aspersions at serious advocates of marijuana reform. But Barack Obama is a decent and honorable man, compassionate and wise. I can't believe he would do anything other than what Joni Whiting did if, God forbid, he faced similar choices within his own family. I can't believe he doesn't realize the political value of taking a more reasoned, courageous stand on drug policy reform in general. Or of at least providing honest, thoughtful answers on the issue. Perhaps we should show him what's in it for him? Perhaps we should make certain that in every future "town hall" the president is reassured of the seriousness of the legions of voters working to end cruel and ineffective drug laws. Git-er-done! More on Barack Obama
 
Stephen Kaus: Athletics Owner Wants Baseball in Oakland to Fail Top
The ownership of the Oakland Athletics does not really want fans to come to the ballpark. There is no other way to explain the systematic downgrading of the experience of attending a game and the As' refusal to provide the amenities that fans of every other team take for granted. Since they came to Oakland in 1968, the Athletics have won four World Championships, have been in two other World Series and have been in the playoffs several more times. During the late 1980s, when the Bash Brothers As were in three straight World Series and four straight playoffs, attendance was over 2.5 million for three straight years and over 2 million for six straight years. No one ever confused the Oakland Coliseum with Fenway Park, but it became an enjoyable place to watch a game. In 1983, Roger Angell described it in glowing terms in a New Yorker article about baseball in Oakland. The As led the way in the Bay Area with varied food, particularly Saag's sausages, that was way ahead of the rival Giants' offerings at Candlestick Park. But then, In 1995, after the death of owner Walter Haas, the team passed to some local home builders and then to Lew Wolff, a hotelier who is the present owner. Lew Wolff does not want to own a team in Oakland, home of the Bloods and the Crips and police murders . He wants to own a team in San Jose , gateway to Silicon Valley. So while making a passable effort to put a decent team on the field , Mr. Wolfe has set about to publicly denigrate baseball at the Coliseum and is apparently happy to have the ballpark fall down around everyone's ears. He called the stadium "despicable" when he bought the team, even as he claimed to want to stay in Oakland, and has continued to bad mouth it and let it rot ever since. Wolff shows nothing but contempt for Oakland's present fans as he eyes the golden wallets of Santa Clara County. The Coliseum has always been a mass of grey concrete (Sal Bando called it the Mausoleum), but there were TV screens at the concession stands and reasonably modern scoreboards. No longer. The TVs are few and far between and you cannot see the field while you wait. Combined with the indifferent "service" from the food servers, you can stand in line for two claustrophobic innings and not see a pitch or even hear a broadcast. And the food is awful, particularly in comparison to the offerings at AT&T Park across the Bay. It is embarrassing to bring a Giants fan to a game. The staple is doughy hot dogs wrapped in tin foil. There are some specialty foods, but they taste like rubber. The only bright spot is some decent beer. All the while, Wolff denigrates the place and drives people away. Recently, in a press release , he referred to the Coliseum as "an aging and shared facility" and provided the following upbeat description of baseball in Oakland: We understand the facility continues to cost the city of Oakland and Alameda County millions of lost dollars per year. Sadly, the business and corporate base of the city of Oakland was very limited when we purchased the team and has eroded since. Our attendance and low number of season ticket holders (both one of the lowest in Major League Baseball) also continues to decline; even when our on-field performance produced play-off participation. Of course, the As have been nowhere near the playoffs the past two years, but the fact is that if the As put a little effort into the ballpark, maybe got on a radio station that fans actually could hear and cultivated the fans in the entire East Bay, including prosperous Contra Cost County immediately to the east, this team could be a success. This would require investing money in a stadium that is owned by Alameda County, but the As rent it for peanuts and could put a shekel or two into the place. As fans at Vida Blue Day, 2008 Don't get me wrong, Oakland officials, and particularly former mayor and life-long baseball hater Jerry Brown, have a lot for which to answer. But Lew Wolff is the one who is destroying Oakland baseball right now. Soon we will be back to the days of Charlie Finley, who owned the team for five straight playoffs and three straight World Championships. He had a bare bones staff and offered a total lack of amenities. In 1974, the year of the As third straight World Series victory, the total attendance was 845,693 . It will be difficult for Wolff to reach this goal, but if he fails, it will not be for lack of effort. Not a fun day at the ballpark
 
Scott Mendelson: Scott Mendelson's Huffington Post Friday Night Box Office rundown (03/27/09). Top
This will be shorter than usual because so much is up in the air due to the nature of the two big openers. I will say that there was a major surprise and it's not what you're thinking. Yes , the Paramount/Dreamworks animated spectacle Monsters Vs. Aliens opened to number one with a rock-solid $16.7 million. But we do not yet know if this will play like a family film (3.5x multiplier gives it $58 million for the weekend) or a mainstream hit (3x gives it $50 million) or a front loaded franchise picture (2.5x gives it $41 million). As it is, the under $20 million opening day suggests a solid Saturday and Sunday bump (since Friday is still a school day in March). Regardless, it needs to do at least $50 million to justify the (self-imposed) hype. Amusingly, Dreamworks was bragging about a $60 million opening weekend, while Paramount was trying to temper the buzz, claiming they only expected $50 million. When the studio itself is raising expectations and calling it the dawn of a new age, it better at least meet those studio expectations. We'll see tomorrow. I'm quite curious to see what the percentage is in regards to 2D vs 3D vs IMAX 3D ticket sales. But the big surprise for me this weekend is the knockout $9.5 million opening day for The Haunting In Connecticut . I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that this is the biggest opening day for any Lionsgate movie that isn't a Saw film or a Tyler Perry production (that previous record I believe belonged to the $8.5 million opening day for Fahrenheit 9/11 ). This looked more like a Sony horror picture, with its PG-13 rating and emphasis on kids and family strife (think Prom Night or The Messengers ). And it opened at the high end of that studio's horror properties. Prom Night opened to a $9.5 million Friday and When A Stranger Calls opened to $9.1 million. Lionsgate had one truly scary image to sell (the mysterious 'something' coming out of young boy's mouth) that they used it on the poster and every piece of print advertising, and they also ended every trailer and TV spot with it. That single shot is responsible for I'd guess 70% of the money that the movie makes this weekend. But, once again, its weekend is up in the air due to the front loaded nature of the horror genre. While one expects a low multiplier, the reviews are better than expected (never have I read so many two-star reviews with so many good things to say) and the film could theoretically skew more adult with its old fashioned haunted house storyline, its PG-13 rating, and its emphasis (in the trailer) on grown up actors Virgina Madsen and Tate Donovan. The holdovers performed about as expected, with one mild exception. Knowing dropped a pretty solid 48%, which means it'll end the weekend with about a 45% drop (these days, especially for a science fiction picture, that's considered legs). I Love You Man will drop the usual 1/3 that Judd Apatow films usually do, meaning that it'll play into the beginning of summer. Duplicity dropped a disturbing 50%. Usually adult-themed pictures compensate for their less than huge opening weekends with stronger legs. The theory is that adults don't need to rush out and see a movie on opening weekend. But this way too expensive caper picture is now likely to struggle to even make it to $40 million. That's a shame, as it's a good, fun, twisty little movie that allowed Julia Roberts and Clive Owen to shine. It deserved better. But then, had Tony Gilroy and company kept the budget in check (how on earth did this no frills character-driven comedy thriller cost $80 million?), this wouldn't have been an issue. That's pretty much all of the news that's fit to print. I'll discuss weekend figures tomorrow or Monday. Scott Mendelson
 
Victory Gardens Around The Country (VIDEO) Top
CNN's "Your Bottom Line" did a segment Saturday on the dramatic rise in seed sales this spring as more people turn to home gardening. Watch the video and get inspired to start growing your own vegetables.
 
Robert Greenwald: Twittering from Kabul Top
One day back from my trip to Afghanistan, and I first want to thank so many of you who sent wonderful messages, encouragement, and suggestions. Being in a dark room in Kabul while being able to post on Facebook and Twitter truly speaks to the connected universe. The final day in Kabul: We were on our way to the peace and reconciliation committee when our "fixer" (that is the official name of the person who translates and helps arrange interviews, accommodations, and security) let me know that there would be 20 or so members of the Taliban turning in their weapons that day! I almost jumped out of my seat, which is relatively simple because virtually none of the roads are paved and so the bumps are big and continuous. When we arrived, sitting in the courtyard were 20 or more men, their weapons lined up against the wall. I conducted an abbreviated interview with the head of the committee, then raced with cameramen to begin talking and interviewing the Taliban. Within a few minutes I was engaged in interviewing, talking, and asking the various Taliban how long they had been fighting (from 2-30 years), why they fought, what they wanted to say to the United States, and what they wanted in general (jobs and to take care of their families). As we raced to the airport after the interviews, I emailed our Producer Jason Zaro to find a translator who could work this weekend so we could get the interviews translated and begin editing Monday. At the airport in Kabul I met Nazir, who had found me through Facebook/Twitter. He had film of the refugee camps that he wanted me to have. Sitting in the general waiting area, surrounded by many Afghans waiting for flights, Nazir popped a DVD of his footage into my computer, and proceeded to show me deeply dramatic faces of "collateral damage": children, tents, hunger, deprivation. With both the video of the Taliban interviews and the DVD of the refugee camp, I boarded my plane back to the States. I will be posting clips as we edit and get them translated in the coming days. You will be able to see them on Facebook , Brave New Films , and the Rethink Afghanistan website. More on Barack Obama
 
Obama Admin Signals Flexibility Over Global Stimulus Ahead Of G-20 Summit Top
The Obama administration on Saturday appeared to back away from calls for other nations to mirror the United States in combating the financial crisis with ramped up government spending, moving to quell a public war of words with European leaders ahead of the president's first official trip across the Atlantic this week. The effort comes as a number of European leaders have sharply criticized U.S. calls for more global stimulus ahead of the London summit, bringing together heads of state from more than 20 nations to draft a battle plan for combating the crisis and preventing new ones. More on Barack Obama
 
Akbar Ahmed: With Obama at the World's "Most Dangerous Place" Top
Seated a few yards in front of President Obama as his invited guest at the White House on Friday, March 27, I heard him describe the areas I had been in charge of--including Waziristan--as "the most dangerous place in the world." Obama was laying out what I suspect will become the signature foreign policy effort of his presidency. He had shifted the American focus of the last eight years from the Middle East to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ultimately he will be judged by the success or failure of the objectives he laid out in his speech. As if to confirm the sentiment of Obama's speech, at the same time as he delivered it, a suicide bomber in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan blew himself up and seventy other people in a mosque at Friday prayer. Around the same time, an Afghan soldier, trained by Americans, turned his gun on two American soldiers killing them and then shot himself. The stakes, therefore, could not be higher. Obama laid out a persuasive argument--something that I had been doing for several years--that in order to stabilize Afghanistan, its neighbor Pakistan had to be stabilized. Obama's political insight was that Pakistan could not be stabilized without first calming and controlling the border areas that lie between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama rightly made a distinction between al-Qaeda who would be challenged and defeated and the general Taliban who were to be treated differently. There were those Taliban who could be talked to and eventually brought in, and those who were not redeemable. Afghanistan will receive the attention it deserves but could not get because of the war in Iraq, and Pakistan will no longer be neglected. For Pakistan Obama committed $1.5 billion in aid annually for the next five years. While applauding Obama's generosity, I would urge him to ensure that the rulers of Afghanistan and Pakistan account for the $16-17 billion in American aid already given since 9/11 before providing more funds for their Swiss bank accounts. As a Pakistani, it was a pleasure to hear an American president speak with such respect of the people of Pakistan. Obama talked of the suffering of the Pakistanis at the hand of the terrorists after 9/11. He even mentioned the large numbers of Pakistani soldiers killed in action along Pakistan's international border while attempting to bring law and order. I was equally impressed--as I am sure most Pakistanis were--that he was the first American president I have heard pronounce the name of the country correctly. It is difficult for the people of that country to take American commentators too seriously when they pronounce Iran as "I-ran", Iraq as "I-rack", or Qatar as "gutter." But, eloquence and diction will not get Obama very far in the rugged terrain that he has rightly called lethally dangerous for America and the world. If he fails to control the tribal areas, Obama will find his policy unraveling and the fears of American commentators that this may very well become "Obama's Vietnam" may prove correct. So as someone who was directly in charge of three divisions in Baluchistan and several of the Tribal Areas in theFrontier Province, let me offer my suggestions based on my experiences. My first suggestion is that Obama stop the drone strikes. At the moment, the issue of the drone strikes in the Tribal Areas is a highly sensitive and inflammatory one. While some "bad guys" may be killed in the strikes, there is little doubt that too many "good guys" are lost in the process--and many of them are women and children. This causes widespread outrage and fuels the anti-Americanism which is already rampant. There is talk of opening up a new chapter by ordering drone strikes in Baluchistan. Not a good idea. The colonial British assiduously prevented the Baluch tribe of Baluchistan and Pashtun tribes of Southern Afghanistan and Pakistani agencies like North and South Waziristan from ever teaming up against them. I can predict that with the first drone strike in Baluchistan, America will ensure that this occurrs. As a result, the Taliban will gain new supporters and vast strategic depth. And for those who may still have a cocky arrogance about dealing with these "tribal people," I would suggest they take a look at the map and confront the reality that the Baluch share hundreds of miles of border with Iran which will undoubtedly provide covert aid to put further pressure on its American adversaries. Secondly, Obama must encourage the Pakistani government to stabilize law and order at the district level, the basic unit of administration. This can be done by revamping the civilian administrative structure in the tribal areas and districts of Pakistan. The vast majority of Pakistanis are fed up with the anarchy in their country and want to focus their lives on food, employment, and education for their families. Above all, they want law and order, which the district administration once provided. The district structure has been marginalized to the point of irrelevance over the last decade, and in its vacuum feudal lords, corrupt policemen and army soldiers play havoc with ordinary Pakistanis. An independent, honest, and competent civil administration, backed by an independent judiciary, would provide immediate relief and justice at the district level. In the Tribal Areas, the office of the political agent, along with the structure of tribal administration should be revived and strengthened, and the army used in aid of civil power and not to thwart it. It has been clearly shown that the army cannot deal effectively with the tribes. Thirdly, in the tribal areas the council of elders, the jirgas that act as a tribal body providing justice and stability and the religious scholars advocating calm and stability should be strengthened. Some of these have become particular targets of the Taliban. But they are an effective inbuilt structural check to the Taliban. Fourthly, the madrassas which form a vast, complex network of potential recruiting arenas for the Taliban need to be vigorously reformed. With the kind of money Pakistanis are receiving they should also be told that a large percentage should go to this reformation providing new syllabi, teachers training programs, and up to date equipment. This action will go a long way toward securing the next generation of Pakistanis. Finally, follow up on the sensitivity shown by Obama in his approach to the Pakistani people and emphasize friendship and honor. I would suggest less bluster and more diplomacy on the part of those who are being sent out as part of Obama's efforts in the field. Back at the White House, as I sat sensing the charisma of Obama and the eloquence of his words, I could not help but feel that I was seated in the front row watching history unfold. I wondered whether he or those whose task it was to implement the President's vision were fully aware of the enormity of the challenge, as indeed I was. More on Afghanistan
 
Burris Yet To Release Promised Memo Clearing Him Of Perjury Top
Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) claims he has proof he never made an inconsistent statement about his appointment to the Senate, only he can't show it to you. The proof, his lawyer said, lies in a secret memo that Burris prepared this month. The lawyer, Tim Wright, said the memo will show that the media is responsible for Burris' shifting accounts [1] of how then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich came to appoint him to be Illinois' junior senator.
 
CTA Cards Expiring In April Top
Like a loaf of moldy bread, it's time to ditch your Chicago Transit Authority card and get a new one before it expires. The CTA says expirations will start in April and free replacements cards are available.
 
City To Use Stimulus Funds To Fix Thousands Of Potholes Top
City officials say that they will use federal stimulus funds to help repair the hundreds of thousands of potholes that are plaguing Chicago drivers, CLTV reports. They claim to have patched 280,000 potholes since the beginning of December. More on Video
 
Blago And Bulls, White Sox Chairman Reinsdorf Talked Obama Replacements: Report Top
During one conversation, Blagojevich brought up with Reinsdorf the possibility of appointing Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President Obama's election, sources with the Blagojevich camp say. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Blagojevich Targeted Four Potential Obama Replacements In Hunt For $2.3M In Campaign Cash Top
Four potential candidates for President Obama's vacant Senate seat were each to be targeted for contributions by ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign as part of an aggressive, $2.3 million race for cash late last year, an internal campaign document obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Republic Windows Broke Federal Labor Law Top
The National Labor Relations Board's regional director has found Republic Doors and Windows violated federal labor law in closing the company's Goose Island plant.
 

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