Sunday, March 8, 2009

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Kari Henley: "Eat, Pray, Love" Your Way to Closer Relationships Top
Last week, we baked a cake together. The cake was called Community and the ingredients were all the layers of relationships we have in our lives: ourselves, partners, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even the world itself. To read last week's post, click Here .. Now that we have this lovely cake, heated by the fires of the Great Mystery, how about we slice it up and share it? How do we share ourselves in community, and how do we build one that isn't fake, competitive or surface level? I think Elizabeth Gilbert was onto something with her memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love." Hers was indeed a path of self-discovery on how to truly create a sense of inner peace and community within herself. First she ate her way through Italy, then she prayed her way through India and finally she found love in Bali. Turns out this eating and praying and loving thing could work in a broader context too. Over the years of leading and participating in various groups, I have found there are a few tried and true tricks that can turn an everyday book club, board meeting, cocktail party or girl's night out into something moving, insightful and deeply nourishing. It's time to move beyond empty-headed networking chatter or fast food friendships. Here is my "Top 5 List" of how to turn any gathering into something memorable: 1. Eat- Food, food - glorious food! Let's start here. Sharing delicious, decadent and healthy food together is relaxing, helps stimulate conversation and elevates our mood. Doesn't matter if it is at work, at play or for fun, everything rolls easier with a tasty morsel or two. And don't be stingy- always have more than enough! Bring lots of chocolate, fruit, nuts and lovely sparkling waters. Sit on the floor and spread the food out in the middle as a glorious centerpiece. It is a great beginning. 2. Pray- Prayer can mean so many things to different people. The idea is to get out of everyday reality for a moment or two and into something luminous. Group prayer can be incredibly powerful. However, if prayer is not your thing, creating rituals is a fantastic way to bring your group closer together. Simply put, a ritual is anything special you repeat over and over again. This could be lighting candles at the table, it can mean holding hands and meditating to get centered, it could mean dancing, as Dr. Cara Barker beautifully shared in her most recent post . As corny as it sounds, absolutely nothing moves people farther and faster than sharing some sort of ritual experience together. Once you get the hang of it, many of us hunger for more. 3. Love- The Beatles said it "Love is all you need." But, if that is a stretch in your group, how about starting with a little Appreciation and Gratitude? How often have you shared a special experience or moment with someone, and never bothered to let them know how much it meant to you? I love to end our family dinners with something we all are grateful for- it makes our meal so much more meaningful. Ending any sort of gathering that allows time to share something that you appreciate lifts everyone into a more connected and grateful space. 4. Take a Risk- I am not saying all of this is easy! If you want the fruit at the end of the vine of an enriched community life, you have to stretch out your hand. Don't be afraid to share that your life is not so rosy. People respond to the shadows of life with a deep empathy impossible to reach when the sun is shining. Inevitably, being brave allows others to do the same. This risk can apply to talking to your teenagers, to your co-workers or to the friends you have always kept at arm's length. They are waiting for you and the time is now. 5. Build a Routine- Call or email a group of people you really enjoy, and see if they are all willing to get together once a month. This is usually manageable for most people. It allows you to begin to develop closer relationships without interfering with the daily grind, and becomes something everyone can look forward to. Even though you only gather once a month, the anticipation, and the reflections afterward, give a lot of mileage. In times like these, we can help keep each other afloat- if we are willing to try. Our collective fear increases the need to huddle together, and in a way that acknowledges the Truth of our nature. I am a part of a wonderful group of women, called "Mother Madness." This group of 20 have been meeting monthly for over 5 years and represent a variety of ages, stages, professions, political affiliations and philosophies. We live in Yankee New England and this kind of gathering is not common. Like pilgrims we come once a month. We have pillows arranged in a circle, loads of treats piled in the center, candles and music. We all breathe deeply and welcome the faces. As we settle down, we close our eyes, hold hands and take a moment to let the world go. We then "smudge" each other with this great smelling sage, that smells slightly of pot, and somehow it relaxes us even more. We pass a special "talking stick" that means whoever has that thing is the ONLY one who can talk, and she can say whatever she wants, for as long as she wants. One by one we talk, share, cry, listen, laugh and sigh. That's it. Marvelous medicine I highly recommend. We eat, we pray, we love, we take risks and we have a lovely routine. They are my rocks. We are each others rocks. I don't know what I would do without them or this container of community. Who are your rocks? How do you build a special connection and community? I'd like to hear! Feel free to leave a comment in the box below or email me directly at: karihenley@comcast.net Next week I will dedicate the entire article to sharing our "back stories" of who keeps us afloat and how we nurture each other in special ways. Look for several of our regular Huff Po featured writers to share as well!
 
Hadi Ghaemi: More of the Same Dysfunctional American Insularity on Human Rights Top
By Aaron Rhodes and Hadi Ghaemi Reactions to the annual publication of the United States State Department Human Rights Report are altogether predictable: Nations whose records have been severely criticized typically denounce the report, sometimes by noting violations of human rights by the United States and thus its hypocrisy in criticizing others. This year is no different. For example, an official Chinese response referenced "widespread violent crimes" in the United States, arms sales, and violations of the sovereignty of other nations. The comments say something about how the Chinese state understands--or misunderstands--universal human rights. But the Chinese are joined by numerous other nations in their view that issuance of such a report amounts to an interference in their internal, domestic affairs, and that the report contains biased and arbitrary criticisms. The reports follow the same template each year. Each nation is examined according to categories like arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, and other human rights violations. The State Department thus publishes one of the most comprehensive such reports available, as most international human rights organizations only have the capacity to cover selected countries. The reports generally have a reputation for accuracy and, despite the squeals of indignation from states on the hot seat, the government generally criticizes friend and foe alike. Nevertheless, because a government, as opposed to an independent entity, issues the report, it has an intrinsically "political" character. No other government issues such detailed public analyses of the rest of the world. And many around the world have asked why the US government does not include itself in the report, although to do so would certainly raise eyebrows even higher. It is clear no government can accurately judge itself, but can a government judge others objectively? The new administration has so far continued the practice of hectoring other governments about their human rights records, and has been accused of being unfair and biased, just as the Bush administration was, as previous administrations as well . This unfortunate syndrome, which may even hurt human rights around the world, is to a large extent the result of the United States' almost total lack of reference to internationally recognized human rights standards as the source of state obligations to protect human rights. The Report does not measure compliance with international legal obligations, but rather with a particular set of standards as defined by the American state. While the "independence" of the Report, as the work of a government, will be invariably suspect, it would gain much credibility and be more useful to all if it were based on international human rights and if it were seen as encouraging compliance with international law as opposed to American will. This was evidently the intent of the document as stipulated by the United States Congress. The preface to the 2009 report says it is submitted to Congress in compliance with Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), which "provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate by February 25 'a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights'..." But there is virtually no other mention of the international character of human rights as an idea, or as a political mechanism for protecting individuals from abuse by governments. It is understood that the United States has not signed all human rights treaties, and focuses its concerns on certain types of human rights to the neglect of others. But the government seems to imply that it has its own world regime for human rights to which other countries should conform. It makes no reference to the international standards that define the human rights on which it reports; the State Department Report refers only to national laws, as if the international framework does not exist and only state sovereignty rules. Not surprisingly, international reactions are defensive. Human rights groups in many countries appreciate the report, especially its emphasis on the indispensible role of civil society and the need to protect human rights defenders. But those same groups can be branded as American stooges because the United States rules itself--not international treaties defining universal human rights and--as the standard to be met. If groups refer to the report, they align themselves with America--not a transcendent set of rules. Serious civil society groups take care to frame their analysis of human rights problems in terms of states' obligations to conform to their international legal obligations or at least to international human rights standards including those established by regional intergovernmental organizations. They know that this clarifies the objective basis for their observations and criticisms, and that these cannot therefore be dismissed as arbitrary: Governments should protect human rights, not because civil society demands it, but because it is an international duty. More importantly, reports based on international standards are less likely to be interpreted as reflecting a political agenda. Such reports have the intent of assisting governments to meet their obligations, as opposed to using human rights to make political attacks. The US State Department should take steps to reduce the ease with which its good report is dismissed as a political attack. In addition to viewing human rights within international norms, the new administration has much more to do in reversing policies and practices of the Bush administration that have made much of the world to view the United States as a major violator of human rights, before its reporting can have much impact. As it is, America's report on world human rights has again been batted aside as arbitrary, and America's reputation for making its own human rights laws--for itself and others--has been sustained. Aaron Rhodes and Hadi Ghaemi are, respectively, Consultant and Coordinator of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
 
Julia Roberts On Home Life And "Duplicity" Top
"Not many paparazzi follow me now," she laughed, ensconced in a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. "It's just the slow ones who haven't yet figured out I'm not the one to follow." She obviously had not seen the swarm of photographers massing at the hotel entrance waiting for her exit, a testament to her enduring popularity and the interest surrounding the imminent release of Duplicity, a jaunty spy thriller in which she has her first starring role in nearly five years and which reunites her with her Closer co-star Clive Owen. Although she is devoting more time nowadays to being a housewife and mother to three young children the Oscar-winning actress insists that she has never really been away from acting. "Of course my life has changed and I work less, but I was never really one to work too much," she said. "I never really did years of movie-after-movie-after-movie but when you've got three toddlers in the house you're performing all day long, anyway, with puppet shows and stories---I act around the clock."
 
Alexander Dresner: Obama Could Learn From Bush Top
At a Rock the Vote awards dinner in 2005, then-Senator Obama spoke to a packed house at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. He cut a presidential figure on the stage, beautifully mobilizing the English language to take the audience back to the era of the civil rights movement. As the speech neared its end he began weaving in and out of his prepared remarks. The result: Obama was humanized. His personality emerged from the crafted political veneer and his true character became apparent in its full appeal. This was one of the few times that I can remember when Obama displayed a willingness to speak extemporaneously -- albeit briefly. During the campaign, he avoided town-hall style events which would have forced him to speak off-the-cuff. He preferred instead to rely extensively on prepared remarks when out on the trail. In spite of this, the frequency with which he spoke and interacted with the public allowed them to get a good sense of the candidate. Here is Obama's new problem: firmly enclosed within the White House bubble, he runs the risk of losing his man-of-the-people appeal. Much of this stems from his continued dependence on the teleprompter. The young cadre of White House speechwriters has suggested that Obama's close involvement in writing and preparing speeches has helped make them his own. Implicit in this is the suggestion that despite Obama's propensity to read from prepared remarks, he still comes across as genuine. Yet the image of Obama standing behind a podium emblazoned with the presidential seal has a subtle and yet powerful effect: it distances him from the American public. Of all people, Obama could be well-served by following in his predecessor's foot-steps. When Bush was not confined by the limits imposed by prepared remarks, he had an innate ability to connect with his audience. He had a great sense for the mood in a room and he played to it. Without being told preciously what to say, his core beliefs and passion came through in the words he spoke. Frequent mis-deployment of his linguistic arsenal earned him a good deal of criticism, but it also helped endear him to many Americans. Even those who deplored his policies saw an honestly in what he was advocating. This allowed him bridge the gap between the oval office and the people he represented. The prescription, to be clear, does not involve descending into the depths of anti-intellectualism; far from it, in fact. By throwing out the script, Obama could benefit by presenting his sharp intellect in an unvarnished, imperfect fashion. Americans would appreciate the genuineness of this; and even in those rare moments where Obama would eventually stumble over his words, he would reinforce a fact everyone loves to hear: that even great men sometimes fall short. More on Barack Obama
 
John Lundberg: Michael Jackson's Disturbing Poem Top
A poem written by the "King of Pop" and carved into some sort of tombstone-looking thing will be auctioned off next month along with a slew of other property from Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The five-day auction, which is expected to bring in more than three million dollars, will also feature the gates to Neverland, some MTV awards, and a pair of jewel-encrusted socks. But I doubt that anything will be as disturbingly symbolic of Jackson's recent years as the poem. What would Michael Jackson write a poem about? Children, of course. And if you're starting to get that uncomfortable feeling in the back of your mind, you'd be right. Here's the opening of "Children of the World." It begins by introducing a weird, idealistic vision: the world's children uniting to do innocent things--with Michael Jackson--while the rest of the us struggle along. That's all well and good (if poorly written), but, as you'll see, the poem quickly gets uncomfortable. Children of the world, we'll do it We'll meet on endless shores Making sandcastles and floating our boats While people fight and defend their point of view Forever putting on masks that are new We'll swing the tide of time and do it. Children of the world, we'll do it With song and dance and innocent bliss And the soft caress of a loving kiss We'll do it. Jackson may have meant that second to last line to be innocent, but I have a hard time reading it that way. This is a man who has been accused of molesting an underage boy . At the very least, someone should have realized it would be a bad idea to try to sell this thing. The poem blithely continues with Jackson weaving between the real world of people with jobs who struggle with things--including, rather mysteriously, carpetbaggers(!)--and his preferred world of children and innocence. While traders trade and haggle their price And politicians try so hard to be nice We'll meet on endless shores and floating our boats We'll do it. While lawyers argue and doctors treat Stockbrokers quote the price on meat While preachers preach and ring the bell Carpetbaggers with something to sell We'll sing and dance in innocent bliss With the soft caress of a loving kiss We'll do it. Meeting on endless shores Making sandcastles and floating our boats We'll do it. We'll ride the rainbow, a cloud, a storm Flying in the wind, we'll change our form We'll reach the stars, embrace the moon We'll break the barrier and be there soon While architects plan their buildings high And trade unions raise their hue and cry While boardroom squabbles generate heat And in secret places dealers meet We'll sing and dance in innocent bliss And the soft caress of a loving kiss We'll do it. While philosophers grapple and continue to tackle Endless dilemmas of body and mind Physicists wander, continue to ponder Perennial questions of space and time Archeologists survey, continue to dig Bygone treasures small and big As the poem nears its conclusion, Jackson seems at least subconsciously aware of the trouble with his "innocent" affection for children, bringing up psychoanalysis, priests taking confessions, and the meaning of sin, before repeating his unfortunate refrain. Psychologists probe, analyze the tears Of hysterical notions, phobias, fears While priests take confessions In a serious session And people struggle In the hustle and bustle In the noise and din On the meaning of sin We'll touch the stars, embrace the moon Break the barrier, arrive there soon Ride the rainbow, the cloud, the storm Flying in the wind, changing our form Children of the world, we'll do it With song and dance and innocent bliss The soft caress of a loving kiss We'll do it. It's a strange, strange world that Jackson lives in. I think Brian Riles of Buzzfeed summed up the poem best: "Note to the children: don't do it. "
 
"Star Trek" Movie Trailer (VIDEO) Top
A new trailer for the highly-anticipated " Star Trek " movie is out. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the movie comes out in early May and stars Chris Pine as a young Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as a young Spock and Eric Bana as Nero. WATCH: More on Video
 
Tri Robinson: Becoming a Born-Again Believer in Caring for the Environment Top
In the 60s I was a student on a university campus along with thousands of other baby boomers. Everything was in cultural flux and our generation was confused, scared, angry, opinionated and passionate. We not only wanted change, we demanded it. We were wrapped up in a ruthless war that no one seemed to understand, our president was being exposed for dishonesty and our environment was showing signs of becoming non-sustainable. We were looking for meaning and truth - but most of all we wanted authenticity. During that time, thousands of us found our answer not through religion, but instead through an authentic faith in Christ. History later referred to us as the Jesus Movement; a movement of young Bible-believing, non-denominational evangelicals. We put our faith and hope in God and we were no longer angry or scared - although still very opinionated and passionate, just about different things. Unfortunately our passion for the environment was lost in a new focus on the second coming of Christ. Today, the things we once feared as young seekers are now happening: the world population has doubled and the natural resources of fresh water, soil, air and sources of energy have begun to wane. The extinction rate of endangered species has escalated and even the global climate has started to change, threatening the future of our planet. I am a Christian; and not just a Sunday Christian, but a passionate evangelical Christian pastor of a thriving church. I believe in the Bible with all of my heart and have diligently tried to mold my life around its truths. I believe that Jesus is coming again but sincerely can't claim to know when. I believe that his Kingdom (that is, the Kingdom of God) has come to earth as it is in heaven. I believe that it came because of his ultimate sacrifice on the cross for mankind. I believe that he has called his people to stewardship in his kingdom; to care for the people he loves, specifically the poor and broken, and for the earth that he lovingly created. I believe that this responsibility is not just a suggestion but a commission and a mandate without option. As a committed student and Bible teacher I have read and taught the story of the flood numerous times, always seeing it the same way until one morning in 2005. The Bible is an amazing book and it has a miraculous characteristic. You can read it over and over again and never get tired of it, always extracting something different with each reading. God has a way of illuminating new understanding to his never-changing truths. As I read Genesis 9 that morning, the Lord began to reveal something that I'd never seen before. In this portion of scripture, it tells of God's covenant with Noah to never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. God said, "I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9:11) As I carefully examined the passage I realized for the first time that God's covenant was not made between God and Noah or even God and man, but between God and his entire creation. God said, "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth" (Genesis 9:9-10). Not only did he say it, but he repeated it six times in a row. He really meant it and to me that was profound. As God laid out the conditions of this covenant agreement he spoke a number of mandates that everyone should know about. First of all, this was to be a covenant of blessing to humanity. If his mandate were observed, the world's environment would provide provision to all humanity and would allow man to inhabit and populate the earth. He said, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:2). Secondly, his covenant demanded responsibility and an accounting that we would use the earth, but not abuse it. He called us to the sanctity of all life. He said, "I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man" (Genesis 9:4). Also, his covenant was not to end with Noah's generation or even with the Old Testament law, but was to be everlasting - for all generations to come. He said, "'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth'" (Genesis 9:12-13). This changed everything for me. No longer could I separate my passion for the Kingdom of God from my commitment to care for the environment. I had to tell everyone that Christians should not only care about creation but had been mandated by God to be leaders in a worldwide environmental movement. I shared this mandate with my church, I wrote a book on caring for creation (Saving God's Green Earth) and I became an advocate of Genesis 9 on radio and television. Together with other like-hearted people I started a ministry called 'Let's Tend the Garden'. I wrote tirelessly for all kinds of publications and spoke nationally to anyone who would listen. I told everyone that caring for the creation is not an option but a commission, especially for those who value and believe God's word in his Bible. Many have listened, and others who shared this conviction have joined in an effort to change the minds and practices of Christians worldwide. Over one-third of the world's population says they profess Christ as Savior and believe that the Bible is true. That is nearly two and a half billion people who, if they recaptured this God-given mandate, could unite to make a lasting difference due to obedience to an ancient but culturally relevant truth. Tri Robinson is the pastor of the Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, ID, and author of Saving God's Green Earth and Small Footprint, Big Handprint. He lives on a homestead that is almost fully sustainable and blogs about his adventures there at timberbuttehomestead.com . More on Climate Change
 
Nancy Reagan: Another Fashionable First Lady (SLIDESHOW) Top
Between Jacqueline Kennedy and Michelle Obama came Nancy Reagan, who was also considered something of a First Lady fashion plate in her time. And as the 1980s continue to inspire designers around the world , here's a look back at one of that decade's most visible women. SLIDESHOW More on Photo Galleries
 
Charles Barkley Begins Jail Setence At Tent City Top
PHOENIX — Former NBA star Charles Barkley has begun serving a three-day sentence on a drunken driving charge. Maricopa County sheriff's Deputy Lindsey Smith says Barkley reported to Tent City on Saturday morning. She did not respond to further requests for information. It's unclear whether Barkley is being housed separately from other inmates in the tents. The 45-year-old basketball great pleaded guilty last month to two misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from his Dec. 31 arrest shortly after leaving a Scottsdale nightclub and failing a field sobriety test. A message left with Barkley's attorney was not immediately returned Saturday morning. Barkley said last month that he made a mistake and just has "to take the beatdown." More on Sports
 
Iraqi Mothers Pimping Their Daughters Top
She goes by "Hinda," but that's not her real name. That's what she's called by the many Iraqi sex traffickers and pimps who contact her several times a week from across the country. They think she is one of them, a peddler of sexual slaves. Little do they know that the stocky, auburn-haired woman is an undercover human rights activist who has been quietly mapping out their murky underworld since 2006. More on War Wire
 
Spitzer Choked Me During Sex, High-End Call Girl Claims: NY Daily News Top
His political rivals used to accuse Eliot Spitzer of going for the jugular. Now a new call girl is claiming the former governor literally went for hers -- claiming he wrapped his fingers around her neck during some kinky role-playing. More on Eliot Spitzer
 
Book Fight! Socialite Wives In Battle Over Their Novels Top
Two Upper East Side wives who've written competing books are taking the "social" out of socialite - taking their feud to the cocktail-party scene and even the kiddie playground. In one corner is Tatiana Boncompagni, 31, vacuum heir Maximilian Hoover's wife, whose novel "Hedge Fund Wives" hits shelves in May. In the other is Jill Kargman, 34-year-old daughter of former Chanel President Arie Kopelman, whose roman à clef, "The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund," arrives in April.
 
McCaskill: I'm Not Sure We Have Votes On Employee Free Choice Act Top
Sen. Claire McCaskill said Sunday she was unsure whether she and her fellow Democrats had the votes needed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, during an appearing on ABC's This Week. Asked to convince her co-panelist Tom Donohue, the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to get on board the legislation -- which the business community regards as something between the demise of civilization and Armageddon itself -- McCaskill said she had no such illusions about her powers of persuasions. She also offered a dire take on EFCA's chances. "I'm not sure if we have the votes and I have no hope of backing Mr. Donohue off," said the Missouri Democrat. "I would say that I think it would be fair that we have a secret ballot for the decertification of unions. Right now, businesses can go with the card check. There is no secret ballot to get rid of a union. But there is a requirement of that for people to be able to organize. And to me that seems unfair. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let's get people on a level playing field ... Until they do that I'm not sure they have a lot of room to complain." Donohue, as expected, remained unconvinced, responding that "the loss of the secret ballot and the 16 other issues that labor unions want is another weight on this economy." Union officials have insisted over the past few weeks that they have the 60 votes in the Senate needed to cut off debate on the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow more and easier venues for unions to organize. The Huffington Post reported a week ago that there was angst among Democrats about their caucus being 100 percent on board. But officials in the labor community say they're unconcerned , even suggesting that they have more than one Republican willing to cross the aisle.
 
US says 12,000 US troops to leave Iraq by Sept. Top
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military announced Sunday that 12,000 American and 4,000 British troops will leave Iraq by September _ hours after a suicide bomber struck police and recruits lined up at the entrance of Baghdad's main academy, killing 32 people. The blast _ the second major attack to hit Iraqis in three days and the deadliest to strike Baghdad in nearly a month _ was a bloody reminder of the ability of insurgents to defy security improvements and stage dramatic attacks as the U.S. begins to draw down its forces. Maj. Gen. David Perkins said the troop withdrawals will reduce U.S. combat power from 14 brigades to 12 along with some supporting units. The U.S. also plans to turn over 74 facilities and areas under its control to the Iraqis by the end of March as part of the drawdown. President Barack Obama has decided to remove all combat troops by the end of August 2010 with the remaining forces leaving by the end of 2011. The 4,000 British troops due to leave are the last British soldiers in Iraq. The U.S. withdrawal will be gradual at first, leaving most troops in place for parliamentary elections at the end of this year. There are currently about 135,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Remaining American forces will be repositioned in coordination with Iraqi authorities to ensure the most dangerous areas of the country are protected, Perkins said. Perkins insisted violence has dropped more than 90 percent and was at its lowest level since the summer of 2003, claiming a recent spate of high-profile attacks, including Sunday's bombing, was evidence of an increasingly desperate al-Qaida in Iraq. "Al-Qaida and other terrorists are still active," he said, adding insurgents appear to be stepping up attacks to derail recent progress by the Iraqi government in holding provincial elections and in reaching a new security agreement with the United States. "It's indicative that al-Qaida feels threatened. They're feeling desperate. They want very much to maintain relevance," he said. The bomber on Sunday detonated his explosives as he drove his motorcycle into a group of people waiting near a side entrance of the academy, which is in a mainly Shiite area of eastern Baghdad. Iraqi and U.S. forces sealed off the scene, allowing only ambulances and fire engines to enter. Nervous Iraqi troops fired in the air to prevent onlookers and reporters from getting too close. They accidentally shot at a fire engine but no casualties were reported, according to witnesses. Extremists increasingly have targeted Iraqi forces as they take over the country's security so the American troops can go home. Baghdad's main police academy has been hit by several bombings. Another suicide bombing there killed at least 33 people and wounded dozens on Dec. 1. Haitham Fadhel said he was standing in one of three lines of recruits arriving for their first day of special guard training courses at the academy. "We were feeling secure as we were waiting in a well-guarded area," he said. "Before the explosion occurred I heard a loud shout saying 'Stop, stop, where are you going?' Seconds later, a huge explosion shook the area." The 24-year-old recruit from the mainly Shiite neighborhood of New Baghdad was knocked unconscious and was wounded by shrapnel. He said he was lucky because the bomber struck a different line, but two of his friends were killed. "I am just wondering how a big security breach can occur in such a secured area," Fadhel said. "I came here to get a job after four years of staying at home even though I graduated from Oil Institute ... but it seems that I have no luck." Iraqi officials provided conflicting casualty tolls, as is common in the chaotic aftermath of bombings. Three medical officials and one police officer in the area where the bombing occurred said 32 people were killed, including 19 recruits, nine policemen and four traffic police, and some 60 others were wounded. Another police officer said 28 were killed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 24 people were killed and more than 60 wounded. ___ Associated Press writers Lara Jakes and Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report. More on War Wire
 
Steve Young: GOP's Big Tent Barely Fits Mount RUSHmore Top
What a wonderful week for talk radio and TV spin. CPAC, the Republican braintrust that thought it would be a grande idea to thrust Rush Limbaugh in front of the choir to keynote their rip into Barack Obama. And El Rushbo did not fail to deliver, firing out from his flaming Johnny Cash getup, among other hyperbole, his from day one wish that the new President fail. The conservative crowd was thrilled beyond all expectation. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said, "I think Rush is a great leader for conservatives. I think he articulates what a lot of people are concerned about." This is the same Rush Limbaugh who told his listeners, "if you are a moderate Republican you stand for nothing." The ever-shrinking Republican tent seems to be a perfect fit for Rush. I'm not one to cheapen the debate with a crass fat joke - but if I was - perhaps it is one of Rush's old suits that the GOP is using for a tent. RNC chair Michael Steele had to apologize to Limbaugh for READ THE REST OF THE BIG FAT STORY RIGHT HERE. Fomer talk show host and award-winning TV writer, Steve Young, is author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful." More on Michael Steele
 
Obama nominates 3 to key Treasury Department posts Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has chosen three people to join the senior ranks of the Treasury Department, where a slow pace of hiring has put the agency on the defensive. The White House on Sunday said Obama is nominating David S. Cohen to be assistant secretary in dealing with terrorist financing; Alan B. Krueger for assistant secretary for economic policy; and Kim N. Wallace as assistant secretary for legislative affairs. Each nominee is already serving as a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. All three are now subject to Senate confirmation. As the government tries to help the nation climb out of recession and deep, crippling troubles in its banking sector, the Treasury Department is playing a vital management role. Yet Geithner has been criticized for getting his department up to full staff too slowly, with few people authorized to make decisions or represent the agency in outside meetings. Geithner says Treasury is moving carefully to get the best people in place. The agency says there are no delays or concerns over the vetting process. "With the leadership of these accomplished individuals and our whole economic team, I am absolutely confident that we will turn around this economy and seize this opportunity to secure a more prosperous future," Obama said in a statement. Cohen until recently served as a partner at the law firm of Wilmerhale, and he worked as a Treasury Department lawyer immediately before joining the firm in 2001. Krueger is a longtime professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University who has garnered numerous honors for his work as a labor economist. Wallace was a managing director and head of the Washington Research Group at Barclays Capital before becoming a counselor to Geithner. Wallace worked for 14 years at Lehman Brothers Inc. and served as a legislative aide to former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. Two other people considered likely for key posts at Treasury withdrew from consideration in the last week. Annette Nazareth, the potential chief deputy to Geithner and a former senior staffer and commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission, made "a personal decision" to withdraw from the process, according to a person familiar with her decision. Geithner's choice for undersecretary of international affairs, Caroline Atkinson, also withdrew from consideration, The Wall Street Journal reported last week. More on Barack Obama
 
SNL: Rush Limbaugh Electric Shocks Michael Steele On Update (VIDEO) Top
"Saturday Night Live" covered the Michael Steele v. Rush Limbaugh story this week by having Steele (Keenan Thompson) stop by Weekend Update to talk with Seth Meyers. He turned around to reveal the electric node in his head that delivered a shock every time the GOP leader said something not Rush approved. "Rush Limbaugh is just an entertainer. [Bzzt} Ah! A great entertainer! [Bzzt] Ah! A beacon of truth and light in times of uncertainty!" Kudos to Thompson for playing electrocuted so well. See the opening and The Rock as Obama here WATCH: Sadly the Weekend Update skit with surprise appearances by Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel NBC has not put online. More on Michael Steele
 
TV SoundOff: Sunday Talking Heads Top
Dear Daylight Savings Time: Hello. My name is Jason. I am writing you this morning to express the emotions I am currently feeling to you, personally. These emotions include: confused anger, a tired and tragic sadness, a uniquely unquantifiable sort of hatred that I simple call "MMMMMMMMUUUUAAAGGAAAH." That sort of thing. Why do we do this, again? Because we hate ourselves? Why has an hour of sleep been so cruelly and untimely ripped from me? Was this for farmers, or some crap like that? Argh. Argh, I say. With the intensity of a thousand white hot suns, drowning in the throats of a hundred angry cats, I despise you, Daylight Savings Time. It is as perfect a hate as you shall ever feel in your lifetime. I want you to suck on that hate, forever and ever, until the end of Creation. Gah, Jason Good "morning" and welcome to your Sunday Morning Liveblog. My name is Jason and I will be your host this morning in the one online venue that promises that you are not trapped in here with David Gregory, George Stephanopoulos and Chris Wallace, but that rather, they are all trapped in here with me. Today! Uhm...I don't know. Probably some stuff on how Tim Geithner is ruining all your weekends, with THE BANKINGS. Plus nonsensical panels. Anyway, you should send me emails , leave comments, follow me on Twitter , but, for your sake, you should do all of these things in an hour, because my God, why are you even awake, this is crazy. FOX NEWS SUNDAY Today, twittering old man John McCain is awake with us, ready to handle our beavers. Earmark reform, McCain wants it, Obama promised it, but nobody promised the elimination thereof, at the same time, the administration is putting this off until they have a budget that's "last year's business." McCain hates it, he wants it vetoed. McCain has gotten "incredible response" from his twittering of various earmarks, but I think he's probably not including the incredulous response from people who have actually USED THE GOOGLE to find out what some of the programs he's held out for ridicule actually do. He also could, right now, make some mofeaux FAMOUS with that twitter, if he wanted to. I think "Lindsey Graham" is fewer than 140 characters! I bet you can squeeze in "Mitch McConnell." McCain is not a fan of the GEITHNERS, and his lack of specifics, and says that they haven't made the decision to let "some banks fail." He's against using the word, nationalization. He's also rather likes the current housing bill, which makes sense, it's very similar to the one he's proposed. The Big Three should, in his estimation, go into Chapter 11. Wallace has to ask about Rush Limbaugh, who hates McCain. McCain thinks it's a distraction. I find myself sort of wishing I had a tie like McCain's. And, blah, some platitudes on foreign policy. Thankfully, it would appear that we are no longer all Georgians. McCain thinks Obama is working very hard, doesn't agree with the budget, is pleased with defense procurement reform, wants to work on stuff they agree on, admits that telling him "I told you so" may be "pleasant feeling," but "childish." Also, John McCain says that he has bright prospects for his daughter in terms of her "professional" and "social" life, so, look for John McCain to sell off Meghan McCain into arranged marriage or something, and for Meghan to liveblog it all, on the Daily Beast, your source of Meghan McCain social liveblogging. Meanwhile, Tim Kaine. Wallace asks how much of the market decline Obama has to eat and take responsibility. Kaine says that the market was sort of collapsing over the course of a year, maybe? Did you notice? But still, the market is crazed right now. Kaine says there's a bunch of elements to the Obama plan. The first element is creating a "capital cushion for banks." The second element is mitigating foreclosures. The third element is "securitizing assets." The fourth element is a plan that uses private investment to purchase bad assets. And the fifth element is a weird movie with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich in a sexy orange bondage suit, Gary Oldman is the absolute TITS in that movie. Don't ask me what private investors want to buy toxic assets, by the way. Aren't people terribly reluctant to even SELL their toxic assets right now? Shouldn't President Obama do ONLY ONE THING, called FIXING THE ECONOMY? Rather than do stuff with health care and energy. Kaine points out that there are ways in which all those issues are connected to our economy, and how ultimately a) solutions to some of these issues will be helpful to the economy and b) both parties are finding agreement and intersection on some of the smaller issues, without being un-innovative, so why not exploit that? Evan Bayh, gah. He opposes the monstrous idea that we return to the marginal tax rates of the Clinton years. I recall distinctly how diabolically far my dollar went! And how Satanically easy it was for me to find a job! Thank you, Evan Bayh! Except Evan Bayh is TEH SUXXORS : Meanwhile, the median household income in Indiana is $42,000 a year. Families making that much would not see tax increases under Obama's plan. Families making double the Indiana median household income would not see tax increases under Obama's plan. Families making double that would not see tax increases under Obama's plan. Only families making almost six times the median household income of Indiana would see increases; increases that would essentially take us back to the rates that prevailed during the more prosperous 1990s. But never fear, if you're dramatically richer than most Indianans and sociopathically unconcerned with the well-being of your fellow citizens, then Evan Bayh is fighting for you. ARGH. Somehow, my TiVo skipped me ahead into the panel discussion, right to Juan Williams and Bill Kristol bitching over the money that Kristol's friends lost. Williams is attempting to explain that Obama has not unleashed a wave of public anger, that he's possible in the polls. Mara Liasson and Brit Hume attempt to downplay all that. TYPICAL RESULTS, says Liasson. "GARDEN VARIETY HONEYMOON," says Hume. Uhm, I am quite sure this very panel clucked about the "honeymoon being over" weeks ago. Williams says that the Obama support is remarkable, given the size of the crises. This leads Hume to intone that "Wall Street is Main Street," and that's the sort of perspective you get from news pundits that haven't scrimped and saved, maybe ever, certainly not recently. Someone named "KELLS JESSE" emails: This what you are worried about? Daylight savings? I do think there are bigger things to worry about How adorable. First time here, I guess. Now everyone is going to talk about Rush Limbaugh. Hume says it's "not a new idea" to frame Limbaugh as the leader of the GOP. Hume says the GOP doesn't have a leader. Liasson agrees, and says the White House was running a mind game, but probably took it "too far." I think it proves that one can do two things at once! But Bill Kristol wants RAHM EMANUEL TO BRING HIM A BANKING PLAN. (Deep down, I can't imagine, actually, that anyone wants Emanuel to author the banking plan. But then, deep down, I can't imagine, actually, that anyone wants the people who are purporting to author the banking plan to actually author it.) Anyway, the GOP, not popular in the polls. Kristol is all: BLAH EFF THE POLLS. THERE'S A REALITY OUT THERE! Oh, Bill...NOW you're all into "reality." Anyway, the future of the GOP, according to Kristol, are a bunch of kids in Colorado, all of whom want Juan Williams to visit them, for ridicule. Now Hume is mumbling something that I can't hear. And Wallace says my favorite line: "Mara Liasson, ten seconds." And woo, it's over. THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
 
SNL: The Rock Obama: Don't Make Obama Mad (VIDEO) Top
Last night's Saturday Night Live was hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and he showed what happens when you finally cause President Obama to lose his famous cool: he undergoes a Hulk-like transformation and turns into "The Rock Obama." Egged on By Rahm Emanuel to finally get mad, "The Rock Obama" shows Republican senators why you shouldn't oppose him. The show's opening skit took on Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and his difficulties inspiring confidence in his plan to salvage the financial system. Let's just say he's looking for ideas if you have any. Watch "The Rock Obama" and the Tim Geithner opener below. "The Rock Obama" Tim Geithner opener. More on Barack Obama
 

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