Monday, April 20, 2009

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Mystery Donors Give Over $45M To 9 Universities Top
More on The Giving Life
 
China Poised To Take On Role Of Global Trendsetter Top
SHANGHAI -- After a century in which American tastes largely set the course of the global automotive market, China is poised to increasingly take on the role of global trendsetter. More on China
 
Obama Thanks CIA During First Visit To Langley Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is telling CIA employees that they must do their work scrupulously because they are standing as a security barrier for Americans who face attack from people who have no scruples. Obama visited the Central Intelligence Agency on Monday, his first trip there since he released the so-called torture memos written by the Bush administration's Justice Department. Obama said he understands that intelligence officials must sometimes feel that they are working with one hand tied behind their backs. The president added that upholding American values and ideals in the face of such enemies is, as he put it, "what makes the United States special and what makes you special." Obama has said he will not seek charges against CIA officers who took part in such tactics as waterboarding. More on Barack Obama
 
Oracle, Sun Microsystems Top
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If the term "serial acquirer" were actually in the dictionary, it would probably be accompanied by a picture of Oracle Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison. Oracle (ORCL, Fortune 500) announced Monday that it was going to buy struggling server and software firm Sun Microsystems (JAVA, Fortune 500) for $9.50 a share, a 42% premium to Friday's closing price for Sun. The deal, including Sun's cash and debt, is valued at $7.4 billion.
 
Mike Hegedus: What shoving cheese up your nose, Eric Schmidt and Susan Boyle have in common. You. Top
It was with a silly grin that I read about TV Week's selection of the NBC news honchos as the 'most powerful' person or in this case group, in TV news. You want to see power? Shove some cheese up your nose. Then, particularly if you work for a well-known pizza brand, post it on YouTube. I'll show you power. It received over a million hits. Next thing you know your jobs disappear and the company's CEO is reduced to posting a silly, 'We don't blow our noses on all our subs', statement also on YouTube. I think his Mom saw that one. Now that's power. Power to the one millionth degree. But even phlegm can't go where homely singers can. Susan Boyle. What else needs to be said? 20 or 30 million hits now? Oops, I blinked. Is it up to 40 million? Being the 'most powerful' in TV news is like being a six star general in the Romanian army. Nice uniform, but did he say 'Charge!'? The point is that the Internet has TV news beat six ways from Sunday when it comes to power. What does TV news have? Well, it has what all those fading newspapers have but for some reason never talk about. Editors. Watch dogs. Folks who are trained to smell 'a pig in a poke' and ask me about it before it goes on the air, or in print. And what does the Internet have for the most part? Snot on pepperoni. Enter Google CEO Eric Schmidt. When Schmidt addressed the Newspaper Association of America recently it turned into, not a shoutfest, not a lovefest, but rather a nothingfest. Schmidt wished newspapers well, wished he could 'save' them, and the newspaper folks simply wished Google would stop using their content for free. Of course, they didn't really push that point, it was like a birthday wish, if you say it out loud it won't happen. But the unaddressed issue in all of this is one of responsibility. Let's say I write an article for newspaper 'Y'. It's libelous. The target of the article reads it on Google. They're outraged! They sue. Who? Me? The newspaper? Google? I'm betting Schmidt is saying Yes to the first two, and No to the last one. Afterall Pete says, we didn't write it, we're just spreading it around the world! Fair use! Hmmmmmmmm. And YouTube? Should they be punched in the nose in the Snotty Sandwich Caper? And in an even more serious case, what is Craiglist's responsibility in the recent murder tied to it? Here's something I thought I'd never hear myself say--Where are the editors? I wonder if they're eating that sub I had sent over? More on Eric Schmidt
 
Andy Ostroy: Twitter Dee and Twitter Dumb Top
If I hear the word 'Twitter' one more time I think I'm going to go virtual postal. Same goes for Tweet, Tweeted, Twittering and Tweeter . A few weeks ago I wrote about how much I hate Facebook, that colossal online abyss of narcissism and inanity. Well, I think Twitter--the micro-blog of 140-character vacuousness--annoys me even more. Full disclosure: I am neither a 'Twit' (my name for Twitterers ) nor have I ever been on the ubiquitous site. And I don't need to be. I am simply sick and tired of how it's invaded the American lexicon, and culture, like all of these other internet sinkholes that continue to shut people off from each other while claiming to be "social networking" sites. Pretty soon moms will be tweeting their kids to come pick up their dinner plates so they can head back to their laptops for more of this incredible "socializing." More disclosure: I'm on Facebook, where I've been known to be quite a shameless promoter of the various business dealings I'm involved with, which include those of a charitable nature. I believe sites like Facebook and Twitter do offer great business networking value. But unfortunately, it's become far less a business tool than a tool for extending one's Warholish 15 minutes to insufferable levels. Last week we saw the inanity reach epidemic proportions with the self-described "Twitter Feud" between the actor Ashton Kutcher and cable news giant CNN over who could pile up 1-million Twits quicker (Kutcher won). This utter non-story quickly sucked up lots of valuable media time, with Larry King devoting almost his entire hour to it Friday night. Does anyone really care how many Twits Kutcher has...besides of course, Kutcher himself and his loyal Twits? Is this really news ? It's a sad commentary when, with two wars, terrorism and a devastating recession, Facebook and Twitter is where young people's passions get channeled and focused. It's unsettling how today's youth is so desensitized, disaffected and self-consumed. And it's not just kids who are addicted to this too-cool communication form. Hearing some age-loathing 50-year-old describe his Twittering is about as painful as listening to him discuss the latest Killers concert he went to. Kutcher, whose Twitname is @aplusk (the kid's clever, huh?), was joined on King's program by rap and fashion mogul P. Puffy Daddy Diddy, or whatever he calls himself these days. The Puffster, when asked by King (btw....is there anything more embarrasing than Larry King describing his own hipster Twitting?) why he Tweets, His Diddyness lamented that, "People know me for the persona of the Hamptons, bling, who I'm dating, and there's more substance to me than that." Twitter, he said, allows him to cut out "the middleman;" the media, which he blames for his self-admittedly shallow public persona. So let's get this straight. He's not shallow because he's a jewelry-heavy, model-datin', Hamptons-hangin' bad boy; he's shallow because the press covers it all. Yup, this sure sounds like a problem that non-stop Twittering can fix. And I'm sure his 600,000 followers will eagerly soak up all his words of wisdiddydom . Actually, in fact, I just realized there is something more embarrassing than King talking about his Twittering: Diddy whining about how nobody understands him. And then there's Mr. One-Million himself. "At the end of the day we all have ego," said Kutcher, the self-proclaimed Twit "Jester" in a ginormous "duh" revelation. In explaining that everyone has their own "Twitter DNA" (huh?), he defines Twitter as "an ego stream," and then modestly declares that it'll be a good thing if people like him can use Twitter to "change the world." Can you say, self-important? This coming from a guy who's biggest claim to fame is Punking his celebrity pals and having stepkids almost as old as he is (ok, I exaggerate, but I have comedic license). I'm just not exactly sure that we've seen any "world-changing" initiatives coming out of Kutcher or anyone else on Twitter. But we sure as hell have seen a lot of that ego he talks about. Ok, I'm done ranting. I'm gonna go scr@tch my ass now. Hey, maybe I should Tweet that. More on CNN
 
Bo Obama's Half-Sister Ruby Discovered In Minnesota Top
BEMIDJI, Minn. — It's not everyday you learn a member of your household has a relative in the White House. But Julie Quanrud and husband Ric Meixell said they noticed things very familiar about the Obama family's new pet, Bo the Portuguese water dog. Quanrud said she was suspicious because the 6-month-old Bo's muzzle is the same as that of their 2-year-old Ruby. And the white markings on Bo's black coat duplicate those of Julius, a full sibling of Ruby. An investigation determined Ruby and Bo have the same father, named Valkyrie's Dr. Watson Is Here. So Ruby is a half-sister of the presidential pooch. Quanrud said Bo is a great choice for the Obamas because of all the attention he will get. ___ Information from: Pioneer, http://www.bemidjipioneer.com
 
Cops: Madonna's Horse Story is Bogus Top
Cops who took the report about Madonna falling off a horse over the weekend doubt the singer's story that a paparazzo jumped out of the bushes and spooked the horse. The cops say no one from Madonna's camp said anything about a photog causing the mishap. More on Madonna
 
Does Green Have To Be Expensive? (VIDEO) Top
True or false: The hardest thing about going green is accepting the higher cost. FALSE! The belief that going green is costly is itself a costly misunderstanding. Cutting back on energy means cutting back on cost -- and cutting back on waste means (you guessed it) cutting back on cost. Sure, there are premium green vendors out there who want you to splurge on their brands because they're both green and fashionable, but that's not the way it has to be. And that's something that Marcal CEO Tim Spring was proud to tell us last week. WATCH: Wartime efficiency inspired cost- and energy-efficiency in a business model that has lasted 50 years. A great lesson. More on Green Living
 
Beau Friedlander: The 5000 Degrees that Killed at Columbine and at the Times Top
"No iPhones." The sign is taped to my kids' bedroom door. It is the best piece of writing I've seen in a while. The message is simple. Putting "Out There" before "Right here" is dangerous. Today marks the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and it is also the day Billie Holliday recorded this nation's first civil rights song, "Strange Fruit." It's a song about the crimes that prompted Congress to pass the 1871 law that was, for another hundred years, merely window dressing on a culture predicated on fear and hate. It is the tenth anniversary of the school shooting in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and the 120th birthday of Adolf Hitler. Eight years ago today, China de-listed homosexuality as a mental illness. Today, Senator John Kerry announced his intention to save our nation's newspapers. Are there any connections here? Yes there are. There was an excellent post today on HuffPo about how disconnected we've become since the rise of Facebook, iPhones, Blackberry, Twitter, and 24/7 hyperconnectivity. If there's one thing we know for sure since Facebook created 5000 degrees of separation (you're allowed no more than 5000 friends), it's that people are fascinated by what's not there. Is it really preferable to forego a sunny day to stare bleary-eyed into the simpler days depicted in a shot from first grade picture day or to spend hours writing disembodied words at some imagined lover who exists only as a cipher? No, but as our list of friends on Facebook and our number of followers on Twitter grows, certain aspects of our lives shrink. So what does that shrinkage look like? There's a book you can still get called A Hundred Years of Lynching that compiles newspaper stories about lynchings that occurred in the South between 1886 and 1960. Used to be, newspapers were how we knew stuff like who got killed by whom, where and why. And books told us in a deeper way the same things. That is no longer the case. Digital recording devices have started to replace appointment television viewing except for a few live shows and sporting events where something's at stake. With increasing regularity, we learn about wars, deals, laws, dates and all the rest in the piecemeal way afforded by the Web and our personal digital assistants, and increasingly those hooked into Twitter are on top of breaking news and know what's happening in the world before the major television news networks can get their arms around the story. Our radical connection to information has passed mere addiction and now approaches a sort of "will to omniscience." The more you hit "refresh" the closer you are to God's point of view. The 0s of this young century are all about the decentralization of information. The here and now of history has been smashed like the Tower of Babel. The result is a lot of noise. There is something to be said for the noise, and there is something to be said for decentralization. Surely in the age of Judith Miller helping Dick Cheney and Karl Rove start a war, newspapers have shed a fair amount of authority they once enjoyed. With Bill O'Reilly and Bill Maher and Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart (and Stephen Colbert) doing their best to make news fun, there can be no Walter Cronkite. Websites are now eligible for Pulitzer Prizes ever since Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall broke the story about the politically motivated dismissal of U.S. attorneys a while back. (Today is also the day those prizes are given out.) Judith Miller's criminal reporting was exposed by Marcy Wheeler and other citizen journalists. The truth came out piecemeal, but it came out. It came out here, there and everywhere. Getting the story straight requires a massive amount of connectivity. As the world of information grows and the tendrils reach down deeper into our lives many things get smaller, like the amount of quality time we spend with the people around us. Information makes the world smaller, and turns us all into denizens of an ideal village, but at a radical cost. When Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris decided to kill their classmates and themselves, we got a taste of what our culture might be doing to the most vulnerable and the most unstable among us. Back then, the game Doom was marked as the scourge. When Megan Meier killed herself after her "boyfriend" (actually a bullying mom and daughter team) broke off their torrid online affair, the world was shocked and thought it was sad a young lady could have such a small life. Social networking is a great tool. It can bring us in touch with our past, and connect people who are geographically distant. It can start a revolution, or help change attitudes. Texting the revolution is a real thing, and the mass protests such networking can spur change laws and listings and improve lives as with the gay community in China who are no longer being deemed ill. That said, Facebook allows users 5000 friends, and not one of them could have stopped Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. More on Newspapers
 
Richard M. Benjamin: Extra! Extra! Newspapers Need an Overhaul, Not a "Rescue Plan" Top
Ever been to those "The Future of Journalism" media panels? They sound more like "Old Scribes Mourn the Past" panels. And the panelists invariably look like Statler & Waldorf , the two old Muppets sitting in the opera box seats. The Journalism Establishment has a tough time seeing new media as its own freestanding opportunity. Instead, new media is a "crisis" to cope with. The coping mechanism is "How do we stop our print-related revenue from hemorrhaging!?!," instead of "Here are some terrific platforms we can exploit to transform news reporting and consumption!" "The Internet promotes self-expression and citizen journalism," the Old Guard mumbles in lip-service homage to new media. That's talking the talk. But they don't always walk the walk, by skillfully transforming their enterprise -- until it's too late. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer . The Rocky Mountain News . The Baltimore Examiner . The San Francisco Chronicle . All have gone kaput, by either ending daily publication or announcing their imminent demise. A few other papers, including those owned by the Tribune Company, have filed for bankruptcy or ordered severe cutbacks. And NYT has threatened to sell off the Boston Globe . Now Congress may Detroit the newspaper biz - it's contemplating a rescue plan of sorts. In a letter to the "Boston Globe family," Sen. John Kerry declared his determination to help save newspapers. The Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as non-profits, if they choose, under 501(c)(3) status for educational purposes, similar to public broadcasting. But any viable rescue plan for newspapers MUST integrate new media in their operations from bottom up, rather than "tack on" new media as an afterthought to failing operations. It's not about improving entrenched systems, it's about re-booting the system entirely. But Statler & Waldorf, of course, are wedded to tired business models , dated industry practices , and old ideas of prestige . Minutes ago, the Pulitzer committee announced this year's winners. It is 2009, people. But the Pulitzer Prize committee has just broadened its awards to include online-only publications (devoted to original news reporting)! Hmmm.... makes you wonder. This industry doesn't need a "rescue plan," so much as an overhaul. More on Newspapers
 
Blackwater Continues Iraq Operations Without License Top
WASHINGTON — Armed guards from the security firm once known as Blackwater Worldwide are still protecting U.S. diplomats in Iraq, even though the company has no license to operate there and has been told by the State Department its contracts will not be renewed two years after a lethal firefight that stirred outrage in Baghdad. Private security guards employed by the company, now known as Xe, are slated to continue ground operations in parts of Iraq long into the summer, far longer than had previously been acknowledged, government officials told The Associated Press. In addition, helicopters working for Xe's aviation wing, Presidential Airways, will provide air security for U.S. diplomatic convoys into September, almost two years after the Iraqi government first said it wanted the firm out. The company's continued presence raises fresh questions about the strength of Iraq's sovereignty even as the Obama administration urges the budding government to take more responsibility for the nation's future. Iraqis had long complained about incidents caused by Blackwater's operations. Then a shooting by Blackwater guards in Baghdad's Nisoor Square in September, 2007 left 17 civilians dead, further strained relations between Baghdad and Washington and led U.S. prosecutors to bring charges against the Blackwater contractors involved. That deadly incident was the end, Iraqi leaders said. Blackwater had to get out. But State Department officials acknowledge the company is still there. The company declined to comment about a timetable for leaving. "We follow the direction of our U.S. government client," Xe spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said. Last February, Blackwater changed its name to Xe _ pronounced ZEE _ in a bid to leave its controversial reputation behind. Defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said Iraq's ability to enforce bans on companies like Blackwater may provide an early measurement of the strength of its internal sovereignty. As the Iraqi leaders gain more control, he said, the final exit for Blackwater will be inevitable. "But let's face it, they're not entirely their own masters yet," he said. In Baghdad, an Iraqi security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said that while Xe will not be allowed to work in Iraq, the company needs "some time" to fully shut down its operations there. The official did not give further details on the timetable. The State Department's continued reliance on Blackwater also underscores the difficulties facing the U.S. government in finding other options to protect its diplomats in dangerous areas. Department officials said this month that Blackwater guards would stop protecting U.S. diplomats on the ground in Baghdad on May 7, when the company's contract for that specific job expires and a new security provider, Triple Canopy, takes over. But in its statement following the Iraqi government's decision to prohibit Blackwater from operating there, State did not reveal that the firm has two other contracts _ known as "task orders" _ that do not expire until August and September respectively. Blackwater guards will remain on the ground protecting American diplomats in al Hillah, Najaf and Karbala, all south of Baghdad, until Aug. 4, according to the department. And Presidential Airways _ which operates some two dozen helicopters _ will continue to fly until Sept. 3, it said. After the Nisoor Square deaths, Iraqi officials ruled that North Carolina-based Blackwater would be barred from operating in the country. Despite the ban, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract seven months later, in April, 2008. It wasn't until January of this year, when Iraqi authorities denied the company an operating license, that the Obama administration said it would not renew the company's existing task orders. On Jan. 30, the department said it had informed Blackwater in writing that it "did not plan to renew the company's existing task orders for protective security detail in Iraq." On Feb. 2, though, the department signed a revised task order for Presidential Airways that allowed the Blackwater-owned airline to operate through Sept. 3, according to a federal public procurement database. Department officials deny any impropriety in the move because the change in the task order was a revision of an old contract. Karl Duckworth, a State spokesman, said the Iraqi government did not tell U.S. officials until March 19 that it would bar Presidential Airways' flights. "Based on the government of Iraq's decision, the department notified Xe in writing that it did not plan to renew the company's task order for aviation services in Iraq," Duckworth said. Duckworth said that State would "re-compete the aviation task order," allowing Xe and Virginia-based DynCorp and Triple Canopy to bid for the air security contract. Xe is technically allowed to rebid under federal law because it holds the existing task order. But State would not grant the company a contract because it lacks an operating license in Iraq, officials said. The State Department has not yet selected a successor to Blackwater for ground protection in al Hillah. But both Triple Canopy and DynCorp have the capability to do the job. Some of the same security personnel who worked for Blackwater might simply transfer to the new companies operating there, industry experts say. "As Triple Canopy's work expands, the logical place to start looking and interviewing and evaluating employees will be those who are already there, those who have some skills and are already employed by Blackwater," said Alan Chvotkin, a senior vice president and counsel for the trade group Professional Services Council. Xe, DynCorp and Triple Canopy are all members of the council. Chvotkin added that in view of the controversies over Blackwater's role, "Triple Canopy and other security companies are making an independent assessment of any individual before deciding whether to hire them." The Iraqi official also said that some former Blackwater officials could remain in Iraq, depending on their experience. The transition from Blackwater to a new air security firm may be even more complicated. Chvotkin said it will not be easy to find a firm with Blackwater's air resources. Blackwater should not be ruled out as an option, he said. "Since the nature of the work is so very different, there may actually be authority for them to operate the air services contract even though they don't have a license for private security," Chvotkin said. Blackwater has been shifting its focus to other lines of business, including international training and air support in places like Afghanistan and Africa. ___ Mike Baker reported from Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press Writer Brian Murphy contributed to this report from Baghdad. More on War Wire
 
Human Rights Watch: Gaza: Hamas Should End Killings, Torture (Watch) Top
(Gaza City) - Hamas should end its attacks on political opponents and suspected collaborators in Gaza, which have killed at least 32 Palestinians and maimed several dozen more during and since the recent Israeli military offensive, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch called on Hamas authorities in Gaza to hold those responsible accountable. The 26-page report, "Under Cover of War: Hamas Political Violence in Gaza," documents a pattern since late December 2008 of arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, maimings by shooting, and extrajudicial executions by alleged members of Hamas security forces. The report is based on interviews with victims and witnesses in Gaza and case reports by Palestinian human rights groups. The spate of attacks began during Israel's military operation, from December 27, 2008, to January 18, 2009, including the summary execution of 18 men in Gaza, most of them suspected collaborators with Israel.It has continued in the three months since, with 14 more killings, at least four of them of people in detention. "During Israel's attack on Gaza, Hamas moved violently against its political opponents and those deemed collaborators with Israeli forces," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division. "The unlawful arrests, torture, and killings in detention continued even after the fighting stopped, mocking Hamas's claims to uphold the law." Internal political violence in Gaza and the West Bank is not new. Over the past three years, Hamas and its chief rival, Fatah, which controls the West Bank, have carried out arbitrary arrests of each other's supporters and subjected detainees to torture and ill-treatment. The violations in Gaza have lessened in April, Human Rights Watch said, but Hamas authorities are still failing to address seriously the crimes by security forces during and after the Israeli attacks. Hassan al-Seifi, general inspector in Gaza's Interior Ministry, told Human Rights Watch on April 16 that a committee he heads had completed investigations into two deaths in detention. In both cases, the Hamas authorities acted on the committee's recommendations, he said, suspending from duty and filing charges against the police officers involved. In two other cases, the committee is continuing its investigations. Interviewed on April 15 and 16, a Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, and the Gaza Interior Ministry spokesman, Ihab al-Ghusein, told Human Rights Watch that Hamas had explicitly forbidden excessive force by security forces after Israel's military operation. But they said that Hamas forces could not have prevented the killings and shootings by Palestinians during the Israeli attacks due to the chaos of the fighting. The systematic nature of many of the executions and attacks, and the fact that killings have continued after the Israeli offensive,undercut these assertions, Human Rights Watch said. "Gazan police were among those targeted by Israeli forces, sometimes apparently unlawfully, but this does not justify Hamas's apparent use of summary execution," Stork said. "The attacks and killings also continued after the Israeli military operation had stopped. Human Rights Watch urged the Hamas authorities to prosecute vigorously any security force member found to have violated the law. "Four investigations into 32 deaths are not enough," Stork said. Most of the 18 Palestinians executed during Israel's military operations were men accused of collaboration with Israel, Human Rights Watch said. Along with others, they had escaped from Gaza's main prison after Israeli aircraft bombed parts of the facility on December 28. Gunmen believed to be from Hamas then tracked down and shot the men. During the Israeli operations, Hamas security forces also physically attacked known Fatah members, especially those who had worked in the Fatah-run security services of the Palestinian Authority prior to June 2007.The widespread practice of maiming people by shooting them in the legs is of particular concern. According to the Independent Commission for Human Rights(ICHR), the human rights ombudsman organization of the Palestinian Authority, masked gunmen shot at least 49 people in the legs between December 28 and January 31. Human Rights Watch interviewed three men, two of them Fatah supporters, who had been shot in the legs during the Israeli attack,apparently by Hamas security forces. The third man said he had been overheard on the street criticizing Hamas. "About 14 of them came for me," the third man said. "They forced me to go from my home to a dark place near a mosque and four of them shot me in the legs, one shot each, but one missed." Abductions and severe beatings are another major concern,Human Rights Watch said. According to the ICHR, unidentified perpetrators broke the legs and arms of 73 Gazan men from December 28 to January 31. Human Rights Watch interviewed three Fatah supporters, all men, who were violently assaulted by men believed to be from Hamas. During periods of armed conflict, Hamas, as the effective authority in Gaza, is entitled to take appropriate measures to ensure security,including detaining individuals who pose genuine security risks. But physical abuse, including torture, maimings, and summary executions, is strictly forbidden under all circumstances. Under international law, detentions cannot be arbitrary or target a group or category of persons for political as opposed to genuine security grounds. On the other side of the internal Palestinian divide, the Fatah-run authorities in the West Bank have increased repressive measures against Hamas members and supporters there, Human Rights Watch said. From December 28 to February 28, Palestinian human rights groups recorded 31 complaints of residents who said they had been tortured by Fatah-led security forces. They also recorded one known death in custody and the arbitrary detention of two journalists from a private television station considered pro-Hamas. United States and European Union donors who finance and train Fatah-run forces in the West Bank have expressed no public criticism of these serious human rights violations. "Western governments that support and finance the Fatah authorities in the West Bank have remained publicly silent about the arbitrary arrests and torture against Hamas members and others," Stork said. The abuses committed in both Gaza and the West Bank violate Palestinian law. The Palestinian Basic Law, considered to be the interim constitution, guarantees the right to equal treatment before the law,freedom of expression and association, and fundamental due process rights. It prohibits torture and other mistreatment. Both the Hamas and Fatah authorities claim to be the legitimate heads of the Palestinian Authority, which has repeatedly pledged to respect international human rights standards. As a political party, Hamas has publicly indicated on several occasions that it would respect international human rights norms. More on Hamas
 
Michael de Portu: Realities of the Economic Crisis Top
Financial fraud typically takes a long time to detect and yet, paradoxically, the tell-tale signs are (almost) always in plain sight. Whether it is Enron, Fannie and Freddie, or more recently Madoff, we are invariably surprised that we failed to listen to those who sounded an early warning or that we did not pick up on the anomalies and detect the grossly distorted picture. Why is this so? One reason seems to be that many of us -- accountants, lawyers, bankers, examiners, and others -- tend to be more interested in what is documented than in the reality that actually exists. We want to be able to verify the accounts and how they were calculated, but we seldom apply the same energy to checking on what is readily observable. There are interesting parallels that can be drawn with many aspects of the current financial crisis. The prevalence of obscure jargon, the arcane distinctions of form, the assertions that "only experts can truly understand this" and the proliferation of acronyms all act as obstacles to see what is readily observable. This situation is further aggravated by the numbingly large amounts that are thrown around about the cost of the rescue effort (Goldman Sachs recently tagged it at $4 trillion) or the losses we still face (reference to IMF and Roubini ), and then the sudden bursts of optimism when we are told that signs are emerging that we may have reached a bottom. Which is it? Where are we? When all is said and done what will the world around us look like? As it were, attempting to get to the reality of this crisis is fairly thankless; many of the instruments were issued offshore or privately, so much of the underlying information is not public; when the documents are available, they are lengthy and frustrating to read. This being said, enough government data, surveillance information, financial filings and prospectuses are available that illuminate important elements. The picture that emerges, while partial, is fairly striking. It of course confirms the phenomenal growth of mortgage securities in 2004-2007, the importance of sub-prime, the decline in the quality of later offerings, the crisscrossing of derivative guarantees and outright bets on how these and other instruments would perform. But, what it also shows is most surprising. For example, the total of all forms of debt outstanding in the domestic market almost doubled between 2000 and 2008, from $27 trillion to $52.5 trillion, with mortgages representing $14 trillion of the latter. It reveals that the total value of domestic debt and exchange-traded stocks was almost five times GDP when the crisis began in the fall of 2007, which is twice the multiple that prevailed in the 1980s and one-and-a-half times that of the 1990s. It shows that at $1.7 trillion outstanding and wrapped into various issues or vehicles containing other assets, sub-prime spawned a non-investment grade debt overhang that is too large to be absorbed by the $2 trillion junk bond and hedge fund sector. It shows that bank lending has not, as claimed, declined -- rather it is the issuance of securities has fallen off. It shows how just the top four banks account for almost half of the $7 trillion of bank debt outstanding in the market. We also find that of the $54 trillion of credit default swaps, over 70% were created by the six top banks and investment firms. Credit default swaps are those contracts where a "protection" buyer would make regular payments to a "protection" seller in exchange for receipt of a "compensatory" payment if a basket of securities or other claims declined in value (regardless of whether the buyer had actually incurred a loss). Several other aspects of the crisis come into clearer focus in light of this data. One is that it does not take as much as one might think to cripple a large financial institution. What matters is less the size of its balance sheet than that small portion of its equity that is readily available as, or convertible to, cash and can be diverted from the regular operation cycle. The second aspect that stands out goes a long way towards explaining why something which started in 2007 suddenly exploded into a frenzy of wealth destruction in the fall of 2008. Individual firms' data show that the system suffered an abrupt deterioration beginning in the summer of 2008. This was partly related to loans and securities losses incurred or recognized (such as through mark-to-market) - but that the main culprit was more prosaic: it was a sudden freeze in the payments system under the dual impact of collateral calls and a flight-to-safety (overnight lending became unavailable except against top-rated securities and Treasuries). Today, the banking system only appears to be operating normally . In reality, without the significant amount of liquidity provided by the Federal Reserve through discount lending and 28-day credits, the interbank payments system would still be frozen. What is also apparent is that low interest rates and continued anxiety have combined to produce an environment of high credit spreads -- a boon to banks which has enabled them to realize significant net interest income in 2008 and so far in 2009. This has also considerably heightened risk levels, as can be seen, for instance, in banks' Value-at-Risk measurements of their portfolio volatility. This is a pure financial crisis - in fact a crisis of the payments system that has spread and disturbed the normal pricing mechanism for all assets and instruments (other than cash and Treasuries). It is this breakdown that appears to have triggered a drop across the entire economy - that is, one going beyond the weak spots of California and the automotive industry that had existed since 2006 - leading businesses to embark in a wholesale pullback and a postponement of major decisions. If correct, this alternative view has implications for some of the ingredients that should be part of the cure. Government initiatives to fight the crisis have been aimed at keeping interest rates low to ensure ample monetary supply and providing liquidity to protect the banks and encourage them to "lend and make markets." These initiatives also have the practical effect of serving to prop up prices. Assuring counterparts that financial institutions can meet demands for cash and do so without resorting to precipitous asset sales has this effect. Repurchases of mortgage-backed securities issued, or guaranteed, by Fannie and Freddie are another price boosting mechanism. Bolstering banks' capital serves to reduce the need to monetize assets for liquidity purposes -- strengthening someone's bargaining position similarly is a price boosting device. This is consistent with a view of the crisis as a bona-fide recession to which the traditional recession-fighting tools need to be applied. In the alternative view of the crisis, however, the solution would instead hinge on finding an effective formula to cause a series of unwinds so that the paper can be removed and a settling up takes place on the commitments and counter-commitments referencing this paper. For this to actually occur and the system to resume its efficient allocation of resources through pricing, subprime prices would need to be pushed down rather than up. The pricing should be based either on recent transactions such as the sales conducted by Merrill Lynch in September 2008 at 22¢ on the dollar, or at a percentage of par as determined through a "down-case" discounted cash flow valuation. The pricing should reflect the reality that a year-and-a-half into the crisis, sub-prime asset impairments are no longer temporary and that they apply to entire issues and trading vehicles, not merely some of their tranches. The pricing down and the purchase of sub-prime-containing paper should be implemented through an "eminent domain" approach akin to the expropriations of individual properties that take place when a road needs to be built for the common good. Pricing and the compulsory nature of the process would need to be uniformly managed. Whether to sell or not to sell, in particular, could clearly not be left at the discretion of security holders. Only a systematic removal of sub-prime paper will permit other assets to price back to normal and avoid leaving a large asset class of uncertain value to coexist alongside the new debt incurred in fighting the crisis. While painful, this adjustment would recognize a state of fact -- that many institutions are not be able to operate independently in their current format, that a return to pre-crisis patterns of investment in sub-prime and sub-prime-related vehicles and instruments is an unrealistic expectation, and that the truly critical components of the banking system for the economy at large are their depositary and lending activities. More on Economy
 
Kety Esquivel: Another Group of Teens in New York Is Charged with Assault as a Hate Crime Top
According to police in Ramapo, New York, four Suffern High School students and one former student are being charged with assault as a hate crime. Detective Lt. Brad Weidel stated that on March 28, 2009, several teenagers were at a party in the woods when a handful of white teens targeted a Latino teen, assaulting him while shouting "white power." The victim was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a laceration and a concussion. He was released after being treated. The victim's identity was not released. This attack occurred just a few days before Rosario Lucero, the mother of Marcelo Lucero, attended a court hearing for the teens accused in the death of her son at the end of 2008. Six of those teens have been charged with gang assault, conspiracy, and hate crimes. One of the teens, Jeff Conroy, who allegedly stabbed Marcelo to death, has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime. Conroy's trial will not happen for months but Rosario is hopeful that eventually, "justice [will be] done." Read the full story on the Ramapo hate crime. Read the full story on the Lucero hearing. More on New York
 
Robyn Hillman-Harrigan: Gamers Gate Top
A few weeks ago the 2009 Game Developers Conference took place in San Francisco. The Game Developers Conference, or GDC, as it's commonly referred to within the industry, is arguably the year's most important gathering of video game publishers, developers and luminaries. Historically, the week of GDC has played host to some of the most influential companies making some of the biggest product announcements in the history of the industry, and this year was no different. The one product that clearly stole most of the buzz was OnLive, a potentially revolutionary game console that promises live, streaming games delivered by a sophisticated array of servers, something we refer to as cloud computing. With speculation abounding, one thing's for sure -- the industry is in for a big change. The emergence of OnLive is symptomatic of a larger trend within the gaming industry, which is symptomatic of an even larger trend within the general media and entertainment industry. I'm referring to the ever-increasing consumer demand for digital products, delivered instantly at little or no cost. The failure of music, movies and print media to sufficiently adapt to this demand has been crippling for those industries. As the only major entertainment medium to emerge from the digital revolution, video games represent the first consumer product that is capable of both satisfying consumer demand, and supporting its own means of production. The music industry, unfortunately, made an example of itself by going head-to-head with consumers, suing the very people they depended on and asking the federal government to protect their business. The lesson all business leaders in media learned from the big music executives then was that it's time to start figuring out how to work with Internet technology, not against it. That meant building entirely new business models to generate revenue from a market where consumers are used to paying nothing. The challenge was, and still is, to offer digital products and services through the Internet that are worth paying money for. With music, for example, peripheral services like recommendation filters and social networking functionality can add value to a service, providing the incentive for listeners to pay a little extra for the music they would otherwise download for free. The security of buying music from a trusted source is often enough to persuade consumers who'd rather not risk downloading music illegally from filesharing networks riddled with viruses and malware. The same can be said about video games, because they're so deeply engaging and often support a great variety of peripheral services, much more than most other mediums. Video games sold online have even more value to leverage with editorial reviews, strategy guides, community forums, automatic updates, etc. The experience of buying a game can be built into the game itself and become part of the appeal. When a new game is launched, retailers expect game publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard, for example, to promote the new software; but at the same time retailers prioritize used games rather than new releases, pitting the publisher's profits against the retailer's. In this way, traditional retailers like GameStop are directly capitalizing on the promotional and marketing investments of publishing companies. So, of course GameStop's CEO, Dan DeMatteo, doesn't believe in the digital distribution model. A few months ago he stated that digitally distributed games are more than a decade away. The longer the current model can be sustained, the more revenue will come to brick and mortar retailers. In an effort to gain revenue share from traditional retailers, Amazon recently announced their entrance into the used-games market, a notoriously problematic consumer service that bleeds revenue from publishers and developers. Amazon's announcement was met with disbelief and criticism from GameStop, the brick-and-mortar retail giant. Anyone not involved in the business of retail saw Amazon's move as a significant sign that the era of disc based games is coming to an end. Video game publishers are looking at used game sales in much the same way music publishers looked at filesharing networks -- they see a leech and they want to protect their business from it. Many argue that Amazon won't be able to cut into GameStop's market share, and that Amazon will struggle to establish a viable trade-in market. However, whether Amazon succeeds or not isn't the issue. Amazon's entrance into the market, and the potential that move brings, essentially broadens the market and is going to force all but the most belligerent of publishers to envision the approaching day when they'll stop printing games on discs. Essentially, these retailers are burning the candle from both ends by allowing used games to undercut new games and refusing to acknowledge consumer demand for digital content. I think that this is where the music industry ran into trouble. Once a company or a group of companies attempts to force the market, rather than adapt to their customer's needs, they are shooting themselves in the foot. The gaming industry needs retailers, like GameStop, to help find new ways to work with digital distribution models in order to help the industry cater to its customer's needs. Doing so will help put more money in the pockets of developers and publishers producing innovative content, and help put an ease to illegally traded games. The more we can move online, the more we can help gamers by offering a convenient and worthwhile service. If we work to maximize the game purchasing experience, improve the pricing structure and continue to improve the secure, virus free installation process, gamers will be more satisfied with their online purchases, preferring to buy through secure, legal means. I'm not the only one who feels this way. In a recent interview, Christian Svensson, Capcom's vice president of strategic planning, said selling digital downloads of their PC titles is more important than selling boxed copies at retail. "One of the problems," Svensson explains, "is that retail is falling away. What are the reasons for that? Partly it's that return rates are very high." That's one part of the problem, the other is that retail can't handle the growing demand for downloadable content (DLC), or virtual goods, and not to mention all the aforementioned services around a game such as the latest patches and updates, multiplayer functionality, discussion forums, etc. Dave Perry, creative officer at Acclaim Entertainment, stated that Acclaim's digital distribution business sells directly to the consumer, and his business has "absolutely no interest in retail anymore." Moving into a digital download model can seem very risky for any traditional media company because it's often unclear who the audience is, whereas with television there's 50 years of market research to back statistics for targeting ads and content. However, companies like Hulu and Netflix offer a model for successfully establishing an online audience. Hulu reported explosive growth in February with an increase of nearly 10 million visitors when it ran an advertisement during the Super Bowl featuring Alex Baldwin. Netflix also blew the digital distribution market wide open when it struck a deal to stream movies directly to the Xbox 360. With such creative partnerships and exclusive, quality content consumers will gladly take their entertainment experience online, and the companies waiting for them with the best experience will carve the path for the future of entertainment. My company, GamersGate, had a 100% growth last year and we are aiming at the same -- or higher -- growth in 2009. If you take statistics from any of our competitors, they will probably also report booming growth. The same signals are coming from all over the industry; when talking to both large and small publishers, developers and independent studios, everyone is saying the same thing -- focus on digital distribution. As the gaming industry works to incorporate all the various services gamers demand into their purchasing experience, and create business models to capitalize on digital content, we'll begin forming the model for other media to monetize their content online. Video games truly represent the ideal form of entertainment to suit the tech-savvy consumer's needs. The interactive experience inherent in gaming is the key to monetizing the content -- the depth of engagement that they provide allows us to reach consumers in dramatically new ways. It's clear that publishers are taking digital distribution models more seriously, all while retailers continue to cannibalize their business, eating up capital that would normally go to developing new games. At any rate, it would behoove GameStop to come out of denial and do what they can to find a niche within the digital distribution model. The faster these various industry players can reconcile, the faster we'll all be able to meet consumer demand, and from there we'll be on our way to building a new economy of electronic commerce.
 
Pulitzer Prize 2009 Winners List Top
The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists: JOURNALISM: Public Service: The Las Vegas Sun, The Las Vegas Sun, notably Alexandra Berzon, for exposing the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip. Finalists: The New York Times for coverage of the economic meltdown of 2008; the St. Petersburg Times for PolitiFact, its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaign. Breaking News Reporting: The New York Times for its coverage of a sex scandal that resulted in the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Finalists: The Houston Chronicle for its coverage of Hurricane Ike; the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for its coverage of a city hall shooting that killed six people. Investigative Reporting: David Barstow of The New York Times for reporting on how some retired generals had been co-opted by the Pentagon to make its case for war as radio and television analysts. Finalists: Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Times for exposing financial abuses by the head of California's largest union; Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for stories that stirred federal action on dangerous chemicals in everyday products. Explanatory Reporting: Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times for exploring attempts to combat Western wildfires. Finalists: Adam Liptak of The New York Times for exposing differences in the U.S. judicial system from other those of other countries; Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Brady Dennis of The Washington Post for explaining why AIG nearly collapsed. Local Reporting: The Detroit Free Press, notably Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick; and Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin of the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz. The Free Press was cited for uncovering lies by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that included denial of a sexual relationship with an aide that eventually led to jail terms for the two officials. The Tribune won for revealing how a popular sheriff's focus on immigration enforcement endangered investigation of violent crime and other aspects of public safety. Finalists: Brendan McCarthy, Michael DeMocker and Ryan Smith of The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune for coverage of a murder case. National Reporting: St. Petersburg Times for PolitiFact, a fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaign. Finalists: Amy Goldstein and Dana Priest of The Washington Post for covering abuses at immigration detention centers; John Shiffman, John Sullivan and Tom Avril of The Philadelphia Inquirer for environmental reporting; The Wall Street Journal for covering problems with the U.S. financial system. International Reporting: The New York Times for coverage of U.S. military challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Finalists: Rukmini Callimachi of The Associated Press for investigating the plight of impoverished children in Africa; The Washington Post for coverage of female oppression in the developing world. Feature Writing: Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times for coverage of a neglected girl and her adoption. Finalists: John Barry of the St. Petersburg Times for coverage of a crippled dolphin; Amy Ellis Nutt of The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger, for coverage of a stroke victim who then became an artist; and Diane Suchetka of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer for coverage of a mechanic whose arms were reattached after an accident. Commentary: Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post for columns on the 2008 presidential campaign. Finalists: Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer for insightful columns; Paul Krugman of The New York Times for columns on the financial crisis. Criticism: Holland Cotter of The New York Times for art reviews. Finalists: Inga Saffron of The Philadelphia Inquirer for architecture reviews; Sebastian Smee of The Boston Globe for art reviews. Editorial Writing: Mark Mahoney of The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y., for editorials on local government secrecy. Finalists: Charles Lane of The Washington Post for editorials on the financial crisis; John McCormick, Marie Dillon and Bruce Dold of the Chicago Tribune for writing about government corruption. Editorial Cartooning: Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune for a style that engages readers. Finalists: Mike Thompson of the Detroit Free Press for blending tradition with online possibilities; Matt Wuerker of Politico for mixing art and ideas. Breaking News Photography: Patrick Farrell of The Miami Herald for photos of the aftermath of disastrous storms. Finalists: The Associated Press for photos of the aftermath of a Chinese earthquake; Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times for photos of political violence in Kenya. Feature Photography: Damon Winter of The New York Times for photos of Barack Obamas presidential campaign. Finalists: Carol Guzy of The Washington Post for coverage of maternal mortality in Sierra Leone; Sonya Hebert of The Dallas Morning News for photos of terminally ill patients. ___ ARTS: Fiction: "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout (Random House). Finalists: "The Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins); "All Souls" by Christine Schutt (Harcourt). Drama: "Ruined" by Lynn Nottage. Finalists: "Becky Shaw" by Gina Gionfriddo; "In The Heights," by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes. History: "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family" by Annette Gordon-Reed (W.W. Norton & Co.). Finalists: "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War" by Drew Gilpin Faust (Alfred A. Knopf); "The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s" by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot (The Penguin Press). Biography: "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House). Finalists: "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt" by H.W. Brands (Doubleday); "The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century" by Steve Coll (The Penguin Press). Poetry: "The Shadow of Sirius" by W.S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press). Finalists: "Watching the Spring Festival" by Frank Bidart (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); "What Love Comes To: New & Selected Poems" by Ruth Stone (Copper Canyon Press). General Nonfiction: "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II" by Douglas A. Blackmon (Doubleday). Finalists: "Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age" by Arthur Herman (Bantam Books); "The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe" by William I. Hitchcock (Free Press). ___ MUSIC: "Double Sextet" by Steve Reich (Boosey & Hawkes). Finalists: "7 Etudes for Solo Piano" by Don Byron (nottuskegeelike music/BMI); "Brion" by Harold Meltzer (Urban Scrawl Music Co.).
 
Marilyn Manson, Evan Rachel Wood Back Together: REALLY? Top
Are goth rocker and Dita wannabe with daddy issues Evan Rachel Wood back to bumping fugs? According to Page Six, yes. Yes they are: "ARE bizarre couple Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson an item again? They were seen leaving the W Hotel in LA together Sunday morning before Wood walked
 
Patt Cottingham: Goodbye/Hello 4 - Pirates, Power, and Force Top
A lot has been said about how Somali pirates on tiny single-engine outboard skiffs could continue to overtake huge cargo ships like the US-flagged Maersk Alabama. The tiny skiff vs. the huge cargo ship is a pure example of power versus force. For 5 days Capt. Richard Phillips was held hostage bobbing in the Indian Ocean on a lifeboat by the pirates. Even with the might of the USS Bainbridge, with enough force and fire power to take out whole cities, the Somali pirates held the power. The power paradigm only shifted after U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot the three pirates. So ended the stand off but what do we stand to learn from all of this? Will size and force win in patrolling the shipping lanes in the vast million-square-miles Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden to the Strait of Malacca? How many sharp shooters will you need poised to take out this unrelenting desperate group? Or will the pirates with their ratty low tech skiffs packed with AK-47's, assault riffles, rocket-propelled grenades, ladders, and grappling hooks continue to rule the oceans and hold the power? For any one with eyes wide open there is a root pattern going on here globally. Young males who have been brought up in an atmosphere of failed states, violence, a feeling of powerlessness, no hope for the future, and who have no anticipation about living very long, become fearless. This is their power. They are usually heavily armed, may be on some form of narcotic, and live in the cross hairs of constant risk and desperation. Look around and you see them off the coast of Somalia, in Hamas, in Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, in Palestine, Afghanistan, Africa, Pakistan, India, in Mexican drug cartels, in gangs on the streets of LA, and in jails across the United States. When the subject comes up of how to handle these rogue groups and gangs you will hear phrases like just blow them up, obliterate them, wipe them out, kill them all, and other declarations of force and bravado. This knee jerk reaction is a global failure that leaves the question still unanswered as to what can be done to change this. In many cultures around the world, there exists a far-too-frequent view in the socialization of boy-children that aggressiveness, violence, and force are an acceptable means of expression. Young men grow up with the expectation of being the dominate heads of the family, with the ability to support the family, and be in control. When they are not able to fulfill this role they feel powerlessness; therein lies the danger. En masse this plight of powerless young males is very destructive, dangerous, and powerful. Isn't it far wiser to begin to set a course to address the root causes of this? Or are we going to continue to lack the global will, in which case these young male insurgents will continue to try and keep any power they can find. Until we get to the core issues facing disempowered young men around the world, and chose to address them, we will continue to see violence playing out everywhere including the high seas. Goodbye to military force as the answer to snuff out young male insurgents. Hello to the will to get to the root causes of young male insurgents. Goodbye to the thinking that rogue terror gangs don't affect us. Hello to the understanding that rogue terror gangs have the power to affect us. Goodbye to seeing young men with guns and no value for life as worthless. Hello to seeing young men with guns and no value for life worth our redemption. More on Somalia
 
The Best Earth Day Jokes Of The Decade (VIDEO) Top
Many of us think of Earth Day as a humorless event meant to make people feel bad about drinking bottled water and beating up seals, but over the years our late night comedians and sitcom writers have found funny ways to promote green living and make us laugh at the same time. We've compiled several such moments below, ranging from David Letterman's top ten list of Earth Day pick-up lines to "South Park"'s disturbing look behind the scenes of America's favorite green holiday. Remember to check out our other Earth Day features including blogs on the "18 Environmentally-Themed Flicks To Celebrate With" and how to make Earth Day a family affair . WATCH: More on Earth Day
 
Taiwan Nuclear Waste Stored By Poor Village For Government Money Top
NANTIAN VILLAGE, Taiwan -- They tried sending it to North Korea. They tried sending it to China. Now, they're trying to send it to this remote seaside village in southeast Taiwan. Like nuclear energy-using countries worldwide, Taiwan is struggling to find a final resting place for its radioactive nuclear waste. Strange to say, many villagers here are willing to accept the toxic duty. The reasons, according to village chief Chang Chih-hsin, and other residents: Money and development. "Some people nearby are protesting, but here in the village, most people support it," said Chang, in an interview at the village office. Critics of the plan say this poor village is merely being bought off by the government's generous compensation proposal, and is low-balling the health risks. The debate highlights the growing problem of nuclear waste, as more nations -- and especially, neighboring China -- turn to this "cleaner" energy source to fuel their economies. It also points to a global phenomenon. Whether it's inner-city America or a remote Aboriginal village in Taiwan, toxic and other waste often ends up dumped near the poorest, most marginalized communities. In Taiwan, Nantian Village is about as poor and marginal as they come. Tucked between vaulting mountains and the pounding Pacific on Taiwan's southeast coast, only pokey local trains bother to stop anywhere nearby. Of the 360 villagers, only some 10 percent have completed high school. Most grow coconuts, betel nuts and melons, in a narrow strip of cultivable land. Three-quarters of them are Aborigines, meaning they hunted, fished and farmed here long before Chinese settlers showed up four centuries ago. Genetically, they're closer to native Filipinos. The village consists of a strip of low-slung buildings, a crumbling community center, and agitated dogs. There's the occasional totem of the "100-pacer" snake, which the Paiwan tribe worships as a god. (The name is a reference to how far you can walk before dropping dead, after one of the venomous serpents bites you.) Taiwan's state-run energy company has proposed storing low-level nuclear waste at a site a few miles down the coast. Exactly how many miles, the villagers aren't agreed (I touched off a heated debate when I asked). If the plan goes ahead, it would solve a long-running headache for Taiwan's government. Taiwan's first reactors went online in the 1970s, and it started looking for a place to stash low-level nuclear waste. The government buried tens of thousands of barrels near another Aboriginal community, on a small island about 40 miles southeast of Nantian Village. Those Aborigines protested, forcing the government to look for another dumping ground. Starting in the 1990s, it cooked up schemes to ship nuclear waste to North Korea, China, or the Solomon Islands -- only to see those plans nixed amid protests. After years of delay, the government has now narrowed down possible dump sites to a handful of locations in Taiwan. Residents at another possible site, a small island off Taiwan's west coast, are up in arms, and "not in my backyard" sentiment is running high there. Which makes this sleepy village the leading candidate. Over lunch, village employee Gao Yen-shi, 45, who also goes by the Aboriginal name Oranos, explained why he backs the plan. "It can help our next generation be more competitive, and it will be great to get some money," said Oranos. "The government forgets about us down here so this is a rare opportunity." He brushed aside health concerns, saying it was far more dangerous to live near one of Taiwan's active nuclear power plants (two of which are within an hour of the capital Taipei, and a third which sits next to a popular beach resort.) Later, the village chief took me around to talk to other residents. A small group idled next to a nearby pig-sty, as one woman knitted an Aboriginal pattern. She chided the chief for not bringing by a bottle of red wine. Another asked why she supported the plan to host nuclear waste, said in broken English, "I love money ... I love you money," drawing guffaws from the group. Taiwan's Aborigines -- 2 percent of the population -- are the island's least advantaged, with poverty and alcoholism rates similar to those on Native American reservations in the U.S. Villagers talk about 5 billion -- the payout, in New Taiwan dollars (about $150 million) -- that the power company has said will go to the county. How much of that would go directly to these villagers is still unclear. But Chang and several villagers said the windfall could include money for retirement plans, college scholarships, even marriage subsidies. Another villager, who did not want to be named, cited the example of Japan's once-poor Rokkasho Village. He said it saw booming development after it was picked as the site for nuclear waste disposal (though Rokkasho has had its own controversy over nuclear processing). A female villager, 50-year-old named Saoniao, said the benefits of the plan outweighed the dangers. "Of course we think about the risks, but we also have to think about the next generation," she said. "If there was a referendum today, I'd support it." Powerful Opponents But a battalion of county politicians, tourism officials, geologists and anti-nuclear activists are aligned against those villagers. They have a long list of gripes. Nantian Village sits in a geologically active earthquake zone, and so is a dicey place to store radioactive waste, they say. They say that exposure to even low levels of radiation can cause genetic mutations, and in their printed materials raise the specter of Chernobyl. They point out that such health risks apply to the entire area, and not just the small village that likely stands to profit most from the plan. At an April 8 public hearing, emotions against the plan reportedly ran high, with two protesters forcibly removed by police. The state-run utility says the plan must pass a referendum to ensure it has the support of a majority of local residents. But so far, politicians in the county council have blocked such a vote. One of them is Hsieh Ming-chu, a long-time councilor at the county seat about 35 miles up the coast from Nantian Village. In a recent interview in the empty council chamber, she ticked off a list of objections. She said hosting a nuclear waste dump will hurt the county's image as a source of high-quality fruits and fish, much of it exported to Japan. "Our county has so much appeal for its natural setting," she said. "Now you want to put nuclear waste here?" Hsieh and others simply don't believe Taiwan's government can do as good a job safely storing nuclear waste as, say, Japan. "We don't trust them and they're just using money to get people to agree," she said. "That's not right." She also laid some blame on Nantian villagers for focusing on the short-term payout, instead of taking a longer-term view. In addition to those concerns, she said if the island moved to renewable energy sources, nuclear waste wouldn't be an issue at all. "You don't have to use nuclear power -- solar power is also good," said Hsieh. "And solar power doesn't pollute." That touches on the broader debate of how Taiwan will feed its energy appetite. In line with global trends, the island wants to reduce dependency on oil and coal (which supply more than 80 percent of the island's energy usage), and move to cleaner energy sources. The island is an outsized polluter: It's Asia's third-largest per capita emitter of carbon dioxide, after Brunei and Kazakhstan, according to a 2008 report from the International Energy Agency. But technologies such as wind and solar power are still in their infancy, providing only a small fraction of Taiwan's energy needs. A renewable energy bill to boost the development of such sources has been stuck in the legislature for years. That leaves nuclear power as an attractive, shorter-term option. Taiwan's three nuclear power plants already provide about 20 percent of Taiwan's electricity. A fourth plant is due to come online next year. The current government wants to boost nuclear energy, in line with plans in other Asian countries (China will build 23 new reactors by 2015, South Korea plans eight more and Japan, ten more by that time). But to do so, it will have to overturn a 2001 government pledge to make Taiwan a "nuclear-free" homeland by mid-century. And it will have to take on the island's fierce anti-nuclear movement. At an energy conference in Taipei this week, the government and activists met for a showdown -- the latest skirmish in a protracted war over nuclear power here. But far away from the debates in fancy conference centers and council halls, Nantian Village appears to have its mind made up. Many here want development. And they view critics' environmental concerns as something of a luxury, enjoyed by people in more comfortable places. "Doctors, lawyers -- that type of people oppose the plan, but poor people support it," said one villager, who did not want his name used. "You should most respect local peoples' opinion. We're the most affected." "Tell people what we think here," he added. But at only a few hundred strong, the voices of this ramshackle village look likely to be ignored -- drowned out by politicians and activists a world away. Read more from Global Post. More on Asia
 
UNFPA: The Price of Polygamy In Ethiopia: 12 Wives + 78 Children = Trouble Top
OROMIYA, Ethiopia---If you were to visit 65-year-old Ayatu Nure and his family at their compound in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia, you would probably find eight of Ayatu's 12 wives harvesting banana roots for dinner, while chasing after their combined 78 children. At first glance, this unlikely family appears carefree--but a closer look reveals that many of Ayatu's children are hungry, possibly even malnourished. Their main source of food--banana roots--doesn't provide much nutrition, but unfortunately this is the only thing Ayatu can afford. In this remote, densely-populated region of Ethiopia, it is common for men to have multiple wives. In Ayatu's case this tradition has backfired. Years ago, he had enough land and food to satisfy everyone's needs. This changed when Ayatu had to sell land or cattle to make the dowry payment for each new wife he took, usually a sum of between $500 and $1,000. Now, the family compound is almost bare from overgrazing, two of his wives have moved with cattle in search of greener pastures, and two others died from unknown illnesses in the 1990s. The situation is so desperate that Ayatu cannot afford to send his children to secondary school, and he is marrying off two of his 15-year-old daughters to ensure they are fed. Thirteen others are living with their married siblings. Living with two wives and eight children in a neighbouring town is Ayatu's eldest son, Dagne. Dagne said he and his father made a mistake by taking more than one wife and blames it on a lack of education, "Men and women don't have the knowledge of birth spacing or the desire to seek this information," said Dagne. Ayatu's family is enormous by any standards. In Ethiopia, having at least five children per mother is the norm. "The population is growing at a rate of 2.7 per cent annually, said Dr. Monique Rakotomalala, the Ethiopia representative for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. With the population of the country now at 73 million, she is concerned. "That means two million new people every year." At this rate, the population could double over the next 24 years, severely stretching existing resources. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia's Minister of Health, says the secret is smaller families. "We have to educate our communities and tell them the benefits of smaller families because it will bring a better quality of life to each household." To assist families like Ayatu's, the Government of Ethiopia has launched a network of 29,000 health extension workers to teach both men and women about family planning and provide contraceptives to those who want to delay childbearing. So far, two of Ayatu's wives are using long-term implants. Many women in remote villages opt for this method because of the distance between their homes and health centres. Yet, health extension workers visiting families in this pastoral landscape also face difficulties as they have to walk long distances to reach one household, and sometimes lack sufficient stock to meet the demands of many communities. Ayatu admits he failed to acknowledge the consequences of having such a large family, and wants to be a role model for young people so they will not make the same mistake. "I wasn't educated," said Ayatua. "Nobody asked me. Nobody told me of the consequences".
 
Dick Parsons: Citigroup's Teflon Board Member Top
Nearly all of the old regime on Citigroup Inc.'s board of directors is on the verge of being swept away at the bank's annual stockholders meeting on Tuesday. Five directors who snoozed while Citi racked up $28 billion in losses last year and its share price collapsed have already announced plans to step down from the 14-member board. Another six face being voted off by irate shareholders for bungling their task of monitoring risk as the bank gorged on subprime mortgages and collateralized debt obligations. Only one board veteran seems certain to survive: Chairman Richard Parsons. More on Citibank
 
Bil Browning: Bloomberg and Guiliani: Two very different takes on NY gay marriages Top
Here's a study in contrasts... Former New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani told the New York Post that he intends to use Governor Paterson's support for gay marriage as a weapon in his quest to seek the New York Governorship. Guiliani was championed during the Presidential primaries by the Log Cabin Republicans for his on and off support of civil unions. "This will create a grass-roots movement. This is the kind of issue that, in many ways, is somewhat beyond politics," said Giuliani, a two-term mayor who unsuccessfully sought the GOP presidential nomination last year. "I think gay marriage will obviously be an issue for any Republican next year because Republicans are either in favor of the position I'm in favor of, civil unions, or in many cases Republicans don't even favor civil unions," he continued. ... "Marriage, I believe, both traditionally and legally, has always been between a man and a woman and should remain between a man and woman," said Giuliani, who has been married three times. "And Democrats, including President Obama and Hillary Clinton, have essentially the same position I have, which is let's have civil unions but not go so far as to change the definition of marriage. However, the New York Daily News is reporting that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seeking the state's largest LGBT group's endorsement and plans to lobby state senators on behalf of Paterson's marriage equality bill. Bloomberg, who stood with Gov. Paterson last week as he unveiled a gay-marriage bill and pledged to lobby for it in Albany, wants to land the support of the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) as he continues his quest to be all things to all political constituencies. ... Bloomberg plans to "influence" Senate Republicans to back the bill, a Bloomberg campaign aide confirmed - a delicate political dance as the mayor also works to appease GOP bigwigs and more conservative voters in the outer boroughs. "We hope ESPA endorses us, and quite frankly, if the mayor is running on the Republican line and willing to take this position, I think it's worth noting," the aide said, adding that Bloomberg's likely Democratic opponent, city Controller William Thompson, missed Paterson's news conference. Thompson was invited late to the event by Paterson and couldn't attend because of a scheduling conflict, his office said. In a statement, Thompson said he has "long been a proponent of marriage of same-sex couples to ensure equality for all." Bloomberg has been the Senate GOP's biggest financial benefactor in recent years, contributing $500,000 to their failed effort to maintain the majority last year - a move that angered the victorious Democrats. It's important to note that Bloomberg is forthright in his support for Governor Paterson's legislation while Rudy cites his "support" of civil unions. Maybe Guiliani's forgotten the statement his presidential campaign put out after the New Hampshire state senate passed a civil unions bill ? "Mayor Giuliani believes marriage is between one man and one woman. Domestic partnerships are the appropriate way to ensure that people are treated fairly. In this specific case the law states same sex civil unions are the equivalent of marriage and recognizes same sex unions from outside states. This goes too far and Mayor Giuliani does not support it." So let me see if I've got this tale of two Republicans right... Bloomberg supports full marriage equality for all New Yorkers Guiliani doesn't support gay marriage but does favor civil unions unless they're "equivalent" to marriage and then he doesn't. Wow. If civil unions are "separate but not equal" then what does Guiliani really advocate? Oh yeah. Marriage should be limited to a man and a woman. Multiple times, if necessary. (Crossposted from Bilerico Project ) More on Rudy Giuliani
 
Jacob Zuma's First Lady Remains A Mystery For South Africa Top
While it is customary before an election to wonder who will emerge as first lady, it's unusual to ask the question when only one man can possibly be president. Jacob Zuma is about to take power in South Africa but the identity of his official consort is an open field. The gregarious president-in-waiting has married five times, although one wife has divorced him and another committed suicide. The favourite is Nompumelelo Ntuli, a 34-year-old from the same rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, whom he married a little over a year ago. But she is not the newest wife as Thobeka Mabhija, a Durban socialite with whom Mr Zuma is said to have two children, was wedded to him this January. MaNtuli, as last year's wife is known, also faces a challenge from Mr Zuma's first wife, Sizakele Khumalo. They have been together for 50 years and married in 1973, but MaKhumalo is rarely at official engagements and never speaks in public. The 67-year-old has not hidden his polygamy which is allowed under a 1998 law recognising customary marriage practices. It is traditional for a Zulu elder to have several wives. Mr Zuma often sounds bemused at the attention his marriages attract, pointing out that his approach is preferable to the hypocrisy of leaders in other countries who have kept mistresses. "I love my wives and I'm proud of my children," is his stock response. Those children are reported to number at least 13, although many more women have claimed to have had children by the politician. Mr Zuma's camp has refused to comment on who is ahead in the race to be first lady, and told people to wait until after his inauguration. There can be only one name admitted to the spousal office of the presidency at Pretoria. MaNtuli is the pundits' favourite after a speaking appearance last month and could well be in the photograph with Carla Bruni or Michelle Obama when the new president goes on tour. Read more from the Independent. More on South Africa
 
Pulitzer Prizes 2009: New York Times Wins 5, Las Vegas Sun Takes Public Service Award Top
NEW YORK — The Las Vegas Sun won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for exposing a high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip. The New York Times received five Pulitzers, including one for breaking the call-girl scandal that destroyed Gov. Eliot Spitzer's career. The Detroit Free Press won in the local reporting category for obtaining a trove of sexually explicit text messages that brought down the city's mayor. The judges also awarded a Pulitzer in local reporting to the East Valley Tribune of Mesa, Ariz., for revealing how a sheriff's focus on immigration enforcement endangered investigations of other crimes. The only other multiple winner was the St. Petersburg Times. It was honored for national reporting for fact-checking the candidates during the 2008 White House campaign, and for feature writing for Lane DeGregory's story on a neglected girl who was unable to talk or feed herself. No Pulitzers were awarded for coverage of the biggest financial crisis since the Depression. And despite a rule change that allowed online-only news organizations to compete for Pulitzers for the first time, none of them won any prizes. The awards were announced after one of the most depressing years the newspaper industry has ever seen, with layoffs, bankruptcies and closings brought on by the recession and an exodus of readers and advertisers to the Internet. The Free Press' award came less than a month after the Detroit paper cut back home delivery to three days a week. The Pulitzer for editorial cartooning went to Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune, which was sold last month to a private equity firm after its advertising plunged 40 percent since 2006 and it forced employees to take unpaid furloughs. The Las Vegas newspaper was cited for the "courageous reporting" of Alexandra Berzon, whose stories about lax enforcement of safety rules on the Las Vegas Strip led to changes in policy and improved workplace conditions. The death toll on the Strip had reached nine in 16 months as casino giants undertook a $32 billion building boom, including the largest private commercial development in U.S. history. Berzon described how the rush to build quickly and at highly congested work sites led to safety shortcuts that contributed to deaths. The awards also follow a difficult year for the Times, which is dealing with the burden of a heavy debt, forcing the distinguished paper to ask employees for pay cuts and seek an infusion of cash from a Mexican billionaire investor. The Times was first to report that Spitzer was a client of a high-end prostitution ring, leading to his shocking resignation. The paper also won for international reporting for its coverage of deepening U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan; for criticism, for Holland Cotter's art reviews; for feature photography, for Damon Winter's coverage of Barack Obama's campaign; and for investigative reporting to David Barstow, for revealing how the networks used military commentators who had ties to the Pentagon or defense contractors. The Free Press helped expose a steamy extramarital affair between Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and an aide. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty, lost his office and served 99 days in jail for lying under oath about the affair during a whistle-blower lawsuit. For the first time, eligibility for the Pulitzers was expanded to news organizations that publish online only. But no Internet-only publication won an award. The Pulitzers are the most prestigious award in journalism and are given out annually by Columbia University on the recommendation of the 19-person board. Each award carries a $10,000 prize except for the public service award, which is a gold medal. ___ On the Net: http://www.pulitzer.org More on Newspapers
 
Harold Pollack: From protest to coalition politics in the fight for health reform Top
Note to readers: I am cross-posting this (with permission and mild edits) from democracyforamerica.com . If you haven't checked out this website, you should. Founded by Howard Dean, DFA is a grassroots organization with more than 700,000 members nationwide. DFA has taken an active role in advocating for progressive health reform. In 1965, civil rights leader and thinker Bayard Rustin wrote a classic essay, "From protest to politics," that described the disorienting change brought about by the movement's own classic victories. ( For the youngsters, 1964-65 was the brief but glorious political season that brought us Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and more. Things burned out quickly. Yet before it was over, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Martin Luther King, Wilber Mills, and millions of nameless other people made America a better place. ) At the peak of these successes, Rustin was wise enough to see that the easy victories had already been won. He could not foresee the worst agonies to come: the Tet offensive, assassinations, Richard Nixon's election. Rustin could see far enough to know that gaining the right to vote was easier than gaining the right to a decent job, that stupid and backward legal segregation was easier to overturn than the excesses of a high-tech economy that readily mistreats low-income workers. Rustin could see two other things: One profoundly radical, one easily misconstrued as conservative. The radical part was to foresee--or at least hope to see--the transformation of the civil rights cause from a protest movement over specific Jim Crow indignities into a larger and broader social movement concerned with attacking larger obstacles that 44 years later remain deeply-rooted in American economic and social life. Rustin notes current estimates that a successful war on poverty would require the then-unimaginable sum of $100 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that's $675 billion in today's dollars, a sum ironically close to that provided in TARP funds in the financial bailout. Rustin asked: "Where ... are the forces now in motion to compel such a commitment?" He realized that mobilizing resources on this scale requires more than a vanguard of nonviolent protesters putting their bodies on the line at segregated lunch counters. It requires a truly mass movement that could mobilize millions of Americans who were not part of the civil rights movement but who had much to gain from progressive economic and social policies. Such a movement could force, or at least empower, sympathetic but cautious politicians in Congress and the White House to support concrete progressive legislation. Rustin envisioned some familiar measures: aid for urban schools, job training, fairer tax policies. Some things would be different today. The list would more for the environment and urban transport, maybe fewer WPA-style physical investments. Back to health care Unavoidably, serious healthcare reform would occupy a central place. If any one of the serious Democratic proposals for universal coverage were enacted into law, this would be one of the most progressive pieces of social policy legislation in generations. It would help a huge number of Americans--some poor, but also tens of millions of others, too, who remain vulnerable due to ill-health or the vagaries of private coverage. Health reform would help many other people, too, including millions of healthcare professionals who cannot currently care for their patients the way they were trained to do. But don't kid yourself. Health reform threatens deeply-entrenched interests who go beyond the standard-issue bad guys in this debate. Serious reforms will require heavy lifting to control escalating costs and to impose meaningful market regulations. We can accomplish some of that through innovations such as pay-for-performance, improved electronic medical records, and comparative effectiveness research. Serious cost-containment will require hard bargaining with insurers, medical providers, pharmaceutical companies, and others who don't want this to happen. A strong public plan--such as the ones proposed by Jacob Hacker and by Helen Halpin--puts us in position to accomplish this goal. Weaker versions, such as the one proposed by Len Nichols and John Bertko are less satisfying, but create valuable infrastructure that can be improved and strengthened. (We've had a lively discussion of this over at the New Republic 's Treatment section .) The public plan is one of two key proposals--the other being the establishment of a strong National Insurance Exchange--that will determine whether the 2009 health reform is a true milestone or another useful but ultimately modest incremental reform. The public plan is also a key dividing line between progressives and moderates within the broad coalition that favors reform. I don't know whether the public plan will survive. Its supporters are locked in a Senate knife fight. We need help This brings me to Rustin's second insight. Reformers need allies, and reformers must be committed and smart practitioners of coalition politics. Rustin excoriated moderates who refused to support genuine reforms. He also chastised reformers who adopt a militant posture, yet who fail to be effective allies or who fail to step up for allies when they are most needed. I won't be subtle here. I count myself among those who aspire to some version of a single-payer (or near-single-payer) health system. From many perspectives, including my own discipline of public health, Medicare for all would be vastly better than our current financing system. Some single-payer supporters are sitting on their hands, because they believe President Obama's proposed reforms are too limited. I share the fear that this year's bill will have gaps and shortcomings that will need expansion and repair. Reforming and improving one-sixth of the U.S. economy is process, not something that will happen in a single bill. Once this bill is passed, many of us will become sympathetic critics, pushing the administration to move harder and faster to build on these reforms. That's for next year. Right now is the time for practical politics. President Obama is pursuing the right overall strategy to ensure that we achieve an ambitious, if imperfect health reform. He needs help. The more allies he has, the more people stand up to be counted, the stronger this bill will be. By any conceivable measure, including the ultimate prospect of achieving the goals exemplified by a single-payer plan, passing health reform in 2009 would be a huge victory for progressive values. A loss would be a correspondingly stinging defeat. This is the moment when politicians on Capital Hill, and in the White House, too, are assessing the costs and benefits of fighting for particular pieces of contested legislation. They know that conservatives, insurers, and other interest groups hate the public plan. They are less certain about the political gains of really fighting for this component of candidate Obama's health plan. If a large group of progressives don't visibly and strongly value the public plan, you can guess how this thing will go. This is also the moment when elected politicians are looking around to see who they can really count on to help get the best deal done. These are the moments in which people will earn or will lose a seat at the table moving forward. As David Cutler recently noted , many stakeholders in 1993-94 really wanted reform, but preferred to see nothing happen if they could not get their preferred vision of reform. That was one reason we lost. We're in a different place now. We have a progressive President, a strong House majority, and a shaky but real Senate majority poised to do business. If you care about health reform, if you aspire to a single-payer plan, don't sit on your hands. Now is the time to do everything you can to help.
 
Susan Blumenthal, M.D.: Seven Strategies for Addressing Our Nation's Health Care Crisis Top
By Susan J. Blumenthal, MD, MPA, with Justin Mutter and Alissa Clarke America's health crisis does not have either a single cause or a silver bullet solution. Previous attempts at reform have often focused too narrowly on the financing and delivery of health care. In a report released today, a Commission of national health experts convened by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) emphasizes a wide spectrum of actions needed to become the healthiest nation in the world. The Commission on U.S. Federal Leadership in Health and Medicine: Charting Future Directions, which I co-chair with Denis Cortese, M.D., President and CEO of Mayo Clinic, has identified seven strategies to mobilize all sectors of American society to help put "health" back into our nation's health care system. The report, New Horizons for a Healthy America: Recommendations to the New Administration , adopts a comprehensive perspective in framing its seven recommended strategies for a high-performance health care system and a healthier nation. These recommendations include: Issue a Presidential Call to Action for a " Healthy U.S." The Administration, working with Congress, should set a bold framework for action for improving health in the United States (Healthy U.S.), mobilizing all sectors of society and emphasizing comprehensive health promotion, disease prevention, and the delivery of high quality medical care. Establish "Health in All Policies." Health-related activities crosscut over forty Federal agencies. Marshaling all of these agencies' resources in a coordinated effort, the President should challenge the Cabinet to advance the nation's health. Key prospects for "Health in All Policies" include enhancing the Department of Transportation's programs to better promote bicycling and pedestrian pathways, and ensuring nutritious meals in the Department of Agriculture's school lunch programs as well as promoting healthy nutrition policies. Innovative multi-agency initiatives have the power to help combat the nation's chronic disease epidemic. Design and Implement a Comprehensive National Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Initiative. The single most important measure of a health system is its capacity to prevent disease and promote wellness. The President and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should launch a nationwide health education campaign supported by a clearly-defined national strategy for prevention and health promotion, focused on curbing tobacco use, fighting obesity, and promoting physical activity. Develop an Innovative Plan for Improving Value and Decreasing Costs in the U.S. Health System. Utilize the Federal health insurance programs (in which nearly one-third of Americans are enrolled), including Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and others, to pilot quality-enhancing and cost-saving innovations in administrative and clinical functions. Harness Information Technology and New Media to Improve Health. Federal leaders must ensure that the health information technology (HIT) superhighway is implemented with interoperability and with full protections for patient privacy. To promote a more participatory health system, a Healthy U.S. website should be established that provides a knowledge bank for consumers, businesses and communities, and that will solicit Americans' input on ways to improve the health of our nation. Encourage Smart Investments in Innovative Medical and Public Health Research Focused on the Health Needs of the 21st Century. To strengthen America's continued health leadership in the 21st century, the Administration should develop a comprehensive assessment of and long-term strategy for effective investments in biomedical, behavioral, epidemiologic, translational, and health services research. Federal leaders should also build a national initiative to support a "New Generation of Health Innovators" that will recruit and support the next generation of scientists as well as promote "new ideas" research. Develop a Long-term, Strategic "Marshall Plan" for Global Health. Americans' health cannot be secure in an unhealthy world where 2 million people cross national borders every day. As the Marshall Plan achieved for Europe six decades ago, the Administration should work to define a comprehensive vision and commitment for U.S. support of health programs globally, and leverage health diplomacy as a tool for promoting global peace and development. Just as there are many factors influencing the cause and spread of disease, so also must all sectors of American society mobilize to improve health. New Horizons for a Healthy America calls on Federal leaders and the American public to adopt a "comprehensive health system perspective," inclusive of health care organization, financing and delivery of services as well as the many other key determinants of Americans' health, such as socioeconomic, structural and environmental factors, and the health behaviors of individuals. Although health care costs are increasing dramatically, our nation's health is deteriorating. For the first time, this generation of American children may not be as healthy, or live as long, as their parents. "We as Americans spend far too much on health care for far too little health in return," says Dr. Cortese. "We urgently need to create more value for our health dollar in American medical care." Now more than ever, American families, schools, businesses, and government must make use of all the tools in our national toolkit to advance health throughout the United States and the world. We stand at a turning point in America's health. Now is the time to work together to move our nation toward a healthier and more prosperous future. [Read the full Commission report here. ] Supporting Health Statistics: The following selection of compelling statistics motivated the Commission's work: • Recent projections estimate that Americans will spend 17.6% of our nation's GDP in 2009 on health, and yet over the past two decades, the United States has dropped from 11th to 49th in life expectancy worldwide. • Tobacco, poor diet and lack of physical activity account for over a third of all deaths in the United States. • If current trends continue, an estimated 86% of Americans could be overweight or obese by 2030, dramatically increasing obesity-related medical costs to almost $1 trillion. • Current estimates project that nearly one in three Americans will battle diabetes at some point in their lifetime. As a result, for the first time ever, American children may not be as healthy, or live for as long, as their parents. • 75 percent of health care costs are due to chronic diseases, many of which are preventable; and yet it is estimated that current Federal support for prevention accounts for only 1 to 3 percent of total U.S. health expenditures. • Some businesses report paying more for their employees' health-care costs than on the products they manufacture. • An estimated 30-50 percent of our national health expenditures are wasted through the overuse, underuse, and misuse of medical and administrative services. • Patients in our nation's clinics and hospitals receive the recommended treatment only 55 percent of the time. (Attribution of statistics is provided in the full Commission report) This article is adapted from the press release for the Commission's report, New Horizons for a Healthy America: Recommendations to the New Administration. Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D. (ret.) is the Director of the Health and Medicine Program at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington, D.C. and a Clinical Professor at Georgetown and Tufts University Schools of Medicine. She served for more than 20 years in health leadership positions in the Federal government, including as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women's Health, as a White House Advisor on Health, and as Chief of the Behavioral Medicine and Basic Prevention Research Branch at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Blumenthal has received numerous awards including honorary doctorates and has been decorated with the highest medals of the US Public Health Service for her pioneering leadership and significant contributions to advancing health in the United States and worldwide. For more information, visit www.susan-blumenthal.org . Justin Mutter is a Research Associate at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington D.C. and will be a medical student this fall. Alissa Clarke, a recent graduate of Harvard University, is a Health Policy Fellow at the Center for the Presidency and Congress in Washington D.C.
 
Katrina vanden Heuvel: Katrina vanden Heuvel and Lawrence Korb Debate Military Escalation in Afghanistan Top
As we mark Obama's first 100 Days, there is much to celebrate--from repeal of the global gag rule to the passage of the stimulus and the Administration's pledge to close Guantanamo. The budget, a smart blueprint to build a new economy, will demand that progressives mobilize to take on well-funded lobbies intent on obstructing real reform. Yet, as I think about the most troubling aspects of these first 100 days, there are two areas which I fear could endanger the Obama Presidency: the bank bailouts and military escalation in Afghanistan. Americans deserve a real national debate about the Administration's plans in Afghanistan--its ends and means and exits--before undertaking such a major military commitment. That's why Brave New Foundation's work is so essential: with its new documentary Rethink Afghanistan and online debates such as the one CAP's Lawrence Korb and I had last week , BNF is fostering the kind of discussion, debate and dissent that Obama has said he welcomes. BNF's work--along with a network of bloggers, progressive leaders, magazines like The Nation , peace and justice groups--is launching much-needed Congressional hearings on vital areas such as the role and goals of the US military in Afghanistan, oversight of contractors, transparent budgeting and clear metrics to measure progress toward a defined exit strategy. What's key at this pivotal moment is increasing the pressure for constructive, smart, effective non-military solutions to stabilize Afghanistan--and strengthen Pakistan's fragile democratic government. As I argued in the debate with Korb, I believe the more responsible and effective strategy moving forward is to take US-led military escalation off the table, begin to withdraw US troops and support a regional diplomatic solution, including common-sense counterterrorist and national security measures (extensive intelligence cooperation, expert police work, effective border control) and targeted development and reconstruction assistance. The three questions Korb and I debated were tough and vital: 1) Will more US troops in Afghanistan strengthen or weaken terrorist networks? 2) Will more US troops in Afghanistan help to stabilize Pakistan or contribute to its further destabilization? 3) The third question was selected from over 460 questions that were submitted by the Rethink Afghanistan audience: What are the parallels and differences between Vietnam and Afghanistan? 1) Will more US troops in Afghanistan strengthen or weaken terrorist networks? I argued that military escalation is likely to engender more resistance. As the Carnegie Endowment's Gilles Dorronsoro argues , "The mere presence of foreign soldiers fighting a war in Afghanistan is probably the single most important factor in the Taliban's resurgence." He goes on to add that the convergence of nationalism and Jihad has aided the Taliban in extending its influence. A heavier US footprint in Afghanistan's tribal regions, for example, will help recruit fighters for the Taliban and inflame ethnic Pashtun nationalism. The extensive research done by University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape supports those who argue that more troops tend to create more terrorists. Pape's study concludes that military occupation is the principal cause of terrorism. Certainly, it's no coincidence that the governments most vulnerable to Islamic jihadism and successful terrorist recruitment are those that have had a close association with the US military or on whose soil the US military has left the heaviest military footprint. Make no mistake: The Taliban are an ugly phenomenon. They are despised in Afghanistan--with more than 90% of Afghans in a BBC poll saying they oppose the Taliban. Yet, less than half in that same poll see the US-led occupation as a positive alternative. More broadly, I can't recall when a military occupation force won the hearts and minds of any occupied people--especially one with a history of fierce independence and nationalist resistance to outside powers. There's a good reason why Afghanistan is called "the burial ground of empires." 2) Will more US troops in Afghanistan help to stabilize Pakistan or contribute to its further destabilization? In the case of Afghanistan, however, the greatest threat posed by our military occupation may not be the creation of more terrorists but the destabilization of Pakistan . The effect of military operations in Afghanistan has been to push Islamists across the border into tribal areas and Pakistan's Northwest Frontier province. It makes no sense to commit more troops and money to war and occupation in Afghanistan when Al Qaeda can operate relatively freely in parts of Pakistan. Furthermore, expanding the US occupation is likely to only deepen existing divisions in Pakistan and further weaken its fragile democratic government. (US officials told the New York Times last month that Pakistan's military intelligence agency continued to offer funds, supplies and guidance to the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan in order to counter Indian influence in that country.) Extending US military operations into Pakistan is especially destabilizing. All that is accomplishing is driving Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda deeper into the country, where they can infiltrate a heavily populated area, and prey on people are poverty-stricken and neglected by their government. The CIA's use of pilotless drones to kill alleged Al-Qaeda commanders has resulted in heavy collateral civilian casualties and the flight of tens of thousands of terrified people from the tribal areas, triggering popular outrage, revenge attacks, and acting as a recruiting tool for Al-Qaeda and militant Islamist elements. Even if US escalation in Afghanistan could achieve the limited goal of denying Al-Qaeda a presence in Afghanistan--and counterinsurgency experts like Seth Jones of the Rand Corporation argue that you'd need at least triple the number of troops now slated to arrive in the country--it could lead to the destabilization of a nuclear-armed country in a extraordinarily volatile region. By any measure, wouldn't the disintegration of nuclear Pakistan pose a much greater threat to our national security than would the continued presence of Al-Qaeda in remote border areas? Furthermore, the US occupation is already exacerbating tensions in South Asia where the Kashmir conflict and the violence in Mumbai have nuclear-armed Pakistan and India at each other's throats. We may associate Afghanistan with the terrorism of 9-11-2001 but, actually, it now poses a regional problem, not a US security threat. It is inextricably tied to the geopolitics of Central and South Asia: as a result, Afghanistan's problems must be solved by the region's powers, albeit with our diplomatic and financial assistance to development and reconstruction. Progress on stabilizing Afghanistan and strengthening Pakistan depends largely on Pakistani-Indian relations. Of course, this does not mean the US has no role in promoting security. But smart, constructive regional diplomacy and common-sense counterterrorism measures should be the priorities of an Obama Administration--not sending more young men and women to die in the mountains of Afghanistan. And, yes, involvement is also needed by countries involved in what has become known as the Contact Group, which the Obama Administration is wisely engaging--Iran, Russia and China. If we continue to escalate militarily, we will not give regional diplomacy and economic aid a real chance. 3) What are the parallels and differences between Vietnam and Afghanistan? History by analogy is often imperfect; yet it can also be useful. A few thoughts on the similarities: As in Vietnam, we may be facing a situation in which the US military wins every battle and still doesn't win the war--at least not within a timeframe and at a cost that is acceptable to the American people, especially after Iraq. Once again, we are escalating our military presence in a fiercely independent country. Doesn't history tell us that increasing troop levels to fight an insurgency is not a winning formula? The Soviet Union learned this after ten years in Afghanistan; the French learned it in Algeria and the US had its lessons in Vietnam. Government corruption is endemic and we're being tarnished by it. As in Vietnam, efforts to seal the frontiers and borders have failed. The bombing campaign--with civilian casualties--is turning the country's people against US/NATO forces--and fueling anti-Americanism. We saw this in North Vietnam. There is a danger that the costs of Afghanistan could drain the US of the resources it needs to rebuild at home. As Bob Herbert wrote in the New York Times last month, "The US is on its knees economically. As President Obama fights for his myriad domestic programs and his dream of an economic recovery, he might benefit from a look over his shoulder at the link between Vietnam and the still-smoldering ruins of Johnson's Presidency." We are back to counterinsurgency and low--intensity conflicts: As The Nation's Defense Correspondent Michael Klare argues in the latest issue of The Nation , Defense Secretary Robert Gates' new budget represents "the most dramatic shift in US military thinking since the end of the Vietnam War....The message is clear: from now on, counterinsurgency and low-intensity conflict will be the military's principal combat mission." Differences? There are many; here are a few: So far, of course, we do not have half a million troops committed to the war--as was the case in Vietnam. Obama has pledged 60,000 to Afghanistan. Yet, as we know from history, escalation is a slippery ride and though there have been only (approximately) 650 US military deaths in Afghanistan, it is important to remember that that figure is higher than the US military's death toll in Vietnam after nine years of US involvement in that country. The Taliban is not as unified as the Vietcong. But they do have a steady stream of money from a massive heroin trade. Richard Holbrooke was a junior official in the Johnson Administration; today, he is central to devising what is called Af/Pak policy. He should draw lessons from the Vietnam war; yet, in a recent New York Times article, Holbrooke seemed to discount any parallels. Moving forward, let's work to lay out non-military solutions that make sense. Let's be as clear and effective as we can in getting them out to Americans who, after Iraq, and amid a terrible economic crisis, do not seem eager to commit to another war--even one too many Democrats label "the right war." And as BNF's Robert Greenwald suggested, after a recent visit to Kabul, Afghanistan , let's explore alternatives to the militarization of that country's problems. In doing so, we will ensure the possibility that President Obama's ambitious agenda--at home and abroad--has a chance of taking root to create a more peaceful, just and secure world. More on Barack Obama
 
Aldo Civico: Obama and a New Course in Latin America Top
I followed the Summit of the Americas while in Colombia. The picture of the handshake between U.S. President Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dominated all the front pages of the region's newspapers. The friendly smiles of the two countries' leaders best captured the clear break from the past, disastrous, Bush era in the region. In his opening remarks, President Obama uttered words very much welcomed by all present: I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. (Applause.) There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration. (Applause)... I didn't come here to debate the past -- I came here to deal with the future. (Applause.) I believe ... that we must learn from history, but we can't be trapped by it. I sensed Obama was successful in resetting perceptions of the U.S. in the region when I called up Francisco Galan, a former leader of the ELN guerrilla (the second largest guerilla group in Colombia) and today a firm promoter of peace and reconciliation. In the 1970s, willing to spend his life working toward an ideal of social justice, Galan left a Catholic priest seminary to join an insurgency following the teachings of Che Guevara and a theology of liberation. While in prison, where he stayed for 14 years, Galan begun to change his view of the conflict He led many peace process efforts and today has reached the conclusion that the insurgency must renounce violence as a step towards an authentic peace process in Colombia. Obama had just reaffirmed the United States will seek a new beginning with Cuba when I asked Francisco Galan what his perception of the summit and of Obama was: I am moved by this new era of humanity. I do hope that the leadership in Cuba will understand the new reality and will join the globalization of politics and universal brotherhood. Obama can do a lot for the fraternity of our region. These words were uttered by a former mayor guerrilla leader -- who in the past interpreted his armed struggle also as a fight against U.S. imperialism -- is one more voice welcoming the fresh air President Obama has brought to foreign policy. But handshakes and smiles are certainly not sufficient for real and substantial change. Just cosmetics will not do it. The end of military rule and the constitutional reforms of the 1990s did not fulfill the promises of democracy in the region. Neoliberalism did not bring more prosperity. It only perpetuated and deepened inequality. The everyday violence that marks the life of Latin American countries is a sign that underlying structural problems persist. Today there are 54 million more poor people in Latin America compared to 1980. In the last quarter of a century, criminality has doubled. Over 25 million young people are excluded from the job market and the education system. This is a time bomb. Today, a new and bold approach is necessary. A first step is to acknowledge the failure of neoliberal policies. Without recognizing this failure it will not be possible to craft a better alternative. A second step requires redefining security not as state-centered, but as people-centered. As long as rampaging drug violence is analyzed only as a threat to national security, the fight against transnational networks of crime will not be satisfactory. In Trinidad-Tobago, Obama's major accomplishment was the region's change in its perception of the United States. An important outcome. Let's hope this is the prelude to a courageous and substantial change in policy. More on Barack Obama
 
Fortune 's Stanley Bing: Lean Times At United Top
I've been thinking a lot recently about United Airlines' plan to charge plus-sized people more for their flights from now on. It upset me so much that I went out and had a 2000 calorie dinner. I'm not fat, you know, but I do have big bones. What if some anorexic flight attendant decides that the line between fat and burly no longer exists? I don't need two seats, unless they shrink their size again. And who's saying they won't? I remember when you could sit in a coach seat and recline it a bit and be almost comfortable. Now there's a deathmatch fight for any available armrest, the space allotted to you is a vertical coffin, and the angle of recline is about 5 degrees or a quarter of an inch. Even that is too much, since the way they're spaced front-to-back has shrunk, too. Last month there was a guy in the seat in front of me eating a large bag of salami practically in my lap. He didn't even offer me any. At the same time, relatively slender people have rights, too. I was riding on a Southwest flight not long ago. I had purchased the Business Select option, where for $15 dollars or so you can board earlier than the rest of the crowd. So I got on and selected the front row, aisle seat. Another guy got on and took the window. Right as the door was closing, some behemoth, maybe 6'3", 320 pounds puffed onto the plane, looked at us and said, "Is this seat taken?" He then plopped his 1/6th of a ton between us and fell promptly asleep. It was not a comfortable flight. He snored, too. The bottom line on our bottoms is this: As a nation, we're getting fatter even as the space assigned to us on airplanes is getting smaller and smaller -- as their margins shrink too. What is to be done? We're not going to be getting thinner, I don't think. Airplanes aren't going to be getting any more widebodied to deal with our wide bodies, either. Here's my suggestion: Coach-level service, larger seats, 150% pricing. That is, create a section of the airplane that has bigger seats, but not as nice as Business or First, serve no food, offer no amenities, kill the footrests, even. All you're offering is more butt space as your butt heads into space. Some have to be there. Others may choose to be. The price is way less than Business but way more than coach. It's a middle ground that recognizes the Airlines' need to make a profit, large people's need to fly, and the normal-sized individual's right to some level of comfort in this world. Premium Coach is a step in the right direction. But it's not quite good enough, not for folks with really big bones.
 
Fernando Lugo Paternity Saga: Another Woman Claims Paraguay President Fathered Her Child Top
ASUNCION, Paraguay — Paraguay's president was hit with another paternity claim Monday, just a week after the former Roman Catholic bishop acknowledged fathering a different illegitimate child while still subject to his vows of chastity. Lugo, 57, did not confirm nor deny fathering the 6-year-old boy, but read a brief statement promising to "act always in line with the truth and subject myself to all the requirements presented by the justice system." He also appealed for privacy, referring all questions about paternity claims to his lawyer. Two of Lugo's cabinet ministers said they were initiating judicial proceedings against their boss on the latest woman's behalf, and vowed to order DNA tests if Lugo doesn't recognize paternity. Women's Minister Gloria Rubin said Lugo later told her agreed to DNA tests and said he would talk to the woman to try to reach an understanding with her. When Lugo admitted last week that he fathered a 2-year-old boy with a different former parishioner, saying he would "assume all responsibilities" for the boy, analysts predicted his forthright response would disarm the potential scandal. Now another paternity claim is sure to give his opponents more ammunition. Lugo said attorney Marcos Farina, who represents him in the other paternity case, would handle this claim as well. Lugo said last week that he was acting with a sense of "absolute honesty and a sense of duty and transparency" to acknowledge his relationship with Viviana Carrillo," the 2-year-old's mother. Benigna Leguizamon, an impoverished soap-seller, said Lugo's admission inspired her to go public about her 6-year-old. "I decided to make this claim through the media before going to the courts after seeing that last week Viviana Carrillo got President Lugo to recognize their child," she said. Leguizamon said she arrived in Lugo's San Pedro diocese in 2000 at age 17 with an infant daughter and worked in the bishopric, where she began a relationship with Lugo. She told her story in interviews Monday with Paraguay's Ultima Hora newspaper, Channel 4 television network and the Uno and Caritas de Asuncion radio stations. Her son was born in September 2002, but she said Lugo gave her little money to support him and so she began a relationship with another man and now has four children. She said she earns a living selling homemade soaps and detergents door-to-door. The Women's Ministry and the Childhood and Adolescence Ministry sent officials to interview Leguizamon and begin paternity procedures on Monday in Ciudad del Este, the eastern city where she lives near Paraguay's border with Brazil and Argentina. "Lugo is my boss, but we're acting anyway," Childhood and Adolescence Minister Liz Torres said. "The child has the right to know who its father is, to bear his last name and receive help from him." Many Paraguayans said the paternity scandal has been a black eye for both the government and the Catholic Church, to which 90 percent of Paraguayans say they belong. Lugo resigned in 2004 as bishop of San Pedro, in the landlocked nation's poorest province, and in December 2006 announced he was renouncing his bishop status to run for president. Pope Benedict XVI didn't give him permission to resign, relieving him of his chastity vows, until July 2008, after insisting during Lugo's campaign that he would always be a bishop under church law. More on Latin America
 
Midway Airport Privatization Deal Collapses Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago officials say talks calling on a $2.5 billion deal to lease Midway Airport to private investors have collapsed because of the economy. The deal could have made Midway the first major airport to go private under a federal pilot program. Chicago chief financial officer Gene Saffold said Monday that the city and private investors terminated a 99-year lease agreement because the global financial crunch has made it impossible for the investors to secure funding. Saffold says the city of Chicago still will keep $126 million in earnest money already paid by investors as part of the agreement. Last month, city officials said they were willing to give investors more time. A two-week extension on an April 6 closing date was granted to give investors from New York, Boston and Canada six more months. -Associated Press More on Travel
 
Omid Memarian: My Interview With Roxana Saberi's Lawyer: "She Was Shocked and Distraught" Top
After the announcement of her eight-year prison sentence, American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi's attorney, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, told in a telephone interview from Tehran that Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Laureate will join the legal team of the case. Khorramshahi also said that he will appeal the sentence within the next 20 days. Roxana Saberi's attorney believes that in order to prove such a serious charge, the case must clearly show intent in the crime, and his client's case clearly lacks evidence of intent. At what stage is your client's case? Both Ms. Saberi and myself have objected to the verdict. We have the right to request an appeal. We have 20 days in which to offer our reasoning for refuting the charges made against Ms. Saberi. After we have submitted our appeal, the case can be reviewed by a higher court. We are waiting to see what happens. Were you present when the verdict was announced? According to rules and procedures, the verdict is announced to both the defendant and her attorney. Ms. Saberi and I were both summoned to the court to hear the verdict. What was Ms. Saberi's reaction to hearing her eight-year sentence? When she heard of the sentence, she found it unacceptable. She was shocked and distraught. It was totally unexpected for me, as well. I had provided the court with reasoning which would refute the charges, and I continue to hold to my belief. I will provide my appeal to the court in 20 days. Would you say the evidence in this case was proportionate to the sentence issued? According to Article 580, referenced in the charges, a crime is only ascertained when intent to commit the crime has been established. In this case it should have been proven that the defendant has knowingly committed acts against the regime. I could not ascertain such intent. Where is Ms. Saberi held at this time? She is in Ward 209 of Evin prison. She is not in solitary confinement. (Political prisoners are assigned to Ward 209.) How was her psychological condition when you talked to her? Naturally after hearing the verdict, her psychological condition was not good. I gave her assurances and I hope to see the verdict changed during appeal. What are your plans for the appeal? My approach has always been to defend my clients based on the word of law. I will continue to pursue legal avenues and legal arguments and serious follow-ups in order that I may help my client. After consulting with Roxana's father, Mr. Saberi, we invited Ms. Ebadi to co-represent Ms. Saberi during the appeal process. This was done at Mr. Saberi's request and it was met with Ms. Ebadi's and my agreement. More on Barack Obama
 
Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman: The Last Survivor: Tired Feet, Rested Souls Top
Gloria White-Hammond from Genocide Prevention Month on Vimeo . Reverend Gloria White-Hammond speaks to the crowd at the Save Darfur Coalition's 'Honor the Past, Act NOW for Darfur' Event. Yesterday, hundreds gathered in front of the White House to 'Honor the Past' and to 'Act NOW for Darfur.' Survivors from past and current genocides and mass atrocities, including Darfur, South Sudan, Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, the Holocaust, and Armenia, joined together with faith leaders, leading anti-genocide advocates, and local activists; united. And as we stood there among those whose very lives speak to the world's failure to uphold its sacred promise of never again, we couldn't help but wonder how many more years we will have to gather to remind ourselves and others to 'Act NOW for Darfur?' A few months ago, we heard Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Service, speak about the priorities of the anti-genocide movement in the year 2009. "What is our next cause to fight for in 2009?" she asked the audience rhetorically. "This year's cause is Darfur" she exclaimed. Yesterday as crowds emerged from buses onto the scene at Lafayette Park - conveniently situated across from the White House - young faces descended on the park armed with signs carrying the names of villages across Darfur that have been destroyed. Dadinga. Tandosa B. Gorne. Dumi. Labandi. Margabaj. Burny Sakh. Anguri. Amar Gedit. People's homes that now endure only in the memory of the survivors. These are but a few of the names spread across the crowd. Side by side refugees from Darfur and inspired youth, banded together to declare that despite all that we've lost, there is still much which can still be saved - and indeed must be saved. Among the many speakers was the Reverend Gloria White-Hammond. In a whisper, Reverend White-Hammond, offered a diagnosis of the movement's morale, moving into the 7th year of the genocide: "Many of us, perhaps, are feeling tired," she offered. "Genocides have come and genocides have gone. And you could perhaps be feeling discouraged," she remarked. As activists, it seems all too easy to fall victim to our own expectations - expectations to see tangible change, expectations to see an end to the Genocide in Darfur. It seems all too easy for fatigue to set in around us. As we enter into the seventh year of the Darfur conflict, how can one not be dispirited? As the Reverend's voice grew from a soft, gentle tone, she went on to declare that, "Even though we might feel tired, we cannot stop raising our voices. Now is not the time to get quiet!" And then went on to share a story that Martin Luther King Jr. once told when he felt people around him growing tired. "Dr. King told the story of Mother Pollard. Mother Pollard was a 70 year-old woman who lived in Montgomery during the bus boycott. And like many of the older women, Mother Pollard was offered a ride but Mother Pollard refused to take a ride. And when Martin Luther King asked her why don't you just get in the car so you can rest a little bit, she responded: 'My feets are tired, but my soul is rested.'" Indeed, now is not the time to be quiet. The Reverend's voice turned to one of fierce determination, "Today we're here to say we've been on this road a little while and while our feets may be tired, our souls are rested." Although the conflict continues in Darfur, our work has made a difference. The activist movement has accomplished so much over the last several years, but as John Prendergast pointed out, "We have unfinished business." And so today, as we sit on the precipice between the 6th anniversary of the Genocide in Darfur and Yom Hashoa, let's take time to celebrate the progress we have made in combating the horror that continues in Darfur. But in doing so, let's never allow ourselves to forget that such horrors continue, that even as we sit and reflect, many die. Tomorrow, Yom Hashoa, will serve as a potent reminder of the atrocities that occur when the world turns a blind eye. Observe Genocide Prevention Month and watch the 20-minute sneak preview of The Last Survivor NOW ! Share with your friends and family, host local screenings at community centers, schools, universities, and your home, and start a conversation in your own community about how you can work to fight genocide. This is blog is part 12 of multi-part series . Cross-listed on change.org. More on Genocide
 
Dr. Jonny Bowden: The Statin Scams Top
A couple of interesting and unrelated articles in the popular press this week got me to thinking: What if - instead of an innocent kid- it had been the emperor from the kingdom next door shouting "that dude's got no clothes on"? I'm guessing no one would have listened. A thought-provoking piece by Hanna Rosin on breastfeeding published in the April 2009 Atlantic Monthly sparked my little mention. Rosin's not a doctor (i.e. not a member of the emperor club), nor a PhD, just an ultra-smart journalist who combed through the supposedly irrefutable evidence in favor of breast feeding and found it... well, let's just say "wanting". Her piece was all the more credible because she didn't "debunk" or "dismiss" the evidence in favor of breastfeeding but rather thoughtfully reexamined much of what "everyone knows is true" and found it to be based on very ambiguous research which was far less definitive than everyone imagines. I then happened upon Sharon Begley's piece in Newsweek this week titled "The Myth of Early Detection" . Begley, one of the best science reporters in the country, shot holes in another "accepted" pearl of wisdom: that early detection of cancers always saves lives. All of which got me wondering. Maybe it's time for one of these really smart investigative reporter types -- outsiders from the hallowed halls of academia -- to take on the cholesterol establishment. The myth that high cholesterol causes heart disease and that lowering cholesterol prevents it is even more entrenched than the two sacred cows taken on by Rosin and Begley. Sure there's a handful of scientists like Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD and the entire THINCS network (the international network of cholesterol skeptics, www.thincs.org) that's been taking this one on for years. These guys have enough intellectual bandwidth that if you assembled them all in one place and Paul Krugman accidentally wandered in, there's actually a chance he might not be the smartest guy in the room. But sad to say they're boring as hell, and no one's listening. For all the American public knows, these folks are about as credible as Holocaust Deniers. Besides, they're doctors -- and people don't pay attention to emperors who throw stones at other emperors. It starts to look like one big parochial squabble on CSPAN and everybody just tunes out. So maybe it takes an outsider -- albeit a really smart one -- to take a close look at this. We need the equivalent of a full-throated high IQ kid with really big eyes and the soul of a whistle-blower, one with no connection to the drug or medical establishment and no compunction about saying "Dude, where's the beef?" to take this one on. Because when the truth about the house of cards that is the cholesterol-lowering establishment really gets out, it'll make credit default swaps look like a 1st grade prank. Sharon Begley, are you listening? More on Health
 
21 Polo Horses Die At Florida Match Top
WELLINGTON, Fla. — The sudden death of 21 polo horses at a championship event in Florida may have been caused by a toxin in the animals' feed, vitamins or supplements, veterinarians said Monday. The horses from the Venezuelan-owned team Lechuza Caracas became ill just before a tournament match Sunday, collapsing and dying on the scene or while being treated at vet clinics or transported, officials said. The deaths shocked this affluent equestrian and golfing community in central Palm Beach County, where the International Polo Club Palm Beach hosts the U.S. Open Polo Championship every year "This was devastating. It was heartbreaking, to see that many horses get sick all at once," said John Wash, president of club operations. Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a veterinarian at Palm Beach Equine Clinic near the polo grounds, treated one of the sick horses. He said it appeared the animals died of heart failure caused by some kind of toxin that could have been in tainted food, vitamins or supplements, or by some combination of all three that caused a toxic reaction. "A combination of something with an error in something that was given to these horses caused this toxic reaction," Swerdlin told reporters. Toxicology tests were pending Monday. The 60-horse team is owned by Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas but most of the horses and players are Argentine, Swerdlin said. The team travels most of the year Swerdlin said the 21 horses together were worth up to $2 million. "It would take 10 years to build that string back up," he said. The International Polo Club said in a statement that polo horses are thoroughbreds who often get used in play into their mid-teens and are frequently rotated during a match. Swerdlin also said the Lechuza team was considered among the best of the eight teams entered in the 105th U.S. Open, which started April 3 and is slated to end with a final match Sunday. "They were the team to bat," he said. "They have some of the greatest polo players in the world." The Lechuza Caracas horses were being unloaded from their trailers Sunday afternoon when two collapsed and others acted dizzy and disoriented, according to the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Seven horses died at the scene and the rest while being treated elsewhere or en route to medical care. All the horses that fell ill have died. Veterinarians already at the event quickly tried treating the horses, inserting intravenous lines and trying to cool them down with fans and water. Observers hung blue tarps to shield some of the horses from the crowd's view. Officials said they have ruled out any sort of airborne infections, and games would resume on Wednesday. "This was an isolated incident involving that one team," Wash said The match Sunday was postponed and an exhibition game with a substitute team was held in its place. Because doctors had ruled out an infection, the games will resume Wednesday, Wash said. More on Animals
 
New Dan Brown Novel Coming In September Top
NEW YORK — At last, a new Dan Brown novel is coming. Six years after the release of his mega-selling "The Da Vinci Code," the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group announced that Brown's "The Lost Symbol," a thriller set during a 12-hour period and featuring "Da Vinci Code" protagonist Robert Langdon, will come out in September. The first printing will be 5 million copies, Knopf Doubleday said Monday, a modest number considering that "The Da Vinci Code" has sold more than 80 million worldwide and inspired a spin-off community of travel books, diet books and religious works. Brown, 44, had kept his readers and the struggling book industry in suspense as year after year passed without a new novel. As far back as 2004, Doubleday had hinted that a follow up was coming, tentatively titled "The Solomon Key."
 
Gibbs: Ahmadinejad's Remarks Affirm Obama's Decision Not To Attend UN Conference Top
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs stated Monday that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric at a UN conference on world racism affirmed the administration's decision not to attend that conference. "This is obviously a painful rhetoric," Gibbs said of the Iranian president's remarks. "It is, I think, one of the reasons why you saw the administration and the president determine that partaking in this conference was not a wise thing to do. Obviously the president disagrees vehemently with what was said... we continue to evaluate our policy and understand that from a larger foreign policy framework, doing things the same old way is not likely to bring about the change we need in our foreign policy." Gibbs stressed that the president was still committed to combating global racism. Last week, aides discussed putting out a separate statement underlying this commitment. Certainly, minority groups -- including the NAACP -- are looking for some sort of commitment after petitioning (unsuccessfully) for the United States to attend the conference, known as Durban II. Gibbs also noted that the U.S. is seeking a seat on the UN Council on Human Rights. Ahmadinejad's rhetoric at Durban II -- which included calling Israel the leading cause of racism -- was not unexpected by administration officials. On a conference call with American Jewish leaders last week, members of Obama's foreign policy team acknowledged their concern of being stuck in the conference room as the Iranian president and others ripped not just Israel but the United States. Several western officials, indeed, walked out during Monday's address. And Gibbs argued that these protests proved that that president had "made the right decision to not go forward with attendance." Get HuffPost Politics on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter . More on Durban II
 

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