Sunday, April 26, 2009

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Kelley Bell-Wenzlaff: Legislation with Legs: The Prevention First Act Top
I found a lump in my breast two weeks ago. I didn't tell my family, because just saying the words seemed too hard, and I didn't want to scare them while I waited for the results. I did my best to keep busy on other issues instead. Thankfully, I had an issue in front of me that was big enough to handle the job. On the day I was scheduled to meet with my doctor, I spent the morning at the Ohio Statehouse lobbying for the Prevention First Bill . It was so inspiring to find myself in a room filled with strong and compassionate women, sharing stories of women's health issues, and all working together to ensure a better future for our daughters. It did much to take my mind away from my own worries. The Prevention First Bill is Ohio legislation mirroring a current federal bill of the same name. The federal version was introduced in January by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), and Diana DeGette (D-CO). The Ohio bill is on its fourth go round and finally building steam. It is being reintroduced to the house by Representative Tyrone Yates and sponsored for the senate by Senator Teresa Fedor. These bills are so important because they promote accessible health care for women and comprehensive sex education for our youth (with abstinence education included as the foundation, by the way). If you ask me, it's the perfect compromise. It's the middle ground on the one issue where so many people believe there is no middle ground. Senator Reid noted "We can find not only common ground, but also common sense in our Prevention First Act." Representative Slaughter added that "for every dollar spent on family planning services, it is estimated that almost four dollars is saved in public health spending." Dr. William E. May , Senior Fellow of the Culture of Life Foundation, spoke out against prevention, arguing that contraceptives do not prevent pregnancy: "The more contraception is available, the more abortions occur because contraception is the gateway to abortion." He went on to say "most abortions occur because men and women do not want to have a baby but nonetheless have sexual intercourse." (Wow. Dear ol' Dr. May sounds like a really fun guy. I totally want to party with this dude.) Congresswoman Slaughter's website retorts May's distorted claims by citing statistics from The Guttmacher Institute showing availability of emergency contraceptives account for a 43 percent decline in abortion procedures." I can personally attest to the fact that responsible contraceptive use has been a major player in the vitality and health of my own eighteen year marriage and the planning of my family and career, thank you very much. Being involved in this lobby effort has made me so thankful to have good health insurance, and to have access to good medical advice. It reminded me of how important that privilege is, and of the many thousands of women who don't have access to quality healthcare or affordable contraceptives. Even with insurance, the co-pay amounts for my mammograms and follow up added up to over $600.00 in out of pocket expenses. That's no small chunk of change for anybody, especially in this economy. As I worked with my lobby group I tried to imagine what it would feel like for a single mother with no health insurance and very little money to find a lump in her breast like I did, or to find out she might be pregnant, or facing some sort of gynecological illness. What might she feel when looking into the eyes of her children while holding that secret and trying to put on a positive face for her family? I empathized immensely, and felt more determined than ever to do whatever I could to help women gain access to comprehensive, affordable, health services. While at the Statehouse, I joined a large group of women (and men -- bless their hearts) who met with legislators to discuss the bill and push for its passage. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Connie Schultz offered the keynote speech . (I love Connie. If I could make a magic wish for a mentor, it would be her. She is on my A-List of pro-choice "she-ro's"). Just prior to giving her Keynote she received an e-mail from her editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer saying "Isn't it sad that we still need to have pro choice events; it is the law after all." Schultz went on to tell the packed audience 'Its up to us to make this happen, to change the conversation, to correct inaccurate statements made by the opposition, and to do so gently and with dignity." She gave a wonderfully inspiring speech on women's rights, telling stories of the suffragettes, making clear how lucky we are to have the right to vote and lobby for our needs today. A short video clip from her speech is available here: PPAO Legislative Director Gary Dougherty with Columnist Connie Schultz While we lobbied, I watched with glee as more and more legislators signed on as co-sponsors of the Ohio bill. It was so exciting to be part of the process. Of course there were other elected officials who were more hesitant. They said they would vote for it, but would do so quietly, stating concerns that coming forward as a leader and co-sponsoring the bill could create a firestorm in their districts that might do more harm than good. It is true that in divided districts, high profile support for anything pro-choice or pro-woman could threaten a politician's re-election. So I am proud of the members of the house and senate who demonstrated the courage to come forward. These are leaders who do not let their position in office take precedence over their positions on the issues, even when risk is involved. I do not condemn those who don't though. I would rather have a quiet yes vote than watch an anti-woman candidate use the issue to unseat a voting progressive. I do want strong outspoken leadership, but also understand the world of politics is nuanced in a thousand shades of gray, even though elections are painted for the public in the starkest forms of black and white. After Connie Shultz gave her talk, the troops headed out for more meetings with their legislators. I had to duck out though, as it was time for my dreaded appointment with the doctor. I am jumping for joy to tell you, dear readers, all is well. The lump was benign. I do not have breast cancer. While sitting in my OBGYN's exam room that afternoon, with my legs up in stirrups and sporting a lovely white paper gown, my doctor made small talk to keep me comfortable and relaxed for the Pap smear: "So what did you do today?" she inquired. "I was at the statehouse lobbying for the Ohio Prevention First Bill." Her head popped up from behind the sheet like a prairie dog coming out of its hole. "What's that?" She exclaimed with wide eyed excitement. "It's a bill to provide comprehensive sex education and women's health care." "Really? I'm very involved in politics with The Ohio Medical Board." She said. "As an OBGYN this is an issue I would be very interested in." She then she waved her hand in a gesture towards my exposed vagina, (as if making me aware of her work). "I could e-mail you the information about it, if you like." I replied, using my most nuanced political language. I did not know for certain what her political views were, nor did I want to find out at that particular moment, while spread eagle with a scapula in the open position. I am about as politically active as they come, but hey, we all need to draw the line somewhere. I did find it somewhat surprising that a doctor specializing in women's health who claims to be very "politically active" would be unaware of this legislation. So I called Planned Parenthood executive director Gary Dougherty and asked about it. Dougherty said "We have worked with, and provide information on this legislation to all the Ohio Medial Associations, especially the ones specializing in women's health and gynecology, and will step up our efforts to encourage them to forward this information to their membership. It is likely their groups don't know about the bill because they're waiting to see whether it has legs." As for me, that's not good enough. This legislation needs to pass. If this bill doesn't have legs, then I am going to get out there and talk to people about it until it does, even if that means doing so while my own legs are up in stirrups.
 
Joe Keefe: Bankruptcy Relief for Homeowners at Risk of Foreclosure Top
The United States Senate will likely take up a housing bill next week. The so-called "cram-down" provision -- allowing bankruptcy courts to restructure mortgages, including reducing the principal -- should be embraced as a relatively simple, tax-free and absolutely essential component. Since 1971, when my company launched the nation's first socially responsible mutual fund, investors have increasingly embraced the notion that corporations and markets will produce better environmental, social and financial outcomes if they focus more on the long term. In the speculative run up to the current financial crisis, however, a large share of the market, and in particular the mortgage market, turned away from this approach. Speculative bubbles, before they inevitably burst, are fundamentally the triumph of short-term thinking over long-term thinking, and of short-term investors over long-term investors. Nowhere was this more the case than in the subprime mortgage disaster -- the proximate cause of today's global financial crisis. Wall Street bankers were only too eager to snap up mortgages bereft of the most basic due diligence or underwriting standards, including even verification of income. Why? Because there was short money to be made. And if these large institutional investors hadn't been willing to purchase these loans, very few lenders would have been willing to make them. Now, after the banks that caused the crisis have received billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts, there are still millions of Americans in danger of losing their homes. It is high time to help these Americans, and a key part of that effort must be to allow qualified homeowners, as a last resort, to restructure their mortgages through the bankruptcy courts. But short-term thinking will not go gently into the night. The bankers who helped create this crisis, and who have been lavished with billions of taxpayer dollars, have now set their lobbyists to work trying to derail bankruptcy relief for ordinary homeowners. In fact, the House recently passed a bill which, although including provisions to allow bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages, added onerous conditions for homeowners at the behest of banking industry lobbyists. Bankruptcy relief -- which should apply to all borrowers, not just subprime borrowers -- is a common sense solution: Foreclosures are a problem for everyone . In 2009 alone, some 73.4 million families neighboring the 2.4 million expected foreclosures will see their home values drop an additional $435 billion as a result of their neighbors' misfortunes - and that amount could more than triple over the next three years to nearly $1.5 trillion. [Source: State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group, "Analysis of Subprime Servicing Performances," September 2008] Voluntary efforts haven't worked. Credit Suisse reported in October that only 3.5 percent of delinquent subprime loans received modifications in August 2008 - and in many cases these "modifications" actually increased the borrower's monthly payments. [Source: Credit Suisse Fixed Income Research, "Subprime Loan Modifications Update," October 1, 2008] The State Foreclosure Working Group of Attorneys General and Banking Commissioners found that nearly eight out of ten seriously delinquent homeowners are not on track for any loss mitigation at all. The legislation will make a difference for those who need it most. The Senate legislation provides that the option would only be open to homeowners who have unsuccessfully sought to obtain loan modifications from their lenders and who meet strict income requirements. (If a wealthy homeowner is underwater, the legislation won't help them.) Analysts estimate that allowing the courts to participate in loan modifications will prevent up to a million foreclosures. Can anyone doubt that this will make an enormous difference to the economic recovery that we all fervently hope for? A strong housing bill is essential if economic recovery is to proceed. The Senate needs to resist ever more short-term thinking from the banking industry, and rise above short-term political concerns as well, and embrace court-supervised workouts that will not only keep millions of Americans in their homes but be a good long-term investment for the nation as a whole. More on Bankruptcy
 
Art Brodsky: A Small Ray of Congressional Hope in a Gloomy Tech World Top
Anyone not working for a telephone, cable or entertainment company, or one of their handmaiden acolytes, might conclude from events over the past couple of weeks in Washington that members of Congress are clueless. A Committee chairman thinks aloud that maybe the Internet shouldn't have been invented. House members beat up on the most successful Web company or hammer at an Internet protocol. It's true, that most legislators in Congress follow blithely along with their biggest company employers or givers, with a few who cling to the ideology of the mythological free market in telecommunications. One member of Congress is different from most of the others. She's not a subcommittee chairman, or a member of the formal leadership. In fact, there is only one thing wrong here. The only problem with Rep. Anna Eshoo is that there is only one of her. Her district her California district covers the western part of Silicon Valley, so she's tuned into tech issues in a way that befits an area that is home to companies from the seminal Hewlett-Packard to today's Google, with many, many more in between. There's a difference between mouthing the words of a big corporate constituent, as many member of Congress do, and actually getting the issues and speaking with confidence and knowledge. Eshoo, a down-to-earth, dedicated lawmaker, is one of the few in the latter group. And she is needed. Not all California politicians appreciate Silicon Valley. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), even though she is from San Francisco, is one of those. She has viewed the Internet as a threat for years, even saying so to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a constituent company that's done well for itself and others doing business online. Were there more Anna Eshoos to keep an eye on things, a lot of the silliness around Washington when the discussion turns to the Internet and related issues might just be eliminated. Heaven knows, there's lost of silliness. One good example came up at an April 23 hearing of the House Communications Subcommittee on communications networks and consumer privacy. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), a reliable vote for the telephone companies, started out by using the occasion to attack the privacy policies of Google. It's the standard attack meme for the telecom industry - to distract policymakers and the public away from the sins of the phone and cable companies by pointing to Google, which is the biggest target out there. Stearns wanted to bring "search engines and advertising networks" into the discussion, arguing that consumers don't care how their privacy is being violated. He's right, up to a point, in that privacy should be protected. Eshoo came back to the central point of the hearing - the behavior of carrier companies like the telephone and cable companies, which can have access to a wide range of consumer data that a Web site wouldn't have. She said that some people believe Web-based services and carriers should be subject to the same privacy regulations. That wouldn't be "practical or prudent," Eshoo said, because Web-based services are different from carriers. One type is a free, ad-supported service. The other is more like a common carrier, and the relationship with the consumer is different. That point should be obvious. A consumer chooses to use a Web site, normally one among many, many options. There's little choice for Internet access, certainly not enough that privacy policies are a marketing point. Even though some Web sites are good at picking up consumer information, a single site doesn't have the bandwidth, literally, to take in all the data about what consumers use and do online that a network carrier can have. The two are quite different, which is why Eshoo said that consumers deal with doctors and stock brokers, but the relationship is quite different. It's this willingness to speak out that makes her a champion, if a lonely one, of Net Neutrality and progressive online policies. (Later in the hearing, Eshoo tagged AT&T, which was bragging about its privacy policies. She wondered how that squared with AT&T paying $21 million in fines to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the past three years for violating customer privacy. AT&T's response that it was "proud" of its record sounded a bit lame.) If the remarks at that one hearing were the only silliness going around, then perhaps we wouldn't need another Eshoo or two. Unfortunately, that's not the case. At the March 18 confirmation hearing for Gary Locke to head the Commerce Department, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) mused about the dangers of cybersecurity. Rockefeller, who had formerly headed the Intelligence Committee, which could turn anyone paranoid, said that directors of national intelligence have said that attacks over the Internet are the "number one hazard of attack" against the U.S., then added: "It really almost makes you ask the question would it have been better if we had never invented the internet, and had to use paper and pencil or whatever. That's a stupid thing to say, but it has genuine consequence." As it turns out, Eshoo-1.0 serves on the House Intelligence Committee. It's a shame there wasn't an Eshoo-2.0 on the Senate side to sit next to Rockefeller. She would probably have observed that the Internet has also been a boon to the intelligence community through the collection of open-source material now available for analysis from around the world. As a Wall Street Journal story about a break-in of a Pentagon computer noted, "In addition, while the spies were able to download sizable amounts of data related to the jet-fighter, they weren't able to access the most sensitive material, which is stored on computers not connected to the Internet." Maybe, just maybe, an Eshoo -3.0 would have had something to say about some more foolishness, this time from the House Oversight Committee. Chairman Ed Towns (D-NY), senior Republican Darrell Issa (R-CA) and committee member Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a rather silly letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz asking what they are doing about the scourge of peer-to-peer software and how it can be misused. They cite some typical media horror stories about private information getting out that shouldn't have. Perhaps if Eshoo-3.0, a member of the Oversight Committee, had seen this letter going around for signature, her crack staff would have tracked down the incidents and found that the fault in these cases mostly was with the software users, as the Los Angeles Times pointed out . In the case of avionics for Marine One, the defense contractor put file-sharing software on an unsecured computer, violating security protocols. She might also have noted that some p2p software has tightened up its install procedures so that files are shared only from one directory, not from a whole drive - as users putting in software should have done in the first place. They would also have found that Lime Group, another target of the ire of Towns, Issa and Owens, had rewritten its software as promised. Any technology has its drawbacks, whether its p2p software or those environment-polluting, people-maiming and killing machines we call cars. And she might also have referenced Mike Masnick's Techdirt article about the continual campaign being carried out by the entertainment industry to get reporters to write about the "threat" of p2p software. Masnick calls it a "ridiculous PR pitch" from yet another arm of the entertainment lobby, yet some reporters fell for it. Alas, there is only one Anna Eshoo. But we can always hope there are other members of Congress who could employ the same smarts and guts as she does when the forces of regression meet the desires of progress on whatever committee they serve and whenever the opportunity arises. Rest assured, there are, unfortunately, plenty of chances for everybody.
 
Lee Woodruff: The Panini Generation Top
As I left my parent's independent living facility the other day I felt deflated, sad and overwhelmed. Dementia was incrementally hollowing my father out from the inside. Tall, slim and in overall good physical health, the disease was methodically robbing him of his words and memories, his life. My mother, ever his dutiful caregiver, has bent with the weight of this job. Her own fragile emotional health is a grave concern for my sisters and me. Our lives as daughters were now tilted like a teeter-totter. While for years they had unconditionally loved, sheltered and fed us, homework helped and morally guided, now it was the three of us parenting them. Thank God for my sisters, I thought as I pulled out of the old folks home parking lot, glad to leave the institutional smells and gray carpeted halls behind. I'd driven the roundtrip from New York to Boston in one day to be back for my kids. There was a third grade school function the next morning and a work commitment. They call us the sandwich generation and like so many, I am pressed in the white-hot heat between parenting four children and care giving my aging parents. Sandwich? Phooey. I say we are the Panini generation. I often recall something a friend once said when her aging mother was living with her; she would walk through the door after work and she didn't know who to go to first -- her mother, her child or her husband. Nowhere in that equation was the caregiver herself. She didn't even make the list. Many of us women today are conducting a high wire balancing act. Those of us who work outside of the home have extra levels, different kinds of pressures. And there is little room for implosion, no margin for error. Three years ago when my husband was injured in Iraq, my life was already chock full. I ran my own PR and freelance writing business out of the home. I had four kids and a husband who was constantly on the road with his job at ABC News. My parents, who had carefully crafted their retirement and golden years to "not be a burden" had just moved from their home in La Jolla California to the facility outside of Boston. I was preparing to help with their transition, to head over to Boston and visit, when my husband was critically injured covering the war. For the next year, as I focused on caring for my family, my parents weren't even in the equation. There was so much to shore up at home. I felt like a mother Robin breaking the worm into five pieces in the nest. My sisters filled the void with my folks repeatedly and came to care for me too when I felt capsized by responsibility. But I felt horribly guilty for failing my own parents in their hour of need. The greatest gift they gave me during that period of time was to NOT come to visit. My mother understood that they would be one more thing for me to care for. In my new book, Perfectly Imperfect I wrote a chapter in honor of my father. I explored what so many now experience in our Panini generation, mothering young children while simultaneously caring for our parents as they slowly decline and abdicate responsibility. When I shared the manuscript with my family, I removed this chapter before giving it to my mother. I wasn't ready for her to read just how painful it was to witness their journey. I wanted to wall her off from my own feelings of sadness. She was living it every day. Dignity is such a hallmark of my parent's generation and a disease of the mind is such an undignified way to go. The Dad who used to run a company now plays ping-pong for a large part of the day with the rapidity and skill of Forrest Gump. He knows that I know and I know that he knows I know that this life sucks. But we don't often use plain speak. I want to reach in through my father's sound body and grab his mind to shake it. I want to tell his brain to stop making him disappear. Stop erasing him, I silently plead. Dementia to me now is like Botox, bad plastic surgery or men who wax their eyebrows -- all of a sudden I see it everywhere, in so many other families now that I am looking. Or perhaps it is because I am simply of that age. My twins were born when I was 40, making me one of the oldest living mothers in my elementary school. Their needs are still often physical, my teens require me emotionally, and there is a husband in the equation too. Being with my parents is often taxing, sorrowful. I feel squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. I am scared for my own genetic future. Mother's Day is on the horizon. I'd like to propose a toast to those of us in the Panini generation. Those of us still enduring Saturday morning cartoons while scheduling the drive to their own parents doctor's appointments. Seek out those care givers in your life and do something to honor them. Yes, you can give the Hallmark card or the flowers, but go a little further. Look them in the eyes and tell them how much you appreciate and understand what it is they do on daily basis. Maybe it's your mother, your wife, your husband or father, a nurse or neighbor. Watching my own mother, my sisters, the wives and parents of the soldiers who have returned injured from Iraq, you understand that care giving is the ultimate sacrifice, the definition of unconditional love. Even if on a good day it flattens our insides like a ham and cheese Panini. More on Retirement
 
Roseland Residents Criticize Obama On Urban Issues In Meeting With Burris Top
President Obama got his start as a community organizer in Roseland, but a few dozen residents gathered there Saturday gave the new commander-in-chief a failing grade for not doing enough to tackle urban problems during his first 100 days in office. More on Barack Obama
 
Daley To Stroger: Explain Hiring Scandal Top
Mayor Richard Daley weighed in on the patronage scandal surrounding Cook County Board President Todd Stroger today, suggesting his ally should explain himself to the public.
 
Quadrangle Wins 'Key-Man' Vote Top
Investors in Quadrangle Group's private-equity vehicle have elected to keep their financial commitment to the fund, reflecting a vote of confidence in the embattled firm formerly run by Steven Rattner, according to a person familiar with the situation. In February the Obama administration selected Mr. Rattner to captain efforts to restructure the U.S. auto industry. His departure from Quadrangle triggered a "key-man" clause in agreements with investors in its $2 billion buyout fund, Quadrangle Capital Partners II, which was raised in 2005.
 
Jennifer Hudson Brings Family Onstage At Chicago Homecoming Concert Top
CHICAGO — Oscar and Grammy-winning singer Jennifer Hudson has given her first hometown concert since her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were murdered in Chicago last year. Hudson sang Saturday night at a theater in Chicago's McCormick Place. She dedicated the song "You Pulled Me Through" to relatives in the audience and brought four cousins on stage to sing with her. The bodies of her mother and brother were found Oct. 24 at their home on Chicago's South Side. The body of nephew Julian King was found days later on the city's West Side. The estranged husband of Hudson's sister, William Balfour, is charged in the murders. Hudson is in the middle of a tour with singer Robin Thicke. ___ Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/index
 
U.S. Conservatives Riled Up But Where Do They Go? Top
The Texas governor ponders secession from the United States, anti-tax "tea parties" are held and some states snub federal economic "stimulus" funds. The U.S. Republican Party's conservative base is fired up and taking aim at the old target of "big government" as its opposition hardens to the agenda of President Barack Obama and a U.S. Congress controlled by his fellow Democrats. More on GOP
 
Darryle Pollack: Happy Belated Cleavage Day -- Seriously Top
Maybe you missed it. I did, too. I had no idea there was another holiday in April. That April 3 was National Cleavage Day . And not an April Fool's joke. I'd like to know why there was no celebration of cleavage when I had some to celebrate. I hope this doesn't sound like sour grapes (even a grape would be more of a breast than I have). I'm not sour about losing my breasts to cancer . I'm happy -- because even though they're not here, I am . I was never into attracting attention with my cleavage, anyway. Even when I had some to show off. Because I felt cursed by my cleavage. I mean, having breasts is cool but not when you're 9. So I wasn't cool. And I definitely wasn't hot. I was humiliated. Wearing a bra in 4th grade was not a status symbol. It was serious. Even the name was serious. When you say it out loud, you can hear it. There is a very definite "seer" in "brassiere". Which is maybe why I took breasts so seriously -- because everyone around me did. My mother was serious when she finally dragged me to the department store to be fitted for my first bra. (34B -- already a serious size). The bras were serious too -- not the little lacy flimsy things I took my own daughter to buy at Victoria's Secret. My first bras were the lingerie equivalent of orthopedic shoes -- stiff, white, cotton things fastened at the back with a row of hooks designed to fluster and frustrate teenage boys. Most serious of all was the lady who joined my mother and me in the dressing room for this feminine rite of passage. She looked less like a saleslady and more like a prison matron, who inspected me and measured my chest, and stood over me for the moment of truth. It had to fit perfectly. No daylight would pass between my breasts and the material that covered them. Remember in the movie Legally Blonde -- the little movement Elle calls the "Bend and Snap"? Well, the bra lady had her own version. You bent over and flopped your breast around inside the cup until it snapped right into place. I took this seriously . Just in case she was still watching me from somewhere, I continued to do this motion every single time I bought a new bra for the rest of my life -- until I had no more breasts to snap. As for the bra itself...the bra Nazi chose that, too. It was serious stuff...a bra that came to a point and was shaped like no woman's breast I've ever seen. Years later when I saw Madonna wearing those cone-bras, I was pretty sure she was wearing some of mine. Meanwhile my own cleavage remained an issue and no one was more serious about it than my father. Don't worry -- it was nothing weird. It was just serious. Because my mother had died by the time I was in college. Which meant my father was in charge of my health and welfare. And much to his chagrin, my breasts were positioned at the exact intersection of two tumultuous social changes -- feminism and sexual freedom thanks to the birth control pill. Which means that while my breasts were as large as they would ever get (when I was not pregnant or nursing), I was no longer wearing a serious bra to hold them up. I had stopped wearing a bra at all. My dad, who was over his head but completely well meaning, was really WORRIED about this. He worried that because I wasn't wearing a bra when I was 20, someday when I was older....my breasts would SAG. And he was absolutely RIGHT. My breasts WOULD sag. If only I had any. If only he could be here to laugh about that. I laugh about it because I've learned not to take my breasts -- or lack of them -- so seriously anymore. Because I'm big on humor, even though I'm not big on cleavage. So next year I'll be sure to celebrate National Cleavage Day....as only a person with no cleavage can.
 
Steve Strauss: Making Your Small Business Green, Affordably Top
It seems that everyone is talking about ways to go green right now. And while most businesses like the idea of making their venture more eco-friendly. there also seems to be a common misperception that going green is too expensive, too difficult, or both. Well, I am here to tell you that neither is true. The fact is, not only can greening your business be good for the environment, it also can be good for the bottom line. Here are a few simple ways to make your business greener and save some money at the same time: Around the office : Yes, those funny squiggly bulbs (called CF bulbs) really do make a difference. Sure they cost a bit more, but they are supposed to last up to 15 times longer. Other simple steps include reusing packaging, packing peanuts, and turning old file folders inside out. Even better: Each of these green steps save money. Reduce paper use : Consider getting a printer that offers two-sided printing (called duplex printing). By doing so, you cut your paper costs, and paper consumption, in half. For instance, I recently did some work with Brother and was impressed with a printer that automatically prints on both sides of the paper ( the MFC-9840 .). It was also Energy Star certified, and fast. How easy, and green, is that? Also, of course, buy some recycling bins, mark them, and use them. Install timers and motion sensors : By automatically having lights and computers go off when not in use, you can save lots on energy costs. Buy green : No, green products are not cheaper, but by the same token, these days, they also should not be more expensive since demand for them has reduced prices. You might also want to check into purchasing green power from your local utility. Buy Energy Star products : The Department of Energy Energy Star certification means that you know the product you are buying is highly energy efficient, and again, it shouldn't cost any more. Bottom line: Going green has never been simpler, or more affordable. More on Small Business
 
Danny Miller: Bea Arthur's Perfect Comic Timing Top
I was very sad to hear yesterday that Bea Arthur died here in Los Angeles. I knew the actress was 86 years old and wasn't going to live forever, but it still seems unreal that she's gone. She was such a strong presence on TV for so many years she seemed indomitable. My wife and I saw Arthur's one-woman show a few years ago and despite her advancing years, she still had it. I grew up watching "Maude," the first of Bea Arthur's two ground-breaking sitcoms.The pilot for "Maude" was the 1972 season finale of "All in the Family." Bea had already appeared in an earlier episode of that show as Edith Bunker's ultra-liberal cousin Maude. With Edith's subservience to her husband and Mike Stivic's hysteria over Archie's every move, it was a relief to see someone who could stare Archie down and give him hell. The twist was that Maude, the polar opposite of Archie Bunker, was just as trapped by her extreme attitudes as Archie was. Norman Lear deserves a lot of credit for skewering liberals and conservatives with equal gusto. The exchanges between Archie and Maude were some of the funniest moments on 1970s TV. I remember on Arthur's first "All in the Family" appearance, Archie took delight in dissing Maude's hero, Franklin D. Roosevelt. After one particularly long anti-Roosevelt diatribe, Maude slowly turned toward Archie, paused, and said in that inimitable voice of hers, "You're fat." I still laugh when I think of Bea Arthur's delivery of that one line. Can you think of any actress who had better comic timing? Arthur could take a so-so line and make it as memorable as Lucy Ricardo's "Vitameatavegamin" routine. I attended a taping of "The Golden Girls" when I first moved to Los Angeles and in one scene Estelle Getty kept messing up a line so they had to do it over and over again. Every time Bea Arthur repeated her line I burst into laughter as if I was hearing it for the first time. Who needed laugh tracks with that dame? I once wrote to Bea Arthur during her "Maude" days and received this letter in return. Nothing very personal, but today I still marvel that she wrote back at all, especially to some snot-nosed kid in Chicago. Does anyone answer their own fan mail today? Maude Findlay was ostensibly one of TV's first feminists but you had to wonder. In retrospect it seems to me that her husband Walter (played by Bill Macy) was a patriarchal slavemaster of the worst kind. His constant condescension of Maude, her daughter, and her grandson would be hard to stomach today. Maude often told Walter to go to hell ("God will get you for that, Walter!") but when she was getting a little too uppity Walter's trademark bark of "Maude! SIT!" would do the trick every time. Oy. Still, the show broke even more taboos than "All in the Family" and was taken off the air by more stations in protest. It was only a few months after Roe v. Wade when Maude suddenly found out she was pregnant on the show (Bea Arthur was 49 at the time!) and became the first (and last?) TV sitcom character to have an abortion. Think of how daring that was back then. Can you imagine Laurie Partridge, Billie Joe Bradley, or Mary Richards even saying the word abortion? The show also dealt with racism, therapy, menopause, alcoholism, homosexuality, plastic surgery, swinging, the legalization of marijuana, and other topics that would have sent poor Jim and Margaret Anderson of "Father Knows Best" straight to Marcus Welby, M.D. for some emergency care. (On the other hand, I still maintain that Jim and Margaret's 1954 relationship was more equitable than the supposedly enlightened Maude and Walter's.) I also wrote to Maude's daughter, Adrienne Barbeau, and got this postcard reply: "Dear Danny. Thank you for your letter. I'm sorry I'm so late in answering. I hope you are continuing to enjoy the show--I'll bet you liked the one where the girl came to visit us from the ghetto. Another case of reverse prejudice from Maude! My best, Adrienne Barbeau." I remember receiving that postcard and being touched by the "came to visit US," as if she really were Maude's daughter and were telling an anecdote about her crazy mom. That episode stands out, especially the scene where Maude was trying to convince the ghetto girl Francie that she had black friends there in the suburbs of upstate New York. She tries to pawn off her housekeeper Florida Evans (played by the great Esther Rolle ) as her pal: Maude: Francie, this is Florida. My dear, dear friend, probably the best friend I have in the whole world. Florida: I'm the maid. And then later when they're about to sit down for dinner: Maude: Francie, I hope you're hungry. We're having fried chicken for dinner. Francie: Good, I win a buck. Maude: You win a buck? Francie: I bet that dumb brother of mine that you'd have fried chicken for me the first thing off. Maude: Ha ha ha. I love a person with a sense of humor. Excuse me. (Maude turns around and whispers to her daughter) Carol, for Heaven's sake, go into the kitchen and throw out the grits. Recently I saw a jaw-dropping video from a special Bea Arthur did for CBS in 1980, in between her "Maude" and "Golden Girl" runs. This crazy number was performed by Arthur and Rock Hudson on the Emmy-nominated special and when I saw it I just had one little question: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? In the number, Bea and Rock played a couple of boozing, middle-aged suburbanites who were musing about the happy-go-lucky drug-addled kids of the day. Arthur and Hudson seemed to view all forms of recreational drug use with amusement and mirth. Try getting this number past the network censors today: Few people will ever come close to Bea Arthur's perfect timing. In addition to her iconic TV roles as Maude Findlay and Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur had an accomplished stage career, appearing in the original "Threepenny Opera" on Broadway, creating the role of Yenta in "Fiddler on the Roof," and winning a Tony Award in 1966 for her role as Vera Charles in "Mame" opposite her friend Angela Lansbury. Decades later the two repeated their famous number on the Tony Awards. Take a look as we say goodbye to another true original: More on Video
 
Christina Bellantoni: Dems Raise Money to "Send Cheney Packing" Back to Wyoming Top
First published at WashingtonTimes.com The Democratic National Committee is going after Dick Cheney with a new fundraising pitch — asking supporters to donate money for a one-way bus ticket to send the former vice president back to Wyoming. The email from Jen O'Malley Dillon, who worked for the Obama campaign before taking the DNC executive director post, pulls no punches. "Have you ever had a guest who overstayed his welcome and wondered, 'why is he still here?' After some of his recent interviews, former Vice President Cheney has shown that he clearly doesn't know when to pack it in," she wrote in the Saturday pitch. Dillon blast Cheney for his recent television interviews, calling them "an effort to tear down President Obama's agenda." "I don't know about you, but I think it's time for him to stop sniping from the sidelines and let President Obama usher in the changes Americans demanded after eight years of Cheney's disastrous policies," she wrote. "That's why I want Cheney to go back home to Wyoming, and why I want you to help me get him there." Dillon says in the email a one-way ticket from D.C. to Jackson, WY costs $202 and asks supporters to "chip in" to send Cheney "packing." "Normally, when a Vice President leaves office with a disastrous legacy and the support of less than one quarter of the public, I'd expect him to keep out of the spotlight," she wrote. "But with the Republican 'Party of No' out of ideas and without any new leaders to provide real solutions, failed leaders like Dick Cheney and Karl Rove have once again taken the helm of the GOP." She blasted Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration, saying the Republican has been "bashing" the president. "If there's one person who should understand the crucial need to get this country back on track, it should be the man who took it so disastrously off course — but he doesn't seem to get the message," she wrote. "That's why we need to help him off the national stage and back home to Wyoming. Please take a look at the itinerary we put together and then chip in to get him on a Greyhound bus out of town." Dillon sends supporters here to make the donation. The email includes a graphic showing Cheney riding a bus with his head out of the window.     —   Christina Bellantoni , White House correspondent, The Washington Times Please track my blog's RSS feed here . Find my latest stories  here , follow me on Twitter and visit my  YouTube page . More on Dick Cheney
 
Lisa Sharkey: Hey Mister Mayor, Shed Some Light for Us Top
Dear Mayor Bloomberg, I see you have just implemented new green guidelines for New York City. I applaud you for your eco-consciousness. Just want to give you a heads up about a little issue with those compact fluorescent light bulbs. You see, Mayor Bloomberg. I live in a green house in Manhattan, and therefore, as an eco-conscious homeowner, I went out and bought CFL's for nearly every light fixture in my house. I did not give it a second thought. I wanted to save energy, and the planet, and change bulbs less frequently. I even wrote a book about living in green houses and touted the virtues of CFL's. But a short time ago, I arrived home to find a broken bulb on my closet floor . And when I looked up the government prescribed procedures for the cleanup (knowing the bulbs contained Mercury) I was gob smacked. The cleanup is one big, scary sounding ordeal based on federal energy star guidelines. And the broken bulb is supposed to be sealed in glass and labeled as toxic before it is disposed of. My LEED AP architect husband Paul Gleicher cleaned up the broken bulb according to the guidelines . When I wrote a Huffington Post blog on the issue this week, it created a wave of argument from folks who think it's nuts to have bulbs with Mercury to those who say the amount per bulb is so small there's no reason for all of the fuss. Then I looked on a new bulb package to see the size of the warning label, and it makes a postage stamp look like a football field. So now that millions of people are going to be required to use these bulbs, which could put a lot more Mercury into our waste systems, what are you going to do about it? Could someone at City Hall please clear up the confusion? Yours truly, Lisa Sharkey Author, Dreaming Green
 
Rabbi Abraham Cooper: Know Thy Enemy: Read Ahmadinejad's Original Draft of Durban 2009 Keynote Top
In the aftermath of Durban II, with the looming threat of an Iran capable of delivering a nuclear payload, it is instructive to read the original draft of President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad's opening keynote submitted to the United Nations for the Durban 2009 anti-racism conference. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are going to have their work cut out finding a common vocabulary for any dialogue with a regime led by the likes of this Holocaust denier. ***Please note I have taken the liberty of putting selected paragraphs in CAPS. There are no other changes to the document. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran To the United Nations Office and other International Organizations 28, chemin du Petit-Saconnex / 1209 Geneva Statement by H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejadad President of the Islamic Republic of Iran High Level Segment Durban Review Conference Geneva, 20 April 2009 Praise be upon Allah, the Almighty Who is Just, Kind and Compassionate May He bestow upon His Prophets, His Blessings and His Grace from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and His last Prophet Mohammad- Peace Be Upon them all, who were the harbingers of monotheism, fraternity, love, human dignity and justice. Mr. Chairman, Honorable Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ladies and Gentleman, We have gathered here in the follow-up to the Durban Conference against Racism and Racial Discrimination, to work out practical mechanisms for our holy and humanitarian campaign. Over the last centuries, humanity has gone through tremendous sufferings and pains. In the medieval ages, thinkers and scientists were sentenced to death. It was then followed by a period of slavery and slave trade, when innocent people, in millions, were captivated and separated from their families and loved ones to be taken to Europe and America. A dark period that also experienced occupations, lootings and massacre of innocent people. Many years passed by before nations rose up and fight for their liberty. They lost millions of lives to expel the occupiers and proclaim their independence. However, it did not take long that the coercive powers imposed two world wars in Europe, which also plagued a part of Asia and Africa those horrific wars claimed about a hundred million lives and left behind massive devastations. Had lessons been learned from the oppressions, horror and crimes of those wars, there would have been a ray of hope to the future. The victorious powers called themselves the conquerors of the world, while ignoring or down treading the rights of other nations by the imposition of oppressive laws and arrangements. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let us take a look at the UN Security Council which is one of the legacies of the World War One and World War Two. What was the logic behind their granting themselves the Veto rights? How can such a logic comply with humanitarian or spiritual values? Could it be in conformity with the recognized principles of justice, equality before law, love and human dignity, or rather with discrimination, injustice, violation of human rights or humiliation of the majority of nations? That Council is the highest decision-decision making world body for safeguarding the international peace and security. How can we expect the realization of justice and peace when discrimination is legalized and the origin of law is dominated by coercion and force rather than by justice and the right? Although, today many proponents of racism condemn racial discrimination in words and in their slogans, a number of powerful countries have been authorized to decide for other nations, based on their interest and at their own discretions. They can easily ridicule and violate all laws and humanitarian values, as they have done so. FOLLOWING THE WORLD WAR TWO, THEY RESORTED TO MILITARY AGGRESSION TO MAKE AN ENTIRE NATION HOMELESS, ON THE PRETEXT OF JEWISH SUFFERINGS AND THE AMBIGUOUS AND DUBIOUS QUESTION OF HOLOCAUST. THEY SENT MIGRANTS FROM EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES AND FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A TOTALLY RACIST GOVERNMENT IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINE AND, IN FACT, IN COMPENSATION FOR THE DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF RACISM IN EUROPE, THEY HELPED BRING TO POWER THE MOST CRUEL AND REPRESSIVE RACISTS IN PALESTINE. THE SECURITY COUNCIL HELPED STABILIZE THE ZIONIST REGIME AND SUPPORTED THE ZIONISTS IN THE PAST SIXTY YEARS, GIVING THEM A FREE HAND TO CONTINUE THEIR CRIMES. IT IS ALL THE MORE REGRETTABLE THAT A NUMBER OF WESTERN GOVERNMENTS AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO DEFEND THOSE RACIST PERPETRATORS OF GENOCIDE, WHILST THE AWAKENED CONSCIENCE AND FREE- MINDED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD CONDEMN THE ZIONIST CRIMES OF AGGRESSION CARNAGE AND OTHER BRUTALITIES OF BOMBARDMENTS OF CIVILIANS IN GAZA. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OR SILENT AGAINST THE DISGRACEFUL ACTS OF ZIONIST REGIME. MOST REGRETTABLY THE REASON BEHIND THEIR SUPPORT AND SILENCE IS THAT THE EGOIST AND UNCIVILIZED ZIONISM HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEEPLY PENETRATE INTO THEIR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STRUCTURE INCLUDING THEIR LEGISLATION, MASS MEDIA, COMPANIES, FINANCIAL SYSTEMS, AND THEIR SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES. THEY HAVE IMPOSED THEIR DOMINATION TO THE EXTENT THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE AGAINST THEIR WILL. IN SOME COUNTRIES, EVEN A CHANGE IN GOVERNMENTS NEVER LEADS TO A CHANGE IN SUPPORTING THE ZIONISTS, WHILE THEY ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THEIR CRIMES, AND THIS BY ITSELF IS MOST REGRETTABLE. SO LONG AS ZIONIST DOMINATION CONTINUES, MANY COUNTRIES, GOVERNMENTS AND NATIONS WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO ENJOY FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY. AS LONG AS THEY ARE AT THE HELM OF POWER, JUSTICE WILL NEVER PREVAIL IN THE WORLD AND HUMAN DIGNITY WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFENDED AND TRAMPLED UP ON. IT IS TIME THE IDEAL OF ZIONISM WHICH IS THE PARAGON OF RACISM TO BE BROKEN. Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen What are the root causes of U.S attacks against Iraq or invasion of Afghanistan? Was the motive behind the invasion of Iraq anything other than the arrogance of the then U.S administration and mounting pressure on the part of the owner of wealth and power to expand their sphere of influence seeking the interests of giant arms- manufacturing companies, effacing a noble culture with thousands of years of historical background, eliminating a potential and practical threats of Muslim countries against the usurper Zionist regime, or to control and plunder energy resources of the Iraqi people? Why indeed almost a million people were killed and injured and a few more millions were displaced and became homeless? WHY INDEED THE IRAQI PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED ENORMOUS LOSSES AMOUNTING TO HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND WHY WAS HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IMPOSED ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND ITS ALLIES AS A RESULT OF THESE MILITARY ACTIONS? WASN'T THE MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAQ PLANNED BY THE ZIONISTS AND THEIR ALLIES IN THE THEN U.S ADMINISTRATION IN COMPLICITY WITH THE ARMS MANUFACTURING GIANTS? Did invasion of Afghanistan restore peace, security and economic well-being in this country? The United States and its allies not only have failed to contain the production of drugs in Afghanistan but also the illicit cultivation of narcotics multiplied in the course of their presence. The basic question is that what was the responsibility and job of the then U.S administration and its allies? Did they represent countries of the world? Have they been mandated by them? Have they been authorized on behalf of the people of the world to interfere in all parts of the globe, and of course mostly in our region? Aren't these measures a clear example of ego- centrism, racism, discrimination, or infringement upon dignity and independence of nations? Ladies and gentlemen, Who are responsible for the current global economic crises? Where did the crises start from? From Africa? From Asia? Or was that first from the United States, then spreading to Europe and to their allies? For a long time they imposed inequitable economic regulations by their political power on the international economy. They imposed a financial and a monetary system without a proper international oversight mechanism on nations and governments that played no role in its respective trends or policies. They have not even allowed their people to oversee or monitor their financial policies. They introduced all laws and regulations in defiance to all moral values only to protect the interests of the owners of wealth and powers. They further presented a definition for market economy and competition that denied many of the economic opportunities that could be available to other countries of the world. They even transferred their problems to others; whilst the wave of crisis lashed back plaguing their economies with thousands of billions of dollars in budget deficit. And today they are injecting hundreds of billions of cash from the pockets of their own people in to the failing banks, companies and financial institutions making the situation more and more complicated for their economy and their people. They are simply thinking about maintaining power and wealth and they couldn't care any less about the people of the world and even their own peoples. Mr. President, Ladies and gentlemen, Racism is rooted in lack of knowledge concerning the truth of human existence as the selected creature of God. It is also the product of his deviation from the true path of human life and the obligation of mankind in the world of creation. - Failing to consciously worship God, not being able to think about the philosophy of life, or the path to perfection that are the main ingredients of divine and humanitarian values have restricted the horizon of human out look, making transient and limited interests a yardstick for his actions. This is why the cells of devil's power took shape and expanded its realm of power by depriving others from enjoying equitable and just opportunities. The result has been the making of an unbridled racism that is posing the most serious threat against the international peace. Undoubtedly, racism is the symbol of ignorance which has deep roots in history, and it is indeed a sign of frustration in developments of human society. It is therefore crucially important to trace the manifestations of racism in situations or in societies where ignorance or lack of knowledge prevails. This increasing general awareness and understanding towards the philosophy of human existence is the principal struggle against such manifestations. The key to understand the truth that human kind centers on the creation of the universe is a return to spiritual and moral values, and finally the inclination to worship God the Almighty. The international community must initiate collective moves to raise awareness in the afflicted societies where ignorance of racism still prevails, so as to bring a halt to the spread of these malicious manifestations. DEAR FRIENDS, TODAY HUMAN COMMUNITY IS FACING A KIND OF RACISM WHICH HAS TARNISHED THE IMAGE OF HUMANITY IN THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM. THE WORLD ZIONISM PERSONIFIES RACISM THAT FALSELY RESORTS TO RELIGION AND ABUSE RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS TO HIDE THEIR HATRED AND UGLY FACES. HOWEVER IT IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO BRING INTO FOCUS THE POLITICAL GOALS OF SOME OF THE WORLD POWERS AND THOSE WHO CONTROL HUGE ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND WEALTH IN THE WORLD. THEY MOBILIZE ALL THEIR RESOURCES INCLUDING THEIR ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE AND WORLD MEDIA TO RENDER SUPPORTS TO THE ZIONIST REGIME AND MALICIOUSLY ENDEAVOR TO DIMINISH THE INDIGNITY AND DISGRACE OF THIS REGIME. THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A QUESTION OF IGNORANCE AND ONE CAN NOT CONQUER THESE UGLY PHENOMENA THROUGH CULTURAL CAMPAIGN. EFFORTS MUST BE MADE TO PUT AN END TO THE ABUSE BY ZIONISTS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS OF POLITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEANS AND IN RESPECT OF THE WILL AND ASPIRATIONS OF NATIONS, GOVERNMENTS MUST BE ENCOURAGED AND SUPPORTED IN THEIR FIGHTS AIMED AT ERADICATING THIS BARBARIC RACISM AND TO MOVE TOWARDS REFORMING THE CURRENT INTERNATIONAL MECHANISMS. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT YOU ARE ALL AWARE OF CONSPIRACIES OF SOME POWERS AND ZIONIST CIRCLES AGAINST THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS CONFERENCE. UNFORTUNATELY THERE CAN BEEN LITERATURES AND STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF ZIONISM AND THEIR CRIMES AND IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HONORABLE REPRESENTATIVES OF NATIONS TO DISCLOSE THESE CAMPAIGNS WHICH RUN COUNTER TO HUMANITARIAN VALUES AND PRINCIPLES. It should be recognized that boycotting such a session as an outstanding international capacity is a true indication of supporting the blatant example racism. In defending human rights it is primarily important to defend the rights of all nations to participate equally in all important international decision-making processes without the influence of certain world powers. Secondly it is necessary to restructure the existing international organizations and their respective arrangement. Therefore this conference is a testing ground and the world public opinion today and tomorrow will judge us. Mr. President, The world is going through fundamental changes. Power relations have become so weak and fragile. The sound of cracks in the pillars of world oppression can now be heard. Major political and economic structures are at the brink of collapse. Political and security crises are on the rise. The worsening crisis in the world economy for which there can be seen no bright prospect amply demonstrate the rising tide of far-reaching global changes. I have repeatedly emphasized the need to change the wrong direction through which the world is being managed today. I have also warned of the dire consequences of any delay in this crucial responsibility. Now, in this august and valuable event, I would like to announce here to all leaders and thinkers, present in this conference who are devoted to the cause of peace, freedom, progress, and human well being that the inequitable and unjust management of the world is now at the end of the road. This deadlock was inevitable since the logic of this imposed management was oppressive. The logic of collective management of world affairs is based on noble aspirations which centers on human beings and the supremacy of the Almighty God. Therefore it defies any policy or plan which goes against the interests of nations. Victory of the right over the wrong and establishment of a just world system have been promised by God and His messengers and it has been a shared goal of human being from different societies and generations in the course of history. Realization of such a future depends on the knowledge of the creation and is the belief in the hearts of all the faithful. The making of a global society is in fact the accomplishment of a noble goal heralding the establishment of a common global system that will be run with the participation of all nations of the world in all major and basic decision- makings and the definite route to this sublime goal. Scientific and technical capacities as well as communication technologies has created a common and widespread understanding of the world society and has provided the necessary ground for a common system. Now it is incumbent upon all intellectuals, thinkers and policy makers in the world to carry out their historical responsibility with firm belief to this definite route. I also want to lay emphasis on the fact that the western liberalism, like communism, has reached to its end since it has failed to perceive the truth of the world and human as it is. It has imposed its own goals and direction on human beings with no regard for human and divine values, justice, freedom, love or brotherhood, has based the living on a intensive competition for securing individual and collective material interests. We must learn from the past by initiating collective efforts in dealing with present challenges. In this connection and in closing my remarks I wish to draw your kind
 

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