Friday, May 29, 2009

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Art Levine: Red Cross, Wal-Mart Agree: Life is Cheap for Workers, Public Top
What do the non-profit Red Cross and the profit-crazed Wal-Mart have in common? They both despise unions , decent pay, and safety , even if it threatens the lives of their workers or the public. But it's possible that at least some corporations could be pressured to change their ways and support the long-term productivity that comes with union rights, because this week a coalition of investors who hold over $750 billion in assets wrote a lette r to 100 leading corporations asking them twhether they support the Employee Free Choice Act.. (The short answer for most corporations is: No way.) As Domini Social Investments group reported: The letter has been sent to companies such as Bank of America, McDonald's and Lowe's. In it, the investor group informs S&P 100 companies that "The freedom to form or join a union of one's choice or not, and to bargain collectively for the terms of one's employment, are fundamental human rights that we as global investors recognize and respect." Side-effects of the lack of union power include lowered safety standards that endanger workers and the public. On Friday, union members and their allies staged "information picketing" rallies in Washington and elsewhere to protest allegedly shoddy conditions and lowered training standards that could threaten the safety of the Red Cross's blood supplies. As the AFL-CIO Now Blog reported: Carrying signs proclaiming "Donors Before Dollars" and chanting "We are the Red Cross," some 200 people joined a giant inflatable rat to "blow the whistle" on the Red Cross at its national headquarters in Washington, D.C. The marchers picketed in front of the building during the busy lunch hour, just blocks from the White House. Most of the marchers are concerned that blood safety will suffer because the Red Cross national office is insisting that workers take pay cuts and that qualified nurses be replaced with unlicensed supervisors. Some carried handmade signs saying, "Nurses Are Needed" and "No Blood Money." Said one marcher who asked not to be identified: "Here is an organization that made millions of dollars in donations last year and it can't share that with the folks that make the Red Cross what it is." One major problem, rally organizers say, is that national Red Cross officials have taken over contract negotiations that used to be handled by local or regional officials. Joe Marutiak, a member of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 459 in Michigan, said even though contract negotiations have been hard over the years, "we have always been able to respect each other and resolve our differences." But this year the national Red Cross took over the negotiations entirely and the respect for the employees is gone. Even more disturbing, the Red Cross's efforts to cut labor costs at the risk of safety appear to violate a court order to maintain the quality of its blood supplies. As the AFL-CIO Now reported: For 15 years, the Red Cross has been under a federal court order to improve its blood donor operation. Despite $21 million in fines since 2003, it continues to fall short. According to the New York Times: Such measures, however, are undercut by high turnover among employees, who are paid little better than minimum wage, former executives say. But rather than pay its workers a decent wage, the Red Cross is trying to force employees to work unlimited hours, replace nurses with unlicensed supervisors, slash workers' health care and cut or freeze wages. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says in a statement that the Red Cross' actions demonstrate why workers need to be protected: "For decades there was a great relationship between workers and the Red Cross and it's a shame that they are now engaging in this disgraceful behavior that endangers donors and workers. This is yet another example of why we need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act so workers have the freedom to choose to join a union." Wal-Mart's vicious approach to unionbusting and decent working conditions is well known, but sometimes, a particular horrifying incident shows just how little workers' lives are valued by a corporation obsessed with profits over people. Now, thanks to an OSHA ruling, we know exactly how little a worker's life is worth to Wal-Mart : $7,000, according to OSHA. As the Change to Win labor coalition reported: Remember back in November of last year when we told you the tragic story of Jdimytai Damour, a 34-year-old temporary worker at a Long Island Walmart who was crushed to death by a mob of shoppers storming the store for Black Friday deals? The employee was "stepped on by hundreds of people" as other workers attempted to fight their way through the crowd, [Nassau County police Detective Lt. Michael] Fleming said. "Several minutes" passed before others were able to clear space around the man and attempt to render aid. Police arrived, and "as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed," he said. "Shoppers ... were on a full-out run into the store," he said. Well, yesterday OSHA announced the results of their investigation into the incident -- and their findings confirm that the tragedy was entirely preventable: OSHA's inspection found that the store's employees were exposed to being crushed by the crowd due to the store's failure to implement reasonable and effective crowd management principles. This failure includes providing employees with the necessary training and tools to safely manage the large crowd of shoppers. "This was an unusual situation but not an unforeseen one," said Anthony Ciuffo, OSHA's acting area director for Long Island. "The store should have recognized, based on prior "Blitz Friday" experiences, the need to implement effective crowd management to protect its employees." (Emphasis mine.) Mr. Damour's death, in other words, was no accident. It was not a freak occurrence nobody could have foreseen. It was predictable, given Walmart's failure to take appropriate measures to deal with the near-riot situation their marketing department had whipped up. So what's the punishment for shocking corporate negligence that results in the death of a worker? OSHA hit them with the maximum fine allowable by law -- $7,000. That's right. Seven thousand dollars.... A man is dead. Walmart could have -- should have -- prevented it. And their punishment is a $7,000 fine. Mr. Damour's case is not the only one where corporate negligence that resulted in a worker's death was punished with a slap on the wrist. Last month, Rebecca Foster told the House Education and Labor Committee about the death of her son Jeremy, who was killed in 2004 at the age of nineteen when a piece of machinery at his place of work -- modified in violation of OSHA safety rules -- caught his shirt and strangled him to death. Unions such as Change to Win point to key reform legislation as vital for toughening penalties on negligent companies: President Barack Obama has brought in a new team at the Department of Labor that is committed to ensuring that every worker has a safe workplace. But they can only do as much as they are empowered to do by the law. And the laws that govern worker protection on the job are shockingly toothless. Congress has the opportunity to fix that. The Protecting America's Workers Act is legislation currently before the House of Representatives that would strengthen a range of protections for workers on the job -- including raising the minimum fine in cases like Damour's to $20,000, with a potential maximum of $50,000. And that means those companies will be more likely to give their workers the protections they deserve. You can help pass this important legislation by urging your Representative to support it: * Take Action: Tell your Representative to support the Protecting America's Workers Act It's too late to save the lives of Jdimytai Damour or Jeremy Foster. But it's not too late to ensure that the laws provide appropriate punishments for corporations whose reckless indifference to the safety of their workers results in lost lives and broken families. Tell your Representative to act today. Even with such legislation, if it passes, unions are essential to ensuring on-the-ground safety standards as part of their contracts with employers. It's no surprise that investors who care about their companies' futures understand how vital a role unions play (via Boston Common Assets Management ): "As investors, we believe constructive labor relations are essential for improving productivity, efficiency and workplace safety," said Steven Heim, Senior Vice President and Director of Social Research and Advocacy for Boston Common Asset Management, LLC. "We believe the proposed legislation would help appropriately rebalance labor-management relations and better protect workers if they face unlawful conduct by employers when exercising their workplace rights."
 
Bush, Clinton Appear Together In Toronto Top
TORONTO — Former President George W. Bush called former President Bill Clinton "his brother" and the two rarely disagreed in their first-ever appearance together on stage. The Republican and Democratic ex-presidents defended each other at a Toronto forum on Friday, disappointing some in the crowd of 6,000 who expected a more heated debate. Bush said that he never liked it when previous administration officials criticized his government but said Clinton was respectful and never did. Bush declined to criticize the Obama administration, in contrast to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been a vocal critic of Obama. Bush, who wasn't asked about Cheney, said there are "plenty of critics in America." Bush and Clinton did differ on Iraq. Clinton said U.N inspectors should have been given more time to conduct the search for weapons of mass destruction and Bush should have concentrated on Afghanistan. Bush disagreed. "I don't buy the premise that our attention was diverted," Bush said. Bush joked about how much time his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and Clinton spend together. He said his mother, Barbara Bush, "said President Clinton and Father share the stage so much, he's like a son to her." He said, "So brother, it's good to see you." Clinton and the elder Bush have worked together to lead fundraising after disasters such as the southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and last summer's Hurricane Ike. While both men received polite applause from the audience at Toronto's convention center, a couple hundred protesters demonstrated outside. The organizers declined to say how much the men were paid for the event, called "A conversation with Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton." Ticket prices sold for around C$200. Bush joked about the speaking fees, which are normally lucrative for former presidents. "President Clinton and I used to believe in free speech," Bush said before pausing. "So thanks very much for coming _ we are glad you're here." The two made speeches before taking questions from moderator Frank McKenna, Canada's former ambassador to the United States. Asked why he didn't stop the killing in the Rwanda genocide when he was president in 1994, Clinton said he had no excuse or defense. "It's one of the two or three greatest regrets of my presidency," Clinton said. Clinton said the U.S. could have saved 250,000 or 400,000 of the 800,000 people who died had he sent about 20,000 troops. Bush defended Clinton, saying 20,000 troops could not have been mobilized quickly. Clinton praised Bush for his AIDS initiatives and also hailed the racial and ethnic diversity of his cabinet choices. Christian Darbyshire and Andy McCreath, partners in tinePublic Inc, organized the event. They hosted Bush for his first speech since leaving office in March and have also hosted others like former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. More on George Bush
 
Michael Henry Adams: Deadly Consequences of being Black? Top
If New York's police force includes so many deadly marksmen, couldn't uncharged suspects merely be stopped without being killed? For pointing out an indisputable fact that, Americans-of-color very often have a different life experience from the white majority, Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, is criticized as a racist. But among most of the same detractors, the most recent case of a black policeman being felled by 'friendly fire' represents not an aspect of a larger deplorable and consistent trend, but an utterly non-racial anomaly. For well over a century, from the days of Boss Tweed, most New York fire fighters and police officers have not only been white, but a special class of whites; they are direct descendants of immigrant Irish beneficiaries of patronage-set-asides. Since 1940, in New York state at least 20 hapless African American police officers have been slain by their white counterparts. Not one white officer has been slain by a black officer. "Looked at statistically it's just messed up!" comments activist city council candidate Monique Washington. "Viewed strictly in terms of probability, many of those 20 officers ought to have been white, some even shot by blacks! When is that going to happen though, to rationalize the unrelenting numbers of blacks, mostly unarmed, shot by the police? And just like the 'doll test', some whites contend that black officers shooting blacks, like Sean Bell, is an indication of our greater threat and criminality, as opposed to the extent and depth of racism and societal induced self-loathing!" According to police figures the number of blacks among the roughly 700 officers who make up New York City's police department's top tier -- in the ranks of captain and higher -- has remained unchanged from 2002 through 2007 at a paltry 28. In the lower ranks the record is even more shameful. As for the police department's practice of stopping and sometimes frisking people on the streets, blacks account for more than half of those stopped. Moreover figures show that police officers during the latest administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg stopped more people -- 145,098 -- during the first three months of 2008 than during any other quarter in the six years the department has reported such data. "Typically," stresses Ms. Washington, many whites take such statistics in stride. "They are not the ones being stopped. Their sons, brothers and fathers aren't being locked up, beaten or killed. They perceive the city as safer and so a little black 'collateral damage' is ok." Washington's lament brings to mind a host of tragedies, nationwide and local both. "Most blacks remember like it was yesterday watching the Rodney King beating on TV," says architect Ron Mack. "Remember," he says, "how the police and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani engineered a tearful bedside meeting between Desmond Robinson, the wounded undercover transit police officer and his white partner who had shot him? Remember Mayor Giuliani's hospital visit to Abner Louima. Remember Amadou Diallo of the fifty shots? Not much seems different reading about a white Westchester officer shooting an off-duty black officer at point-blank range. Officer Frank Oliveri allegedly then took the dead officer's badge so that it could be "discovered" later in his car, a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by Mount Vernon Officer Christopher Ridley's family charged in April. Bolstered by the two officers who accompanied him and the arrested thief perused by rookie, newlywed officer, Omar Edwards when he was shot, 4 year veteran Andrew Duton asserted he'd identified himself as a policeman though he was out of uniform. "Sure, right!" says a tearing Washington, "And my kids will swear to you that I'm the real Michelle Obama, if you ask them. Bottom line: Bill Perkins, Barack Obama, any black man, no matter who he is, has a far greater chance of being shot by the police than either Bloomberg or the worse white criminal has!" More on Barack Obama
 
Martin Varsavsky: Andrew McLaughlin's move from Google to the Obama administration Top
The news of Andrew McLaughlin's departure from Google to work as Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the Obama administration just came out in the New York Times . The article mentions that there are critics who believe that this move will benefit Google as a company. I have a response to this criticism, but before I make them I would like to disclose that I am a friend of Andrew McLaughlin and that Google is an investor in Fon , the company that I am CEO of. Regardless of these facts I have chosen to write this post as it is valid not just for this case but for anyone who moves from industry to government. In general I don't understand why journalists believe that a move from industry to government is somehow very different from a move from industry to industry. If Andrew McLaughlin had moved from Google to Cisco, Cisco's CEO would not hire him thinking that he will promote the interests of Google at Cisco. When a banker moves from Goldman Sachs to Morgan Stanley, a direct competitor, people at Morgan Stanley consider this a great success. And it is a similar success for the Obama team to have convinced Andrew to leave his job at Google to serve the US Government. As Andrew promoted the interests of Google when he was at Google, he will now protect the interests of the American people working for the US government. And we should all be happy for that. I can't think of a better person than Andrew to do this job.
 
Rachel Alexandra, Preakness Winner, Won't Run In Belmont Top
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes, opening the way for jockey Calvin Borel to return to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in his quest for a personal Triple Crown. Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra's co-owner, said Friday the spectacular filly "deserves a well-earned vacation." Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years, had been set to work out Monday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and no announcement was expected until after that. But Jackson explained she simply needed a rest after running _ and winning _ four graded stakes races since March 14, including a dominating victory in the Kentucky Oaks. "We know the media and many fans would have liked to see her run in the Belmont Stakes _ we feel the same," Jackson said in a statement. "But all of us sincerely interested in the horse must agree that we only want to see her run when it is best for her. While she is in great shape, having strong works, and recovering well from her amazing performances, we feel Rachel deserves a well-earned vacation." Borel was the jockey aboard for both Mine That Bird in the Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and Oaks. He was set to ride her again in the Belmont, but Mine That Bird's trainer Chip Woolley had said he was prepared to wait _ even into next week _ if there was a chance Borel could become available again. "We hate she's not going to be in there for horse racing, but at the same time it's maybe better for me," Woolley said Friday in a phone interview. "It was a very strange year where you had two great horses and the same guy riding both of them." Borel, who was riding in nine races on Friday's card at Churchill Downs, was already planning to be aboard Mine That Bird on Monday at the Louisville track for the colt's final workout before shipping to New York for the Belmont. "We're gonna get the job done," Borel said during a news conference at Churchill Downs. He said Mine That Bird "worked really good the other morning. I was very happy with his work. I worked him real easy and he was bouncin'. He was a happy camper. That's all you want." The jockey said he thinks Jackson made the right call with Rachel Alexandra. "I think Mr. Jackson is all about the horse, not the races," he said. "It's not the money. It's his horse." There was no immediate indication from Jackson on when or where Rachel Alexandra might race next, but the New York Racing Association said he had committed to a start at Belmont Park sometime this year. The filly had become a popular favorite since her stretch of big wins, even posing Friday morning for a photo spread in Vogue magazine. Borel, who had won the Derby two years earlier aboard Street Sense, repeated the feat with Mine That Bird, even though at 50-1 he was one of the biggest long shots ever to win the most famous American horse race. The horse nearly pulled off another win in the Preakness with new jockey Mike Smith aboard, finishing second to Borel and Rachel Alexandra. Among the possible challengers to Mine That Bird in the third leg of the Triple Crown is Summer Bird, who shares the same sire _ Birdstone, who foiled Smarty Jones' Triple Crown attempt by winning the 2004 Belmont. Also expected to run are Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk, Flying Private, Brave Victory, Charitable Man, Luv Gov, Miner's Escape, Mr. Hot Stuff and Nowhere To Hide.
 
Jay Leno's Final "Tonight" Show Details Top
BURBANK, Calif. — Jay Leno's final "Tonight" monologue saluted his favorite comedy targets during his 17 years as host that ended Friday. "Welcome to the exciting season finale of `The Tonight Show,'" a smiling Leno said as the studio audience gave him a standing ovation. "I want to thank all the people who it possible: Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton." After noting that former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush were taking part in a joint speaking engagement in Canada, Leno remarked wistfully: "I wish I had one more day." He didn't refrain from mocking his network although he's moving to NBC's prime-time schedule this fall. He was offered the chance to buy his dressing-room robe for $40, he quipped, and then gave NBC a sharp dig over its slumping prime-time ratings. His new show represents a gamble, Leno said: "I'm betting NBC will be around in three months. That's not a given." Leno also fit in a last shot at O.J. Simpson, another monologue favorite. In cleaning out his office today, the comedian said, "I found O.J.'s knife. I had it the whole time." He did his now-customary one-liners about the economy, and then paid tribute to Rodney Dangerfield, the routine's inspiration, with old "Tonight" clips. Dangerfield died in 2004. Leno was ushered on stage with a Jimi Hendrix-flavored version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" played by bandleader Kevin Eubanks, who tried to tell a joke and, to Leno's delight, flubbed it. A new segment was introduced called "White Trash Theater," which consisted of a clip of a woman trying to drive a man away from her porch by hitting him with a beer bottle and a trash-can lid. Leno leaves "Tonight" atop the late-night ratings, his run abbreviated by NBC's decision five years ago to create a succession plan that gives "Tonight" to Conan O'Brien. O'Brien, who takes over Monday, was Leno's final guest, with James Taylor the last musical performer. More on Jay Leno
 
Huff TV: Arianna On CNN, Discusses GOP Attacks On Sotomayor Top
Arianna appeared on CNN's "The Situation Room" alongside Tony Blankley to discuss the Clinton/Bush debate and what she termed the "self-destructive" GOP attacks on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: Embedded video from CNN Video More on CNN
 
Arthur Delaney: Obama's "American Stories": Families Profiled In Campaign Ad Still Struggling Top
Full Story As Election Day neared last fall, the Obama campaign went big with a 30-minute television ad that profiled four American families struggling to keep afloat in a worsening economy. Between each of the "American Stories," as Obama called them, the video showed the candidate on the hustings, promising "a rescue plan for the middle class." Four months into Obama's presidency, only one of those folks has seen anything resembling a rescue -- and it wasn't because of any government program. After the ad aired, a mysterious angel donor helped cover the costs of surgery and copayments for the Ohio retiree who suffered from crippling rheumatoid arthritis in her right hand. Read HuffPost's Barack Obama Big News Page But not much has changed for the New Mexico educator. And the Ford employee in Kentucky has been anxiously watching the administration as it guides General Motors into bankruptcy, a process with ripple effects that could cost him his job. Things are bad enough for the fourth person featured, Rebecca Johnston, a 34-year-old mother of four in Missouri, that she has come up with a rescue plan of her own. Obama said in the ad, Johnston is "all about her family." That's why next week she'll be joining the Army Reserves. Read HuffPost's Supreme Court Big News Page "My kids' ages range between 15 to 3. At this point I look at it like I can't contribute anything to their college, I can barely make their health care costs, we're just skimming by paycheck to paycheck," Johnston told the Huffington Post. "When you're as desperate as we feel at this age...you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet." In the ad, Johnston showed Obama's cameraman where she put her kids' snacks in the refrigerator door. Some of the shelves were bare. "If they know this is it for them for the whole week, then they will make it last longer." Johnston told the Huffington Post that she's enlisting for the family health benefits. "It will considerably cut our costs," she explained. Johnston added that the army will help pay off her student loans and allow her to return to school to earn a bachelor's degree. And Johnston's husband, Brian, will be able to get the knee surgery that Obama said the family had been putting off to pay for other things. But the benefits come with a price tag. After basic training, Johnston will have to serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year. And she will face the prospect of a war-zone deployment every few years in a six-year commitment. Sgt. Darron Howell, Johnston's recruiter, told the Huffington Post that she will be enlisting in the 325th Combat Support Hospital based in Independence, Mo., a unit that returned from Afghanistan a few months ago. Johnston will work as a patient administration specialist, a job similar to the one she currently holds at Liberty Hospital. But it isn't just the family health benefits and education funding that motivate her. "She's got some service-to-country feelings," Howell said. "She's been raised a very patriotic person." Johnston said she is prepared for deployment in a war zone. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm not opposed to supporting my country," she said. After a year she said that she may switch to active duty. Despite that patriotic upbringing (her brother is headed to Afghanistan in July), Johnston said her parents don't approve of the plan, and neither do some of her friends. "We're just going to have to show them," she said. "What works for one family doesn't necessarily work for another, and just because it's not conventional doesn't make it wrong." She said that she created a "big giant black binder" that has all the "mom" info her husband will need if she goes to Afghanistan. "It has everything -- all the important phone numbers, medical authorizations, grocery lists, recipes," she said. Despite her personal sacrifice, Johnston said she still thinks President Obama is doing a decent job. "I believed in everything that he wanted to do for us," she said. "I'm not disappointed yet." The positive feelings of the participants in the Obama campaign ad reflect recent polls showing that the president continues to receive high approval ratings despite rising unemployment and economic uncertainties. Full Story... Related: Obama Addresses "Identity Politics" Accusations Obama Five Guys Visit: Orders Cheeseburger (VIDEO, SLIDESHOW) Michelle Obama At Bancroft Elementary School: FLOWER POWER (PHOTOS) Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Barack Obama
 
Scott Mendelson: Huff Post Review: Up (2009) Top
Up 2009 102 minutes Rated PG by Scott Mendelson Up is the best animated film since Meet The Robinsons . Both films are unabashedly sentimental fables about the broad strokes of life. While Meet The Robinsons dealt with a young orphan boy who learns to accept the hardships that early life can bring, so that he can 'keep moving forward', Up is about a man at the end of his life, with seemingly nothing to live for except to look backwards with fondness and regret. At the risk of scaring off would-be viewers, it is the most achingly sad romantic fable since Away From Her. And while I wouldn't recommend it as a casual date movie, and I'm not sure how it will play as a family film (since the kids might wonder why mommy and daddy are crying), it is a gloriously beautiful adventure film that will likely remain the finest film of 2009. A token amount of plot - Elderly Carl (Ed Asner) has just buried Elle: his wife, his childhood sweetheart and his best friend. Waking up without any purpose to his life, he simply sits on his couch, mourning both his loss and the one adventure that his wife and he never got around to taking (life kept getting in the way). After circumstances put both his house and his freedom in jeopardy, Carl decides to live out Elle's childhood dream (traveling to South America and living in a house on the mountaintop next to the theoretical Paradise Falls). Using leftover balloons from his days as a balloon peddler, Carl sets sail as his entire home floats into the sky. As he embarks on one final adventure to keep a promise, he soon discovers that a young 'wilderness explorer scout' has accidentally stowed himself away on the front porch. That's all you get. I wouldn't dream of revealing what Carl encounters on his journey. It offers up its visual pleasures without explanation and without apology, knowing that it has earned its right to its own imagination. The film is surprisingly simple, with a relatively straight-ahead narrative that takes only a few twists along the way. As he and the young boy bond through their mutual grief (young Russell is mourning the apparent divorce of his parents and the absence of his father), Carl desperately tries to get his house to the falls before the helium runs out. Despite the melancholy undertone, this is, similar to the last Indiana Jones picture, an often rousing story about a man nearing the end of his days discovering that he still has a life left to live. While the film is basically about death and the fragility of life, Up is every bit as funny and exciting as any other Pixar film. The 'talking dog' (via electronic collar) revealed in the previews is just the beginning of the glorious discoveries that are in store. The animation is, of course, astonishing, with rich bright colors and vivid details around every corner. The score by Michael Giacchino is every bit as rousing as his work on The Incredibles. And the vocal work (mostly filled with actual voice over artists, save for Delroy Lindo and Christopher Plummer) is splendidly low-key and naturalistic and always at the service of the story (Ed Asner is wonderful per usual, although most of Carl's best moments are silent ones). Even if kids don't get the heavy dramatics at play, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud gags and gee-whiz action scenes to keep them enthralled. Up is a wonderfully touching, openly dark, and surprisingly surreal adventure story. To call the picture 'sentimental' would be an understatement, as it is often an ode to sentimentality. It uses wordless montage and the power of silence every bit as effectively as Wall-E and it's often just as action-packed as The Incredibles. It is a beautiful story, gloriously told with rich and vivid characters, eye-popping visual splendor and acknowledges the complete despairs and utter joys of life in one fell swoop. It is the finest film of 2009 and one of the finest animated films I've seen in my lifetime. Up is just that good. Grade: A+
 
Rendell: Sestak Would "Get Killed" And "Marginalized" If He Runs Against Specter Top
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell sent an unusually blunt message to prospective senatorial candidate Joe Sestak on Friday, saying that if the congressman ran against Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary he would lose and fade into political obscurity. Appearing on the "Ed Show", Rendell didn't apply even the slightest bit of sugar coating to his advice. Specter, he said, would kill Sestak in a primary largely because he has a history of aiding constituents, has the backing of the party machinery, and is supported by the president. "I'm a great admirer of Joe Sestak and worked hard to get him elected and re-elected," Rendell said. "And I'm going to work hard to get him re-elected when he runs for Congress next year. Not for the Senate. Joe should not run for the Senate in the Democratic primary. He would get killed." "[Sestak] doesn't want to be marginalized," Rendell reasoned. "He doesn't want to get 15 or 18 percent [of the vote]. Joe should run for Congress again; establish some seniority. His time will come... but it is not this year." And what if it was this year? "We will lose a terrific Congressman," Rendell said. "Joe Sestak runs against Arlen Specter, he is out of the Congress after just two short terms. We will lose a terrific Congressman and when he loses to Arlen, he fades into political obscurity." Rendell's remarks on the 2010 election - the most candid offered to date - come just days after Sestak announced, also on the "Ed Show", that he would likely mount a challenge to Specter in the primary. Should he do so, Rendell said, the chips will undoubtedly be stacked against him. Not, necessarily, because Specter is more ideologically in tune with Pennsylvania Democrats, though Rendell did argue that the state was more conservative than widely believed. But rather because the party - from the local pols to the White House - would all be working on Specter's behalf. "It's unbelievable how many [local Democrats] know Arlen personally and admired him and supported him even though he was a Republican in the past," said Rendell. "You can't buy that and you can't overcome that in one campaign. It's been 30 years. Number two, Arlen specter, will raise two, three, four times as much money as Joe Sestak. Number three: Arlen Specter has the support of the president and vice president. The president who has got a 90 percent approval rating among registered democrats in Pennsylvania." "I think Joe should think about what Arlen has done," Rendell concluded, "the alliances that he's made over the years, the constituent service operation that he has that is second to none, and the fact that he does have the support of Democrats, particularly the president."
 

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