Saturday, May 9, 2009

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Vickie Karp: Third Screen: Yoko Ono Calling, and It's For You Top
At John Lennon: The New York City Years , opening Tuesday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York, watch out for the phone near the exit. It's called Telephone Peace . It will have a little sign on it which says if it rings, pick up the phone. And, according to a NY Times review of the exhibit, it will indeed ring from time to time. When it does, it will be Yoko Ono calling, live, to chat with you. Here's the Times : ... A touch of the avant-garde playfulness of Lennon's early New York period is on display as well. Near the exit is "Telephone Peace," a white telephone mounted on a wall, with a card telling visitors to answer the phone when it rings. "This is something we did at the show in 2000," Mr. Henke said. "Yoko would periodically call in and speak to whoever answers." Ms. Ono seemed amused at the prospect. "Yes, you pick up the phone," she said, "and it will be me...." It reminds me of a play I heard about staged at Goethe Institute earlier this year. Apparently, you were led into a large room and invited to sit down on a couch and pick up the telephone when it rang. There on the other end of the line was an actor, in character, who performed the play -- a conversation with you. I hope these are just some of the early signs of a new wave of 21st century telephone art. Some notes for further development: The Library King You're reading Patricia Cornwell at the library, near the pay phone. Suddenly, it rings, and you notice a little sign on it that says, "If this phone rings, pick it up." Hi, this is Pat Cornwell. How do you like the book? I was a little worried about that part in Chapter Three where Kay Scarpetta uses white wine instead of vodka in the pasta sauce. What do you think? Blythe Cop Show Spirit You're in Times Square, admiring that gigantic ad for The Closer in which Kyra Sedgewick is wearing a very attractive yellow and black dress made out of police tape reading "Do Not Cross The Line." Suddenly, you notice the pay phone in the bus stop says "If this phone rings, pick it up." Hi, this is Kyra, hope you're going to tune in on June 8th. My parents say hello. How's the weather in NY today? Are people still wearing jackets? Dinner At Eight with Mark You're buying a hot dog and the vendor's cell phone goes off. He pulls it from his pocket and looks at it quizzically. It's for you, he says at last, handing it over. Hi, this is Mark Bittman. Are you sure you want to go through with this hot dog thing you're doing? Phona Lisa You're at the Met, feeling a little uncomfortable as you look at the cat mummy in the Egyptian Wing. The phone rings. A little sign on it says "If this phone rings, pick it up...." Was it really that dark and empty in the corridor when you first walked in? Where are the tourists? Where are the guards? And anyway, how is a cat mummy even art?
 
Craig Crawford: A Vlog Invite for the DC Prom Top
Join me tonight at the White House Correspondents Dinner for my live Cell Cam Vlog of Washington's ultimate prom date. See my clean tux and other preparations NOW ON YOU TUBE (Click "SUBSCRIBE" on that page for real-time notifications through the night). Craig previews the dinner with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann . . . Craig blogs daily at craigcrawford.com on CQ Politics.
 
Michelle Kraus: Obama Calls for Credit Card Reform By Memorial Day Top
No not really! Obama's proposed credit card crack down does not go far enough. It certainly is a first step for a beautiful Saturday morning in May, but his team has got to get much tougher on the financial institutions. The reality is that we are in the midst of an unprecedented bail out for these very same financial institutions. Billions are being allocated to stabilize the banks, while consumers continue to be walloped by increasing interest rates for an existing and new debt -- when it can be found. Credit card interest rate are ballooning to 30% interest. So a lucky consumer can refinance their mortgage for 5% interest or even less, but carry credit card debt for 30% interest. This does not make sense. These lucky ones can live in their home, but struggle to pay their credit card bills. Is the American public is being punished for the mortgage bailout by these financial institutions? The corner "shylock" might have more favorable and predictable terms! Interest rates have been indiscriminately raised for consumers over the last year, often even for good clients with little notice or purpose. The Obama Administration must develop sweeping policies and regulations to mandate change within our financial institutions. The legislation proposed, known as the Credit Card Holders' Bill of Rights does not even go into effect, if passed in the Senate, for another 12 months except for notification of interest rate increases. Understandably, the banking lobby is up in arms, and we know we must not let our elected officials in the House and Senate, crumble under these attacks. Again, we are poised at another crossroads. Do we allow many more Americans to be pushed over the edge into unfathomable financial crisis? In many cases the use of credit cards is not a matter of living beyond a person's means; rather it is a necessity while salaries have been slashed or jobs lost. If we can mandate the kind of programs to restructure mortgage debt, we certainly must do better than this. More on Bailout Bandits
 
Quincy Jones: Arts Education in America Top
In 1943, the United States Armed Forces Institute published a second edition of War Department Education Manual EM 603 Discovering Music: A Course in Music Appreciation by Howard D. McKinney and W.R. Anderson. The material presented in the book was a reprint of educational material taken from existing standard textbook matter used in American schools and colleges at that time and is significant to this discussion because the text included the following when discussing jazz: Some may start with an enthusiasm for music of the jazz type, but they cannot go far there, for jazz is peculiarly of an inbred, feeble-stock race, incapable of development. In any case, the people for whom it is meant could not understand it if it did develop. Jazz is sterile. It is all right for fun, or as a mild anodyne, like tobacco. But its lack of rhythmical variety (necessitated by its special purpose), its brevity, its repetitiveness and lack of sustained development, together with the fact that commercial reasons prevent its being, as a rule, very well written, all mark it as a side issue, having next to nothing to do with serious music; and consequently it has proved itself entirely useless as a basis for developing the taste of the amateur. The ambitious listener might better start from the level of Chopin's melodious piano music, or Grieg's northern elegiacs or Tchaikovsky's gorgeous colorfulness. Fast-forward 56 years to 1999 where I had the distinct pleasure of contributing to 250 Ways To Make America Better , a collection of suggestions for improving America published by JFK, Jr. and the editors of George magazine. Among my eight suggestions to better the country was: Give utmost attention to at-risk youth, Pay teachers higher wages, and Appoint an American minister of culture (Don't worry - I am NOT rallying for the job. I have a job. I have several jobs!). I cite the text from these two publications because I believe they provide the perfect bookends from which an honest and earnest discussion about the importance of the arts in America can begin. As a musician, and at my core a jazz musician, my natural inclination is to gravitate to my area of specialty where this subject is concerned. But make no mistake, every artistic vocation whether it is music, dance, painting, literature, the moving image or architecture is vitally important to the fabric of our country's history and deserves to be protected, promoted and nurtured. As my friend Frank Gehry says, if architecture is frozen music, then music is liquid architecture. For far too long, dating back to the emergence of Jazz and the Blues, our country has treated its only indigenous music as something unworthy of value because it was born on plantations and reared in jook joints. But the power that it possessed was mighty. From the time that I first traveled abroad as a 19 year-old trumpeter with Lionel Hampton in 1951 to being the music director for Dizzy Gillespie's State Department Tour in 1956 -- the first United States sponsored goodwill tour -- to the unifying power of "We Are The World" in 1985, I witnessed firsthand the transformational effects of our Gospel, Blues and Jazz, and its ability to transcend geographic and cultural boundaries. And without fail, it was and remains America's artistic contributions, especially its music, that is universally embraced by other cultures, pushing aside their own indigenous music and adopting ours as their Esperanto. But today, we sit as one of two Western nations in the world without a Minister of Culture. When Jaime Austria and Peter Weitzner, two New York musicians, took the initiative after hearing a radio interview that I did several months ago to create an on-line petition calling for the appointment of a Secretary of the Arts -- an idea which I had originally suggested more than 10 years ago -- my belief in the power of the arts to bring people together for a common cause was reaffirmed yet again as the petition gained steam across America with an enormous outpouring of support. It is so disheartening to me that today our children have no idea of their country's cultural heritage. For example, last fall while I was in Seattle during the opening ceremony of the performance arts center at my alma mater Garfield High School, a group of students gathered around me and one young man said that he was a musician and wanted advice on how to further his career. I told him "that first he had to really learn and master his craft." Then I asked him, "Do you know who Louis Armstrong was?" He said, "I think I've heard of him." I asked, "Do you know who Duke Ellington was?" He said, "No." Again I asked, "Do you know who Dizzy Gillespie was?" Again he responded "No." "Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk?" I asked, and again he said "No." It tore my heart apart that on this day that my alma mater was naming a building after me, that this young man had no idea who the men were that put me on their shoulders and helped shaped who I was as a young musician. Men who will forever stand at the foundation of popular music, and who I believe in years to come will be regarded as America's Chopins, Griegs and Tchaikovskys. We currently have prestigious institutions tasked with overseeing the promotion and caretaking of our cultural legacy but regrettably, they have been unable to open up the vast treasures of our culture to all segments of our society. In the face of our record business collapsing around the world, I consider it a tragedy on the part of our educational institutions that our children are virtually devoid of their home-grown culture while that same culture is accepted and celebrated all over the world. With the belief that we must first clean our own house in regard to preserving our cultural legacy, I recently hosted a gathering of some of our nation's leaders in music education, the music industry, corporations, foundations and philanthropists to share resources, networks and ideas to make music education an ongoing part of the lives of children in the United States. The objective of this initial consortium will be to identify a 12-month plan of very specific action steps that will serve as the foundation achieving the goals of 1. Creating a program that ensures our children are thoroughly grounded in the history of American music and its importance to the cultural identity of our nation. 2. Increase the percentage of children that are participating in at-school and after-school programs. 3. Increase the quality and number of the most qualified music educators in the United States. 4. Through partnership with the participants, develop shared advocacy and funding initiatives for youth music programs. Our culture is as much a part of and just as important to our American history as Washington's crossing of the Delaware, the invasion of Normandy and the landing of a man on the moon and is just as important to our children's educational development. It has been proven time and time again in countless studies that students who actively participate in arts education are twice as likely to read for pleasure, have strengthened problem-solving and critical thinking skills, are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance, and four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay of poem. Can you imagine what that does for the self esteem of a child? The confidence it instills in them to overcome any obstacle that they are presented with? Every great society from the Egyptians, to the Greek and Roman Empires, has been defined by its cultural contributions. The commercial benefits of the arts not withstanding -- our artistic endeavors are a consistent source of revenue in the United States and our nation's largest export -- can we really run the risk of becoming a culturally bankrupt nation because we have not inserted a curriculum into our educational institutions that will teach and nurture creativity in our children? That when future generations look back our cultural legacy is an age of disposable, vapid pabulum. I am of the mindset that you have to know where you come from to get to where you're going. The time has come to make a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors to put in place a system whereby our children and future generations will be aware of our county's rich cultural legacy and contributions to the world. The arts, particularly our music, are the soul of our country. They are an expression of our spiritual ideals and a timeline of the emotional state of our nation... scars and all. It is a disservice to every American not to recognize them in their proper light. Regarding jazz, the War Department Education Manual EM 603 Discovering Music: A Course in Music Appreciation would go on to conclude that: Jazz is too fixed in its limitations and too narrow in the variety and quality of its content to be able to maintain itself long in a world of flux and change. Influential as it has been as a factor in the cultivation of present-day taste, it can hardly be looked upon as a real basis for the development of an American musical idiom. As a jazz man, I'm thrilled that they were wrong. Our country has a long history of discarding and devaluing our cultural resources particularly where music is concerned. And although we have thankfully evolved in this pursuit, we still have much further to go before we can claim that we are diligent protectors of our cultural heritage. In the global landscape that we live in today where ideas are exchanged with the stroke of a send key, what better way to influence nations than by exposing them to the basic belief in freedom of expression that is inherent in our nation and witnessed through our culture. More on Celebs Talk Politics
 
Douglas Maupin Jailed 83 Days For Skipping Jury Duty Top
McKINNEY, Texas — A man arrested for allegedly failing to appear for jury duty was released Saturday after spending 83 days in jail, a length of detention that a judge called "unacceptable." Douglas Maupin was released a day after The Dallas Morning News brought his plight to the attention of a Collin County judge. Maupin, a masonry contractor, was arrested Feb. 15 after police pulled him over for speeding. Police then detained him on a 2003 warrant for failure to appear for jury duty. He wrote a letter to the newspaper about his lengthy jail stay, then said in a jailhouse interview that he, his friends and family could not afford his $1,500 bail. He said his attempt to get a public defender was rebuffed by a jail clerk. District Judge Chris Oldner said he was unaware of Maupin's detention until Friday, even though the case was assigned to his court. The judge who signed the original 2003 warrant had retired, and officials said the case was assigned to the court of his replacement but the offense didn't fall under that court's responsibility. "He should not have spent that much time. This is unacceptable," Oldner told the Morning News. "I don't know why the process failed to notify us." Oldner also said that Maupin should have been allowed to apply for a public defender. Maupin, 34, said he just wanted his day in court. "I do know I have the right to due process and a speedy trial," he said. "I've had neither. It's not right." The judge said he was "disappointed this has happened," and promised to investigate.
 
Karl Frisch: 10 years after Matthew Shepard and media still can't get it right Top
You can follow Karl on Twitter and Facebook . Ten years ago, a gay University of Wyoming student was picked up at a bar by two young men, driven out to the middle of nowhere, pistol-whipped, tortured, robbed, tied to a fence and left for dead. Eighteen hours later he was found -- still alive but comatose -- by a bicyclist, who at first thought the seemingly lifeless body, its face completely covered in blood except for the skin-colored trails left by tears, was a "scarecrow." At the time of the brutal attack that resulted in Matthew Shepard 's death six days later, I was working as finance director for then-Rep. Jim Nussle, an Iowa Republican with a staunchly anti-gay voting record. Back then I'd never told a soul that I was gay. The attack did more than frighten me; it knocked the wind out of me. Raised in Los Angeles but now living in rural Iowa, I was concerned that should my secret ever be found out, I would face a fate similar to that of Shepard. The response from those around me within the conservative movement -- that Shepard was a "fag," that he shouldn't have flirted with the defendants, that he would burn in hell for his sexual orientation -- only sent me deeper into the closet. During the ensuing trial of Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, the prosecutor argued that the defendants had played gay in order to gain Shepard's trust. Their girlfriends even testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney had planned in advance to rob a gay man. Ultimately, for kidnapping, robbing and murdering Shepard, Henderson and McKinney were each given two consecutive life sentences. Henderson avoided the death penalty in exchange for his guilty plea, and McKinney at the behest of Shepard's parents upon his conviction. In the years that followed, I would slowly come to grips with my sexuality. I came out to friends and family. I abandoned the conservative movement in search of greener, less hateful pastures. I embraced hope and rejected fear. The country was changing right alongside me as public attitudes toward gay and lesbian Americans steadily improved throughout the decade. For all the progress, though, debate over enhancing the current federal hate crimes law by including gay, lesbian, and transgender people among its protected classes rages on -- race, color, religion and national origin have been protected for years. How can it be that 10 years after Shepard's brutal, bias-motivated murder we still find ourselves caught up in the same tired debate? Witness Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina. During a debate over hate crimes legislation that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, she said : "The hate crimes bill was named for [Shepard], but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills." Foxx's "hoax" comment was made in an effort to bolster her apparent belief that Shepard's murder was the result of a robbery gone wrong. Where on Earth could she have come up with such an idea? Enter ABC's 20/20. In 2004 the long-running network newsmagazine aired a special on the Wyoming hate crime that, as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) put it at the time , attempted to "undermine the notion that anti-gay bias contributed to" the murder. Most damning of all, GLAAD noted that "20/20's piece relies heavily on the perceived credibility of Aaron McKinney, who is now claiming to have lied about the role anti-gay bias played in his decision to target and kill Shepard," and that McKinney's girlfriend "now claims she made up the story about McKinney's homophobic rage against Shepard," which she testified to at McKinney's trial. Among other things , GLAAD also found that 20/20 had ignored "several important sources and pieces of information." There was "no discussion of the details of Aaron McKinney's confession to the police, where anti-gay bias [was] central to his characterization," "[n]o mention of the plea bargain that spared McKinney's life," and no mention of the provision of that plea bargain barring McKinney and his attorneys from discussing the case with the media. Long before finding its way into Foxx's " hoax " remarks on the House floor, 20/20's report provided fodder for those opposed to an expanded federal hate crimes law. Perhaps fearing a hate crimes bill that protects gay, lesbian, and transgender people will soon be enacted -- thanks to a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and the president -- many media conservatives have seen fit to maliciously attack the legislation, just as 20/20 twisted and misreported the events surrounding Shepard's death. During a recent broadcast of his top-rated cable program, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said of the hate crimes bill , which not only adds gay, lesbian, and transgender people to the list of protected classes but the disabled as well, "[Y]ou could make an argument that a pedophile has a disease, and because the disease is there, he's a target or she's a target." O'Reilly later added that pedophiles could be included because "[d]isability is included. They have a mental disability." He's wrong. Pedophilia is not considered a "disability" under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; in fact, the ADA specifically excludes pedophilia. Bringing up "pedophilia" during discussion of gay and lesbian issues is old hat for those opposed to full equality for the LGBT community. O'Reilly wasn't alone pushing this line of attack at Fox News. Sean Hannity, Bill Hemmer, and The Fox Nation website all advanced the false claim that House Democrats voted to "protect" or "defend" pedophiles. On-screen text along the bottom of the screen on Fox quite literally read , "HOUSE DEMS VOTE TO PROTECT PEDOPHILES, BUT NOT VETERANS." When they weren't spouting off nonsense about pedophiles being protected in the legislation, they were busy pushing the false notion that passage of the bill would somehow suppress religious thought or speech. During a segment on Fox News' America's Newsroom, correspondent Molly Henneberg reported without question that religious groups are concerned that "they may be prosecuted for their religious beliefs if they believe that homosexuality is a sin, that it could gag ministers who preach that, or even if a church may not want to marry a gay couple. There is concern that they could face lawsuits as well." Let us be clear: The assertion that this legislation would allow individuals or groups to "be prosecuted for their religious beliefs" is patently false. Section 8 of the bill unambiguously states that "[n]othing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the Constitution" -- which, of course, includes the First Amendment's right to free speech and exercise of religion. Reporters, hosts, anchors, and pundits -- indeed, all Americans -- are free to feel and speak as they wish about the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. It's their right, even if they aren't being honest. Unfortunately, too many have chosen to use this freedom with complete disregard for the facts. Fox News and those who parrot its brand of deceptive reporting on this issue have been left behind by an America that continues its centuries-long march toward increased equality. How frightened they must be. Karl Frisch is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America , a progressive media watchdog, research, and information center based in Washington, D.C. Frisch also contributes to County Fair , a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary. More on Bill O'Reilly
 
Karin Kloosterman: Swine Flu Prompts Israel, The PA, and Jordan Authorities To Spring To Action Top
The 2,000-mile border between Mexico and the United States is nothing compared to the short distances of about 100 miles between the major cities in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Borders, distances and how we cross them have taken on new significance lately with the latest outbreak of swine flu, or the H1N1 flu, a global epidemic. Especially severe in Mexico where it is thought to originate, the virulent virus knows no borders, and is a potential risk for people everywhere. While it might seem that Israelis and Palestinians would have a difficult, if not impossible mission of working together to diagnose and contain H1N1, the reality is far from the truth. Without knowing it, they were preparing for what could become a pandemic, already last September. The story starts six years ago, when nine top health officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and nearby Jordan formed a league - the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS), to stop the spread of food borne illnesses such as salmonella, across borders. MECIDS is supported by the Search for Common Ground non-profit organization, the Global Health and Security Initiative, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Making the most of friendships With three officials from each region taking part in MECIDS, rather than open up yet another organization to tackle avian flu in 2005 when the epidemic became a global concern, MECIDS officials from the respective Ministries of Health and Agriculture decided to add the new flu to their initiative. "We decided to take the infrastructure of MECIDS with its people and friendships," says Dr. Alex Leventhal, director of Israel's Health Ministry Department of International Relations, who is a MECIDS member. Academic research from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority is now part of the collaboration. The members all agreed that influenza -- even more than food-borne diseases -- does not respect national boundaries and that international planning against it would be essential. Even after the threat of avian flu went away, the group continued working together and last September held a joint meeting and exercise to simulate how the governments would act if faced with another flu epidemic. Fully prepared with standardized diagnostic equipment, this past Friday MECIDS officials met in Jerusalem for a five hour meeting to plan how it will monitor and tackle swine flu should it continue to spread. Increasing the efficiency in their laboratories was one concern. Egypt, which recently called to cull all its pig population, was also invited to join the meeting, as were reporters from Al Jazeera invited by the Palestinian representative Assad Ramlawi, the Palestinian director of public health services, who is now the chair of MECIDS. Pandemic drills last September "The idea behind MEDICS is that everybody is equal. So when I decided to be chairman of the group, I suggested it would be a rotating chair," says Leventhal. "This isn't part of the culture in Arab world," he says. "Last September we had an exchange between the three parties and everyone was explaining what would be the national plan for a pandemic," says Leventhal. What each party would do at each stage and what each country is going to do is now drafted in the plan. Jordan and the Palestinian Authority now has the proper equipment to test for the H1N1 flu, but still, Israel has offered its lab services at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center - as backup or in the case where a second opinion will be needed, says Leventhal. There is a common interest among members of this group, he explains. "For instance we have decided we have to upgrade the lab capabilities of the three countries. The organization has bought machinery for diagnostic equipment for the PA and Jordan and we've studied together. Now the same machine [for testing H1N1 flu] will be used in all three countries," he says. "If one country is stronger, the others will get more in order to harmonize," says Leventhal, about the partnership. A continued alliance to fight pandemics "The Jordanians are checking anyone who comes in from Israel. We in Israel only hand out information pamphlets, we aren't conducting tests based on the assumption that the chances of someone coming from Mexico to Jordan and then to Israel is low. We told them that if the need arises, the laboratory at Tel HaShomer is at their disposal," Leventhal said in a previous news story. He adds that the group is scheduled to meet again in two weeks. At present, there have been no confirmed cases of the flu strain in either Jordan or the Palestinian Authority. The lack of confirmed cases, however, does not rule out that cases do not exist there. It may be a question of education about the virus, and a citizen's willingness to get checked. "We decided we have to do some work together and will meet in the second week in May. If they want our help we can help provide the answers," says Leventhal, offering Israel's services. At the time of posting this report, there were seven confirmed cases of H1N1 virus in Israel, with none in the Palestinian Authority or Jordan. So far Jordan, and the PA report no cases, while Egypt (even after it's controversial pig cull inflaming religious tensions ) confirms one case. ### Karin Kloosterman is a Canadian-Israeli journalist and blogger living in Jaffa, Israel. This article is reprinted with permission from ISRAEL21c - www.israel21c.org . She also blogs on Middle East green issues at Green Prophet , and at TreeHugger . More on Swine Flu
 
Cell Phone Ban May Follow Boston Trolley Crash Top
BOSTON — The head of the Boston-area transit authority said Saturday he'll ban all train and bus operators from even carrying cell phones on board after a trolley driver told police he was texting his girlfriend before a collision Friday. About 50 people were hurt in the underground crash in downtown Boston, though none of the injuries was life-threatening. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority already bans operators from using cell phones and recently ran an internal ad campaign featuring a poster of an open cell phone that warned employees not to drive "under the influence." But general manager Daniel Grabauskas said Saturday the temptation obviously was too great for some. "I want to remove any temptation by one or two people stupid enough to think a moment of convenience is worth the lives of the people they're transporting," he said. "I'm not going to wait for someone to die to institute a policy whose time I think has come." Grabauskas said the new ban would apply to anyone working on board a train or bus. He said he hopes to have the policy in place within a week. The proposal won quick support from Steve MacDougall, president and business agent of the Boston Carmen's Union, Local 589, which represents most of the MBTA's roughly 6,000 employees MacDougall said it was clear that Friday's accident could have been "far, far worse than it was." He said he expects some resistance to the policy from union members who believe they're being punished for the irresponsibility of a single employee. But he said he believes most workers eventually will embrace the change. "When it comes to public safety and operating public transportation vehicles, a line has to be drawn," he said. State Transportation Secretary James Aloisi Jr., chairman of the MBTA Board of Directors, said accidents like Friday's have become too common, citing a train accident last year in California in which 25 people were killed. An engineer involved in that crash was found to have sent and received dozens of text messages, including one sent 22 seconds before the crash. Aloisi said he doesn't know of any policy nationwide as tough as what the MBTA is planning. Friday's accident happened about 7:20 p.m. in a tunnel between the Green Line's Park Street and Government Center stations. A two-car train was stopped at a red signal, waiting to enter Park Station, when it was hit by another two-car train. About 100 people were evacuated, including some who had to be extracted from the trains, and 49 were taken to area hospitals. The worst injury was a broken wrist suffered by the 24-year-old operator whom officials say admitted to police that he was sending a text message at the time of the crash. The MBTA did not release the man's name, but Grabauskas said he would be fired, assuming the preliminary findings of the investigation are borne out. Criminal charges against the driver are being considered by the transit police and the local district attorney's office, Grabauskas said. The Green Line remained closed Saturday as a National Transportation Safety Board team investigated the scene. Grabauskas said he hoped the line would be running by day's end Saturday. The current MBTA policy increases penalties for workers each time they're caught using cell phones on board. Under the new one, a worker would be fired the first time he or she carried a cell phone on board. Workers have been allowed to use cell phones off the trains and buses while between trips. Buses are equipped with global positioning systems in case the radios fail, and most trolley riders have cell phones, which could be a backup if a radio malfunctions on a train, Grabauskas said. The MBTA also has a system that allows family members to inform employees of problems at home and the MBTA to send new drivers, without using cell phones. Grabauskas said Friday's accident leaves no doubt the change is needed. "There's no rationale, no excuse for this," he said. (This version CORRECTS EDITS thruout to correct to operator or driver, sted conductor; SUBS graf 11 to ADD details about California accident; SUBS graf 17 to ADD details of new policy. AP Video.)
 
Huff Radio: Left, Right & Center: From Stress Tests to Jack Kemp Top
Alert the media -- banks need money! Who's stressed and who's reassured by the government's test of the banks' capitalization? Can we muddle through the morass of the walking wounded institutions and come out the other end stronger? Will taxpayers ever get their money back? Whose shoulders should the burden fall on? Pakistan's in serious danger, Afghanistan's hardly a model of an emerging democracy. Their leaders are in Washington; what will the United States' role be? Is President Obama falling for the trap of terrorism or should the focus on aid focus solely on nuclear weapons? Maine legalized same sex marriage: is it still the political football it once was, or is this a human rights issue? Is it true, as Bob says, that state's rights have become the vehicle for progressive causes? And what is Obama's true position? Plus we remember Jack Kemp. More on Barack Obama
 
Sienna Miller: Travelogue from DR Congo: Day 3 Top
I'm sitting in the dark, due to a huge rainstorm as I write this, from the balcony of the International Medical Corps guesthouse in Bukavu, eastern DRC. We left Goma at the crack of dawn and sandwiched ourselves onto a boat that was full way beyond capacity. And we laughed the whole way because despite the immense darkness that exists here, this country is beautiful in so many ways. Bukavu feels far more like a city and is certainly more developed than Goma, but it is equal in beauty and in charm. We visited Panzi Hospital where IMC is training doctors and which has become world-renowned because of its incredible work with thousands of women who are in need of surgical repair for a condition called "fistula," a severe gynecologic rupture. It's a frighteningly common condition in eastern DRC because of lack of obstetric care, and the epidemic of rape. Panzi Hospital's Founder and Director is Dr. Denis Mukwege, often referred to as "the savior of women " and was named by a prestigious Nigerian newspaper as African of the Year in 2008. But this man is beyond labels. He shared some of his experiences with us and as you can imagine, they are horrific. The youngest rape victim he has had to treat was a three year old girl. I have to admit that after yesterday's displacement camps in Goma I was feeling pretty desolate. But visiting this hospital today felt as though there is a glimmering the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. There are women everywhere who have suffered innumerable traumas and they are finally being given the treatment and care they deserve. This place is set up like a full on sisterhood. And the strength of women in numbers was powerful and inspiring. Tomorrow we drive to Chambucha which is about a hundred kilometers north of Bukavu. The drive can take up to nine hours as the roads are treacherous and muddy from the rains. We have been briefed that this is an extremely volatile area. Lately there has been a marked increase in rebel activity. As I write I'm told there are ongoing actions occurring and the wounded are being brought to the hospital where we will be. Obviously, we have increased our security measures for the trip, but we all thought it was essential to see the work being done on the front lines of this conflict. IMC is providing the only health care in the area, and it would be futile to come all this way and not visit one of its most extreme and vulnerable areas. Communication is virtually impossible due to its remote location, so I will write when we return (weather permitting) on Friday.... (Don't spare the horses!) Sienna Miller is working with International Medical Corps , TakePart.com , and Children Mending Hearts to raise awareness of the long-running conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and its devastating impact on women and children. More on Congo
 
Body Found Near Where Georgia Professor's Jeep Was Located Top
ATHENS, Ga. — Police believe they found the body Saturday of a University of Georgia professor accused of killing his wife and two other people at a community theater two weeks ago. Two guns were found with the body, purposely hidden by dirt and brush, that fit the description of marketing professor George Zinkhan, said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin said. The weapons were consistent with the guns used in the April 25 shootings near the university. "There's nothing to indicate to us that it's not him," said Jim Fullington of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The body was discovered about a mile from where Zinkhan's Jeep was found wrecked and abandoned in a ravine a week ago. Authorities hoped to have a positive identification and cause of death by the end of the day, but didn't immediately release details about how they thought he died. Cadaver dogs found the body in thick woods about 10 miles west of Athens in Bogart, where Zinkhan had a home. Searchers had been looking in the area since the Jeep was discovered. Zinkhan has been missing since police say he opened fire on a reunion for a local theater group. Authorities said they believed Zinkhan left his two young children in the Jeep at the time of the shootings. He was last seen dropping the children off at a neighbor's house shortly after the shooting, saying there was an emergency. At one point, more than 200 law enforcement officers scoured the forest where the Jeep was found. Bulletins were also issued nationwide and authorities kept watch on airports in case Zinkhan tried to flee to Amsterdam, where he has taught part-time at a university since 2007. Federal authorities later revealed Zinkhan had an upcoming flight booked to Amsterdam, but the professor never showed up at the airport. Zinkhan had been a professor in the university's Terry College of Business and had no disciplinary problems, school officials said. He had taught at UGA since the 1990s and was fired after the shootings. The shooting victims were identified as Zinkhan's wife Marie Bruce, 47; Ben Teague, 63; and Tom Tanner, 40. Two others were injured by bullet fragments. Authorities said initially they had no motive for the shooting. Later the FBI said interviews with family and friends indicated Bruce may have been considering a divorce and said the shooting was likely a domestic dispute. It was midday April 25 when a few dozen members of the theater group were gathered at the Athens Community Theater. Most people were inside the theater, while a small group was gathered around a few benches outside. Police said an argument erupted between Zinkhan and Bruce, and they believe Zinkhan walked away briefly, before returning with two handguns. Each victim was shot multiple times. Zinkhan's wife, a family law attorney, had been serving as president of Town & Gown Players, the local theater group that was having the reunion at the Athens Community Theater. Tanner was a Clemson University economist who taught at the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs in Clemson, South Carolina. Tanner was playing Dr. John Watson in the group's performance of "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure." Teague was one of Town & Gown's longest-serving volunteers and was married to a popular University of Georgia English professor. ___ Associated Press writer Dorie Turner in Atlanta contributed to this report.
 

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