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Mike Doyle: The Good Life in Downtown Chicago Top
During their Windy City visit last week, Seattle's coolest couple, Kasey and John , waxed giddily about the fun and frolic of my downtown Chicago neighborhood. Their reaction stands in stark contrast to the one I normally get from native Chicagoans when I tell them I live downtown. It's almost like telling a New Yorker you never ride the subway. The response is always the same: no one's stopping you from doing it, but why would you want the hassle? Outer-neighborhood Chicagoans tend to think downtowners suffer through our central-city lives. How on earth do we live without backyard barbecues, front-door parking and a cricket on every window ledge? It's hard to describe the devotion some of us feel for our high-rise Chicago 'hood. It just widens the rift to try and explain the dreadful boredom their pastoral images of suburban Lincoln Square life bring up for us. And woe to us if we do express an iota of dissatisfaction with life at address numbers below 1200, well then. ("If you don't like it, then leave," is a common Windy City answer for all sorts of questions when the Chicagoan doing the answering can't think of anything else to say.) So just why do I live in downtown Chicago? Last fall, before warm weather headed towards 17 below, I took a walk to ponder an appropriate answer. I came down to earth from the 38th floor and found the couch ladies sunning themselves in the late afternoon on the Marina City plaza overlooking the Chicago River. "I never get tired of sitting out here," said Proud Mary, gazing across the river at the Loop. Beyond 70 now, she'd lived in the towers since she was just beyond 60. "To be able to see skyscrapers like this from your front yard never ceases to amaze me." "Living in Marina City is pretty interesting, in and of itself," said Great Kate, of similar age but far longer longevity in the towers. "What with Gary Kimmel , House of Blues craziness and Vincent Falk , there's never a dull moment." I left the ladies to their reverie and headed through the blooming former IBM Plaza to cross the river on the wooden planks of the Wabash Avenue Bridge, hearing the drone of tour guides from the architecture cruises passing below. Since I hadn't eaten dinner yet, I thought about dropping into Emerald Loop, the Vaughan-family pub tucked under the Jeweler's Building at the south end of the bridge. When I moved downtown, I never expected a hoodie two blocks from my house. Servers who recognize me, a mean rare burger ( as long as it isn't the weekend ) and a good head on a pint of Smithwicks in a downtown pub that isn't overrun by tourists is hard to turn down. But I was on a mission, so I passed by and walked over to Michigan Avenue. As I crossed Randolph, I ran into a film crew outside the Cultural Center. Coming from New York City, I've always found filming in my neighborhood bothersome. (Whether in Park Slope, Brooklyn, or downtown Chicago, who wants to delay their emergency pharmacy run for allergy meds so yet another Batman film crew can line up a shot?) I dodged the crew hand trying to stop me from crossing the street and proceeded through their shot and on my way. Music led me across the street into Millennium Park. A free evening of open-air ballroom dancing had taken over the lawn at the Pritzker Pavilion. I found the rhythmic movement of the crowd mesmerizing -- and a bit more calming than the rock fest that wafted through the flowers of the adjacent Lurie Garden during my (attempted) sunset meditation the day before. I continued across Monroe into Grant Park. It was 7 p.m. by now. In the distance, I could see Buckingham Fountain begin its hourly geysering. Ever since moving to Chicago, I've headed to the fountain whenever I've felt the need to ponder my life. That evening was no different. As usual, I sat on the benches in the southeast corner of the plaza and watched the fountain erupt across the backdrop of the Loop skyline to the delight of tourists, most likely all of whom -- like me, to this day -- unable to watch the spectacle without hearing the theme from Married with Children in their heads. But even my trusty fountain offered no way to explain to others why I live in downtown Chicago. So I headed back towards Michigan Avenue, past the ball fields along Balbo. The gay softball leagues were playing, so I paused to happily gape for awhile, then continued south on Michigan towards Roosevelt. The border flower gardens were still blooming along the way (thanks to Chicago's favorite gardening lesbian, Christy Webber, and her far South Side urban-landscaping empire). Tourists always seem to keep to the sidewalks at the edge of Grant Park. Instead, I made like local stroller pushers and dogwalkers and wended my way along the grass between the rows of plantings. Hunger finally won out at 11th Street. I turned back into the street grid, knowing exactly where to head. Corned beef with a shmear of chopped chicken liver and an egg cream (taken away early by the waiter, meaning -- score! -- second egg cream on the house) hit my ex-New Yorker spot at Eleven City Diner . I noshed until after 8. It was well past dark as I exited the eatery. Ordinarily I'd have walked home. I find the mid-evening hours in the Loop after the theater crowd has headed in off the sidewalks a time of quiet potential . But that night I was too pooped -- and stuffed -- to continue pedding. Instead, I headed to the Roosevelt CTA station and plopped down on a cloth-covered Orange Line seat for my 10-minute ride home to State and Lake, without an answer, thinking maybe I had it all wrong. What was the big deal about downtown Chicago, anyway? I could just picture my suburban friends marveling -- and rolling their eyes -- at walking two miles ("Why bother?") through a city park ("Was it safe?") to go to a diner ("Don't they deliver?") and come home on an 'L' train (for suburbanites, that speaks for itself). As the train hurtled north through the South Loop 'L' canyon, I was brought back to my senses by a glimpse of a State Street billboard sporting a single sentence, laid out in large letters over a big bullseye: "Living in Berwyn Makes Life Easier." And I'm sure it could. But for the life of me, I just can't figure out how.
 
Lloyd Garver: California For Sale Top
The fact that California is in bad shape financially does not make it unique. What makes it unique is Governor Schwarzenegger's suggestion to help get California back on its sandaled feet. He recently proposed that the state sell off some of its most famous properties: San Quentin Prison, the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Cow Palace, Del Mar Race Track, and various state buildings. He explained that it's just like some people in the current recession having to sell their homes or luxury items like boats, second cars, and motorcycles. He wants to have a big garage sale, and even sell the state's garages. I'm not an economist. I have trouble balancing my checkbook. (You remember checkbooks. Those are things that everybody used to carry with them when people kept track of how much they were spending). However, even a layman like me can see a big problem with the Governor's proposed sale. The first thing they'd have to do is find folks to buy these properties. If the people down your block are putting off painting their fence because of the recession, I don't think they're going to plunk down $400 million for the Coliseum. The state just had a "special election." California has a "special election" slightly more often than it has sunshine. The citizens of California vote on just about everything, while the legislators... actually, I have no idea what the legislators do. Anyway, -- surprise, surprise - - Californians didn't vote to raise their taxes or pay the state's bills in some other way. So that's one of the reasons why Schwarzenegger suggested selling off some of the state's most valuable real estate. California's in big trouble. Much more money is going out than coming in. And the state doesn't even have a charge account at The Gap. The property that is most intriguing to me is San Quentin. It is located in Marin County on scenic waterfront property north of San Francisco. That's right. For years, prisoners at the Q have probably had a better view than you. So I guess the idea is that if someone bought the property and developed it, they could build some luxury housing that would be quite desirable. Who wouldn't want to live in a place called something like, "Death Row Duplexes?" Or maybe some super rich person would buy San Quentin and keep it as is. They could use it as a place of business. I'll bet employees would be kept in line with such incentives as, "If you make your quota this month, you'll get an actual seat for your toilet." Most people think the Governor's big sale won't really happen. He and the legislature will probably figure out a more reasonable way to get the state solvent again. Maybe they'll hold a giant car wash. But even if the Cal-Sale doesn't happen, it's a provocative idea, and California's certainly not the only place with famous landmarks. So maybe other areas will entertain the "everything's for sale" idea. And it could work. You see, there's one factor that you might not have thought of. You can't overestimate the number of individuals who like to brag about their stuff. If that couple you know is hard to take now, talking about their new plasma TV or their front-loading washing machine, can you imagine what they'd be like if they owned the Statue of Liberty or Carlsbad Caverns? The states or the federal government could set up rules so that, let's say, people couldn't buy the Golden Gate Bridge and turn it into a roller coaster. The government could set it up so that whoever buys the properties would have to lease them back to the government immediately. That way, the public would still get to use them as always, but Mr. or Mrs. Big Shot could still brag at parties. I can almost hear one of them saying, "Yes, we were going to buy a summer home, but instead we bought the Grand Canyon. It's so much easier to maintain. We don't have to dust." Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from "Sesame Street" to "Family Ties" to "Home Improvement" to "Frasier." He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He can be reached at lloydgarver@gmail.com . Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and his podcasts on i Tunes .
 
Computer Virus Strikes US Marshals, FBI Affected Top
WASHINGTON — Law enforcement computers were struck by a Mystery computer virus Thursday, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their networks as a precaution. The U.S. Marshals confirmed it disconnected from the Justice Department's computers as a protective measure after being hit by the virus; an FBI official said only that that agency was experiencing similar issues and was working on the problem. "We too are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that's affecting several government agencies," said FBI spokesman Mike Kortan. He did not elaborate or identify the other agencies. Marshals spokeswoman Nikki Credic said the agency's computer problem began Thursday morning. The FBI began experiencing similar problems earlier. "At no time was data compromised," said Credic. The type of virus and its origin were not determined. In addition to their external networks, most federal law enforcement agencies have an internal-only network to prevent cyber-snoopers from sensitive data. In Thursday's incident, the Marshals Service shut down its Internet access and some e-mail while staff worked on the problem. The FBI made similar moves to protect its system.
 
Max Blumenthal: Netanyahu's West Bank Nightmare -- An Exclusive Video Report Top
JERUSALEM -- I just spent the evening in a small park overlooking occupied East Jerusalem at a gathering of the Israeli settlement movement's most prominent figures. The settlers were there to cheer three of their leaders who would be presented with the Irving Moskowitz Prize for Zionism. Few of the ultra-religious attendees seemed aware that Moskowitz is a California casino baron who exploits cheap Mexican labor to fund the proliferation of radical settlements in the West Bank. None seemed to care. The fulfillment of Greater Israel, an ethnically cleansed Jewish homeland, was paramount. The settlers were adamant that the Israeli army, and by extension, the Israeli government, is firmly on their side. In fact, Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau, a central cabinet figure, sat in the front row. Can anything Benjamin Netanyahu says to Barack Obama about dismantling settlements be taken seriously? The dozens of settlers I spoke to certainly did not think so. The Moskowitz Prize ceremony was held next to Silwan, a thriving Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem where residents are currently confronting the Israeli government's plan to forcibly demolish 86 of their homes in order to build an archeological park. Last week, I met Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights in front of a Silwan home that was recently demolished. Rabbi Ascherman told me the demolition order raises the question of whether Israel values rocks more than human beings. Fakhri abu Diab, one of the 1500 residents who will be forced into the streets by Israel's home demolitions, told me he avoids discussing with his children the impending destruction of their home because he has no means of allaying their fears. Part One Part Two Despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's criticism of the demolitions, Israel has already bulldozed two homes. The survival of the remaining homes depends entirely on international pressure. But Silwan is only the tip of the iceberg. After spending a week on the West Bank, I concluded that the recognition by the U.S. and the West of a viable Palestinian state in partnership with Israel has never seemed more like a pipe dream. Jewish settlement of the West Bank is being consolidated and expanded. Armed resistance by Palestinian groups lies dormant -- most fighters have been arrested or killed -- while those Palestinians who employ nonviolent means to resist the Israeli government's plan to divide and annex their land are being met with draconian and sometimes lethal force (I learned this last fact the hard way when I was teargassed while covering a non-violent Palestinian protest of the Israeli separation wall). The refugee camps are increasingly overcrowded and seethe with resentment of nightly Israeli raids that seem to accomplish nothing beyond antagonism. And the Palestinian Authority is viewed as a brutal collaborationist force while Hamas is still incipient. You can see for yourself what I experienced on the West Bank in my two part video documentary for the Daily Beast, Bibi's Big Problem. More on Israel
 
Michael J. Panzner: A Bad Connection in the Markets Top
At first glance, news that Standard & Poor's has placed the AAA rating of the United Kingdom under review for a possible downgrade would seem to have no real connection to the fact that U.S. bond yields jumped to six-month highs. But that would be a mistake. In fact, these and other recent developments likely reflect an increasingly widespread fear among analysts, creditors, and fixed-income investors that a growing number of governments no longer view sound finances as a key policy goal. Since the turn of the year, five countries -- Japan , Ireland , Spain , Portugal , and Greece -- have had their formerly top-notch credit ratings cut by S&P, Moody's, or Fitch amid expectations that faltering economic growth, burgeoning public spending, and an increasing reliance on borrowed money has undermined these countries' financial prospects. In general, deteriorating credit ratings translate into higher borrowing costs. That is not a welcome development when government budgets are already under pressure and public sector demand for credit is expanding rapidly around the globe. And while some might argue -- with good reason -- that rating agencies' opinions shouldn't matter all that much considering how badly they did when it came to evaluating the creditworthiness of institutions and an array of financial instruments during the recent credit boom, global credit markets are also telling an alarming story. Around the world, despite -- or, perhaps, because of -- the efforts of central bankers and legislators, long-term bond yields in many countries are at or near six-month highs and yield curves -- essentially, the gap between long and short-term rates -- have been widening, in some cases dramatically. Taken together, this combination can be seen as a clear sign that investors are starting to worry about the prospect of sovereign delinquencies or defaults, or the threat of serious inflation -- or both. If history is any guide, it would not take much for such fears to begin feeding on themselves, eventually translating into a widespread vote of no confidence that will leave many governments -- and their citizens -- exposed to myriad risks, not least of which is an inability to fund essential spending on infrastructure and defense. Yet despite these warning signs, many mainstream economists and policymakers here and elsewhere continue to push for more and more spending, bailouts, rescues, and borrowing than the already substantial amount we've seen so far -- without a coherent plan, accountability for how the money is being spent, or a clear sense of what the endgame is. In their view, the need to address near-term economic woes far outweighs the longer-run implications of what might be described as an imprudent course of action. Even among those who are alert to the risks posed by the orgy of government spending, there is a belief that the strategy can be easily reversed once the time is "right." Unfortunately, the track records of policymakers and politicians, in the United States and in other countries, have proven they are wholly inadequate when it comes to making such assessments, even if one only takes into account of more recent events. Moreover, assuming that those in charge somehow figure out when they've "solved" whatever problem it is they are worrying about -- that is, if they actually know themselves -- the markets are likely to be anything but accommodating. At that point, in fact, there's a very good chance that we will see the loss of confidence that is already gaining pace in a host of countries evolve into a full-fledged run on the banks -- or, in this case -- the currencies and the bond markets of those governments that decided deficits and debts don't matter in the short run. By then, everyone will understand why today's seemingly unrelated events are so deeply connected. More on Interest Rates
 
Alyssa Stanton, First African-American Jewish Rabbi, To Be Ordained In June Top
Growing up in a black, Pentecostal family in Cleveland, Alysa Stanton never imagined the day when she would be preparing to be ordained as a Jewish rabbi. But that day will come June 6 for the single mother who will be ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, becoming the first African-American female rabbi in the world.
 
Jake Peavy Turns Down White Sox Trade, Staying In San Diego Top
CHICAGO — Jake Peavy is staying with the San Diego Padres. The ace pitcher turned down a trade to the Chicago White Sox, choosing Thursday to remain with his longtime team. The Padres and White Sox had reached an agreement, but needed the 2007 Cy Young Award winner to waive his no-trade clause. "As of right now, this is the best place for us to be. We made that decision for the time being," Peavy said before Thursday night's game against San Francisco. "It's been a crazy 24 hours," he said. "I don't want to be any kind of distraction to the team. We're playing as well as we possibly can, winning five in a row and I've got a big game tomorrow night vs. the Chicago Cubs." Peavy said he would answer additional questions about his decision after Friday night's start. Peavy, who turns 28 later this month, is 3-5 with a 3.82 ERA. He made his major league debut with San Diego in 2002. Several reports said the White Sox would've sent top pitching prospect Aaron Poreda and young left-hander Clayton Richard to San Diego as part of the package for Peavy. White Sox general manager Ken Williams declined comment earlier in the day and did not immediately respond to a message after Peavy's decision. Earlier in the day, while they were waiting for Peavy's announcement, the White Sox lost 20-1 to the Minnesota Twins. "I hope he don't watch the scoreboard because he might say no," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. San Diego talked to the Cubs and Atlanta Braves during the offseason about a deal for Peavy. On Thursday afternoon, Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod, said, "my suspicion is he still has a strong preference to stay in the National League." "There was a question posed to us as to whether Jake's position on going to the American League was still cast in stone or whether he'd consent to going to an AL team, specifically, the White Sox," Axelrod said. The Padres, who lost 99 games last season and aren't expected to contend this year, have been cutting payroll. Peavy is to earn $11 million this season, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. The Padres have a $22 million option for 2013 with a $4 million buyout. ___ AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report. More on Sports
 
Andrea Chalupa: How to win the lottery -- yes, you read that correctly -- by visualizing it Top
During that long, lonely summer between high school and college, I was completely devastated after getting dumped by my high-school sweetheart. (It turned out there was nothing sweet about him.) My older, wiser sister told me to get over him by fantasizing about my ideal guy. So I spent the summer eating and serving fro-yo at a TCBY, fantasizing from behind the counter that this Abercrombie & Fitch model was going to come in and sweep me off my feet. And lo, once I started college, I met a guy who met my A&F criteria: a hot pre-med football player, whom I dated for four years. Ever since that summer, I've been a big believer in the power of visualization: you attract what you focus on. Los Angeles philanthropist and film producer Cynthia Stafford won the lottery thanks to visualization! Well, it was either visualization or just dumb luck -- but she swears by visualization, and she won the lottery! You think visualization is hooey? Let me ask you this: have you won the lottery? Show of hands, please? That's what I thought. But Stafford wants you to know that you, too, can win the lottery. "Even if it seems that nothing is going your way, in regards to your goals, you are going to reach them," she says. "Have strong beliefs. Everything you wish to have will happen. A few years ago, Stafford was a single mother living in bullet-pocked East L.A., taking care of her brother's five children after his death in a car accident. To find the strength, she says, she worked on herself, reading books about positive thinking by Divine Science minister Joseph Murphy. (Divine Science, which teaches that only God is in all things, and that evil is only real because people choose to believe in it, flourished during the Great Depression.) Through Murphy's teachings of self-healing and visualization, Stafford says, she set her mind on winning $112 million. (She chose that number because Murphy taught that your visualization needs to be as specific as possible.) She wrote the figure "$112 million" constantly, slept with the number under her pillow for weeks, meditated on it, and imagined how excited she would be once the money finally came into her life. After four months of obsessive focus -- the first couple of weeks took considerable discipline, she says -- she stopped and let go. "Once you're in the flow of the energy," she says, "it's going to happen." And it did. In May 2007, Stafford won $112 million in California's Mega Millions lottery. In her post-lottery life, she's a patron of the arts who donated $1 million in cash to the Geffen Playhouse. When David Geffen phoned her to thank her, Stafford told him she wanted to start a film studio. The billionaire co-founder (with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg) of DreamWorks -- and possible savior of The New York Times, told her that starting a studio would take hundreds of millions of dollars. "Well, I'm going to do it differently," she told him. Continued on Walletpop.com...
 
Community Policing Participation At 10-Year Low: WBEZ Top
An effort that made Chicago a model for community policing is losing momentum. Attendance at police meetings in neighborhoods across the city has dwindled to its lowest point in more than a decade.
 
Alfred Kokh: The 20 Years that Shaped Modern Russia, a Reflection Top
Five years have passed since we finished the first, Russian, edition of our book, A Crate of Vodka . Next week we're launching the first English edition of Crate in New York. As more time passes, the more I'm amazed by the accuracy with which we defined the window of the "liberal renaissance." Exactly 20 years passed from the death of Leonid Brezhnev to the terrorist attacks on New York on 9/11. Leonid Brezhnev was the last Soviet leader to have worked with Stalin, and George W. Bush was the first American president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to have to deal with an enemy attack on America. The death of Brezhnev and 9/11 radically changed not only Russia and America. Those two events changed the face of the entire world. It will never be the same. The period between those two events encapsulated my youth -- from twenty-one to forty. I was so many different things in those years. Student. Graduate student. Janitor. Steeplejack. Mason. Worker in a secret laboratory. College instructor. Mayor of a city. An official responsible for privatization, first in St. Petersburg and then throughout Russia. Deputy prime minister of Russia. Accused of criminal acts. Businessman. Bankrupt. Businessman again. Manager hired for a hostile takeover. TV host. Head of a failed election campaign. Journalist. Traveler. Writer. And besides all that, a husband, son, and father. All that fit into 20 years. When I was younger, I was amazed that the elderly recalled the Brezhnev period with such delight. They said things were better then. I remember those days very well. At the time, I saw nothing good in them. The stores and people's heads were empty, and the emptiness was filled with propaganda. Not like things were later, in the late eighties and early nineties, I thought. But I finally got it. That was their youth, and so they recall it with pleasure, as I do mine. Perhaps my youth, viewed objectively, was no better than theirs. Crime, inequality, old people dumped in the garbage. Soldiers begging in the streets. The most abject poverty next to the most outrageous wealth. How is that better than Brezhnev's imposed leveling and grave-like silence? Could I have no arguments? Was it really a question of taste and subjectivity? I was almost ready to agree when I suddenly realized: We were free! Free. For 20 years we were free. And no one can take that away from us. When a man spends 20 years of his youth being free, he will never again be able to play the game called, "How sincerely I love the president and his policies." We are the first generation of Russians whose youth came at a time when you could say what you thought, do what you pleased and choose what corresponded with your ideas of good and evil. No one before us had that gift. No one had that experience. And that makes it even sadder that the meaningless and ruthless Russian regime has once again laid its heavy hand on our frail shoulders. Could liberty be nothing more than fashion? The seventies saw the flourishing of totalitarianism. It only seems that the regime lightened in comparison to Stalin's day. No, it did not; it was the people who adjusted. The most intransigent were killed and others just left. The rest, who were more obedient and easygoing, learned to live with the system and hide their objections in their fist. I remember myself. I was thrilled to become an Oktyabrenok and Pioneer (children's Communist social organizations). I had no serious doubts about joining the Komsomol (Young Communist League) and it was only in college, in my senior year (and that was 1983), that I started to understand a few things. I started comparing what my grandmother and grandfather, my aunt and uncle and finally my parents had told me with what they were force-feeding us at school and college, and I discovered that they were lying to me either at college or at home. My entire family came from the countryside; they were simple peasants over whom the twentieth century rolled with special force. The Civil War, collectivization and industrialization, the war and subsequent famine -- they experienced it all. And they told me about it. Now I am describing my youth in this book, the way my ancestors once told me about theirs. Comparing their tales with mine, I see yet again how lucky I was to have those 20 free years. Freedom with new force will not return to Russia soon. The majority does not want it nor understands what it is for. May the next generation at least get an idea from our book of what freedom is. Although, of course, describing freedom is as impossible as describing sweet or sour. It has to be tasted. It has to be enjoyed. I relished that pleasure. And no one will take it away. More on Russia
 
Illinois Senate Race: Mark Kirk May Not Run If Lisa Madigan Does Top
During the discussion of the 2010 U.S. Senate field on yesterday's edition of Chicago Tonight, anchor Elizabeth Brackett mentioned that she had talked to "some of [GOP Rep.] Mark Kirk's people" and learned that "he would not run" if Attorney General Lisa Madigan jumped in that race. More on Senate Races
 
Hayden Panettiere's Misspelled Tattoo (PHOTOS) Top
So much for no regrets! "Heroes" starlet Hayden Panettiere likes to show off the tattoo she has running down her left side, but it seems to have been misspelled. Often visible above her dresses for the first word, the tattoo in full reads "Vivere senza rimipianti," which is meant to be "to live without regrets" in Italian. Unfortunately for Hayden, her tattoo reads "rimipianti" instead of "rimpianti," adding an extra "i." PHOTOS: Follow HuffPo Entertainment On Twitter! More on Photo Galleries
 
Eric L. Lewis: Cheney, the CIA and Torture: Asking the Wrong Questions Top
Former Vice President Cheney has masterfully shifted the debate about torture from the realm of law and ethics to that of pure efficacy. Liberal columnist Richard Cohen "has to wonder if what he is saying now is the truth -- i.e., torture works." The famously secretive Cheney is now clamoring for the release of CIA memos that he contends shows that torture led to disclosures that he is "absolutely convinced... saved thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives." And so the Washington press pack heads off in hot pursuit of the elusive memos from the CIA, which will no doubt surface eventually. It would not be surprising that, "having taken the gloves off" seven years ago, the CIA would have a memo in its files claiming that what it was doing actually worked. Washington is famous for bureaucrats larding the file with memos to superiors lauding the effectiveness of pet projects. Would the famously obliging George Tenet really have sent a memo to the eager Vice President telling him that after waterboarding two detainees 266 times -- including waterboarding Abu Zubaydeh 83 times in one month alone -- that waterboarding was totally useless? Abu Zubaydeh's original interrogators maintain that all of the useful information obtained came through traditional rapport building measures and that the information flow stopped once waterboarding started. No doubt, there is a counter-bureaucratic narrative. Cheney wants to take what is a stark legal and moral issue and turn it into yet another Washington "some argue this; some argue that" controversy. It is a clever bureaucratic maneuver, but it fundamentally distracts from serious debate about torture. Let us assume that sometimes torture sometimes is effective. Let us also ignore the question of whether it is more effective than other techniques. Virtually all of the empirical evidence shows that torture is usually ineffective and is almost invariably less effective than other methods of interrogation. Also, tortured confessions frequently generate massive amounts of false information, leading to endless and costly false leads, and in turn, to a round robin of further interrogations of those wrongly identified. But it is wrong to engage in the discussion whether torture is effective policy. The absolute prohibition on torture is not based on a consensus that it never works. Rather, it is based on the sad realization that the impulse to torture is ever-present; that human beings who are frightened or zealous or full of rage -- as human beings invariably are -- will feel a powerful need to torture and a powerful justification for acting on that need. It is useful to recall the understandable fear and anger after September 11 not to justify or excuse torture, but to understand that it is precisely at the moment of most stress that the norm against torture must be powerfully affirmed. From the thumbscrew to the rack to the boring insects to the electrode to the waterboard, amazing human ingenuity and energy have been devoted to inflicting pain. Torture remains a constant across time and across culture. Equally universal is the human ability to wrap sadism in an overarching moral narrative. Torturers never assert that they take satisfaction in domination; that imposing cruelty assuages their anger; or that inflicting pain satisfies righteous anger against guilty outsiders. Torture is always presented as a sad necessity to a greater good. To recognize the power and ubiquity of the urge to torture is not to say that the articulated threats are not real. But history shows that torture always seems to be the solution and a solution imposed with increasing cruelty and frequency as panic and frustration increases. Can it really be the case that when Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was waterboarded for the tenth, hundredth, or hundred eighty eighth time that the interrogators or Vice President Cheney honestly believed they would obtain a better result that time than all the times before? And when Secretary Rumsfeld established a protocol at GTMO where hundreds of people, now acknowledged to have nothing to do with terrorism and no actionable intelligence, were all subject to sleep deprivation, extremes of hot and cold, stress positions, and unmuzzled dogs, could he have truly believed that there were hundreds of people who knew about future September 11ths, all of whom needed to be tortured? There is an absolute prohibition on torture not because the impulse is alien to human nature but because it is so deeply familiar. When torture does not work, the urge is to turn up the voltage and to widen the dragnet. We do not allow torture in the ticking time bomb scenario because when the would-be torturer looks out on the landscape, he sees it littered with ticking time bombs and people who might know something about them. We do not balance the costs and benefits to see if torture works because there will always be some argument that can be made that it works or it might work or people believed at the time that it would. By refocusing on whether torture worked, Vice President Cheney wants to deflect attention from the fact that civilized legal systems make torture criminal precisely because we are ever tempted that it might work. More on Harsh Interrogations
 
BankUnited Seized By Regulators Top
WASHINGTON — Regulators on Thursday shut down BankUnited FSB, a struggling Florida thrift whose closure is expected to cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. $4.9 billion. The failure of the Coral Gables, Fla.-based bank represents the second-largest hit to the FDIC's insurance fund so far _ the costliest was last year's seizure of California lender IndyMac, on which the FDIC is estimated to lose $10.7 billion. BankUnited FSB is the 34th federally insured institution to be closed this year, and the biggest. The FDIC on Thursday took control of the bank, which called itself Florida's largest banking institution with about $13 billion in assets as of May 2. The Office of Thrift Supervision, a Treasury Department agency, said Thursday that BankUnited FSB reported $1.2 billion in losses last year as defaults on loans piled up. The thrift "was critically undercapitalized and in an unsafe condition to conduct business," the agency said in a statement. The bank has been sold to a group of investors led by John Kanas, the former head of North Fork Bank. It will re-open Friday as a newly chartered savings bank called BankUnited. The new bank will assume $12.7 billion in assets and $8.3 billion of its total $8.6 billion in deposits. In addition, the FDIC and the new bank agreed to share losses on about $10.7 billion in assets. Deposits will be insured by the FDIC, and customers can continue to use BankUnited FSB checks, ATM cards and debit cards, the FDIC said. The failed bank's parent was BankUnited Financial Corp. It had 1,083 employees and 85 branches, all in Florida, mostly located along the state's southeast coast. The 34 bank failures this year in the U.S. compare with 25 in all of last year and three in 2007. As the economy nationwide has soured, amid rising unemployment, tumbling home prices and soaring loan defaults, bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level in nearly a quarter-century _ $18.9 billion as of Dec. 31, compared with $52.4 billion at the end of 2007. The FDIC expects that bank failures will cost the insurance fund around $65 billion through 2013. The failure of IndyMac, which had $32 billion in assets, was the second-largest last year, trailing only the September failure of Washington Mutual Inc. Thrifts have been the most troubled regulated institutions during the financial crisis and among the most spectacular failures. By law, they must have at least 65 percent of their lending in mortgages and other consumer loans _ making them particularly vulnerable to the housing downturn. Seattle-based thrift Washington Mutual was the biggest bank to collapse in U.S. history, with around $307 billion in assets. It was later acquired by JPMorgan Chase & Co. for $1.9 billion.
 
AMFAR GALA PICTURES: Stars Turn Out For Cannes Soiree (PHOTOS) Top
Stars turned out for the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS 2009 benefit at the Hotel du Cap Thursday night. The place was packed with A-D-listers and as per tradition, Sharon Stone ran an auction to raise more money, luring celebrities to the stage to help her out. (Come back Friday for more updates!) PHOTOS: More on CANNES
 
Graham Bensinger: Scott Dixon Interview -- 2008 Indy 500 Winner/IRL Champ Talks Top
As the 2009 Indy 500 nears, NBC Sports just recently ran my interview with Scott Dixon . During the hour long conversation, last year's Indianapolis 500 Winner/IRL Champion discusses his 2008 storybook season, the devastating 2007 final lap Championship loss, racing's economic challenges, the burdens of youth, and, most importantly, tipping his father over in a portapottie! Tipping Father Over in Portapottie: Breaking sports news video . MLB , NFL , NBA , NHL highlights and more . Storybook 2008 Season: Breaking sports news video . MLB , NFL , NBA , NHL highlights and more . Devastating 2007 Final Lap IRL Championship Loss: Breaking sports news video . MLB , NFL , NBA , NHL highlights and more . Racing is an Expensive Sport: Breaking sports news video . MLB , NFL , NBA , NHL highlights and more . Burden of Youth: Breaking sports news video . MLB , NFL , NBA , NHL highlights and more . Graham Bensinger is an NBC Sports Correspondent. His website is www.GrahamBensinger.com . Email Graham at: Graham@TheGBShow.com . More on David Letterman
 
Michelle Pilecki: 'Steeler Country' Has Not Forgotten Top
AP coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers' visit to the White House omits five special guests : Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper and officers Edward Dent, Steven Hitchings, Stephen Mescan and Robert Provident. Those four, at risk to their lives , were among the first to arrive on the scene when a right-wing fanatic killed three of their colleagues on the morning of April 4. The rest of the nation quickly moved on from the story, but "Steeler Country" is still reeling from the cold-blooded shootings of officers Stephen J. Mayhle, Eric G. Kelly and Paul J. Sciullo II (a fellow parishoner , though I didn't know him personally). All links are to stories in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which has indexed its coverage. More on Arlen Specter
 
Mark Joseph: A Visit To The John & Ken Show Top
Yesterday I was a guest on the John & Ken show on KFI, Southern California's most powerful radio station to talk about a piece I'd written about their role in the defeat of several of Governor Schwarzenegger's ballot initiatives. There are definitely parallels between what is happening today in California and what happened in 1978 when an anti-tax crusader named Howard Jarvis shook up the California political establishment by passing Proposition 13, which resulted in property taxes in California being lowered by 57%. That anti-tax movement eventually swept the country and presaged President Reagan's across the board income tax-cutting of 1981. If what is happening in California is indeed the beginnings of a movement, then John & Ken are clearly the Howard Jarvis of it, but unlike Jarvis, a longtime Republican activist, they don't seem to be guided by party politics or even necessarily a clear ideology, but rather for what works and what doesn't. To write these guys off, as some in the media and political circles have done, as right-wingers is crazy. From what I've heard, they capably represent the views of the average American who is somewhere in the political center, and is feeling taxed to death. Any political party that ignores that sentiment for too long will find itself in a heap of trouble and both parties would do well to pay attention to what these guys are talking about. They are largely responsible for the defeat of Schwarzenegger's initiatives and now face the challenge of taking all the energy they've used to throw sand in the engines of California government, and come up with common sense solutions to save the state. I think they can do it and will be watching to see what they come up with.
 
Elana Levin: 43 Members of Congress Ask Geithner to Weigh in w. Wells Fargo on Behalf of Hartmarx Workers Top
With so much at stake for workers and a precedent to set for how bailout funds are used, 43 Members of Congress released a letter today asking Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to weigh in on Wells Fargo's attempt to liquidate nearly 4,000 [edited] jobs at Hartmarx. Hartmarx is the 120 year old unionized suit manufacturer that helps keep President Obama's wardrobe classy AND ethical. (Read TomP of Dkos and Progress Illinois for background on the Hartmarx situation) In their letter today Members of Congress including former Hartmarx worker Rep. Phil Hare, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Louise Slaughter ask Geithner: "Given the fact that American taxpayers have provided Wells Fargo/Wachovia with $25 billion, we find it incomprehensible that it would continue to push for the loss of jobs in a viable company," the letter reads. "This is not the reason why we supported emergency measures to capitalize the banks with taxpayer dollars. The case of HartMarx must not become an unfortunate example of financial institutions failing to provide the credit envisioned by Congress to help maintain corporate operations and preserve jobs in this trying economic climate." In their bold letter they rightly frame this request in the big picture of bailout accountability. They write; "As you review the results of the bank "stress" tests and decide which banks need additional funds from the Treasury, we urge you to ensure that institutions provide credit to sustain American companies and the workers they employ." From their jointly issued press release: "Big banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo received more than $410 billion in taxpayer bailout funds so they could remain solvent and start lending again to get the economy moving," said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). "Instead, they're freezing loans and putting small businesses in danger of closing their doors and putting workers in the unemployment line." Meanwhile the New York Times reported today some interesting developments in the bidding process. If you care about these workers please sign Workers United's petition to Wells Fargo. We'll be dropping them off to Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf next week! Stay tuned for an exciting action. http://action.workersunitedunion.org/page/s/Hartmarx * * * * I work for Workers United -- we are the union representing Hartmarx workers and 150,000 members around the US and Canada. So I'm biased on behalf of working people. More on The Bailouts
 
Scott Lachut: Nokia Technopolis Innovation Mill Helps Free Inspiration Free Top
This article originally appeared on PSFK.com . At a time when the worldwide economy could sorely use a boost, we were excited to learn of a recent announcement made by Nokia that they will start freely sharing their unused research and development to companies across Finland. The initiative called The Nokia Technopolis Innovation Mill is a three-year joint venture that also involves Technopolis, one of Europe's largest science and technology park chains, Tekes, a Finnish agency for funding technology and innovation and several Finnish cities hoping to add jobs to their economies. Given the fact that each year companies like Nokia come up with hundreds or even thousands of concepts and only a fraction ever see further development, the move makes sense on many levels. Beyond giving possible groundbreaking ideas a new lease on life, the project points to a new kind of openness around intellectual property that has the potential to benefit society as a whole. And as we've seen before, it's not always clear where advances will be made, so leveling the playing field in this sense should lead to revolutions in the ways we work together. ..To continue reading this article, please visit PSFK.com . More on Technology
 
Julia Cheiffetz: Could Great Magazines Publish Less Original Material? Top
This morning I had a love fest with Harper's magazine. The June issue includes a fantastic story by Kurt Vonnegut, a perversely entertaining Madoff telephone transcript, and a weird and dreamy diary excerpt by Werner Herzog . See! I said to myself, gazing at the woman playing Pac-man next to me on the Q train, this is why magazines like Harper's must stay in print! This is so good!! Then, in one of those rare flashes of insight that comes before 9am, (at least for me) I realized something: None of this material was original. "The Jungle is Obscene" by Werner Herzog was published in the Spring issue of The Paris Review . The 2005 Madoff phone transcript, "The Less You Know," which could pass as a Shouts and Murmurs piece, is among the public documents filed in a Massachusetts lawsuit. ""Little Drops of Water" by Kurt Vonnegut is included in Look at the Birdie , a collection of previously unpublished stories. Now Harper's has always put a spotlight on the horrifying-but-funny legal document, or the newly discovered posthumous work, (the magazine recently published "The Quarrell in the Strong-Box" from our book Who Is Mark Twain ), but my reading experience on the train got me thinking about other magazines: Would I enjoy reading an Edith Wharton short story in Vogue , or an excerpt from the 1929 classic " The Anatomy of Dessert " in Gourmet , or an excerpt from Albert Einstein's diary in Wired magazine? I most definitely would! During this moment of transition when budgets for long form journalism seem scarcer by the day, maybe looking to the classics or the public domain is one tiny way to keep our collective attention span in tact. Julia Cheiffetz is a Senior Editor at Harperstudio: www.26thstory.com More on Magazines
 
White Sox Routed By Twins 20-1 Top
CHICAGO — Joe Mauer hit a grand slam, two doubles and drove in a career-high six runs as the Minnesota Twins routed the White Sox 20-1 Thursday, matching Chicago's most-lopsided loss in team history. Michael Cuddyer, Joe Crede and Matt Tolbert also homered as Minnesota ended a six-game losing streak and made the White Sox pine even more for Jake Peavy. The San Diego Padres have agreed to deal their ace to the White Sox, and the teams were waiting to see whether Peavy waives his no-trade clause. Mauer's second career grand slam capped a six-run sixth inning. Tolbert's first big league homer, a three-run shot in the seventh, made it 20-0. His team having lost nine straight on the road, Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire shook up his batting order. The strategy worked, with the Twins scoring at least 20 runs for only the 13th time in franchise history. Mauer batted second for the first time this season, Cuddyer had four hits and three RBIs and Tolbert drove in four runs. Cleanup man Jason Kubel had three hits and everyone in the starting lineup scored within the first three innings. The White Sox lost for the sixth time in eight games. Bartolo Colon (2-4) allowed eight runs in two innings. Although all seven second-inning runs were unearned after an error by third baseman Wilson Betemit, Colon's latest in a series of poor outings had White Sox fans hoping a deal for Peavy would get done. The Padres had talked to the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta during the offseason about a trade for the 2007 NL Cy Young winner. Nick Blackburn (3-2) allowed four hits over seven innings to win for the first time at U.S. Cellular Field, where he had been 0-4 with a 5.27 ERA. Minnesota led 1-0 and had two on in the second when Betemit fielded Nick Punto's bunt and threw the ball off Punto's helmet. Mauer's sacrifice fly and Kubel's RBI single made it 4-0 before Cuddyer lined a three-run homer over the left-field fence. Three pitches later, Crede took Colon deep for an eight-run lead. Another throwing error by Betemit put the Twins up 10-0 in the fourth. When the White Sox averted a shutout on Carlos Quentin's eighth-inning RBI single off Jose Mijares, those remaining in the ballpark cheered loudly. It was the 10th time Chicago has allowed 20 runs in a game and first since a 20-14 loss to Minnesota in 2007. The Twins won for only the second time in their last 12 games at U.S. Cellular. Notes:@ Mauer has a 14-game hitting streak. ... Scott Podsednik, signed to give the White Sox better baserunning, has been picked off first base in three straight games. Thursday, he also was doubled off first on a bases-loaded liner to third. ... In their previous seven games, Twins starting pitchers were 0-3 with a 7.23 ERA. ... It was the first time in 21 games at Chicago that Minnesota pitchers didn't allow at least one home run. More on Sports
 
Scritti Politti: May 21, 2009 Top
When I first heard the news that the authorities had thwarted a terror plot in New York , I was deeply pleased, wholly relieved, and singing the praises of the law enforcement agencies whose tireless work kept the public safe. But now, a day has passed, and I'm starting to feel doubts! After all, these were people who "stated that they wanted to commit Jihad!" You know what that means! THESE ARE PRECISELY THE PEOPLE WHOSE TERRIBLE MAGIC POWERS CANNOT BE CONTAINED BY OUR PRISONS! I can only hope, of course, that these men are being spirited away right now to GITMO, where powerful necromancy, two types of fruit, and the eligibility for a single colonoscopy when inmates turn 55 are the only things that prevent captured jihadists from wreaking destruction with their terrible, supernatural powers. Surely we don't mean to house these men in the same facilities as common criminals, like common mass-murderers and Bernie Madoff! Representative Peter King was one of the people who said that the state of New York was far too wussy and incompetent to even think about housing terrorist inmates. What did he have to say about this matter? Rep. Peter King, the senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, was briefed on the case following the arrests. "This was a long, well-planned investigation, and it shows how real the threat is from homegrown terrorists," said King, of New York. What? He's okay with all of this? He's okay with the fact that this was a "long" and "well-planned investigation?" First of all, why isn't he rending his garments in a melodramatic display of concern for the fact that these criminals are too dangerous to remain in the continental United States? Second of all, why isn't he beside himself with rage that the authorities took their sweet time with all this "caution" and "planning" when they just could have waterboarded the bejeezus out of somebody, anybody? According to reports, "The defendants were jailed Wednesday night and couldn't be contacted for comment." So maybe they are now officially in the Phantom Zone, with all of Krypton's most dangerous scofflaws! In the meantime, I strongly urge the House GOP to immediately introduce the "Keep Terrorists Out Of America Part Two: We Really, Really Mean It This Time With Feeling Act" so that these evildoers will finally start taking us seriously. Let's Not Get Ahead Of Ourselves : About that Pentagon memo attesting to a "one in seven" rate of recidivism among released Gitmo detainees ... The Pentagon has provided no way of authenticating its 45 unnamed recidivists, and only a few of the 29 people identified by name can be independently verified as having engaged in terrorism since their release. Many of the 29 are simply described as associating with terrorists or training with terrorists, with almost no other details provided. Free The District Of Columbia : Sommer Mathis introduces Washington, DC to the latest group of out-of-towners who want to impose their own social experimentation projects in place of the will of the DC's citizens: A handful of socially conservative House members gathered reporters this afternoon to introduce a bill that would define marriage in D.C. as a "union of one man and one woman," Politico reports. The effort is designed to signal opposition to recent D.C. Council action that would allow same-sex marriages legally performed in other states to be recognized in the District, as well as any further local legislation that might come this year to legalize such ceremonies in D.C. Get to know Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.), D.C.! They have come forward today to represent you, despite never having appeared on a local ballot. Longtime District villain Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is also a co-sponsor , naturally. Healthcare Reform Gets A Champion : WaPo's Steven Pearlstein has a great op-ed today about the need to take a strong step in the direction of a new health care system: We can certainly applaud policymakers for their reluctance to enact another expensive and popular entitlement program without finding the money to pay for it. But it is folly for them to put themselves in a political and procedural straitjacket. In all of history, no revolution was ever made by budget analysts. Health reform requires leaders with the foresight and confidence to take a leap into the unknohwn. Skynet reconsidered : Choire Sicha reviews Terminator: Salvation and is prepared to welcome our new machine overlords. And let's face it, they probably will offer him a better per-clickthrough pay rate than he's used to getting from his former human overlords. [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .]
 
Regulators Close BankUnited FSB Top
WASHINGTON — Regulators have shut down a big bank in Florida saying it had a severe lack of capital and was not in condition to conduct business. BankUnited FSB, a savings bank based in Coral Gables, Fla., was the 34th federally insured institution to be closed this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the bank on Thursday. With about $13 billion in assets as of May 2, it called itself the largest banking institution headquartered in Florida. The bank has been sold to a group of investors and will operate as a newly chartered savings bank called BankUnited.
 
Hagai El-Ad: Jerusalem 42 Years Later: Where East and West Are Worlds Apart Top
Listening to all the endless, pompous rhetoric about Jerusalem, one might be convinced to believe that this is a city inhabited by divine symbols, not by real human beings, flesh, blood, sweat and all. But Jerusalem is obviously both: a city of unique international symbolism and home to more than 700,000 people. Each year since 1967 Israel celebrates "Jerusalem Day," commemorating the city's "unification". Forty two years have since passed, and this year the occasion was noted on May 21st. Forty two years, and "unification" has remained one of those lofty Jerusalem symbols, but with very little factual basis. High rhetoric simply cannot obscure the harsh reality. As detailed in the new " Human Rights in East Jerusalem 2009: Facts and Figures " report, published by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), an alarming picture of systematic discrimination is exposed. Written by ACRI attorneys Tali Nir and Nisreen Alyan, some of the unfortunate highlights in the report are: • 9,000 children in East Jerusalem cannot attend school: they simply don't have classrooms to study in. • 2 out of every 3 residents live below the poverty line. • More than 150,000 people living in East Jerusalem cannot get a legal connection to the water network. • Systematically, it is all but impossible for East Jerusalemites to build legally, for lack of city planning or building permits. The result: a growing number of house demolitions, while thousands live in fear that they might be next. These facts, and more, are graphically articulated in ACRI's " Wake Up Call " flash presentation (Hebrew, with English and Arabic subtitles). And hundreds of Jerusalemites, Israelis and Palestinians, demonstrated together near the Old City's Damascus Gate, in protest of this unacceptable reality which denies the human rights of close to a third of the city's population. It wasn't a grand demonstration, and there were no divine symbols. It was an earthly thing led by people who feel strongly about very real problems such as injustice and discrimination. And yet, for an hour just outside the walls of the old city, East and West Jerusalem, ordinarily worlds apart, were ever so slightly closer. More on Israel
 
Gangaji: Open Mind Top
With all the activities our lives are dedicated to, it is easy and usual to overlook the fulfillment present in this actual moment. In service to our goal-oriented minds, we usually neglect to stop our internal chatter for even just a few seconds. When I use the word "stop" here, I am referring to internal, mental stopping. It is lovely and essential for our physical, mental, and social health to periodically stop activity. Time off is nourishing to all our "parts" and to all our relationships. And obviously without adequate physical rest we become ill. Being willing to give some of our precious time to physical retreat, whether for a weekend or longer is truly a gift to our selves and our relations, and I recommend it highly. But I'm speaking here of something much simpler and more readily available. Something so simple that nothing has to change (or not change) for it to be seen. In the midst of some activity, even the activity of reading this now, it is completely possible to allow your mind to open fully, and in that opening to discover the peace and fulfillment of your own spacious awareness. No place to go, no thing to get, no goal to be realized; no body to change no perfection to be attained. Simply, in this very moment, you can recognize what is always here. Here underneath all the lists and underneath all the victories and defeats. In meeting yourself, free of all should's and must's and will's, for even a moment, you realize that even if nothing gets fixed or done, simple natural fulfillment is already here. Of course there is much in our world, our bodies, and our minds that could use fixing. And part of the human evolutionary thrust is to use our mental capacities to discover what is wrong-outside and inside-and then to begin the work of correction by removal or augmentation. What a truly awesome power of mind. It is a hallmark of the capacity of the human brain. The problem arises when this evolving, mistake searching aspect of mind rules the life form called by your name. And this problem is huge in our culture. How much of your attention is focused on what is wrong with yourself or other? When we see how much is wrong or harmful in our thinking and our and others' actions, we can be overwhelmed by the tasks revealed. This overwhelm can result in giving up and reverting to cynicism or in strengthening our resolve to work even harder. To think and do more. I am actually suggesting that before the overwhelm, or even in the midst of overwhelm, it is possible to stop, if only for a moment, and return to silence. In that moment, there is the recognition that to be internally free and at peace, nothing needs to be done. Even a moment of true silence allows for true choice, for authentic, appropriate action or non-action to follow. Some spiritual traditions refer to this silence as no mind. But for me that term is too close to mindless as in ignorant or stupid. I prefer the term open mind. The open mind is spacious and aware. It finds nourishment in itself, intelligent and aware without the need to follow thought. In truth, all creative and fresh thinking comes out of this nourishment of aware silence. And it is available for you right now.
 
Jennifer Wheary: An Economic Downslide for the African-American and Latino Middle Class Top
Jennifer Wheary is a Senior Fellow at Demos , a New York based think tank, and co-author of the report, The Downslide Before the Downturn: Declining Economic Security Among Middle Class African Americans and Latinos, 2000-2006 . African American and Latino families are the most endangered members of the Middle Class. This is according to a new study by Demos and the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University. Demos and Brandeis found that in 2006, well before the current downtown took root, 84 percent of African American and 88 percent of Latino middle-class families lacked the financial security needed to weather an economic storm. View Chart The researchers measured the strength of middle-class families across five key markers of economic stability: assets, education level, budgets, housing costs, and healthcare. Those middle-class families who were strong in the majority of these areas were considered to be financially secure. The researchers found that financial security for the middle class has declined since 2000. In 2006, 88 percent of Latino and 94 percent of African-American middle-class households could not meet even three-quarters of their essential expenses if they lost their incomes and needed to cover them using assets alone. This is up from 82 percent and 89 percent in 2000, respectively. Part of the reason for the decline in asset security was due to the fact that the median value of financial assets held by members of the African American middle-class declined by 33 percent in the six year period, while those held by Latinos declined by 60 percent. View Chart In addition to experiencing a decline in assets, African-American and Latino middle-class households were also faced with rising housing costs and decreased access to healthcare. Between 2000 and 2006, median housing costs increased 9 percent for African American middle-class households and 8 percent for Latino households. During the same period, the number of families in which at least one member lacked health insurance increased--from 18 percent to 30 percent for African Americans and from 26 percent to 39 percent for Latinos. Demos and Brandeis also found that African-American and Latino middle-class families were in a poorer position than other middle-class families. In 2006, 24 percent of middle-class families were financially secure, but only 16% of African Americans and 12% of Latinos experienced that same financial security. Experts worry about the impact of financial insecurity on the ability of African-American and Latino middle-class families to recover from the current downtown. A report released last week by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that African Americans and Latinos experienced the most dramatic decline in home ownership rates in recent years among all ethnic groups. African-American homeownership rates increased from 43 percent in 1995 to nearly 50 percent in 2004. But by 2008 the rate had dropped to 48 percent. The most recent employment data also shows that unemployment is affecting African Americans and Latinos more than other groups. While the national unemployment rate hit nearly 9 percent last month, the African American unemployment rate reached 15 percent, and the Latino unemployment rate was more than 11 percent. The Demos and Brandies data, along with the most recent economic indicators, suggest that the downward slide seen by the African-American and Latino middle classes has been going on for a while and could continue for the foreseeable future. "It's definitely the economic circumstances," Rakesh Kochhar, the Associate Director of Research at Pew's Hispanic Center told CNN. "Officially, the recession began the fourth quarter of 2007, but Hispanic [and African-American] unemployment started rising sharply a year before that." More on The Recession
 

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