Tuesday, June 2, 2009

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Marilyn Monroe's Never-Before-Published Pictures (PHOTOS, VIDEO) Top
LIFE.com uncovered some never-before-published photographs of a 24-year-old Marilyn Monroe, taken by LIFE photographer Ed Clark in August 1950. See a few of the photos below, and check out more here at LIFE.com . Scroll down to watch a "Today" Show segment on the lost photos. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Photo Galleries
 
Yemeni Gitmo Detainee Allegedly Dies Of Suicide Top
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has died of an "apparent suicide," U.S. military officials announced Tuesday. The Joint Task Force that runs the U.S. prison in Cuba said guards found 31-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Abdallah Salih unresponsive and not breathing in his cell Monday night. In a statement issued from Miami, the U.S. military said the detainee was pronounced dead by a doctor after "extensive lifesaving measures had been exhausted." The Yemeni prisoner, known as Al-Hanashi, has been held without charge at Guantanamo since February 2002. Military records show he was about 31. His is the fourth apparent suicide at Guantanamo. The U.S. military says the remains will be autopsied by a pathologist from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The prisoner appears to have joined the long-running hunger strike at Guantanamo, according to medical records previously released by the military in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press. His weight was down to about 86 pounds (39 kilograms) in December 2005. He weighed 124 pounds (56 kilograms) when he was first taken to Guantanamo in February 2002. A prison spokesman, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, confirmed the incident but declined to discuss further details on how the Yemeni man committed suicide and whether any family members have been contacted. DeWalt declined to say whether procedures have changed at the prison as a result of the apparent suicide.
 
Nathan Robinson: Does the O'Reilly Factor Create Killers? Top
The killing of Dr. George Tiller is, of course, the second recent politically-motivated church shooting. The first occurred in the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on July 27th of last year. And although one was targeted at a doctor, and the other at liberals in general, both share a common element: Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly had targeted Tiller repeatedly on his show, claiming he ran a "death mill" and quoting a description of him as "Tiller the Baby Killer." And as for the Unitarian killing, the shooter infamously had a copy of O'Reilly's book in his home, and wrote a vitriolic screed about his hatred for liberals. Of course, the factors motivating each killing cannot be boiled down simply to the influence of Mr. O'Reilly. However, Mr. O'Reilly bears a unique responsibility for this kind of violence, not only because his show and opinions reach millions of viewers, but also because he is a figure who not only disagrees with but dehumanizes his opponents. Using words like "evil" and "villain" to describe his targets, O'Reilly turns political spats into sweeping moral crusades. A large part of The O'Reilly Factor 's success can be attributed to this righteous anger and the creation of villains for the audience to despise. Bill O'Reilly has a spectacular ability to create caricatures out of cherry-picked details and heavily edited interviews, and to portray himself as a noble warrior against the forces of injustice. Whether it's a small-town mayor or a circuit judge , whoever O'Reilly feels has committed a sin is professionally and personally demonized. Of course, anyone who has ever spent a minute watching the show knows this, and it can usually be written off as a sensationalistic ratings-grabbing act. But when events like today's happen, it is important to examine the damage that this relentless pursuit of viewers can create. As someone who worked at Planned Parenthood for a large part of the last year, I have driven past screaming protesters on my way into work numerous times. And the main problem with these activists has not been their mere presence, or the fact that they disagree with me, but their clear view of me as less than human. These groups often see doctors who perform abortions not only as wrong, but as seething, forceps-wielding, murderous Harold Shipman s or Josef Menegle s. Barack Obama was prescient at Notre Dame when he claimed that the greatest obstacle to progress on abortion was the tendency to ignore the humanity of opponents. And so, when crimes like the shooting of Dr. Tiller occur, Mr. O'Reilly bears a strong responsibility. He has used his great influence to create a climate of hatred in the parts of the American right, a hatred which is naturally likely to bubble over into extreme violence now and then. The Tiller and Tennessee shootings are the logical consequences of buying into O'Reilly's dehumanizing rhetoric. If those that disagree with us politically become monsters and murderers, shooting them can seem an act of great heroism. And it is O'Reilly, more than any other conservative host, who crafts the images of liberals and "abortionists" as monsters. I am not suggesting that Bill O'Reilly should be brought up on charges. In my home country of Great Britain, leaders of the far right are occasionally arrested and convicted of attempting to incite violence, a measure which is deplorable and despotic. Freedom for the speech we hate is essential. But I am astounded that Mr. O'Reilly can sleep at night knowing the terror and hostility his words create. Until he softens his tone, and convinces his followers to demonstrate respect for those they disagree with, murders like George Tiller's are likely to continue. More on Terrorism
 
Jarvis Coffin: Forbes.com study shows the gaps left open in the brand advertising sales proposition online Top
Forbes.com released results from a survey of top marketers conducted in February and March that got very different play in the two places I saw it picked-up, thanks to my various news digests. The difference is interesting. Adweek reported that marketers still regard the Internet as a direct response tool. Their piece was titled, "Most Marketers Ignore Brand Metrics Online." Over at MediaPost, editors gave coverage to the Forbes study under the heading, "CMOs not satisfied with Ad Nets," (meaning ad networks). The results of the study, which polled 119 marketers, seem to imply that advertisers may retreat from using display advertising as a vehicle for direct response messages. They like Search and Email. Ad networks, as major purveyors of cheap, direct response display advertising over the past few years, get stuck in the cross-hairs of that change. Hence the varying treatment of the story in Adweek and MediaPost while the market figures-out what's going on and who is likely to be affected. I suspect that some of the ad network spin is coming from Jim Spanfeller, CEO of Forbes.com, who is a consistent spokesperson for brand publishers and brand advertising online, and a frequent critic of ad networks. Quoted in Adweek, Jim says, "On the Web specifically, advertising has moved into more demand fulfillment as opposed to demand creation. That's not really advertising. There's nothing wrong with it. Doing search marketing and point-of purchase displays all works, but it's not advertising. It's not about creating demand and improving brand metrics." In MediaPost, he says, "Ad network spending is all about demand fulfillment while direct-to-publisher display is much aligned with the traditional advertising goals of demand creation." Unfortunately, I think Adweek probably has the story line right in its title, "Most Marketers Ignore Brand Metrics Online." But don't just blame ad networks. The survey data has very little to do with ad networks. The survey data implies that Marketers still don't respect the Internet as a branding vehicle and that makes all display advertising purveyors guilty. Jim Spanfeller has the gumption, at least, to say "it's not advertising" when he talks about the pervasiveness of what he calls "demand fulfillment" advertising online. I'm not sure I agree that it's not advertising, but I take his point. Too bad we didn't have Jim nearby when the industry as a whole was rolling-out its fulfillment value proposition in 1995 extolling the one-to-one results and risk-free benefits of online advertising. The Forbes.com study shows, once more, just how ill-advised that positioning strategy was. We should hope that our ability to encourage brand advertisers to see the engaging and deeply relevant value of online media to audiences gets here before digital technology levels the playing field for all media, especially TV.
 
Nintendo E3 Press Conference: Team Ninja's Metroid, Galaxy 2, Vitality Sensor Top
Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference has come and gone, and it ran the gamut of the familiar and the surprising, the expected and the completely bizarre. In typical press conference fashion, the show closed with the most exciting announcement: Metroid: Other M, a new entry in the series developed by Tecmo's Team Ninja. More on Technology
 
The Progress Report: The Two Faces Of Opposition Top
by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, Ryan Powers, and Ian Millhiser To receive The Progress Report in your email inbox everyday, click here . For the first time since being nominated, Judge Sonia Sotomayor will visit Capitol Hill today, where she will be meeting with both Republican and Democratic Senate leaders. Although President Obama wants to see hearings on Sotomayor's confirmation conclude before the senators depart for their August recess, the GOP leadership is resisting. Conceding that "we do need to do it by October," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, claimed that Republicans need more time to read each of Sotomayor's opinions in order to prepare for the hearing. But Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) -- explaining that Sotomayor has already suffered "some of the most vicious attacks," including allegations of "bigotry" and "racism" -- said that he "intend[s] to give her an opportunity as soon as possible to answer" them. DIVIDING THE NATION BY RACE: Echoing similar statements by right-wing radio hosts and former congressmen, right-wing pundit Pat Buchanan called on conservatives to "stand up for the white working class" by opposing Sotomayor. Buchanan claimed that Sotomayor believes "white males...can be discriminated against if it's for the good goal of advancing people of color." He bases this claim in part on Ricci v. DeStefano, a case in which Sotomayor voted to uphold the city of New Haven's decision not to certify the results of a firefighter's promotion test after virtually all of the minorities who took the test scored too low to be eligible for promotion. But Sotomayor was simply upholding the law. Federal civil rights law "requires employers to consider the racial impact of their hiring and promotion procedures in order to prevent discrimination that's inadvertent as well as intentional." If anything, the Ricci case shows Sotomayor's willingness to adhere to the law even when the result of her decision is unpopular. Moreover, Sotomayor's court held in the 1984 case of Bushey v. New York State Civil Service Commission that employers are allowed to "voluntarily compl[y]" with civil rights law by reconsidering tests that have an adverse impact on minorities. Bushey has never been overruled, so Sotomayor was required to follow it. To do otherwise would mean ignoring the law in order to benefit a sympathetic plaintiff -- exactly the kind of "judicial activism" Buchanan likes to accuse progressive judges of engaging in. His racial attacks are further discredited by a study of Sotomayor's race discrimination cases, which found that she "rejected discrimination-related claims by a margin of roughly 8 to 1." Moreover, Sotomayor dissented from a decision holding that a police officer could be fired for engaging in racist hate speech while off duty. Sotomayor believed that even racial slurs are protected by the First Amendment. 'JUSTICE J-LO': For all their exaggerated claims that Sotomayor lacks racial sensitivity, conservatives continue to tar her with allegations that she owes her own nomination to the fact that she is a racial minority. Calling her "Sonia from the block" and "Justice J-Lo," right-wing pundit Debbie Schlussel claimed that Obama chose Sotomayor for the "sole reason" that "she shares the life story of J-Lo, Jennifer Lopez." Similarly, noting a report that Sotomayor used to bolster her English skills by reading children's books and basic grammar textbooks while she was in college, Buchanan mocked the 17-year veteran of the federal bench for doing something less than "college work." Right-wing blogger Michael Goldfarb echoed Buchanan's attempt to diminish Sotomayor's summa cum laude degree from Princeton by claiming she received "preferential treatment" when she organized one of 132 student-initiated seminars taught on Princeton's campus. Other conservatives have questioned Sotomayor's skills as a judge, claiming that she has a "high reversal rate" because the Supreme Court reversed three of the five Sotomayor decisions that they took on appeal. The truth, however, is that Sotomayor has written 380 opinions as a court of appeals judge, so her three reversals represent less than one percent of her total decisions. Moreover, because the Supreme Court is allowed to choose the cases it wishes to hear, it often hears cases that it intends to reverse -- 75 percent of cases heard by the Supreme Court result in reversals -- so Sotomayor actually performs better before the Supreme Court than most judges. Ironically, even as conservative pundits grasp at straws to question Sotomayor's intellectual fitness for the bench, University of Chicago Law Professor Eric Posner released a new study that found that Sotomayor is one of the most frequently cited judges on the federal bench. "If citations reflect quality," Posner concluded, "Sotomayor may well be one of the top appellate judges in the country." A 'TWO SIDED STRATEGY ': Despite the torrent of lies and invective spewed by right-wing pundits in the week since Sotomayor was nominated, conservative senators have steered clear of the overheated rhetoric favored by the Limbaughs and the G. Gordon Liddys of the world. Fully aware that "trashing" an outstanding Latina nominee to the Supreme Court could banish them to the political wilderness for years, Senate conservatives have, for the most part, shown a respectful face to Judge Sotomayor, repeatedly insisting that she will receive a "fair hearing" before the Judiciary Committee. Yet these same senators have also embraced a "two-sided strategy," silently encouraging right-wing activists and pundits "to do the political attacks" while allowing elected officials to "avoid potential backlash if they derail a historic nomination." Speaking to CNN on Sunday, McConnell claimed that he has "better things to do" than to denounce the racially charged attacks on Sotomayor, and Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) told CBS that he was "not going to get involved" with discussions over whether Sotomayor is a racist. It still remains to be seen whether they will continue to pursue this two-sided strategy, however, once hearings begin, or whether Senate conservatives will cave to increasingly loud right-wing demands for obstructionism. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Thomas DeLorenzo: AIDS in America 2009 -- Where oh where is Ryan White when we need him most? Top
Where, oh, where is Ryan White when you need him most? My ongoing quest for Universal Healthcare in America I have never met Ryan White though feel as if I have. In fact, I feel rather intimate with him, in spite of our lack of face time. Ryan White became a poster boy for HIV/AIDS in a time when we needed one the most. The ignorance of Kokomo, Indiana became the fuel for the fire that had to be the most influential program developed for people living with HIV/AIDS, just short of the actual medical treatments. I actually was in the same room (well auditorium) at the same time as his mother and sister. We were all attending the U.S. National Roller Figure Skating Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska (yup, I just admitted to that). His sister would go on to receive a medal in her free skating category. Had I known at the time that her brother's legacy would be large part in the reason why I am still on this planet, I would have made sure we had actually met. Ryan White is in trouble again - not the person, but the legislation. The Ryan White Act provides medical treatments for people living with AIDS that otherwise could not afford them. For me, this means my co-payments for most of my life saving medications are covered. My co-payments are on the incredibly high end because I have an individual policy. Thanks to the recent vote in California, actions required to save the state were turned down and now all things related to HIV/AIDS are being decimated in our State. Much needed money for prevention, treatments, and housing will be pretty much slashed to bits, leaving only the most destitute of cases to receive the remaining financial aid. The component of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, first enacted in August,1990, four months after Ryan's passing, I rely on is the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. The Ryan White Care Act, as its commonly known, is the largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS, and is designed to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals with HIV/AIDS. California announced just the other day the monies that were to be cut from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program for the state. I kept re-reading the announcement, trying to figure out exactly what this meant for me. How much was this going to cost me, in this time of funds drying up all around me? Where was the money going to come from in my budget that has already seen its own share of cuts? A deadly combination of fear and confusion led me to no conclusion so far. Almost immediately after President Obama took office, he allocated $51 billion over 6 years to the Global AIDS Fund. However, the Ryan White Care Act has only recently received an increase of $54 million, bringing the current budget up to $2.3 billion. That amounts to barely a dent above the Bush Administration's financials. AIDS activists throughout the country had clearly stated that $614.5 million would be needed to keep up with the demand for drugs and housing. Given that people are living longer on these drugs, the numbers of individuals who require them only continue to climb. Part of the Ryan White Care Act also goes to Housing Opportunities for People living with AIDS, (aka HOPWA). With the current state of the housing market, people living on fixed incomes with AIDS are only being pushed further and further down the scale and, now, more than ever, need these funds. I live in a country that just bailed out an automaker that it encouraged to go into bankruptcy after it gave said company $50 billion in loans so far - in exchange for an 80% stake in the company. We will probably never see a return on that investment. However, just imagine what we could have received if we had taken that money and put it directly into healthcare, for all people, not just those of us with AIDS. The human capital we have in this country once again takes second chair to the Shareholder Value. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for any and all assistance. I look forward to the day when I no longer have to rely on Federal Funds to save my ass. However, now, all it feels like I am doing is surviving, and this is not what promised to us. We all grew up in the 60s with unlimited dreams and seemingly unending resources with which to achieve them. Everything was possible in the great United States of America. We were the envy of the world. We were the richest nation to ever exist on this planet. Any one of us could grow up and become President. How democratic was that? Instead, I landed in this America, this one that punishes you for having anything remotely related to a stigma. I came of age in an America where debt was king and greed ruled the land. I saw my entire circle of gay male friends die a horrible death in the 80s, a death that could have at least been stalled if the Reagan administration had uttered the word "AIDS" far earlier than it did. I held my boyfriend in my arms when he passed, at a time when people were landing plum jobs and buying their first homes. This disease, this virus that I would not come to know personally, until well after its introduction, has defined my life. And I wonder. I wonder if my boyfriend got the better end of the deal and didn't live to see any of this horror and struggled for only a short time. And I feel sorry for myself, trying to figure out once again how to get through this next obstacle. And I think of others with this disease, what they have gone through, and what they are dealing with now. I can walk, talk, write, complain, vent, contribute, muckrake and make my changes. I remember the individuals I met at the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, specifically my friend Josh, who recently came close to leaving us. I remember Jimmy at Joseph's House, who passed away shortly after I wrote about him. And I feel humiliated for feeling sorry for myself. And I think what my deceased partner, David Burnside, would say to me. And I find the strength to go on in spite of this, my latest struggle with AIDS. More on HIV/AIDS
 
ANTHONY ABBATE GUILTY: Cop Found Guilty Of Aggravated Battery In Videotaped Bartender Beating (WATCH BEATING) Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- A judge has found an ex-Chicago police officer guilty of aggravated battery in the videotaped beating of a female bartender. Anthony Abbate (ah-BAHT'-ee) testified Tuesday that he threw, punched and kicked a female bartender half his size because he felt he was in danger. He acknowledged he was drunk during the February 2007 incident. But he says bartender Karolina Obrycka (ob-REYE'-kah) pushed him first as she tried to remove him from behind the bar. The judge dismissed two official misconduct charges earlier in the day. Abbate was the only witness called by the defense. -ASSOCIATED PRESS Watch the security camera footage of the beating:
 
Bradley Burston: GM as Parable, and Israel's Sudden Choice: Obama or Kahane Top
Even in Israel, the bankruptcy of General Motors has much to teach. In fact, it seems oddly fitting that a month which may recast the direction of the Middle East, and of the future of Israel, opened with an event which until recently would have redefined the unthinkable: an African American president of the United States discussing the impact of the collapse of what was once the world's largest company, and warning that it would take "a painful toll on many Americans." The bankruptcy of General Motors bears a number of lessons Israelis would be well advised to consider, especially in view of Barack Obama's imminent overture to the Muslims of the region. One has directly to do with a society's most fundamental and protected of sacred cows, in Israel's case the settlements and their outlaw spinoffs: Sacred does not mean immortal. Nor, in an atmosphere of moral bankruptcy, does sacred necessarily mean moral. Another lesson is this: Choices which may have for decades seemed indefinitely far in the future, may suddenly and unavoidably become the province of the here and now. And one more, for the settlers, especially: Do not underestimate Barack Obama. If the untouchable General Motors has been toppled, can the sacred cow of unfettered settlement be far behind? For Israel, the choice of paths is becoming clearer by the day. There is the way being pointed by Obama, characterized by an intensive search for creative ways in which the main players in the conflict are to receive long-desired benefits in return for sacrificing certain -- often self-destructive -- policy platforms and practices. The other choice, it develops, is that of Rabbi Meir Kahane, the man who first embodied what might be called the disgruntle strain of hardline Israeli politics: In all things, act and speak so as to belittle, besmirch, and disgrace Israeli Arabs, Palestinian Arabs, and Muslims in general, couching all of it in the baldfacedly bogus guise of an imperative of Jewish law or in Orweillian demands for Stalin-worthy fealty to a theoretical, on-the-books reality. In recent weeks, we have seen the hideous markers of the Kahane approach, notably in the legislative proposals highlighting Jewish insecurity over the "Jewish Zionist" future of Israel, and a we-have-much-to-hide attitude toward the circumstances of Israel's birth. Kahane's legacy is even more evident in the current eruption of violence in settler outposts, with masked Jewish youths hurling stones and other objects at passing Palestinian motorists. We have watched these "most excellent of our youth" as they fight Israeli police and soldiers who have the temerity to enforce Israeli law and are thus routinely branded as Nazis by the pro-outpost hoodlums. Disgracism, as an ideology, extols the settler hotheads' and rabid rightist rabbis' brand of abject disloyalty to strictures imposed by the state, even as it condemns Israeli Arabs for suggesting that members of a minority should be able to simultaneously hold both citizenship and their own opinions. In the end, the disgrace shown the Arabs does deep disgrace to the perpetrator, but, more importantly, does the deepest disgrace of all to the State of Israel. At the same time, we have seen the indications of an effort to stem the tide of unfettered and illegal settlement in the West Bank. This, despite the blackmail of religious and right-wing politicians, who brandish the third-act pistol of coalition demolition every time they take an oath to support a new government. The most applicable lesson of GM's fall might be gleaned from studying perhaps the most honored misquote in history. Until now, the settlers and their supporters have insisted by word and deed that what is good for settlement is good for the State of Israel. But the original quote bears repeating. In 1953, facing a Senate hearing over his nomination for secretary of defense, then-General Motors president Charles Wilson came in for questioning over the large amounts of GM stock he owned. Given his investments, he was asked, could he make a decision as defense secretary that would hurt the company? "I cannot conceive of one, because for years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors and vice versa. The difference did not exist. Our company is too big. It goes with the welfare of the country." Wilson, it should be underscored, sold his shares. It is time for extremist settlers and their blind supporters to sell theirs -- to be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the country, rather than expecting the country to sacrifice itself for them. Read the full article on haaretz.com More on Israel
 
Turkey Smoking Ban Sparks Controversy Top
Like many Turkish men, Mevlut Ozhan spends a good deal of time at his local pub, puffing on Marlboros and swigging frothy beer from a thick glass. For the last 20 years, the civil servant has come to the Isik Piknik pub in Ankara's bustling Kizilay neighborhood every day after work to watch TV and socialize in the narrow, smoke-filled room. More on Turkey
 
Derrick K. Baker: The Politics of Divisive Questioning Top
At some point in the nice-nasty exchanges between certain Democrats and Republicans about that Hispanic lady who President Barack Obama has nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court, some sane outsider needs to call a Come To Jesus Meeting to clear the air and recalibrate the nation's political scale. While the likelihood of that meeting happening is slim to none -- and Slim has been exiled -- at least the overture could help us to get at the truth of wedge issues that continue to widen the gulf between the two parties, and by association, too many Americans. For starters, the GOP's unwillingness and inability to understand that in these post-Bush days to the victor go the spoils means that they're an even sorer loser than LeBron James after the Orlando Magic sent his team home from the NBA's Eastern Conference finals. The fact that some high-profile Republicans are displaying an inability or unwillingness to act like decent elected officials who best represent their constituents' interests rather than as petulant obstructionists is maddening to reasonable people to say the least. On the other hand, however, the mean-spirited rhetoric being hurled by some of their members at the entire Obama administration and most recently at his decision to nominate a Hispanic woman with four syllables in her last name is unnerving a smaller subset of Republicans. These are the folks like Sen. John Cornyn out of Texas who has said, "This is not the kind of tone that any of us want to set when it comes to performing our constitutional responsibilities of advice and consent." Or from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, also from Texas, who observed: "I definitely think we need to have the respectful tone and we need to look at the record." Who are they talking at instead of to? Try bombastic radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh and flailing-in-thin-air Newt Gingrich who have called that Hispanic lady with the stellar academic background a racist unfit for the highest court. In their cases, "conservative Republican" is synonymous with "old, cantankerous guys who handle adversity -- never mind diversity -- with the aplomb of a hungry rattlesnake quarantined with a gerbil. If you're wondering why those two senators aren't carrying the polluted water of the GOP's conservative wing that's been hijacked by Limbaugh and Gingrich, reference U.S. Census records to find out how many Hispanics live in Texas. The last time I checked, the state was contiguous to Mexico. But back to that Come To Jesus Meeting that should be attended by an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Although it's highly unlikely that I'd be invited to attend (heck, I'm just a lowly voter whose interests elected officials purport to understand and advocate for), what I would pay to be a fly -- with a recording device -- on the wall. If I had a chance to submit several questions for the attending members of both parties, my list, submitted on behalf of all Americans who are eternally nauseous over the behavior of and venom from local and national politicians, and the general state of politics, would look a little something like this list of five queries that admittedly contains some inherent contradictions. But when it comes to American political theater, nothing is as clear and clean cut as it's cracked up to be: 1. Why doesn't a larger contingent of the GOP grow some potatoes and grow up in a way that even the most haughty and confident members of their fractured party stop quaking in their boots at the prospect of angering Limbaugh and Gingrich, two myopic, self-serving, pompous and anachronistic grandfathers who could be elected dog catcher but only if dogs couldn't vote? 2. Why are too many Democrats so hell bent on trying to get everybody to like them instead of governing based on their articulated economic, education and military beliefs? 3. Do both parties believe the fundraising reform is synonymous with "joke"? 4. To the GOP: To what extent do you believe that the Politics of Slash And Burn and the Politics of Personal Destruction lend themselves to digging this country out of a federal deficit that your kid's kid's kid's kid's kid's kids still will be saddled with? 5. Have either the Democrats or Republicans ever met a sound piece of legislation that they were bound to support until they found its origins rested with the opposing party? (Talk about snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.) But back to that lady who, if approved, will become the top court's first Latina justice. It appears that the GOP's politics of poison has rubbed off on me as apparently I got too close to the fray via the print and electronic media; so much so that I'm unable to call the woman by her given name. Forget guilt by association. How about guilt by voter's registration card. I need a bath. More on Political Humor
 
Patti Blagojevich's Charity Rejects Reality Show Donation: 'We Want To Be A Respectable Organization' Top
The day after former Illinois First Lady Patti Blagojevich ate a dead tarantula on network television to benefit herself and a charity, the selected charity said today it had declined the offered money. Another charity took its place, said NBC. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Nicholas Carlson: GM Advertising Over The Years (SLIDESHOW) Top
Watch the new ad, and its predecessors → After finally going into banckruptcy yesterday, General Motors will launch a new national ad campaign on TV, radio and in print tomorrow. The ads are supposed to supposed to say: FYI consumers, this whole ordeal "is not about going out of business" but "about getting down to business." So there. The ad  -- made by Deutsch, an advertising agency owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies -- is just the latest in a long line of campaigns from GM that hit two major points: 1) If you love you're country, you love GM, and 2) It's a new GM. Obviously none of these ads worked in the long run. Hopefully that means cynical Madison Avenue types can finally stop with the condescending notion that "real" Americans will buy a product because it's American made, whether or not it's made well. Watch the new ad, and its predecessors → Or skip ahead: Smarter GM (2009) See the USA in your Chevrolet (1952) The Heartbeat of America (1987) Getting to know you (1990) Like a rock (1993) An American revolution (2005) This is our country (2006) More on Advertising
 
Sonia Sotomayor: Americans Back Nominee In Poll Top
WASHINGTON — Americans have a more favorable first impression of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor than they did for any of President George W. Bush's choices for the high court, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. The public also backs her confirmation in higher numbers. The poll, released Tuesday, said that roughly a third of the country has a favorable view of Sotomayor, while 18 percent view her unfavorably. Half of those polled say she should be confirmed; 22 percent oppose her confirmation. President Barack Obama nominated the 54-year-old appeals court judge last week. She would replace Justice David Souter, who will retire in a few weeks. "Let's give everyone a chance," said Frank Keller, a 77-year-old retiree in Wauconda, Ill., who took part in the poll. "She's proven herself to work hard and I'd say she's pretty well-qualified." Countered Ruth Paslay, 59, of Brewster, Wash., "I just get the feeling that she's going to let her liberal ideas sway her even though she said today that she'd go by the law." Paslay added, "I pray she'll make good judgments because I have a feeling she's in." Bush put forward three Supreme Court nominees in the course of four months in 2005. The Senate confirmed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, but Harriet Miers withdrew from consideration under pressure from conservatives who generally supported Bush. Of the three, Roberts had the highest favorable rating, 25 percent, and the most support for confirmation, 47 percent of those polled. Each of the three Republican nominees also had unfavorable ratings four or five percentage points lower than Sotomayor. Nearly four in 10 people said they have not heard enough to form an opinion about Sotomayor, who has been a federal judge since 1992. That number is smaller than it was for Bush's three nominees, suggesting a higher level of interest about the imminent court vacancy. Indeed, poll participants who answered follow-up questions from the AP all were aware of the controversy over a much-quoted remark by Sotomayor in 2001. During a speech, she said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Paslay said she was bothered by the "statement she made about a Latino woman being able to make a better decision than a man." But Mae Nahmias, 83, of Fremont, Calif., said she thinks Sotomayor was saying that "a lot of women and especially minority women go through things that men never go through. She didn't mean anything negative about white men." Keller said far too much is made of isolated comments and incidents from a nominee's past. "If we stubbed our toe on a little dog when we were 15, it would come out that we kicked the dog," Keller said. "That's the part that I don't like." The poll found a partisan divide over the nominee, with Democrats overwhelmingly saying that they have a favorable opinion of Sotomayor and want her confirmed. Independents also view her more favorably than not. But more than 40 percent of Republicans said she should not be confirmed, compared with 30 percent of Republicans who favor confirmation. A third of Republicans also said they have an unfavorable opinion of Sotomayor, while only 14 percent had a favorable view. Questioned about affirmative action, 63 percent support it for women and fewer, 56 percent, favor affirmative action for racial or ethnic minorities. The poll did not define affirmative action. Other polls have shown most Americans disagree with preferences for minorities even while supporting affirmative action. The AP-GfK Poll was conducted May 28 to June 1 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,000 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Ayman al-Zawahri To Egyptians: Reject "Criminal" Obama Top
Al Qaeda's second-in-command urged Egyptians to reject a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to Egypt during which he plans to deliver a message to Muslims. More on Egypt
 
Xbox 360 controller free Project Natal HD video game trailer Top
Unveiled for the first time to the public was Project Natal, pronounced nuh-tall and a code name for a revolutionary new way to play, no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak, you and your friends can jump into the fun. The only experience needed is life experience. WATCH:
 
MillerCoors: Beer Sales Up During Downturn Top
LONDON (Reuters) - MillerCoors, the second-largest brewer in the United States, sees beer sales growth slowing less rapidly in the downturn than wine and spirits and as the beermaker focuses on premium light and craft beers. More on The Recession
 
World Vision: Pakistan Refugee Hosts Stretched To The Limit (IMAGES) Top
ISLAMABAD, May 28, 2009 -- Poor communities in Pakistan's northwest are hosting up to two million people uprooted by recent violence in the region. Aid agency World Vision warns these communities - already among the poorest in the world - may join those displaced in the coming days as their assets are sold to help those in need. "Host families have provided refuge for up to 90 percent of those escaping the fighting," said Graham Strong, World Vision's Country Director in Pakistan. "They are sharing their homes, food, clothes and water. They are poor already and are making themselves poorer in the process." Many assets are being sold to meet the growing need. "As the disaster continues," explained Strong, "hosts are having to sell their land, cattle and other assets at far less than the market value in order to keep providing for their guests." As the only international aid agency providing assistance in Buner District, World Vision talked to host villagers whose limited resources are almost depleted. They expressed a major concern that their cultural code of hospitality and compassion is being stretched to its limit and could be masking the scale of the need caused by the crisis. "Without urgent assistance there is a real fear that impoverished host communities could contribute to another wave of internal displacement," said Strong. "The cultural ethic of generosity and hospitality means hosts are now facing the agonizing choice between asking guests to leave or becoming destitute and displaced themselves." World Vision found hosts often have little or no connection with those taking refuge in their homes. One host that World Vision spoke to is a 59-year-old man in Buner, and he has taken 37 people into his home. "Many host families have exhausted their wealth and will have to leave themselves or ask their guests to leave. It will be easier to die than to ask families to leave," he said. World Vision's rapid assessment in Buner found that basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation are being stretched to a breaking point. The assessment also found that pregnant and lactating women and children under five are extremely vulnerable as access to healthcare and medical supplies in one of Pakistan's poorest communities is already severely depleted. To alleviate the situation, aid agencies are urging donors to fully fund appeals to allow them to address the needs of both the host communities as well as those fleeing violence. World Vision is concerned global fundraising efforts will be impacted by the financial crisis. "We urge the international community to follow the example of Pakistan's communities who have demonstrated extreme generosity in the hardest of circumstances," said Strong. World Vision is distributing health kits, mattresses and essential household items in Buner and hopes to raise $13 million to address the urgent needs of more than 200,000 people in Buner, Swabi and Mardan in northwest Pakistan. A displaced family in the Buner District of Pakistan fled 21 miles through the mountains to take refuge with friends and family. (May 18, 2009) Children carry food and household supplies in Malakand, Pakistan. "Without urgent assistance there is a real fear that impoverished host communities could contribute to another wave of internal displacement," said World Vision's country director in Pakistan, Graham Strong. (May 20, 2009) The majority of the 2 million internally displaced people in Pakistan's Swat region are staying with host families. World Vision has started a targeted distribution of food and supplies in villages and homes where displaced families are staying. (May 20, 2009) Children wait for food distribution in Totalai village. Many host families are selling their land, cattle and assets to provide for the displaced. (May 14, 2009) A young girl in the Buner District being registered to receive emergency supplies and hygiene kits. World Vision's assessment in Buner found that basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation are being stretched to a breaking point. (May 17, 2009) A displaced child in the Buner District holds his identification paperwork as relief staff gather aid to send home with him and his sister. (May 17, 2009) Children line up for a food distribution in Totalai village, which is hosting over 200 displaced families. Pakistan's culture of hospitality has prompted village families to open their homes to their displaced neighbors, straining their own resources in order to do so. (May 14, 2009) In Malakand, Pakistan, children carry much-needed supplies home, including mattresses, cushions, and towels to help host families meet the needs of their displaced guests. (May 20, 2009) More on Pakistan
 
Dan Kovalik: UN Warns of "Rising Intimidation" In Colombia While Colombian Government Turns To Intimidating U.S. & British Activists Top
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed grave concern over "a recent wave of death threats against human rights workers and social activists, including displaced leaders working to defend their communities' rights." See, UNHCR Statement . According to the UNHCR, these recent threats, made by a new armed group against both civil and human rights organizations "come amid a climate of rising intimidation, originating from various armed groups, in recent months. Indigenous communities, social leaders and representatives of displaced people have all been targeted, putting at risk their right to life, freedom of expression and participation in public life." One group of social leaders particularly targeted in Colombia -- trade union leaders -- are under increased attack in Colombia, with 19 union leaders killed already this year. Most embarassing to the Colombian government is the fact that, just last week, the Attorney General of Colombia has accused the former head of the Colombian DAS -- the analogue to the U.S. FBI and an organization tasked to protect union and social leaders under threat -- of being complicit with right-wing paramilitary groups in the murder of 4 social leaders, including one union leader. See, Story . This is most troubling for the Colombian government as it made a big push in the spring of 2007, headed by Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos himself, to plead their case for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) largely on the basis of their claim that these allegations against the former DAS chief were without merit. Moreover, all of this comes even as U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke publicly stated that "Colombia needs to address the issue of violence against union leaders before the U.S. Congress votes on a free trade agreement with the South American nation." See, Story . Instead, however, the human rights situation continues to spiral downwards in Colombia. Another area where human rights is deteriorating is in the area of forced internal displacements -- an area in which Colombia is already ranked second only to the Sudan. As the UNHCR has also reported, there have been "an average of 300,000 new cases registered yearly in the past two years" -- a huge increase over the previous period. Meanwhile, in a strange twist, the Colombian government, angry over efforts by U.S. and British unions to derail the Colombia FTA over labor and human rights concerns, has turned to stigmatizing and intimidating these unions just as they do those in Colombia. For example, Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos publicly insinuated that those in the U.S. and Britain who have been speaking out against the FTA "could be" funded by "illegal money," though he conceded that, as yet, there is no evidence for this. See, Story . While Francisco Santos admits that his insinuations about alleged connections between "illegal money" and U.S. and British advocates against the Colombia FTA are without factual basis, he is making such insinuations for the same reason that the Colombian government makes these against unionists in Colombia - to try to intimidate them into abandoning their organizing efforts. Indeed, in advance of a high-profile delegation of British MPs and U.S. and British labor officials to Colombia, the Colombian government, through its Ambassador to Great Britain, even went so far as to tell a prominent activist of Justice for Colombia -- a workers-based human rights and solidarity group based in London and the group which helped organize this delegation -- that he was being investigated for ties with the illegal FARC guerilla group of Colombia. The goal of this outrageous claim was clear - to try to instill fear in the delegation members before they headed to Colombia that they might be arrested if they went forward with the delegation trip. The Colombian government's hope was that the trip would thereby be prevented altogether. While the Colombian government's intimidation tactics have not worked to quash the movement in the U.S. and Britain to oppose the Colombia FTA and stand up for the rights of Colombian unionists, these tactics nonetheless expose the lengths to which the Colombian government will go to try to win passage of the Free Trade Agreement - an agreement the Colombian government desperately wants as a ratification of its own human and labor rights record. Given how abysmal that record continues to be, the FTA should be withheld from the Colombian government. In addition, the Colombia FTA, as a practical matter, will only serve to perpetuate human rights abuses in Colombia. As just one example, the FTA will permit palm oil to flow into the U.S. duty-free, greatly aiding Colombian palm oil companies. Sadly, many of these companies, as exposed recently by the Washington Office on Latin America and in an expose in the Nation by Teo Ballve , are notoriously owned and controlled by paramilitary leaders which continue to be responsible for gross human rights violations, including the displacement of Afro-Colombians from lands in the rich Choco region of Colombia. As WOLA notes, President Uribe hopes for a massive expansive of the cultivation of palm from 285,000 hectares to 6,000,000 hectares through the Colombia FTA - an expansion which will entail the forcible and violent displacement of civilians from their land by paramilitary-controlled palm companies. This will only add to the already 4 million or so internally displaced people in Colombia. The FTA is therefore unacceptable on this basis as well. More on Colombia
 
Jay Leno's Primetime Show To Premiere September 14 Top
NEW YORK — NBC says "The Jay Leno Show" will premiere Sept. 14. The new prime-time hour starring Leno will air weeknights at 10 o'clock Eastern. It's the first talk-entertainment show to be scheduled by a broadcast network to run five nights a week in prime time. Leno's 17-year run on "The Tonight Show" ended last week, with Conan O'Brien taking over Monday as "Tonight" host. More on NBC
 
George C. Wilson: Non-Exit Strategy Top
Voices from the grave make me fear that President Obama and Congress are unwittingly setting up the American military for another Vietnam-type failure in Afghanistan. "I don't think anything is going to be as bad as losing, and I don't see any way of winning," President Lyndon Johnson told Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in a formerly secret tape-recorded telephone conversation on Feb. 26, 1965 -- since made public. That president had said while campaigning against Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., in 1964 that "we are not about to send American boys 9,000 or 10,000 miles away from home to do what Asian boys should be doing for themselves." At the end of 1964, the United States had 16,300 troops on the ground in South Vietnam. At the end of 1968, this same Lyndon Johnson had sent 536,000 American boys to fight a war in Vietnam that he did not believe he could win. Gen. Bruce Palmer Jr., a thoughtful and far-seeing four star who was deputy commander in Vietnam, wrote in his slim but pithy book, "The Twenty-Five Year War," that "with respect to Vietnam, our leaders should have known that the American people would not stand still for a protracted war of an indeterminate nature with no foreseeable end to the U. S. commitment." I humped around with troops in the outbacks of South Vietnam in 1968 and 1972 and saw for myself several hard-fighting troopers wearing black armbands to protest the very same war they were in. One of their generals said, "Westy doesn't get it," a reference to Gen. William Westmoreland, America's field commander in Vietnam in 1968, whom critics contended never realized the North Vietnamese leaders would stay in the fight until they won, regardless of how many soldiers our forces killed. "Your generals are leading you down a primrose path, Mr. President," Clark Clifford, McNamara's successor at the Pentagon, said he told Johnson late in the Vietnam War. Clifford told us editors and reporters at The Washington Post that LBJ had asked him to find out how the United States was really doing in the Vietnam War. Clifford told us that no general would guarantee the president victory no matter how many more troops were sent to Vietnam. So, as Yogi Berra would put it, Afghanistan looks to me like "deja vu all over again." If I'm right, and I hope I'm not, Obama's decision to put 21,000 more American troops in Afghanistan to bring our total there up to about 59,000 Americans will be followed by our commanders requesting more and more and more military power. The Vietnam calls to attack enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia and Laos may well be echoed as our commanders ask Obama to hit Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. As in Vietnam, our European friends cannot be counted on to give us significant military help in Afghanistan. Remember, our war in Afghanistan has been going on for almost eight years now. The American public and Congress will eventually demand that Obama either show them light at the end of the tunnel or get the hell out of Dodge. Obama probably has more time to show progress in Afghanistan than Johnson had in Vietnam. The reason for the longer tolerance is that the mainstream of American society does not have to worry about being drafted to fight a questionable war. The draft, if nothing else, was a national referendum on the rightness of a war America's youth, some from the establishment, were dying in. Not so today. The all-volunteer American military is almost as far out of sight of the American establishment as was the French Foreign Legion to France. Yet, the patience of the American public and its hired hands in Congress is not unlimited. The more people, especially lawmakers, who read books like "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, the more the American military's mission to pacify the 40,000 tiny villages in Afghanistan will look like mission impossible, especially if our bombings keep killing Afghan civilians and infuriating the ones who survive. Like it or not, fair or unfair, the war in Afghanistan has become Obama's war. The big question is whether Afghanistan will ruin Obama's presidency the way Vietnam ruined Johnson's. I recently asked the top military officer in our land, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whether he was worried about his civilian bosses setting up the American military up for another Vietnam-type failure in Afghanistan. His reply: "I've been given a mission by the president of the United States, and I'm going to succeed in that mission. There are going to be a lot of hard questions" about the American military's role in Afghanistan and its exit strategy, Mullen acknowledged. "I welcome those hard questions. I think we need to be able to answer them. This is a tough fight and it's going to take some time." In contrast, Andrew Bacevich, a retired colonel who served in Iraq and teaches international relations at Boston University, sees another failure coming. "Just as in the 1960s, [when] we possessed neither the wisdom nor the means needed to determine the fate of Southeast Asia," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently, "so, too, today we possess neither the wisdom nor the means necessary to determine the fate of the Greater Middle East." This article originally appeared in the National Journal . More on Afghanistan
 
Max Baucus Backs Off Claim He's "Fighting Tooth And Nail" For Public Health Care Option Top
Max Baucus is "fighting tooth and nail" to make sure a public health care option is included in the final overhaul package that goes through the Senate, his chief of staff, John Selib, told a Montana town hall during last week's recess. Baucus himself, however, has never gone that far, simply saying that a public insurance option that any American could buy into is "on the table." The Senate is now back in session. We caught up with Baucus, the Democratic chair of the Finance Committee and the lead health care negotiator, and asked him if Selib had characterized his support of a public option accurately. "Public option, in all its variations, is very much on the table," replied Baucus. Yeah, but are you fighting tooth and nail for it? "Public option, in all it's variations, is on the table and I'll fight tooth and nail," he said, then paused and added, "for a version that works, if we can get it passed." Baucus scheduled 20 health care town halls last week in Montana, where his constituents came out overwhelmingly in favor of single-payer health care or a more aggressive public role, battering Baucus for not going far enough. Baucus himself, however, was not at any of the meetings and sent a staffer and a video recording instead. "I had personal commitments," Baucus explained to the Huffington Post, just before boarding a bus headed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. The pressure appears to be having some effect, however small. On Wednesday, Baucus will meet with advocates of universal, single-payer health care. So far, he has said that single-payer is off the table and has refused to allow its advocates to sit in negotiations . And, in fact, they've been arrested for trying. Baucus will hear from Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and the lone sponsor of a single-payer bill, as well as several advocates: Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a senior lecturer at Harvard; Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and national vice president of the AFL-CIO; Geri Jenkins, a nurse and co-president of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee and practicing registered nurse; and Dr. Oliver Fein, president of Physicians for a National Health Program and associate dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. "I'm meeting some advocates tomorrow. I'll listen to anybody--their views, what they think, why they think that's important. We'll just talk about that," Baucus said. While Baucus has been reluctant to meet with advocates of a single-payer system, he's been keen to include the GOP in negotiations, and said he hopes that the president pushes the party to continue to do so. "I hope [Obama] tells us it has to be bipartisan. I think it has to be bipartisan, if it's sustainable and meaningful," he said. Ryan Grim is the author of This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America , due out later this month Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
"American Girl" Rebecca Rubin Doll Accidentally Named After Eco-Terrorist Top
Rubin, 36 years old, is also known as "Little Missy." She is listed as "armed and dangerous" by the FBI for her alleged involvement in groups that led two of the biggest eco-crimes in U.S. history -- the 1998 bombing of a Vail, Colo., ski resort and a 2001 explosion at an Oregon power plant.
 
Jennifer Vanasco: Stonewall, Prop 8 and Gay Pride Top
Years from now, Proposition 8 is going to be thought of as the tragedy that sparked a revolution. Gays and lesbians might find the pattern familiar: Stonewall, 40 years ago this month, remembered annually in Gay Pride celebrations around the country; AIDS 25 years ago. It has always been the case that our greatest community successes were built on the backs of what at first seemed like disasters. Our strength is that setbacks prod us to work together even more closely. Before last November, most gays and lesbians who wanted equal marriage weren't very active about it. We might talk to each other about inequality, but except for our activist wing, we weren't taking to the streets. Marriage across the United States seemed like a pipe dream. When New England's Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders launched their 6 X '12 campaign - pressing for gay marriage in all New England states by 2012 - I almost laughed. No way, I thought. At the time, only Connecticut and Massachusetts had equal marriage. California was taking it away. And New York, while it recognized marriages performed elsewhere, seemed blockaded by religious Democrats in the state senate. But after the November vote for Proposition 8, gays, lesbians and our allies started marching in the streets. We started boycotting. We started writing letters. We started telling our stories. And it became clear: there are ramifications if citizens and legislators vote against us. We are paying attention. And we will act. Then, suddenly, states were falling all over themselves to recognize marriage equality. Judges in Iowa quoted the original California decision recognizing the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. Maine and Vermont saw marriage barrel through their state legislatures. Soon we will add New Hampshire. The District of Columbia started recognizing marriages performed elsewhere - and Maryland might go the same way in a few weeks. The Nevada state legislature overturned the governor's veto of domestic partnership rights. Pennsylvania is taking up a marriage bill. Some insiders, like New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and state Senator Tom Duane, are even predicting that New York may vote for equal marriage before Pride. What felt like a Sisyphean struggle a year ago now feels like a landslide. Even last week's California state Supreme Court decision felt something like a victory. The judges, in upholding Prop 8, ruled as narrowly as they could. Minority rights can't be taken away, they said. They can only be called something else. Said the opinion: "Instead, the measure [leaves] undisturbed all of the other extremely significant substantive aspects of a same-sex couple's state constitutional right to establish an officially recognized and protected family relationship and the guarantee of equal protection of the laws. "Among the various constitutional protections recognized in the Marriage Cases as available to same-sex couples, it is only the designation of marriage - albeit significant - that has been removed by this initiative measure." The court didn't overturn the 18,000 marriages. And they didn't overturn gay rights. Gays and lesbians have all the rights of married couples, they said. Just not the word "marriage." And yes, that's "separate but equal." But - good news! - that's SEPARATE BUT EQUAL. And in our country we have a 50-year understanding that separate but equal is not equal at all. Which means that the decision is even more likely to be overturned the next time voters head to the polls. June is Gay Pride month, and we have a lot to celebrate. We still have to fight. We still have to do the difficult personal and political work of reaching our to communities of faith and of color to reassure them that by supporting us, they don't lose anything. But what could have been a disaster that felled us instead inspired us to rise. Forty years ago this month, we had Stonewall. Now we have Prop H8. It is exactly what our movement needed at exactly the time we needed it. More on Gay Marriage
 
Kathy Kelly: A Weaver's Welcome Top
Shortly after arriving in Pakistan, one week ago, we met a weaver and his extended family, numbering 76 in all, who had been forcibly displaced from their homes in Fathepur, a small village in the Swat Valley. Fighting between the Pakistani military and the Taliban had intensified. Terrified by aerial bombing and anxious to leave before a curfew would make flight impossible, the family packed all the belongings they could carry and fled on foot. It was a harrowing four-day journey over snow-covered hills. Leaving their village, they faced a Taliban checkpoint where a villager trying to leave had been assassinated that same morning. Fortunately, a Taliban guard let them pass. Walking many miles each day, with 45 children and 22 women, they supported one another as best they could. Men took turns carrying a frail grandmother on their shoulders. One woman gave birth to her baby, Hamza, on the road. When they arrived, exhausted, at a rest stop in the outskirts of Islamabad, they had no idea where to go next. While there, the weaver struck up a conversation with a man whom he'd never met before. He told the man about the family's plight. Hearing that they were homeless, the man invited them to live with him and his family in a large building which he is renovating. He offered to put the reconstruction on hold so that the family could move into the upper stories of his building. The weaver was also fortunate to have known, for many years, a family that had sold his art work through a small shop in Islamabad. Women in this family have been working, as volunteers, to assist refugees who've come to Islamabad. They and their companions have delivered one thousand "food kits," plus cots, mats and cooking supplies, to desperately needy people. Two of the women, Fauzia and Ghazala, invited our small delegation to visit the weaver and his family, in Islamabad's Bara Koh neighborhood. When we arrived, older men and boys were outside, ready to unload a truck delivering mats and flour. The generous building owner invited members of our group into his home, on the ground floor, where plans were already being made to turn the top floor into a school for the children. Several tots led me upstairs to meet their grandparents. The elderly couple sat, cross-legged, on cots. When we entered, the grandmother stood, embraced me, and then softly wept for several minutes. Soon, about 20 men, women and children clustered around the cots. All listened attentively while one of the weaver's brothers, Abdullah Shah, spoke with pride about the school in Fathepur where he had been a headmaster. The village had three schools, and his school was so successful that even Taliban families sent their children to study there. Now, the Taliban has destroyed all of the schools in Fathepur. He and his brothers wonder what their future will be. How and when can they return to their village? And how will they start over? The crops are ruined, livestock have died, and land mines have been laid. Most of the shops and businesses have been destroyed. Many homes are demolished. The trauma endured by the refugees is overwhelming. Yet, numerous individuals and groups have swiftly extended hospitality and emergency aid. We visited a Sikh community, in Hassan Abdal, which has taken in hundreds of Sikhs, housing them inside a large and very famous shrine. Nearby, we stayed for several days in Tarbela, where families in very simple dwellings have welcomed their relatives. The townspeople quietly took up a collection to support the refugee families. Some of the townspeople accompanied us to Ghazi, just up the road from Tarbela, where 155 people are staying in an abandoned hospital, relying entirely on the generosity of their new neighbors. Doctors from Lahore invited two of us to go with them to villages near Mardan, where people from the Swat Valley are still arriving. The doctors were part of a project organized jointly through Rotary Lahore, Pakistan Medical Aid, and Jahandan, which has worked with area councils to convert schools into refugee centers. The doctors take turns, several times a week, delivering relief shipments and helping supervise distribution. Generosity in the face of such massive displacement and suffering is evident everywhere we go. But Pakistan needs help on a much larger scale. The U.S. has pledged 100 million dollars toward relief efforts. Two other disclosures about money budgeted for Pakistan should be considered in light of the unbearable burdens borne by close to two million new refugees. First is the decision to spend 800 million dollars to renovate and expand the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and to upgrade security at U.S. consular offices elsewhere in the country. Secondly, the U.S. will spend 400 million dollars, in 2009, to teach counter-insurgency tactics to Pakistan's military. The 2010 Defense Spending budget requests an additional 700 million for counter-insurgency training in Pakistan. What would happen if U.S. officials put plans to expand the U.S. Embassy on hold? Suppose the U.S. were to declare that helping alleviate the misery of people forcibly displaced by Taliban violence and the recent military offensive is a top priority, one that trumps spending money on renovating and expanding the U.S. Embassy. Suppose that the U.S. were to redirect funds designated to train counterinsurgents and instead make these funds available to help alleviate impoverishment in Pakistan. No one seems to know how the Taliban are funded, but they clearly use large sums of money to build their ranks, giving each new recruit 25,000 rupees, a sum that exceeds what a teacher earns in one year. In villages where people don't have enough resources to feed their children, the Taliban would initially move in with plans to build schools and offer two meals a day, plus clean clothes, to the children. Later, they would exercise increasingly fierce control over villages. But their initial forays into villages were marked by offers to reduce the gaps between "haves and have-nots." Enormous resources will be spent to "crush" the Taliban, and as always happens in warfare, the bloodshed will fuel acts of revenge and retaliation. The relationship that began when a stranger took the risk of offering shelter to a weaver holds a lesson worth heeding. The weaver and his family will never forget the extraordinary, immediate kindness extended to them when a man put his renovation project on hold so that he could help them find shelter in his building. The U.S. could help assure that every Pakistani family displaced by the fighting has enough to eat and the security of at least a temporary home. It would be an unusual but sensible homeland security initiative within Pakistan. And it would be a signpost pointing to greater security for the United States. The maxim that guides this idea is simple: to counter terror, build justice. Build justice predicated on the belief that each person has basic human rights, and that we have a collective responsibility to share resources so that those rights are met. This means eliminating the unjust and unfair gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots." It means weaving new relationships that don't rely on guns and bombs for security. Kathy Kelly ( kathy@vcnv.org ) co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence . Along with Dan Pearson, Steve Kelly, Gene Stoltzfus and Razia Ahmed, she is visiting cities and villages in Pakistan. More on Pakistan
 
Les Francis: The Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor -- Can it Be a Teachable Moment? Top
President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has sparked a heated and, at times, ugly debate. The worst aspects of the debate are most evident on cable TV talk shows and the web, but it is only a matter of time before some Senator makes a statement that is just as hateful as those made already by Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Tom Tancredo and others seeking headlines and audience share. Regardless, barring some new and horribly damaging revelation, Judge Sotomayor will almost certainly be confirmed by the Senate. Between now and then, we can hope that the confirmation process will be intense, spirited, and enlightening, and that she -- and we -- will be spared the cheap, the tawdry, and the demagogic. We can hope, but we also should strive to make it so. While many Americans -- on the left and on the right -- are disturbed by the antics and tactics being employed by Judge Sotomayor's most rabid critics, it would be worth our while to take a deep breath and think more deeply about what is going on and why. Perhaps this nomination and the debate over it can become a "teachable moment." Through the process, maybe we can agree that "identity politics" (whereby one's gender, sexual preference, race or ethnicity explains and justifies every vote and every policy decision), are at once understandable and unfortunate. Perhaps we can also agree that each of us, in our attitudes and our behaviors, reflects the sum of our existence -- our upbringing, our education, our work experiences and, yes, our gender, ethnicity, race, sexual identity, and economic circumstance. Each of us is also shaped by our successes and our failures. Judge Sotomayor is an aggregate of those ingredients -- as are her critics and opponents, as are all of us. Those elements affect our beliefs and our decisions, but they do not determine them -- that's why we have a brain, and why we are taught and encouraged to use it. Maybe some Democrats can be persuaded to reflect on how our own party's tactics (and those of allied groups), in opposition to Judge Robert Bork's nomination for the Supreme Court in 1987 have contaminated the judicial nomination and confirmation process ever since. No one can say with certainty how Robert Bork would have turned out as a Supreme Court Justice, whether his impact or influence would have been positive, negative or pivotal. Yet it is clear that the fight to reject his nomination was waged in a manner that injected a level of toxicity to the confirmation process that continues to plague it. Maybe some Republicans can be encouraged to reject the "we had to destroy the village to save it" mentality that has characterized Newt Gingrich's career, and which now appears to be inscribed in his party's catechism. Opposition to a big or overly intrusive government is not only healthy in our representative democracy, it is necessary. Thoughtful questioning of any political orthodoxy is legitimate, and it should be welcomed. But Mr. Gingrich's rhetoric, which is seldom measured, is growing increasingly harsh and reckless. It might be good for him to be sent for a "time out" to have a moment to think about the consequences of his words on our political institutions. Finally, maybe both parties and their respective constituencies (especially the organized and well-funded ones) can pause to examine the corrosive effects that political-style campaigns -- for and against -- judicial nominations may be having on our legal system and on those charged with administering it. By far one of the most alarming trends was highlighted in a recent article in The Washington Post , which reported that, "Threats against the nation's judges and prosecutors have sharply increased, prompting hundreds to get 24-hour protection from armed U.S. marshals." Can we draw a straight line linking cause and effect between nomination battles and violent threats? No, not yet. But can over-heated rhetoric and campaigns that demonize judicial nominees sometimes lead to unintended consequences? The possibility is not out of the question. Let us hope, naive as it may seem, that the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor and the debate over her confirmation will make us a better nation, not a diminished and further polarized one. It doesn't seem to be too much to ask of our political leaders, be they in or out of elective office. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Jill Biden Repeats Blue Dress At GLSEN Respect Awards Monday (PHOTOS) Top
Jill Biden continued her reign of lovely as she delivered opening remarks at the 6th annual GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) Respect Awards in New York City on Monday evening. From Advocate.com : In an appearance marking the first time someone from the presidential or vice presidential area of the Obama-Biden administration addressed a gay organization, she voiced their "commitment" to making schools safe for all students, including LGBT youths. Dr. Biden also showed her cost-conscious side by repeating a blue dress she wore three weeks ago for for 'An Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word.' See a slideshow of Michelle Obama's repeat outfits . More on Photo Galleries
 
Michele Swenson: Contempt for Women Threatens Their Doctors Top
Many women and their families are grateful for their lives to the few like Dr. George Tiller, without whom they could not have resumed life with their families. Most often, contempt for women drives zealots on the right, who frame issues around reproduction to control, demonize and intimidate women and their doctors. As it turns out, abortion is about much more than the pretense of concern for life . A comparable standard applied to males would control or outlaw each ejaculation of approximately 300 million sperm, every sperm representing potential life. The intent of efforts to outlaw late-term abortion, where fetal anomalies often render the fetus incapable of survival, is to sensationalize the most tragic of situations while rendering women invisible and their doctors vulnerable. The greatest conceit of the right is the denial that pregnancy is a health issue for women. As a nurse in the pre-Roe early '70s, I encountered two women who died as a result of pregnancies that were contraindicated for health reasons -- one had chronic heart disease, the other acute kidney disease. Late-term abortion has been termed by ultraconservatives "infanticide" and "elective," said to be used "for everything from time lost at work to a headache" to a fetus with a cleft palate or a woman who is "mildly depressed." The late Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) branded one woman who had undergone an emergency procedure an "exterminator." There is no shortage of inflammatory language on the right. Rep. Rosa deLauro (D-CT), whose prenatal tests indicated the fetus she carried had severe genetic problems, described the procedure that the right calls "partial-birth" abortion "the least horrific of truly horrendous alternatives." "I was full of piety and self-righteousness on this issue until it happened to my family," commented a previously right-to-life Colorado legislator, whose daughter suffered a traumatic pregnancy. Her infant was born with a large fistula (opening) in her throat that prevented proper breathing without an emergency tracheotomy. Numerous other problems, including the need for a heart transplant, precluded her long-term survival. Had the family known, they would have considered late-term abortion to save the infant the suffering of her short three weeks of life. "I have been wrong. The state legislature has no place in that delivery room. It is for the family to make these decisions. These terrible, terrible decisions," said the legislator. Testifying at the Colorado legislature in 1996, Dr. Warren Hern described the tragic circumstances of women seeking late-term procedures, typically after referral by three or four different physicians. Conditions included severe fetal anomaly, genetic disorder or fetal death, as well as immediate risk to a woman's life, sometimes complicated by diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, etc. Three cases described by Dr. Hern: 1) One woman was diabetic, suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (uncontrollable vomiting from pregnancy). Literally starving to death, her blood chemistry was severely out of balance, to the point that her heart could stop momentarily. Profoundly dehydrated, she was flown to Colorado from Rapid City, S.D. and almost died enroute. Without an abortion she would have died. She began an immediate recovery following the procedure. 2) A woman whose fetus had a severe genetic disorder, in turn causing serious disease of the placenta that resulted in an alarming rise in the woman's blood pressure. Her main body systems began to shut down, with no urine output, out-of-balance electrolytes and pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) resulting in difficult breathing. The enlarged placenta blocking the uterus threatened catastrophic bleeding. Having been crossmatched for blood, the woman deteriorated rapidly, and required emergency intervention to save her life. 3) A woman whose fetus had a severe anomaly complicated by too much amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus (polyhydramnios), suddenly developed abruptio placenta (separation of the placenta from the uterus) and went into shock. Bleeding to death into the uterus, emergency surgery was required. A nurse held her fist on the patient's aorta to keep her from bleeding to death, as the patient lost three units (1-1/2 quarts) of her blood during the procedure. In crisis, there is no time to induce labor and wait for normal delivery, and the choice must often be made to act quickly. God bless Dr. Tiller and console his family. And heal the deep strain of arrogance, violence and abuse in the U.S.
 
Eric Sapp: Was Tiller's Murder Justice? Top
Last week, I had the honor of sitting next to a group of Gold Star Moms during the National Memorial Day concert. We talked about their sons and exchanged some tearful hugs during the extremely moving concert. The next day, the militant pro-life group, Operation Rescue, sent a mass email to its members entitled "Tiller Abortion Worker Honored At White House By Obama." The email condemned President Obama for inviting to the White House a woman who volunteered in George Tiller's clinic as "yet another connection between Obama and late-term abortionist George Tiller." The woman in question was a Gold Star Mom, and she was invited to the White House on Memorial Day (along with all the other Gold Star mothers I'd sat with at the concert) for no other reason than to commemorate their sons and daughters who were killed in action. The rhetoric from the far right often saddens me but seldom generates a real emotional reaction, but I was furious when I read Operation Rescue's email. At first, I couldn't decide whether I was more upset that Operation Rescue was trying to score cheap political points off of the death of this woman's son, or that they were so intent on proving their point about the threat of Obama's pro-choice administration that they felt completely justified in twisting the facts and ignoring the truth. But following Tiller's murder by a man who regularly posted on Operation Rescue message boards, I have decided that while using a U.S. soldier's death to try to score political points is more deplorable, the complete disregard for the truth in a pursuit of justice is more dangerous. Obama didn't "honor a Tiller abortion worker," and the Gold Star Mom event in no way demonstrated another connection between Obama and Tiller. When Christians decide lies are the best way to inspire the "faithful" to fight for justice, and when Christians demonstrate through our actions that we believe that any means are justified as long as the end is just, we are lost. The annoying thing about morality and ethics is that sometimes they make it difficult for us to get what we want immediately...and they may even make us reexamine our motives and priorities. As our society becomes increasingly governed by the sound bite and as we divide into ideologically homogenous groups to get our news, discuss our faith, and engage in our politics, we see more and more examples of Americans deciding morality and truth are luxuries we cannot afford in our righteous quest for justice. We break 200 years of tradition and torture prisoners because we face threats so dire that laws of man and God no longer apply. And lest the left get too self-righteous, there is little difference between Operation Rescue hosting chat rooms where protestors are encouraged to target Tiller's church and opponents of Prop 8 posting the names and home addresses of donors to the gay marriage ban. As our specific causes become increasingly important in our own eyes, as the perceived threats to them become increasingly immediate and dire, and as our opponents are increasingly turned into demonized caricatures void of feeling or humanity, "justice" becomes just another word for "revenge" and we teeter on the verge of becoming Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor who kills Christ to save the Church...because Christ's message of meekness and mercy is not what the times call for. And so while Operation Rescue may not have pulled the trigger, they created a culture that justified their web team's decision that in the times we live in they did not need to follow Christ's command to be truthful in all things or to comfort the suffering since such commands would have hobbled their righteous and just purpose...and tragically, it was just a small step for someone who was constantly bombarded by their alarmist rhetoric to decide that Christ wanted him to murder another of God's children. Every time we demonize another, stand as righteous judge over our brother, and seek justice devoid of grace or mercy, there are consequences. And when we decide that we will fight God's battles with the devil's weapons of lies and force, we should not be surprised when we create monsters. More on Christianity
 
Twitter On The TV: America's Best (And Worst) Microblogging Moments (VIDEO) Top
Who can forget Stephen Colbert making Meredith Vieira squirm by saying "twat" on the "Today Show" ? Or Oprah tweeting for the first time ? Or Jimmy Kimmel mocking Oprah for tweeting for the first time by changing her text to read "MY TOENAILS TASTE LIKE BUTTERSCOTCH"? In three short years Twitter has gone from a nonsense word to a nonsense "news" topic, making anchors and pundits alike buzz with glee over what they had for breakfast and what their audience thinks of what they had for breakfast. (Note: It was a bagel) Everyone from CSPAN to FOX News is getting into the Twitterverse: A place where Ashton Kutcher is the most popular man in the world and Demi Moore saves lives . It's a very dangerous place. We here at the Huffington Post have compiled the best moments from TV's Twitter coverage for your viewing pleasure. We dare you not to throw up a little. WATCH: More on In A Minute
 
Todd Kashdan: Lessons from the Science of Well-Being for New Graduates and their Parents Top
For the past decade, I have been teaching my dream course called "The Science of Well-Being," exposing my students to what scientists have learned about happiness, positive emotions, love, creativity, forgiveness, mindfulness, curiosity, and meaning and purpose in life. This is my launching pad for dispensing advice to graduates about how to leave the sanctuary of college. Regardless of your SAT scores, GPA, and the U.S. News & World Report ranking of your college, odds are that you are as bad as everyone else at figuring out what is going to lead to a fulfilling life. When asked, people think that novel, uncertain events will be less pleasurable than feeling absolutely certain and possessing every bit of information possible in a situation. However, scientists are finding that when events are new and uncertain our pleasure is more likely to be intense; it will linger longer and be more meaningful. What this means is that most of us are doing the exact opposite of what will bring us fulfillment. How can you thrive in an uncertain, unpredictable, rapidly evolving world? Explore your deepest, most central values by devoting time for introspection. Schedule this time as you would your workout sessions and doctor appointments. Imagine, for a moment, that you could wave a magic wand to ensure the approval and admiration of everyone on the planet, forever. In that case, what would you choose to do with your life? Think about your answer. Don't let the opinions and expectations of others determine the outcome of this exercise. When you are the author of your behavior and choices, you'll devote more effort, make more progress, and derive more satisfaction and meaning from your goals. Search for lessons and inspirations in unexpected places and don't surround yourself with people who are too similar to you. Recognize that your knowledge and perspective is limited. Only through multiple perspectives can we grasp the totality of an idea or issue. Talk to strangers that look and act nothing like you. Econ majors: hang out with musicians and capture their joy in improvisation. Dancers: take a Math major to lunch and enjoy the thrill of their focused approach to problems. Don't judge yourself harshly against people that appear more knowledgeable and successful than you. Every so-called expert was trained by what worked in the past for a future that will present new problems. Take a close look at how the wizards of Wall Street tripped over their knowledge. Be willing to be anxious, uncomfortable, and mistake-prone because these are the natural consequences of taking on challenges. As soon as someone thinks they know what they are doing, they pull out their recipes and start applying old ideas to new situations. This often marks the end of productivity, creativity, and innovation. Proudly proclaim that you will be a lifelong learner, never an expert. Time and energy are the most limited and valuable commodities in life. Forget about accumulating 1000 friends on Facebook. Nourish a few significant, meaningful relationships with people who will support your explorations and provide a safe haven to which you can always return. Discover your strengths and find new ways to use them; discover your passions and devote effort to them on a daily basis. Forget about the pursuit of happiness. Create a life that matters and you might catch happiness along the way. More on Happiness
 
Memphis Finds No Proof Derrick Rose Cheated On His SAT Top
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis was unable to find proof a former player cheated on his SAT exam in its internal investigation of NCAA allegations against the men's basketball team. The investigation report, released to The Associated Press and other news outlets Tuesday under a public records request, details Memphis' internal investigation into allegations that a former player allowed a stand-in to take his SAT test and of grade tampering. School officials argue that even if the NCAA's Committee on Infractions believes a former player cheated, the program should not be penalized because the school was unaware of any wrongdoing. Most names in the report were redacted by the school because of privacy concerns, but an attorney for former Memphis star Derrick Rose has acknowledged that Rose cooperated with an investigation of similar allegations while still a student. The report says the school had no reason to suspect the SAT was fraudulent until notified by Educational Testing Service that the player's score had been canceled. That letter came May 5, 2008, after Rose's only season at Memphis. "The university ... took all reasonable steps to confirm that (name redacted) had met eligibility requirements," the report states. Memphis will present its findings to the Committee on Infractions on Saturday in Indianapolis. Former coach John Calipari is expected to participate by phone. The NCAA also alleges an employee at Rose's Chicago high school changed a grade so a C would show up on his transcript instead of a D. The player then used the test score and the transcript to enroll at Memphis. A 2007 investigation by the school into the grade-tampering charge determined that even if the grade had been changed, he was still eligible for admission. Athletic director R.C. Johnson has said the school checks out potentials athletes, but has refused to detail efforts to investigate. Kentucky officials were aware of the allegations when they hired Calipari and believe the coach was open and honest about the situation. Johnson interviewed several high-profile coaches when Calipari left, but couldn't lure them to Memphis. So he turned to 31-year-old Calipari assistant Josh Pastner. Pastner, who has said he knew nothing about the investigation before being hired, was excused from participation because of a previous commitment. NCAA officials notified Memphis on Jan. 16 of the "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" that occurred in 2007-08. The Tigers won 38 games that season and were the national runnerup. Calipari, who left Memphis and signed an 8-year, $31.65 million contract with Kentucky on March 31, has been assured by the NCAA that he is not under investigation. Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and the current rookie of the year, has issued a statement through his attorney Daniel E. Reidy and won't comment any further on the investigation. More on Sports
 
How To Pronounce Sonia Sotomayor's Name Top
NEW YORK — People have been saying Judge Sonia Sotomayor's (soh-toh-my-YORZ') name a lot since she became the Supreme Court nominee. They've also been saying it in different ways. Some say it the way she does: soh-toh-my-YOR'. Others have pronounced it SOH'-tuh-my-er _ or some other variation. Mark Krikorian, an advocate of tougher immigration standards and a contributor to the conservative National Review, says putting the emphasis on the last syllable is an "unnatural pronunciation" in English. Others say it's respectful to pronounce someone's name the way he or she says it. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Javier Sierra: It Stinks to High Heaven Top
When distributing Mexico's portion of the "blessings" of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the town of La Gloria (Heaven) got the hellish part of the deal. In that town in Veracruz State arrived a nasty gift brought by the U.S.-based multinational Smithfield Farms , which took full advantage of NAFTA's terrible flaws to set up a pig factory called Granjas Carroll. The facility -- I should say that chamber of horrors -- processes the meat from 800,000 pigs each year, producing hundreds of thousands of tons of fecal matter, equivalent to the amount generated by a mid-sized city. This untreated waste ends up in several fetid open-pit lagoons, covered by clouds of flies, which keep the residents' health and well-being under constant siege. In April, that siege proved to be unsustainable. On April 5, Mexico City's La Jornada newspaper , quoting municipal officials, reported that pollution coming from Granjas Carroll's fecal lagoons "started an epidemic of respiratory infections in the town of La Gloria." "Some 400 people have received medical attention already," the paper added . "However, 60 percent of La Gloria's 3,000 inhabitants are already suffering from flu, pneumonia and bronchopneumonia." CNN has identified Edgar Hernández , a five-year-old La Gloria resident who survived the illness, as "patient zero" of the swine flu pandemic that spread like wildfire throughout Mexico. Even so, there still is no clear evidence that the swine flu pandemic originated at Granjas Carroll. But what we do know is that these horrific facilities have proven to be a certain threat to public health ever since they were first developed more than two decades ago. The fecal lagoons that characterize these animal factories are loaded with toxic substance like nitrites, ammonia and sulfur compounds, which poison the air, water and soil. According to a study conducted in several North Carolina communities, residents living close to one of these animal factories raising 6,000 pigs complained of headaches, nasal irritation, sore throat, persistent cough, diarrhea and burning eyes. Another study by Duke University's Psychiatry Department found that people living in a two-mile radius of a swine facility experienced high levels of tension, depression, anger and fatigue. In yet another North Carolina community, the stench coming from nearby fecal lagoons was so intense that paint from houses peeled right off the walls. The list goes on and on. And no one should be surprised because this industry, one of the country's dirtiest, generates 130 million tons of fecal and urine matter each year, which in too many cases end up in rivers and coasts causing terrible environmental damage. One of the most notorious cases took place in 1997, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) levied a $12.5-million fine on Smithfield Farms for discharging slaughterhouse waste in violation of the Clean Water Act into the Pagan River, part of the Chesapeake Bay Basin. But there is a third victim of these animal factories: their workers. Sixty-five percent of this labor force is Latino, and in most cases, undocumented Latinos, willing to work anywhere, including these places, so despised by American workers. This industry, which causes more work accidents than any other in the country, too often treats its employees even worse than the animals it exploits. "It's easy to find replacements, and if you get hurt, you're out," says Francisco Risso, director of the Workers' Center , a non-profit organization that assists immigrant workers in this industry in Morgantown, North Carolina. "And since the majority of them are undocumented, they are even more vulnerable to labor abuses." Risso insists in order to improve the working conditions of this industry it is essential that Congress pass the Employee Free Choice Act so workers can freely unionize and show strength to bargain for their salaries and working conditions. Meanwhile, for these workers, heaven is as far away as that town in Veracruz, Mexico. Javier Sierra is a Sierra Club columnist. Visit www.sierraclub.org/ecocentro More on Mexico
 
Obama's White House: Lighthearted Moments (SLIDESHOW) Top
White House photographer Pete Souza follows President Obama everywhere, capturing virtually each and every moment. The latest batch of photos posted to the White House flickr stream includes images of lighthearted moments with the President. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Barack Obama
 
Frankie Martin: Obama and the Dialogue of Civilizations Top
President Barack Obama's June 4th speech in Cairo will be one of the most important of his presidency. The success or failure of Obama's presidency may well depend on his actions in the Muslim world, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan where he has recently committed thousands of additional American troops and billions of dollars. Outside the "Af-Pak" theater, the President and the country face major challenges including violent conflicts in Iraq, Somalia, Palestine and Kashmir, and lingering questions about Guantanamo Bay detainees. Given these challenges, what can the President say that will make his Cairo speech a success? I believe an extensive trip I took through the Muslim world in 2006 with Professor Akbar Ahmed, the Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, can yield some answers. My journey began in a 2005 college class called "Clash or Dialogue of Civilizations" taught by Professor Ahmed. In it we debated some of the world's big ideas. Were the Islamic World and the West destined to clash, as Samuel Huntington had famously written, or was there an alternative paradigm that could be adopted? The concept of the "Dialogue of Civilizations" had gained prominence in a 1998 United Nations speech by Iran's then-President, Mohammad Khatami. Noting that cultural exchanges of art and literature had occurred for thousands of years among very different peoples, Khatami suggested that the process could be amplified in the 21st Century. The United Nations eagerly adopted Khatami's idea, declared 2001 the "Year of the Dialogue Among Civilizations," and sought to promote better understanding through conferences and cultural exchange. Today, the irony of choosing that year is lost on no one. The 9/11 attacks pushed the planet in the opposite direction. Instead of dialogue, proponents of clash had spoken. Their version of human events took center stage. As a college student deeply concerned at the violence I was seeing, the "Dialogue of Civilizations" concept intrigued me. I luckily was given the opportunity to test its feasibility by conducting fieldwork in the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia. I met people from all levels of society, from rural madrassa students to politicians like Pakistan's then-President Pervez Musharraf. Our team distributed surveys in nine Muslim countries in a scientific study to gauge popular opinion. One of the questions we asked was "what is the greatest threat to the Muslim world?" In each country, the most common answer was: "American negative perceptions of Islam." To be sure, Muslims are frustrated by many things. Not only conflicts with the United States, but internal problems like poverty, corrupt government, and religious extremism. But our surveys revealed a common and persistent fear that, even if they were able to tackle these internal problems, Muslims would still face a hostile American public that opposes them simply for being Muslim. Many Muslims wonder, if Americans all share the hostility found in some Western media, which is broadcast globally via satellite, what hope is there? Indeed, this line of thought sounded familiar to me because I had heard similar sentiments in my own country about Muslims. This perception gap means that even if political or military conflicts like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict are resolved, this underlying distrust and hostility would remain. We need a new lexicon, a new phrase that Obama can use to define a new age. If "War on Terror" could capture the public imagination, then so too can "Dialogue of Civilizations." The years of clash have left many Muslims feeling that their religion itself is under attack, which in turns fuels further extremism. This feeling, however, does not preclude our chances for dialogue. Everywhere I went during my fieldwork, I was welcomed eagerly and hospitably by nearly everyone I met, who were eager, if not desperate, to talk. "Dialogue of Civilizations" is not meant to be a "kumbaya" philosophy for the President, but a real strategy to combat anti-Americanism and win allies. The President's use of the phrase should be followed by action including reform of U.S. visa policy to bring more people from Muslim countries to the United States, programs to encourage American students to study abroad, and more vigorous public diplomacy to bring our diplomats out of their embassy fortresses and interact with Muslims where they live. But the Dialogue is more than just a matter of international diplomacy. There are many things that ordinary citizens can do, the most important of which being promoting simple education. For the past year I have been traveling around the United States with Professor Ahmed on a follow-up project to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in America, keeping in mind what Muslims abroad believed to be the "greatest threat" to the Muslim world. We've been to over seventy five cities and over one hundred American mosques. Our theatrical documentary, Journey into America , will premiere at the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) Convention in Washington DC at the Washington Convention Center this July 4th at 9PM. ISNA is the largest Islamic organization in the US and hosts conventions attended by thousands every year. The film will be launched by luminaries including America's first Muslim Congressman, Keith Ellison of Minnesota, ISNA's president Dr. Ingrid Mattson, and Imam Mohammed Magid of the ADAMS center in Northern Virginia, who Time magazine called the "American imam." We hope this film will help improve relations and jump-start the Dialogue of Civilizations in the United States. The more bridges we are able to build the better all of us will be. Muslims aren't expecting President Obama to solve all of their political problems. But in Egypt the President can allay their darkest (and most common) fears by organizing his administration around an optimistic big idea. It is time to embrace the Dialogue of Civilizations. More on Egypt
 
Amb. Marc Ginsberg: "Natural Growth": Netanyahu's Road Map to a Mid East Road Bloc Top
Taking on the sacred cow of Israeli settlements construction in the West Bank has historically been a fool's errand for American presidents. Caught between Israel's concerned supporters at home (many of whom do not appreciate the complexity of the issue) and domestic Israeli politics, no amount of presidential arm-twisting between strong allies seems to have slowed their growth or stopped their spread, even though successive Israeli governments since 1993 have pledged to ice the construction. Both Labor and Likud leaders have talked the talk, but rarely walked the walk away from that ever so tantalizing next hammer swing. But each swing of that hammer has only dealt another blow to the vision of a viable Palestinian state, as well as a safe and secure Jewish and democratic state of Israel. I commend President Obama for demanding a deep freeze on settlement construction. Unlike his predecessors, Obama appears no longer willing to engage in the vexing winking and nodding that has characterized American attitudes to settlement growth in the past. I take that stand as a passionate Zionist dedicated to Israel's freedom and security, who just as passionately believes in the right of Palestinians to have their own state living peacefully and viably side-by-side with a Jewish and democratic state of Israel. One only need know first-hand the true situation on the ground in the West Bank to understand why these two beliefs inherently are at peace with each other. When I undertook the first Congressional assessment of the plight of Palestinian refugees for Senator Kennedy's Senate Subcommittee on Refugees back in 1973, I realized then, as I know now, that the construction of settlements, let alone their so-called "natural growth" is patently self-defeating to Israel's desire for Palestinians to drop their demand for the so-called "Right of Return." How can Palestinians establish a viable homeland if there is no land on which to resettle refugees on the West Bank? All one need do is to visit those squalid camps to appreciate how important it is to get those thousands upon thousands of Palestinian refugees resettled into normal lives and out from the poverty-provoking extremism that is bred through every open sewer that permeates so many refugee camps - thanks no less to a Palestinian leadership, particularly Arafat, who found it politically expedient to maintain the camps. On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu characterized President Obama's demand to freeze all settlement construction east of the so-called Green Line as "unreasonable," thus needlessly putting his government at risk for creating a first, public breach of confidence with the new President. "Unreasonable?" What appears to many "unreasonable" is an Israeli leader arbitrarily instigating a rift with the White House for purely domestic political calculations at a time when President Obama is packing his bags for a critical trip to the Middle East to rebuild support for a two state solution which would reduce the region's threats to Israel. What is even more "unreasonable" is failing to incentivize those settlers who demand "natural growth" to do so back inside Israel if desire bigger homes. How about some subprime mortgages for those willing to resettle back inside Israel? In an attempt to quell the contretemps, Netanyahu dispatched Defense Minister Ehud Barak to negotiate an exception for the "natural growth" of existing settlements, which Netanyahu's coaltion is trying to peddle as something authorized by President Bush to then Prime Minister Sharon. Hogwash! There was no such bargain and Barak should have saved the airfare. Indeed, U.S. intel shown to Israelis proves that the Israel continued its construction AFTER the 2007 Annapolis Summit whereat Prime Minister Olmert pledged to end settlement expansion. But that begs the point about the nature of these settlements and the broader goals and objectives of the United States in helping to restore much needed American credibility to the peace making process. My close friends in the American Jewish community who reflexively empathize with Israel need to understand what really is going on here because the Netanyahu Government is trying to have its cake and eat it, too. Given so much emotion and understandable ignorance over what exactly is taking place in West Bank settlement construction here is a basic primer. About 280,000 Israeli citizens populate 121 West Bank settlements, excluding Israelis living in East Jerusalem. There are roughtly 3 categories of Israel settlements on the West Bank: 1. Contiguous settlements blocs (composed of communities like Maale Adumim east of Jerusalem) now so fully integrated into Israel that even Palestinian negotiators recognize they will inevitably become part of Israel in exchange for territorial concessions elsewhere in a final status negotiation. It is in these communities where the vast majority of the almost 300,000 Israeli settlers now reside. 2. Approximately 80 - 90 settlements that have been constructed east of the so-called Green Line outside the integrated settlement communities around Jerusalem (which under both Labor and Likud Governments have been placed on Israel's utility grids and linked by roads to Israel) which are the subject of President Obama's rapt attention. It is these settlements where all of the bilateral controversy has broken out over so called "natural growth." Many, but not all of these are those that would have to be "deconstructed" to pave the way for a two-state solution. 3. Outposts (numbering perhaps 22 or so) constructed since 2001 by extremist zealots which even the Netanyahu government admits are patently illegal which Netanyahu has signaled his intention to tear down, using force if necessary. Just as importantly, there are thousands of religious settlers (many of whom are fundamentally fanatics) on the far ideological right of Israeli society who are the dominant inhabitants of the #2 and # 3 type of settlements. They include Israelis who voted overwhelmingly for Likud and who are determined to create "facts on the ground" in Judea and Samaria to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. And if they have to engage in a scorched earth policy to have their way (including, according to a very few of them, justly maiming and murdering other Israelis who disagree with them), so be it. It was this type of fanatical settler who deemed fit to assassinate former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. These settlers believe it is God's will to create a "Greater Israel" throughout Judea and Samaria--a religious oxymoron if there ever was one since by definition their vision of a "Greater Israel" could ONLY be realized by the repatriation of Palestinians out of the West Bank. On the Israeli political spectrum they are the real obstacles to peace. To put it bluntly, Netanyahu's support for #2 type settlements expansion and their so-called "natural growth" (let alone taking merely public relations steps to tear down some of the #3 type outposts) on West Bank lands east of the Green Line fundamentally constitutes a violation of Israel's pledges under Road Map and are a road block to any peace agreement. Netanyahu simply should not be humored so he can have it both ways: he cannot justify settlement expansion, oppose a Palestinian state and expect the United States to continue business as usual given this President's determination to reset relations with the Muslim world and help Israel break out of the strategic threats it faces in the region. I am all in favor of avoiding collisions between the U.S. and Israel, but Netanyahu and his immediate predecessor, not Obama, picked this fight. I can confidently report that most Israelis share President Obama's view regarding the settlements in question despite the rightward drift of Israel's electorate. And while America's Jewish supporters are understandably concerned with what appears to be a growing rift between Netanyahu and Obama, they should take a deep breath, exhale, give Obama the benefit of the doubt and not overreact to some necessary tough love from steadfast allies Madame Secretary or Mr. President. In the end, a bullet-proof settlement construction freeze may not be palatable to some in Netanyahu's coalition. But an irreversible freeze and a change in Israeli policy toward these settlements will go a very long way in forging a crucial period of trust and confidence in U.S. - Israeli relations at a time when Israel needs a strong American president who can deliver the goods. Only the very narrowest of parochial political machinations seem to be driving Netanyahu's calculations, and those calculations lack merit since they collide with Israel's long term security and its deep and abiding strategic friendship with the U.S. It's not even a close call. More on Palestinian Territories
 
Melissa Silverstein: Interview with Vendela Vida: Novelist and Co-Writer of Away We Go Top
I knew nothing about Vendela Vida before I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago in conjunction with the release of her first film Away We Go which she co-wrote with husband Dave Eggers. (The film opens Friday and I liked it very much.) I very much enjoyed the conversation and am now going to make sure I read all her books which includes And Now You Can Go and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name . She also co-edits The Believer magazine. Women & Hollywood: Talk about how the idea for writing this film came about. Vendela Vida: It started in 2005 and I was pregnant with our first (we now have 2 children) and I basically started taking notes. As a writer that's how I process the world. I go out and take notes of things that have happened. I was basically surprised when I was pregnant at how much it was an invitation to start talking to me about their experiences with pregnancy and birth and give me advice that I hadn't necessarily asked for on how to raise my child. It was basically my way of processing other people's reactions to pregnancy and also my own reaction. I was taking these notes and a lot of them were about funny stuff I had overheard, conversations I had or things I read in books and didn't quite know what to do with. I would come home and tell Dave and we would laugh about it and say that would be a funny scene in a movie so we just started experimenting with dialogue for these two characters. We knew the material lent itself more to a movie than a novel because there was so much dialogue. It felt very cinematic to us. We started writing scenes not expecting it to evolve into something we were just trying to make each other laugh. It kind of just went from there. W&H: Had the two of you ever written together before? VV: No. The screenplay format seemed to lend itself to the collaboration much more so than obviously a novel. W&H: Did you write Verona intentionally as a mixed race woman? VV: Yes we did and we wrote her with Maya Rudolph in mind. It was important to me that she be mixed race and it was also important that she and her partner not have any conversations between the two of them of her being mixed race. Other people could comment on it but it's never an issue between Burt and Verona. W&H: What's the difference between writing fiction, non-fiction and film? VV: I love writing dialogue and with film the pleasure and difficulty is that you are constricted by space. In a film you have to make sure the dialogue is advancing the plot. With a screenplay you are writing a skeletal outline and you know that the director and actors are going to bring so much more, whereas when you are writing a novel it is all on you. Every period is one you. Every quote is on you. It's fun to do a collaboration especially because when you are writing a novel you are spending so much time with yourself in your room with your thoughts. I do love novels and they will always be my first love but this was a great experience especially because we started writing after I finished my novel Northern Lights Erase Your Name which is set in the Arctic circle. It's kind of a dark novel in many ways so it was refreshing to write something more lighthearted. W&H: I was intrigued that you write the non-fiction book Girls on the Verge (about girl gangs.) Why were you so drawn to that world? VV: It kind of came about by accident. I wrote one essay in grad school about a female gang initiation ritual I had observed in San Francisco and people suggested that I write another and pretty soon I had a book. I wrote the book when I was a lot younger and I don't know if I would have written it the same way now but I am very proud of it. Non-fiction is a lot harder than fiction because you have to be so true to facts. I remember being in a small apartment in NY with all these files and transcripts wishing this person had said this. But you can't tinker with facts. That's why I turned to fiction because you so have the opportunity to make things up. W&H: Women's novels gets pegged as chick lit just like women's films get pegged as chick flicks. Any thoughts on that? VV: It's hard for me to say because I always look for films and books by women so for me they don't feel pigeon-holed because I am actively seeking them out. I have Wendy & Lucy in front of me. Whenever there is a female writer or director I go out of my way to find their work. W&H: Do you have any advice for women writers? VV: Write female characters that you feel are strong and real. That was the one thing we were trying to do when we wrote Verona. We wanted to make her as real as possible and make her have moments when she was happy and moments when she was not. You have to make female characters as well rounded and representative of the women you know in real life. I don't think I am in a position to give anyone advice but I look to make female characters real and that's the responsibility we share as women writers. W&H: You do so many different things in your life is that how you balance writing novels by yourself? VV: When you write you are very solipsistic. I am by myself trying to create something and it feels very detached from the rest of the world. So for me one of the most important things is teaching. I teach at 826 Valencia. I teach a number of classes but my favorite one is writing the college essay in October. It is the most rewarding class because you're helping kids get into college and helping them see themselves in a way they might not realize is unique. W&H: Do you have an amount of hours you write each day? VV: I do it by the word count. I used to do it by the hour but I would find that 3 hours and 45 minutes would pass and then I would get to work for 15 minutes. That has been the solution for me. Word count can vary between where you are in the book. It's always something that's realistic but is still pushing myself a little. W&H: What's next for you? VV: I'm finishing up a novel that's set in Turkey about a woman who is 48 has two kids and her husband has passed away. She goes to Turkey to revisit where her marriage started. I have to turn in the final version this week. Away we Go opens Friday and will roll out across the country over the next few weeks. Check out the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEp3NKG2U5U
 
Human Rights Watch: Tiananmen Anniversary: China's Human Rights Record Hasn't Improved In 20 Years (VIDEO) Top
By Minky Worden Twenty years after the Chinese army killed untold numbers of unarmed civilians in Beijing and other cities on and around June 3-4, 1989, the Chinese government continues to victimize survivors, victims' families, and others who challenge the official version of events. And inside China, the concerns raised by the protesters in 1989 -- corruption, workers' rights, press freedom and the need for democratic reform -- are still the great unresolved challenges in the country today. Watch: Read the full report here. Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter! More on China
 
Jan Herman: More Than One Way to Bang That Can Top
Spent a few hours listening to the performances at the BANG ON A CAN Marathon 2009 with a friend of mine who has little patience for la sonorité artistique . She described much of what she heard as "beehive music." I had to laugh. She wasn't wrong. (One composer, Jeppe Just Christensen , played two pairs of amplified coffee grinders. Watch the video. ) Even so, The Smith Quartet seduced me with "White Man Sleeps," by Kevin Volans : Also, Bill Frisell eventually got to me with his laid-back "Solo" : Repetition breeds familiarity. Maybe familiarity breeds the opposite of contempt ... narcosis? Anyway, it was Phil Kline 's "John the Revelator" -- performed by the vocal ensemble Lionheart and the string quartet ETHEL -- that turned out to be what I liked best, even though I'm no fan of churchy music. (Sorry, no video.) Incidental intelligence: During the performance of Gavin Bryars ' "The Sinking of the Titanic," also played by the Smith Quartet, news came that the Titanic's last survivor had just died. I presume the music had nothing to do with it. Postscript: "Look at these photos ," a friend writes, "and think of a bunch of dipshits making music with coffee grinders or Volan's arty little piece appropriating South African tunes to make another of the limp-spined Left's innocuous, feel-good, PC statements (and written about 30 years ago which makes its status as new music rather questionable). Beehive music is a good term for Bang on a Can. It's a collective of yuppie drones and workers bees legitimizing blinkered Honkiness with cute Kultur."
 
Reyne Haines: New Blog - Three Or More! Collecting in the 21st Century Top
Greetings Huffington Post Readers! I'm Reyne Haines, and I'm a new Huffington blogger. My area of expertise, 20th Century Decorative Arts (plus a few other things outside that realm you'll learn about later). I'm often asked " What is 20th Century Decorative Arts ?" Basically, Fine Art, Decorative Arts (such as pottery, glass, silver, sculpture), Jewelry, Furniture, etc - all from the 1880s to present. My blog is called " Three or More " Why not call it something like " Collecting with Reyne Haines ?" Well, you may not know my name and I thought "Three or More" might pique your curiousity. Which lends to the next question, " Why Three or More ?" They say a collection is something you have three or more of. Why just 3 and not 4, or a dozen? I have no idea. And please don't ask me who "they" are that created the saying. It's just something I've been told over the years. You might not consider yourself a collector, but knowing it only takes 3 of something to get in that club might be a little surprising. Don't be overwhelmed at the revelation! It's okay, take a deep breath. I'm here for you. Bookmark this page, and once a week, or more, I'll post my random thoughts on collecting; the good, the bad and the ugly - staggering auction prices (think the recent Yves Saint Laurent sale!), upcoming show information, and other ridiculous thoughts that enter my mind about the whole collecting phenomenon. In the meantime, why don't you show a me a little love by telling me hi, and a little about what you collect. I find other peoples stories more fascinating than my own. So, what are you waiting for? Happy Hunting! Reyne Haines reyne@reyne.com
 
Brandon Perkins: Staff Benda Bilili: Celebrate, Not Pity Top
It's hard to explain Staff Benda Bilili to anyone without sounding like someone who listens to NPR 24 hours a day. At work, at home, in the car, on the computer. Staff Benda Bilili are homeless, Congolese, paraplegic street musicians. They were paid $50 each for a song called "Let's Go and Vote," a song that reportedly increased voting by 70%, and made them famous, but couldn't get them out of the streets. They're struggling to obtain proper visas to tour Europe, and maybe America, with their homemade instruments and songs of inspiration. A tour that could finally afford them proper homes...or at least wheelchairs. Their music is world music with a third world story. Which is why lots of people reading that paragraph will never get to this one. This is a country that refuses to pay attention to 15,000 violent deaths of black Americans , which makes "homeless, Congolese, paraplegic street musicians" a tough sell. It's a shame that the most basic of biographical information is the only way to introduce Staff Benda Bilili, especially having never met any of the group members. Or been to Africa. Or had Polio. I don't even know which member of the group wrote me back--his responses to my questions were forwarded to me by a promo guy at Crammed Discs , the Belgian label that put out Staff Benda Bilili's 11-song LP, Tres Tres Fort . A few years ago, Andy Morgan followed them around in the zoo where they record and saw them perform with De La Soul in the audience...so if NPR is on a commercial break, it's worth taking a minute. The members of Staff Benda Bilili play their instruments with an exuberance that's only reserved for the insane in this country (Morgan even opens up his article for The Independent wondering what they have to be so happy about). But happiness might be all they have. The music is soulful and inspired, breaking the language barrier and maybe even the cultural divide. Even in the face of genocide, poverty and disease. And despite the most basic facts, it should be celebrated...and certainly not pitied. Other than your lyrics, which i don't understand, what is sad about your music? Nothing is sad about our music. A white journalist once told us that our music sounded like "Blues". I had no idea of what "Blues" was. I realized afterwards that he was refering to the melancholy within our music. Even if you don't understand the words, the beauty of the melody touches your soul. You can relate melancholy to sadness if you will. But in congolese "classic"music, (Franco, Tabu Ley, Wendo Kolosoy...) melancholy is everywhere even if the lyrics are "happy"... Our lyrics are always lyrics of hope though. What is happy about your music? What's the happiest lyric you ever wrote? The song "avramandole" is about screwing your lady big time! It urges you to dig deeper and deeper and deeper til she goes wild. We also did a song which is a tribute to James Brown, it's called "Sex machine", cause the disabled people a.k.a the "bamuelas" are extremly hot and horny. To the SBB these are definitely "happy lyrics". Are the lyrics sad? What's the saddest lyric you ever wrote? People say that the song "Polio" is sad. It is sad, but it makes me laugh because I get the picture of how I look on my crutches. It's about my condition, but the lyrics are full of hope so I don't know...We don't think in terms of sadness or happiness when we create our music When did you contract Polio, how old were you? Are you? I was 6 years old. I'm 58 now. But I do remember the time i was healthy... I played football and all that. How has your life changed since "Let's Go and Vote" was written? Nothing has changed really. We still sleep outside on the curves. The elections haven't change a thing in this country. The situation is getting worst and worst for the population, disabled or not. The album and the tour are the only things that will change our lives. Do you think the international community has "looked beyond appearances,"and seen you as more than "disabled Congolese musicians"? Can you define what is handicap? Everybody's got a "handicap" of his own. We don't consider ourselves as disabled. We are musicians first, all of us are gifted craftsmen, we do all types of jobs to survive. We got many children and do our best to feed them. We don't care what people think of us. The only judgement is on stage, and we will rock the place. What is loud and what is strong about your album? The title of the album is "tres tres fort" in french it means very very strong. You have to be "very strong" to survive in the streets of Kinshasa. The album is a tribute to all the people who live in the streets with us : the street kids or "sheges", the $1 whores, the refugees from the East, the orphans, the poor families, all the disabled. All of us have been completely neglected by the authorities. We are the true heroes of this country and we are a time bomb. " Tres tres fort " is our manifesto. Is there a special bond between the band and the zoo gardens near which you record? We've been rehearsing in the zoo for ages. It's a place where you can rest, where nobody bothers you. The air is always cool there and we can practice our singing quietly. It's also a hang out for all the "sheges". This place gives us inspiration. It's like our giant "living-room" with sofas and a big TV screen! We even recorded the album there. How much closer are you to performing in Europe? Or the U.S.? Our tour manager is currently struggling to get us visas etc But it's a pain in the ass. All we can do now is pray and wait. What did you think of the visiting American musicians you have met? Were they american? As i said before we will rock the place wherever it may be. What does Article 15 mean to Staff Benda Bilili? Means "struggle things out or die". Everybody knows the Article 15 in Kinshasa. More on Congo
 
Bethenny Frankel: A Luxury Experience Top
When I was invited to attend the opening of a new wing of the hotel chain beaches in Turks & Caicos, I was truthfully excited about the complimentary much-needed vacation. That said, I had a pre-conceived notion of the "all-inclusive" resort concept. Beaches is part of the Sandals chain which I assumed was overweight middle American people slugging back frozen drinks, beers in foam holders, giant neon script writing in the pool and sheer mania. I am an extreme case of someone who hates crowds, chains, buffets and transacting with several people. On vacation, I like to check out and steer clear of "others." I am writing to dispel this pre-conceived notion because I had the most opposite experience you could imagine. I must preface this by saying that I stayed in one of the new luxury suites, so I experienced the Rolls Royce of Beaches rooms. The thing is: I didn't even know that Beaches had a Rolls Royce experience. Here's how it went down: the room was a spectacular, well-designed oceanfront room with a beautiful bathroom, amazing balcony with double-chaise lounge, a massively stocked complimentary minibar, and the most clever kids' entry room with 2 bunk beds, a pull out trundle and a separate sink for kids' tooth brushing, washing up etc. The room came with "Paul the butler" at your beckon call. Beachfront and fully stocked pool cabanas were part of the rundown also. Restaurants included fine dining with New York quality lamb chops, bench-style Japanese so the kids are entertained and the parents can smell like the grill all night, casual Mexican, beachfront seafood, a pizza and ice cream place, a French cafe for a casual muffin and cappuccino, and a choice of restaurants to have breakfast, lunch or dinner at a civilized buffet. The endless and free cocktails weren't watered down and brands were top shelf. Bartenders indulged my request for my famous "skinnygirl cocktails" and even named one "the skinnygirl beaches" which they printed signs for (visit www.skinnygirlcocktails.com). The staff members are warm and happy, and there are plenty of them. Kids are a huge priority, yet I felt like I was at a grown up resort. The Sesame Street camp, Xbox 360 lounge, 50s diner, massive water park, pirate village and poolside movies didn't have anything to do with me because I didn't want them to. I'm sort of a non-conformist, so I was surprised when I even loved the welcoming beachfront barbecue. The word barbecue is an understatement since the enormous selection of beachside food stations was incredible and actually delicious. As a natural foods chef, health is a priority, so egg white omelet's in the morning, acres of fruit, and thoughtful greens like arugula and frisee were a surprise. Soymilk was even readily available which most Marriott's won't have. The gym was sufficient and simple yet furnished with all the necessities. I am a spa junkie and definitely an expert on this topic. I'm often disappointed by a massage, and no steam room can ever sufficiently warm me up. I was in shock at the reasonably priced spectacular massage, offerings of creative detox treatments like coffee scrubs and wraps, excellent and inexpensive blow-dry and mani/pedis, and that small steam room blasted me with so much heat that my skin is still glowing. The beach was beautiful; the water beyond turquoise and the overall experience was spectacular. This "luxury included experience" (Beaches' new coined term) was just that: it completely included luxury, and I loved the experience.
 
Does Marrying For Money Make Sense? Top
A woman with two daughters, a stepson, a large mortgage, a big job and no time was rifling in a tidying -- not a nosy -- way through some of her new husband's papers recently and found a wish list he had made. And there, with a star next to it, was the line: "Make enough money so that [she] doesn't have to do a job she hates." "That meant so much to me," she says. "It's one of the reasons this relationship works and my last one didn't." More on Marriage
 
Yoani Sanchez: Unlike Cubans, Berliners Could See and Touch Their Wall, and Physically Tear it Down Top
A stage divided by the Berlin Wall on one side--seeming so much like Cuba today--a group of people who fight to buy, love and subsist. Through the language of contemporary dance, we Habaneros could review the history of the two Germanys united "like Siamese twins but separated." The company Sasha Waltz & Guests performed last Friday in the Gran Teatro's Garcia Lorca room and deployed a daring choreography around the concrete structure that separated, for nearly forty years, a single nation. The dancers' use of phrases from our everyday life contributed to the intense communication established with the audience. Nevertheless, I think that the frayed and tense atmosphere was more than enough to make us identify with what was happening on stage. The stubbornness of people continuing the course of their lives despite the iron curtain separating them was familiar to me. The tendency to forget the threatening shadow and to take refuge in intimacy, dedicating oneself almost entirely to survival. Twenty years after the fall of that arbitrary frontier, Cubans keep on desiring the elimination of the impalpable boundaries that surround us. If at least our wall were like that one: of stone, concrete and barbed wire, we could take a hammer or pick to demolish it. If we could touch it and say, "Here it starts, here it ends," I am sure we would have already torn it down. In our case, however, this barrier that separates us from so many things is intangible and reinforced by the sea. If, for one moment, this wall of controls and prohibitions that surrounds us would materialize, it would be a pleasure to paint an enormous graffiti on it. We could bring a ladder to look over to the other side--as the dancers did on Friday night--or dig a tunnel in its hard concrete. If none of that worked, we could take an abundant and challenging pee against the cold structure. Yoani's blog, Generation Y , can be read here in English translation. More on Cuba
 
Teamsters Threaten To Shut Down Star Tribune Top
MINNEAPOLIS — The Teamsters union is threatening a strike it says would likely shut down the Star Tribune if the bankrupt newspaper is allowed to scrap its contract with unionized drivers. Teamsters Local 638 filed its opposition Monday to the newspaper's proposal to reject the contract. The newspaper wants to pull out of what it calls a "critically unfunded" multi-employer pension plan that was costing it more than $1 million a year in premiums. But the Teamsters local, which represents about 190 full- and part-time drivers at the Star Tribune, has authorized a strike if a federal bankruptcy court allows the newspaper to reject the contract. The drivers say if they strike, Teamsters locals that represent mailers and pressmen at the paper also likely would strike. "Because these employees operate the presses which print the paper, assemble the papers and deliver the papers, a Local 638 strike is likely to have a devastating impact on the Star Tribune's ability to operate, and in all likelihood will shut the paper down," the drivers' union said. In its court filing, the drivers' union said participation in the Central States Pension Fund is "critical" to its members and noted that in 1964 the local struck the Star Tribune for five months to get pension coverage for its members through Central States. "The pensions which they have earned provide the bedrock for a secure and dignified retirement for these employees, many of whom at this point have given their entire working lives to the Star Tribune," the union said. If the Star Tribune is allowed to withdraw from Central States, the union says, drivers who retired during the past year or have yet to retire "will suffer significant reductions" in pension benefits. While the Star Tribune has proposed making up some of the lost pension, the union says, employees in their mid to late 50s will be hardest hit and won't be able to make up the reduction in their pension before they retire. Star Tribune spokesman Ben Taylor said Tuesday that talks continue with the Teamsters and that the newspaper will respond in court. A hearing is set for next Tuesday. The Star Tribune is seeking to cut labor costs by $20 million a year as it prepares to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The delivery truck drivers' union is the last major bargaining unit that hasn't agreed to concessions. The Star Tribune filed for bankruptcy in January under pressure from plummeting ad sales and heavy debt taken on when Avista Capital Partners LP bought the paper from McClatchy Co. in 2007. ___ Jeff Baenen can be reached at jbaenen(at)ap.org More on Newspapers
 
Elizabeth Donoghue: In Celebration Of Anne Frank And All Writers Top
Anne Frank would be 80 years old on June 15, 2009. To honor the milestone, I re-read her diary and it is as painful a read as ever. It is also funny, descriptive, mundane, deep, silly, bubbly, and filled with all the musings of a normal teenage girl. She loved her father, hated her mother, built an alliance with, and rejected her sister Margot. She disliked the boy, Peter, she lived with in the Secret Annex, until she got a crush on him and then obsessed about him all day long. She did what most of us as teenagers did sooner or later: wrote The Hurtful Letter to her father telling him to buzz off and why -- her independence had become stronger than her attachment to him and worth risking his love for -- only to wish she could take back her words. She wrestled with yearnings, to be career woman, to be listened to, to be wanted by Peter. Anne Frank vowed to have a career in writing. Over the course of her two years in hiding, Anne's writing got wider and deeper, to embrace everything from politics to the dwindling potato supply. Some passages in the latter part of the diary are so gorgeous it's hard to believe that a teenager wrote them. Perhaps because it is a diary, meant to relay her inner thoughts, her honesty and inclusion of details deftly draws the reader in. Her simple, regular references to being stuck inside, behind dirty, curtained, windows, with only a small crack for air, is heartbreaking. This girl yearned to be outside, to be near nature. Why did she write? Why is her diary one of the most read books in the world? One organization which understands the need for writing, and which will celebrate Anne Frank's life at its annual conference this year, is the International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG) a non profit organization born of the Human Potential, New Age and the Women's Movements. Started in 1975 by Hannelore Hahn, herself a survivor of war time Europe and author of the memoir, On the Way to Feed the Swans, IWWG encourages, supports and promotes women's writing and publishing. IWWG holds yearly conferences in Florida, California, the Mid-west and New York City as well as its renowned summer conference at Skidmore College every year, where writers may choose from up to 70 workshops on topics such as: the Nuts and Bolts Writing Workshops, Transformation of Self and Work, Mythology and Non-Linear Thinking, and the Arts, the Body and Health. IWWG has found agents for some now famous (e.g. Barbara Kingsolver) and not yet famous, writers. In addition to the usual prose and poetry of the established literati, IWWG has offered kite flying, juggling, Japanese Fan Dancing, Soul Dolls, Mask Making Mandalas at conferences, to help make oneself feel free to write. IWWG opens this year's conference on June 12, 2009, what would be Anne Frank's 80th birthday. A most basic tenet of IWWG will be celebrated: to encourage each person to write his or her own story. As IWWG prepares to honor Anne Frank, I dug up my first diary, received at age thirteen. I won it as a prize at a talent show at my friend Maureen's birthday party for doing an imitation of Richard Nixon. My diary is silly and bubbling and mundane. Like Anne Frank's diary, mine became a person. I promised my diary I would update it and often did just to say "nothing really happened today" ;"nothing is new". My entries usually ended with "until tomorrow". I wrote about crushes on boys and hopes of seeing them in town. My hurt over relationships with my best girl friends is poignantly told. I was surprised to discover how much my first diary reflects who I am today. I loved school and wrote in the mid-July how much I missed it. My habit of listing the books I read, (e.g. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Ten Little Indians) along with mini reviews, began with that first diary. Every diary is a rendering of life that is truer than any form of writing. I am grateful that Anne Frank gave us the gift of her diary, her writing and herself. I am happy that many of us will revisit The Diary of a Young Girl on the occasion of what would be Anne Frank's 80th birthday, for its sadness and joy, and above all, for its humanity. More on Women's Rights
 
Sheila Shayon: Animal Grace: Can Humans Rise to the Call? Top
During Australia's deadly fires in February, firefighters came upon a burned and dazed female koala -- now nicknamed Sam. Sam was spotted by Victorian volunteer firefighter David Tree limping around on scorched paws. Tree approached slowly, crouched down and offered the furry marsupial a drink from his water bottle. She accepted, placing her paw in his hand as she gulped down three bottles. As of May, 2009, there are more than 76 million Google results and 5000 YouTube videos about this moment. The attention paid Sam, the tender care shown by Tree, and the public swell of empathy is one small but significant proof that the relationship between human and animal is being looked at anew. The coincidence of two key factors has brought us to this crossroads in our stewardship. The first factor, the internet, gives us instant and universal witnessing. The abject horrors of abused chickens and tortured cows are available 24/7 on YouTube for all to see. The second factor is a slow collective dawning that...we are the solution. A new species is arising on the planet. It is arising now, and you are it! Eckhart Tolle History is filled with examples of powerful humans' empathy with animals. There is a legend that Buddha called all the animals to come before him, but only 12 arrived. The rat was the first to arrive followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster (cock), dog and finally the pig. In return, one year was named after each of them. As his army marched towards Mecca to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet Mohammed not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done. He stated, "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal." When the great 13th century Sufi Mystic Jalaluddin Rumi died, his beloved cat did not eat or drink anything after his passing and survived for only seven days. As Aflaki writes, shortly before Rumi's death, his cat came to him and meowed sadly. Rumi smiled and asked those around him: "Do you know what this cat said?" They said: "No." Rumi said: "Soon you will go to the heavens, to your homeland with safety. What will I do without you?" Francis of Assisi the patron saint of animals and ecology was traveling with some friars and looked up and saw the trees full of birds. Francis "left his companions in the road and ran eagerly toward the birds" and "humbly begged them to listen to the word of God." The birds stretched their necks and extended their wings as Francis walked among them touching and blessing them. This event was a turning point for Francis. Three pivotal events have quickened the collective conscience about human/animal stewardship...and set in motion the factors for change. 1. 2005, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans residents forced to leave thousands of pets to die when they were evacuated. 2. The recent recall of 60 million containers of pet food after an unknown number of cats and dogs were poisoned, raising questions about pet-food safety. 3. The conviction of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for dog fighting. When Tribal Shaman, Oren Lyons addressed the United Nations in 1977, his wisdom became record of the sacred pact between man and animal: "I do not see a delegation for the four-footed. I see no seat for the eagles. We forget and we consider ourselves superior, but we are after all a mere part of the Creation. And we must continue to understand where we are. And we stand between the mountain and the ant, somewhere and there only, as part of the Creation. It is our responsibility, since we have been given the minds to take care of these things. The elements and the animals, and the birds, they live in a state of grace. They are absolute, they can do no wrong. It is only we, the two-leggeds, that can do this." Here's hoping we two-leggeds can finally learn some animal grace. More on YouTube
 
Helene Pavlov: Radiology Myth Buster: It is Dangerous to Have an MRI After Knee or Hip Replacement Surgery Top
MRI has become a standard diagnostic imaging examination for soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries but some question the safety following a total joint replacement of using an imaging technique that is based on a strong magnetic field. The main concern is that the metal in the joint replacement will react to the magnet and cause extensive damage to the joint replacement, the patient or the MR unit. There is also concern that the strong magnetic field could distort the image and render the examination unreadable and useless. The radiologists in the Department of Radiology and Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery have been studying the effectiveness of MR following total joint replacements and routinely produce clear and precise imaging of these joints by adjusting the MR's scanning parameters. MR is not only safe, but the images provide detailed information and diagnosis of impending complications earlier than is feasible with X-ray and computed tomography (CT) and without exposing the patient to harmful radiation. MRI has the ability to image soft tissues and can accurately detect early signs of complications or causes of pain associated with a joint replacement. The MR examination is important because early diagnosis allows the doctor and patient to determine potential treatment options that may prolong the anticipated benefits expected from the joint replacement. More on Health
 
"Spiderman" Arrested After Climb For Climate (VIDEO) Top
Famous building scaler Alain "Spiderman" Robert was arrested after climbing the Royal Bank of Scotland in Sydney, Australia. He had climbed up and displayed a banner advertising One Hundred Months, the organization that believes we have a 100 month deadline to fix global warming or suffer dire irreversible consequences. WATCH: Get HuffPost Green updates on Facebook and Twitter ! More on Climate Change
 
Sara Davidson: Ellen Burstyn - Love at 71? Top
Part 5 of a serial, "Sex Love Enlightenment." Click here to read previous installments. We interrupt the story of Billy the Bad to ask: As we grow older, can we find and keep love and sex in a committed relationship? Are we too set in our ways? I mean, every one of us is weird! (I met a divorced doctor recently whose house is full of electric trains!) Or does experience make us wiser and more able to compromise? Not long ago I was asked by Oprah magazine to write about people who find deep love and lust after 40. I put out the word and interviewed dozens, who ranged from their 40s to their 90s and who'd found a soul mate long after they thought that was possible. Ellen Burstyn was one of the first I spoke with. For 25 years, she did not go out on a date. Why? I wondered. "Nobody asked me," she said. "I find that hard to believe," I said. "In 25 years, weren't you attracted to a man, or pursued by one?" "I was busy living my life." She was working constantly around the world, won an Oscar for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and was nominated for five other films. She enjoyed being with her son, her friends, and her animals. Every so often, she would look around and think, Where are all the men? "I thought it would be great to go home and curl up in someone's lap, but I didn't sit around crying about it. I made a friend of solitude," Ellen says. But this ease took her decades to attain. In her 20s, she said, she'd been "promiscuous. Since puberty, I'd gone from man to man, and I had three marriages that were all painful and ended in divorce." She knew she had to heal the wounds that kept her repeating the same pattern with men, "so that aspect of myself went into closed shop. I think I built an invisible shield that no one could penetrate." She worked with a therapist, studied Sufism and reconnected with her Christian roots, which she describes in her book, Lessons in Becoming Myself. When she finally believed she knew how to do it right --"to attract a man who would treat me well and whom I could love," she feared it was too late. "The healing had taken too long." On a whim, she asked a woman friend from the Actors Studio if she knew a man who might be suitable. "I'll have to think about that," the woman said. Shortly afterward, this same woman was approached by a Greek actor who had auditioned for Ellen at the Actors Studio when he was 25 and she was 48. He confessed to Ellen's friend that he'd been in love with her for the 23 years since they'd met. "What?!" Ellen said, when the message was relayed. "The Greek kid?" But he was 48 now, an attractive and successful acting teacher. He sent her an email, which she answered, guardedly. He wrote back, "I don't see the word 'no' in there." When she continued resisting, he said, "Ellen, this is Eros knocking at your door." (I would repeat this line later to Billy, and not get the same results.) The Greek actor added, "I don't know. Maybe Eros knocks at your door every day?" She stammered, "No." "I have a gift with your name on it. Won't you accept it from me?" Ellen has now been living with the Greek man for five years, in her house on the Hudson River in New York. She says it's been an easy fit, "which is startling because he's from a different culture and a different generation." One reason may be her enlightened approach. "Most of my life, if a man did something totally other than the way I thought it should be done, I would try to correct him. Now I say, 'Oh, isn't that interesting? You do that differently than I do.' It's the biggest thing I've learned," she says. "It allows for a stress-free relationship." Ellen's challenge has been working with fear of abandonment. "I had so much anxiety in my former relationships--I was scared of losing men, all of them." She believes there are patterns we can only work on in a relationship, and this is one. "Right now, he's in Greece, teaching, and that brings up anxiety. 'He's away--what will happen? Somebody else will grab him!' I have to see that and keep releasing those thoughts." She talks about how age can make love more poignant. "Around 65, I experienced my mortality. Not like 'Oh yeah, I'm gonna die,' but it's a possibility that's there all the time. And once that happens, everything becomes more precious. "And to be in love!" she says. "To experience the joy of intimacy in the presence of death--that is delicious. When you're in love you feel so young, and at the same time, you're summing life up. So it's beautiful and rich, and you have to be aware that it's impermanent." She says that she and her partner joke all the time about funerals and ashes. He told her recently that he was driving home and a song on the radio threw him into a terrible dark place. "Oh, was I dead again?" Ellen said with a laugh. "Will you stop already?" She says they don't plan to marry. "We have being in love right now. We know that life is short. Death is certain. And love is real. We're going to enjoy every moment of it." Please Leave a Comment - Have you made friends with solitude? How has love - your experience and understanding of it - changed with age? To Automatically Receive Future Installments , Click here . More on Sex
 

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