Tuesday, June 9, 2009

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Scott Foval: America Must Realign Itself With Truth, Justice, And Fairness For All Americans Top
There is a sad reality to being in a "minority group" in the United States. Despite politicians' and pundits' trumpeting of our nation as being the "most free nation on Earth," Americans still have hypocritical double-standards about Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning Americans. This is especially true when it comes to 3 of the most visible issues our country is facing: 1. Gay Marriage 2. The U.S. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy and 3. HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding. For decades every other social group in the United States has been prioritized to make strides in our society. Women, ethnic groups, religious minorities; all have seen major strides in equality and equal protection under the law in the past 40 years. Indeed, where it used to be acceptable to discriminate, oppress, physically abuse, and outwardly harm members of these social groups; today they are protected in ways that other countries have yet to catch up to. A glaring exception, indeed a group that has not only been ignored, but in fact is still actively shunned and told to "deal with it" today is the GLBTQ community. Even Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and Latin American folks have greater rights to equal treatment than GLBTQ folks, whereas 10 years ago these groups were largely ignored by the greater political power classes, and barely could get 10 minutes with a major political leader to discuss their issues. When you think of ethnic and religious leaders who preach discrimination against GLBTQ Americans, while simultaneously claiming equality is a fundamental right, such is evidence of how far we have yet to go. When it comes to Gay Marriage; the religious right has no problem with any other type of "married" relationship between two people. They have no problem with multi-ethnic, cross-denomination, cross-religious, even cross-class unions. GLBTQ marriages are the sole area where they claim the "sanctity of marriage is threatened." Heck, they don't even make this much noise about "non-believers" like Pagans, Atheists, non-Christian faiths, or Wiccans. Nope, they only raise caine about GLBTQ Americans' wanting to have legal equality. On the U.S. Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, when you compare us to the other top military organizations in the world, we have fallen way behind other countries. From the United Kingdom, to Canada, to Australia, to the UN peacekeeping forces--all see all of their soldiers as equally valuable and equally necessary. The U.S. Military, though, under Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and even William J. Clinton--the creator of the bizzare and outwardly harmful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy--through George W. Bush's regime, all continued to open up the ranks to all comers except GLBTQ members. They claimed that recognizing the equality and necessity of GLBTQ members would harm troop morale; but if you talk to real troops, real commanders (at least the modern and forward-thinking ones), and real military leaders they'll tell you that GLBTQ officers and enlisted soldiers continue to be some of the most dedicated patriots ever to wear their uniforms. When it comes to global epidemics, the media raises all kinds of hyper-awareness about the H1N1 "Swine Flu," Breast Cancer, Diabetes, and Autism; but couldn't care less that HIV/AIDS is still as rampant in the U.S. as it ever was. Last night I watched Uncle Charlie Gibson shine the ABC World News "light of truth" on the 2nd wave of drug-resistant HIV/AIDS and an epidemic of anti-retroviral drug abuse in South Africa, but I can't even remember the last time I saw a network news report about how drug resistant strains of HIV/AIDS, MRSA, Hepatitis, and Syphilis are ravaging the GLBTQ communities in whole new ways. Stranger still is how the local media here in Chicago have outright ignored the reality that Governor Pat Quinn has targeted public health programs that feed the ADAP, Ryan White, and other HIV/AIDS victim support programs as some of the biggest cuts proposed under his new budget. Even after the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, LifeLube.org, The Windy City Times, The Free Press, and Gay Chicago all decried the cuts in their pages, and Gay Liberation Networks' Andy Thayer was acquitted by a jury for allegedly assaulting a Chicago Police Officer, our community's issues are nearly ignored by the rest of our local press and political establishment. Except, that is, when they want our money. Yep, Illinois political and business leaders have suggested that Illinois should be the "honeymoon destination" for GLBTQ couples who get married in Iowa. Of course, these same hypocrites can't see fit to give GLBTQ Illinoisans equal rights to marry as Iowa does. Nope, they just want the gay dollar without giving us the equal protection under the law against discrimination, tax fairness, or even protecting the salaries that produce it. Now I'm not saying that America is bad, or that Americans are bad. I'm just pointing out here that America is the land of hypocritical attitudes when it comes to true equality for all people. Straight folks, especially those in the religious and ethnic minority communities, seem to want equality only for themselves and not truly for everyone. Politicians are even worse, because they're willing to ask for gay money, but don't have the political cohones to actually stand up and deliver real equal rights for the GLBTQ folks from whom they almost always have their hands out to squeeze a few bucks. It is time for all Americans to deal this hypocrisy a fatal blow, and truly level the playing field for all Americans, and it starts at the top. President Obama relentlessly worked the gay community to support him, promising all measures of change under his administration. As of yet, he has yet to deliver. Governor Quinn, Mayor Daley, legislators, supervisors, and aldermen are no better; as they have continued to ask for our wallets, but pretend our money, health, and value as productive contributors to society aren't as important when the heat is on from the religious leaders, corporate beancounters, and agents of intolerance. It is time for America to realign itself with true equality, to give GLBTQ Americans all the same prioritization; and to give the same amount of respect and dignity to us that they do any other productive and patriotic community in our country. It is time for us to stand up and make them, especially now, when we have been promised change, but have yet to see any happen. More on HIV/AIDS
 
GOP's Senate Coup Paralyzes Albany Top
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A Republican coup in the state Senate, helped along by one Democrat with legal troubles and another who violated election laws, paralyzed the chamber on Tuesday. Democrats vowed to fight back, possibly with a lawsuit, but the new leaders said the takeover was in the name of reform: to turn back Democrats' overspending and overtaxing. Democratic Gov. David Paterson and good-government advocates criticized the move in a statehouse where control of a legislative chamber gives nearly unfettered power to the ruling party. The Senate and its committee rooms were dark Tuesday, normally an active day in the part-time legislature. There are only eight full days of the 2009 session left and several key issues, including legalization of same-sex marriage and control of New York City schools, are pending. Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos, the coalition's No. 2 leader, says he and Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., the de facto Senate leader if the coup survives, will conduct a session on Wednesday in a separate room if the Democratic conference locks them out of the ornate Senate chamber. Paterson called the overthrow a dereliction of duty just as New York starts to dig out of a fiscal crisis and faces major policy issues. He said the power grab was "dressed up in the cloak, falsely, of reform and good government." If reform was the point, said Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters, the Senate should have worked together to change the state's ethics and campaign finance laws and to take other steps to bring more democracy to the leader-dominated Legislature. "The public should look at all of this with disdain," Bartoletti said. Espada, named Senate president by the coalition, said its members plan to work past June 22 end of session set by Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith, who was deposed Monday. Espada said there will be no delay on critical actions. On Monday, Espada and a fellow Democratic senator, Hiram Monserrate of Queens, joined with Republicans on hastily introduced measures that changed the leadership structure. Neither Espada nor Monserrate changed party affiliation, but their votes helped the measures pass 32-30. Espada has sided with Republicans in the past and threatened Smith's leadership as soon as it began in January. He still has two pending election violation cases, but has pledged to resolve them. In one case, he and his campaign committees owe the state $13,000 in fines for not filing contribution records related to his 2008 election campaign. In the other, he was ordered by a court in December to pay the New York City Campaign Finance Board $60,000 in fines related to his 2001 campaign for Bronx borough president. Separately, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced he is investigating managers at the Soundview Health Center, founded by Espada. Cuomo is looking into allegations that state funds earmarked for programs designed to serve impoverished women, children and people with HIV and AIDS were instead diverted to finance political campaigns. Monserrate, the other dissident, is charged with slashing his girlfriend's face with a piece of broken glass. He has maintained his innocence and called his prosecution politically motivated. A conviction on the felony assault charge could cost him his Senate seat and put him in jail for up to seven years.
 
Former Bear Roland Harper Gets House Arrest, Not Prison, In Fraud Case Top
CHICAGO — Former Chicago Bear Roland Harper was sentenced to a year of house arrest Tuesday for acting as a front man in a $1.5 million fraud involving a landscaping contract for Chicago public schools. U.S. District Judge John W. Darrah also required the 56-year-old former fullback to perform 200 hours of community service and pay $25,000 in restitution and forfeit $50,000. He'll also serve two years of probation, including the year he is confined to his home. Harper, who was in the same backfield with Walter Payton, pleaded guilty last year to mail fraud. Defense attorney Patrick J. Cotter said Harper is now broke and faces an array of civil lawsuits stemming from his efforts to be successful in the business world. "Roland Harper may have been a great football player but he is a terrible businessman," Cotter said. Harper, who is black, was hoping to learn the landscaping business but soon found himself the front man in a plot by a white landscaper to get a contract set aside for a minority firm, Cotter said. Harper went into the contract with honest intentions, his attorney said. Landscaper Aiden Monahan was sentenced in April to three years and five months in prison after pleading guilty as the mastermind of the fraud. Prosecutors said Monahan owned the equipment and the workers used on the contract and that Harper would go to the office about twice a week, say hello to employees, meet briefly with Monahan and leave. He received only about $80,000 of the $1.5 million in contract money. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Miller said Harper was a good man who had immediately cooperated with prosecutors after they confronted him, but that contract fraud is a serious problem in Chicago and needed to be punished. Prosecutors asked Darrah to sentence Harper to 16 months _ below the federal guideline range and as such a reward for helping prosecutors convict Monahan. "This city is fraught with corruption," Darrah said, adding that Harper's cooperation could be an example to others who know about federal crimes. Harper apologized to the court and the city. "I'm sorry that so many people who look up to me I've let down," he said. As he left the courthouse, Harper told reporters that he had been caught up in "unfortunate circumstances." More on Sports
 
Kenneth C. Davis: "No Sense of Decency" Welch v. McCarthy: A Smear Undone Top
Fifty-five years ago, on June 9, 1954, in one of the most famous moments in Cold War history, Joseph N. Welch, an attorney representing the US Army, confronted Senator Joseph McCarthy during a televised hearing, with the memorable question: Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" The dramatic moment marked a turning point in the so-called McCarthy Era. It came during one of the first nationally televised Senate hearings, known as the Army-McCarthy hearings. A video link to the famous exchange. In February 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy had told a women's club in Wheeling, West Virginia, that he held, "here in my hand," a list of men in the State Department named as members of the Communist Party who were part of a spy ring. The numbers changed from day to day, and even McCarthy wasn't sure where he had gotten them. In the following days, the emptiness of McCarthy's "evidence" should have ended his Senate career. But it didn't work out that way. In 1950, America was more than ready to believe what Senator McCarthy had to say. He became one of the most powerful and feared men in Washington as the hunt for Communists in government and the media consumed the country. In 1954, McCarthy took up a battle that turned against him when he challenged the U.S. Army to purge supposed Communists from the Pentagon. With the assistance of Roy Cohn, a young attorney whom McCarthy had earlier dispatched overseas to eradicate "communistic books" from U.S. International Information Administration libraries, McCarthy had begun to attack certain army officers as Communists. Once again he captivated the public imagination with his charges. But this time he overreached. The Army was President Eisenhower's turf. Eisenhower and the army started to hit back, first by investigating David Schine, Roy Cohn's wealthy companion on his book-purge trip, who, having subsequently been drafted into the army, had used McCarthy's influence to win soft military assignments. Cohn denied rumors that he and Schine were anything more than friends. During the thirty-six days of the televised Army-McCarthy hearings, McCarthy came undone. The hearings dissolved as Joseph Welch, the respected lawyer representing the Army, turned the tables on McCarthy and routed him in public. In March 1954, CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow produced his "Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy," further damaging McCarthy. (Murrow's battle with McCarthy is recounted in the film Good Night and Good Luck .) By the end of 1954, McCarthy was condemned by his peers, and his public support eroded. His hold on the Senate and the public gone, McCarthy spiraled downward in a drunken tailspin. He died in May 1957 of health problems brought on by alcoholism. Joseph Welch died in 1960. Roy Cohn died of complications from AIDS in 1986. The New York Times report on the Welch-McCarthy exchange. Read more about the Cold War and the McCarthy era in Don't Know Much About History More on George Clooney
 
Daniel Kessler: Save the Bluefin Tuna Top
Anyone who has listened to the radio, watched television, read a newspaper, surfed the internet, or chased after celebrity gossip in the past couple of weeks has likely heard about something about a particular sushi chain getting called out for a history of nefarious behavior. The chain in question is Nobu, the fantastically successful joint venture of renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the Raging Bull himself Robert De Niro, and three other partners. Nobu is a sushi titan, with twenty-four locations in various chic neighborhoods throughout many of the world's most glamorous cities, not to mention a menu replete with dozens of price tags that would make the average recession-choked American both green with envy and red with rage. Nobu is under siege from all sides for its continual disregard for the health of our planet. The high-end chain sells a tremendous amount of bluefin tuna, much of which is critically endangered Northern bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Despite repeated warnings about the looming commercial extinction of this majestic fish from a vast international amalgamation of scientists, actors, conservation organizations, foodies, activists, bloggers, aquaria, filmmakers, politicians, and even a European Prince , Nobu resolutely presses forward, offering no comment and refusing to alter its menu in the slightest. The restaurant's response is akin to a tantrum-throwing child clapping his hands over his ears while stomping his feet, or perhaps to a yoked horse charging towards a cliff regardless of its own life or the lives of those in the stagecoach attached to it. Nobu's arrogant denial of the reality of our mutual challenge -- the continual decline of the health of our oceans -- is a serious problem. But this is not about just one restaurant. Nobu is a symbol; it represents the old guard of restaurateurs whose lofty perches often distance them from the plebeian masses. Moreover, Nobu is a rallying point -- as an endangered species-slinging, celebrity-owned, stratospherically-priced haunt for the upper crust, it's a perfect target for those who are itching for a greater level of corporate responsibility within the restaurant industry. Nobu and Greenpeace have a history. Greenpeace has already "outed" Nobu on their unsustainable practices (this interaction is featured in the forthcoming documentary The End of the Line , based on the excellent book by Charles Clover). Nobu promised to label bluefin as an endangered species on all of their menus, but subsequently changed tactics and cut off communications. The one menu that reflects any change whatsoever is at the London branch, which uses a microscopic footnote to indicate that bluefin is "environmentally challenged." This thunderous understatement aside, Nobu has done absolutely nothing to protect that very fish which has so heavily contributed to the jingling pockets of the restaurant's owners. Our oceans cannot endure this situation any longer. We view direct confrontation as an avenue of last resort, only to be used when all other tactics have been exhausted. In this case, Nobu has been stonewalling environmental entreaty for over a year while the chain continues to plunder the ocean for its own insatiable greed. To expose and spotlight this audacious behavior, John Hocevar, Greenpeace's Oceans Campaign Director, developed a mock Nobu menu -- a Swiftian satirization of Nobu's reckless quest for profit at all costs. What is the difference, the menu suggests, between Northern bluefin and mountain gorilla, Iberian lynx, or California condor? All of these animals are critically endangered. Why is it acceptable to serve the former, when the presence of any of the latter three on a restaurant menu would no doubt solicit a restaurant critic's verbal equivalent of a Molotov cocktail through the front window? Over the past week, Greenpeace activists in both New York and Los Angeles have staged "dine-ins" at Nobu's TriBeCa and West Hollywood locations, festooning the restaurant with mock menus, taking up table space, and demanding to speak to the manager about Nobu's egregious disregard for our planet's welfare. The actions were conducted in a precise manner that was aimed at sending a message to upper management without undue disruption of other restaurant patrons. Nobu servers were generously tipped by Greenpeace activists; ownership's head-in-the-sand mentality does not justify behavior that would send the waitresses and waiters, who have no decision-making power but who do have families and livelihoods, home without the tips on which they depend. We are, after all, in a recession. The point of all this is to take the issue to Nobu on the restaurant's home turf. In addition to being lambasted in the press, demonized in a documentary, and boycotted by celebrities, Nobu now must contend with activists that march directly into the restaurant to speak their minds. Nobu is a trend-setting establishment that not only spans the globe, but wields incredible influence at the top of the sushi industry food chain. The innovative acumen and staggering talent of Nobu Matsuhisa are undeniable; he is undoubtedly capable of creating delectable dishes from both sustainable and unsustainable sources alike. Why, then, is he so resistant to use these gifts in an environmentally friendly manner? Still, viewing this issue as "environmentalists v Nobu" is missing the point. Both groups want the same outcome: a healthy and productive ocean that can provide all the ecosystem services to foster sustainable business and healthy living. If Nobu were to drop bluefin and adopt a sustainable business model, it would be in the interest of the environmental community to promote the restaurant and encourage consumers to patronize it, rather than the unfortunate current situation. Nobu needs to change their practices and begin to demonstrate corporate responsibility. Although environmentally rapacious and irresponsible businesses no longer have a place in this changing world, it is in everyone's interest that sustainable and wisely managed establishments thrive and succeed. --Written with Greenpeace Campaigner Casson Trenor
 
Linda Milazzo: Newt Gingrich Declares: "I Am Not A Citizen Of The World!" Top
This evening at a Washington DC fundraiser, in a statement that can best be described as regressive American exceptionalism, former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich said of himself: "I am not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous!" Witness the video below of Mr. Gingrich's pronouncement that defines in two simple sentences the elitism, racism and egotism that have destroyed his Republican Party: The question is, how can this protectionist, elitist, and even racist declaration be in the best interests of America, which despite Mr. Gingrich's supremacist notion, is part of the global community? What's most frightening is the air of superiority with which Gingrich made his statement. Staring straight into the camera before a room of Republicans, this leader of his party defamed any benefit he might derive as a citizen of the world. With George W's arrogance, Dick Cheney's sociopathy, and Donald Rumsfeld's bravado all rolled into one, Gingrich equates a citizen of the world to " intellectual nonsense ." He typifies the very characteristics of the Bush years that thrust this nation into its abyss. Clearly Gingrich's "I'm not a citizen of the world" is a slam on Obama after the President's recent Mid-East & Europe tour. But undermining Obama's global popularity won't alter the fact that Gingrich could never achieve such acceptance. In the ever blending global arena, Gingrich is consistently bland. Mr. Gingrich, if you are not a citizen of this world, then stay the eff out of it. Go back to where you went ten years ago when you were forced from the House in disgrace. More on Obama Mideast Trip
 
Jim Luce: Israeli Film: Unmistaken Child in Tibet Top
The Buddhist concept of reincarnation, while both mysterious and enchanting, is hard for most Westerners to grasp. A new film -- from Israel -- is out to change that. The film features the Dalai Lama. Unmistaken Child follows the search for a reincarnated Tibetan master. It opened in New York June 3 at the Film Forum . Unmistaken Child follows the four-year search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog, a world-renowned Tibetan master who passed away in 2001 at age 84. Unmistaken Child: searching for a reincarnated Tibetan master. The Dalai Lama charges the deceased monk's devoted disciple, Tenzin Zopa, to search for his master's reincarnation. Tenzin had been in service to the Dalai Lama for 21 years - since the age of seven. The difficulty was that the child might be found anywhere in the world. Further, the child had to be found within four years -- before it becomes too difficult to separate him from his parents. Tenzin sets off on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional villages. He listens to stories about children with special characteristics, performs rituals, and rarely-seen tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation. The Dalai Lama makes the final decision: which boy? He eventually presents his chosen one to the Dalai Lama, who will make the final decision. Stunningly shot, Unmistaken Child is a beguiling, surprising, touching and even humorous experience. Observing rather than explaining ancient tradition, the film inspires as many questions as it answers. It is a fascinating insider's perspective that captures the beauty in wild nature and elaborate Buddhist rites and rituals. The Dalai Lama must ultimately approve the real reincarnation. Tenzin speaks in good English about his tearfulness following the death of the Buddhist monk he followed, Geshe-La, and the challenge of searching for his reincarnation. Tenzin expresses doubt: "I am not Buddha." He is concerned that as a mortal man, he may not be able to recognize Geshe-La's reincarnation. He travels from Nepal to the south of India, and then back to Nepal in his search. Tezin's search for his master's reincarnation takes him through Nepal. Tenzin discusses in the film how he had never thought for himself, but only followed his master. He admits to being completely lost once his master had died. I was able to interview its scriptwriter and filmmaker, Nati Baratz. As an Israeli filming a Tibetan film, Nati Baratz is both a thought leaders and global citizen. I asked him about the Israeli-Tibetan connection. The film follows Tenzin's quest to find the boy who was his master. "As an Israeli, seeing the calm, non-violence Tibetan nature and struggle for independence, I was forced to redefine my innermost beliefs about happiness and conflict," Nati told me. "I felt that the peaceful Tibetan struggle for independence must succeed to the benefit of the whole world, not to mention the middle east." The film is in English, Tibetan, Nepalese, and Hindi with English subtitles.
 
Scott Roeder, Tiller Murder Suspect, Claims 'Victory' In Closing Of Clinic Top
WICHITA, Kansas (CNN) -- An anti-abortion activist suspected in the death of Kansas doctor George Tiller told CNN on Tuesday the closing of Tiller's women's clinic is "a victory for all the unborn children."
 
John Wellington Ennis: Obama's Coup in Cairo Top
For all of the analysis, parsing, and knee-jerking from Obama's address to the Muslim world, there was one detail that seemed to bypass the pundits. Obama acknowledged the U.S. role in the 1953 coup of Iran, when the CIA worked to overthrow a democratically-elected secular leader, Mohammad Mossadegh. This isn't fringe conspiracy theory, this is a widely known history (not so much stateside). And it is an all-time chart-topper on "Why They Hate Us." In 1951, after British oil interests refused to pay Iran an equal share of their revenues, Mossadegh nationalized the oil industry and took back the reins to his country. After embargoes and blockades against Iran failed to return oil control to the British, Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. , grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt and employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, devised a new approach: Operation Ajax . Through bribes and bargains, locals staged scenes posing as dissidents and malcontents, while the media would be used to stir Mossadegh's ousting. While Mossadegh would die in confinement, the autocratic and oil-friendly Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was restored to power. Until the 1979 Revolution. Iran's leader being installed by foreign interests never sat well with the Iranians. As such, the theocratic radicals held a nationalist high ground when Ayatollah Kohmeni took over the government. And as long as I was old enough to remember after that, Iran seemed scary. This is an example of how short-sighted greedy goals end up causing long-term world problems. If Iran was not alienated from Western nations, how different would our geo-political world look today? Obama's acknowledgment was not an apology: "In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian government." This suggests that not only is Obama aware of what the CIA has done in Iran, but other countries since. In the best-selling memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man , John Perkins details his career of predatory lending to Third World governments on behalf of American-backed businesses. The example of Mossadegh proved particularly persuasive to leaders unsure about opening up their country to U.S. industries. Perkins and others have more to say on skullduggery in the name of empire than myself -- even Kermit Roosevelt, Jr., wrote a book in 1979 about how he did it, Countercoup: The Struggle for the Control of Iran . But there is presently a powerful parallel at play in Peru: Villagers in the Amazon have long been exploited by oil companies that pollute their land, violate agreements, and harm the locals. The new president of Peru, popular with the petrol peeps, wants to open up to 60% of his country for oil drilling and logging. As the local issues throughout the jungles have been ignored, villagers have organized , demonstrated and stopped work at the oil refineries. Their strike is being fought by the police, who have been having deadly clashes with thousands of protesters and villagers over the last week . These people were suffering in a different jungle than the one where some jerk on a reality show was complaining about his fame being devalued. Obama is the first president to acknowledge the U.S. subversion of a democratically-elected Iranian government, but he can still do better. Hegemony has left many scars around the world, and Peru is just one of them. Obama may not be able to foil a game as old as empire, but as President he can -- and should -- do something to help stop the bloodshed and refinery strikes in Peru. More on Obama Mideast Trip
 
Anthony Woods, Gay Black Iraq Veteran, To Run For Congress Top
Insurgent congressional candidate Anthony Woods' life story reads like Aaron Sorkin wrote it--he's a gay, black Iraq veteran with a Harvard degree. He talks to The Daily Beast's Benjamin Sarlin about running on his biography.
 
Illinois Sues Crestwood Over Tainted Water Supply Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against a Chicago suburb for allegedly drawing drinking water from a contaminated well for decades. It accuses Crestwood of knowingly providing false information about the water to more than 11,000 residents and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. It seeks thousands of dollars in penalties. Among those named in the lawsuit filed Tuesday with the Circuit Court of Cook County are current Mayor Robert Stranczek ('STRAN-zehk) and two former officials. The Chicago Tribune first reported that state officials in the mid-1980s found the well contained chemicals linked to cancer. But Crestwood allegedly continued using it. A message seeking comment from Crestwood officials wasn't returned. -ASSOCIATED PRESS More on Health
 
James Glave: Backstage at a Run-of-River Green-Energy Project Top
TOBA INLET, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- When it comes to renewable-energy generation, location is everything. The southwest is a shoe-in for solar. Texas offers wicked wind. And this corner of the continent boasts steep, roaring glacier-fed rivers, and a growing group of companies harnessing them to generate carbon-free electricity. The technology is called run-of-river. In essence, these projects capture the kinetic energy of falling water without the massive negative impacts associated with dam construction, and they're causing quite a stir out here on Canada's West Coast, where geography and hydrology combine to create tremendous green-power potential. Though there are presently 35 run-of-river projects operating in the province, regional electrical utility B.C. Hydro has identified promising locations for as many as 900 more. All of this potential is catching the attention of start-up companies, large investors such as General Electric--which is partnering with a producer through one of its Canadian subsidies--and environmentalists. Some enviros say development of the province's "green energy belt"--a remote and rugged stretch of coast cut with fjords and glaciers--will ultimately help displace fossil fuels from North America's electrical grid. But others have a different view. "Claims that all [run of river] projects are 'clean and green' are questionable at best," says Vicky Husband, a senior advisor with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society , based just outside of Vancouver, B.C.. Husband and others oppose the number and size of the schemes, which typically involve redirecting rivers and building powerhouses and new transmission lines. A few months ago, Husband organized a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appearance in Whistler, B.C. The celebrity activist told the audience that run-of-river projects involve "tremendous amounts of logging and the disruption of ecosystems." Run-of-river supporters dispute these assertions. They note that the schemes are subject to multiple environmental approvals, and that transmission lines, pipes, powerhouses, and the like represent a reasonable trade-off to help displace carbon from the grid--especially since the installations are usually located in previously logged areas and use existing forestry roads for access. "Some people are not seeing the big picture, which is climate change, or depleting resources," says Barry Penner, British Columbia's environment minister. "It's even about improving the economy. We need sustainable, responsible development of renewable energy." Further challenging matters is the fact that many run-of-river project sites are located in rugged, remote, and often roadless areas. In other words, it's difficult to see them first-hand. But not impossible. Last week, Plutonic Power --one of Western Canada's largest green-power developers--invited me and a few other journalists to tour a 123-megawatt run-of-river project that the company is building at the top end of the Toba Valley, about 110 miles due northwest of Vancouver. When complete in the middle of next year, this will be the largest green-power project of its kind in the province. To give you a feel for the scale and remoteness of the landscape, check out this clip looking out from the helicopter on the trip out to the work site. Note that the company paid for my flights, and also purchased carbon offsets for the petroleum burned in the course of the trip. The last frame shows a small corner of the 81-square-mile ice field that covers the plateau here--one of several enormous such glaciers in the vicinity. Glacial meltwater is the "fuel" of the East Toba project and many of the 19 or so others that the company would like to pursue in the area. Here's Plutonic Power CEO Donald McInnes explaining how the East Toba project will work, and why he feels the region is well suited to run-of-river power development. McInnes is standing inside a eight-foot-diameter section of pipe, or "penstock" that will ultimately carry water to the project's turbines. To clarify, the "high elevation plateau" he mentions in the 90-second clip is actually a glacier roughly the size of Baltimore. At this elevation, this particular river contains no fish; ideally, run-of-river projects are located upstream from natural fish barriers such as waterfalls. The company first constructs a weir--or low-height retention dam. Here is the East Toba intake structure under construction. (Click any of these images to open them at a larger size.) Much of the area seen to the lower right will be flooded to create a headpond. From there, an intake directs a portion of the river's flow into a buried pipe called a penstock, which sends it downhill and through a pair of turbines before returning it to the river. Here's a look at the penstock that will serve the East Toba turbines. Crews have already buried the pipe on the right-hand side of the image. The penstock directs the river water into a powerhouse, which is about the size of a pharmacy or large convenience store. In the image below, you can see the two turbines inside the unfinished structure, they are surrounded by circular red pipe which directs the river water into the turbine blades via smaller pipes called nozzles. From there the water flows back into the river. We couldn't land the helicopter or get much closer to the powerhouse because technicians were performing delicate mechanical tasks on the structure and the kicked-up dust from the chopper could have compromised their work. But together, at peak flow, these two turbines will generate about 123 megawatts of electricity. When coupled with other turbines at the nearby Montrose powerhouse--which is also currently under construction--at peak flow these sites will output enough energy to power 75,000 homes. For comparison, a typical medium-size coal plant generates about 500 megawatts. From the powerhouse, electricity will head out to the grid along a new 96-mile 230 kV transmission line. Here's a portion of the corridor as seen from the helicopter; poles and wire have yet to be installed here. The right-of-way for the lines varies between 131 and 262 feet wide. It is useful to compare this corridor with historical logging that the area has seen. As we flew out and back to the site, we passed over numerous large green scars on the landscape, the legacy of mile after mile of clear-cut logging. It is clear that despite its remoteness, the valleys in the province's Green Energy Belt are not pristine wilderness as some run-of-river opponents suggest, but have in fact hosted decades of industrial activity. Here is an aerial of the project camp for the crews building the Plutonic Power East Toba and Montrose renewable power projects. The area covers roughly 10 acres, and is built on the site of a former logging town, which its previous forestry-industry occupants abandoned in ruins in the 1980s. They walked away from the site leaving tonnes of debris and rusting, leaking barrels of petroleum. Plutonic cleaned up the site and removed the toxics before setting up the camp. The complex in the middle is a dormitory where about 300 workers live full-time. Services for workers include a well-stocked fitness facility, cafeteria, and lounge with videogames, etc. All sewage is treated on site, organic waste is incinerated nearby almost daily, all recyclable materials are source-separated, and shipped out with non-recyclable trash. The company has opened up the hillside in the background to mine materials for concrete production. Everything at the camp was brought in on barges to the head of Toba Inlet [ MAP ], and then driven up an access road that was built decades ago by the logging industry. You can see it along the top of this photograph. At this lower point in its course, the Toba is prime salmon habitat. Along its route up the valley, the access road crosses many smaller tributaries of the Toba that historically had been used by spawning salmon. The company says the culverts carrying these streams under the road had become choked and blocked with logging debris. Though I didn't get to see one of them up-close, Plutonic says it has replaced 100 of these damaged and blocked culverts, opening up access to tributaries and gravel spawning grounds that have been unavailable to the fish for decades. In essence, this project's developer has increased viable habitat available to salmon. Every form of energy development has its impacts. Like wind farms and their associated risks to bats and other wildlife, run-of-river energy is a complicated issue. The debate here is marked by much emotion and rhetoric surrounding not only environmental concerns, but also the privatization of power and commercial exploitation of rivers--both hot-button issues in British Columbia. Clearly, these installations need to be done right--with thorough advance consideration of all potential impacts on fish, wildlife, and river ecosystems. Judging from what I saw on this trip, and from the workers I spoke with at the camp, that's exactly what Plutonic appears to be doing. The company is also partnering with the area's aboriginal residents, providing their members with jobs and job training. After viewing this project--and knowing that with the exception of the transmission line, the blasted and cleared areas will be replanted and remediated once the project is complete--the impacts appeared reasonable and moderate, especially when compared with the impacts associated with large hydroelectric projects and fossil-fuel-based power generation. Plutonic Power is currently proposing a set of 17 run-of-river installations in the nearby Bute Inlet region , just north of Toba Valley. If approved by a federal environmental assessment currently underway, and subject to other conditions, those installations could generate as much as 1,027 megawatts of renewable energy--enough to power roughly 300,000 homes. The company also expects the Bute projects will create as many as 900-1,200 full-time green-collar jobs over an eight-year period, in a regionally depressed economy. More on Green Energy
 
Peter Doocy, Steve Doocy's Son, Joins Fox News Top
TVNewser reports that Peter Doocy, son of "Fox & Friends" co-host Steve Doocy, will be joining the network as an assignment reporter based in New York. The younger Doocy, who graduated from Villanova in May, had previously interned for Fox News. But he is most well-known for asking John McCain about Hillary Clinton's drinking during Chris Matthews' Hardball College Tour in April 2008. Shortly thereafter, his father congratulated him for the question on "Fox & Friends," and Keith Olbermann named him one of the Worst Persons in the World. Steve Doocy then attacked Olbermann, calling him "a guy who picks on people's children." More on Fox News
 
Arianna Huffington: The Webbys: What I Saw, What I Said Top
Lots of memorable moments at this year's Webby Awards. It was great having some of our HuffPost Politics team -- including Nico Pitney, Rachel Weiner, Sam Stein, Ryan Grim, and Arthur Delaney -- make the trip up from DC to celebrate our wins as Best Politics Site and Best Political Blog (and a major shout out to Webby honcho Neil Vogel for taking care of us -- as always). I particularly enjoyed the way the organizers of the event paired people from the new media with people from the traditional media -- concluding with Martha Stewart presenting the Breakout of the Year award to Twitter cofounder Biz Stone (his five word acceptance speech: "Creativity is a renewable resource"), and Charlie Rose presenting the Lifetime Achievement award to World Wide Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee ("Free. Open. Keep one Web."). Host Seth Meyers, who was hilarious, had some fun with the dynamic, saying that he loves it "when old media praises new media. It's like when the old guy praises the tennis pro his wife is fucking." As for my five-word speech, while we liked a lot of the ones you submitted, I ended up going with one suggested by HuffPost's editor Roy Sekoff and our media editor Danny Shea: "I didn't kill newspapers...okay?" Other finalists included Sekoff and Shea's "Bernie Madoff Stole My Speech," "Norm Coleman Contested Our Win," "Did AIG Oversee the Voting?, and "Beats a Bruno Ass Facial." But since Roy and Danny already have copies of the HuffPost Complete Guide to Blogging , we'll be sending a copy to the three HuffPost commenter-generated suggestions the HuffPost community said were its favorites : "Journalism isn't dead; it's online" (submitted by shoutingatmytv); "Blogs: Weapons of Mass Instruction" (Michael Pastore); and "Do ask, do tell. Do." (ourmoro). Congrats to them -- and thanks again to everyone who sent one in. Click here to check out a slideshow from the Webbys. TiVo Alert: I'll be guest hosting CNBC's Squawk Box Wednesday morning 7-9 am EDT. Among those I'll be interviewing: Nassim Taleb, Jared Bernstein, Reed Hundt, and Jim Grant. I'd love to have your help deciding what to ask them. Please post your suggested questions in the comments section of this post. More on Twitter
 
Lebanon, Israel Independent Peace Talks Won't Happen: Hariri Top
Lebanon will not conduct an independent peace track with Israel, and may not even join the Arab peace initiative, should it become the basis for regional negotiations, Sa'ad Hariri, the billionaire businessman who is the favorite to lead Lebanon's government following Sunday's elections, said on Tuesday. More on Israel
 
Samuel Fromartz: Nobu Feels the Heat about Serving Bluefin Tuna -- A Few Big Names Offer Advice Top
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa is one of the world's most celebrated Japanese sushi chefs, and with partners, like Robert De Niro, he operates 24 restaurants globally that have been a favored haunt of Hollywood stars. But for several years now, he has come under fire for serving bluefin tuna, a spectacular and expensive species of tuna which is dangerously overfished in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Bluefin tuna populations are one-tenth of what they once were and industrial fishing, a good deal of it illegal, continues to decimate them. British environmental journalist Charles Clover has been one of Nobu's loudest critics, and in The End of The Line, a powerful new documentary based on his book , bluefin tuna and Nobu's menu are a central issue. (The documentary opens on Monday, World Oceans Day.)  In response, Nobu recently added an asterisk describing bluefin as "environmentally challenged" on the menu and putting the onus on diners to eat it or not. This move has not placated critics, like Greenpeace, which has demonstrated inside Nobu's flagship restaurant . Now the celebs who put Nobu on the map have threatened to boycott the restaurant over the issue. Among them: Charlize Theron, Sting and Elle Macpherson . They want a response. Given the potential damage to the chef and his restaurant's reputation, I posed the following question to a number of people, including New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, ocean conservationist and writer Carl Safina, and several others, many of whom work on sustainable seafood issues. What should Nobu do to resolve his conflict over serving bluefin tuna? How can he both protect his brand and ensure the highest dining experience for his patrons? Michael Sutton Director, Center for the Future of the Oceans Monterey Bay Aquarium As perhaps the nation's most prominent sushi chef and restaurant owner, Nobu has a vested interest in the sustainability of our seafood supplies. Kuro maguro, or bluefin tuna, is one of the most valuable and prized species for the sashimi market. Nobu naturally wants to supply his patrons with the very best sashimi, so it's understandable that he does not want to remove bluefin tuna from his menus.   But the mark of a real leader is foresight, the ability to consider the future impact of present-day decisions.  And it doesn't take much foresight to see that bluefin tuna is seriously depleted throughout its range and could become commercially extinct in the near future. Nobu therefore has a terrific opportunity to become recognized as the savior of the bluefin tuna rather than a principal factor in its demise.   If I were Nobu, I would seize the opportunity and issue a press release saying that after considering the long-term interests of sashimi lovers everywhere, I will no longer serve bluefin tuna in my restaurants until fishery managers have taken appropriate action to put the species on the road to recovery. A decade ago, leading chefs did just that by joining forces with the Give Swordfish a Break campaign, which helped build the political will for swordfish recovery .  Many of those leading chefs won praise from their clientele and have now have put swordfish back on their menus, secure in the knowledge that we'll all be able to enjoy swordfish for the future.  Nobu, it's your turn to step up to the plate and into the limelight! --- Mark Bittman "Minimalist" Columnist, The New York Times Author of Food Matters: A Guide To Conscious Eating and other books Nobu is both a "he" and an "it." I don't know if "he" or the organization makes these decisions. It's very simple. He/it either cares about this issue or does not. From a culinary perspective, I agree that yellowfin tuna is not a real substitute. But there is a world of food out there, and good chefs can work around hardships like this. If enough do, maybe bluefin will come back as a commercially viable species. If not - in short order, no one will be eating it, not even Nobu's customers. Surely this is understandable. --- Carl Safina Author, Song for the Blue Ocean and other books Nobu should do what we should always do: the right thing. The "highest" experience includes the awareness, sense of responsibility, and often the self-sacrifice that goes with real leadership. He should wear the intentional omission of bluefin as a badge of honor.  The fish is doing extremely poorly specifically because of overfishing for sushi markets, and is listed "critically endangered" in the Atlantic. At the extreme minimum, he should stop selling wild bluefin and wait until the Australians (or whoever gets to market first) have farm-hatched fish for sale (not wild-caught, captive fattened). Even that has problems, but no one should be involved in killing wild bluefins at this point. As far as I'm concerned, a person who does not care enough to do the right thing simply isn't a leader. Catching bluefin tuna and mako sharks was the most thrilling thing I ever did, and I did quite a bit of it--years ago; not anymore. For one thing, they're so rare it's just sad now. For another thing, I don't want to be part of what's obviously a big problem. As for the "highest" experience, I'll say this: I would not go to Nobu for a free meal. He's just in it for himself and isn't trying to be part of the solution. That's typical, not "highest." There are, as they say, bigger fish to fry. Except that in this case, they're smaller fish, and they're raw. --- Michael Ruhlman Author of Ratio, The Reach of a Chef, and other books While I cynically wonder if Charles Clover is using the tactic of singling out a high profile chef to promote the film based on his book, I also think Nobu ought to respond. He can say I'm doing nothing illegal and my allegiance is to my customer, not the fish. Fair enough. But I believe it is a chef's duty to care for the earth and the source of his or her food. He ignores it at his own peril. If I were Nobu, I would not serve it and urge others not to. His example would be powerful. Also he's a chef, he should be able to make great food out of my lawn. Why does he need any one single fish to keep his business afloat?  Surely he can use his wits and talent to create extraordinary food without relying on the diminishing supply of wild bluefin. I hear Chilean sea bass is nearly off the endangered list. I'd be willing to go five years or more without bluefin to ensure that it thrived. --- Fedele Bauccio Founder and CEO Bon Appetit Management Co. , a premium food service company focused on ethical sourcing for more than 20 years. I don't see why Nobu has to serve bluefin tuna to protect his brand. The measure of a good chef should be making great tasting food using ingredients that are grown or harvested in a way that protects the well being of guests, the communities where the food is served and the natural environment that provides culinary bounty. Local, seasonal ingredients have been an honored tradition in Japanese cuisine for thousands of years. Why not build the menu around these treasured elements rather than serving a threatened species? ---- Barton Seaver Founding Chef, Hook, Washington DC Current Chef, Blue Ridge, Washington DC The business of a restaurant is to satisfy guests and even the greatest can be broken by a fickle clientele. So it's not hard to understand why a restaurant group such as Nobu continues to play cards that work. Bluefin tuna is simply the best tuna in the sea. It also takes a lot of the guess work and variability out of a vast multinational operation. But bluefin has not always been the king of the menu. Chefs like Nobu had to convince guests to try it. "And you want me to eat that raw?" was most likely the initial response. If chefs like Nobu could vault bluefin to its star status, then certainly they can use their talent to introduce guests to a substitute. Kate Winslet has said Nobu's 'food is like sex on a plate'. That is pretty good praise. Nobu clearly has the talent and credibility to shape tastes globally. It is time for him to do so with a delicious and sustainable solution. --- Mark Powell Marine Biologist, formerly with Ocean Conservancy Nobu should use his standing to help build change.  For example, he could work with bluefin tuna conservationists to create an action campaign, and he could speak out for conservation and enlist his customers in the effort.  Nobu's Save the Bluefin campaign could have "action of the month" opportunities such as advocating for specific management measures, e.g. science-based catch limits and protected areas for spawning fish. These could be chosen to address the biggest issues and opportunities as they arise. There's a great need to work with people's love for fish as seafood, rather than denying and fighting against such connections. Walking away from bluefin would be the easy way out. Working to correct the problem after years of profiting off the fish would be far more noble. --- Kozo Ishii Director, Marine Stewardship Council - Japan Program There is a growing market for sustainably caught fish that is being supported by fisheries, fish processors, retailers and restaurants in the world. It remains the responsibility for all of us to support these efforts by recognizing and rewarding sustainable fishing where it is occurring.  As a celebrity chef and restaurateur, I think that Nobu is in a unique position to further accelerate the supply and demand for sustainably caught fish by not only committing to sourcing it himself, but also by using his voice to help drive home the urgent need to secure fish stocks for future generations.  --- Tim Fitzgerald Marine Scientist, Oceans Program Environmental Defense Fund I'm of two minds on this one. On one hand, it seems clear that the only way forward is to remove it from their menu entirely. And if they really wanted to start repairing their tarnished eco-image, they could even go so far as to call on global tuna fisheries authorities to institute more sustainable management for these species. Or, they could support research to develop eco-friendly aquaculture that does not rely on wild-caught bluefin. However, consumers have notoriously short memories, and Nobu might decide to weather the PR storm until it blows over. Remember the PCB scare with farmed salmon a few years ago? Six months later the industry was posting record profits as if nothing had ever happened. This was originally posted in Chewswise.com More on Food
 
Charlotte Hilton Andersen: Does Fitness Improve Your Sex Life? Top
There are some conversations that at the beginning sound like a good idea but the more you get into it, the more you realize that you're going places you never intended. Take, for instance, explaining the rules of Clue to a five year old. "Mommy, why is there a crooked stick in here?" "It's a lead pipe, honey." "Why is there a lead pipe in here?" "Well, see it's a weapon." "What's a weapon?" "Something you use to kill people." "How do you kill people with a lead pipe?" (Oh Google search is gonna love this post!) "Ummm... you hit them really hard with it." "Where?" "Probably their head." "In their face?" "I suppose that would do." "How many times do you have to hit them?" Gasp. Choke. Cough. "Mommy, what's this wrench doing in here?" Who knew Clue was such a moral minefield? Maybe we should play a different game. Anyone up for Battleship? "What's a nuclear submarine, mommy?" Anyhow, today's post is going to be one of those conversations is what I'm saying. It all started when a reader asked me in the comments of one of my Bodily Functions & Fitness 101 posts how exercise affects your sex life. She then added helpfully that her sex drive went through the floor when she was working out a lot. You know I love a good over-share! Without asking too many personal questions, let's take a look at the research (because you know somebody somewhere got grant money to study this!): How Exercise Improves Your Sex Life 1. Stamina. Sex is a fitness endeavor after all, as Men's Health is fond of reminding us on every single page. So it only follows that if you improve your overall fitness level that your endurance in other areas would also benefit. Increased cardio capacity leads to increased blood flow -- always helpful. Besides, you really don't want to be one of those people who dies from heart attack during sex do you? On second thought, never mind, maybe you do. 2. Body Confidence. As anyone who has lost weight or toned up -- or both -- can tell you, once you start feeling better about yourself and how you look, you're more eager to shed the clothing. Even without losing any pounds or bulking any muscles, exercise has a way of making you feel more confident and sexy! 3. Strength. I won't elaborate too much on this one except to say that being strong has its advantages in and out of the gym. If you need ideas of which exercises to do to improve your horizontal hip hop skillz, WebMD has a video for you . Yeah, WebMD. I know. It might be like walking in on your parents but I'm pretty sure it's SFW (safe for work). 4. Body Knowledge. There is something about exercise that helps you understand your body and how it works better. Whether it's the coordination required to do a step aerobics class or the knowledge that bent-over rows work your upper back better than reverse pec-dec flys, knowing how your body responds to different things is a great tool. 5. Stress Relief. Everything from yoga to weights to a good long run can get those endorphins flowing and the stress hormone cortisol crashing down. Less stress is better for everyone involved, right? How Exercise Hurts Your Sex Life 1. Steroids. Remember this guy? Don't be this guy. Besides the cosmetic issues, messing with your hormones can certainly impact your reproductive capabilities. 2. Overexercising. Like Mackenzie pointed out, sometimes you can reach a point where you exercise to the exclusion of everything else. Not only do you not mentally have the space to care about another person but physically you're so spent that sex doesn't even show up on your radar. 3. Injury. A rolled ankle probably won't put you out of business but a pulled groin or a sprained back sure will! 4. Training schedules. Often a new athlete is like someone who just found religion. They eat, sleep and breathe their new-found sport. This single-minded devotion makes them universally admired by magazine editors. It also makes them despised on bulletin boards but I digress. Sometimes people get so enthused about their new healthy lifestyle that they lose all interest in other pursuits. Who can fit in nookie when you wake up at 4, go to bed at 8 and have to eat every 2 hours in between? Conclusion I think it's pretty obvious what the conclusions here are: never mix sex with lead pipes. (Or ropes David Carradine -- did you never watch C.S.I.?!?) I mean, fitness has the capacity to increase your enjoyment in the bedroom and your skills as a lovah -- as long as you don't take it to the extreme. Knowing that all of you are dying to spill your guts, I have created this comprehensive poll: poll by twiigs.com More on Sex
 
Andy Worthington: From Guantanamo To The South Pacific: Is This A Joke? Top
Let's face it, when it comes to Guantánamo, there's little to laugh about, unless you're an Islamophobic sadist -- in which case, there's still nothing for the rest of us to laugh about. The Associated Press reports that, in a desperate effort to rid itself of the toxic human debris of Guantánamo, the Obama administration is eyeing up the tiny Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines, to dispose of some, or all of the 17 Uighurs in Guantánamo. The Uighurs are Muslims from China's Xinjiang province, who were swept up in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, and sold to U.S. forces by Pakistani villagers after fleeing from a run-down hamlet in which they had sought solace from their Chinese oppressors, or, in many cases, because they had found themselves unable to make their way to Turkey or Europe, to look for work , as they had originally intended. Despite this, their proposed resettlement in the United States has caused panic attacks amongst politicians whose understanding of the prison's inhabitants has clearly gone no further than to curl up at Dick Cheney's knee, and say, "Gee, tell me again how the prisoners in Guantánamo are the most dangerous terrorists in the world?" Apparently unable to understand that the majority of the prisoners in Guantánamo were bought for bounties, and were never adequately screened to determine their status, these fearful politicians continue to ignore the copious amounts of research demonstrating that all but a few dozen of the remaining 239 prisoners are either completely innocent men, or Taliban foot soldiers, recruited to fight an inter-Muslim civil war in Afghanistan that began long before the 9/11 attacks, and had nothing to do with international terrorism. In this, they have been ably assisted by the appeals court in Washington D.C., where, in February, a panel of judges led by Judge A. Raymond Randolph, who has, to date, defended every single Guantánamo policy decision that was subsequently reversed by the Supreme Court, overturned an earlier ruling by District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina. In October, Judge Urbina ruled , very sensibly, that the Uighurs were to be allowed to resettle in the United States, in the care of the large Uighur community in and around Washington D.C. and in a community in Tallahassee, Florida that had gone out of its way to help them. Judge Urbina made his ruling for four very good reasons: firstly, because the government had been persuaded to drop all its charges against the Uighurs (after the most humiliating court defeat , last June); secondly, because they cannot be returned to China, where they face torture or worse: thirdly, because no other country had been found that was prepared to take on China by accepting them: and fourthly, because their continued detention in Guantánamo was, simply, unconstitutional. Having somehow skipped the class that would have informed them that rocking boats is sometimes required in politics, senior officials in the Obama administration refused to order the men's release into the United States in those first few halcyon days in office, when anything seemed possible, and have now vacillated to such an extent -- most recently, apparently, when Rush Limbaugh started barking -- that releasing them into the U.S. is simply too much to contemplate, even though it clearly remains the right thing to do. To make matters worse, while mumbling occasionally about transferring some of the Uighurs to the mainland, the administration has, at the same time, been instructing the Justice Department to endorse the views of Judge Randolph in a petition intended to prevent the Supreme Court from reviewing the Uighurs' surreal and intolerable limbo. Confronted with the problem of rehousing five other Uighurs in 2006, the Bush administration secured, for an undisclosed sum, the cooperation of Albania (a Muslim nation, albeit a poor one, with no other Uighurs and little work), but that escape route was soon sealed off as the Albanians found themselves subjected to the wrath of the People's Republic. Since then -- despite hopeful murmurs from other countries, and the acceptance, in Sweden, of an asylum claim by one of the Uighurs sent to Albania, who made a sneaky escape in November 2007 and was finally accepted in February this year -- no other country has yet taken the bait. The Obama administration could probably weather this -- the odd Bob Dylan-style protest notwithstanding -- by plying the Uighurs with ever more comfort items in their secluded camp, away from all the other prisoners, and would, perhaps, soon be pointing out how marvelous the climate is, but senior officials are aware that the countries of Europe are unlikely to take any other prisoners from Guantánamo facing similar repatriation problems -- from countries including Algeria, China, Libya, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Uzbekistan, who are also low achievers in the field of human rights -- unless the U.S. government also plays ball. Hence the appeal of Palau, which, although it appears to be have been chosen as the result of a dart thrown at a globe by a desperate official, is actually a rather canny option. A former U.S. trust territory, the island became independent in 1994, but retains close ties with its former masters, having signed a "Compact of Free Association" with the U.S., guaranteeing financial assistance in exchange for certain defense rights, More importantly, it maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan , rather than with the People's Republic of China. The fact that it has no Uighur population and that its population of 21,000 includes no Muslims is, presumably, neither here nor there. Could this, then, be the answer to the Obama administration's Uighur problem? Perhaps, but if so, it will demonstrate only that, when it comes to cleaning up the mess that is Guantánamo, cowardice, desperation and the least enviable form of pragmatism available are yet another example of Bush and Cheney's despicable legacy. Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press), and maintains a blog here . More on Afghanistan
 
Linda Buzzell: Ecotherapy: Slowing Down to Nature's Pace Top
Not so very long ago, humans -- like the rest of the animals and plants on earth -- moved through our natural cycles at nature's pace. Time was marked by the passing of the seasons, the life cycles of human, animal and plant life and the yet grander cycles of the moon and the other celestial bodies. Homo sapiens, a late-appearing species in the long history of our unimaginably ancient planet and universe, evolved during the recent (as the universe views these things!) Pleistocene era, adapted for a life intimately connected with and expressive of our natural surroundings on the African savannah and beyond. And this is how we lived for millennia. In the last 150 years, however, the human relationship with time has radically changed. Some say the problems started earlier, with the development of agriculture or writing, but it was really the Industrial Revolution -- the rise of the Machine -- that put humans in thrall to mechanical processes and machine time. And the recent exponential speeding up into Cybertime has accelerated the process still further. Industrial time was bad enough (Charlie Chaplin did a wonderful job of visualizing that "cog in the wheel" feeling in his film "Modern Times") but Cybertime can be dizzyingly discombobulating for a Pleistocene primate. And that's how many modern people feel -- completely frazzled and out of sync with our deepest selves. The results of this disconnection from nature and nature's pace show up in therapists' and doctors' offices every day. Living under unnatural time pressures causes a myriad of psychological, social and physical ailments. De-linked from the natural rhythms of our bodies and the rest of the planet, we struggle with diminishing success to adapt to the strange mechanical and disembodied world we have created. As a practicing psychotherapist and ecotherapist, when I see patients who are suffering from depression or anxiety I ask them to keep a time-journal in which they record the hours and minutes spent each day outside, as well as the hours spent inside in front of a screen. My clients are often shocked to realize how disassociated they have become from nature and our species' natural ways of living, and the effect this disconnection is having on their psyche. In fact, a 2007 study from the University of Essex shows that a daily "dose" of walking outside in nature can be as effective at treating mild to moderate depression as expensive antidepressant medications that can sometimes have negative side-effects. Time poverty is now a recognized psychological and social stressor. In a sped-up, highly complex society, there just isn't enough time for everything: our demanding jobs, our interlocking bureaucratic responsibilities (taxes, insurance, legal issues), our loved one, kids, our community (including the rest of nature), plus commuting and keeping up with traditional media and endless 24/7 online communications. Constantly rushing to keep up as we inevitably fall further behind, we find ourselves destroying not only our own health, but our habitat and the habitat of the people, plants and animals with whom we share the planet. In my recently published book, Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind (Sierra Club Books, 2009) therapists and experts from many backgrounds discuss some of the ways that nature can help to heal problems like stress and anxiety. What suggestions can ecotherapists offer to help us slow down to a more natural pace of living? Here are a few simple things that can make a difference: Reconnect with place. We can learn to resist the constant rushing around and settle into and tend a beloved location, taking time to learn its secrets and hear its whisperings. Reconnect with companion and wild animals. Animals slow us down to our natural animal rhythms, which is why animal-assisted therapy works so well at lowering blood pressure and healing psychological ills of many kinds. The simple act of petting a cat or watching the birds flit through the trees is profoundly healing. Reconnect with plants. A simple pot on a windowsill slows us down to the pace of a seed, a seedling, a leaf and a flower. A tree on the street, if contemplated and touched, offers its blessings during a busy day. Reconnect with the cycles of human life. Instead of demanding that we remain in perpetual-teenager mode (the preferred state in our society, it seems), allowing ourselves to become true initiated adults and then elders honors the natural pace of human life rather than fighting it. Nature teaches us that seeds emerge, plants flourish, bloom, fruit and then wither and slip away -- valuable wisdom for our own lives when we encounter the inevitable transitions in our own and others' lives. Reconnect with our wild bodies. Untamed nature is to be found not only in far-away wilderness but in the wilds of our bloodstream, our digestive processes, our breath. Any practice that brings our attention back to our bodies is wilderness ecotherapy. Yoga and ecstatic dance offer release from the controlling modern ego and access to what ecopsychologists call "the ecological self." And once we reach peace with our animal bodies, our souls naturally open up to the larger Spirit in which we are embedded. Spend more time outdoors in wild nature. Most of us are indoors most of the time. Our bodies and souls cry out for long walks on a beach, contemplation in a forest or a few minutes in a nearby vacant lot near a stream. These times slow life down to a healing, natural pace. Making just a few of these simple changes can radically shift how we feel. Ecopsychological research is now proving that reconnecting with nature and more natural living performs a host of psychological miracles, including lowering depression, improving our sense of well being, calming our anxieties, raising self-esteem and giving us a sense of belonging to the great whole of which we are a part. Linda Buzzell, M.A., MFT is the co-editor with Craig Chalquist of the new anthology Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind , just released by Sierra Club Books (May 2009). She is a psychotherapist and ecotherapist in Santa Barbara, where she specializes in helping clients with career issues, financial challenges and the transition to a simpler, more sustainable and nature-connected lifestyle More on Green Living
 
Frida Berrigan: Cyberscares About Cyberwars Equal Cybermoney Top
Crossposted with TomDispatch.com Watching the Cybermilitary-Industrial Complex Form As though we don't have enough to be afraid of already, what with armed lunatics mowing down military recruiters and doctors, the H1N1 flu virus, the collapse of bee populations, rising sea levels, failed and flailing states, North Korea being North Korea, al-Qaeda wannabes in New York State with terrorist aspirations, and who knows what else -- now cyberjihadis are evidently poised to steal our online identities, hack into our banks, take over our Flickr and Facebook acccounts, and create havoc on the World Wide Web. Late last year, in a 96-page report, Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency , the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned that "America's failure to protect cyberspace is one of the most urgent national security problems facing the new administration." In a similar fashion, Dr. Dorothy Denning, a cybersecurity expert at the Naval Postgraduate School, has just described the Internet as a "powerful tool in the hands of criminals and terrorists." And they're hardly alone. To this fear chorus, our thoughtful, slow-to-histrionics President added his voice in a May 29th East Room address: "In today's world, acts of terror could come not only from a few extremists in suicide vests but from a few key strokes on a computer -- a weapon of mass disruption... This cyberthreat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation." Uh-oh, and as we know, cybercrime is already on the rise. According to the president, the U.S. experienced 37,000 cyberattacks in 2007, an 800% increase from 2005. He referenced a study estimating that cybercrime has cost Americans $8 billion in the last two years. A trillion dollars worth of business information has reportedly been stolen from the corporate world. For Barack Obama, cybercrime is personal. During his bid for the presidency, someone hacked into his campaign's secure network and gained access to sensitive strategy documents and calendars. Last year, a malicious computer virus hit the U.S. military, infecting thousands of computers and forcing soldiers to give up their thumb drives, changing the way they share information among computers. The Pentagon claims it fended off some 360 million attempts -- yes, you read that right! -- to break into its networks last year alone, a monumental leap from a "mere" 6 million tries in 2006. In one such attempt, cyberspies hacked into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project, the Air Force's most advanced and, at $300 billion, most expensive jet fighter under production. According to the Wall Street Journal , they "compromised the system responsible for diagnosing a plane's maintenance problems during flight." In April, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told 60 Minutes' Katie Couric that the U.S. is "under cyberattack virtually all the time, every day." The Pentagon recently admitted that it spent $100 million in the past six months repairing damage caused by cyberonslaughts. Cyberczar to the Rescue In his speech, President Obama also insisted that help was on the way as he announced the establishment of a new Cybersecurity Office within the White House. It was, he assured Americans, meant to coordinate all government activities to protect U.S. computer networks, while promoting collaboration among a confusing landscape of federal cybergroups with "overlapping missions." Our digital infrastructure, he said, was the "backbone that underpins a prosperous economy and a strong military and an open and efficient government." As such, he proclaimed it "a strategic national asset," which meant that "protecting it is a national security priority." All will be better, promised the Blackberry President, once his cyberczar, or "cybersecurity coordinator" is selected. "I will personally select this official," he pledged . "I'll depend on this official in all matters related to cybersecurity and this official will have my full support and regular access to me as we confront these challenges." Keep in mind that the president is more than a little czar crazy, perhaps because the vague post of czar (of whatever) turns out not to require confirmation from a somewhat slow and balky Senate, even as it brings instant attention to some new aspect of his mega-agenda. He has already picked his Border Czar, Drug Czar, Counterterrorism Czar, Urban Affairs Czar, and Climate Czar, just to name a few. Foreign Policy counts a staggering 18 Obama czars in all. His still unnamed cyberczar will report to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. Many of these new czars have offices within the White House from which they can (theoretically) oversee policy, coordinate among agencies, streamline decision-making, and give a particular issue or area added weight and prominence. In reality, such appointments historically tend to put yet another cook in a chaotic kitchen, while adding a new layer of bureaucracy to already jumbled layers of the same. As Paul Light, a government professor at New York University, told the Wall Street Journal , "There've been so many czars over the last 50 years, and they've all been failures. Nobody takes them seriously anymore." I feel better already! Except I do have a small question: How did the word "czar" morph from the title of a discredited autocrat half a world away to the description of a supposedly influential White House official? And why are all these czars jostling for power and order in a democratic government? That aside, web-surf is up! And here's the good news: the United States is not just playing cyberdefense. Admittedly, the administration's plan for cyberoffense -- you know, to hack into networks not our own -- did not get as much news buzz as the cyberczar, but don't be fooled: the military is already on the job, mounting an invasion of a whole new territory, cyberspace! The New Nightmare: Preparing for Cyberwar Yes, the Pentagon sees cyberspace -- that expansive online constellation of worlds that never sleeps even when our computers are off -- as another battlefield terrain no different from the mountains of Afghanistan or the cities of Iraq (except that maybe on virtual battlefields we can actually win). In an exhaustive 350-page look at U.S. cyberattack capabilities put out in April 2009, the National Research Council's Committee on Offensive Information Warfare concluded that "enduring unilateral dominance in cyberspace is neither realistic nor achievable by the United States." Despite that cautionary word, this very month the Pentagon has moved to establish a new Cybercommand that won't shy away from either the word "unilateral" or "dominance." CyCom, as it's already known, will "develop cyberweapons for use in responding to attacks from foreign adversaries" under the direction of Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander, who will add another star to his three in the move from the National Security Agency to his new command. In pursuit of the elusive, impossible dream of unilateral dominance in cyberspace, Defense Secretary Gates is looking to more than quadruple the number of cyberofficers by 2011; and though he didn't put a dollar figure on it, as the military services all rush to add "cyber" to their portfolio, the monies are going to add up fast. How much? Kevin Coleman, a consultant to the U.S. Strategic Command, which will house CyCom, estimates between $50 billion and $70 billion a year for cyberactivities in future Pentagon budgets. Sounds good! But here's what I want to know: Can my avatar have long black hair, knee-high boots, and the pass codes to access some of those billions? As it happens, cyberwar was a Washington preoccupation under President George W. Bush, too. Last year, his Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell warned that a cyberattack on a U.S. bank "would have an order of magnitude greater impact on the global economy" than September 11, 2001, and he compared the potential ability of cybercriminals to threaten the U.S. money supply to a nuclear weapon. How do you fact-check such scare chatter, especially now that the global economy has proved itself quite capable of imploding with devastating impact without a cyberattack in sight? No matter. Rest assured of one thing: even before the first bot is shot, a down-and-dirty, low-intensity conflict is already well underway. Think of it as a turf war with a twist. Cyberturf Wars At the moment, cybersecurity activities and responsibilities are spread across the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget, and an alphabet soup of intelligence agencies, all claiming cyberspace -- with its secret codes and captured data -- as their own. And then there are the uniformed military services: the Navy, Air Force, and Army, all worried about the budgetary future, are desperately interested in securing a large slice of the cyberpie. When you survey the cyberlandscape, maybe President Obama is right. It could take a veritable Peter the Great of czars to impose a workable structure on the existing labyrinth of competing and proliferating cyberbureaucracies. Among them all, the Air Force has been the most proactive and aggressive. They just established the 24th Air Force, a new numbered wing, just for the cyberwarfare mission. It will be based in San Antonio, Texas, thanks to Republican Senator Kay Hutchinson, who aggressively courted the Air Force with Texan hospitality. In a press release celebrating her acquisition, Hutchinson bragged that the move will make "San Antonio a key component of our national strategy to defeat the cyber threat." In mid-May, Major General William Lord, the provisional head of AFCyber, played host to military-industrial representatives, telling them that the "cyber arena is filled with new business opportunities." Cyberspace is, he suggested, new territory and he called on Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and other high-tech military firms to seize the day. ("We can't do this without you.") He needn't have said a word. Like the proliferation of competing agencies, the formation of a cybermilitary-industrial complex (made up mainly of the giant corporations already in the non-cyber version of the same) is quite predictable. In fact, it's already starting to happen. After all, the new cyberspace mission promises more than just Top Gun excitement; it will be worth billions of dollars in a quickly shifting security environment. As early as 2005, the Air Force saw the light on this one, and losing ground to the Army, Navy, and Marines in the boom-times of the Global War on Terror, began moving into cyberspace. It's never stopped. As Lewis Page, a defense correspondent for the Register , a British online tech magazine, points out : "The Air Force's traditional business of operating expensive manned aircraft has been somewhat undercut of late by the proliferation of much cheaper flying robots often operated by the Army, Navy or Marines." In the fight for the future cyberbudget, then, the Air Force's enemies "are not so much terrorists or sinister foreign powers as the other U.S. Armed Services," writes Page. With new relevance, of course, come new funds. As a start, when the Air Force sent its $143.8 billion budget request for fiscal year 2009 to Congress, it tacked on a list of as yet unfunded budget requirements, including nearly $400 million for cyber-related equipment and activities. The Navy is now in on the game, too. It naturally established a Naval Cyber Forces Command because, as it likes to say, "cyberspace has become the global battlespace." According to Government Executive , the Navy plans to appoint a three-star Vice Admiral to head its new cybercommand, outranking the Air Force's top cyber flyboy. Not to be outdone, the Army has set up its own cyberoutpost: the Network Warfare Battalion. Its 2009 Posture Statement asserts that its troops are "executing cyberspace operations" against "a significant and growing cyberthreat" and concludes that, in order to "maintain our dominance in cyberspace, the Army will continue to grow our abilities to better defend our own networks and have capabilities in place to conduct network warfare against adversary networks." The initial loser in the great cyberbattle appears to be the Department of Homeland Security, that bureaucracy for our old fears. Established in the wake of September 11, 2001, it quickly became a Frankenstein-like mess of more than 22 agencies, on which the Bush administration also downloaded responsibility for cyberoperations. Now, however, it is getting consistently low marks for cybersecurity from places like CSIS and the Government Accountability Office. "Oversight for cybersecurity must move elsewhere," is what James Lewis, senior fellow at CSIS, told Congress . Industry Logs On The true beneficiaries of the military's cyberturf war are sure to be the major Pentagon contractors that have been positioning themselves to absorb Washington's new cyberdollars just as they have absorbed war dollars, terror dollars, and homeland-security dollars. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics have already launched a frenzy of buying in the area, gobbling up smaller tech companies and courting cyberinnovators. In 2007, for instance, Northrop Grumman purchased the Essex Corporation, a cybertech company,
 
The Best Selling Car In The U.S. Uses NO GAS Top
This car sold 457,000 units in 2008, beating the Camry which sold just 436,000 units. More on Cars
 
Mark Weisbrot: The Next Big Taxpayer Bailout? IMF Could Get Hundreds of Billions for European Banks Top
The bailout of private banks and financial institutions has become a touchy political issue in the United States, ever since President Bush's Treasury Secretary and former Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson asked Congress for a $700 billion dollar blank check last September. Now the Obama administration is asking the Congress for $108 billion for the International Monetary Fund. This was in accordance with a plan that the administration has helped organize to raise $500 billion in additional funds for the IMF. This would add to the approximately $200 billion that the IMF has on hand, $100 billion in gold reserves, and another $250 billion that the Fund will create in its own currency. These are enormous sums of money that the IMF has never come close to before. What is all this money for? There is an answer staring us in the face from the financial press: European banks. It seems that Europe's banks have gotten into a mess in their own neighborhood that is comparable to the "troubled assets" that our financial institutions accumulated in the course of the housing bubble - which they also shared. These banks had a fit of irrational exuberance in Central and Eastern Europe in recent years, with the result that they now have at least $1.4 trillion - and that is a conservative estimate - in exposure there to loans that are certain to have a very high default rate. Most of the Central and Eastern European economies are in free fall right now. To make matters much worse, much of their borrowing from European banks was in foreign currency. This extended even to households: e.g. over 60% of Hungary's mortgages are in foreign currency. When these currencies fall, as some already have, many of the borrowers - both businesses and households - are faced with unpayable debt burdens. Others, such as Latvia, are teetering on the brink of devaluation, which could set off a chain reaction in other countries, as well as mass insolvencies. The exposure of European banks to the region is astoundingly large relative to their economies. Austria is off the charts with about 64 percent of GDP lent in Eastern Europe; Belgium and Sweden both have more than 20 percent, and Switzerland and the Netherlands are in double digits. This is where the IMF comes in. In the United States, we have not only the $700 billion TARP bailout, but more than three times that amount, which has been dispensed by the Federal Reserve. The Fed has been used because it is non-transparent and unaccountable to Congress - unlike for the TARP, where Congress attached some rules for accountability, the taxpayers do not even know who has received the more than $2 trillion on the Fed's balance sheet. For various reasons, the European Central Bank is not going to play the role that the Fed has played here. (The Fed itself has recently been hit by strong demands for more transparency, with 186 Members of Congress sponsoring a bill that would require it to be audited by the Government Accountability Office). The European banks are therefore counting on the IMF to help save them from the costs of their bad decisions. The Obama administration has argued that the money is necessary to help provide a global stimulus, and to help poor people in poor countries. But the facts do not support this claim. Almost all of the agreements that the IMF has concluded since the global economic crisis began have included the opposite of stimulus programs: for example spending cuts or interest rate increases. The amount of money that will help poor countries is tiny. And it is difficult to see why the IMF would need hundreds of billions of dollars to help governments with balance of payments support: for sixteen Standby Arrangements negotiated since the crisis intensified last year, the total has been less than $46 billion. On the other hand, European banks are facing potential losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Some, like France's Societe Generale, have already gotten billions of dollars from the TARP bailout. If the purpose of adding these vast sums to the IMF's coffers is to bail out these banks, then the taxpayers of the United States (and other countries who are being asked to contribute) ought to know about it. This column was published on June 8, 2009 by Firedoglake . More on Transparency
 
ED WHITACRE: Former AT&T Executive Will Lead New GM Board Top
General Motors announced this morning that Edward E. Whitacre Jr., the former chairman and chief executive of AT&T, will become chairman of the board of the revamped automaker.
 
Protests Over Amazon Escalate In Peru Top
BAGUA, Peru — President Alan Garcia accused Amazon Indians of "barbarity" Sunday in the killing of 22 members of a paramilitary police force sent to break up anti-development protests. While the blockades that had halted the flow of oil out of the jungle appeared mostly disbanded, and Indians went into hiding fearing arrest, native groups nevertheless seized a remote airport Sunday and refused to abandon a key jungle roadblock. Protesters interviewed by The Associated Press, meanwhile, said the police attack early Friday was unprovoked, and they couldn't be expected to stand by as officers mowed them down with gunfire. In a speech in Lima, Garcia accused Indians opposed to oil, gas and other development on their native lands of impeding progress, either through "elemental ignorance" or manipulation by outside interests he didn't name. Funerals were held for six of the fallen officers in Lima. Two officers who survived the melee in Amazonas state described on national TV from their hospital beds how Indians had slain comrades who surrendered. "They even tortured those they killed," said patrolman Fredegundo Vasquez. Garcia said he deplored the killings and sent police reinforcements to Bagua, a sweltering Amazonas state district located 450 miles (730 kilometers) north of Lima. "When one thinks of the final moments of those officers who were disarmed, tied up and then had their throats slit like animals, one understands the barbarity and savageness," Garcia said. Heavily armed police killed at least 30 Indians, according to protest leaders, after moving Friday to open a road natives had blocked since April 9. The protests had cut off oil and gas flow from the Amazon and prevented food, medicine and gasoline from getting in, according to the government. Indians say police burned or threw some bodies into the Maranon river beside the highway to hide the true death toll. "We have brothers who still haven't been found," said Euclides Calvo, a 28-year-old student and Wampi Indian who was among 2,500 men manning the roadblock. Calvo said the protesters were unarmed when police attacked, except for the spears some carried as "symbols of our identity." He said he witnessed local indigenous leader Santiago Manuin, who was among 155 wounded, being shot repeatedly as he approached police trying to persuade them to stop firing. A 3 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew was imposed Saturday in Bagua and Utcubamba provinces, where the protests were centered. The curfew was still in effect Sunday. The political violence is the Andean country's worst since the Shining Path insurgency was quelled more than a decade ago and bodes ill for Garcia's ambitious plans to boost Peru's oil, gas and mineral output and spur logging and biofuel development. Nine of the slain police had been seized at an oil pumping station owned by the state petroleum company Petroperu, and two officers remained missing on Sunday. Protest leader Alberto Pizango went into hiding after a judge on Saturday issued a warrant for his arrest on sedition charges. His replacement, Champion Nonimgo, called Sunday for the Organization of American States and other international bodies to investigate the violence. Meanwhile, about 30 Achuar Indians _ including women and children _ took over the tarmac of the small Trompetero airport Sunday in the neighboring jungle state of Loreto. The airport is used by Pluspetrol, an Argentine oil company, according to a Pluspetrol official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the news media. Another undetermined number of Indians continued to block a highway between the nearby jungle cities of Tarapoto and Yurimaguas, authorities said. Indians have been blocking roads, waterways and occupying oil facilities on and off since early April, demanding Peru's government repeal laws they say help foreign companies exploit their lands. The laws, decreed by Garcia as he implemented a Peru-U.S. free trade pact, open communal jungle lands and water resources to oil drilling, logging, mining and large-scale farming. Indian leaders and environmental groups say the decrees violate Peru's constitution and break international law because Garcia's administration has failed to get Indian consent for the projects. The government owns all subsoil rights across the country. ___ Associated Press Writers Tamy Higa, Carla Salazar and Frank Bajak in Lima, Peru, contributed to this report.
 
World In Photos: Peshawar Bombing Top
At least 11 people were killed and 46 injured Tuesday in a huge bomb blast at the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter! More on Pakistan
 
Marcy Winograd: Clean the Dirty Energy Bills Top
The Clean Energy bills navigating their way through the Senate and House sound good at first. Consider the sales pitch: Create clean energy jobs. Achieve energy independence. Reduce global warming. Who can argue with such lofty goals? Not you, not me -- not unless we look at the fine print on Jeff Bingaman's 21st Century Energy Technology Deployment Act (S. 949), and the Markey/Waxman American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454). Here's the dirty little secret. These not-so-clean energy bills would also provide financing for a new generation of commercial nuclear power plants. According to the Maryland Public Interest Research Group: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has identified 30 possible new nuclear reactor units, as of February 2009. As many as six may be built in Texas alone. Florida and South Carolina could get four each, with the remaining sixteen new nuclear reactors being planned for Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Missouri, Maryland, New York, Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia, Lousiana and Tennessee. Both S. 949 and H.R. 2454 establish a new Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) to "promote access to affordable financing for accelerated and widespread deployment" of clean energy, energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, and manufacturing technologies. It's bad news. The bills make dangerous concessions to the coal, nuclear, gas and oil lobbies: Two polluting industries -- nuclear power and coal -- are now poised to receive public financing and divert scarce dollars from solar, wind and other benign and truly clean energy development. After reviewing five recent license applications in May 2008, Moody's Investor Service estimated that the capital cost of a new reactor, including finance costs, could reach $7,500 per kW.103 At that price, the 20 potential new nuclear power plants would require a $300 billion investment over the coming decade. Maryland Public Interest Research Group March 2009 For the past five decades, tax payers and rate payers have been underwriting and subsidizing our nuclear power industry to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, not even factoring in the hidden costs related to radioactive waste and environmental contamination. And how do we even begin to calculate the high price borne by those who suffer adverse health effects caused by exposure to ionizing radiation? Let's tell the truth: the U.S. nuclear power industry has proven to be a colossal business failure, which would not have survived without public investment and subsidy. We bailed out these industries long before Wall Street crumbled. "The failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale. The utility industry has already invested $125 billion in nuclear power, with an additional $140 billion to come before the decade is out, and only the blind, or the biased, can now think that the money has been well spent. It is a defeat for the U.S. consumer and for the competitiveness of U.S. industry, for the utilities that undertook the program and for the private enterprise system that made it possible." "Nuclear Follies," a February 11, 1985 cover story in Forbes . No new commercial nuclear reactor has been constructed in the U.S. during the past two decades, but over twenty companies are now planning to build as many as 30 to 34 new nuclear reactors in coming years. An enormous new uranium enrichment plant already under construction in a remote southeastern corner of New Mexico is slated to commence operation this year. In recent months, multi-national Urenco and its American subsidiary LES, trumpeted the aptly named National Enrichment Facility's potential to provide 50% of uranium fuel for U.S. commercial nuclear reactors. They failed to mention the annual waste stream of thousands of tons of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) -- commonly referred to as "depleted uranium." A great deal of depleted uranium (DU) waste has been recycled into munitions by weapons manufacturers for battlefield use in Iraq and Afghanistan, but close to a billion pounds of DU waste piled up at closed uranium enrichment plants in Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio remain in inventory. On May 20th, to the great relief of most Nevadans, the Obama administration cut funding for Yucca Mountain, but the nuclear power industry and it's supporters in Congress are still clamoring for the repository to open. The costly construction of the intended dump at Yucca Mountain was initially funded by Congress without adequate proof that, once placed in the repository, high level radioactive waste could be isolated from the accessible environment for the 10,000 years during which the waste is most harmful. Among other troubling factors, the intended final resting place for the waste, located just 80 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, lies along a line of old volcanoes -- and according to some scientists, an eruption, although highly unlikely, is possible. Starting with exposure to radiation suffered by America's indigenous uranium miners, and unsecured mounds of uranium mill tailing left behind to be scattered by the wind, the horrors of the nuclear chain are legion. And that's just the beginning. For decades, growing inventories of unstable, gamma ray emitting, highly radioactive, but euphemistically named "spent" fuel assemblies remain as challenges for which no viable, lasting solution has been found. There's still more: following the meltdown at Chernobyl, Italians voted to decommission their commercial nuclear reactors. Decades later they are still dealing with an enormous inventory of radioactive waste. Some of the rad waste has been shipped off to France, and on May 16th a federal judge gave the green light to U.S. based "Energy Solutions, Inc." to import up to 20,000 tons of Italy's so-called "low level" radioactive waste for reprocessing in Tennessee and ultimate dumping in Utah. If you don't want to see the promise of a new clean energy initiative subverted by the powerful nuclear energy lobby, contact Congress right away and make your voice heard. Demand that benefits to nuclear power be excised from "clean energy" legislation. Nuclear Power -- It's the Dirty Little Secret in the Clean Energy Bills. More on Energy
 
How To Cope With Gray Hair Down There Top
I know I'm not the only woman who struggles to keep the carpet matching the drapes. You know that never ending battle to keep the hair on your head and your pubic hair the same color. I can't imagine how a bleached blonde's able to convince some man that she's a natural blonde with the obvious brown bush down below. Being a bottle redhead for thirty-five years, nearly everyone I know thinks I have natural red hair. The problem with this red head addiction in middle-age is that I've gotten extremely gray. That's a pain in the ass because I have to go to Bubba, my gay hairdresser in East Point every three weeks for a root touch up to hide the evidence of this spreading gray plague that's taken over my hair. The bigger pain in the ass is when I started noticing the gray hair down there. It was relentless, all spirally and spreading like kudzu.
 
Dan Frommer: Smartphone Wars Are Set, Who's Going To Win? Top
Now that Apple (AAPL) has taken the lid off its iPhone 3G S (and its cheaper iPhone 3G ), the rosters are pretty much set for this summer's smartphone wars. Who's going to come out on top? Based on what we've seen, Apple still has the best platform, with the most impressive hardware, best app store , and new features like video recording and "find my lost phone on a map." If we had to buy one phone this summer, it'd be the 32 GB iPhone 3G S. But in the mobile industry, having the best platform is only part of the battle. Distribution is just as important, and since Apple is still only with AT&T, rivals like BlackBerry maker RIM (RIMM) and Palm (PALM) can still sell a lot of gadgets. Because of the $99 iPhone, Apple will almost certainly sell more iPhones this summer than it did a year ago, and could outsell RIM. But don't necessarily count out RIM as the overall unit sales winner -- its BlackBerry Curve outsold the iPhone last quarter, and it could come close again. And Verizon -- now bigger than AT&T -- could start shipping some other new BlackBerry devices soon, such as a new Storm or a mystery device that includes both a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard. Meanwhile, Nokia (NOK) will have a very hard time selling its new N97 in the U.S. for an unsubsidized $700. And while more Google (GOOG) Android phones are on their way , until Android phones are available beyond T-Mobile, they're going to have a hard time competing in sales. Here's the lineup. Apple iPhone 3G S, iPhone 3G. (iPhone 3G S ships on Jun. 19.) Device cost: $99 (8 GB), $199 (16 GB), $299 (32 GB). Service: AT&T (U.S., varies abroad). Service cost: Minimum $70/month in the U.S., plus SMS fees. Apple has the best app platform, the best user interface, and the best hardware. And now at $99, it's going to be hard for competitors to match the iPhone in price, too. Palm Pre. Device cost: $199 (8 GB, after $100 mail-in rebate). Service: Sprint Nextel. Service cost: Minimum $70/month, includes SMS fees. Palm is the newcomer, which means its webOS is newer than many of its competitors, and its hardware is impressive. All-around a very good device. But its app store is weak -- less than 20 apps -- and it's bolted to Sprint Nextel, which is much smaller than AT&T and Verizon. RIM BlackBerry Storm. Device cost: $199 (8 GB card included, also buy one, get one free). Service: Verizon Wireless. Service cost: Minimum $70/month, plus SMS fees. Verizon's flagship came in no. 3 last quarter in the U.S. after the BlackBerry Curve and iPhone 3G. That's a testament to how huge a distributor Verizon is, and how badly people want smartphones -- no matter how crappy the Storm's click screen is. Developer platform is okay. Google Android 'G2', a.k.a. HTC Magic. Ships: Unknown. Device cost: Unknown, assuming $99 to $199. Service: T-Mobile. Service cost: Unknown, assuming $60-70/month, plus SMS fees. The follow-up to the G1, this new HTC device is slimmer than the bulky G1 and ditches its full QWERTY keyboard for an on-screen virtual keyboard. Android is starting to get more developers interested, but still relatively few apps compared to the iPhone. Nokia N97. Device cost: $699 MSRP (unsubsidized, unlocked). $603 at Amazon. Service: Unlocked. Service cost: Depends on provider. Assuming $70/month at AT&T, plus SMS fees. Nokia has a huge following overseas, so this could be a big seller in Europe or parts of Asia. But because Nokia hasn't found a U.S. carrier to sell it -- and more importantly, subsidize it -- it's not going to be a major player here. AT&T, the most logical fit, has its hands full with the iPhone. See Also: Apple iPhone Even More In A League Of Its Own CHART OF THE DAY: Apple, RIM Swallow Mobile Industry Profits Will You Pay $800 For The Nokia N97? More on Apple
 
Russ Wellen: Ultimately Arms Control Is About One-to-One Relationships Top
The 2010 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons review conference is just around the corner. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty awaits ratification by the U.S. Senate. The Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty is being negotiated by the U.N. Conference on Disarmament. What do they have in common? I mean besides the new age that would be ushered in if all three were implemented. The correct answer is that should that come to pass, it would be the result of men and women from different nations working together and perhaps even bonding over a common cause. What? Nuclear treaties are no time to go all warm and fuzzy. Never fear, at least a couple of the world's most belligerent cold warriors shared their dreams of a world free of nuclear weapons with their counterparts across the frozen aisle. Ronald Reagan, for example, opened up to Mikhail Gorbachev, as chronicled in Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race by Richard Rhodes (Knopf, 2007). Before the two met in Geneva for talks that served as a precursor to the Reykjavik summit, "Gorbachev's breakthrough in personal relations with Western political leaders," said Reagan's national security director William Odom, "convinced most of them he was serious." At Geneva, like a stage father ushering his untalented child in front of the cameras, Reagan was adamant about the Strategic Defense Initiative, just as he would prove to be at Reykjavik. Rhodes: "'It looks like a dead end,'" Gorbachev remembers saying then. "An uneasy silence fell upon the room," he wrote. "The pause was becoming oppressive." "'How about taking a walk?'" the American president suddenly asked. "'That seems like a good idea to me,'" Gorbachev replied. Rather than try to negotiate as they walked, they talked about Reagan's movies. Gorbachev diplomatically volunteered the information that he had recently watched Kings' Row [You know, his "Where's the rest of me?" movie.] and had liked it very much. ... "The walk," Gorbachev remembers, "the change of scene. . . helped to alleviate the tension." Reagan stuck to his guns about missile defense. "We were going around in circles," Gorbachev writes. "At that point, the President unexpectedly invited me to visit the United States, and I reciprocated by inviting him to Moscow." Thus, effortlessly, Reagan had accomplished his advisers' primary goal for the summit, which was to open the way to further meetings down the road. Then, at Reykjavik, both wore their hearts on the sleeve about nuclear disarmament. Reagan said: "It would be fine with me if we got rid of them all." Gorbachev: "We can do that. We can eliminate them all." But, hung up on his baby, SDI, Reagan asked for a "personal favor," as he called it, "and you refused me. ... I ask you again to change your mind as a favor to me, so that we can go to the people as peacemakers." Nor was Reagan afraid to show his disappointment. Of Gorbachev's demeanor after they failed to arrive at an agreement, he wrote in his diary, "He tried to act jovial but I was mad and showed it." Still, Reyjkavik resulted in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the first to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons. Less well-known than how direct Reagan and Gorbachev were with each other is the relationship between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev. Unlikely as that seems in light of the Soviet leader's cold war hooliganism, such as informing the West "We will bury you" and his podium-pounding at the UN. However, you may have heard that back-channel negotiations between the two men halted the Cuban Missile Crisis in its tracks. Turns out, according to information declassified in 1991, that they had been secret BFFs since September 1961, when Tubby K began writing Hunky K during the Berlin Crisis. Since, both their efforts to avert war -- likely nuclear -- were opposed by their respective nation's military leaders and national security advisors, they were forced to keep their communications secret. James Douglass explains in JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died & Why It Matters (Orbis, 2008). Khrushchev wrote that "we have no other alternative: either we should live in peace and cooperation so that the Ark [a favored analogy for the world between the two of them] maintains its buoyancy, or else it sinks." Kennedy: "Neither of us is going to convert the other to a new social, economic or political point of view. ... So, these letters can be free from the polemics of the 'cold war' debate." Khrushchev: "Whatever our differences, our collaboration to keep the peace is as urgent -- if not more urgent -- than our collaboration to win the last world war." As with Reagan and Gorbachev there was no shortage of differences of opinion over the Cold War. Douglass writes: After a year of private letters that included more than a little "cold war debate," Kennedy and Khrushchev had by October 1962 not resolved their most dangerous differences. The missile crisis was proof of that. But, of course, it was the crisis that also brought them back together again as they reined in the war-making process by making concessions. Then Kennedy gave his groundbreaking June 1963 commencement address at American University in which he proposed an end to the Cold War: Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world government -- and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitude -- as individuals and as a nation -- for our attitude is as essential as theirs. Every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward -- by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace, toward the Soviet Union, toward the course of the cold war and toward freedom and peace here at home." Douglass notes: Nikita Khrushchev was deeply moved. He told test-ban negotiator Averell Harriman that Kennedy had given "the greatest speech by any American President since Roosevelt." Khrushchev responded by proposing to Kennedy that they now consider a limited test ban encompassing the atmosphere, outer space, and water. Thus did their the pen pals pave way for the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which outlawed nuclear tests in the atmosphere and in space or under water. Here's hoping that President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will, if they haven't already, open back-channel negotiations. How great would that be if Medvedev's emails -- inevitably encoded -- pop up on Obama's famous Blackberry. More on Nuclear Weapons
 
Embassy Bombing Widow "Relieved" By Guantanamo Detainee Trial Top
Susan Hirsch, a college professor from Donora, Penn., and her husband, a Kenyan citizen named Abdurrahman Abdullah, were running an errand at the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998. More on Terrorism
 
PC Hotel Blast: Pakistani Officials Say Attack Is Revenge For Anti-Taliban Offensive Top
PESHAWAR: At least seven people were killed and 34 others wounded in a huge bomb blast at the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar Tuesday, officials said. More on Pakistan
 
Miles J. Zaremski: Obama to Kennedy/Baucus: Get Health Care Reform Passed Top
Probably unnoticed is a June 3, 2009 letter President Obama sent to Sen. Kennedy and Sen. Baucus on their respective committees' efforts to reform health care. It can be found at, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Letter-from-President-Obama-to-Chairmen-Edward-M-Kennedy-and-Max-Baucus. This was sent at the same time that the media is reporting that Senator Kennedy is floating a "draft of a draft" of a proposed health care reform bill emanating from his H.E.L.P. subcommittee. Obama says in his letter, in bullet point fashion, the following: 1. Americans must have choices in acquiring a health care plan, including a public plan option. 2. Any plan should be available notwithstanding pre-existing conditions. 3. A "hardship" waiver should be available for those Americans who cannot afford health care coverage (how about starting with the 45-50 million citizens who can't afford insurance now). 4. Employers should be responsible to support health insurance for their employees, but small businesses should be exempt. 5. Health care reform should be deficit neutral, and not add to deficits over the next 10 years. 6. Cut and eliminate waste, inefficiencies and fraud in the present health care delivery system system. 7. Reduce Medicare and Medicaid spending by $200-300 billion over the next 10 years. 8. Have better control over unmanaged chronic diseases, unnecessary medical testing and hospital readmissions. 9. Complete health care reform by October of this year. 10. Making every American "responsible" for having health insurance coverage. It is this last point that is puzzling. President Obama indicates that Sens. Kennedy and Baucus are moving toward the idea of a "shared responsibility" and he (Obama) is open to ideas on the concept of shared responsibility. Huh? If all Americans must be covered and if 50 million or so are not presently covered, how can there be a "shared" responsibility in paying for health care reform? To pay for reforming health care must come from not only subsidies to cover those Americans who cannot pay for adequate coverage, but also from reducing expenditures in the present delivery system that cause waste and inefficiencies. And what about a tax on products that cause us Americans to lead an unhealthy lifestyle -- like tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy foodstuffs or their ingredients. After all, if any health care reform must include wellness and prevention, and we as a nation cannot even maintain a body weight suggesting health and being fit, why not make the products that make us unhealthy cost more, so that we think twice about purchasing them? So this idea about a "shared responsibility" seems more political rhetoric than a useful and meaningful inquiry to Sens. Kennedy and Baucus. Let's hope we all find out what this means before it is too late. More on Health
 
Leah Hunt-Hendrix: When the Exception Proves the Rule Top
Even in New York, a city that claims the utmost diversity, the lines are drawn. A forceful inertia keeps people in their neighborhoods, which form a tapestry of blocks of colors, many of which have quite clear boundaries. There are few Manhattanites who cross the streets that demarcate, say, the Upper West Side and Harlem; who will traverse the few blocks from the rows of Thai restaurants and organic stores to the areas nourished primarily by cheap fast foods. Thus, it was accidentally ending up crossing through the projects the other day when it occurred to me: Whether for or against, people from all sides of the debate around Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for the Supreme Court are prone to begin the explanation of their opinion with an admission that she has an amazing story. Incredible: A woman with such a "humble background" could rise to the highest court in the land. Born in the South Bronx, raised by a working class mother, by now we all know how she made it from the "a drab yellow kitchen" in the projects, to Princeton, then Yale, and into the limelight. The article or opinion begins with some sort of acknowledgment of her biography, and the fact that it has been central to the discussion of her nomination. One comments on her amazing success story, then shifts the conversation to her credentials. The next debates whether or not biography matters and will affect her interpretation of the law. (As if upper-middle class white people don't have life stories that could affect their rulings? As if the wealthy and privileged are more objective than someone who may have experienced poverty?) The very fact that commentators feel a duty to acknowledge Sotomayor's history says something quite significant: it says that we are surprised. It admits that her trajectory is a rare one. It points to a contradiction in the American psyche. We in the U.S. take great pride in our rags to riches stories. It's not called the American Dream for nothing: Where else can you rise to the top from positions of great disadvantage? And yet when it actually happens, we're astonished. Why? Because at some level we know that this takes place incredibly rarely. We think that pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is emblematic of our culture, and yet when someone actually succeeds, we're all amazed. What is a bootstrap anyway? Most of us have a pretty foggy idea -- maybe because there are few boots with straps still in circulation. And if the boots don't have straps, we're stuck sitting where we're sitting. There are about as many ways to lift yourself up these days as there are boots with straps. We love to boast that America is a place of great equality, the land of possibility and social mobility. But our neighborhoods continue to be segregated by race and class (how often do you go above 125th street?); women continue to be paid less than men (although thank you, Lilly Ledbetter); and the prison system is vastly disproportionate (63 percent of inmates are black or Latino, even though they constitute just 23 percent of the total population, according to Human Rights Watch). Our sheer surprise when someone is able to move up significantly from the class into which they were born and rise to power, shows that this is in fact so rare that it bottlenecks the news. One opinion piece I read suggested that Judge Sotomayor was able to make it up through the ranks because of the fairness of the system and the laws, which she would seek to uphold. But in fact, this system remains mired in social disparities that are proving hard to budge. The National Council on Child Poverty writes that the US has one of the highest rates of economic inequality and child poverty of any developed country, and economic mobility is actually on the decline. The wealth gap between the income of the rich and the poor is at its highest since 1927. 60 percent of black and Latino families are considered low income compared to 26 percent of white and Asian families. We know that being raised in poverty can impede a child's ability to learn and lead to social, behavioral and emotional problems. Add that to Thomas K. Lowenstein's research that shows that 7 percent of black children (nine times more than white children) have a parent who is incarcerated, and children of inmates are five times more likely to resort to criminal activity. You do the math. But the bottom line is that if you're a minority, chances are you've been born to a low-income family and possibly a parent who is incarcerated; and if so, you will be pretty lucky if you don't end up incarcerated too. There's a vicious cycle here, and that's a systemic problem. We're amazed by the bootstrap phenomenon because we know the odds: You're born poor, you stay poor. You're born rich, you stay rich. There may have been a time in American history when boots had straps, when a rugged individuality was extolled and this myth was created. But we realize now that we are born into and exist in families, communities, systems, with an immense effect in determining our options and our futures. Now more than ever, when we have amazing examples of people who have indeed burst through the social barriers of our society, when we're listening to Obama's eloquent speeches and watching an Hispanic woman being examined for a possible appointment to our Supreme Court, let's not romanticize America. If we're proud that these courageous people have achieved what they have, then before we pat ourselves on the back for the fairness of our society, let's remember that we wouldn't consider their success a big deal if they weren't exceptional. These exceptions prove the rule. Which means there is a lot more work to be done. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
NORMAN BRINKER: Developer Of Chili's Restaurant Chain Dies Top
DALLAS — Norman Brinker, the restaurant mogul who developed the salad bar and built a worldwide casual dining empire that includes Chili's Grill & Bar, has died at age 78. Brinker died Tuesday at a hospital in Colorado, said Robin Rymer at Swan-Law Funeral Home in Colorado Springs. She did not know the cause of death. Brinker retired as chairman of Dallas-based Brinker International in 2000. The company now has 1,700 restaurants in 27 countries, including the On the Border and Maggiano's chains, according to its Web site. Brinker started with a coffee shop in Dallas in the 1960s. He developed the concept for Steak & Ale casual restaurants, with its popular salad bars. He also developed the Bennigan's chain. He bought Chili's and expanded it, taking his company public in 1983.
 
Huff TV: HuffPost's Ryan Grim Discusses Obama's Road Map To Health Care Reform Top
Huffington Post senior congressional correspondent Ryan Grim appeared on MSNBC's The Ed Show Monday to provide insight into Obama's health care priorities. Watch the full segment below: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Video
 
Wendy Diamond: Hightailing Travel With Your Pet Top
Summertime is here and traveling with your pup can be tail-wagging fun! Hotels, car rentals, and airlines have discounted rates during the summer and have launched programs making it easier to travel with your pet! Animal Fair Magazine , released The Fifth Annual CESAR® Five Dog Bone Awards honoring companies that help you travel with your pet in a simpler and more comfortable fashion! How you get there is half the journey! JetBlue Airlines is the 2009 CESAR® Five Dog Bone Award winner for the most Pet-Friendly Airlines with their JetPaws program offering tips and tools that make traveling with your pet easy. If you and your four-pawed friend prefer to travel via car, then you will appreciate the winner for the Automobile category, Toyota Venza , with a large cargo capacity that could fit the largest Bernese Mountain Dog or Golden Retriever, and of course a Chihuahua too! Our nation's capital successfully won the Animal Fair readers majority vote for Pet-Friendliest Destination! Washington, D.C. is a highly cultural and historic getaway for owners and their pets. Certainly many visitors will be interested in spotting the First Dog Bo Obama running on the White House lawn! As far as a pet-friendly hotel, just one block away from the internationally recognized Bourbon Street, The Ritz-Carlton , New Orleans is a top dog establishment, receiving this year's coveted Pet-Friendly Hotel honor. New Orleans is home to Barkus , the Mardi Gras for dogs, a must see for fabulously dressed up dogs! MBT shoes and boots won Pet-Friendliest Product for helping your balance, comfort and style while walking your dog. Considering the "ruff" economic climate, you can travel the furry and frugal way! Some Best Westerns , Ramada Inns and Red Roof Inns across the country have reasonable pet-friendly accommodations and prices. Remember when traveling with your pet to bring water, your pet's medical records, and ID. Do not feed your pet a few hours before traveling, and make sure you take frequent pit stops so your dog can take walks (except when flying), and always use a flea and tick repellent! Bone Voyage! More on Travel
 
Hermes Raising Its Own Crocs To Keep Up With Handbag Demand Top
French luxury goods group Hermes has resorted to breeding its own crocodiles on farms in Australia to try to meet demand for its leather bags, its chief executive said on Monday. Customers sometimes have to wait several years for certain exotic-skin bags, which can fetch over 35,000 euros ($48,410).
 
Larry King Prepares For An Interview (FLOWCHART) Top
If your testicle clamp is in the shop for repairs or if you are fresh out of tin foil to chew, you might want to consider watching Larry King interview someone. Without fail, you will hear Larry King ask a question his guest has already answered. But don't let that bother you. He only gets paid millions of dollars every year solely for asking questions. If CNN wanted Larry to listen to the answers too, they should have put that in the contract. And while they're at it, they might want to add a clause advising that no one really needs to hear Larry deliver an anecdote about the late great Georgie Jessel or that old antacid commercial from the 70s, especially during an interview on global warming. More on CNN
 
Streamlining Bank Regulation Top
Some possibly disturbing news from the Wall Street Journal: The Obama administration is backing away from seeking a major reduction in the number of agencies overseeing financial markets, people familiar with the matter say, suggesting that the current alphabet-soup of regulators will remain mostly intact.
 
Lanny Davis: The President's Cairo Speech: Does Israel Need Obama's Tough Love? Top
I thought President Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt, was eloquent, historic, and could well be regarded as one of the most important foreign policy speech ever made by any U.S. president. Some American Jews do not like Mr. Obama in his speech publicly calling out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to support a two-state solution and a freeze on all settlements. My answer is: Why is this? Mr. Netanyahu is breaking not only the policies of three prior presidents but of three prior Israeli prime ministers. On the other hand, many American Jews and Israelis feel strongly that Mr. Obama should better understand that such public scolding of Israel, which breaks with the bipartisan tradition of prior administrations, will only strengthen the hardliners of Israeli (and Arab) politics, and thus, weaken Mr. Netanyahu's ability to make peace, given his already fragile coalition government dependent on right-wing parties. Most alarming to me were the negative perceptions of the speech that I heard over the weekend from American Jews who are the liberal Democrats, in the president's political base, and support a two-state solution and a freeze on settlements. I don't share their concerns about Mr. Obama, as I will discuss later. But here are the key facts omitted from the president's speech that led to their anxieties: 1) In his speech the president seemed to compare the plight of the Palestinians to that of American black slaves before the Civil War. This was seen by many American Jews as both inaccurate and insulting. The president failed to note that Israel does not treat Palestinians in any way comparable to the brutality of southern slave owners and task masters. 2) When the president used the word "occupation" about Israel's presence in the West Bank and, before 2005, in Gaza, many American Jews noted that the president also omitted the following facts that would put that word in its proper context: Between 1947-1967, Arab nations at any time could have declared a Palestinian state, as Jordan controlled all the West Bank and East Jerusalem during that time period, including the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and Egypt controlled all of Gaza. Why didn't they? The West Bank and Gaza were "occupied" (as were the Golan Heights) only after Israel was attacked by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt in 1967, with its very existence threatened. In 1999, under President Clinton's leadership at Camp David, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians an independent state comprising of all of the West Bank, Gaza, and parts of East Jerusalem, and joint control over the holy places. Clearly that would have ended the "occupation." The Palestinian leaders rejected that offer. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its "occupation" of Gaza and dismantled all of its settlements, including using the Israeli military to force resisting Israeli settlers out of Gaza. What followed? The terrorist organization Hamas, whose charter calls for the total destruction of Israel, launched 8,000 rockets and missiles intentionally aimed at and killing innocent Israeli civilians, women and children. The president entirely and inexplicably omitted in his speech any reference to Hamas and Hezbollah, two organizations that have attacked and killed thousands of innocent Israeli civilians and that the U.S. has long declared terrorist. This was so surprising to me that I didn't believe it until I read and re-read the speech. Most Jews on the liberal side of the spectrum agree with Mr. Obama that Jewish settlements on the West Bank must not continue, as they impede the peace process, although there is some debate about allowing natural population growth of current settlements. But he omitted the fact that Israel has more than one million Palestinians living within Israel as citizens -- about 20 % of the population -- with full civil and voting rights and representatives in the parliament. If there is a two-state solution, why can't Jewish settlers remain and even expand their communities as citizens of the new state of Palestine? The president never asked this question. I found some of these omissions troubling, too. But they do not lead me to doubt, even slightly, that Mr. Obama remains pro-Israel and committed to the safety and security of Israel. I believed his words, which seem to have been ignored by many of the critics I heard from: "America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.... Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed." My conclusion is that the president omitted those facts because he made the tactical judgment that this was not the moment in history to re-argue them. I think he saw this historic moment of his new administration as a way to "hit the re-set button" and show the Muslim world that America can serve as an honest and fair-minded broker to bring about an enduring Israel-Palestine peace -- consistent with Israel's security needs. And he wanted to show respect and sensitivity to the Muslim world -- the opposite of what many think, rightly or wrongly, the prior administration conveyed. He said: "I'm proud to carry with me the good will of the American people and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalaamu alaykum." Such words and the avoidance of certain "hot" facts that evoke past divisive historical arguments inevitably will cause unease in Israel and in the American Jewish community. Maybe, just maybe, it is necessary at this moment in history -- and unavoidable -- for American Jews and Israelis to endure in the short-term some discomfort with this rhetoric and sympathetic approach to the Arab and Muslim peoples in order to achieve the longer-term and enduring objective of peace that most Israelis and Palestinians crave and need. I may have my doubts that the president was right to go so far to please his broad Arab audiences. I fear it might embolden Arab hard-liners and extremists. I also think he must simultaneously keep pressure on Iran -- notably to try to impose global sanctions on Iran to prevent it from importing refined petroleum products on which it depends if it won't stop its nuclear weapon program. But one thing is clear to me: Anyone who truly loves Israel, as I do, should be praying that Mr. Obama turns out to be right and the anxieties of many in the American Jewish community turn out to be without foundation and Mr. Obama's approach leads to true peace in the Middle-East. As I have written before in this space on this subject: "Blessed be the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth." Lanny J. Davis, a Washington lawyer and former special counsel to President Clinton, served as a member of President George W. Bush's Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. He is the author of "Scandal: How 'Gotcha' Politics Is Destroying America." This article appeared in Mr. Davis' weekly column, "Purple Nation," in the Washington Times on Monday, June 8, 2009. More on Barack Obama
 
Mort Gerberg: Bluebird Top
More on Political Humor
 
Lieberman, Graham Threaten To Shut Down Senate Over Detainee Photos Top
Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lambasted transparency advocates at a press conference Tuesday, when they renewed their promise to bring Senate business to a halt until their bill blocking the release of detainee photographs becomes law. "We're not going to do any more business in the Senate," Graham said, his face flushed red. "Nothing's going forward until we get this right." The duo's bill, which would allow the Pentagon to exempt Bush-era photos from the Freedom of Information Act, was stripped from the conference version of the war supplemental Monday night. In anticipation of trouble, Lieberman and Graham have already inserted the bill into the tobacco-regulatory legislation currently on the floor of the Senate. By turns sober and furious, the two senators vowed again Tuesday to vote against -- and, if possible, filibuster -- the troop-funding bill and all other legislation until they get their way. They equated the weapons supplied by the war supplemental spending bill with detainee photos that they said would serve as a recruiting tool for al-Qaida and a weapon against U.S. troops. "If these photos see the light of day, it will be a death sentence to some serving abroad," Graham said. The removal of the photo amendment, he said, "is one of the most outrageous and irresponsible acts in the history of the Congress." He said the initial response to the Abu Ghraib scandal was necessary and the punishments meted out were appropriate. Lieberman, for his part, dismissed release of the photos as "sheer voyeurism" and "disclosure without a purpose." The Detainee Treatment Act and the Military Commissions Act, Lieberman said, are ample enough evidence that the system has been sufficiently reformed. "Transparency in government is an American value, but it is not without limits, no more than any of the values embraced in our Constitution," Lieberman said. "The transparency in this case is needless and dangerous transparency." Graham said there is consensus among many senators, military officials and diplomats about the need to pass the bill. Even the White House is in support, he said, and helped them draft the bill, remaining supportive of it in conference. Both senators dismissed House Democrats' concerns about the bill as "naive" opinions held by a "fringe majority." "Is the ACLU now in charge of the House of Representatives?" Graham asked. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is "very concerned" by the bill's stalling, Graham said. American embassies, he said, have been fortifying their defenses in anticipation of the photos' release, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has warned that "Baghdad will burn." Key House Democrats said Monday they would want hearings on the photos bill before they even consider voting it into law, but Lieberman and Graham said that wasn't going to happen. The bill is explicitly designed to apply retroactively to the ACLU's victorious federal court case compelling release of the photos, which the Obama administration has appealed. Even in the unlikely event that the government wins that appeal, however, Lieberman and Graham said they will still fight to exempt detainee photos from FOIA. "This is the first shot in a long war," Graham said. "There are other lawsuits pending out there that want to compromise our national security in the name of freedom of information and transparency. There's more to come. Let us fight this battle today. Let us win the day so we don't have to fight it tomorrow." Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Iraq
 
JON VOIGHT: Possible 2012 GOP Contender? Top
Actor Jon Voight, the master of ceremonies at the GOP event, set the tone of the evening with a number of sharp jabs at the president. More on Sarah Palin
 
Ken Green: Pro Golfer Injured In Fatal Crash Top
JACKSON, Miss. — Professional golfer Ken Green is in good condition after a recreational vehicle accident in Mississippi that killed two others. Green was driving on Interstate 20 near Hickory, Miss., on Monday when his RV ran off the road and down an embankment before hitting a tree. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Jon Kalahar says Tuesday that passengers William Y. Green, of Indiantown, Fla., and Jean Marie Hodgin, of Greensboro, N.C., were killed in the wreck. Kalahar says Ken Green was not wearing his seat belt. He was flown to University Medical Center in Jackson for treatment Monday. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. More on Sports
 
Casey Sherman: The Pathologist and The Grasshopper Top
The family of David Carradine is reaching out to the Master Po of the forensic science community in hopes of finding answers to the Kung Fu star's disgraced mortal exit. Famed pathologist Dr. Michael Baden will perform a second autopsy to determine whether the 72 year-old actor died from auto-erotic masturbation or whether the Bill in Kill Bill could have been killed by someone else (or at least have had some assistance in the bizarre sexual ritual). Carradine died suddenly last week in Bangkok, Thailand while on location to shoot a new movie. Days later macabre photos were leaked on the web showing the actor seated in the closet with a rope tied around his neck, wrists and genitals. So what can Dr. Baden hope to find in his re-examination? Anyone with knowledge of forensic science will tell you that the body is a merely a canvas on which to find evidence that may be hidden to the naked eye. Baden has worked on dozens of celebrated cases including my own. I had asked for his help in my re-investigation of the notorious Boston Strangler case in 2000. My aunt Mary Sullivan was the final and at 19 years-old, the youngest strangler victim. I took on the case because my mother never believed the so-called Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo murdered her beloved sister. Dr. Michael Baden helped to prove her right. In the re-autopsy of my aunt's remains (done nearly 40 years after the crime), Baden discovered that Mary's hyoid bone was still intact. The hyoid bone is a fragile neck bone broken in 99 % of all manual strangulations. This contradicted DeSalvo's claim that he choked Mary Sullivan my placing his thumbs against her Adam's Apple. DeSalvo also claimed to have murdered my aunt in the late afternoon, but Dr. Baden determined that her stomach was empty (with only a slight hint of coffee). This suggests that Mary had been killed much earlier. Baden's theory was also backed by a witness who had seen another man inside Mary's apartment at around 10 a.m. Dr. Baden and his team (including forensic all-stars James Starrs, David Foran and Dr. Henry Lee) also managed to find the killer's DNA on my aunt's remains. That DNA sequence did not match Albert DeSalvo. If there are legitimate questions surrounding David Carradine's death, they most certainly will be answered by Dr. Michael Baden whose skills with a scalpel are much greater than merely snatching a pebble from one's hand. More on Thailand
 
Brett Ashley McKenzie: Which "Mom-Do" Are You? Top
Moms looking to make a bolder statement with their tresses have no shortage of celebrity "Mom-Do's" to pull inspiration from this year. From tousled and low-maintenance looks to skull sculptures requiring a live-in stylist, there's something for every mom, from the campaign trail to Hollywood; from celebrity to wannabe. Before tearing the pages out of this week's tabloid mags, ask yourself: which Mom-Do best fits you? The Palin (aka the "Sexy Librarian," the "Hot for Teacher," the "Hockey Mom") Monday through Friday, you rule the PTA with an iron fist; but on the weekend, you let your hair down for hunting trips and hockey matches. Surely there must be a happy medium for your impeccably highlighted locks! Rest assured. Governor Sarah Palin has perfected the look for you born to lead, lipstick-sporting pit bulls. The neat, tight half-updo conveys a pulled together yet flirty image while fringed bangs frame and draw attention to your face. A teased bump at the crown keeps the look multi-generational (who doesn't love remembering the 80's?) and national (a big hit in small towns from Concord to Wasilla). The Kate (aka the "Business in Front, Party on Top," the "Sonic the Hedgemom") You frankly don't care what the other moms on the playground think about you, your parenting style, your marriage, or your compulsive germaphobia. All that matters is that everyone in your life plays by your rules, including each and every hair on your head. It would better suit your busy schedule if hair could just be snapped on every morning like a helmet. Since it can't, you'll drag your trusted hair sculptor with you everywhere you go to ensure that your perfectly side swept bangs and spiky, spiky dome can withstand anything, from a torrential downpour to an unexpected onslaught of paparazzi shutterbugs. The Angie (aka the "Effortless Chic," the "Classy Bedhead") In your eyes, your husband is the sexiest man alive, and even with full-fledged careers and a house full of kids, the two of you like to keep things hot. To the envy of everyone around you, you manage to roll out of bed in the morning with perfectly tousled, luscious locks (or you spend two hours with a curling iron and six kinds of mousse attempting this feat, and have us all fooled). Truth be told, you're too busy brokering world peace one day and hijacking cars, assassinating terrorists, or tomb-raiding the next to worry about your hair. The Octomom (aka the "Wannabe Angie") You're convinced you should be famous just for giving birth to as many children as you have. Sadly, when competing with the rest of the Mom-Do's, this feat alone isn't enough to make you stand out. If the Angie is the Tricomi 'do, the Octomom is Supercuts' version. More on Fashion
 
Linda Cronin-Gross: The Bronx: Making News Again ... This Time in Science Education with GreenFab Top
Today, Kenny Nava, Cathy Jones, Jorge Flores, Samantha Bonilla and about 70 other Bronx high school students will "graduate" from a new, innovative school program called " GreenFab ." They will know more about science and technology than me (that's for sure) and maybe you too. Without the kind of fanfare that accompanied the Sotomayor nomination - she's also a Bronx native - a perfect storm of excitement and innovation is brewing, once again, in the Bronx....and right before Bronx Week . And it comes not a minute too soon. A "Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study" released earlier this year confirmed that the US is still not on the top ten list of science and math education countries. We're simply not graduating students who are ready, willing or able to take advantage of the kinds of science/tech/math jobs that are there right now. It's one of the job market's growth sectors, and that alone is big news. Coincidentally, this week - June 10-12 - is the World Science Festival in NYC. The event draws luminaries from the world of science, and various lectures are already sold out. Majora Carter, the founder of Sustainable South Bronx , and a now-famous MacArthur "genius" with a new green economic development consulting firm of her own , will be hosting a multi-media session on Cool Jobs at the Festival. And she's also involved in the GreenFab program. GreenFab is one of the first high school after-school programs to focus on eco-effective design and sustainable technologies. The students, all from Bronx Guild High School, worked alongside graduate students from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program and educators from Vision Education & Media and Sustainable South Bronx . GreenFab students conducted an analysis of community needs and prototyped solutions to a variety of environmental challenges that ranged from climate change to water pollution in the Bronx River. Final projects include wind turbines made from recycled materials and energy efficient LED lighting kits. The GreenFab partnership is an interesting one, the kind of public/private, national/local alliance that is being increasingly talked about. The program is developed by Vision Education & Media in partnership with Sustainable South Bronx and the Bronx Guild , a Big Picture Learning school; it's funded by the National Science Foundation . Majora Carter and the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) of NYU are collaborating partners. GreenFab was created for students to see the potential within themselves and to give them the science, technology, engineering, and math experience that will allow them to graduate from high school, prepare and compete for sustainable and Green Collar jobs in the future - some of the same types of jobs that Ms. Carter will be speaking about at the science festival. Richard Riley, the US Secretary of Education under President Clinton, waxed nothing short of poetic about the importance of a quality math and science education in this past Sunday's Greenville Weekly online. A little bite from that: "We must insist that our colleges and universities are at the table as full partners to the K-12 community, that science rich institutions are fully accessed and integrated into core math and science curriculum, and that the business and philanthropic community are pushing math and science education to the fore at every opportunity." Mr. Riley, the Bronx is with you. ________________________________________________________________ Come down to the "graduation ," and see some of the work - and talk to the students. Here's the info: Today, Tuesday, June 9th from 5 pm - 7 pm @ Sustainable South Bronx 841 Barretto Street (between Lafayette Street and Garrison Avenue) - on the 2nd floor Bronx, NY Here's a map . More on Technology
 
Christopher Gavigan: If a Pregnant Woman Told You BPA Was Safe, Would You Believe Her? Top
Bisphenol-A (BPA), the endocrine disrupting chemical found in baby bottles and canned food, has been getting a lot of bad press over the past year. It's really no surprise given the growing list of studies linking it to health impacts ranging from cognitive problems and early puberty to increased fat cell production and miscarriage. Industry thinks they're getting a bad rap. They think it's unfair that everyone keeps focusing on these studies and not the ones they funded that show no health impacts. Aww. Poor industry. Always getting picked on by the little guys. They're not going to take it anymore though, and they formed a new club they're calling the BPA Joint Trade Association. In a meeting last week, they decided it would be awesome if they could get a pregnant woman to travel the country eating and drinking from packages and containers that had BPA in them and touting its safety with a big, nurturing smile. That'll show those doubters -- all those toxicologists, public health groups and parents poo-pooing BPA. If a pregnant woman paid by industry happily ingests this chemical, it must be safe. (But, they would make her sign a waiver releasing industry from any liability in case her fetus suffers any birth defects or other health impacts. Yep, best to not be liable for the experiment.) Seriously. This is what they're stooping to. Another brilliant idea to come out of that meeting is a scare tactic used last summer in California in order to stop a ban on BPA being reviewed by the legislature. The American Chemistry Council mailed flyers to people's homes claiming "Soon, many common, everyday products could disappear from grocery store shelves across California," and "Your favorite Products May Soon Disappear." Yep. I guess all that will be left on the shelves at the grocery store will be the foods that are fresh or frozen or in boxes or jars or safer plastics -- oh, and cans that don't use BPA in their lining -- like Eden foods. According to Eden , (who's still working on finding a replacement for lining cans of acidic foods like tomatoes) it costs the company 2 cents more per can to make them BPA-free. Seriously? They're putting up this big of a fight over 2 cents a can? The end is near, BPA industry, best put your money into R&D for a safer alternative instead of poorly thought out marketing plans. Major retailers have been pulling your products from their shelves. Consumers are refusing to buy them. New Jersey, Minnesota, and Chicago have passed BPA bans. Connecticut, California, and even Congress are considering BPA bans. It may be time to throw in the towel. Those BPA proponents are pretty stubborn though. The California State Senate passed the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act on June 2, which will ban BPA from food and drink containers for children under three. Now it moves to the Assembly and according to the San Francisco Chronicle , recently revealed e-mails from the BPA Joint Trade Association outlined its strategy to deploy lobbyists in Sacramento for "befriending people that are able to manipulate the legislative process." In response to all of this questionable activity, the House of Representatives Committee of Energy and Commerce, which has been investigating the safety of BPA, issued a letter to the Chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance (NAMPA -- a core member of the BPA Joint Trade Association). They would like to know exactly what's been said and what's being planned and have requested all of the documents, minutes, emails and communications relating to meetings of the BPA Joint Trade Association, a list of all attendees at meetings, and a list of all members of the BPA Joint Trade Association. Simultaneously, they wrote FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg asking the agency to examine its relationship with industry groups. What relationship with industry you ask? The one that prompted the FDA to rely on 2 industry reports instead of 153 independent studies in order to assess the safety of BPA. They also want the FDA to reconsider its assessment that the chemical is safe. And, surprise, instead of dragging it's feet like so many times during the Bush years, the FDA quickly replied that they would re-assess BPA and that they would get it done ASAP. As in weeks, instead of months. The times they are a-changing. But, the BPA battle is not over yet. If you live in California, contact your state representatives and urge them to support the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act. If your congressional representative is on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, contact him or her with your support in the effort to investigate the safety of BPA. Also, urge them to support the Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009 . You can also give big business a piece of your mind. Visit the Environmental Working Group to find phone numbers and a sample script for when you call. And, if you're a pregnant woman looking for a job, don't answer the BPA want-ad. More on Health
 
Henry Blodget: Yes, Your Favorite Money Manager Is Probably Just Lucky Top
Your favorite money manager has walloped the market by 5% per year for the past 10 years, so he's obviously a genius, right? Actually, no. He had a one-in-five chance of doing that just by throwing darts. Here's professor Ken French of Tuck, an advisor to Dimensional Fund Advisors, on the ease of mistaking luck for skill in investing: People often misinterpret high average fund returns as proof that a manager does know how to identify pricing errors. Consider, for example, a hedge fund with an annual volatility of 20%. (To be more precise, the standard deviation of the fund's excess return with respect to the appropriate benchmark is 20%.) If the fund's average abnormal return is 5% per year over a ten-year period, many investors and financial reporters would conclude that the manager is truly gifted, with a real knack for identifying under- and over-valued securities. But they would probably be wrong. Suppose the manager's true alpha is zero, so he really has no skill beyond that needed to recover his costs. If we pretend his returns are normally distributed, the probability that his average abnormal return exceeds 5% per year for a ten year period is more than 20%. In other words, in a group of hedge fund managers with standard deviations of 20%, we expect one in five to have a ten-year average annual abnormal return of at least 5%--even if none actually have any skill. We expect one in twenty of the unskilled managers to produce a ten-year average annual abnormal return of at least 10%. So your favorite money manager is probably just lucky. But, shhhh... Don't spoil the fun! See Also: Why Hedge Funds Are Such A Great Business
 
Pauline Millard: Why Age 28 Is A Turning Point For Many Single Women Top
Back in February I spent some time with a guy friend named George who had just been dumped. He had spent almost a year and literally tens of thousands of dollars on numerous IVF treatments in an effort to have a baby with his 43-year-old fiancee. (He's almost 50.) One morning, while reading the paper and having his coffee, she walked into his living room and announced she was leaving. She was kind enough to leave the engagement ring behind. George was devastated. They were supposed to have children together. He bank rolled her entire lifestyle. He even flew to London to buy the engagement ring from an auction after she saw it in a catalogue. Their families were friends. Everything seemed perfect. Not to me. "What woman wakes up when they're 43 and suddenly decides they want to have kids and a family?" I asked. The fiancée had spent almost 20 years single in Manhattan. Had the concept never occurred to her before? George flinched. Was he expecting empathy from me? "Most women I know who really want the husband and the family decide this early on, in their 20s, not when they're pushing middle age," I said. It was blunt, and a little harsh toward womankind, but we both knew that on some level, I was right. As if the cosmos wanted to illustrate my point, the very next week I had brunch with a girl friend named Kristin who was worried about her dating prospects. She is successful in her career, a lot of fun and quite attractive. In the years I had known her I had never once heard her lament her dating life, much less verbalize any long-term goals about it. "I want to meet someone nice," she blurted out over omelets "Someone serious so that I can have a family someday." Kristin turned 28 in March. The magic age of 28 was rearing its head. I knew where she was coming from. Age 28, which was only three years ago for me, was a massive turning point in my life. The year started with several friends getting engaged and crescendoed into an autumn that was awash with bridal showers and weddings where I was invited without a guest. (Thanks, guys!) I thought back on that year and realized that was when I got serious about my mating and dating habits, a conscious decision that involved weeding out weak dating prospects, adjusting my outlook on life and getting out and about more often. There is something about being a 28-year-old woman, especially in an urban area, that makes them flip the switch from party girl to marriage material that often has nothing to do with a ticking biological clock. Some might call it a cab light turning on. The most obvious reason is that it's cultural, subtly ingrained into our psyches over years of pop culture. Take something as simple as movies. In the opening scene of Kissing Jessica Stein , for instance, Jessica is in temple on Yom Kippur, trying very hard to atone while wedged between her mother and grandmother. They're on her back about who she dating. "You're 28 years old," the mother says. "You need to find someone." In My Best Friend's Wedding , Jules and Michael make a pact that if they aren't married by the time they're 28, they'll marry each other, and comedy ensues. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway's characters are also roughly 28 in Bride Wars . The list goes on, but the point is that the magic number 28 as The Age of Matrimony may worm its way into women's minds without them even realizing it. There's also the nature of the age itself. Our society has put a bizarre stigma on single women over 30. Even Patty Stanger, the Millionaire Matchmaker, has told young women on her show "Okay, you're 27, you've got three good years left." At 28, you're still in the acceptable zone of single, but in society's eyes time is of the essence. General maturity factors in as well. You're done with college and have most likely had a job or two in the workforce. A Quarter Life Crisis, if applicable, has most likely come and gone. At 28, you're still young enough to change your life, if need be, and no one would think you were foolishly starting from scratch. Then there's good old fashioned peer pressure. It's kind of like when you were in second grade and everyone had a Cabbage Patch Kid and you suddenly felt the need for one, even if you thought Preemies and Koosas were kind of weird. Before all my friends got engaged, I never gave housewares and china patterns a second thought. Now I think the Palladium collection at Tiffany's is not only classic, but reasonably priced. For some women, the parade of weddings and showers makes them suddenly feel lonely, which can be enough of a catalyst for an informal Race To The Altar. Anyone who's ever been single and stuck at a wedding knows that pang of anxiety when everyone's invited to join the couple in their first dance and she has no one to dance with, not even a creepy uncle. So you sit at the table, fascinated by the cocktail in front of you and wait in vain for "The Way You Look Tonight" to end. Then you hit the bar for another drink, albeit maybe a little stronger. As summer approaches young women across the country are going to put on their best cocktail dresses and make the rounds of showers and ceremonies. Along the way bizarre emotions of self-worth and confusion about your Life's Direction may crop up, but as someone who's been there I can assure you it's as normal as wanting to dodge the spectacle of catching the bouquet. When it crops up, look around the banquet hall at the other young women slipping out to the ladies room. They feel the same way. And you are not alone. More on Marriage
 
Alison Rose Levy: How To Lessen Your Addiction To Animal Based Foods Top
I'm not the ideal candidate for a cleanse. When not on deadline, (which is practically always), I'm rushing around from one health seminar to the next. Meetings, interviews, causes, trainings, policy sessions, (and the occasional retreat) fill my days. Unless you can do a cleanse on the run, forget about it! Well, it turns out that you can. I got motivated when I attended the recent Urban Zen 2009 Speaker Series: A Focus on Nutrition Forum, (two powerful days of talks by leaders like Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. James Gordon, Dr. Frank Lipman, and Dr. Woodson Merrell.) This gathering, hosted by designer/health advocate Donna Karan, revealed that the science was there. For fifty-three years, pioneer Colin Campbell has studied human nutritional requirements, finding that people need only 8 -12% of protein content daily--and much of that content can come from vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds. Wow! As a regular consumer of organic dairy, wild fish, and organic chicken, I knew I had to face facts. For two decades, I've avoided foods raised in mass production, because I can't rationalize the way industrial practices treat animals. Nor do I consider foods loaded with hormones and pesticides healthy to humans. Unless our regulatory policies support rigorous organic standards, I'm one of many who will be forced into veganism. With recent regulatory changes that will ultimately require microchips in all livestock, (see my post at: www.health-journalist.com/HufPo/Real-Deal-Food-Safety.htm ) it's not looking good. Was it finally time to find out how hard it would be to loosen/lessen my addiction to animal based foods? For several weeks I did. Eliminating meat was easy. But dairy--not. That's when I decided that I needed to press the reset button and undergo a cleanse. Jill Pettijohn of www.jillpettijohn.com offers "the Cleanse," a five day juice fast, providing you with a six pack of raw, living, organic juices to be consumed every two to three hours. Before you could say "green drink," I was on Day One, beginning, yes, with a green drink, followed by a midmorning lemonade, and next a creamy cold vegetable soup at lunch. Mid-afternoon offered a fruit or citrus-y drink, and day's end featured a spiced soup from the orange part of the vegetable spectrum, such as carrot (with Ginger) or butternut (with Thai spices.) The last meal/drink of the day was a creamy nut milk, made with different nuts, including hazelnut, pumpkin seed, or Brazil nut. Each drink was delicious, and to my surprise quite filling. Though I'd worried about food cravings, soon I left juices undrunk--so satisfying was the Cleanse. As my appetite dimmed and waistline shrunk, my energy increased--not what I expected. I even covered two food events, serenely sipping juice rather than sampling snacks. To many people the concepts of cleansing and detoxification seem like a no-brainer, even though some doctors pooh-pooh it. But integrative physicians like Dr. Mark Hyman point out that our bodies have natural detoxification/ eliminative systems built in--both on an organ level (kidneys, liver, and gut) and on a cellular level, where biochemical interactions absorb nutrients and discard waste products. Given gallstones, kidney stones, bladder infections, constipation, and leaky guts, it's obvious that the organs responsible for ridding our bodies of waste sometimes get overwhelmed. In Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself , Alejandro Junger, MD offers a user-friendly program for healthy detoxification. Taking in more easy-to-process nutrients (via juices) reduces the work of breaking down foods, allowing greater ease in excreting them. In effect, you get nourishment, while taxing the organs less. "Green juice is so enlivening," Donna Karan had told the Nutrition Series participants, who included integrative health practitioners training to take the healing out into hospital settings. "The menu for living and vegan foods is "larger than you can imagine--its not so radical as it seems," says Karan. From my limited experience, I agree completely. I must admit that it's unlikely I could replicate the cleanse at home and live on it from this day forward. But, I have managed to do something like it one day a week, which is what many integrative doctors recommend. Moreover, for anyone with food addictions or allergies, accessing basic nourishment lessens the grip of other food habits, while giving you a baseline of what your body needs. I lost four pounds on the Cleanse, down turned my weight setpoint, and have been subsisting mostly on vegetables, (raw and lightly cooked), nuts, grains, fruit, and beans ever since. While not everyone can take the time/money/effort to undertake a juice cleanse, I highly recommend simplifying your diet as a way to push the reset button. For transformational health wisdom, go to www.health-journalist.com. More on Wellness
 
Familial Happenings: The Sitcom About Sitcom Theme Songs! (VIDEO) Top
Sitcoms from 70s, 80s, and early 90s were awesome. There was always a sassy old person (who may or may not have been sexy), a crotchety neighbor (who may or may not have had a good heart), a young girl who thought she was ugly (who may or may not have been right), and annoying kid sister (who may or may not have had an off-screen drug problem.) The only thing better than the sitcoms themselves were the opening credits, in which each character would turn their head and smile as their name flashed across the bottom of the screen in over-sized font. Finally, as they say at College Humor: "The only thing better than a sitcom theme is a sitcom theme about sitcom themes," which is exactly what they've made with the following video. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Video
 
Brad Balfour: Doc Director Megan Mylan Brings Smile Pinki To The World Top
The story behind the making of this year's winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short-- Smile Pinki --is something of a fairy tale equal to the story within the film. Pinki is a five-year-old girl with a cleft lip/palate from a tiny village in the Mirzapur District, India. It's a desperately poor place where no one even realizes a simple operation can repair her disfigurement. Then, a worker from the Smile Train organization who travels throughout India finding kids in need of this operation, gets Pinki to the hospital in Varanasi where she has the free surgery and discovers her smile. A decade ago, former Computer Associates CEO Charles Wang and former Schell/Mullaney Advertising CEO Brian Mullaney created Smile Train, the world's largest cleft lip and palate repair organization, which became a new model for the way that clefts are treated on a global scale. After they had director Megan Mylan create a 40-minute short documenting Pinki's story, the film itself surprised everyone with its Academy Award win. Said Mullaney, "Of the 1,200+ hospitals in 76 of the world's poorest countries that Smile Train works in, this [one in the film] is the busiest! They do more than 3,300 surgeries a year and is run by a saint of a surgeon. We knew that with this volume we would have a great chance of casting a couple of great kids--and it worked." So, with the Best Feature Oscar going to Slumdog Millionaire , this short enjoyed the resonate effect of being part of a very South Asian, very international year for filmmaking in the public mind. Now that HBO has started broadcasting the short--and making it available through its many distribution channels-- Smile Pinki continues to make people believe in this fairy tale, and, hopefully others as well. Q: How did you come together with the Smile Train people? MM: They came to me. Q: How did they see your movies? MM: I think Brian Mullaney and the other founders thought they had a great story they thought would make a great documentary, so they went looking for someone, "who do we want to tell the story?" and they really loved [my previous film] Lost Boys of Sudan. So my first reaction, honestly, was "thanks, but no thanks, I come up with my own story ideas," and I just thought, "well I don't do PSAs." But then they were a little persistent, and I think part of your job is to be open, as is yours, right? You've got to be open to what people are trying to tell you. Q: I had a friend who had a cleft palate as a kid. MM: That's one of the things; clefts weren't on my radar, besides ads you see in the Sunday paper. I thought of it as something cosmetic. But once they sent me some stuff and I started realizing how common it is, how devastating it is beyond its speech and ability to eat, and the tremendous social ostracism. And then, how totally curable it is. Q: That's what's great about the organization, is that they've found something where they could have a huge impact, with something that had a clear and unmistakable goal and resolution. MM: Exactly. Q: So rather than try to cure all the world's ills with some kind of large organization, they figured this out. MM: Oh I can explain it. The other key piece for me about their strategy is that they support local doctors. It's wonderful when Americans choose to go abroad, and we should all give our time, but that's not the way you solve problems. You've got to empower the local people. If all of that had not been in place, I probably still would have done it, but the organization intrigued me. Q: And it was a chance to go to India. 

 MM: Exactly. I thought it was a good story. It has the natural structure to it, so as a storyteller I thought, "this is a good story." And they had the funding in place, which seriously, that's the worst part of my job. If I never did that ever again, great. To some degree having to convince people your idea is a good idea is a good filter for people not going off and making every story under the sun, but it's thankless. That's probably the piece the Oscar helped with the most; not convincing people to fund me, but when I open rejection letters or I get a rejection email, I can say to myself, "Okay there was a moment where people said yes." Because it's constant, it's constant. Q: And you've been making films before this. MM: I've been making independent documentaries for about 15 years and this is my third or fourth that I've directed, depending on how you count my first film which didn't get much of an audience. This is actually the first short I've done and it's a 40-minute one. The other two were features and one is still in production. But Lost Boys of Sudan ... Jon Shenk and I co-directed that. Q: I loved that movie. MM: Oh good; I did too. It was such a life experience. Jon actually was one of my DPs on this film, who I had co-directed with. Q: How do doc directors separate yourself from the subjects you cover? With Lost Boys... you built relationships that you don't suddenly turn off. And with Smile Pinki , how do you divorce yourself from these little kids? MM: I don't try to separate myself. It is an odd relationship you have because in some ways it's very much a friendship, especially with the kinds of films I make. If I have a strategy, it's [shooting] vérité so it's finding people who are going through these life-transforming moments. Q: And you're dealing with younger people. MM: Exactly. So you're with these people at these transformative moments in their lives and I'm just very clear that I'm a human being first and a filmmaker second. I don't think that those [two things] have to be in conflict. I don't need to film every single moment and I try and be really clear with my subject that if they say stop, I stop. If you give people that [control] and they actually believe you, they can test you out once or twice and if you really don't film, then it just becomes where they trust you and you're along for the ride and part of the experience. We always felt with Lost Boys... , those guys were going through such an intense experience, and part of it was having these two filmmakers along for the ride. They didn't know any different that you could come to a new country and not have a filmmaker as part of that experience. And I think, to some degree with Pinki, that might have been [the case] too. Q: And these kids like Pinki are younger too. MM: Yeah, she's much younger. Actually, in a lot of ways, even though [the Lost Boys] were Sudanese refugees who spent their whole childhood in a refugee camp, those guys were much more savvy about the ways of the world. Though they had gone through such hardship and experienced genocide as six year olds, they had BBC radio and knew what airplanes were and all of that. Pinki's village is really the most isolated thing I've ever been in touch with. neither she nor her father had ever been to town. She had never left that village and he had never been to that city, which, by car was only two hours away, and by their transport, only a few hours away, and here he is, a 27 year old man. And with her mother, one of the really challenging things was communication with them. The language level was tricky. Q: What dialect did they speak? MM: They speak Bhojpuri, which is a dialect of Hindi. So my field producer, who's from Delhi didn't even speak it, so we had to work through these layers. She would talk to the social worker--there are very few people who speak both English and Bhojpuri; there are a lot of people who speak Hindi and Bhojpuri, or Hindi and English, but not the whole chain, so you had to go through this. Actually Dr. Subodh, the surgeon, is one of the few; he grew up in Banaras, but was sort of busy. Yet, often, he'd be translating for us at the same time he was doing the surgery and everything. Q: It's a good thing that the surgery is relatively basic. MM: And he does it all the time. So the communication with her family--to try and get that level of trust and explain to them what my mission as a filmmaker was, what my motivation in telling their story was--they had no concept even of what a movie was. Her mother could not wrap her head around the idea that I was a foreigner. She said to my field producer--who can sort of understand Hindi, "there are people who speak Hindi and that's not what I speak, but I understand," and then she pointed at me and was like, "why is she talking like that?" We finally realized that she didn't have the concept of a foreigner, that there's a world out there. So how do you find common ground with that? That was a big challenge. Q: How did people there deal with someone with a cleft palate? How many people in that village had a cleft palate? Was she the only one? MM: She was the only one. Her village is probably only 75 people; it is quite small. I think that especially with the film, it seems like every other child has a cleft, but it is very common in India because there's so much malnutrition and poverty; the poorer the country the higher the incidence. Q: Do they have any idea what causes it? MM: They don't know exactly; Brian [Mullaney] can tell you more, but they know that it's linked with to prenatal nutrition and health of the mother. The less wealthy the mother, the higher the incidence. It's sort of woven in there, and there's a genetic component too. There's estimated to be a million children in India with clefts, but there are over a billion people in India, so it's still a bit of a needle in a haystack to find these kids. The poorer the mother the more likely and they are very isolated. That's one of the things I like the best, is when there's that big coming-together registration day and these kids are like-- and you can just see in their eyes--"I'm not the only one." They had never seen anyone who looked like them. All around the world, I've come to learn, there are different superstitions about this [condition] and very much so in India. It's the eclipse or that the mother was cutting vegetables and you're not supposed to do that and the gods have punished you. So this child is born as a punishment to their family and village. That's how they're seen. Q: Is there anywhere that thinks highly of them? MM: Not that I've seen. Wouldn't that be great? Q: Well I've read, that with one group certain cleft children are viewed as a pariah and with other communities they are viewed as a blessing--there were different kinds of cultural responses to this particular condition. MM: One of the things I hope comes through in the film, and I feel like you see really clearly, is that Pinki's family really prized her. She was very much a loved child even though she had to deal with this ostracism and ridicule from the village and the other kids. Q: Even though it's a 40-minute long film, how long did you work? How deep in can you get when making a 40 minute movie of a specific organization and act; it must arouse your curiosity so much that you want to cover all of India. MM: There are endless stories in India, of course. That town where we were filming in, Banaras, is one of the holiest cities in the Hindu religion, so I went into it very similarly as to other things. With Smile Pinki as I did with Lost Boys --as I have with all films I've worked on for other people--it's sort of a gut, organic feeling for what's the story, who's the person going through this intense thing; it's character-driven, I get as close to them as possible for the big moments. With Smile Pinki the length and the structure was very natural; the journey story. Lost... was a journey story too, but it was about life here and at what point do you say, "Okay... enough." The hard thing with Lost Boys, was to know when to stop, because their lives are still going on, we could have just kept going and going and going. 
 Q: You had to find a moment. MM: That we could feel there was a point where they plateaued is sort of a negative, but the transitions and the big steps forward got smaller and smaller [as we went along]. Q: Was Pinki easier in that way; dd you decide on Pinki because she had the perfect name for it? MM: Isn't it a great name? The funny thing is Pinki doesn't mean "pink" in Hindi, you know. Q: Did you give her pink clothes after the film? MM: Well Sheila [Nevins--president of HBO's documentary division] gave her a bunch of pink clothes when she came to visit; all sorts of adorable pink stuff and I brought her back clothes and stuff. Q: They were here in New York? MM: Yeah, they were, it was great. They came for the Oscars. Q: Did they go to the Oscars--Pinki and her family? MM: Yeah, it was pretty crazy, I can show you some pictures. Q: Did you videotape all of that? Come on, you must have documented it. MM: No... Q: Are you nuts? MM: I know. We photographed a lot, but we didn't videotape. I wanted to go through the experience. I know, I know, I'm not a real documentary filmmaker. Q: The DVD extras! MM: We have a little bit, and they got a hero's welcome when they went back home. They met with the Prime Minister and all that stuff. It was pretty crazy. Q: Isn't it weird to have it happen in the same year as Slumdog Millionaire ? MM: Oh, it was very much India's year and I think we benefited a great deal. The film's a huge deal in India, which is bizarre for a short documentary to be like this--every time they would mention Slumdog they'd mention Smile Pinki too. And the day after the Prime Minister congratulated the filmmakers of Slumdog Millionaire they did so with Smile Pinki like in the same breath. Q: Did you meet the Indian Prime Minister? MM: Well I haven't gone back , but they did. Pinki, her father and Dr. Subodh--who all came to the Oscars--all met the prime minister and the president. And Pinki, there's these mega Bollywood stars who have signed on now to be part of Smile Train. There's a scholarship for her. Q: You heard about the Slumdog kids. MM: Yeah, and she's had just the opposite experience. From what I've read, and I don't know anything first-hand, it sounds like Danny Boyle and those folks tried to do the right thing too. Like we [Americans] can't wrap our head around honor killing or anything like that so you have to try to get into that reality. Not that any poor family wants sell their child, that's a
 
John Feffer: America's Sorry Policy Top
In 1697, five years after the judges of Salem, Massachusetts sent 20 suspected witches to the gallows, one man stood up in front of his congregation and apologized. Samuel Sewall was one of the nine judges that gave official sanction to the hysteria of the witch trials. In a remarkable act of contrition, Sewall took upon his head the "blame and shame" of the tragedy and wore a hair shirt until the day of his death to remind him of his sin. More intriguingly, he went on to become a champion of civil rights and an early abolitionist. It would be truly breathtaking if George W. Bush -- or any of the architects of the U.S. foreign policy fiascos of the 21st century -- donned a hair shirt, repented of his actions, and performed an ideological about-face. The parallels with Salem are not trivial: the hysteria, the torture, the legal travesties. But don't hold your breath waiting for a mea culpa from the 43rd president. Instead, it's left to Barack Obama to come to terms with the Bush legacy. Last week in Cairo, President Obama gave a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world. In many ways the speech was extraordinary. The president reaffirmed his own personal ties to the Islamic world, quoted from the Koran, lauded religious tolerance, upheld the rule of law, recognized that "the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable," called on Israel to stop settlements, reaffirmed his commitment to nuclear abolition, and tactically refocused U.S. military campaigns against "violent extremism in all forms." The speech "reflected a significant shift away from the ideological framework of militarism and unilateralism that shaped the Bush administration's war-based policy toward the Arab and Muslim worlds," observes Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) contributor Phyllis Bennis in Changing the Discourse . It will be remembered, as Akiva Eldar writes in Haaretz , "as the last day of the 9/11 era." And the speech could also help shift the U.S. public's attitudes about Islam, which have been largely negative. "If it reduces American prejudice against Arabs and Muslims, then his address would truly mark a new beginning for U.S.-Muslim relations," writes FPIF contributor R.S. Zaharna in Improving U.S.-Muslim Relations . For all its strong points, however, the speech didn't contain any apologies. The president might have taken the opportunity to apologize for the way the Bush administration demonized Islam, killed countless Muslim civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan, supported repressive states in the region, and abrogated the civil liberties of Muslim and Arab-Americans in the United States. But the United States rarely does apologies. And Obama prefers to focus on the future rather than the past. The closest the president came to an apology was when he mentioned U.S. complicity in the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected government in 1953. He didn't apologize for the act (nor did Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 2000 when she too acknowledged U.S. involvement in the coup). "Rather than remain trapped in the past," Obama said in Cairo, "I have made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward." The president no doubt fears a slippery slope -- apologize for one U.S. policy and the demands will escalate to apologize for them all. For the conservative attack dogs, meanwhile, the word "sorry" is like the scent of fear and weakness. At the merest mention of an apology, they will leap at Obama's throat. And then there's the problem of current U.S. actions. We continue to support autocratic leaders in the Arab world. "Many Arabs and Muslims have expressed frustration that Obama failed to use this opportunity to call on the autocratic Saudi and Egyptian leaders with whom he had visited on his Middle Eastern trip to end their repression and open up their corrupt and tightly controlled political systems," writes FPIF senior analyst Stephen Zunes in How Not to Support Democracy in the Middle East . The Egyptian government's crackdown on dissent prior to Obama's visit was a painful reminder of U.S. double standards on democracy in the region. Obama pledged to adhere to the timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq, noted that the United States desires no military bases in Afghanistan, and referred to the $1.5 billion in infrastructure assistance for Pakistan. But we're still at war in these countries, and apologies, if they come at all, are issued long after the last shot is fired. For all of the president's attempts to focus the debate on "violent extremists," U.S. aerial assaults and counterinsurgency operations are still claiming civilian lives in the Muslim world. This is particularly problematic in Afghanistan, as FPIF contributor Farrah Hassen points out. In his Cairo speech, the president "failed to acknowledge the growing civilian casualties due to increased U.S. drone attacks ostensibly aimed at dismantling the Taliban -- a reality that only increases the risk of blowback against the United States, as opposed to winning the hearts and minds of Afghans, and of Muslims, alike," she writes in Lifting the Veil . "Indeed, a military investigation concluded the United States made mistakes after the May 4 airstrikes in the western province of Farah that killed dozens of civilians." On the ground in Afghanistan, where support for NATO military operations has declined precipitously over the years, U.S. forces are experimenting with a new policy of prompt apologies for civilian casualties. The apologies are welcome in the region, but words can only go so far. "Apologies are good things," Maolawi Hezatullah, provincial council head in Kunar where U.S. troops killed six civilians in April, told Reuters. "But the foreign troops should convince the people that there will be no more such incidents." Samuel Sewall didn't simply apologize for his role in the Salem witch trials. He tried to remedy his errors by working to ensure that such atrocities would never reoccur. We may not see apologies for U.S. conduct in the Muslim world coming from top U.S. officials. But if Obama manages to end the "collateral damage" to civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, then U.S. policy will change indeed. More on Afghanistan
 

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