Friday, June 12, 2009

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Paul Klein: Why Risk Losing Your (Art) Collecton? Top
It's become pretty clear to me, working as the Director of the Briddge Group's Chicago office , that there are an awful lot of risks inherent in having a decent (or better) art collection. I think it's important to look at these risks and to consider the value of working with some really competent collection advisors. The number 1 biggest risk a collector can have is not having a solid record, historical catalog and inventory of what the heck is in the collection. This is important today and even more so in the future. Most collectors buy, sell and move art around in their collection. We forget how long we've owned something, where it came from and what we paid for it. And invariably we have little idea about what it's worth now. If someone were to offer you what seemed like too much money for a piece you are willing to sell would you know if you were making a killing or getting screwed? Let's say you die, and like most folks you have an inadequate plan for your art, and your kids are selling some pieces to pay estate taxes, don't you think the cost basis might be important for them to know? Heck, I run into adult kids all the time who are selling the art they've inherited from their parents and they have no idea whatsoever if the piece is a painting, a lithograph or a reproduction. (Usually it's a reproduction that they want to believe is a valuable painting.) Don't you think it would be better if they knew what it was before they started spending the money? You need a thorough, comprehensive, up to date record of what is in your collection. First and foremost! A qualified collection advisor/Art Succession Planner can take care of this for you. You will need to know if you have proper title (Do you know for certain that your art is not on any 'stolen art' list?), what the provenance is, when it was acquired, how much was paid, where it has been exhibited, what exhibition catalogs its in and approximately what it is worth today. Let's touch on the stolen art problem. Stolen art is the third largest crime in the United States. Do you know how to ascertain that what you're about to purchase, or have purchased does not in fact belong to someone else? Do you know that if you have done your due diligence properly you can protect yourself from recourse? Do you really believe the person you will or have bought it from has done their due diligence? Can you imagine the difference between proper research - which is not expensive at all - and no research? If you have a collection that you believe is of value or even some pieces that may be of value, this is something you need to know and something The Briddge Group or someone like The Briddge Group can provide for you, cost effectively, efficiently and easily. Let's go back to the scenario where you die without an effective plan for your art. And your collection of art, antiques, wine or Corvettes is worth in excess of half a million dollars. Do you realize that between auction fees, commissions and Uncle Sam your heirs are likely to relinquish in excess of 70% of the value of that collection? Do understand that with proper planning they can give up nothing? Do not assume that your having discussed this with your estate planning attorney is sufficient? Did they ask you what you want to do with your collection that is going to outlive you? Did they talk with your heirs? Did they ask you if you want it to go to an institution? Did they talk to you about funding the donation above and beyond the actual gift and discuss strategies for accomplishing that? Did they negotiate with the institution? Invariably the answer is "No." With an informed Art Succession Planner you can create a team of advisors who will work with your existing lawyers and accountants and as an ensemble create a plan that takes care of what you love and who you love and will save you and them lots of money in the process. Even if you are not going to die soon, it is not too early to make intelligent choices. From the numerous collectors I've spoken with about these issues it is clear that some think they know enough to not have to work with the specialists who do this every day. One collector was shrewdly gifting pieces to his children every year, believing that he was effectively transferring ownership and correspondingly reducing the value of his estate, while leaving the art on his walls. The problem is the IRS does not consider that a transfer of title, since the art never left the premises, so all the foresight benefits no one. Kind of like home repair - at a certain point it is a whole lot wiser to contact an expert. Then there's the collector with a very large collection and a really good record of it, but he's got his insurance with a company that is known to not understand art insurance. Damaged art is not like a damaged automobile. If the insurance company wants to use Bondo to fix your art, you're probably better off somewhere else - or contacting an expert. Experts do not charge on a percentage basis. We are fee based. The amount of money you spend to get it right versus the huge risk of getting it wrong means doing it right is incredibly affordable. Think about it. If you have a collection - art, antiques, cars, coins, stamps or butterflies - a collection you care about, your biggest risk is not contacting an expert. And if you mistakenly think your kids are going to sort it out later you should get in touch with an art succession planner now! Thank you, Paul Klein
 
Andy Plesser: MySpace Has been a "Calamity for News Corp," Michael Wolff Top
Michael Wolff, who has written a much talked about book about Rupert Murdoch and the rise of News Corp, sees MySpace in a downward spiral. In this interview with Beet.TV, he calls the social media site a "relative calamity for News Corp." He says that giant media company "knows nothing about technology." I caught up with Michael yesterday at the Advertising 2.0 conference after his keynote dialogue with Andy Lack, head of multimedia for Bloomberg. On stage, he said the valuation of MySpace would be somewhere around $600 million, about the purchase price. He didn't give this valuation in the interview. You can find the entire post up on Beet.TV
 
Gas Drilling Might Be Responsbile For Series Of Earthquakes In Texas Top
CLEBURNE, Texas — The earth moved here on June 2. It was the first recorded earthquake in this Texas town's 140-year history _ but not the last. There have been four small earthquakes since, none with a magnitude greater than 2.8. The most recent ones came Tuesday night, just as the City Council was meeting in an emergency session to discuss what to do about the ground moving. The council's solution was to hire a geology consultant to try to answer the question on everyone's mind: Is natural gas drilling _ which began in earnest here in 2001 and has brought great prosperity to Cleburne and other towns across North Texas _ causing the quakes? "I think John Q. Public thinks there is a correlation with drilling," Mayor Ted Reynolds said. "We haven't had a quake in recorded history, and all the sudden you drill and there are earthquakes." At issue is a drilling practice called "fracking," in which water is injected into the ground at high pressure to fracture the layers of shale and release natural gas trapped in the rock. There is no consensus among scientists about whether the practice is contributing to the quakes. But such seismic activity was once rare in Texas and seems to be increasing lately, lending support to the theory that drilling is having a destabilizing effect. On May 16, three small quakes shook Bedford, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. Two small earthquakes hit nearby Grand Prairie and Irving on Oct. 31, and again on Nov. 1. The towns sit upon the Barnett Shale, a geologic formation that is perhaps the nation's richest natural gas field. The area is estimated to have 30 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas and provides about 7 percent of the country's supply. The drilling's economic impact has been significant, because gas companies pay signing bonuses and royalties to property owners for the right to drill beneath their land. Signing bonuses climbed to around $25,000 an acre at the boom's peak. Cleburne agreed to lease the mineral rights in the earliest stages of the frenzy, receiving a modest $55 an acre for 3,500 acres of city land. There are about 200 drilling sites in Cleburne, and it is not unusual to see cattle chewing grass in the shadow of gas pipes. Cleburne has collected between $20 million and $25 million in royalties since 2001, about $6 million in 2008 alone, Reynolds said. Such riches have allowed the building of parks and sports complexes in the city of 30,000, about 30 miles south of Fort Worth. "That's a lot of libraries and police cars," the mayor said proudly. "It's enabled us to escape the worst part of the recession, enables us to keep tax rates low and lowered unemployment." Landowners are also getting theirs. Locals call it "mailbox money," occasional royalty checks that arrive from the gas companies. The mayor, a contractor who owns three quarters of an acre, said his most recent check, for three months' worth of royalties, was nearly $850. "It's better than a poke in the eye," he said. Although many residents never felt the quakes, those who did have described them in different ways. When the first few hit, some ran outside to see if a house had exploded. The city manager said he thought his wife was closing the garage door. Picture frames and windows rattled. None of the quakes caused any damage or injuries, though city officials said they are keeping a close eye on the earthen dam at Lake Pat Cleburne. There seems to be little fear around town of any catastrophic damage, but the ground shaking is unnerving nonetheless. Townspeople want to find out at least what is causing it, even if it is unclear whether anything can be done about it. The gas is extracted through a process known as horizontal drilling. A company will drill roughly 5,000 feet to 7,000 feet down and then go horizontally for as much as 4,000 feet or so. Then the fracking begins. A spokeswoman for Chesapeake Energy, which owns most of the mineral rights leases in the Cleburne area, said the company is "eager to get to the facts" and is working with the government and local researchers to determine whether there is a link. "Drilling has occurred for more than a hundred years," Julie Wilson said in an e-mail. "Tens of thousands of wells have been drilled with no nearby earthquakes at all; hundreds of earthquakes have occurred with no drilling nearby." Cliff Frohlich, a scientist at the University of Texas and author of "Texas Earthquakes," said he believes more than 20 Texas earthquakes in the past 100 years are related to drilling for petroleum and gas. But he added: "I would be surprised if a seriously damaging earthquake came out of this." John Breyer, a petroleum geologist and professor at Texas Christian University, said drilling is absolutely not causing the earthquakes. "It's like the Great Wall of China," he said. "If you pull a brick out of the wall every half-mile, you are not going to affect the stability of the structure." The mayor said he is open to any answer the city's geologist brings him. "We are going to find out what's causing them and if it is something that we can deal with, I promise we will deal with it," Reynolds said. "But it's like the dog that chases the car and catches the car: I don't know what you do then."
 
Brian Dickie: Terzo Piano, A Great New Chicago Restaurant Top
I had the opportunity to try out the new restaurant in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, Terzo Piano . And, for what it's worth, I pronounce it an A-Plus. It has some delicious things on the menu, the price is extremely good for downtown Chicago and the location is without equal. The view from the Terrace (shown above) says it all. (Photographers out there -- I hope you are impressed with my perpendiculars!) Book now -- it's a great deal and a huge pleasure. If you are a member of the Art Institute you get 10 percent off. If you are not, then why not? You should be. And you should also be a Subscriber and Donor to COT while you are in a sensible and generous mood. Do please note the wonderful bridge into the Art Institute from Millennium Park, which you see on the left on this picture. And note that when you arrive it is at the reception desk for the restaurant!
 
Sherrod Brown: "I'd Have Trouble Voting For" Health Care Bill Without Public Plan Top
One of the leading progressives in the United States Senate left the impression on Friday afternoon that he would oppose major health care reform if it did not include a public option for insurance coverage. Speaking outside the White House following a meeting with President Barack Obama, Sen. Sherrod Brown would not go so far as to draw a line in the sand in terms of what legislation he could or could not support. But he made no secrets of where his sympathies and objections lie. "I would have trouble voting for it without that," he said of a bill without a public plan. "I would have difficulty supporting any health care plan that doesn't keep the insurance companies honest. I appreciate now the... progress that we have made already that the insurance companies are wiling to accept real rules on preexisting conditions, on how we do community ratings, on all of those issues. But he doesn't think and I don't think that's enough. He thinks, as I do, that if you have some kind of public option, it could look like Medicare, it could be something different, some kind of option to keep the insurance industries honest..." To date, most progressive figures in Congress have followed the president's lead in insisting that all options for health care reform are currently on the table. Part of the strategy, a congressional aide said, is to avoid having to roll back declarative statements. The White House could end up calculating that dropping a public plan is the only way to get legislation passed, after which Democratic lawmakers would feel the acute pressure to follow suit. That said, outside government, progressive health care reform advocates are growing impatient, watching as congressional Republicans declare their full intention to oppose a public plan and wondering when and from where the political pushback will come. Earlier this week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she didn't think Obama would have the votes to get a bill without a public option through Congress. That was a start. Brown's build upon that. But, earlier on Friday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if the president would not sign a bill "with nothing that even remotely resembles a public option." "I don't think at this point we would draw quite that strong a red line," Gibbs responded. "But again, I think the President believes both in the campaign and in the letter that he sent sometime last week, when we were in Europe, but denoted that he thought it was extremely important to have, as I've said here, increased choice and competition. I think he believes that can be -- no pun intended -- a healthy part of a final plan." Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Ray Hanania: Hypocrisy in Chicago Politics is Deafening Top
It was disclosed this week that the city's pension funds invested $68 million in a real estate development company run by Allison Davis, a former partner with convicted fundraiser and realtor Antoin "Tony" Rezko, and Robert Vanecko. Rezko's name stands out, of course. But Vanecko might not unless you know that he is the grandson of the late great Mayor Richard J. Daley and the nephew of the almost as great Richard M. Daley. Vanecko was previously a partner with Daley's son Patrick in a business that received huge contracts from Daley's City Hall. No law has been broken -- that we know of. But, it is genuinely unethical for the city pension funds to put $68 million in the Davis Vanecko firm, called, uncreatively, DV Urban Realty. Who needs to be creative when the City Hall-controlled pension, many of whose members are appointed by the mayor, dumps $68 million in money hard earned by city employees like the Chicago Police? Defenders of the deal include, of course, Mayor Daley, who brushed off the probe into the deal with his usual jumble of mumbled words. And it was defended by celebrity pundit Paul Green, who on WTTW Channel 11 Tuesday night questioned why people were talking about the deal at all, slamming critics and asking repeatedly, "What is illegal?" How about, "What is unethical?" Paul. Green is an insider these days, hobnobbing with the political elite that manage candidates for offices like the U.S. Senate and shaking hands at luncheons where powerful speakers are invited, like Mayor Daley and his government colleagues. The Chicago pension fund scandal reminds many of the days when the union pension funds would invest millions in casino operations in Las Vegas that were run not by politicians but by mobsters, although oftentimes it has been hard to distinguish between the two, especially in Chicago. Vanecko resigned from this sweetheart deal 13 days after the federal government joined the city Inspector General and subpoenaed the investment records. Ironically, the Inspector General had previously asked for the documents and DV Urban refused to hand them over, according to reports. Yes, Paul, this is called a "sweetheart deal." This is called an "insider" contract. Was the law broken or not? I don't know. Fortunately the U.S. Attorney's office is now looking in to it and will decide that on its own. But it is exactly the kind of stench-like investments that have pushed our pension funds into the troubles they now have. Now turn to the "scandal" surrounding the Town of Cicero, where former police officer Larry Dominick is the target of several lawsuits by female employees accusing him of sexual harassment. Several of those filing the lawsuits are political foes. One is the daughter of the people who own one of the small Hispanic language newspapers whose pages were filled with scurrilous and outrageous accusations against Dominick in the last election and who also received jobs, contracts and huge advertising from Dominick's predecessor, the disgraced and convicted former Town President Betty Loren Maltese. I worked for Maltese between 1993 and 1996, leaving when the FBI outlined for me her alleged crimes and when Maltese refused to explain to me her involvement in the FBI's allegations of town insurance misconduct. But that was long before Dominick became Town president. The story was broken by great reporting from FOX Chicago News. And it is a great story, too. Every political action is worth covering and FOX Chicago did a professional job. But I had to wonder about the Better Government Association and its new head Andy Shaw, the former WLS TV reporter. Shaw was all over the lawsuits filed against Dominick. And he was also all over a prior report which noted that Dominick had many relatives working at Town Hall. Many of the relatives were not working at Town Hall at all, of course, but at other agencies that Cicero has some influence over. Most received their jobs before Dominick became president. I thought it curious Shaw would hammer Dominick over the Cicero controversies but not say one word about the $68 million that the city's pension funds invested in a company in which Daley's nephew was made a partner. Cicero is surrounded by controversy. It's easy pickings. There are political battles there all the time. Whether Dominick is guilty or innocent -- he denies any wrongdoing -- is up to the courts. Why isn't the BGA's Andy Shaw leading the charge with the same ferociousness against the sweetheart deals and contracts in Mayor Daley's administration? Slamming Cicero where controversies are more colorful is easy. Slamming Mayor Daley, Gov. Quinn, House Speaker Mike Madigan and all of the big power players whose actions result in far more government waste takes the kind of guts that the BGA needs badly. And how about a little more chutzpah from my friend Paul Green, too? This sordid pension fund investment is exactly the kind of scandal that should get every member of the pension boards fired, and Mayor Daley should not be given a pass. (Ray Hanania is a political columnist for the Southwest News-Herald newspaper and the host of Radio Chicagoland broadcast every morning on WJJG 1530 AM Radio. He can be reached at www.RadioChicagoland.com)
 
Greg Boose: Green Living Set to Thrive in Ravenswood Manor Top
The air around Ravenswood Manor, the charming northern Chicago neighborhood that's home to former governor Rod Blagojevich and his reality star wife , just got a little cleaner. Zach Maiorca and Green Door Development have put the finishing touches on a six-bedroom, 4,800 square-foot sustainable yin to Blago's nearby cloudy yang, and if the green luxury home at 2924 Wilson Avenue is any indication of what's in store for Chicago's future, then maybe the city will seem a little less dirty and unfair from afar. Zach Maiorca, owner of Green Door Development , walked me through all three levels, stopping to point out green technology every few steps. Everything about the place, designed by the award-winning architect Nathan Kipnis, is cemented in energy efficiency and sustainability: The walls are framed with 2x6 boards (instead of the normal 2x4s, increasing the amount of insulation which helps reduce energy loss) and insulated with a soy-based foam. The solar panels on top of the garage heat the water for the house's shower, dishwasher and laundry machines. The basement's carpet is made of 100 percent recycled post-consumer plastic materials. All the windows and appliances are energy-efficient. There's a 48-gallon rain barrel in the backyard collecting rainwater runoff, reducing freshwater consumption, because this water can be used for landscaping. The deck lights are solar-powered. Kitchen cabinets, formaldehyde-free. And so on. Maiorca and I discussed the house, the neighborhood and how Chicago has contributed to green living. GB: You deconstructed the original home piece by piece and were able to salvage around 80 percent of the materials. Could you tell me more about the process of using the salvaged materials? ZM: Instead of tearing down the pre-existing home that was on the site and sending everything to the landfill, we deconstructed it. That means we took the home apart piece-by-piece, basically reverse-engineering the home, and salvaged everything we could (~80 percent of the total materials). They've been doing this in California for years, but it's just now getting traction here in the Midwest. As part of this process, I was able to reuse the original hardwood floors and all the stained glass windows and integrate them into the new home. The windows are beautiful and the floors turned out amazing -- all they needed was a little love from my flooring contractor. The rest of the materials were recycled (aluminum, copper, steel) or donated to various non-profits like Habitat for Humanity or reuse warehouses like the Rebuilding Exchange on the South Side of Chicago. GB: The street that the house stands on is lined with historic homes. How have the neighbors reacted? ZM: My architect and I went to great lengths to ensure the home blended in well with its neighbors. From the front, the house is very similar to the house next door and it's overall design follows that of a traditional American Four-Square home. The people in the neighborhood love the house. I've had lots of people mention that when the house was first going up they were very worried what the home would look like and that they were all very pleasantly surprised at how well this house blends in with the historic homes in the area. GB: Have the neighbors been stopping by for tours and green home tips? ZM: Yes! Over the past five years, while living in the neighborhood, I have been involved with the local community organization, Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association, so I coordinated with them to offer a number of pre-completion showings to neighbors. I'd estimate that we've had over 100 people from the neighborhood come through to see the house -- all at various stages of construction -- and everyone has been so happy to see the house and how well it blends in with the surrounding homes. People have had a lot of questions about the green products and technology that's used in the home, and I'm more than happy to show them how things work or explain the benefits of the various green features. That's been very rewarding. GB: Has the City of Chicago been a good incubator for green construction? It's well known that the former governor lives around the corner, but have any current Chicago officials offered their input or help with the home? ZM: The City of Chicago has been an excellent partner throughout the building process, but they were never more helpful than at the inception of the project. Early on, I met with Erik Olsen , the creator of the Green Permit Program at Chicago's Department of Buildings. He was very receptive to my project and helped guide us through this new green permit program. Because the house met (and exceeded) the city's guidelines for green homes, we were able to get our building permit from the city in less than 24 hours -- something that's totally unheard of in the building community. Since then, they've even begun waiving permit fees for projects that meet their strict guidelines. GB: What do you see as being the future of green homes, or living, in Ravenswood Manor and Chicago? ZM: Green homes are going to become more and more commonplace in Chicago and around the country. There's a perceived premium for building green, but that's really a misconception. Often times, keeping the costs down is just a matter of product selection and value engineering. And when you factor in the long-term operating cost savings that are a direct result of a more energy-efficient home, it becomes a no-brainer. I think in the short-term, we're going to begin seeing more "green renovations" in areas like Ravenswood Manor where the housing stock has so much history and character. Often, a well-thought out renovation is greener (and more cost-effective) than starting from scratch. GB: When we walked through ground level, you pointed out an electronic gauge on the living room wall that displayed how much energy, in dollars, was being spent. How does that work? ZM: Our house features an LCD energy monitor that shows how much electricity the house consumes. The monitor, produced by Blueline Technology, requires that you configure it with your current electric rate and then it monitors the kilowatts you consume, converting that into dollars and cents. Studies have shown that having visibility into how much electricity you use helps reduce your overall consumption by 5 to 20 percent. GB: You opted for multiple ceiling fans instead of central air conditioning to keep the energy consumption and inside temperature down. You also installed an interesting ventilation system called a thermal chimney. Are people going to be comfortable enough in the summer? ZM: The house is designed to be cooled and heated by natural means to the greatest extent possible. This means taking advantage of orientation, using passive solar heating, window overhangs, advanced thermal chimney design, radiant heat, and ceiling fans. That said, we still integrated a multi-zone forced air system that is capable of cooling and heating the home to whatever comfort level the owner desires. Having lived in Chicago most of my life, I can attest to the fact that there will always be at least some days where air conditioning will come in handy. GB: Looking down from the master bedroom's balcony one can get a good look of garage's roof and its solar panels that heats some of the house's water, but can you explain the benefits of the greenery that's growing up there? ZM: The green roof essentially provides two benefits: It decreases the burden on the city's drainage system by reducing stormwater runoff, and it also helps reduce the heat-island effect caused by rooftops in urban areas. And it looks pretty nice too. GB: Where do you turn for inspiration in regards to what materials, colors and resources you use? ZM: The final product that is this house is the result of a collaboration between myself, the architect and designer. The architect and designer really helped bring my vision for a traditional home with modern, sustainable technologies and amenities to fruition. In terms of inspiration, I think Ravenswood Manor is a terrific source of ideas for traditional design -- and I certainly borrowed heavily from other homes in the area. GB: I read that this house has a HERS score of 50, meaning that it performs twice as efficiently as a residence complying with the 2004 International Energy Efficiency Code (IECC2004). What other certificates have been awarded based on the design and construction? ZM: Achieving a HERS Index of 50 enabled me to achieve Energy Star certification on this home and it also qualifies me for the Builder's Challenge -- a selective set of building criteria issued by the U.S. Department of Energy. I'm also pursuing LEED Certification for this house, although the process is still ongoing. The home will also qualify under the City of Chicago's Green Homes program. GB: Now that this house is completed, have you had any ideas that you'd like to take further with your next project? Or anything you would do differently? ZM: I love the idea of re-using materials. My next project will certainly explore this concept more, and I'm confident that we'll be able to incorporate more previously used materials from other projects -- especially since the Rebuilding Exchange here in Chicago has provided a sort of clearinghouse for reusable materials. GB: I know you're watching how this house on Wilson will be reacted to, but what do you see being your next project? Anything in Chicago you'd like to take a crack at to make it more efficient? ZM: I'd love to tackle more green renovations. I think there's a lot of opportunity for people to rehab only certain portions of their homes, like a kitchen or bathroom, in environmentally sustainable ways that don't break the bank. On a larger scale, I'd love to see neighborhood institutions like the Old Town School of Folk Music or the Dank House make more of an effort to green their spaces. There's a lot of opportunity there to increase the quality of their environments by utilizing green materials and products. These places are such neighborhood icons and it would set a great example for other local businesses. More on Green Living
 
Murray Fromson: The Horror... The Horror of it All Top
Those were the dying words uttered by Colonel Walter Kurtz, the half-crazed Special Forces officer portrayed by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now , the classic war film about Vietnam. It could have been a precursor to Afghanistan or Pakistan. From my encounters in all three countries going back more than 50 years the future is not reassuring. That was when I was assured by an American diplomat that the $50 million a year we were lavishing on the reigning monarch of Afghanistan was earmarked for building nationhood. Our later over-simplification was the curse in Vietnam. Could Afghanistan be Barack Obama's Vietnam? We surely could be stuck once again on a treadmill of great expectations. The latest American commitment of brains, bucks and firepower is designed to help get it right this time. But American troops find themselves involved in two civil wars, one in Afghanistan and the other in Pakistan. Unfortunately, what was once our own presumed weapons of mass destruction, the high-flying B-52s, did not stop the Communists in Vietnam. There's no assurance that the drones and remaining electronic warfare will be any more successful in coping with the Taliban. The fighting this time is not bogged down in the quagmire of Vietnam that became so familiar to Americans watching the war on television in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, instead of wading through the rice paddies of Southeast Asia, Ranger units are stalking the mountains, hilltops and back alleys of villages or cities of Afghanistan, trying to snuff out the Taliban and its bizarre rule of law. The insidious impact of the drug trade in Afghanistan that is cultivated by the Taliban to pay for its weapons is aptly described by Gretchen Peters in her book, " Seeds of Terror ." Her story describes a vast criminal operation that thrives in the poppy fields of Afghanistan. Its operation virtually has been forgotten by the mainstream press. The White House and the Pentagon are banking on a vast shakeup of the U.S. military leadership in Afghanistan to cope with an enemy that has been threatening to take the country back to medieval times. Its objective is to wait out the government in Kabul, hoping it will collapse from its own bankruptcy, corruption and incompetence. President Obama's goal is avoid that and to keep the country from falling into the total domination of the extremist Taliban fanatics. We are assured that Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal is America's new man of the hour who will direct the U.S. effort. He's described as "a hard driving and talented officer, a specialist in counter insurgency (who) impressed his superiors during his five years of running special operations commando missions in Afghanistan." It's a strong resume, the New York Times said in an editorial based on information that seemed as if it was spoon-fed by the Pentagon. What we were not told was the extent to which McChrystal, in his role as a counter-insurgency expert, was involved in the black arts, i.e. including the handling of prisoners when he served in Iraq and Afghanistan before. It is unclear as to how responsible he will be for coordinating air strikes in civilian areas where hundreds of Afghans or Iraqis have been killed or else alienated. Nor has any of the reporting explained the degree to which McChrystal will shoulder responsibility for the hiring and supervision of hundreds of civilian private contractors in both countries when he was running Special Ops. That private army for which no one seems to take responsibility is an institution that needs the supervision of Congress if not the Pentagon. What we do know from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal is that McChrystal has been given the green light to bring in 400 handpicked officers and enlisted men who will rotate between Afghanistan and the United States. His roster of dedicated warriors and diplomats is impressive indeed. Three diplomats with ambassadorial rank in Egypt, the Philippines, Argentina and Cambodia have agreed to serve under the new ambassador to Afghanistan, retired Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry. A Navy rear admiral has been appointed to head a program designed to win the hearts and minds of Afghans. In short, there is there is no lack of authority. It has the ring of authenticity and commitment. But then so were the kick-ass warriors in Vietnam -- the Green Berets. The Kennedy Administration was determined to sell the war in Southeast Asia as vigorously as Barack Obama seems to be pushing the war in Afghanistan. What has been forgotten in the postwar years following Vietnam is that the Pentagon's most senior officers, including Colin Powell once vowed never to go to war again "without the full support of the American people." Hardly such a groundswell is evident so far. But we need not forget the lies voiced by the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld axis that led the American people to believe that Sadaam Hussein's alleged possession of "weapons of mass destruction" was the justification for the war in Iraq. In the wake of a commitment by President Obama to dispatch 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan he might do well to remember what soldiers of both our fictional and non-fictional past have told us. When things looked bad, both the Duke of Westmoreland in Hamlet and our own General Westmoreland in Vietnam never hesitated to increase their demands for more troops. They always were accompanied by rosy predictions of victory on the battlefield. Pray brothers and sisters, that the young men and women who are being sent to a region where foreigners have failed miserably in the past two centuries, will be more fortunate this time in being kept out of Harm's Way. More on Barack Obama
 
Francesca Biller-Safran: YouTube and MySpace Leaves "No Space" for a Generation Top
With the advent and popularity of MySpace and YouTube, kids are finding themselves with less space than ever, however virtual they think it may be. As they spend hours uploading photos and recording each personal indiscretion, this savvy techno-baby generation will one day find they have lost the only real space that ever mattered . . . personal space without continual voyeurism. As a society, we have almost by default decided "self-esteem" is the most important attribute for our children to have, far surpassing the ancient adage of having a good, solid character for its own worth. Today, children are taught they must feel great about themselves first and foremost, many psychologists and self-proclaimed experts preach, whether they are doing anything worthwhile or not. Self esteem didn't come simply by birthright, or as a result of filming a YouTube video partying with friends, or designing websites devoted to the most important person in the universe-- yourself. Rather, one gains respect, strength of character and earned wisdom which may result in self-esteem, but then again, this should not be the ultimate goal for children or adults to ensure they may become citizens with value and integrity. With thousands of teens spending time writing about how they feel, as opposed to how others feel or act, or how they may contribute or even change the world they live in, we have allowed much of a generation to grow up with visceral apathy as an accepted trait, which is nothing to feel esteemed about. Far from the 1960's and 70's when college students fought police in the streets against the war and for civil rights, and when young women burned their bras rather than receiving boob jobs as graduation presents, this generation is at a big loss, and many of us parents have become the biggest cohorts and supporters, along with Madison Avenue and techno babysitters to blame. It's so much easier to let a kid live in their own room where you might not see them for hours, with their loss of soul buried in their computer, digital camera, IPOD and cell phone at hand that you have provided. You know you have. And the price is far larger than any financial debt you may have accumulated There can hardly be time or inclination left for embroiled discussions about anything if you're never even in the same room together. The classic teenage words "You just don't understand" aren't even said, because barely anything is. I can remember after eating dinner at the table each night with my family when my father shouted out for us to be quiet so we could hear Walter Cronkite give us the latest news about the Vietnam War or the Civil Rights Movement, or Nixon's resignation speech, or God Forbid, even The Dick Cavett show and Masterpiece Theater. I can also remember intellectual discussions with my father and close friends-- endless debate that often lasted into the wee hours of dawn about philosophy, art, culture and politics. There are many moral character wounds that arise with this new infantile and selfish identification, but even more precarious is the fact that each time a teen shares with millions of fellow internet icons their most personal thoughts, including images that would shock even the most progressive parents; they are unaware how this might play out in their future. This is what makes teenagers innocent and enviable on one hand, while the most dangerous species on the other. By nature, they have no sense of mortality. Rather, they are about everything that is exciting and miraculous for the moment-- which for them is infinite. Therefore, when they boast into cell phone cameras dramatizing each activity, including drunken escapades and endless verses of self-adulation, they are unaware one day they might just wish to hit the delete key, but once given birth in cyberspace, there is no such key or link. Furthermore, to an adolescent today, the future is as un-virtual as it gets. And if you can't send it through cyberspace, then it isn't actually real. Not all MySpace websites and emails are scurrilous. Some are simple playful diaries of the young and the restless. And to be fair, some sites document seemingly-sincere reflections of how they see themselves in a world they either don't understand or think they understand too well. On the dark side, there are sites and videos that the word "exhibitionism" can't begin to describe. Blatant personal dramas are displayed with horrific stories that as a viewer you can only hope are fictional. Largely, narratives are not about any protest against or for societal issues, but simply ongoing hate and love letters to ones' self with self-aggrandizing. By nature, teens want to be popular with instant gratification and fame constantly fleeting. Our modern society has obviously decided that celebrities are to be worshipped, especially if they are acting out of control. Embarrassing photos and quotes will be recorded not just in a yearbook, but by anyone including adults with far from altruistic tendencies, who are out there in droves. Whatever is downloaded can be uploaded and can be on record forever. What will happen when this generation hits their 30's and even their 20's? Will they feel humiliated or proud? Will there be an epidemic of lawsuits against My Space and YouTube when they become parents and claim to have been naive participants- demanding all past histrionics be deleted from the black hole of Cyberspace? Most likely, there will be lawsuits claiming no responsibility, which ironically is what the web largely symbolizes. It is a virtual life more real for the user than the one often lived, and yet everything can be anonymous with no one to answer to and no one to blame, and yet there will a lot of blaming yet to come. My Space is not about anyone's space at all, but rather about taking up the most crucial and valuable space of a generation. It gives viable minds the winking nod that's its okay for them to take up as much space as they want virtually nothing at all, and takes space away that could be given to a productive and valuable life. The generation of baby boomers and parents a bit younger, such as I, who watched a war unfold, unravel and become a nightmare may now be raising a generation of kids who may not know or care what is going on at all. After all, if you are the universe and everything revolves around you, why should it matter whether the rest of the world is embroiled in any war of any scope? This is not to say self-expression is unimportant, or that each generation has a swear-bound duty to forge its own path and to upset the generation before. But a generation suckled on the need to be constantly seen and heard leaves a generation that is heard and seen but doesn't listen much. More on YouTube
 
White House: Not Smoking A Struggle For Obama Top
WASHINGTON — The White House press secretary says President Barack Obama still struggles with a nicotine addiction, but the spokesman would not say whether the president still smokes cigarettes. Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs was asked about the matter Friday, the same day in which Obama talked of tobacco's deadly effects and hailed the passage of bill that boosts regulation of smoking. In the past, Obama has spoken about the difficulty of quitting cigarettes. Gibbs said that Obama's response about smoking would be that quitting the addiction is a lifelong struggle. Asked directly if Obama still smokes, Gibbs said: "I would simply tell you I think struggling with a nicotine addiction is something that happens every day." (This version CORRECTS last quote to 'addiction' not 'addition.') More on Barack Obama
 
Alon Ben-Meir: The Palestinians at a Pivotal Crossroads Top
President Obama's push for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict has given the Palestinians an historic opportunity to end their disastrous state of affairs. Although many parties involved in the conflict-especially the Arab states and Israel-have contributed directly or indirectly to Palestinian suffering, the Palestinians have undoubtedly inflicted the greatest injury upon themselves by forgoing numerous opportunities to make peace with dignity. With the best of intentions by the international community, and even with unwavering American and Arab support, only the Palestinians united in their purpose and committed to a peaceful solution can end their hardship and realize a state of their own. Sixty-two years of dislocation and despair can come to an end; the question is will the Palestinian leadership be able to present a united front and rise to the historic occasion? There are five prerequisites that the Palestinians must collectively meet to achieve a state of their own. Certainly no one should expect either the Palestinian Authority (PA) or especially Hamas to adopt all of these simultaneously or immediately. One thing however must be clear: no Israeli government-regardless of its ideological leaning-will compromise on these five issues, nor will the Obama administration break its resolve in backing them. These demands on the Palestinian leadership are consistent with the requirements imposed by the US, EU and Israel calling on the Palestinians to renounce terrorism, accept prior agreements and recognize Israel's right to exist. Hamas has shown in the past an unwillingness to cooperate with demands from the international community, but it seems that with new US efforts to push reconciliation, Hamas has a unique opportunity to join the political process as a recognized party. The PLO under the leadership of Yasir Arafat went through the same pain, and in 1988 recognized Israel and renounced terrorism. In a recent interview with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, he agreed not only to a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, but conceded that "when the time comes, Hamas will make some of the moves demanded of it by the West." Form a united front: As the Egyptian-brokered talks between Fatah and Hamas continue, it is becoming more imperative that the Palestinian leadership show a united front as they face upcoming negotiations with the US and Israeli governments. A Palestinian unity government will allow Hamas to save face as it can commit to the two-state solution that the Hamas charter forbids. This will give the radical yet undeniably popular group a voice and stake in the negotiating process, and can bring Hamas to the table as a significant political force rather than an armed faction with a devious political agenda. Both Hamas and the PA (which represents the Palestinian Liberation Organization) know that the prospect of reaching a viable peace deal with Israel requires that the Palestinians speak in one voice. Hamas as a popular movement has secured a place in the Palestinian body politic and no one can effectively deny Hamas a say in negotiations. This why it is critical that Hamas is included in the Palestinian government, because left to its own devices and with no prospect of exercising some power over Palestinian affairs, it will undoubtedly resort to violence to disrupt the process. It appears though that the Egyptian-mediated negotiations between the PA and Hamas to form a unity government have advanced considerably, and the two sides may well reach an agreement this summer. That being said, Hamas must nevertheless drop the illusion that it can control the Palestinian political agenda entirely. It must realize that the PA, with the support of the United States and other powers, will soon have a military powerful enough to confront Hamas' future challenges and to prevail. The recent clash in the West Bank proved that Fatah soldiers are willing to take on Hamas if necessary. Hamas must further be disabused of any illusion that it can overthrow the PA by political or violent means and take-over the West Bank. The continued training of PA security forces in Jordan with American funding, monitoring and equipping remains essential. It sends a clear message to Hamas' leadership that there will be no chance of unseating the PA and that time is not in its favor. And finally, if Israel is to make any major concessions to the Palestinians, it will only do so knowing that they are in agreement with a united leadership supported by the Arab street. Israel will not risk giving up an inch of land to the PA if it feels threatened that Hamas can hijack it and use it to launch violent attacks. If Hamas wants to gain legitimate political credibility in all of Palestine, it must demonstrate to the International community and to Israel in particular that it can act as a credible and responsible political partner along with the PA. End all acts of violence: Cessation of violence is fundamental not only to the resumption of peace negotiations but for fostering confidence between all parties. Decades of violence and counter-attacks have not improved the Palestinian prospect for statehood in any capacity. Although the PA has acknowledged this reality, and worked to quell violence in the West Bank, Hamas has made violent resistance against Israel the pillar of its strategy. Hamas too has realized, however-especially following the Gaza war-that continued rocket fire can only get them so far. During the war Hamas' fighters could not confront the Israeli army and assumed defensive posture as they were no match to Israel's overwhelming military prowess. The militants furthermore used women and children as human shields to raise the collateral damage and to bring international pressure on Israel to end the fighting. Now that Hamas has suspended violent resistance, it must continue to reinforce it at all costs in order to become a party to the peace negotiation. Should Hamas choose instead to violently disrupt the political process that the US is leading with the active involvement of the Arab states, it will risk losing all the political capital it gained throughout the past decade. Ending the calls for Israel's destruction: Challenging Israel's right to exist will get the Palestinians nowhere, as has been demonstrated in the past. If Israel feels threatened that it must fight for existence it will justify all means, however severe, to ensure its long-term safety and survival. Moreover, Israel does not need Hamas' recognition, though in ongoing negotiations Hamas has indirectly had to acknowledge Israel's existence as a reality. Hamas' leadership has agreed to 1967 borders, a long-term ceasefire and the possibility of living in peace with Israel, as was conveyed by former President Jimmy Carter. Khaled Meshal may come much closer to accepting Israel in his upcoming policy address. Moreover, Hamas is also fully aware of the changing political dynamics in the region as the Arab states are moving toward reconciliation with Israel. The Obama administration has repeatedly reaffirmed America's unshakable commitment to Israel's security and a viable Palestinian state. Hamas should not forsake this opportunity for an unrealistic goal of calling for Israel's destruction. This is a chance that Hamas may not want to miss, especially after watching Hezbollah's recent defeat in the Lebanese Parliamentary elections. Give up on the Palestinian right of return: This may be the most difficult demand for the Palestinians to come to terms with; it represents one of their toughest bargaining chips and in a large part caused the collapse of the negotiations at Camp David in 2000. While in theory, the Palestinian right of return appears logical, no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could possibly envision the return of any significant number of Palestinian refugees to Israel proper. From the Israeli perspective, any sizeable influx of Palestinian refugees will change overnight the demographic make-up of the state. This is not a question of right and wrong; it is simply a matter of Israel's survival as a Jewish state for which it was created, and Israel will never abandon or compromise on this principle. That being said, any Palestinian refugee who opts to resettle in their homeland should be able to do so in the West Bank or Gaza once a Palestinian state is created. In past negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, the Palestinian representatives understood that a solution to the refugee problem lies in resettlement and/or compensation. The United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 (1948) which called on Israel to allow the refugees to return to their original homes is not binding, as is the case with all General Assembly resolutions. Moreover, resolution 194 was superseded by the binding United Nations Security Council resolution 242 (1967), which instead called for "achieving a just settlement to the refugee problem." Having preached the gospel of the right of return so consistently over so many years, the Palestinians' leadership may not be in a position to simply drop the issue altogether unless it is a part of the whole package of a peace agreement. Yet, the sooner they begin to modify their narrative, prepare the public, and indicate to the United States their readiness to address the refugee problem in the context of resettlement and compensation, the easier it will be for the Israelis to make concessions in other areas such as the settlements, where they feel less threatened. Embrace the Arab Peace Initiative: The leading Arab states-especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt-must persuade Hamas to embrace the Arab Peace Initiative and rejoin the Arab fold. The Arab Peace Initiative generally calls on Israel to give up the territories captured in the 1967 war and to find a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem in exchange for peace with all Arab countries. This offers Hamas a clear way out of its self-imposed isolation. This is an opportunity Hamas should not forsake, as the Initiative represents the collective Arab will and provides the basis for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace. Its merits have been acknowledged outside the Arab world by President Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres among others, and it will likely be included in the Road Map as the official framework for negotiations. Moreover, the leaders of the Arab states are determined to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has been feeding extremism to the detriment of their own regimes. And once Syria joins the peace process on that basis, which may be sooner than later, Hamas will stand alone in the Arab world in its struggle against Israel. Moreover, if Hamas is seen as an obstructionist undermining the prospect of a comprehensive peace, it will force many Arab states that support President Obama's peace offensive to take severe punishing measures against Hamas. Hamas' leadership can see the writing on the wall, and to maintain its political viability it must find a way to join the Arabs states. While it will take time and a concerted effort to include Hamas in the Annapolis process, in the interim it should accept the Initiative created by the Saudis who are instrumental to its survival. Although these requirements for peace are not new, they have eluded the Palestinians for decades. These years of struggle have also been instructive, however, as the Arab states led by Egypt have gradually concluded that Israel cannot and will not be marginalized or destroyed. A majority of Palestinian civilians have also finally come to accept the premise of a two-state solution. Time and circumstances matter greatly and now both Israel and the Palestinians face an unprecedented opportunity to forge a lasting peace. More on Hamas
 
Lawmakers: "Nearly Impossible" For Consumers To Tell What's Green Top
"It is now nearly impossible for the average consumer to get the information they need to determine whether a product is truly green: how and where they were made and the potential health or environmental impacts," O'Rourke said in his prepared testimony. More on Green Living
 
268 Punished For Abusing Disabled In Texas Top
DALLAS — Nearly 270 employees were fired or suspended for abusing or neglecting residents of large, state-run institutions for the mentally disabled in Texas, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. During the same one-year period ending in September 2008, 53 residents at the institutions died from conditions the Department of Justice considered preventable. It was not clear Friday whether any of those fired were prosecuted. The revelations come a day after Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation aimed at improving security and oversight at the 13 institutions, known as state schools. They are home to about 4,600 residents and more than 12,000 full-time employees. Documents obtained by the AP through an open records request show that 11 of the 268 firings or suspensions were considered serious because they involved physical or sexual abuse that caused or may have caused serious physical injury. Employees may also be fired for a violation as mild as neglecting to protect a resident with mobility problems from stumbling into a wall. "I think what the number of firings and suspensions say is we do not tolerate abuse or neglect in our state schools," said Cecilia Fedorov, a spokeswoman with the Department of Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the schools. The Department of Family and Protective Services, which investigates allegations of abuse, notifies law enforcement officials about any deaths, alleged sexual assaults, serious physical injuries or incidents involving children. But the agency does not track what happens once police or sheriff's deputies get involved, spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities said Perry's legislation doesn't go far enough to protect state school residents. "Why is it that residents in state schools are somehow valued less than other citizens?" asked Dennis Borel, the coalition's executive director. "This speaks to me of a widespread, systemic problem, and personally I don't believe this can be fixed." Perry declared state school reform a legislative emergency during the most recent session. State lawmakers reached a five-year, $112 million settlement with the Justice Department that documented widespread mistreatment of residents and alleged their civil rights were violated. The state will spend $24 million in each of the next two fiscal years to meet the terms of the settlement, which call for each school to have an independent monitor. Lawmakers also have provided funding for hiring nearly 3,000 additional employees. The agreement resulted from a series of federal investigations that found that at least 53 deaths from September 2007 to September 2008 were from preventable conditions indicating lapses in proper care. Nearly 1,100 employees have been suspended or fired in the last five years for mistreating, neglecting or abusing residents, according to state records. The 2008 figures are the most in any of those five years.
 
Joe Peyronnin: Military Suicides Top
Tragically once again the suicide rate among U. S. Army soldiers increased last month. In fact, Army suicides are up significantly over the previous month, and they are now on a record pace for the year. The numbers are staggering. This year the Army reports there have been 82 confirmed or suspected suicides. Last year the Army reported a total of 133 suicides. More than 1.65 million service members have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since September 11, 2001. More than 300,000 have suffered psychological wounds from the hidden injuries of war due to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and combat stress. Often the impact from these injuries is not felt until after a serviceman returns home. This past January the Army implemented an effort to deal with the growing number of suicides. This includes the creation of a suicide prevention task force and more counselors. Counselors are spending more time closer to the fighting front to make it easier for soldiers to open up about their experiences. All troops leaving combat are screened for signs of depression, and another round of screening is conducted three to six months after soldiers return home. Still, a majority of the suicides occur after soldiers have returned home. In July 2007 "The National Suicide Prevention Hotline" changed their greeting to include a special message for soldiers. When calling "1-800-273-TALK" callers will hear, "If you are a U. S. military veteran, or are calling about one, press 1 now." Calls are then routed to agents at the Veterans Affairs call center in Canandaigua, New York, or one of five sub-network centers. This past April veterans calling Lifeline represented 20 per cent of total calls, and that number is growing. The Mental Health Association of New York City is one of many organizations working to help veterans who are having problems reintegrating into their community. The MHA-NYC is developing a Veteran's Mental Health Coalition in New York City to help veterans deal with depression, thoughts of suicide or other forms of mental illness. Anyone can suffer from depression, a feeling of hopelessness, grief or lack of energy. The sooner a veteran gets treatment, the sooner the veteran will feel better. Regretfully, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness, but attitudes are quickly changing through education and increased awareness. The good news is help is only a phone call away: 1-800-273-TALK.
 
Patricia Martin: Chicago Director Kyle Alvarez Debuts First Film in Vegas Top
Meet Kyle Alvarez, a young, ambitious Chicago filmmaker who is officially launching his first feature film, Easier With Practice , at CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas. I learned about Kyle through an acquaintance. And I plan to follow his exploits because I'm sure his journey will be chock-full of instructive lessons for other creatives looking to launch their work. Film festivals are critical. Kyle explains: "We have two goals for the festival screenings. One is to get as many locals into the theater as possible -- we want to sell out our screenings! Second, we want to make sure as much industry and press are there at the screenings, too; they have a lot of options." Ultimately, Kyle wants to sell his film for distribution. "But nowadays that takes time," he tells me. With a glut of entertainment options strewn before movie-goers, distributors must be convinced the film will find its niche. "The buyers need to see the film with the right audience and get a sense of what the appeal could be," Kyle tells me. No one expects a little indie production like this to find a mass market. Unless, of course, it explodes like The Blair Witch Project did. Kyle wrote and directed Easier With Practice , a film about a young writer on a desperate road trip to promote his unpublished novel. He also hustled the financing. "We were lucky, in a way, that we financed the film before the economic downturn because there would've been no way to raise the money we did a year and a half ago," Kyle says. "Otherwise, the biggest challenge was trying to get the industry to cooperate." Once he had financing, Kyle says he had "this fantasy in my head that things would fall into place, but there was still a lot of struggle because most actors' agents don't see the value of their clients doing low-budget films, not to mention with first-time directors." The ultimate challenge? Watching your back, because no one else is in charge of what ends up on the screen. Kyle explains, "Owning that responsibility can be stressful, but it's rewarding." The first-time filmmaker will find out just how rewarding when his film premieres this weekend in Las Vegas. Stay tuned . Watch the trailer:
 
Rep. Steve Buyer Warns Of The Dangers Of Smoking Lettuce Top
[Via Media Monitor Jon] Speaking of that landmark cigarette law , wending its way to the President's desk: Not everyone is in favor of it. Some, in fact are downright against it! Take Steve Buyer, from Indiana's 4th District, who wants America to know what the Rules Committee -- history's greatest devils -- wouldn't tell you: If you dry and smoke lettuce, you will end up with "similar problems than if you smoke tobacco." As Buyer says, "it's not the nicotine that kills, it's the smoke that kills!" Specifically the "inhalation of the smoke" that causes a "pandamic" of the cancers! This will be food for thought when it comes time to start regulating the multi-million dollar lettuce smoking industry, and their army of K Street lobbyists! (HA JUST KIDDING, you know if there was a Lettuce Smoking industry, they'd have already bought this twit lock, stock, and iceberg smoking barrel.) [WATCH] [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .]
 
Obama Administration Orders 14,000 Fuel Efficient Vehicles Top
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Making good on U.S. President Barack Obama's promise to accelerate the greening of the federal fleet, the U.S. General Services Administration has ordered 14,105 fuel efficient vehicles this month and will use $210 million in Recovery Act money to pay for them. More on Barack Obama
 
Princess Fashion Plate! A Look At Spain's Letizia And Her 12 Most Enviable Outfits (SLIDESHOW) Top
It's every girl's dream to become a princess, and Letizia of Spain has got it made. As the wife of Spanish Prince Felipe, Letizia boasts a wondrous wardrobe full of shiny dresses, stacked heels, gorgeous floor-length gowns and an assemblage of matching accessories. We're tempted to call her the ultimate political fashion plate, but let's just say estamos locas for her style. Here are Letizia's top 12 looks. Can't get enough European ensembles? Check out Carla's Bruni's Closet or Spain's First Lady Sonsoles Espinosa . *Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook * More on Photo Galleries
 
States Failing At Stimulus Accountability Top
Before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama promised that when it comes to stimulus spending, "every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for these decisions by going online to see how and where their tax dollars are being spent." To date, that promise has yet to be realized. Despite pledges of transparency and accountability, state governments across the country have largely failed to provide adequate systems for tracking how stimulus funds are being spent. The problem is that there is no nation-wide system in place to report even the most blatant instances of waste or abuse. Last month the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) looked into resources for whistleblowers to report such matters at the 49 state recovery websites. Only 10 states -- Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Ohio, Oregon and Texas -- currently list procedures for reporting fraud and waste. Three states -- Florida, Georgia and Maine -- were ranked the best because their websites provide multiple means of reporting fraud, waste and abuse, as well as a detailed outline of the legal protections to which whistleblowers are entitled. Two others -- Connecticut and Texas -- provide points of contact on both state and federal levels, giving complainants an alternative if they find their state reporting channels unresponsive. Forty states, however, make no mention of reporting abuse anywhere on their websites. At a time when the Internet is being used increasingly as a tool for political and economic engagement, good government groups say this finding is, at best, disappointing and, at worst, cause for major concern. In some cases, a major obstacle is simply a lack of technological infrastructure. "I have every confidence that the state is trying to do better but right now we don't have the (technological) resources," said Chris Keeley, Associate Director of Common Cause New York. Though he described the existing system as "atrocious," Keeley said he was optimistic that with adequate funding, all could be mended. Others, however, are concerned that the problem is more systemic. "I think that there is not necessarily in this country a culture of encouraging and supporting whistleblowing," said Ingrid Drake, an investigator for POGO. Adding a phone number and an email address to a website is hardly a feat of advanced computer programming, she pointed out. Further cause for concern is that of the 10 states with whistleblower functions on their websites, few provide more than a cursory nod to the type of protections available to those who come forward. Two sites -- Arkansas and Oregon -- made no mention of them whatsoever. In April of this year, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) looked into the issue of whistleblower protection in general, ranking states according to the laws on their books. Under their rubric, California scored the highest with 75 percent. Though not a state, Washington D.C. scored a 79. Only seven states made even a passing grade of 60 percent or higher. Faced with such problems, a vast network of public interest organizations are attempting to pick up the slack, many of them under the States for an Accountability and Transparent Recovery (STAR) Coalition. While federal laws are still being codified (the Obama administration currently lays out stimulus spending by category, by agency and by state on the site, Recovery.gov) these groups have begun conducting independent monitoring of stimulus disbursement at the state level. Some of these open-government groups track stimulus spending on specific issues such as energy and education. Others simply follow the money trail. But all of them advocate for more support from official state oversight bodies, many of which seem to be dragging their feet, waiting for direction from Washington where so far the process has been ad hoc. But there's no reason why states have to wait for the federal government to make the first move, say the public interest groups. One measure that would make the process of reporting fraud and waste far easier, they say, is the posting of contracts of local stimulus recipients on state websites. Although there is no federal requirement to post contracts, Drake said, "that doesn't mean the contracts that are out already cannot be posted. We think there should be a race among the states to see who can be most accountable and transparent for the public." In the end, Drake and others say, the initial lapses in stimulus oversight don't diminish the opportunity to create a new system of political participation and engagement. A culture of accountability could eventually empower taxpayers to monitor all state spending building on the precedent of stimulus oversight mechanisms. "We see this as an opportunity to use technology and empower people to know where their tax dollars are going" said Drake, there's an "unprecedented level of transparency that's possible... with the Internet as a tool for minute to minute reporting." For the moment though, a whistleblowers' hotline would be nice. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Barack Obama
 
Martin Lewis: The Secret Policeman's Film Festival! Top
J une 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the pioneering Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefit shows for Amnesty International. The anniversary is being saluted with a major film festival in Los Angeles and New York: June 11 - July 31.
 
Menthol Fight Underreported In Landmark Cigarette Bill Top
As the New York Times reports this morning , a bill allowing the Food and Drug Administration to "impose potentially strict new controls" on the tobacco industry has made it through the Senate. As the House had already passed a similar bill back in April, it seems certain that the measure will reach President Barack Obama's desk -- a measure he says he will sign into law. The Times quotes Clifford E. Douglas, from the University of Michigan's Tobacco Research Network as saying, "This is a historic step changing the nature of tobacco in society forever." And yet, a troubling and underreported aspect of this bill concerns a matter that seems rooted in past practices. At issue is a bit of legislative horse-trading that the Altria Group -- parent company of tobacco industry giant Philip Morris -- managed as the bill was being negotiated, and having won their point, agreed to the measure, ensuring its success. Today's Times piece makes glancing mention of it: But the law would give the F.D.A. power to set standards that could reduce nicotine content and regulate chemicals in cigarette smoke. The law also bans most tobacco flavorings, which are considered a lure to first-time smokers. Menthol was deferred to later studies. Health advocates predict that F.D.A. standards could eventually reduce some of the 60 carcinogens and 4,000 toxins in cigarette smoke, or make it taste so bad it deters users. As it turns out, this would be one of those occasions when the New York Times might consider reading their own paper. Stephanie Saul, reporting last year, wrote a pair of articles that take on this matter head on. 'Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency,' May 13, 2008 : Some public health experts are questioning why menthol, the most widely used cigarette flavoring and the most popular cigarette choice of African-American smokers, is receiving special protection as Congress tries to regulate tobacco for the first time. The legislation, which would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to oversee tobacco products, would try to reduce smoking's allure to young people by banning most flavored cigarettes, including clove and cinnamon. But those new strictures would exempt menthol -- even though menthol masks the harsh taste of cigarettes for beginners and may make it harder for the addicted to kick the smoking habit. For years, public health authorities have worried that menthol might be a factor in high cancer rates in African-Americans. The reason menthol is seen as politically off limits, despite those concerns, is that mentholated brands are so crucial to the American cigarette industry. They make up more than one-fourth of the $70 billion American cigarette market and are becoming increasingly important to the industry leader, Philip Morris USA, without whose lobbying support the legislation might have no chance of passage. "I would have been in favor of banning menthol," said Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, who supports the bill. "But as a practical matter that simply wasn't doable." Right. No matter the effect on public health, you wouldn't want to make Perfect the Enemy of Good, right? Despairingly, this is the attitude echoed by William Robinson, the head of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, who, in Saul's article, says: "The bottom line is we want the legislation...But we want to reserve the right to address this issue at some critical point because of the percentage of people of African descent who use mentholated products." And it is a critical point, that Saul touched on in July's New York Times , in an article titled " Black Caucus Seeks Limits on Menthol Cigarettes ": Menthol is a racially charged additive, in part because of the tobacco industry's heavy marketing of mentholated cigarettes to African-Americans since the 1950s. The flavor helps to mask the harsh taste of cigarettes and may make it easier to start smoking, Menthol brands account for 28 percent of the $70 billion American cigarette market. While only 25 percent of white smokers choose menthol cigarettes, an estimated 75 percent of African-American smokers do. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials have raised concerns about the possibility that menthol cigarettes might increase tobacco addiction and possibly cancer rates among black smokers. There is also evidence that some menthol brands, including Newport, contain among the highest level of nicotine of leading cigarettes. Some experts believe that higher nicotine levels increase the addictiveness of cigarettes. And in July, despite the fact that tobacco company Lorillard is depicted as the company that "would stand to lose the most from a ban on menthol," and the most aggressive opponent to the prospect of such a ban, Saul makes special note of who the real heavy hitter in the room is: Some lawmakers have said the decision to exempt menthol from the bill's flavorings ban was intended to win support for the legislation from Philip Morris, the country's dominant tobacco company, whose Marlboro Menthol is the second-leading menthol brand. Well, what is the Times saying about the company today? Publicly, Altria pushed the legislation for "the greater predictability and stability we think it will bring to the tobacco industry," as a spokesman, Brendan J. McCormick, said this week. But the impulse dates to the 1990s, when according to Philip Morris documents released during lawsuits, the company decided to remake its image as a responsible corporate citizen. Part of that strategy was to advocate legislation to reduce the risks in cigarettes, and avoid smoking's being outlawed outright. Moreover, as the industry's richest company, with profits last year of more than $3 billion, Altria, based in Richmond, Va., has built an extensive scientific research operation. It may thus be the company best equipped to deal with the F.D.A.'s new review process for new, ostensibly safer tobacco products. This strikes me as a fig-leaf take on the matter. The very fact that Altria/Philip Morris pushed to get a menthol ban out of the legislation gives the lie to the idea that they are bent on being a "responsible corporate citizen" willing to "reduce the risks" in cigarettes. Their lobbying on behalf of menthol clearly indicates neither is of a particular concern. Chances are, however, that Philip Morris just managed to keep their true motivations hidden from the Times . Or, maybe not. As Altria's competitors have repeatedly argued in opposing the legislation, Altria stands to retain more market share if the advertising crackdown makes it harder for other companies to improve their sales standing. Oh, well. At least the black community can count on the Congress to revisit the issue, and perhaps decide at a later date that menthol should be treated like any other tobacco flavoring, right? Actually, it's not even clear that the bill, as passed, will survive! Check out how Altria/Philip Morris -- good corporate citizen and risk reducer -- looms over a potential threat to the bill they so kindly helped to shepherd through. Yet, even Altria said Thursday the legislation, while "an important step forward," was "not perfect." The Association of National Advertisers says the act's "unprecedentedly broad advertising restrictions" violate First Amendment protections for commercial speech. Legal experts say a court challenge on that ground is virtually certain. The important point is this, having won the day, what do you think the chances are that our good corporate citizen, Altria/Philip Morris, will actually voluntarily give up menthol additives -- or even cotton to the issue being revisited -- just to do right by the black community? If Congressional compromise and the Times ' short memory are any indication, they aren't very high. [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .]
 
Paul Szep: The Daily Szep- winners and losers Top
 
Beth Perry: A Legion of Look-Alike Michelles Top
When it happened for the third time, I had just finished a quarter-mile swim at the local pool. My hairline was branded with the imprint of my swim cap, my bloodshot eyes looked like peppermints, and I was hunched next to the "Slow Lane" sign catching my breath with a cacophony of gasps and coughs. Nearby, a 60-year-old in a small navy swimsuit had folded himself into some sort of bridge pose on the concrete, supporting his arched body with bony shoulders and the back of his head. It was like watching a scantily clad Santa Claus doing experimental yoga. And then he started to speak. "Excuse me," he began, and I worried that he'd caught me staring. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Michelle Obama?" Well, actually, yes. There was the tech entrepreneur who, somewhere between bites of orecchiette at a group dinner in San Francisco, leaned his face into the space above my shoulder and purred that she and I "could be twins." And I can't forget the effusive older woman who cornered my fiancé and me at a New Year's party and gushed that we looked "just like Barack and Michelle" before excusing herself to find the steamed lobster. So no, standing there with this strange man at the pool was not the first time I'd heard it. But there was one small problem: for better or worse, I know what I look like--after all, I see myself every day. And the truth is, I look about as much like Mrs. Obama as I look like Carla Bruni-Sarkozy . (Which means, sadly, that I'm 0-for-2.) Michelle Obama is one of the most beautiful women in the world. She's like a benevolent Pied Piper with a fabulously decorated flute, strutting in kitten heels as enchanted admirers mimic her every step. Legions are mesmerized by her height, her hair, her workout, her wardrobe, her articulacy, her aura of nonchalant ability. And aside from the facts that 1) I'm African American 2) I'm 5'9'' and 3) I'm training for a triathlon so maybe my arms are a little more defined than usual, I have none of these things. But over the last few months, I've heard the flattering yet flabbergasting words, "You look like Michelle Obama," more than once. And, it turns out, I'm not the only one. Utterly confused after the encounter with Bikram Santa, I started asking around. Of the 30 professional, well-educated African American women I spoke to around the country, more than one-third had been told at some point that they favored Mrs. Obama--regardless of facial features, hairstyles, skin tones, and even height. (My friend Nicole--an Atlanta-based lawyer who is 5'2''--once had a client insist she looked just like the first lady, even though she is almost nine inches shorter.) And while the people who made the comparisons varied in age, gender and ethnicity, their words were universally intended as a premium--if accidentally perplexing--compliment. "I hear it all the time--my husband thinks it's a stranger's way of saying you are savvy and attractive," says Camille, a lawyer living in Maryland who has been stopped mostly by Caucasians. "Michelle Obama is so pretty, but we don't look alike. I usually say thank you, but I know I have this look on my face that says, 'Can you see?!'" My friend Angela, who has a master's degree in applied psychology and lives in Nashville, was thrilled when she heard it from three different African Americans within two weeks. "I don't believe it, but it is flattering," she says. "It's the highest compliment you can give to black women right now!" And sometimes, it's even more than that. For a subset of enterprising and often visually inept men, "You look like Michelle Obama" is not just a compliment; it's the 2009 version of "Do you come here often?" A pick-up line based on a political spouse is hard to imagine, but Jill, a professor outside Chicago who describes her style as "J.Crew with a twist," says she's been on the receiving end of this first lady-inspired flirtation everywhere from faculty lounges to family restaurants. "I've heard it from a lot of male professionals in their 30s up to their 50s, black and white," she says. "They'll say, 'Michelle is an attractive sister,' and tell me they think I'm fashionable like she is. I know I don't look like her. I almost feel like they'd say it to any tall, black, educated woman who dressed nicely." According to Dr. Kimberly R. King, an associate professor of psychology at California State University in Los Angeles, Jill--who recently got hair extensions past her shoulders in hopes that the attention would die down--might be onto something. King says people tend to amplify similarities between the individuals they encounter in real life and the ideas that they have in their minds. "If some men have a certain perception of what Michelle Obama is like and they see another black woman," she says, "they may have a tendency to perceive that this woman will also be like Michelle Obama." And such inference can lead to impertinence: One twentysomething became so enamored with Jill after deciding she looked like the first lady that he began following her around, pretending to bump into her unexpectedly all over campus. "He started stalking me!" she says, laughing. "I would see him everywhere, which made me extremely uncomfortable. I had to stop eating at my favorite sandwich shop out of fear." Hunger pangs aside, King says there are other ways in which this trend can be problematic. "It is usually a stranger's way of making a compliment, but it is also a way of stereotyping, not recognizing differences," she says. Much like the time a well-intentioned Joe Biden gushed about Barack Obama's articulacy and cleanliness, a person automatically comparing intelligent or well-spoken black women to the first lady may inadvertently be suggesting that it is rare for black women to be smart. "So if someone is savvy or has other positive qualities," says King, "she must be like Michelle Obama--a rare black woman--rather than being like herself." But, perhaps most interestingly, it turns out that the comparisons can also be colorblind. As the only black woman in her office, Shanda, a Washington D.C.-based engineer, is told that she resembles the first lady all the time. But her coworkers, who are mostly white and Asian, happily say it to each other as well. "They'll say, 'Your hair looks very Michelle Obama,' 'That dress is very Michelle Obama,' or even, 'You have the whole Michelle Obama look going on,'" she says. "She encompasses so much that people find something to take from her and match with someone else as a compliment. I don't get [compared to] Michelle Obama just because I'm black. The women here say it to each other so often that race doesn't even matter, which I find fascinating." Maybe, then, that is the lesson: Could it be that the widespread fascination with all things Michelle Obama--her impeccable educational and career backgrounds, her palpable love and affection for her family, her uncanny ability to connect with all sorts of people--has somehow made the rest of us shine a bit brighter? In many ways, her ascent to the top of both political circles and pop culture has redefined what the American mainstream considers cool. And perhaps black women in particular should rejoice in the notion that one of the most influential women in the world looks a little more like us... Just maybe not as much as people think. More on Michelle Obama
 
Independent Finance Experts: Bank Execs, Boards Should Be Fired (VIDEO) Top
Officials from the Treasury, Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission told the House Financial Services Committee Thursday that executive compensation can be better controlled by giving shareholders a nonbinding vote on pay levels. Having someone other than the CEO pay consultants, who report to their compensation committees would be helpful, too. "Our goal is to help ensure that there is a much closer alignment between compensation, sound risk management and long-term value creation for firms and the economy as a whole," Treasury counselor Gene Sperling said Earlier in the week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had made a similar point, saying, "Our goal is not to have the government micromanage private sector compensation," Geithner said. Maybe they don't want to micromanage, but Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) asked, what about setting an example? "We are trying to make policy on the basis of recent memory," Grayson said, addressing the second panel at Thursday's hearing. "For the past few months we've seen banks that have brought themselves to the brink of ruin, brought the whole U.S. economy to the brink of ruin, and what people see is that nobody's been held accountable for that. Nobody's been punished for that. Maybe the gravy train has slowed down for them a little bit, but it's still rolling. "I want to hear your best ideas about how we should hold accountable the people who've already screwed up, the people who've already caused the destruction of their own banks and caused the taxpayers to have to give out billions upon billions of dollars," he said. "And I want to know what we should do in the future about people like that." The second panel, which consisted of financial experts who are not currently working in government, offered a simple solution: Kick them out. "There is a limitation on ex post facto laws, there's not much you can do about what has already happened, but I would certainly strongly urge Congress to make sure that anyone involved can never serve on the board of a public company or as an officer of a public company ever again," said Nell Minow of The Corporate Library, an independent corporate-governance research firm. "It's unthinkable to me that these people continue to be involved," she said. That punishment, according to Minow, typically applied by the SEC in cases of illegal trading, should include the executives and boards of directors of all the major financial institutions still participating in the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Panel members offered a variety of disciplinary measures typically applied in cases of fraud, and Grayson stressed that the issue was punishment for "gross mismanagement," which is technically legal. Fortunately, former SEC chief accountant Lynn Turner said, the two dovetail somewhat, thanks to the Enron generation of financial scandals. "When you passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, you gave the SEC the authority to find that when they look at directors or officers and find that they're substantially unfit to fill those roles, they can bar them forever from serving in those roles at a public company," Turner said. "And I think in some of the instances in these companies, we're going to find that some of these directors are in fact substantially unfit to fulfill that role, haven't demonstrated the fitness ability and the SEC should forever bar them from being an officer or director of a public company." Though the other two panelists were more than comfortable suggesting a legal framework for further action against finance executives, Harvard Law professor Lucien Bebchuk seemed reluctant to prescribe new legislation to the committee. Grayson grew impatient. "Mr. Bebchuk, I'm asking you what should the law be?" he said. "That's what we do around here, we determine that." WATCH: Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Michelle Renee: Sarah Palin Wants Letterman to Apologize...Seriously? Top
This one has got me half laughing and half shaking my head in disbelief. Sarah Palin said "It's no wonder girls have such low self-esteem in America when a comedian can make a remark like this." Really? She went on to say that this is the reason we have so many problems with young girls in society today. I sat back in my chair after reading this and thought, "Isn't part of the problem 16 year olds getting pregnant?" Comedians joke around. They make fun. They find a hot button and push it. That is what they do and I personally love that they can take almost any topic, serious or not, and make me laugh about it. Palin, on the other hand, is a comedian of a whole other kind. She doesn't even know that what she is saying about Letterman while she herself is the one needing to apologize to young girls for her and her daughter's example has many of us in stitches. If anyone needs to look at what they have said that is a problem and has been a poor example to young girls, how about "I can see Russia from my house" or "My 16 year old daughter is pregnant". I am not perfect and have made some really stupid choices in my lifetime. But to sit back, film an interview while a turkey is being slaughtered behind you, throw a baby shower for your teen daughter, babble on television trying to pretend you know anything about foreign policy like a badly operated puppet and then point fingers at Letterman and say he is the problem and needs to apologize...wow. That is ignorance and denial I can't help but laugh at while scratching my head wondering how the hell this women ever got on the McCain ticket in the first place. We are still waiting for you to apologize, Ms. Palin. But we are not holding our breath. More on David Letterman
 
Cathy Erway: A Volunteer Day at Stone Barns, Celebrating Five Years of Sustainable Farming & Education Top
Cross-posted from Not Eating Out in New York If April showers bring May flowers, then June showers bring July... peppers! Zucchini! Tomatoes, purple string beans and strawberries! And okay, more flowers, too. And that's just the beginning of what's in store as summer harvest time approaches at Stone Barns Center For Food and Agriculture . I recently heard a local farmer recommend to anyone wanting to volunteer at a farm, "Don't go in July and August," - when it's all nice out and everything's coming out of the soil like crazy. Go from April to June or so - essentially, now. I can't say this is exactly why I went to Stone Barns to roll up my sleeves and help plant this week, though. The reason I went was fairly simple: it's Stone Barns, and I'd never been there before. A working farm and educational center, Stone Barns is perhaps the most lauded archetype for sustainable agriculture in the Northeast, and popular destination for eco-conscious foodies. Its tightly woven ecosystem includes cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys and fields and greenhouses of produce across its 80 beautiful acres. It is the heart of Blue Hill , the Michelin-starred restaurant led by executive chef Dan Barber, which has a sister location in Manhattan. And it's only 30 minutes from Midtown by train, located in Pocantico Hills, New York. My cab driver looked confused when he drove up to the locked gate in front of a long driveway surrounded by sprawling pasture. "Closed Mondays and Tuesdays," a sign read. It was Tuesday. "You work here?" he asked. "Uh, yeah," I said, paying him $10 for the quick ride from the Tarrytown Metro-North station to the agriculture center. At least, for the day. And what a day I'd picked: the thunder and lightning that had woken me up through the night had lightened up to a steady downpour all morning. It was a good thing I was working in the greenhouse. When I arrived at the greenhouse I found my friend Katarina crouched over a row of baby spinach. It was her first time volunteering at Stone Barns, too. I also met Olivia, the Four-Season Farm Apprentice who'd OK'd our volunteer visit. Since she'd taken up the post in January, Olivia seemed to have an intimate knowledge of every seedling inside the place. After a cheerful introduction, I was put to work on harvesting the spinach and lettuces, too. Stone Barns' main greenhouse is an enclosed half-acre of in-ground crops that grow with very little if any extra heating, even in the winter. There are several smaller, tent-like greenhouses to its side. As with all the crops on the farm, they are grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. A large white tank just outside the greenhouse labeled "Compost Tea" helps to fertilize the soil. The "tea" is made up of only the debris and manure from the farm itself (and sometimes compost scraps from the staffs' homes, according to Olivia), which are combined with water and aerated inside the tank for a period of time by a device somewhat like a fishtank bubbler before it's ready to use. (Unlike regular tea, it does not need hot water to "brew.") All the crops produced here, like the meat and eggs from the farm's livestock, are sold at Stone Barns' farm stand or used in the kitchens of Blue Hill. Snapping leaf after leaf off its delicate stem with a serrated knife and plopping them into a basket, I was reminded of the chapter in The Omnivore's Dilemma where Michael Pollan goes to Earthbound Farm and observes the migrant workers doing this backbreaking task all day under the hot California sun. We were spared the sun's rays being inside the greenhouse (not that there was any outside, either), but crouching constantly is definitely not for the old or un-fit, I learned after just a few minutes of it. Olivia conceded this point, too -- even with a bucket to sit on, this work was strenuous. (Katarina says she's still sore from all that crouching, whereas I'd opted to sort of kneel out in the dirt and got really muddy, but ache-free). But despite this discomfort, we had a good time chatting through the work amongst ourselves, and with an intern who joined in, who had just graduated college and was starting a summer at Stone Barns. Leaving only the tiniest baby greens to grow, we moved onto transplanting a few rows of lettuces. Olivia showed us which seedlings to plant where -- different varieties of mesclun greens that would benefit from intercropping. They each had interesting names like Regina and Oscart, names that for the most part never make their way to the market. These seeds were sown in small beds covered with netting to keep bugs out until the sprouts were strong enough to go in the ground. Not all of them make it, and placing the clumps of soil with their delicate roots into the holes we'd dug, I feared that some of these might not thrive, either. Olivia and Katarina assured me that most would. But after planting two rows of them (hopefully not too clumsily), I felt a certain attachment to these plants. How are they doing now? Will they survive? I guess I'll have to come back sometime soon and see. Taking a break, we walked around the farm for a while, peeking into the chicken coops and livestock pens. We were treated to a walk-through of some of the field gardening operations by Zach, the apprentice field manager. The pastures at Stone Barns are hilly, which makes it a little more difficult to plow and to evenly irrigate. But with a little innovation, trial and error, it produces vast amounts of diverse crops. We also took in the rustic quaintness of the courtyard and surrounding buildings. Really stone barns, the circa-1890 complex had originally been a dairy farm owned by the Rockefeller family. After decades of disuse, Peggy Rockefeller began a cattle breeding operation on the land in the 1970s. Her husband, David Rockefeller, eventually restored the estate and established it as an agriculture center in 2004, in her memory. Stepping into a barn, we saw a ceiling strewn with what looked like dried cornhusks and smelled like hay. There we met Jack Algiere, the Four-Season Grower in charge of the greenhouse and garden operations, who was generous enough to step away from his paperwork to chat. He explained the dried things were a particular variety of black soybeans he was drying out to collect the seeds. Plucking one of the round, matte black pebbles, he told us that he'd gotten the seeds from a friend who had cultivated them for more than thirty years; since then, he's taken them from state to state in which he's lived, and says he's still learning about breeding for soy. The agrarian art of seed saving has been in great decline in recent years (as discussed in detail in a later chapter of Food, Inc. , which opens today). Essentially, seeds have been patented, and most commercial farmers forced to use only certain patented (and often genetically-modified) seeds instead of saving their own. What Jack's friend had been doing with these soybeans, and what Jack was taking up the ropes on, was what farmers had been doing for ages in order to breed the best product for their particular plot of land: selecting and planting seeds over several harvests, so that they gradually change. These black soybeans were very rare, according to Jack; he hasn't seen or heard of them being grown by more than a few farms including his friend's. He also found them to be a very practical plant, higher in rhizobia than most legumes, which fixes nitrogen in the soil beneficial to growing other plants. They say you learn something new every day, but I couldn't count all the things I soaked in during my day at Stone Barns with two hands. With summer near, the center's farm stand will not only be overflowing with produce, but its workshops and activities much more numerous. I look forward to coming back another (non-rainy) day to help out in the fields -- or to try the restaurant for the first time (read: I would not turn down a date to Blue Hill). The day Katarina and I volunteered happened to fall on Stone Barns' five-year anniversary. The staff was looking forward to celebrating it that evening with beer and Mexican food. But a siesta the next day? Probably not. They are so committed, these kind and knowledgable staff. See events, volunteer opportunities and more info at Stone Barns' website More on Food
 
Vallas Confirms He's Not Running For Cook County President Top
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Paul Vallas, the superintendent of the state-run school district in New Orleans, said he will not run for the Cook County Board in his native Illinois next year. Vallas in a statement Friday said transitioning out of his current role and preparing for a run for office would be distracting. He said he didn't need any distractions as the work continued to reform public schools and put in place a leadership team to carry on the work of the Recovery School District. "While elected office is an essential form of public service, education is a crucial public service, particularly at this time in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana," he said. "I'm committed to seeing our work here through another year." Vallas said in February, as he mulled a possible run, that he planned to stay with the school district through the 2009-10 school year. But he said he planned to take a more diminished role and begin the process of leaving the superintendent's office after January if the management team he was trying to recruit was in place by the start of the term. "I've said that I would transition out if I felt I could do it without disrupting or slowing down our reforms," he said in Friday's statement. "We have seen some very positive results (including big jumps in our test scores, a balanced budget and our high school restructuring) but my work here is not done." After Hurricane Katrina, officials saw an opportunity to overhaul New Orleans' long-troubled public school system. Vallas took over the Recovery district in mid-2007, after developing a reputation as an education reformer in Chicago and Philadelphia. He has made a run for public office before. He lost the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor in 2002 to now-impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Vallas' family lives in the Chicago area. -ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
Wendy Diamond: Lucky Helps One Kid, One World & One Funny Fido! Top
Lucky attended the 8th annual Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon this week where she ran into Rachael Ray! Amidst all the barking and tail wagging, Ray accepted the North Shore Animal League's President's Award for Humanitarian Excellence. Lucky was a little bummed Rachael's dog, Isaboo, wasn't there to play, but settled for a few of Rachael's funny dog stories about her famous pooch. "You know, my favorite moment of the day, I guess, is when I get home from work, I get down on my knees and Issy puts one paw on either shoulder and gives me a big welcome-home hug. There isn't any time that I spend with Issy that I don't enjoy and value." (Rachael Ray and Lucky Diamond) Ray said that if Isaboo were a human, she'd be a diplomat -- like Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Isaboo inspired Ray to start Nutrish, her line of dog food and treats. Lucky is in puppy love with peanut butter flavored Booscotti. All proceeds of the treats are donated to rescue organizations. Find out more about Rachael Ray and how Nutrish is saving pets at www.RachaelRay.com/pets Later that day, we headed over to Caroline's Comedy Club to share a few laughs at Funny for Fido, an annual event to raise money for dogs in need. According to 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander, he has a posh puppy place to stay. "I actually live at a dog's place. I don't have my own place but I know some dogs who have a really nice pad, I stay with them," Friedlander said, whose hair was also inspired by a couple of poodles. "My parents have two little toy poodles. But they don't have the fancy haircuts. They just have long shaggy hair and they're messy, like me. I think we both inspire each other." After, Judah said Tina Fey's (also a 30 Rock -er) dog name should be Tina, but founder of Funny for Fido Justin Silver thought differently. He had a bone to pick with his choice, saying, "I prefer animal names that are not people names. When someone is like 'This is my dog Claire' I'm not into that. I've got Boogey, Sexy Face [referring to his cats], Chiquita, Pacino and Shakes [referring to his dogs]. Anything with fur I'm crazy about." Lucky (a rescue herself) was excited to see so many people helping pets in need of rescue this week, but she wants you to get involved! Please help your local animal shelters and rescue organizations by donating your time or money. Help a pooch in need get Lucky! Lucky was the only dog at the One Kid One World event at the uber-exclusive Soho House. There she rubbed noses with The View 's Sherri Shepherd, Food Network's Grill It & Throw Down 's Bobby Flay and his Law and Order ly wife Stephanie March. The event hosted many other good-hearted people gathered to raise money for underprivileged children in Kenya. Flay, who once had a rescue cat named Pumpkin, is currently trying to convince Stephanie to rescue another sweetie. However, being allergic to cats, Stephanie prefers Bobby's pumpkin pie, pumpkin burger, pumpkin bread, and well -- anything else pumpkin! Sherri Shepherd was so excited to chat about Angel, a Black Lab she rescued from the streets of Compton, California! One Kid One World's overall mission is to visit schools in developing countries and provide aid. The organization has greatly benefited Kenyan schools and will continue to do so in the future. They'd love your help -- to donate or volunteer with OKOW, please visit: onekidoneworld.org . Anything you can do to pitch in would be grr-eat! More on 30 Rock
 
Cops Raid Long Island Horror House Top
Police on Long Island arrested five family members in a house where seven children lived in what officials described as shocking squalor.
 
Pablo Triana: B-School Professors, Not Students, Are To Blame Top
Rivers of ink have been spilled blaming MBA graduates for the credit crisis. We are tired of reading how many of the disgraced bank executives that presided the institutions which dumb, ill-fated punts sank the world were endowed with the formerly-glorious degree. We are once more relentlessly reminded that Enron was also commandeered by MBAs. Some unrelenting Bush-bashers have not missed the opportunity to remind us that, yes, the former Prez has a diploma by Harvard Business School on the wall too. If all those havoc-wreakers have the MBA in common, then the MBA must be a very very bad thing, right? Let's scour the land in search of anyone sporting the three-letter acronym on their resumes and duly hang them high. Let's have our revenge for the economic and financial mess that has destroyed so many lives, let's give MBAs hell! Sadly for the bloodthirsty avengers, the actual truth is that the MBA per se did not cause the mayhem (though there are certainly tons of problems with the degree and many of its holders). Most pundits and (much more damagingly sinister) b-school administrators and faculty members are laying the blame for the disaster on the greed-obsessed, capitalism-revering, ethics-light behavior on the part of financial players, which the latter supposedly picked up while earning their MBAs. According to this line of finger-pointing, Wall Street MBAs were too greedy, too capitalistic, too unethical. If only their classroom training had worshiped money-making a bit less, if only it had emphasized community values a tad more intensely. Time to imbue the curriculums with courses on responsible citizenry and unbounded ethicality (maybe b-schools can indoctrinate MBAs into always ceding their bus seat to old ladies?); that, goes the argument, will prevent any future similar mishap. But, if we are fair, we must admit that MBAs are being unfairly targeted, thus making the proposed solutions not really preemptive. MBAs did no more and no less than what a typical Wall Streeter has the potential to do. Once they receive that diploma and cash in their sign-on bonuses, MBAs became businesspeople, thus displaying the same potential weaknesses as any other businessperson (MBA or not, high school graduate or not): temptation, avarice, corners-cutting, cheating. The MBAs involved in the crisis found themselves in such unsavory position not because of their academic credentials but because of their (degree-neutral) actions as businesspeople. I mean, it's not like the MBA-endowed Merrill Lynch traders who gorged on impossibly toxic securities based their reckless decisions on anything they were taught years prior by some taciturn professor. "Man, b-school made me so greedy and unethical that I had no alternative but to purchase $100 billion of Subprime CDOs" was most certainly not the rationale behind the actions of the punters anymore than his HBS brainwashing was the main motivation behind Jeffrey Skilling's peccadilloes in Houston. B-school administrators and faculty (together with naïve outsiders) are simply assigning too much weight to what goes on inside their hallowed grounds. Maybe that's why they are blaming their students and the gaps in their education for the worst crisis since the 1929 Crash. These people assume that what MBAs are taught at b-school dictates their future professional activities, and nothing could be further from the truth, especially in the case of finance, particularly in the case of trading activity. I know, I studied and taught at top b-schools. B-schools arrogantly believe that what they teach affects graduates throughout every single day of their lives, but in fact MBAs can't forget what they were taught soon enough (and employers too typically assume that they didn't learn much; simply witness the contents of the training programs at investment banks). Note to administrators and profs: no, what you taught (or didn't teach) MBAs did not cause the crisis; your indoctrination is not that important, is not that relevant, is not that influential, not by a long shot. Once your students receive their diplomas, they, frankly, forget about you. As they should, as grown-up businesspeople. It's not as if having forced all MBA students to take a course on helping the blind cross the street or on the virtuousness of poverty would have prevented any of the financial and economic meltdowns that the world has witnessed. Besides, the current crisis has little to do with ethics or unlawful behavior, except perhaps in the subprime loan origination process, which of course happens to be precisely the area where no MBAs could be found. This was no Enron. Wall Street simply made huge toxic, yet entirely lawful, bets and it lost. Rather than (presumptuously) blaming their students for acting in ways that many other businesspeople would naturally choose (another note to faculty: not all the people who caused losses were MBAs), b-school bosses should take a hard look at themselves. If they want to search for truly guilty parties they should leave their students alone and fixate on the mirror in front of them. It's the theories concocted and sponsored by the theory-adoring professors that can cause the real troubles, and that did cause trouble this time and in the past. Theoretical concoctions played a decisive role in the unleashing of the current crisis, as they have, by the way, in all the worst market disasters since 1929. B-schools, by churning out, promoting, and endorsing the theoretical method (over any other considerations) are responsible. By endowing the use of (often deleterious, almost always flawed) analytical tools with untold respectability and legitimacy, the current b-school status quo puts us all in danger. That's the truly unseemly and unjustified behavior, not MBAs behaving (for better or worse) as businesspeople.
 
Biodiesel Law Goes Into Effect in Massachusetts Top
Jun. 8--NORTH ANDOVER -- For some people, "biodiesel" might seem like a novelty product for which only hybrid car-driving tree huggers wouldn't mind paying a premium. But that's destined to soon change. Starting July 2010, any Massachusetts resident who drives a diesel vehicle or has an oil-heated home will be using biofuel. That's because the Clean Energy Biofuels Act of 2008 -- adopted by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick last year -- will require all diesel and home-heating oil sold in the state to contain some biofuel. More on The Future Of Fuel
 
David Fiderer: The Simple Arithmetic of Federal Deficits, A Counterpoint to The New York Times Analysis Top
"The Great Debt Scare is back," writes Robert Reich in response to a New York Times analysis of how the government's finances devolved into a "Sea of Red Ink." The Times' starting point is a Congressional Budget Office forecast , presented in January 2001, which showed a $3.5 trillion surplus accumulated over the 2001 - 2008 period. Actually, both Reich and the Times seem to be pulling their punches. They might have offered more cogent analyses had they let the numbers do the talking. The numbers show how we've been kidding ourselves for a long time. The $5.5 Trillion Shortfall In January 2001, the CBO forecast that the government would accumulate, over the 2001 - 2008 period, a $3.5 trillion surplus. The actual results were about $5.5 trillion worse than expected; there was a $2 trillion deficit. Nonetheless, the CBO's projections proved to be pretty accurate in one crucial area. We forget that the original $3.5 trillion surplus was almost evenly split between the federal government, called on "On Budget" in CBO parlance, and Social Security, misleadingly labeled as "Off Budget" revenues and outlays. As it turned out, the government's operating deficit was $3.4 trillion, or about $5.2 trillion worse than expected. But Social Security did in fact generate a $1.4 trillion surplus. In other words, about 95% of the $5.5 trillion shortfall is attributable to deficits created by the Federal government itself. The $1.4 Trillion Social Security Subsidy, AKA "Unfunded Entitlements" Of course, the Social Security surplus is a misnomer, in that it is already spoken for. It's supposed to be the nest egg, comprised of standard Treasuries, held for the bulge of baby boomers who reach retirement age in about 10 years. But instead, of issuing Treasury bonds, which effectively increases the money supply, the government uses that surplus to reduce the size of the government's current operating deficit. Those never-purchased Treasury bonds are deemed to be "unfunded entitlements." [To recap the story those Social Security entitlements: They were funded by the employees and employers who paid in to the system. They could have funded the purchase of bona-fide Treasury bonds to pay for retirement benefits. They became unfunded when the government applied the proceeds to reduce its current operating deficits.] Thanks to the $1.4 trillion Social Security surplus, the reported federal deficit was reduced by 40%, from $3.4 trillion to $2 trillion. The $2 trillion total doesn't seem so bad when compared to that accumulated over prior eight-year-periods. The $1.7 trillion deficit for the eight years preceding the Clinton Administration seemed more onerous, since U.S. GDP at that time was much smaller. But notice how the Social Security surplus seems to double every eight years. This was part of the grand design of social security. As we move closer to the day of reckoning for baby boom retirements, around 2016, when cash paid out by Social Security starts exceeding cash inflows, the annual surplus is supposed to grow steadily larger, thanks to the compound interest income earned by Social Security. Bush Tax Cuts in An Historical Perspective Was the $5.5 trillion shortfall caused by taxes or spending? As you might expect, it was a combination of both. Most of the increased government outlays went to the myriad activities encompassed by the so-called global war on terror. The decline in On-Budget revenues was unprecedented since the Great Depression. Historically federal revenues always rose because government spending always rose more. On rare occasions, federal revenues might decline in a single year, as they did in the 1983. But they never declined two years in a row, excepting the 1946-1947 period following World War II. In 2003, long after the last recession ended in November 2001, federal revenues were 19% below what they were in 2000. This should have been a signal to everyone that the current tax structure was unsustainable. But the growing impact of the Social Security surplus, which reduced the reported deficit, masked the underlying problems. Revenues rose dramatically in 2005 and 2006, thanks to in large part to the taxable income derived from the real estate and financial bubbles. Following the bubble came the meltdown, measured by a 20% decline in On-Budget revenues for 2009, according to estimates by the Office of Management and Budget . That's a much bigger decline, on a percentage basis, than the decline after World War II. At the same time, the government in 2009 is spending a trillion dollars more than it spent in 2008. Look at how the situation progressed since 2001. This is the situation that the Obama Administration inherited. The OMB projects that future deficits will dwarf all those prior to 2009. Karl Rove emphasized that point. Since future deficits dwarf those experienced under Bush, Bush is blameless, he argues. As he told Greta Van Susteren the other night: ROVE This guy is going to run up a $1.8 trillion deficit. That's what it's projected to be this year. VAN SUSTEREN: Do you take some responsibility, meaning you, the Bush eight years, for this... ROVE: No. VAN SUSTEREN: You take absolutely no responsibility? Because... ROVE: No, let's put... VAN SUSTEREN: For the -- for the debt. ROVE: Well, look, we had a deficit that ran 2 percent of GDP. And we were fighting a war and trying to grow the economy. He's planning a 4 percent of GDP. VAN SUSTEREN: That's twice. ROVE: Twice. He's going to -- you know, his smallest deficit is $200 billion larger than Bush's largest deficit. Think about that. Obama's smallest deficit. We go to $1.8 trillion this year. We then decline under his budget plan to roughly $650 billion in three years. And then for the next seven years back -- we go right back up to over a trillion-dollar deficit. That's his plan, and that's based on rosy economic assumptions. The deficit this year is expected to be $1.845 trillion. As for the numbers, Rove is correct. As with Iraq and Afghanistan, George Bush left a situation that ties the hands of his successor. More on Karl Rove
 
Obama, Tsvangirai Meeting: Obama Expresses 'Extraordinary Admiration' Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is praising Zimbabwe's prime minister for trying to the lead the beleaguered African nation from political and economic strife toward more hopeful times. Obama said Friday that he has "extraordinary admiration" for the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai (SVAHNG'-ur-eye). The two leaders spoke to reporters after a private meeting in the Oval Office. Obama said the U.S. wants to help encourage the rule of law, human rights and basic health and education services in Zimbabwe. After years of opposition that involved suffering death threats, arrests and beatings, Tsvangirai is now trying to change Zimbabwe's government from the inside after President Robert Mugabe invited him into a coalition in February. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. WASHINGTON (AP) _ Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, faces a tricky task in persuading President Barack Obama to lift restrictions on aid to his beleaguered country. He has to vouch for the democratic credentials of his coalition partner, President Robert Mugabe, who has been accused of stealing an election from Tsvangirai and orchestrating widespread violence. On Friday, he plans to make his case that his government is on a new path directly with Obama at the White House. After years of dogged opposition that involved suffering death threats, arrests and beatings, he is now trying to change Zimbabwe's government from the inside after Mugabe invited him into a coalition in February. Tsvangirai arrived in Washington this week as part of a three-week tour of Western countries, trying to persuade governments to offer some aid despite worries about Mugabe. The administration says it is listening but still has reservations. After a meeting between Tsvangirai and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the administration was looking for "ways to ease the suffering of the Zimbabwean people without bolstering those forces that are clinging to corruption and repression." He said the United States would consider development aid if certain reform benchmarks are met. Tsvangirai says that Zimbabwe, where the standard of living has plunged under drastic financial mismanagement, needs aid now. He warned in a speech Wednesday that overhauling the system could falter without aid. In the speech, he also argued that Zimbabwe has made progress since his Movement for Democratic Change joined the coalition government. He acknowledged the challenge of working with a man responsible for much of his suffering and that of his country. "Well, I was almost killed. I know that," he said. But he asserted that Mugabe was allowing reform. "We are moving into a new phase, and that's what needs to be rewarded rather than punished," he said. Meanwhile, Mugabe has been portraying Tsvangirai as his personal emissary to the United States. Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper, a mouthpiece of Mugabe's ZANU PF party, greeted Monday's announcement of the White House meeting by saying Tsvangirai was "assigned" by Mugabe and ministers in the power-sharing government to press for the removal of sanctions and the restoration of Western funding and lines of credit. On Thursday, its daily cartoon depicted Tsvangirai leaving the White House empty-handed, asking Obama what had happened to his slogan "Yes, we can." Obama replies, "No, we can't!" John Makumbe, a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe, said Tsvangirai's Oval Office meeting with Obama was "a slap in the face" for Mugabe. Mugabe, frozen out by the White House for more than a decade, has not commented on the visit. Mugabe, as the first leader of independent Zimbabwe, visited President Jimmy Carter in 1980, the year of independence, and President Ronald Reagan in 1983. As Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush visited Zimbabwe. ___ Associated Press writer Donna Bryson in Johannesburg contributed to this report. More on Zimbabwe
 
Maker Of 'Fuel' Documentary Promotes Algae Energy Top
For documentary film maker Josh Tickell, it's all about algae. The micro organism's potential to deliver America from its dependence on foreign oil receives a big chunk of screen time in Tickell's movie "Fuel," which goes into national distribution this fall after winning awards at the Sundance Film Festival and others. More on The Future Of Fuel
 
Gerald Sindell: Flash! FAA Requires More Data Points on Airbus A330. Volunteers, Anyone? Top
I remember many happy times in First Class. I remember when they used to print your name on matchbooks and they'd be miraculously waiting at your seat when you sat down. I remember First Class on Air Canada when they rolled a huge slab of gravlax down the aisle and slice you off a little, accompanied by a shot of cold vodka. And I remember when the FAA was the real cop of airline safety. They didn't let anybody get away with anything. Everyone who cares about zero tolerance for error pays extremely close attention when an airliner goes down. Every accident is the result of someone failing to imagine or anticipate a combination of circumstances that should have been anticipated by someone. And I'll be you dollars to donuts that someone, or maybe even a whole lot of someones that worked on the design of the Airbus A330 has a pretty good idea of what went wrong. Hint: Right now they're swapping out the old pitot tubes as fast as they can. And yes, you do know what a pitot tube is. Next time you board an airplane, just before you get on the jetway and step across the transom into the plane, look to your left along the side of the aircraft. A few feet under the pilot's left window a little tube is pointed forward, like a dog's nose stuck out a car window, sniffing the air. That's the pitot tube, and it will be sniffing your windspeed when your plane starts flying. How important it is to know how fast you're flying? Fly too slow and the wings can't lift the plane. That's called a stall, and the plane tries to fall out of the sky. Young training pilots practice stalling their planes and pulling out of them over and over again, but it helps if you don't stall too close to the ground, or in bad weather where you can't see the horizon and your instruments are not working. Then it's really hard to pull out of a stall. Fly too fast and parts of the airplane start to come off. Important bits, like wings and tails. So you can see that the pitot tube is a really important part of the airplane, and has been since the early days of powered manned flight. Which brings us back to the good old days when first class really had class and the FAA didn't let anybody get away with any shortcuts. Every aircraft failure was carefully studied so that the number of defects, both mechanical and human, could be reduced. How about today's FAA? When that Dash 8 Q440 dropped out of the sky on approach in Buffalo, people were suddenly interested in an FAA inspector, a courageous individual named Christopher J. Monteleon, who had reported to the FAA that Colgan Air "was having difficulty flying the plane." He was moved to a desk job. (And you thought you were buying a seat on Continental, but your pilot was okayed by Colgan. If you're reading this somewhere at 35,000 feet, sorry, but no, you cannot get off for a few more hours.) Onward to the waters of the horse latitudes. Now, I realize that a "spokesperson" is just that. A spokesperson is someone just doing their job. Shouldn't make a leap from spokesperson to the whole institution, right? Well, I hope not, because this is what the FAA's spokesperson Betsey Talton was quoted in the NY Times today as saying about the Air France Flight 447 that still hasn't landed in Paris, and which a whole lot of people have given up expecting to see land: "We don't have data to indicate an unsafe condition exists." When I read that 228 souls have disappeared, 22 bodies found so far, the tail of the aircraft fished out of the Atlantic, I don't think it's too hasty to say that we have a lot of data. And we have even more data: something went terribly wrong on that aircraft, and no reasonable person thinks it was a meteorite or a terrorist. The plane itself reported back a stream of data that told the tale of a cascade of failures, including the computers and the backup computers. The pilots no longer had enough information to fly the aircraft, or the controls to fly the aircraft, even though they had the skills. They were helpless to save the ship. The pitot tubes may or may not have failed, but it appears overwhelmingly clear that the flight control systems were not robust enough to survive whatever happened. And if you want even more data about those frozen pitot tubes, take a look at this story about Air Caraibes A330 and their pitot tubes . When will the FAA decide it has enough data? When the flight recorders are recovered? And what if they aren't? End of story? Nothing to see here? Move on? That reminds me. Why has the FAA delayed mandating that flight recorders in flights over water must float? Don't tell me that this is one more instance of, "No one could have imagined." I thought we had left that behind us. In the meantime, anybody want to be a data point? You can buy your ticket over here. Just asking.
 
This Week In Reality TV: Sorry Isn't Going To Cut It (VIDEO) Top
We can't resist reality TV and summer is when it really gets trashy (read: fabulous). Each week we will bring you the best of the rest: All the cliches, all the ridiculous god talk, all the Speidi drama, just for the love of the game. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Reality TV
 
Francesca Biller-Safran: You Homophobes Just Jealous Gay Weddings will be Better Top
Let's just get to the heart of it already and be honest with one another, my anti-gay sisters and brothers. Those who oppose same sex marriage are just worried that you won't be able to compete with stylishly fabulous gay weddings and receptions once they become the norm. And you also probably won't be invited too. Writer Fran Lebowitz said, "If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left with Let's Make a Deal. Just admit it; everyone knows that once same-sex marriage becomes legal, no one will be want to attend a heterosexual wedding ever again. Hallelujah! Just think of it, no more tiny boxes to check on Wal-Mart-designed invitations for choices of only chicken or fish eaten at a hotel or place of worship, with only wine or champagne, man and wife, and Rabbi or Priest, while drunkenly dancing to the Macarena and George Michael!. With a mainstream culture of gay weddings, there will be an untold fortitude of taste and class including fashionable attire, even for bridesmaids, grooms-maid's, brides-men, brides-brides and grooms-groom's. I apologize if I left anyone out. Have your people call my people. There will also be a moratorium of no more ugly pyramids of fat people stuffed into tight clothing with bouffant hairdos posing for pictures, except for the rare drag queen who will finally be allowed to attend the ball for the first time in his or her life. Bless their heart. Instead there will be glamorous black and white 1930s style film photos, Fred Astaire top hats and brides who will look traditionally different but groomed beyond any dream by Elton John, finished off with hairstyles that will cause no one PTSD. There will also be a sudden unavailability of wedding planners for heterosexual weddings. Caterers, wedding dress designers and florists will suddenly become booked up as they plan long-awaited weddings for their friends and anyone who has supported them, leaving "straight" couples to fend for themselves. But that's OK, because we know from reading best sellers like the Bible that same-sex marriage is a sin anyway; therefore, if one were to be un-hypocritical and intelligent, losing out on "sinful" wedding planners won't be a sin in anyone's book after all. On the ugliness of blatant homophobia, John Stewart said, "Why can't they have gay people in the army? Personally, I think they are just afraid of a thousand guys with M16s going, "Who'd you call a faggot?" The f- word is ugly, and the gay haters are even uglier and jealous that they don't have as great taste, that they make less money overall than non-straights, and that they are simply not as creative or stylish. . . not even the same ball park. Just think of the floral centerpieces alone we will get to bring home. No more baby breath bouquets with three roses in only three colors and a monogrammed ribbon to fight over. No more hideous matching Technicolor polyester bridesmaid dresses blinding our eyeballs just to make the bride look thinner in comparison because she is wearing white long dress with ten inch heels hidden beneath. Robin Williams said, "We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture." No more aging D.J.'s to get all the grandparents from Miami and New York and The Los Angeles Valley to dance to the Village People's "YMCA," because the Village People will finally be allowed to get married, and in high style at that. Once gay weddings become mainstream; the dinner courses and decorations alone will be worth buying the stylish and slightly more expensive wedding gifts. Just stop the lying already. I can't take it, someone bring me some happy juice, or as the old ladies used to call Manishevitz in my old neighborhood. I know those who say they are against same-sex marriage claim religious and moral high grounds. But why not instead look at the issue from a different view that may serve their own selfish needs even better in the long run? Hail Jesus! . . I just had a genius, evangelical-like idea! And Hail Mary, Pat Robertson and Mitt Romney too while I'm at it! If you begin to turn your hatred and ignorance into a more understanding, less bigoted frame of mind beginning right now; perhaps some homosexuals may still have it in their big hearts and talent to forgive you, and help in your children's and grandchildren's weddings after all. It's just a matter of time until "those people" will be able to legally wed anyway under Obama, so why not get on their good side now so that you can have wedding album-ready receptions. It also may get you on the waiting list for invitations to the some of the greatest parties that will yet be known to man, and thrown by men. More on Mitt Romney
 
Palau Uighurs Face Culture Shock Top
KOROR, Palau — They came from a land of scorching deserts, snowcapped mountains, camels and mosques. Now after several miserable years imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, 13 Muslims from China will try to resettle on the tiny Pacific nation of Palau _ a land of lush beach resorts. Some residents said Friday they are afraid of the former prisoners, while others worried they won't adjust to life here. "It's good to be humanitarian and all, but still these people to me are scary," said Natalia Baulis, 30, a mother of two, in Palau's laid-back capital, Koror. The detainees were captured in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001, but the Pentagon determined last year that they were not "enemy combatants." They have been treated like global untouchables since the U.S. decided to free them, saying they weren't a danger to the country. No nation agreed to take the 13 men until Palau _ a former U.S. trust territory _ welcomed them to the tropical tourist getaway, about 500 miles east of the Philippines. Sending them back to China wasn't an option for Washington because of concerns that Chinese authorities would immediately arrest the men who belong to the minority ethnic Uighur group. The restive Turkic people live in China's far western region of Xinjiang _ a territory three times the size of Texas that shares borders with Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Central Asian nations. Most Uighurs are Muslim and many want Xinjiang to become independent. In recent years, they've staged bombings and other attacks, mostly against Chinese police, government and military targets. The Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) detained in Guantanamo were accused of being militants seeking training in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dru Gladney, an expert on Uighurs, applauded Washington's decision not to send the detainees back to China, where he said they would be treated worse than at Guantanamo. Resettling them in the U.S. _ especially in the Washington area where there's a substantial Uighur population _ would have been ideal, but Congress opposed that idea, he said. Palau will be tough for them because there aren't many Muslims in the predominantly Christian nation of 20,000 people, he said. "They are going to have a very difficult time of it for sure," said Gladney, a professor at the Pacific Basin Institute at Pomona College in California. When the Uighurs arrive, this balmy island nation will likely seem like an alien planet, with bikini-clad women on white sand beaches, meals of fresh saltwater fish and people snorkeling with dolphins in clear blue water. Back in the Uighurs' desert home, camels haul cargo across dusty deserts, cold winds blow off snowy mountains, and women usually cover up with head scarves. Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Germany-based World Uighur Congress, a pro-independence group, was also worried about the detainees' ability to adapt. "I'm concerned about their mental health," Raxit said by phone from Sweden. "They have been detained for a long time and they will need the help of psychologists. I hope the Palau government can provide the counseling and other help they need." Raxit added that China probably won't allow the Uighurs' families to visit or join them, so the men will experience intense isolation and loneliness. But he added that Palau would be better than Xinjiang, where about 9 million Uighurs live. "I'm extremely thankful that the U.S. government decided not to hand them over to China," he said. China still insists the Uighurs are terrorism suspects who should be repatriated. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang declined to say Thursday whether China would pressure Palau to return the men. Sending them back to China sounded like a great idea to some in Palau. Some worried they would scare away tourists, leading to problems with the multimillion-dollar hotel industry. Fermin Nariang, editor of the Palau newspaper Island Times, said people were stopping him in the streets in the capital of Koror and venting their anger. "This is a very small country," Nariang said, "and some are saying if the whole world doesn't want these folks, why are we taking them?" Palau President Johnson Toribiong said the country has a strong tradition of hospitality and the Uighurs were "international vagabonds" who deserved a new home. He denied the move was influenced by any massive aid package from Washington, but he said, "Palau's people are always on the side of the U.S. government." It was unclear when the detainees would arrive in Palau. Toribiong said a delegation would be sent to Guantanamo to assess the Uighurs. Four other Uighurs left Guantanamo Bay on Thursday for a new home in Bermuda _ a move that displeased some residents of the North Atlantic island. Even Britain, which handles Bermuda's defense, security and foreign affairs, expressed unhappiness at the deal, saying Bermuda's leaders failed to properly consult with them. A British Foreign Office spokesman, who declined to be named in keeping with department policy, said British authorities will be working with Bermudan officials to determine how much of a security threat the Uighurs are and that any next steps would be based on that. Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown said the men will be allowed to live in Bermuda initially as refugees but they would be permitted to pursue citizenship and would have the right to work, travel and "potentially settle elsewhere." Three years ago, the U.S. freed five Uighurs who were detained at Guantanamo and resettled them in Albania. Less than two weeks after they arrived in their new home country, lawyers for two of them filed a motion demanding they be moved to a more suitable place, like Washington. The lawyers said the men were afraid to venture out of the U.N. refugee compound in Albania where they lived because the local media had branded them "terrorists." They also couldn't find jobs in one of Europe's poorest countries, the attorneys said. But one of the former detainees, Abu Bakker Qassim, 40, told The Associated Press on Friday that he has learned the local language and likes living in Albania. The government pays his rent, and he even gets $330 a month for food and clothes. However, he's jobless and hasn't been able to reunite with his wife and three children in Xinjiang. "It is hard to find a job at this difficult time. I took a training course for making pizza and Albanian cooking. The two other (Uighurs) are also learning how to make pizza," said Qassim, who hopes to open a restaurant. Another Uighur is studying computer science, while one was granted political asylum in Sweden, where he had family. Qassim said he spent two hours Thursday chatting on the Internet with the four Uighurs in Bermuda. "They told me they were very pleased with the living conditions there," he said. ___ Associated Press writers Nancy Zuckerbrod in London and Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report. More on Asia
 
Joel B. Schwartzberg: Is "Change" Also an Iranian Election Theme? Top
Babak Rahimi , an assistant professor of Iranian and Islamic Studies at the University of California, has been in Iran since March to cover today's elections, and files a special online exclusive report for NOW on PBS . As I watch thousands of young Iranians energetically dance to the fast beat of techno music at a major political rally, a popular slogan can be heard from the crowd: If [the elections are] rigged, we will raise hell in Iran! This is the new voice of Iranian politics that has taken the country by storm over the last few weeks. Swathed in the color of green that symbolizes the nationalistic theme of rebirth and the Shi'i Islamic ideal of purity, these Iranians, mostly the younger generation born after the 1979 revolution, represent the most ardent supporters of Mir-Hussain Mousavi. A reformist candidate and a major rival to the incumbent hardliner president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mousavi is seeking to bring a new era of reform to Iran. For the most part, Mousavi's supporters have swarmed the streets of Tehran by the thousands every day and night, turning ordinary life into a party scene with their impromptu campaign songs and masquerade rallies. With a carnival-like attitude, young women call for equality while young men debate, and at times even engage in bloody scuffles with pro-Ahmadinejad supporters. "We want change and we want it now!" Reza, a 25 year-old student, tells me at one of the rallies in central Tehran. He then continues to dance to the loud sound of techno music while screaming anti-Ahmadinejad slogans. Rarely have Iranian electoral seasons so openly and bluntly witnessed such high fever on the street-level. As an academic and a keen student of Iranian political history, I am reminded of the heydays of the 1979 Iranian revolution, when thousands of men and women stormed into the streets of Tehran and other major cities. They were calling for an end to the Shah's regime, which was seen by many Iranians as the embodiment of tyranny and oppression. On my arrival to Tehran in March, I hardly felt any public interest in the June election. Unlike the U.S., the Iranian campaign season is less then a month and with such apathy in early spring, it appeared that this election would simply be like the previous one in 2005 with low voter turnout and little enthusiasm for the candidates. But the last few weeks of campaigning have simply produced the most astonishing political ambiance in Iran's post-revolutionary history; a blunt expression for change -- not any change but democratic change -- on the street level... Read the rest of the essay here. More on Iranian Election
 
10 Things You Need To Know About New Fuel Standards Top
There is not yet much data available on the President's CAFE announcement. Luckily, we have a huge base of analysis that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did in 2008 that allows us to infer a lot from what was announced. Here are the specific data points we have from the President's announcement: More on The Future Of Fuel
 
World Vision: Poipet: Where Cambodians Are Trafficked into Thailand Top
I had traveled to Cambodia's "wild west" border town of Poipet, in search of a story about human trafficking. It was certainly the edgiest assignment I'd ever undertaken with World Vision. Everyone knew that trafficking was rife, yet nobody wanted to talk to us about it. "There are no illegal crossings on our border," said an officer with the Cambodian border police. "Trafficking happens through the immigration post." "There is no way people can pass through immigration illegally," said a Cambodian immigration officer. "That would require a high level of corruption from both Thai and Cambodian officials. They cross the border instead." In fact, we were told in an anonymous interview, people go willingly and illegally across borders, across rivers, in casino cars straight through immigration. Hundreds of them every month. As many as half of them under-age. Our source refused to be named because he said that would endanger his family. He said he was telling us because he was tired of it all, he wanted it to stop. He had children of his own. The immigration officer told us that one of his duties was to bring back the bodies of Cambodians killed in Thailand. According to him, there were several each month, sometimes shot in bungled drug deals or arrests, sometimes beaten and left to die, or drowned in the river that forms the border. Most of them had crossed illegally; without paperwork, it was difficult, upsetting, and sometimes impossible, to identify them. "Why do people go with traffickers?" I asked everyone I met. "Because they are poor. Because here they earn $3 a day; there they earn $8." "Are children trafficked?" I asked. "Yes," they answered. "But not on our watch." Grasping at Poipet's slippery underbelly felt more like investigation than reporting. I will admit to suffering a twinge of regret that I could not push harder, break the crime rings with an exclusive "hidden camera" expose and the masked evidence of my anonymous source. But in fact, what World Vision is already doing is probably more important than that. One major solution to the problem lies in advocacy, in working with governments across borders on their will to change, working with communities to teach them how to protect themselves and understand their rights. World Vision has formed and joined coalitions that push governments to ratify and uphold legislation, including last year's groundbreaking Thailand law that finally recognized that boys and men could be considered victims of trafficking. Last year World Vision also hosted a workshop for border authorities in Poipet, with both Thai and Cambodian officials in attendance to learn about the causes, effects and legalities of human trafficking. Many of the police we met told us with pride that they had been in attendance. "The situation is definitely improving," our source told us. It's not time to rest just yet, though. Poipet is still a transient, dirty, lawless little town. Poverty still pushes people to take risks that will cost them dearly. We met Phu Pean, a grandmother at home with her two grandchildren; her daughter travels across the border to Thailand each day to make shoes at 2 baht a pair. "When should children work?" I asked her. "Oh, once they can talk," she said. "Then they are able to look after themselves." "Your grandchildren are talking now," I told her. "Would you ever send them to live and work in Thailand?" She thought. "I would," she said, "but I don't know how to find the people that would take them." At least -- unlike most of the other people I met in Poipet -- she was telling the truth. -- Katie Chalk World Vision released a report today called "Ten Things You Need to Know About Human Trafficking" [PDF]. Video of the interview with Phu Pean, as well as other people living and working in Poipet, is available online at World Vision. Katie Chalk is a writer and researcher who has been working for World Vision in the Asia-Pacific for the last four years. More on Thailand
 
Mike Lux: The Measure of Obama's Presidency Top
One of my most dominant memories of my years in the Clinton White House were the budget discussions at the very beginning of Clinton's first term in early 1993. It was a heady time for us Clintonites, winning the presidency for the first time since 1976, having control by big margins of both Houses of Congress. We had won with a populist platform of "Putting People First" -- making long term investments in programs to help the middle class and get poor people good jobs, and taking on powerful special interests so that we could do things like achieving universal health care. When we started talking about the budget, though, Bob Rubin argued that only an austere budget focused on reassuring bond holders that we were cutting the deficit would produce a stronger economy. He argued vehemently that we would have to put off all those promised people -- first investments, and that we must not put health care reform spending in the budget because it would undermine those bond holders' confidence. When President Clinton went with Rubin, and put off making those investments, and put off health care spending, he lost all of these promised policy goals for the duration of his presidency. This was a pattern that would be repeated throughout the Clinton years. When labor and environmentalists pushed for more safeguards in trade deals, Clinton was convinced that the business community wouldn't stand for it, and he caved. When the message that could have won the health care fight was a populist anti-insurance company message, pro-business advisers talked the Clintons out of using it. When Brooksley Born wanted to regulate derivatives, she was stopped by the economic conservatives in the administration. We made little progress on doing anything about climate change because we decided we couldn't beat the energy companies. My point here is not that Bill Clinton was a bad guy or a bad president. He got some good things done, including Family and Medical Leave, S-CHIP, an increase in the minimum wage, and progressive tax changes, among others. He presided over 8 years of solid economic growth and peace. But he did not deliver the big lasting progressive changes he promised because he was largely unwilling to stand up to the big special interests in corporate America. In a calmer era, when the economy was bubbling along reasonably well, Clinton could get along politically just fine by playing that kind of small ball, even though it was disappointing to progressives. But in the historical moment we are in today, I believe Barack Obama's presidency will only be a success if he swings for the fences, boldly takes on those powerful special interests, and beats them. Our problems are too big to be solved by small ball, and Obama's campaign and early days as president have built expectations too high, for him to be a success by settling for little things. Fortunately, the president seems to get this. It is Obama that has called clearly for big, bold change. It is Obama who has proposed a transformative budget. It is Obama who has taken on the insurance industry directly with his health care proposal that includes a public option, and is taking on the energy industry by attacking the climate change problem on several different fronts simultaneously. There are two questions now in front of us that will determine Obama's ultimate success: 1. Will the Democrats in the House and Senate that are closely allied with big corporate interests back their corporate friends or Obama ? There are a lot of Democrats who have historic ties to the insurance, energy, and financial interests, and who have (not to jump to conclusions or anything) taken a lot of their money. A lot of those Democrats are on the relevant committees working on the big bills affecting those industries, and we just saw an example of how those industry ties can twist a piece of good legislation into something far worse when you compare what Chairman Waxman wanted to do with the tortured thing that came limping out of his committee on climate change. We are about to see this process at work in Senate Finance on the health care bill. With Obama, the House leadership, and most Democrats in Congress on record in support of a public option, it is pretty strange that this conservative committee that has so many members so close to the insurance industry is having such an outsize role the debate. No matter what comes out of that committee, though, Democrats need to be very clear that they need to deliver a strong bill, one that takes on the insurance companies, and get it passed this year. It's the same deal with the final climate change bill, and it's the same deal with financial regulatory reform later this year. Democrats will have to take on big oil and Wall Street to actually begin to solve these problems. 2. Will the White House itself see the fight against special interests through ? President Obama cannot solve this country's short and long term economic crisis without taking on beating big insurance, energy, and financial interests, and I believe he knows that. But every politician has a cautious streak, and does not want to go down to defeat on big fights -- for good reason, because the iron law of politics is that winning makes you stronger and losing makes you weaker. The temptation will be to cut the comfortable deals that making winning legislative fights easier to do, the deals that avoid big confrontations with powerful special interests. That was the path Clinton ultimately chose on one issue after another, and the path that many, many people will urge Obama to take. The problems we face, though -- with our economy and our broken financial system, with a health care system out of control, with climate change -- they will just not get solved unless we confront the problem industries directly and make them change their destructive behavior. Obama has courageously started down this road on health care and energy. Now he needs to demand that Congress follows through and does the right thing, and he needs to make the same push on financial issues. More on Insurance Companies
 
Christina Bellantoni: Around the world with President Obama Top
  Press and staff hustle to get to the choppers that trail Marine One.   As I noted last week , the trip abroad with President Obama was a bit of a whirlwind. We were on the go the entire time, stopping in Riyadh, Cairo, Dresden and Paris. Here are a few photos from the trip, along with some original video I produced to offer a glimpse into what it's like traveling with Obama abroad.   A vendor in Paris.   The view from my hotel room in Paris.     This newspaper greeted us in Riyadh upon arrival.     The scene at Cairo University where Obama gave his speech.     Obama and German Chancellor Merkel hold a press conference in a castle in Dresden.   Finally, here's the video:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux85PC627Yw   —  Christina Bellantoni , White House correspondent,  The Washington Times Please track  my blog's  RSS feed  here . Find my latest stories  here , follow me on  Twitter  and visit my  YouTube page .
 
James Von Brunn's Son Slams His "Cowardice" Top
A son of the 88-year-old white supremacist who allegedly started a shootout at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is slamming his father's "cowardice" and apologizing to the family of the security guard his dad is accused of killing.
 
Arizona Republican Wants To Ban Ethnic Studies Top
A Tucson lawmaker and the state's schools chief are moving to make ethnic studies in the Tucson Unified School District illegal. If a bill set for a hearing in the state Legislature next week is approved, the city's largest school district would be have to get rid of the ethnic-based programs in four of its high schools or the schools would risk losing 10 percent of their state funding each month.
 
Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet: Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup Top
The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs : What the Lebanese Election Results Mean Facts: Saad Hariri, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, seemed the likely next Prime Minister of Lebanon following the victory of his March 14 Coalition in recent elections. The March 14 Coalition took 71 out of 128 seats. Hezbollah, surprising to some, quickly acknowledged the election results and thus the defeat of the March 8 Coalition, which includes Hezbollah and a Maronite faction FPM led by Michel Aoun among others. The victory came thanks to Lebanon's obscure electoral system (which reserves seats for all its religious factions and relies on outdated census data to ensure representation for all) which, though the opposition received 54% of the vote, gave key seats to the March 14th majority. SI Analysis: Though the Western press likes to claim a moral and ideological victory over the Iranian-backed Hezbollah , all is not said and done in Lebanon. Hariri will have to form a government , which will require forming alliances with rival factions and making certain concessions to the opposition. Hezbollah and the FPM will certainly demand veto power, something it secured following its violent uprising in May last year. Since Hezbollah actually made gains in the election, Hariri and President Suleiman will be weary to use a heavy hand with regards to Hezbollah's independent militia and will walk a fine line so as to avoid a restart of violent conflict. Michel Aoun will hopefully ride off into the sunset, though this is unlikely and he may cause a stink trying to secure an important role in the new government. There is a chance that Lebanon could indeed emerge out of the political stalemate that has paralyzed it for the past four years (which would allow if to focus on rebuilding its very fragile economy, improve state stability, bolster security and building up the army... and when the time is ripe disarming Hezbollah and possibly integrating some of the militia into the security apparatus), but it will take smooth and very savvy manoeuvering to do so. Urban War in Pakistan... New Strategies for Afghanistan Facts: Another deadly bombing in Peshawar is the latest Taliban response to the Pakistani Army's effort to definitively wrest power from the Taliban in Pakistan. The Army offensive continues from Swat and Waziristan into Bannu and FATA. Displaced refugees pass the 3 million mark and aid agencies say they are short funds and supplies, while expressing fears that the number of displaced people could rise to 4 million. Meanwhile, violent political infighting in the sourthern city of Karachi prompts PM Yusuf Raza Gilani to call an emergency meeting there to stave off further violence. The new US commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal will travel to Afghanistan, after just receiving confirmation from the US Congress on Wednesday, to formulate a new strategy for Afghanistan . He is said to plan to focus on counter-insurgency and anti-narcotic activities. And though many are optimistic of the current turn in the region (though US CENTCOM Commander David Petreaus says violence in Afghanistan has not been this bad since 2001 ), McChrystal was quick to warn that it will take 18-24 months to see sustainable and real change in the region. SI Analysis: Public support is essential to the Pakistani Army's campaign because the Taliban's main tool for retaliation is presently urban terror attacks, which exact a direct toll on civilians. The Pakistani people must accept the risk of being directly attacked in exchange for (hopefully lasting) security; also tribal leaders and regional heads, who have historically cooperated or collaborated with the Taliban, are turning on the Taliban and in some cases even taking up their own arms against them. The lasting success of the Pakistani Army's campaign bears heavily on the future success of US/NATO efforts in Afghanistan, now to be led by McChrystal. An expert in counter-insurgency, McChrystal has been given great freedom to map out a new plan. One hopes that McChrystal will consider the growing number of Pakistani refugees in his calculation (who are a perfect breeding pool for extremism if they are not well cared for) as well as helping the Afghan state create a reliable and viable alternative for security, education and justice from the Taliban. Responding to North Korea Facts : North Korea sentenced two American journalists to 12 year prison sentences for "hostile acts". Meanwhile, the Security Council unanimously passed a new resolution to increase sanctions against North Korea in response to its most recent nuclear test and rocket launches. Moreover the US said that it intended to re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terror and with North Korea planned to beef up patrols off the coast of North Korea under the aegis of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to intercept suspicious cargo ships. North Korea's bellicose rhetoric reached new heights this week when it threatened, " a merciless offensive " if it was further provoked. SI Analysis: Analysts are quick to state that there is little means to effectively punish North Korea, it is already isolated, its people are already starving and it enjoys very little maneuverability of its finances or trade. These latest sanctions try to put pressure on what little international interoperability Pyongyang still has. A military response is highly improbably in light of North Korea's credible threat to attack South Korea. Further, it is unclear what is actually transpiring in North Korea. Some argue an internal struggle for succession is transpiring at that the international posturing is being used mainly for domestic political positioning; others suggest North Korea is trying to put itself in a better bargaining position with a new US administration. In any case, presently there appears to be little grounds to negotiate with Pyongyang. Further tightening sanctions against North Korea may lead Pyongyang back to the negotiation table as it will be ever more desperate for international engagement, but desperation can provoke very volatile results. Many are worried that either a paranoid leadership or a coup-minded army chief could be pushed, under growing pressure, to respond with force against South Korea. Iranian Elections Facts : Iranian Presidential elections take place today, June 12. In the running are incumbent and hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main opponent, reformist and former prime minister, Mir Hossein Mousavi (who has the ardent support of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ). Former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and former military commander Mohsen Rezaei are also candidates. Pundits all over the world have speculated on who the victor will be and predictions run the whole gambit of possible results: some suggest that young and reformed-minded voters will turn the tide towards the pro-Western Mousavi; others speculate that Ahmadinejad, with support from Ayatollah Kamenei and the Revolutionary Guard, will rig the elections in his favor and then stamp out any show of discontent from the opposition. SI Analysis: Iranian elections are less of a referendum on Ahmadinejad's stark opposition to the West, his unbridled nuclear ambition and unapologetic antisemitism and more about the Iranian economy. Western media pundits can spin it as they like but most Iranians are pleased with their rising influence in the region and support the moral claims of rights to nuclear technology and a Middle East free of American influence. This is not to say that Obama's speech last week and the Iranian people's desire for greater (economic and cultural) openness will play no role in the electoral outcome. But whatever the result, the Ayatollah remains firmly in control and though he hopes Ahmadinejad will win, he will make due with Mousavi as well (as he did with both Rafsanjani and Khatami). However, a victory for Mousavi could perhaps lay the grounds for Iran to engage with the US and the West on its nuclear dossier without losing face. If the economy continues to falter however, whatever the election results, both President and Supreme Leader will have to contend with an ever-more dissatisfied populace. Hodge-Podge/Under-the-Radar Mitchell in Middle East SI Analysis : On the heals of President Obama, US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell visited Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon . While in Israel, he pressed PM Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution and to curb settlement activity . Netanyahu is set to give a speech outlining his position on the peace process this weekend, where he is expected to say yes to a peace process but rebuff a settlement freeze . This is about the best possible response the US can expect at this point as this is all Netanyahu is in a position to give (his coalition is very fragile and relies on the far-right). The question is whether the US is posturing to bring Arab and Palestinian actors into the process or whether it will immediately respond to Israel, thus affecting US-Israeli relations. Mitchell also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . Leaders of Hamas and Fatah pronounced themselves in favor of American initiatives. This is a happy and easy position for the Palestinians and the Arab world in general as they know that Israel is not in a position to accept their offers of compromise presently. New Hope for Russian crackdown on Iran SI Analysis: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells a Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee that Russia has come around to share the same feelings as the US about the urgency of the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program . Putin has reportedly acknowledged that Iranian nuclear weapons capacity could hit Europe and much of Russia by 2020. So, in Gates' book, Moscow is coming closer to Washington over the issue of nuclear threats than it has before. The real questions are: Will this purported change in position help in the renegotiation of the START 1 Treaty (which is set to expire at the end of this year)? Will it help to forge nuclear defense/proliferation partnerships across the board, changing Russian and US positions on the eastern European defense shield in Czech Republic and Poland? How will this affect other disarmament and anti-proliferation efforts in North Korea and elsewhere? For more Simple Intelligence, click here . More on Lebanon
 
Biofuels Vs. Bioelectricity Top
Running vehicles on biofuels such as ethanol reduces CO2 emissions and offers a way to lessen the world's reliance on oil. While this sounds great from an environmental perspective, the energy required to produce the biofuel and the land clearing for crops that can result means biofuels aren't necessarily the environmentally friendly solution they initially appear to be. Recognizing this, researchers have analyzed the best way to maximize the "miles per acre" from biomass and discovered that the far more efficient option is to convert the biomass to electricity, rather than ethanol. Another tick for the electric car.
 

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