Wednesday, June 24, 2009

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Nathan Gonzalez: Learning from Iran's Past Revolutions Top
The last one and a half centuries of modern Iranian history have been marked by recurring popular revolts in the streets of Tehran and throughout the rest of the country. Among the countless uprisings, three stand out as dramatic examples of a people imposing their collective will on a despotic regime: The Tobacco Protest (1891-92), the Constitutional Revolution (1906-11), and the Islamic Revolution (1978-79). Today, we are witnessing a fourth such movement. There have been enough mass uprisings in Iran to identify the important trends they all share. One such trend has been the involvement of various segments of society with a common purpose. Grand coalitions of secular intellectuals, merchants from the bazaar, and the clergy, have always been the driving force behind any revolution. Clerics and bazaaris are especially critical, since they project traditional Islamic values and piety to the Iranian masses. Without their active participation it is hard to imagine any uprising succeeding. Among the first, large-scale revolutionary coalitions was formed during the Tobacco Protest, which was organized by the clergy and the bazaar in a response to the shah's decision to hand over Iran's entire tobacco market to a single British citizen. After over a year of merchant strikes and demonstrations, it was Ayatollah Mirza Hasan Shirazi's fatwa calling for a boycott of the product that forced the shah to finally cancel the deal. (It is said that Shirazi's word was so powerful that even the shah's harem refused to smoke.) A second common trend in Iran's mass demonstrations has been the length of time it has taken them to mature--over a year of demonstrations in each of the cases mentioned here. The Constitutional Revolution, which began as a grassroots movement of citizen councils demanding a parliament and a written constitution in early 1906, was not fully quelled until pitched street battles between constitutionalists and Russian-commanded forces came to an end in 1911. By then, the parliament and constitution had become staples of Iranian political life, even if those in power chose to systematically ignored them. The third and arguably most important common denominator of revolutionary activity in Iran has been the ideals that protesters have embraced across the centuries. Repeatedly, Iranian movements have centered around two key premises: First, that Iran should be free of foreign meddling (whether it be British, Russian, or American); and second, that the country's politics should be reflective of popular will. In other words, modern Iranian revolutions have always sought a degree of democracy and national independence. The Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 was in many ways a culmination of the previous century's upheaval. It ended with the toppling of Mohammad Reza Shah, a foreign-backed dictator who inspired a unique kind of hatred among his subjects. But while post-revolutionary Iran became the poster-child of political independence and self-reliance, the second goal of Iranian social movements, that of democracy at home, quickly fell by the wayside. As Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini consolidated power over the emerging Islamic Republic and the country fought an eight-year war with neighboring Iraq, political development in Iran took a back seat to national security and survival. The millions who had taken to the streets in 1979 to demand political representation soon found themselves on the receiving end of an increasingly brutal regime, one that, like the shah's government before it, had few qualms about enforcing obedience through murder, rape, and torture. It was not until the blatant theft of the June 12 election by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that masses of Iranians from all walks of life have taken to the streets once again. Today, a revolution is underway in Iran, and democracy is once again on the table. As with past revolutions, it is difficult to tell just how and when it will end. Should the regime beat and kill the revolutionaries to a standstill, it will only be kicking the ball forward, setting the stage for a future confrontation. If, on the other hand, the uprising can grow to include the massive bazaars of Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz, and more active participation from clerics in the Shia holy cities of Qom and even Southern Iraq (yes, Iraq), it is hard to imagine how Ayatollah Khamenei would not change his tune, or even be forced to step aside. Whatever happens, the world will look back on the 2009 Revolution as one in a long line of movements to reconcile the harsh reality of Iranian politics with the unresolved grievances and unmet aspirations of a population willing to fight for its principles. While coalitions from across all sectors of society finally succeeded in ridding Iran of its status as a Western puppet back in 1979, the Iranian masses have yet to achieve individual rights and self-determination; values that do not necessarily resonate with the rest of the world, but most certainly carry potent meaning in Iran. One thing is certain: The current revolts are no longer about who won the June 12 election. They are the manifestation of a national ideal that not only pre-dates the Islamic Republic, but will most certainly outlive it. Nathan Gonzalez, a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, is author of Engaging Iran: The Rise of a Middle East Powerhouse and America's Strategic Choice . More on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
 
Jane S. Smith: Want to Get Close to Nature? Stay Home! Top
For a highly evolved species, we humans can be pretty dumb. At least I can. Case in point: last Sunday my husband and I drove to a park by a scenic river, 60 miles from the city where we live. As I should have expected, the scenery had changed since the last time we took this trip, some ten years ago. Farms had morphed into housing developments. Instead of orchards and cornfields, the sides of the road were planted with alternating rows of Target, Wal-Mart, and Quiznos. Scattered here and there were large glass buildings that might have dropped from outer space, except for the signs indicating vacancies in Corporate Tower West. It was the creeping sprawl we hear about all the time, but I hadn't been listening. A smarter person might also have noticed the weather, which had included nothing but rain for the past ten days. Now the sun was shining, but it would take a long time for the ground to dry. A gigantic roadside water park, closed because of flooding, was an early hint of troubled waters ahead. Still, we pressed on. When we arrived at our destination, there was a squishy quarter-mile hike down to the swollen river, along whose muddy banks we would not be stretching out to picnic, nap, or watch the clouds. The mosquitoes were out to greet us at the trailhead, along with notices advising full-body immersion in DEET. Otherwise, the park was damp, deserted, and--let's be honest-- boring. Did I mention the heat? Now that the rain had stopped, it was blazing hot, one of those days that make you contemplate the relationship between muggy and mugged. Apart from the mosquitoes, the only creatures that seemed awake were the folks racketing along the river on jet skies, making what I would not describe as a joyful noise. Cutting our losses, we had lunch at the local diner and headed home. After two hours of stop-and-go highway traffic, I took a walk to stretch my legs. That's when I finally wised up to what was going on. While the countryside was getting paved, drenched, and denuded, nature had decided to move back into town. My neighborhood park is not a pristine site. Built on landfill, it has a pond that's entirely man-made, though you can't tell if you don't notice the bubbling aeration system. But if its not virgin land, it is attractive, and not just to the people who live nearby. On this steamy day, the pathway around the pond was shady and cool, even in places where a newly arrived and highly controversial family of beaver had been busy thinning the trees. The beaver were hidden in their lodge, but just about everything else was out doing its thing. On a branch hanging over the water, a black-capped night heron shared a perch with a mallard duck. Red slider turtles swam happily below, weaving amid the bluegills and the carp. Bushes of pale pink roses were blooming at the side of the path, along with clover and daisies and deep red columbine. The blue flag irises at the water's edge were fading, but the milkweed flowers were almost ready to open and release their heady fragrance. Rabbits hopped around the shrubbery. Dozens of Canada Geese grazed on the lawn, their goslings looking as awkward as any other adolescent. It was like the opening scenes of Bambi , but without the hunters. Instead, there were bikers and picnickers and parents pushing kids in strollers. That's when I realized what a rare scene this way. Plants and animals and people had decided to tolerate each other. Nature was in balance. Balanced is different from idyllic. The herons were after the fish, after all. The rabbits were eating the flowers, the crows would probably take out a baby bunny if they had the opportunity, and the geese were creating their usual mess. For that matter, so were the humans. The garbage cans were overflowing, and beer bottles floated in the reeds. Since I can't say anything good about the warm-hearted types who bring sacks of bread to stuff the already perfectly healthy geese, and bags of seeds for the hardly starving pigeons, I will merely note how interesting it is that so many people share this particular kind of madness. But then a man who looked like he had taken a few hard knocks from the school of life came to the edge of the pond to greet his friends. " Hey , you turtles," he called in the friendly tone of a camp counselor rousing the kids for volleyball. "I know you're in there! Hey, guys! How are ya? How's it go in'?" While he waited for his answer, beaming down into the water, a young mother waddled past, baby strapped to her chest, looking a lot like the mother duck waddling with her charges down to the water's edge. In the distance, a fisherman cast his line into the water under the watchful eye of another heron. Somewhere to my left, children shrieked on playground swings. To my right, pigeons cooed. Equilibrium. Balance. No driving. Plenty of flora and fauna. Paved paths. Water fountains. Next Sunday, I'm staying home.
 
Almost One In Four Black Male CPS Students Suspended Last Year Top
In Chicago's public schools, African-American males are suspended and expelled at a higher rate than any other student group. Yet educators are working to raise black male graduation rates, creating a classic case of policy and practice at odds.
 
Art Levine: Health Care Lobbyists vs. The People: The Final Showdown Top
After spending about a half-billion dollars over a decade to block meaningful health care reform, health industry lobbyists and their Republican allies are ramping up their efforts this week to block a public health-care option. Today, Congressional hearings and the President's White House televised meeting on health care reform shine a new spotlight on the issue as the political battle heats up . Meanwhile, grass-roots reformers organized by Health Care for America Now (HCAN) are coming to Washington on Thursday to lobby for real change, including the public option that gives consumers a choice between a public plan or using private insurance. The public, most polls show, backs this approach by over 60% to as much as 76% percent , as a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found. Strikingly, even half of self-identified Republicans favor a public option. Yesterday, the AFL-CIO added to the rising chorus calling for change by revealing the results of an online poll that offers a breadth of response that's compelling: over half of the roughly 23,000 people who took the survey said they couldn't afford health care. As the AFL-CIO Now blog reported: Out-of-control health care costs are forcing working families to forgo needed medical care and shredding family bank accounts, while private health insurance companies deny claims and, far too often, refuse to provide coverage. The results of the 2009 Health Care for America Survey--sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America--show that more than half of the 23,460 people who took the survey cannot get the health care they need at a price they can afford and one-third say they forgo basic medical care because of its high price. In a nearly unanimous response, survey takers say health care reform is urgent. Says AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker: "Our current system is broken and this survey shows how our fractured system hurts both the insured and uninsured alike. The time for real health care reform is now. We simply can't wait any longer." Amber was one of the people who submitted a story out of a total of 6,409 stories dealing with struggles with the broken health care system. The Florida resident says she has health insurance but: "I find myself trying to determine what is going to get refilled, and if I can still see the doctor for follow up....I just don't have the copay because I still have to afford the gas to get to and from work. I am constantly finding myself rationing my medication and not taking it as prescribed because I can't afford to get it all the time." Despite the clamor for an alternative that offers real competition, the right-wing continues to spread misinformation on the plan -- largely unchallenged by mainstream media outlets. This morning, as noted by Media Matters and the Health Care for America Now blog: On June 24, CNN's American Morning co-host John Roberts did not challenge former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey's assertions that the Affordable Health Choices Act "basically" "pushes everyone into an HMO-style plan" and that most Americans will have to "go through what they call a 'medical home,' which is this decade's term for an HMO gatekeeper." However, under the proposed legislation, individuals already enrolled in a health care plan or receiving health insurance coverage are able to keep their coverage and are not "pushed" into "an HMO-style plan." McCaughey later stated that "most Americans will have no options. When they file their taxes, they're going to have to staple a proof, like a W-2, that they've enrolled in one of these qualified health plans, with the limits of choice: limits of choices of doctors, limits of choices of when you can see a specialist, when you can have a diagnostic test." In fact, individuals do not have to enroll in "qualified health plans." McGaughey, a right-winger whose previous claim have been shredded by critics as the work of a serial fabricator , represents the desperation tactics of a party and industry fighting overwhelming public opinion favoring health care reform. Now the health insurance industry has piled on, escalating its apocalyptic rhetoric in a blistering letter to Congress yesterday claiming that the competition it might face from the public health-care option would destroy the entire industry. Among other extravagant claims: "A government-run plan no matter how it is initially structured would dismantle employer-based coverage, significantly increase costs for those who remain in private coverage, and add additional liabilities to the federal budget," said the letter from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) chief Karen Ignagni and Scott Serota, the head of Blue Cross. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, among other critics, denounced the industry's extremist claims. Those assertions are part of a long history of Big Business opposition to any health care reform, including the "socialized medicine" of Medicare, over the last 60 years. Sweeney points out: For far too long, Americans have struggled under a broken health care system dominated by insurance companies who care about one thing - their own profits. Passing health care reform that includes a quality public health insurance option is crucial to America's workers because it will provide a competitive impetus for companies to reduce overhead expenses and lower costs. Anyone who wants to keep their current insurance is free to do so, but it will be their choice between a private and public option, not their insurance company's. Not surprisingly, polling shows that the people overwhelmingly favor a public health insurance option being included as a part of health care reform. The 'chicken little' letter from the big insurance companies shows that their true agenda is to hold onto their record profits and bonuses by preventing Americans from being able to choose between private insurance and a quality public health insurance option. Richard Kirsch, the National Campaign Director for HCAN, underscores the absurdity of the health insurance industry's claim that a competitive option would destroy it: "With more than 150 million customers, billions spent in marketing and building brand name recognition, contracts in place with businesses throughout America, and well-established provider networks, how can the insurance industry say it can't compete with a public health insurance option? The insurance industry is clearly aware it's failed to meet the needs of its customers. If it was doing such a great job, wouldn't it welcome the chance to compete?" Actually, it doesn't welcome competition, as shown by the recent antitrust complaint to the Justice Department asking it to look into monopolies by health insurers that jack up costs and squelch competition. Sen. Charles Schumer joined Health Care for America Now and other experts in asking for an investigation and reform: Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) joined Health Care for America Now (HCAN) - the nation's largest health care campaign - in releasing a new report today that shows extreme health insurance industry consolidation has resulted in a market failure where a small number of large companies use their concentrated power to control premium levels, benefit packages, and provider payments in the markets they dominate. As a result, health insurance premiums have skyrocketed, going up more than 87% - on average - over the past six years. "This is the starkest evidence yet that the private health care insurance market is in bad need of some healthy competition," Senator Schumer said. "A public health insurance option is critical to ensure the greatest amount of choice possible for consumers. We believe that it is fully possible to create a public health insurance plan that delivers all the benefits of increased competition without relying on unfair, built-in advantages. If a level playing field exists, then private insurers will have to compete based on quality of care and pricing, instead of just competing for the healthiest consumers." After reviewing the report entitled "Premiums Soaring in Consolidated Health Insurance Market," David Balto, former Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission and now a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, sent a letter -co-signed by HCAN - to the Department of Justice Antitrust Division asking for a comprehensive investigation into the health insurance marketplace. And what do consumers get for all this near-monopoly power that insurers want to preserve? Little but a litany of abuses , as summarized by Health Care for American Now: Most people don't trust health insurance companies and with good reason. They are a powerful industry that is not easily prodded, pushed or intimidated into doing the right thing by their members. Insurance companies routinely abuse the trust of patients and providers alike. A new report by Health Care for America Now outlines the habitual abuses perpetrated by health insurance companies, including leaving patients with high out-of-pocket costs, denying coverage for medically necessary care, preventing doctors from delivering care they feel is best for their patients, and unduly delaying reimbursement to patients and providers. The report demonstrates how health insurance companies repeat the same abuses over and over again, despite being reprimanded and fined by state insurance agencies. For example, the report notes how the Texas Department of Insurance has fined United Healthcare millions of dollars for violating the state's prompt payment law. The 2007 fine, $4.4 million dollars, was "the second time in two years and the fourth time since 2001 that Texas fined United Healthcare for the same type of violation." But Texas is not the only state where United Healthcare has perpetrated that particular abuse. The report also gives examples of similar fines being levied in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Insurance companies are clearly not intimidated by state regulators. These companies seem to consider the fines they incur just the cost of doing business. How much money must they be saving by breaking prompt payment laws if they are willing to keep violating the law over and over again? So if the public wants a public option and the non-competitive private insurance industry can't deliver affordable, accessible health care, what's keeping Congress from backing it strongly right now? Mostly extravagant health care industry spending on campaign donations and lobbying , especially when it comes to centrist Democrats who are balking at the public option supported by President Obama. Statistics guru Nate Silver has even quantified the link between health care donations and the positions taken so far by moderate Democrats: The insurance industry's influence appears to swing about 9 votes against the public option. Whatever number of senators wind up supporting the public option, add 9 to it, and you'll have a decent ballpark estimate for what the level of support might be if not for insurance industry contributions... The single senator who's position on the public option is most likely to have been changed by lobbying money is Mark Warner of Virginia, who has already raised $69,000 from insurance industry PACs in spite of having been in the Senate for less than six months. Absent industry money, the model estimates about a two-thirds likelihood that Warner would support the public option; with it, the model thinks the chances are very low. Indeed Warner has been mum on the public option to date. Ranking next on the list is Harry Reid, who has taken some $78,800 from insurance industry PACs and who has also yet to articulate a position on the public option in spite of his status as Majority Leader. If the model is right, Reid's noncommittal stance on the issue might be better conceived of as tacit, if somewhat soft, opposition. Following Reid is Kent Conrad of North Dakota, who has floated a compromise bill that would replace the public option with a co-op system, a version of which the Senate Finance Committee appears likely to adopt. Whatever role money plays in Senate decision-making on health care reform, it's clear that without citizens voicing a call for real reform, as with Wednesday's lobbying day , the public health care option critical to reform could be weakened even as support grows for it. A compelling case for the public health insurance option designed to lower costs and keep health insurers honest started airing on TV last week in the states of key senators in Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington. Take a look -- and then ask if the health care industry or the public asking for reform will have the final say:
 
Sanford Has Traveled To Argentina Before... On Taxpayer Dime Top
Details are emerging that could further cloud Gov. Mark Sanford's story about the affair with a woman in Argentina. A Democratic source, who asked to remain anonymous, called to alert the Huffington Post that the Republican Governor has traveled to the South American country before, on the taxpayer dime. From an Associated Press article in December 2008: Gov. Mark Sanford ranks in the top 50 based on the total amount that he spent on trips paid by his office and those paid by the state Commerce Department. Sanford has traveled to China, Argentina and Brazil through the Commerce Department, which has travel reports showing taxpayers covering $21,488 for those trips. Sanford also spent $1,976 in travel through his office. The figures don't include Sanford's occasional use of a state airplane, Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said. The Commerce-paid trips benefit South Carolina, Sawyer said. For instance, in October, FITESA, a Brazilian fabrics maker, announced it would spend $120 million on a Laurens County facility and create 80 jobs. 'I would say it was probably worthwhile,' Sawyer said. Meanwhile, on the more comedic side, the governor frequently referred to Argentina's economic history during speeches. DemConWatch also noticed Sanford's interest in the country, including his repeated statements, starting as early as 2002, that America was becoming Argentina circa the 1920s. Our net international debt is approaching 300 percent of annual exports. Again relevant because countries like Brazil and Argentina saw their net indebtedness rise to only slightly more, around 400 percent of their national exports, at the height of their financial crisis. - State of the State Address 2005 Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Steve Pristin: Bandwagon Almost Full, Voidwell Rocks BK Top
Check out this post-hip-hop up-and-comer before he becomes the next big indie darling out of Brooklyn. Will Johnson is late for rehearsal. He runs out of his Fort Greene apartment and morphs into his alter ego -- Gordon Voidwell . You wouldn't notice a difference in the musician. He still has on his limited edition Nikes, his Cazal glasses, and a fade reminiscent of John Starks, but he will tell you something is different. He is prepping for the final show of his three-week residency at Pianos with his band BILLLL$. (BILLLL$ is made up of collaborator Guillermo Brown and a steady rotation of avant-garde musicians and friends). They have played three straight sold out shows garnering fans casual and critical alike. But today Voidwell is more excited than ever. He smiles and tells me, "I think we finally have our sound." The music is a melting pot of influences, similar to Will Johnson's upbringing as a half black kid from the Bronx attending a top New York City private school. It's a medley of funk, hip-hop, Prince, the 70s, Androids and Urban Genius - with a dash of Gossip Girl. And it makes you want to dance. Gordon Voidwell is the post-hip-hop movement. He embraces the reality that he was raised in the bizarre double world of the urban Bronx and a prestigious prep school. But he does not dismiss these influences; instead he addresses them with unabashed honesty. Perhaps this is only accomplished through an alter ego and songs titled "Ivy League Circus" and "White Friends," but it enables us to understand who Will Johnson really is. For more check out: myspace.com/gordonvoidwell (photo courtesy of Bon Duke )
 
Frances Beinecke: Time to Take a Decisive Step: Climate Vote Scheduled for Friday Top
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/time_to_take_the_first_step_cl.html This Friday the House of Representatives will consider one of the most important pieces of legislation of our time: a bill that would simultaneously jumpstart our economy, create millions of jobs, lay the groundwork for a clean energy future, and confront global warming. In the nearly two decades I have been advocating for climate solutions, I have never witnessed a more urgent moment or stronger leadership. The scientific evidence is clear: to prevent severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts of global warming from dominating our future, we must act now -- not in a year or two. The economic analysis is equally clear: according to the EPA , and even some of the scenarios peddled by opponents of climate action -- the economy, personal income and job creation grow robustly under a climate bill. Our economy -- and the planet -- needs this bill. Fortunately, both the White House and members of Congress have responded to these findings. Representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey have drafted the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and shepherded it to the floor for a vote on Friday. President Obama has pledged his support for the bill; you can watch him on it at Tuesday's press conference here . ACES Is a Good Start Keep in mind: the ACES bill isn't the last word on climate action. But it is a decisive one. Transitioning our entire energy structure to cleaner, more sustainable sources is an enormous undertaking, one that cannot be completed with one policy, one fiat, or one declaration. But it can start here, with the ACES bill. Not only will we work to make the bill stronger as it heads to the White House, but the bill reflects the unfolding nature of climate change. ACES includes something called science look-backs: if, after the bill has passed, new scientific data calls for stronger action, our lawmakers have room to strengthen regulations and clean energy opportunities. In the meantime, ACES gets us headed in the right direction. The legislation: • Sets a declining cap on emissions, reaching 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and 83 percent by 2050. • Launches an energy efficiency plan, which the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy estimates could save approximately $750 per household by 2020. • Creates new incentives for clean energy. The Center for American Progress estimates that, combined with the stimulus package, ACES can create 1.7 million clean energy jobs. • Reduces our oil dependence by investing in the next generation of vehicles and supporting the development of smarter transportation plans. I personally hope the bill gets strengthened as it moves through the legislative process, but I am happy that it already includes these critical elements. We Mustn't Squander this Brief Moment Still, the window of opportunity for this bill could close quickly. We face two looming deadlines. First, the international climate negotiations are scheduled in Copenhagen this December. If we don't arrive with a strong commitment to cut global warming pollution at home, the global consensus could be deeply undermined. Second, pressure for health care reform is mounting here at home. President Obama has said repeatedly hat he wants Congress to send him clean energy and climate legislation, but the media and the public are beginning to get caught up in the health care debate. If Congress acts swiftly to pass ACES, it can devote its attention more fully to health care. I urge everyone who cares about the health of the planet and the prospect of sustainable prosperity to tell their representatives to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Click here to do so. This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog.
 
Vanessa Richmond: Parenting to Blame for Jon and Kate's Split Top
On Monday, when America's two most famous parents filed for divorce, it wasn't really a surprise. They're parents. Jon + Kate + 8 = divorce. "As always, my first priority remains our children," said Kate on Monday night. She's the mother on John and Kate Plus 8 , a reality TV show about two parents' efforts to raise their twins and sextuplets. "Our kids are still my number one priority... My job is being the best, most supportive and loving father that I can be to my kids, and not being married to Kate doesn't change that," said John. Their divorce announcement is the main story in the tabloids, bumping the previous top story, " Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady Expecting a Baby! " and other top-five stories, " Matthew McConaughey and His Girlfriend Expecting Second Baby ," and " Report: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick Welcome Twins! " Some people are starting to (unpopularly) point out that our current interest in kids and parenting is neither normal nor historical. The "parenthood" concept is, in fact, a recent invention, a type of obsession, and even a form of insanity. Some would say "parenthood" is responsible for divorces, like sweet Kate and John's, and other types of fallout, like, say, Kate's not-so-sweet temper. When humans can't stand the heat, sometimes we don't get out of the fire; we fan the flames and get burnt. "I blame... Clara Savage Littledale, whose job it was to help invent American parenthood," writes Jill Lepore in this week's New Yorker . Littledale was the first editor of Parenting magazine, and helped create an industry that turned normal adults into parents, and normal parents into bad parents in need of saving. "Stages of life are artifacts," writes Lepore. "Adolescence is a useful contrivance, midlife is a moving target, senior citizens are an interest group, and tweenhood is just plain made up." Lepore argues that parenthood at first seems different -- in that, duh, there have always been parents, and those parents have "always been besotted with their children, awestruck by their impossible beauty, dopey high jinks, and strange little minds." But she says "parenthood" -- the word, and our current understanding of it, dates only to the mid-19th century, and our idea of what it means is "historically in its infancy." Life used to be like this, according to Lepore: you were "born into a growing family, you help rear your siblings, have the first of your own half-dozen or even dozen children soon after you're grown, and die before your youngest has left home." In the early 1800s, the fertility rate of American women was between seven and eight children (now it's just over two for American women, and about one and a half for Canadian women). Adults died by age 60, and almost every household had children in it. By 1920, only about 55 per cent of households had kids. Now, it's under a third. Most people today don't grow up caring for young siblings or other kids, and don't know how to do even basic things like bathing or soothing babies. First-time parents can't count on grandparents anymore in most cases. And all of this means parenthood has become mystifying. Into any scary, mysterious void come snake-oil salespeople. In this case, magazines and experts, like in Parenting magazine, arrived on the scene about a century ago, and turned child care into a science. The public bought the idea that they were essentially a danger to their own kids and had better pay money for advice, that they'd better try really hard to do a good job, and they'd still inevitably fail. (Even though, as Lepore points out, kids are actually safer now than ever. In 1850, more than one baby in five died before its first year, by 1920 that had dropped to one in 20, and today infant mortality is at one in 200.) Now, more people wait to have kids because they don't feel ready in light of it being so important and difficult. And being a parent is harder than ever due to "structural problems," says Lepore. "Most jobs are made for people who aren't taking care of children. The sharper the division between parenthood and adulthood, the worse those jobs fit, and the less well people who aren't rearing children understand the hardships of people who are. Employers are seldom asked to accommodate family life in any meaningful way; employees do all the accommodating, which mainly involves, especially for women, pretending that we don't actually have families." And all of that also means parenthood has become a kind of magical ideal, a role impossible to actually fulfill due to time, personality or financial constraints -- think June Cleaver, or her modern equivalent, Angelina Jolie. Parenthood is not only supposed to take over our schedules and bank accounts, but transform our identities. When you have a kid, you're no longer an adult or an individual, you're a parent. All of the stories about Gisele Bundchen's pregnancy this week focus on her saying she's always wanted to be a mother, and that she thinks being a parent is the most important thing in life. Really? She didn't want to be a millionaire supermodel with a hunky, famous, quarterback husband? She won't stand back and be as pleased about those parts of her life? With idealization like that being hyped in various media outlets, it's no wonder (posed) photo shoots in fashion magazines of neglectful mothers smoking and even throwing plastic babies over their shoulders seem so salacious and exciting. And it's no wonder that the public is fascinated with stories of celebrity parents -- both those who follow the rules and those who fall short (like Britney Spears). Look, parenting is a really important job. I was raised well and am grateful for it every day. I hear from dozens of parents that their kids are the best things in their life. And it's impossible not to get swept up in the pressure and the mysticism of something so fundamental to each of us. But, with anything, creating too many rules and expectations comes at a price. And transforming from adults to parents clearly comes at a price -- one that John and Kate paid this week. This post first appeared in The Tyee . More on Jon & Kate Plus 8
 
Bill Scher: Wanna Strengthen The Climate Bill? Get This One Passed. Top
As Mother Jones recently chronicled, the environment community is fractured on the House clean energy and climate protection bill, though the bigger pieces -- Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, League of Conservation Voters -- are squarely for it. Al Gore last night in a open invitation conference call sought to rally activists to call Congress before Friday's House vote and demand passage. But with a fair amount of internal debate persisting about the merits of the bill , along with much the progressive media infrastructure failing over the last several weeks to highlight the twists and turns of the legislative drama, many progressive citizen-activists have not been especially motivated to engage Congress on climate, if they were even aware that the time was ripe for engagement. The latest flare-up within the progressive movement is unconfirmed speculation that environmental groups supporting the bill are resisting attempts to try to strengthen the bill on the House floor , for fear that such attempts would threaten the fragile coalition of green-state, coal-state, oil-state, and farm-state Dems needed to attain a majority. Is this a helpful debate to have right now? To answer that, first answer this question: do we need a stronger bill with fewer concessions to carbon-polluting industries? Look at this way. Duke University professor Prasad Kasibhatla concluded that if the rest of world follows our lead after the House bill approach is implemented, we would keep carbon pollution below 450 parts per million. Some scientists say that's enough to avert a climate crisis , while some say we need to reach 350 . In other words, we don't know for sure, but a stronger bill would be the safer route. So, how best to do that? Anyone who has closely followed the legislative sausage being made knows the following: 1. Reps. Henry Waxman and Ed Markey had to do Herculean wheelin'-and-dealin' with fossil-fuel lovin' Dems to painstakingly piece together this compromise. 2. They did it without having any grassroots intensity in support of a strong carbon cap to hold skittish congresspeople's feet to the fire. In fact, Waxman and Markey had to do these deals precisely because they had no grassroots political leverage. Which means pursuing last-minute amendments is futile. There is zero reason to believe that the coalition could hold if any changes were made to the bill at this point. (Or to be more direct, there is zero reason to believe any amendment that would strengthen the bill would pass in the first place.) Berating the Big Green groups for being strategic realists is not a useful internal debate to have. Their political calculations are not why the bill required multiple compromises. The missing ingredient throughout this process has always been grassroots intensity, which has been depressed thanks to the fractured environmental community and lack of attention from both traditional media and progressive media. You want to set the stage to strengthen the bill? Add that ingredient. Call Congress. Call 877-9-REPOWER. Pass the bill with a burst of grassroots momentum. Don't sit on your hands and let Waxman and Speaker Pelosi drag the bill over the finish line with a whimper. Send a message to the Senate, where the current bill will face an even rougher road. Let Congress know that voters are watching this vote, and will reward congresspeople who had the vision to combat global warming. From a political perspective, the details of the compromise don't matter right now. It's simply a global warming bill. And congresspeople are listening to find out if their constituents want a global warming bill, don't want a global warming bill, or don't care one way or another. The best thing to do right now, is to give Congress the right answer. Cross-posted at OurFuture.org More on Global Financial Crisis
 
Old Post Office Could Be High-Speed Rail Hub Top
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Postal Service said it plans to auction its old main post office in Chicago. Ever since, I've been struggling with the futility of the agency's backward process.
 
Jenny Sanford's Statement: Wife Says She Told Him To Leave "To Maintain My Dignity" Top
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's wife, Jenny, issued a statement in which she says that she told him to leave their home two weeks ago "to maintain my dignity, self-respect and my basic sense of right and wrong." Read the statement: I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state. I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children. I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago. This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week. I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage. Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance. This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.
 
Cancers Threaten Wild Animal Populations Top
If this Green Turtle appears sad, perhaps it is pondering the newest threat to its endangered species. Cancer kills about one in every ten humans; now a new study done under the auspices of the Wildlife Conservation Society reveals that some wild animal species are dying at similar rates. More on Animals
 
Sober Bartenders: How They Do Their Jobs Top
"When I saw what they were doing, how refined it was, I knew there was no way I could guess anymore," he said. So he decided to begin controlled tasting. That means spitting, and no recreational drinking. If Mr. Pedro ends up back pulling beers at a neighborhood pub, he will stop tasting. More on Food
 
Greg Lukianoff: UC Santa Barbara Ends Investigation of Professor for Anti-Israel E-mail Top
Since late April I have been following the case of Professor William I. Robinson at UCSB, who became the subject of an official university investigation after sending the students in his Sociology of Globalization class an e-mail comparing the Nazi treatment of Jews with Israel's actions towards Palestinians. The e-mail ignited a firestorm of controversy and led the university to launch the investigation. Exactly two weeks ago, my organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) , sent a letter protesting the investigation of Professor Robinson for speech that, in our professional estimation, was protected by academic freedom. Today Professor Robinson received the verdict : June 24, 2009 TO: Prof. William Robinson Department of Sociology FR: Gene Lucas Executive Vice Chancellor Re: Charges Committee Findings I have received the report of the Charges Committee regarding charges brought against you. The Committee did not find probable cause to undertake disciplinary action in this matter. I have accepted the findings of the Charges Committee. Accordingly, this matter is now terminated Under the Campus Procedures for Enforcement of the Faculty Code of Conduct, "the complainant and/or faculty member complained against may request, in writing, from the Charges Officer, a summary of the Committee's findings." If you would like such a summary, please make such a request to Prof. Scharleman, the Charges Officer. The case has launched intense debate as to the nature of professional standards, campus attitudes about Israel, indoctrination, and academic freedom. But as I concluded in my first blog entry about this case , I did not believe this case could rightly end any other way. Stripped of the jargon of sociology and the politicization of the issue by both sides, the question becomes whether or not the professor in what essentially amounts to a global politics class can give his opinions about global politics. While many of his critics would prefer to see the Professor Robinsons of the world denied this right, in the end, we all benefit from classroom and academic discussions in which the exchange of ideas is as free as possible. More on Israel
 
Peter Clothier: When Do We All Grow Up? Top
(An invitation: in a moment of sudden and inexplicable insanity, I signed up yesterday to Twitter . Let me know if you Twitter too. We could "follow" each other...!) Okay, I do understand where they're coming from, this growing chorus of liberal critics of Obama. Like them, I'd wish for him to take many stances and promote many policies that have not yet been forthcoming. I want a public health care option. In fact, I'd rather go for a single payer system, nation-wide. I want equality for every citizen, no matter what their sexual orientation. Gay marriage? Of course! Gays in the military? Way past time. I'd like nothing better than to hear a strong voice in opposition to the power of multinational corporations, financial institutions and insurance companies, and I'm all for strict regulation of their activities. I don't trust any of them. I want an end to the depressing saga of the Middle East, and peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I want Guantanamo closed. I want us out of Iraq, right now , and I do not want us getting any further involved in Afghanistan--but I also want the Taliban and other extremists to be disempowered and neutralized. Oh, and yes, of course, while we're at it, I want to see an end to totalitarianism in states like Iran and North Korea. All these things I want. But let's for God's sake not be childish. Let's not stamp our feet and pout because we're not getting everything we want this instant . We've gotten ourselves into a huge, stinking mess, and it has taken us collectively years--well, decades--to do it. Is it not a trifle disingenuous for us to expect this one man, Obama, to step up and wave a wand to get us out of it all at once? Let's be honest. The problems that we face right now have been a long time in the making, and they result from choices we ourselves have made along the way. Was it not we voters (not me, of course!) who decided back in the 1970s that we did not like paying taxes, and elected Ronald Reagan to cut them for us (though even He, the Great One, remember, in fact did the opposite!) Have we not spent years protecting and insulating ourselves from the rest of the world--its disease, its poverty, its hunger and other deprivation? Have we not allowed the bigoted and the blindly religious to determine policies toward everyone the least bit different from ourselves? Have we not worshiped at the illusory altar of "strong leadership," while we ourselves do everything to subvert it? And, out in the world, have we not been at pains to promote the myth of "a strong America," as we stomp around in heavy military boots? Have we not listened without the benefit of critical judgment to those who shrieked hysterically about "socialized medicine"? Have we not bought in, endlessly, to those who would sell us snake oil, or promised us a free lunch? Have we not eagerly grabbed, ourselves, at easy profits, idolized false prophets, and celebrated empty notions of success? Have we not raised celebrity above substance, our own material comfort above that of others? Did we not expose ourselves to the ridicule of the world by impeaching a president for a minor sexual indiscretion? And electing--and, incredibly, reelecting--another of inconsequential intelligence and clearly limited understanding to the most powerful office in the world? Did we not allow ourselves to be lied to, cheated, and led by our noses into an unnecessary and painfully costly war? And now, as though in recognition of all this, we may have half-way repented, electing a man who sees things differently, who acts with forethought and circumspection, who wisely recognizes limits--both his own, and the country's--and is willing to listen to the opinions of others rather than spout his own agenda. (And Bill Maher wants "more Bush"!) We have elected this man, and now feel entitled to berate him for not providing an immediate resolution to all our problems. What children we all are! How lacking in patience, foresight, and forbearance! How incapable of seeing anything beyond our own immediate needs. How gimme, gimme, gimme, now ! I look around and I wonder, for God's sake, when do we all grow up? More on Barack Obama
 
Beth Lapides: How to be Happy: Be Miserable 12% of the Time Top
People always talk about being happy or unhappy. As if it's an either or thing. But most of us are happy AND unhappy. The trick to being more happy is being willing to be unhappy! I've noticed in my own life that when I am willing to be 100% unhappy 12% of the time I can be 100% happy 88% of the time . Americans tend to believe in 100% ism. Giving your all. Being totally in. And totally rad. And totally awesome. But even our ginormous white toothy smiling movie stars can't change the fact that it's 100% impossible to be 100% happy 100% of the time. Of course these days it seems more like we're avoiding being unhappy than trying to be happy. In some ways the trick with happiness is not trying . Not pursuing it. You pursue work, love, presence, breath, friends, health, freedom, helpingness, and let happiness find you. Vigorously pursue joy and then BE WILLING TO BE UNHAPPY. This is the part that almost every happy expert leaves out. And it means that happiness seekers are left feeling like failures which leads to more guilty unhappiness. So on days when I'm miserable I try to be miserable. You shouldn't have to try to be miserable, but I do. Because everything in me says be "fine", avoid this misery! Work harder, think more, eat crunchy foods. It's hard to believe once I really feel it, that the misery will ever end. But it does. One thing I know: it really helps around our house to have The 12% Code: to be able to say hey honey I'm having a 12% day . Which lets Greg know it's time to go run some errands, or go to the gym or do anything besides hang around the black hole that is the 12% me. More on Happiness
 
Val Brown: Woodstock Nation: Where Were You (Or Your Parents) During the Summer of "69? Top
The signposts of my life are not graduations, weddings and deaths, but memories born of music -- a life-changing concert, a crush on a rock star, a song in heavy rotation on AM radio all summer. By 1969 I had already accumulated a few of these musical milestones: The Beatles on Ed Sullivan; 'Paul is Dead'; "Ruby Tuesday". I loved John Lennon and Davey Jones (the cute, English Monkee) in equal measure, and had fallen head over heels for a crooner in white tie on a family trip to Bermuda. The summer of '69 began inauspiciously. Gawky and insecure and living in that uncomfortable space between childhood and adolescence, my summer started as usual with bikes and pool parties and running in the woods. At night, all the neighborhood kids played "Scatter!," an extreme version of hide and seek that was not for the timid. Menacing bats would come out and dive bomb home-base at the Fava's house, which made us girls scream. I'm sure the boys were afraid too, but of course they couldn't show it. As it got dark our mothers would call us in, one mother always embarrassing her kids with a plaintive "time to take your bath". Fortunately, it was never mine. I was intrigued that summer by the Reynolds family. One of the big Catholic families in my small town with a football team's worth of kids, they lived a few streets away in a ramshackle hippy house. Randy Reynolds, in my eyes a "big girl" at fifteen, let me tag along with her; her usual friends from school must've lived across town. She was the coolest person I knew, and she had a twenty-year old brother, Warren, who looked like Dennis Wilson (the cool, dangerous Beach Boy) on whom I had a mad, mad crush. He knew this and was a kind young man so paid me special attention because he saw it pleased me. All the older Reynolds kids, including Randy, went to Woodstock. I felt left out even though I wasn't quite sure what Woodstock was until I saw it on the nightly news. The coverage was of the immense crowds, long traffic queues, and mud. And I longed to be there. I knew I was missing something monumental -- life-changing for those who were there. They would forever be a part of a tribe. I would not, officially, but I would be in spirit. The enormity of the event really hit home when my parents took my brother and me to see the movie Woodstock -- 3 Days of Peace and Music the following summer at the drive-in. I mostly remember the "risque" moments -- Hendrix's bent national anthem, Country Joe getting the crowd to scream "FUCK!", and seeing bare breasts on screen for the first time. Of course, the music was barely audible through those little public address speakers we hung on our car window. I think I fell asleep before it was over, coming down hard from candy overload from the concession stand. In '69 I would listen all day to WABC New York (Harry Harrison and Cousin Brucie) to hear The Beatles' #1 hit "Get Back", usurped later that summer by the Stones' "Honkey Tonk Women". After a long reign earlier in the year by the White Album , the summer album chart was taken over by Blood, Sweat and Tears, who were in turn pushed aside by the Original Cast Recording of Hair . Blind Faith's one and only album made it to the top of the charts as we were packing up to go back to school. That entire year was particularly eventful in music. I followed in disbelief the disintegration of the Beatles while wearing out my record player stylus with Abbey Road , the band's exquisite, unofficial swan song. But I remember nothing about Altamont, the death of Brian Jones, or the release of important albums by The Who ( Tommy ), Dylan ( Nashville Skyline ), and freshman efforts from Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. But I would not experience those delights until a few years later. My young girl pursuits took precedence. When I could drag myself away from the radio, I was off in the woods -- running on Indian trails, swinging on vines, discovering the secret remains of a Revolutionary War house we told no one about. I can go back there now with my aural scrapbook, my iPod. To nights filled with crickets, fireflies and (rock) stars. More on Paul McCartney
 
Michael Savage Issues Fatwa Against Media Matters (AUDIO) Top
I'm having a hard time discerning the logic behind talk-radio host Michael Savage's recent threat to post pictures and "pertinent information" about the people who work for Media Matters For America on his website. Oh, wait! I see my mistake! I am sitting here, contemplating Michael Savage, and attempting to "discern logic." Okay, my bad. The story goes like this: Michael Savage hates him some Media Matters folks, for constantly harping on his craziness, and probably because he blames the media watchdog organization for the way he was banned from entering Great Britain by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. So, Savage recently called upon "all people in the media who have been harassed by this Stalinist group, Media Matters, to join forces to publish the names of the people and put their pictures up on their websites." Ahh, yes! Who can forget the robust growth of media watchdog groups that flourished under Stalin! [LISTEN] What's strange about this is that Media Matters has been making the case for some time now that right-wing voices have been ramping up rhetoric that specifically urges violent acts and intimidation. So now, Savage is talking about a running a web-stalking campaign against them? Hmmm. I wonder what sort of conclusions a person might draw from that? Ron Moore, writing for the Washington Examiner , June 24, 2009 : The history of right wing extremists using "wanted" posters against abortion providers is well documented. Recently the right wing Christian group the American Center for Law and Justice celebrated its court victory for the "truth truck" that promoted incendiary attacks on Dr. George Tiller. Sadly two days later Tiller was dead, assassinated in his place of worship. While the court case and Tiller's murder cannot be directly linked it demonstrated a certain morbid insensitivity that the group continued to trumpet the court victory after Tiller's death. [...] Against this backdrop the threat to post pictures and personal information about media watchdogs as a response to criticism can legitimately be perceived as a threat. Michael Savage may be famous for brash talk and incendiary language, but recent history must be taken into account as his "Savage Nation" may take the talker's inflammatory posting as marching orders to take action against his enemies. And against this backdrop, it seems to me that making Media Matters the target in the same way that they have been writing about, with earnest concern, only helps to prove their point. It just doesn't make logical sense for Michael Savage to do...oh, but there I go again! [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 .] More on Video
 
Obama And Google Make A Splash With Service Site Top
Obama's call to service got a boost this week with the launch of All for Good , a Google-backed hub for volunteering. With Google and Obama behind the project (not to mention Arianna Huffington ), the site was destined to make a big splash. Since its launch the site's open source API has been receiving a good deal of attention from the software savvy, with fond mentions in The Search Engine Journal , Web Pro News and Softpedia , which lauds Google for wanting to give back and offering "something it's best at, namely search." The Obama administration itself was among the first to utilize the API on its own service site, serve.gov . Mashable.com , the source of news on all things social media, says that's a logical extension of the Obama election campaign's use of the internet and social media to mobilize the nation. Also jumping on board the national service push for partnerships with the site are YouTube, which has created the channel "Video Volunteers" to pair nonprofit organizations with volunteer video makers for some pro-bono promotion, and MTV , which will run a series of Public Service Announcements on its TV stations and has created a portion of its site devoted to volunteering for young people. All for Good also encourages users to develop their own applications to utilize the site's data, and among the first of these is the Calista app which provides volunteers-on-the-go with updated volunteer opportunities around them on a mobile device. A few negative reviews take an anti-corporate angle, with MSNBC giving voice to several who say their sites are being pushed out of the market by this big project, but in general the consensus leans with the folks over at Information Week , who applaud the effort and have dubbed Google "Saint Google" in honor of this and other recent good works. Get HuffPost Eyes&Ears on Facebook and Twitter! More on YouTube
 
John O'Kane: Freed Empire Top
Mr. Obama's recent words to the Muslim world may have hit their target. Many from across the political spectrum and around the globe are praising his powers of persuasion. They got the message. We need to break through our protective skins of prejudice and sectarian belief and see others differently. Words welcome indeed after nearly a decade of George Bush's divide-and-conquer appeals to our base instincts. They echo Martin Luther King's appeals for unity. In fact Mr. Obama's recent pitch is similar in tone and rhetoric to his speech on race last year in the run-up to the election. Coming in the wake of the Reverend Wright brouhaha, and nominally meant to dispel notions that he might be an angry black man ready to wreak vengeance against whites, this speech was about getting us to understand each other and work toward solving problems together. Forget the past and push on to the promised land that awaits us all, he urged. Racism still exists but can and must be solved through a shared focus on the present and future. Mr. Obama is doing what charismatic leaders must do, move citizens with the power of words and ideas to change society. But Winston Churchill's words, all over the web these past days, are apt: "Words are easy and many, while great deeds are difficult and rare." We're in awe of the speeches and await the moment when their ideas are put into practice. Little has yet to change. Foreign policy looks strikingly familiar. Congress has just passed, with very little opposition, the supplemental appropriations bill to keep the wars going. As does our economic policy. It looks in fact mostly like the mumbo jumbo we were fed during the Bush years. Though now, as Arianna Huffington reports (Huffington Post, 6/19), even the pretense that what benefits Wall Street will benefit main street is slipping away. Will his fine phrases levitate the drones from their death dives into schools and residences? Challenge the military establishment? Eliminate lobbyists? Convince corporate boards to accept less profit from weapons production? Will Armageddonists and Jihadists, everyday citizens and power players, reach out and touch each other? George Bush's faux folksy pitches to the lowest denominator trafficked in the abstractions of freedom and the "American way." There was no pretense about change, just stay-the-course tirades that impressed a sufficient number long enough to keep it all going. Mr. Obama is also engaged in impression management. And while his form certainly rings truer, why do impressions have to be managed in the first place? His community outreach program, now extended to the global stage, is called "Organizing for America." It's sold as a way to bypass the elite and go directly to the people during the election. Today we can register our wishes and dissatisfactions by simply accessing the White House's website. OFA is a welcome force for openness and democracy. But it's also a PR gesture with hidden motives. What is the relation between those who are organizing "for" America, and those at the grassroots level, not nearly as well fed, who are organizing the America yet to be recognized and represented? This America has to be managed, convinced what's good for it. It's those who don't want a military buildup in the Mideast, and who cringe at the prospect of another Vietnam; who want single payer health care and see through the administration's direction as caving in to corporate power; who see corporate welfare in bailouts who are supposed to stabilize a financial system that's in fact cutting off credit, raising interest rates and denying loan modifications. And the tragedy is that this America is in the majority, as polls confirm. It's a redux of "the experts know better -- they see what we don't." A viable democracy's leaders don't, and shouldn't, consult the polls at every turn before deciding how to act. And the people don't know all the facts, and can be a fickle lot to boot. But leaders always bid better for those who play more of a role in getting them where they are, and who pay more as well. And especially since the rise of inequality over the past generation that's enabled elites to own politicians in what has become nearly a one-party system. They no longer need the lowly to keep power. And the fickle masses have short memories! Perhaps that's why the "cram-down" legislation, which would have given bankruptcy judges power to modify mortgages, was approved by the House recently but nayed by the Senate, whose members have much more time between elections to, well, manage the people's impressions! We've heard these arguments before. McNamara and the inner circle of technocrats were privy to the commie threat that bypassed ordinary folks during Vietnam. Years of unfavorable polls about the war barely fazed Nixon, who admitted as much. And so the occupation went on until the exit could be managed, the impressions shaped and conformed, the rhetorical ground laid firmly so that revisionists could rewrite history as the people's memories faded, allowing the military to renew its pledge again to help young men be all they can be. This changed attitude over time helped make the lobbyists' jobs much easier in convincing legislators to appropriate more funds for weapons production in an increasingly hostile world in need of our military assistance. As I F Stone was fond of saying during Vietnam, the real danger of a gargantuan military is that more and more workers will be looking for ways to ply their skills. With regard to health care the administration is now sponsoring "house parties" to make sure people understand what's best for them. A reprise of the early '90s when insurance companies spent millions on PR to nix anything resembling single payer, except that now the government of "change" is running the interference for the companies! The experts are out organizing for America, helping us get our heads straight about priorities: it's not universal coverage and reduced costs that are important, eliminating the waste and bureaucracy that blocks delivery of quality health care to more, but the need to preserve our current private system. In one of the more incredible reversals of spirit uttered by Mr. Obama in recent weeks, he's argued that even though the single payer system may be better, since we already have a private system, to change course would be disastrous! For whom, we might ask? Not for the millions who have no insurance, part of the majority that needs convincing; or even those who have it but their costs are denied by greedy private providers. One of the most significant causes of bankruptcies in the US, as this group knows, is indebtedness from health care costs. Get the profit motive out of enterprises that traffic in life versus death! This is what the yet-to-be-impressed majority already want. How many premature deaths have there been since the last assault against single payer in the early 90s? Studies show that Americans' life expectancies have dipped down well below that of European and other advanced industrialized nations who have universal care, suggesting a direct link between this decline in the US and the lack of coverage for so many whose early deaths have dropped the national average. Are the profiteers waging war against citizens? As a country we were much closer to getting universal health care during the Truman years than we are now. So much for the progress of the American Century! The America that the team needs to impress wants a chance to be part of the agenda, not merely given the option to ratify what's been decided. Single payer's many players need a real seat at the table. The antiwar constituency needs access to discussions. The real danger we face is that fine phrases will replace good action, not merely preface it. One of George Bush's central ruses was that if you say something over and over again people will start to believe it! Will Mr. Obama's reach out say we've arrived, chilling the excluded from speaking out? Do the poll numbers registering his popularity say that the ready-to-be-impressed public has swallowed the rhetoric? Or at least that it's pumped up enough to extend him a waiver? We're hostages to optimistic word play. We find heroes amid every crisis, bootstrap stories in every success. Will Mr. Obama's very inspirational messages of unity and striving merely cut and paste the backstories we need to make sense of actual events in the absence of good action? The unity message suits Wall Street and other corporations Mr. Obama said he'd confront, just fine. It's the perfect song for keeping things the same. We need only tune out the conflicts and difficult to solve issues from the past and borrow some snake-handling joie de vivre from the bible brotherhood to melt away differences. This strikes a positive chord for sure. There's no question the past cramps present options. But there's certainly not very much we can do about it. So, Mr. Obama's messages urge, let's break free from it, get a fresh start, bring everyone--well mostly everyone!--to the table, and act as though the uninsured will magically get funds to buy coverage; the Muslim world will suddenly forget the mistaken bombing of a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant in the '90s, or the policy error in the CIA-backed toppling of the Iranian regime in the '50s; or ignore the palatial embassies being built in the region, and the many military bases that dot the globe--nearly 800 by current count--to prop up our overreaching, oil-slickened foreign policy! Going-forward-freely implies that the power imbalances of the past that led to the current crises should and can be equalized with clap-happy faces at the Dow Jones bell, like deferring to the "free market" without exposing and righting the unequal playing field that got this way through "free" actions. There are good ways to forget the past, and bad ones. You can only successfully forget the past, remove its weight on the living, by remembering it correctly. And unfortunately one of our major barriers is forgetfulness, an amnesia fed by overconsumption and instant gratification, a credit-card pathology that keeps us gorging in the moment. It doesn't help that the media acts like everything is back to normal. A glance at the news reveals little evidence of our massive unemployment. The glittery ads for easy money continue; cheap mortgage rates are offered (for the few who can take advantage!), but the coverage is scant regarding the mortgage crisis itself and its causes. It goes with the tenor of the times in Congress. The reform spirit of late last year has virtually dissipated. No revamp of Glass-Steagall or new regulations on banking are in the works. Can racism be solved, for example, without some acknowledgement of past wrongs that have shaped institutions and led to huge gaps between whites and non-whites? The unfair playing field can't be wished away. How we attend to past injustices will affect how we go forward, and if we progress. We need some serious soul-searching about our foreign policy. Mr. Obama "invites" the Muslim world to be part of the international community. He apologizes, an excellent gesture, for mistakes we've made in the region. He rationalizes our military presence, now escalating, as necessary to eradicate Al-Qaeda. Of course the majorities here, there and in Europe oppose this escalation. The question unanswered is whether the 3,000 victims of 9/11 come anywhere near the numbers of victims in the Muslim world we created through our invasions. And it is debatable whether anything constructive can be accomplished over the long term if our military presence continues. Most know our presence is not just about capturing Al-Qaeda; that we're there for the oil and power. And they also know that our domineering presence has created Al-Qaeda sympathizers. Mr. Obama's fine turns of phrase can't make these facts go away. Our whole post-WW2 military build-up needs to be reexamined, particularly the post Cold War era dating from Iraq 1, the event that alienated Muslims, especially Bin Laden, our former ally in the proxy war against the Soviets in their war against Afghanistan during the 80s. America has been a force for good in the world, spreading freedom and democracy. Its institutions were once the envy of the world. But somewhere along the line, surely around the time corporations began to go overseas in the 70s to seek out cheap labor and increase profits, freedom-spreading and democracy-enhancing fertilized imperial ambitions. Can we humanize our empire? Fledgling democracy groups all over cite our founding fathers for inspiration. Obama is infatuated with our founders, especially Lincoln. But our founders must be resting uneasily these days. We aren't the same country that their ideals promised. The freedom-spreading is being dwarfed by empire. If it is about setting examples, we're in trouble! Our leaders ignore the wishes of the people in the most famous people's society ever constructed, supposedly the model democracy. We throw billions at banks and the rich, spend lavishly on weapons to kill people, giving the military and its lobbyists an orgy of affluence in wars we can't afford, but can't insure nearly a third of our citizens, can't manage a policy to keep people from foreclosures due to policies that allow banks to pigout on bailouts... What can our intentions be? Do we really believe other countries want exactly what we have? They likely want much of what we used to have! To this day, hardly any of the housing destroyed by Katrina has been replaced. But we need to spread democracy and freedom overseas. Our domestic and foreign policy has created many refugees. In his first 100 days Mr. Obama has created millions of refugees in Pakistan. His bank-heavy "socialism" has created millions of refugee-homeless here, all so that the privileged can stay privileged. Ordinary citizens are being eliminated at an alarming rate everywhere that our policy tentacles reach. Perhaps like Nixon, who in times of economic crisis started beefing up his attention to China and other countries, Obama is focusing his energy on foreign policy to escape a contentious domestic scene. But both policies are in surprising sync. They're about preserving the imperial attitude. His words say different of course. And we can only hope that the ideas he speaks can humanize actions and lead to good results. But it seems that America now resembles Colonel Kurtz, the hero of Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now, played by Marlon Brando. One of the best and brightest, a humanitarian devoted to spreading good American values and ideals, Kurtz's vision somehow gets warped and distorted in the jungle, and he loses perspective about the war's purposes and begins to massacre innocent people. The effects of his actions spawn a life of their own and get out of control, mandating more severe responses to stay the course. This is not so far from what we're doing now. The effects of our policies over a long period of time have created many unintended consequences and much collateral damage, and this has blown back in our faces. And to maintain stability we have to get more involved than ever. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama has taken the helm of a system that won't change with mere words. More on Barack Obama
 
Lady Gaga is a creation, but an authentic one Top
NEW YORK — Lady Gaga doesn't get why some people don't get her. "I am so often puzzled (by journalists). Sometimes they go, 'So what's this all about? ... What do you look like when you go home? Do you dress like this all the time?' It's rude! It's not nice," the "Poker Face" singer laments. The questions may not be polite, but they are understandable for a woman who arrives for a low-key breakfast interview at a nearly empty hotel restaurant sporting a face full of makeup, two pairs of false eyelashes, a sheer outfit strategically cut to showcase her silk bra, platform pumps AND her now-signature hair bow. It's hard to imagine that she can keep up this act when the spotlight fades away. But that's the kind of thinking the singer is trying to dispel. She may have been born Stefani Germanotta, but Lady Gaga insists this is no Sasha Fierce act. "My realization of Gaga was five years ago, but Gaga's always been who I am," says the 23-year-old, in a soft, girlish voice. "I don't appreciate when people call me Stefani, because if they don't know me, I feel like it's their way of acting like they do ... they're completely ignoring my creative existence," she says, before adding coyly: "(Lady Gaga) is who I am. Me and my hair bow, we go to bed together. She sleeps where I sleep." It's that kind of pop philosophy that has helped to make Gaga's music the latest sensation, and a confounding one at that. While she's surpassed the platinum mark with her debut CD, "The Fame," thanks to the throbbing disco beats of songs like "Poker Face" and "Just Dance," she has captured the imagination of millions _ and left an equal number scratching their heads _ with her futuristic outfits, outrageous Gaga-isms (most recent: a suggestion of a foursome with the wholesome Jonas Brothers), and her eye-popping live shows, which are as much art as music performances (she starts a tour with the equally provocative Kanye West in October). "She offers a degree of mystery that has been pretty rare among pop stars over the past few years," says Brian Hiatt, a Rolling Stone editor who interviewed the star for the cover of the magazine. "She has a more fully formed artistic persona than we've seen for a while," he adds. "She's this intriguingly odd character." And Gaga is perfectly comfortable with being music's peculiar "it" girl, a role she has played from grammar school. "I'm kind of the odd person out in general," she surmises. "I don't really like hanging out with celebrities and I don't fit into that world, as I sort of keep to myself. So in a way, even in the new group of cool kids and the pop music world, I'm still the odd girl, but I'm OK with it; I like being the odd girl now, it's where I live." By now, most Gaga fans know her back story. A piano prodigy, she grew up on Manhattan's Upper West Side, went to the tony private school the Convent of the Sacred Heart and spent her early teen years singing in cabaret clubs. She attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before leaving to pursue her music recording dreams. She was signed to Def Jam Records and dropped, then got picked up by Interscope Records, which released her best-selling debut CD. But most fascinating is what has been described as the defining period in Gaga's life: her days immersing herself in the drug and sex haze of the New York City party circuit in her "journey to Gaga." A fan of Andy Warhol and the Studio 54-lifestyle, her research into that era involved cocaine, sexual experimentation and other eyebrow-raising behavior. While Gaga is not ashamed of that phase, she's frustrated so much has been made of it _ especially the drug use. "I think it's a terrible message to young people that you have to ruin your life in order to make music, because I don't think you have to," she says. "But it's just the way my brain and my heart and my obsession for love and art were functioning at the time." It also plays into the mystique of Gaga as an artsy, kooky figure who rode her love of mirrored disco balls and club culture to the top of the charts. But in describing her plan for success, while she constantly professes her love for making art, she also sounds as strategic as a veteran record exec. "I went to art school, I studied pop culture, I know everything about music and iconography, pop, cultural and religious," she says. "I'm self-manufactured. ... (I look) at it not as poison or lowbrow, but looking at it in a very highbrow way, and self-making myself to be a powerful visionary and say something that will genuinely speak to people." Gaga draws comparisons to Madonna, in the same way that the Material Girl pushed the envelope culturally and sexually when she emerged from the dance clubs years ago. And she is a huge fan of Madonna, who came to check out Gaga when she performed recently in New York City: an excited Gaga gushed with excitement when she heard that her idol _ who, like Gaga is of Italian descent _ was coming to her show. But when Gaga sees similarities to Madonna, she doesn't see them artistically. "I think what they're more genuinely drawing upon is the strong ambitious part more than anything. I think that's what _ and I hope I'm not being hyperbolic _ but I would like to think that's what I share with her more than anything, is my ambition, and my strength," she says. Hitmaking producer RedOne, who worked with Gaga after she was dropped by Def Jam and ended up producing several records on "The Fame," including "Poker Face" and "Just Dance," says the singer's confidence is partly what drew him to working with her. "The moment I met her, I was like, 'Oh, she looks like a star' _ she had this thing about her," he says. "That's the kind of artist I was looking for to showcase my music, a real artist in every way. ... She took it to the next level for every artist." When asked how she managed to not only get, but also retain that kind of self-confidence in an industry that feeds on the insecurity of artists, Gaga says simply: "Because that's your fame. That's where your fame lives. ... my luminosity. My constant flashing light. It's in my ability to know what I make is great. I know it is, I know it's great, and it's that sureness. That sureness is infectious." ___ On the Net: http://www.ladygaga.com (This version CORRECTS Corrects to show RedOne worked with Gaga after she was dropped from Def Jam, sted before. AP Video.)
 
N.Y, N.J Lawmakers Seek $12B In Medical Aid For Ailing 9/11 Workers Top
WASHINGTON (AP) -- New York and New Jersey lawmakers are asking Congress to provide $12 billion in long-term medical care and monitoring to thousands of Sept. 11 workers who became sick after being exposed to toxic dust and debris at the World Trade Center site. The bill, introduced Wednesday in the Senate, would reopen until 2031 a compensation fund for those who became ill after a 2003 deadline. It also would expand research of their illnesses and extend medical care to ailing workers who live outside of New York. "We have an undeniable, morale obligation to provide them with health and treatment they deserve," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., at a Capitol Hill news conference attended by Sept. 11 workers and other New York and New Jersey lawmakers. Nearly 16,000 responders and 2,700 community members are sick and receiving treatment, Gillibrand said. Similar legislation failed last year, partly because New York City officials objected to paying a share of the costs. Under the senators' plan, the cost to New York would not exceed $250 million over a decade, which is half of what it would have paid over that period under legislation that was rejected last year. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who attended the press conference, said he supports the legislation, but still has concerns about the cost to the city. "This is an attack against the entire country," Bloomberg said. "I think it's a national problem." Other legislation has been proposed in the House. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said she's confident it will be passed by the upcoming eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The bill was named for James Zadroga, a retired city detective who became ill after working hundreds of hours at ground zero. Zadroga, who died of lung disease at 34 in 2006, was declared killed in the line of duty by the NYPD. But the city medical examiner's office ruled that Zadroga's abuse of prescription drugs exacerbated his lung disease and declined to list him as an official Sept. 11 victim.
 
Joe Peyronnin: Dangerous Liaisons Top
What's with some politicians? What are they thinking? Governor Mark Sanford, Senator John Ensign -- both thought to be 2012 presidential candidates -- Senator Larry Craig and Senator David Vitter. Add to that Democrats like former Senator John Edwards, former Governor Eliot Spitzer, former President Bill Clinton, and there are certain to be more scandals lurking just out of sight. It is no wonder that politicians are not highly regarded by Americans. If you are the nation's leading Republican Governor and an outspoken critic of President Obama, what makes you think no one will notice if you decide to take off for a few days for some R&R with a woman other than your wife, and you don't tell anyone, not even your family, you are going to disappear? If you are a prominent and very ambitious U. S. Senator, what makes you think no one will catch on if you have an affair with a campaign staff member who is also the wife of one of your former top administrative aides, and that you get her a big raise and get her son a job on your campaign committee? If you are a prominent and righteous U. S. Senator, what makes you think that word won't get out if you decide to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of having sex in an airport bathroom with another man -- then you deny it? If you are a prominent U. S. Senator who called for President Clinton's resignation over a sex scandal, what makes you think that no one will notice if you utilize the services of the "D.C. Madam" on several occasions and your phone number turns up in her records? What kind of role models are they for our children? How can they be so hypocritical or so egocentric? Did the pain such acts would cause their wives and children ever factor into their equation? And it's not so much the affair. It's disappearing for three days, arranging for your mistress to get a raise, pleading guilty then trying to worm out of it, or even asking a president to resign for the very sin you then commit again and again. What kind of judgment do these men have? Can they be trusted with our constitution? Yet often colleagues offer comfort, support and a pat on the back. "Boys will be boys." "Man is not perfect (that's for sure)." "America loves a comeback story." And when beginning that comeback, just take a page from the television producer's handbook: "When caught, put on a humble face and say the following: 1. I don't know how it happened. 2. I am sorry. 3. It will never happen again." But in these instances, saying, "I'm sorry" to your wife, family, friends and constituents, as heartfelt as it may seem, is really not enough.
 
Rep. Earl Blumenauer: Reining in Global Warming? Not Without a New Approach to Transportation Top
The House of Representatives is preparing to take one of its biggest environmental steps in 20 years as we move forward on legislation that will reduce global warming pollution and hold polluters accountable. The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) is coming to the House floor, and not a moment too soon. Although I constantly marvel at Congress's collective ability to dodge, weave, and stall, the discussion of how to save the planet is becoming increasingly difficult to kick down the road. We have clearly run out of time. We no longer have the luxury of avoiding the hard decisions. For several years, I have been open to different approaches when it comes to reducing our nation's carbon emissions. I have cosponsored legislation that taxes carbon and legislation that institutes a carbon cap-and-trade system. I have talked repeatedly with supporters of all numerous approaches, trying to play a constructive role that advances the debate. Now we need results, and I have concluded that putting a cap on carbon emissions and creating a market that will spur clean energy innovation is far superior to any other option. Most importantly, this is a bill we can actually pass now, which means taking immediate action to finally address global warming. Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Markey have worked tirelessly on climate legislation that will invest in clean, renewable energy, put a cap on dangerous carbon emissions, and create millions of new jobs. The negotiating process has required a lot of work and late nights, and it lays out how we as a country will tackle the major challenges of reducing our carbon output and fighting global warming. I have worked closely with them to advance this bill and strengthen it along the way. I worked to get more funding in ACES for low-carbon transportation options. While there was not funding in the original bill, it became clear that to truly rein in global warming, we would need to consider how we get around on a day-to-day basis. This idea originated from a bill I introduced earlier this year called CLEAN-TEA (or the Clean Low-Emissions Affordable New Transportation Equity Act). While my bill would have allocated more money to transportation, ACES is a great start. As much as $537 million in the first few years - and then later up to $1 billion (as allowances become worth more) - will go toward projects that make it easier for people to walk, ride bicycles or take public transportation. Paying for these projects will also create jobs in local construction and transportation sectors. The energy and climate bill is not only a victory for environmentalists; it is a victory for all who are concerned about our crumbling infrastructure system. Revenue from the cap and trade system will allow states to invest in more carbon-neutral transportation alternatives like high-speed rail, walking, and bicycling. The energy and climate bill takes off where the recovery package left off. In fact, in combination these two bills will create millions of jobs around the nation in the energy, new technology, electrical and construction sectors. They will help to bring down my state's unemployment rate , which is at an all-time high. The bottom line is that the energy and climate bill will help us grow our economy and finally address some of the major issues we face with our nation's transportation infrastructure.
 
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Bear Stearns Has Learned Nothing Top
Two new books describe the decline and fall of Bear Stearns, one of Wall Street's most profitable, if not the most moral, investment banks. The books, House of Cards and Street Fighters , describe the culture of arrogance and greed that prevailed at Bear and the contempt with which they treated so many of their clients, not to mention each other. The two dominating personalities at Bear that play larger-than-life roles in both narratives are its legendary chairman, Ace Greenberg and its bridge-playing CEO, Jimmy Cayne. One would have thought that given the colossal humiliation of having imploded and and been sold for $2 a share in March of 2008 and having served as the first collapse in the deck of cards that nearly brought down all US banking, the greedy sharks at Bear would have learned some sort of lesson. Surely they would have shown a modicum of humility. Fuuggeetaboutit. I am a witness that Bear has, if anything, grown more arrogant, more contemptuous of its customer base, and more greedy than ever. I have been a customer of Bear for about seven years. My wife and I have all our retirement savings in two IRA's in the bank. Our accounts were being personally managed by Ace Greenberg. I respected Ace because of his record of philanthropy and devotion to the Jewish community. Unfortunately, this never translated into caring much for our accounts. Ace was always friendly to me. He just never had time for me. With about two hundred thousand dollars in both accounts, I was a minnow in a sea of Ace's whales. So I didn't expect much and was grateful for whatever tiny morsels of attention I could pry out of Ace. Our accounts never performed particularly well under Ace, but I bore with it because I was honored that a legend of his stature looked after our accounts. But when Wall Street began to decline, our accounts dropped catastrophically. Ace had invested nearly all our money in large cap stocks which were battered the hardest on the street. I called Ace several times to discuss moving the money into other stocks, as usual I got about thirty seconds of his time on the phone. Growing increasingly worried at our dwindling portfolio, I suddenly bumped into another Bear trader, Matt Zimmerman, at a children's party. For the next few months he made a play to get our accounts. He emailed me, called my wife and did everything possible to convince us that Ace was wrong for us and although he was a very junior trader he had the time to really take an interest in our accounts. He told us that Ace was hurting our money by concentrating everything in large caps. He promised us the world. He was going to diversify, he worked with people in Europe, he had partners in every strata of financial investment. We were going to be a lot better off with him. By April 2009 my wife and I had lost approximately forty percent of all our money with Ace Greenberg. Matt continued to press us to move to him. He told me to inform Ace that we were making a change and he would take it from there. I informed Ace that given the catastrophic losses we were suffering we thought it best to make a change. Matt got in touch with Ace, moved our accounts, and that's when the fun began. We thought that having lost nearly half our money with Bear was bad enough. We were about to discover the greed of a bank that will do anything to milk whatever you have left. Matt, after promoting himself to us as a portofolio manager who did the same with Ace, only with far better connections and much more time, arranged to speak with us on the phone. He began to say that we had to liquidate our positions and move our money to funds he would be looking after. I listened as he went through all the stocks that he suggested we sell. We trusted him and agreed. The next day he called and said that he was moving our money into mutual funds. I was confused. Mutual funds? If I wanted that, I told him, I would have gone to Fidelity, where we once had our money (and did quite well). No, we wanted the personal relatioship of someone who would individually look after our investments, like Ace did and the way he promised us he would. No he said, he doesn't do that. He is going to give our money to someone else to manage. It was at this point that I got suspicious. What were the fees involved in having someone else look after our money? And it was then that I discovered that I had been had. That I was in the hands of a Wall Street con whose only desire was to milk me for as many fees that he could gouge out of me. He informed me that first there would be a 1.5% fee on all the money managed. Then, there was a fee of $75 per transaction from all the stocks we had sold the day before. Then, there would be an approximately 2% fee for the mutual funds. I finally got it. I was the mark. I was the sucker who was in this guy's clutches. I protested. If you're not managing my money, then why are you charging me a management fee in addition to the mutual funds fee? In fact, I added, 'This is exactly the reason that NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was suing Ezra Mirken. It was not because Mirken had given his funds to Bernie Madoff who had promptly stolen them, but rather that Mirken charged his clients management fees when he never managed the money but simply passed it to Madoff.' Matt started getting flustered. I told him I was being gouged, that he was triple charging us on fees and that it was scandalous that he had liquidated our portfolio to make as many fees as possible without informing us. I demanded to speak to his superior. The next day Matt called me with Ivan Alfaro on the line. Rarely in my life have I spoken to someone as contemptuous and arrogant as Mr. Alfaro turned out to be. He basically made me feel like an ignorant bumpkin who knew nothing of Wall Street. He justified all the fees, except for the transaction selling fees admitting that Matt should never have charged us since he was liquidating the position to put somewhere else. With the exception of that admission, he interrupted me, talked down to me, and spoke in an abusive tone. He told me that I ought to simply get another manager if we weren't happy with Matt. I was beside myself and demanded that I speak to someone else. He gave me the name of Gary Munowitz but with no phone number. I called Bear's general number and after much obstuction got through to Mr. Munowtiz, the Senior Managing Director . He treated me just as contemptuously, told me he had no time to speak to me, and said I should call him after the weekend. I made it clear to him that it was his job to investigate and get back to me. A few days later Mr. Munowitz called me with Mr. Longo, VP, Associate General Counsel at JP Morgan Chase. They told me that Matt had done nothing wrong. Bear would take off the selling transaction fee but would do nothing else. I told them that what I wanted was to restore the account to the exact position before Mr. Zimmerman had sold my shares, especially now that there had been a market rally that we had missed out on. They refused. I made it clear that if forced to, I would take legal action to defend my rights. It was at this point that something so surreal happened that you will find it incredulous to read. Ace Greenberg himself called me up. We had been friends for seven years. I had never complained to him even as he lost tens of thousands of dollars and had barely a minute to speak to me. He growled at me, "Shmuley, I am going to tell everyone in this bank that you're an extortionist. That's what you are. An extortionist. You better stop the pressure on the bank to restore your position. I am telling everyone here that you're an extortionist." I was in shock. So that's the way Bear Stearns works. They will lie to you and cheat you. And once you catch them in the act, in their unrequited arrogance they will threaten to detroy you unless you back off and go away. I told Ace that I could not believe the way he had spoken to me. I told him that his accusation was deeply libelous. How could he threaten a friend and a well-known religious figure with spreading lies in order to silence him? I told him he was being misled by Mr. Zimmerman who had worked behind his back for a year to get him replaced. A few hours later he called me back and said, "I had Mr. Zimmerman in my office. He denied everything you said. He never contacted you. He never lied to you. You're an extortionist and everyone here will be told." I quickly got off the phone, had my office compile all of Mr. Zimmerman's emails to me, dating back to June, 2008, and had them sent to Ace, Mr. Munowitz, and Mr. Longo. The emails, which I include as an applendix, clearly demonstrated that Zimmerman had lied through his teeth to Ace. Ace then wrote back to me that he is no longer dealing with this. There was no apology and there was no retraction of the unbelievable libel against my name. A short while later, Mr. Longo got in touch. He informed me that the bank would indeed restore the position. Based on their calucluation they owed me $3900. This was a pittance of the tens of thousands of dollars I had lost. Still, because I am not a fighter and simply wanted to put the episode behind me, I told them I would accept the settlement. I wanted to get away from Bear Stearns as quickly as possible. Just when they were supposed to send the check and I was to move my accounts, I suddenly received a phone call from Mr. Longo. Bear Stearns would require me to sign a release. It was emailed to me, the most onerous release I had ever seen and a clear indication that Bear was terrified that the story of their greed, lies, and libel would leak. The release was not limited to Mr. Zimmerman's actions but encompassed all my years at Bear Stearns. Although I am a public figure who writes on values-based issue, it demanded that I essentially never tell a soul about what had happened. It gagged me from ever divulging Mr. Zimmerman or Ace's actions. I wrote back saying the release was preposterous. I asked them to please amicably settle this, that I would sign the release for Mr. Zimmerman's actions but would not be gagged. I told him it was a gift that I was prepared to go away for $3900 and that they should not be so stupid as to provoke me further. They insisted on the gag. I refused. So, I was given no choice but to sue Bear Stearns. I believe fervently that if we who are not investors, we who are simple people who simply want to put away money for ourselves and our families, must take action to stop the greed and corruption on Wall Street. More on Financial Crisis
 
Webb Crime Bill Moving In House Top
The House of Representatives will be taking up a companion version of a popular Senate bill intended to overhaul the American criminal justice system, Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) told the Huffington Post on Wednesday. The Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Jim Webb and would create a commission to make recommendations on the reform of everything from sentencing to drug policy. Everything, Webb has said, would be on the table. Delahunt, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said that reform of the American justice system should begin with a broad look at drug policy. "I think it's really time to do an absolute overview of the issue of drugs and come at it with an open mind," he said. The bill, he said, "would create a commission of respected individuals in the field with a time frame for review. This deals with gang violence and everything else, but clearly, as you continue to peel back the problems, dealing with crime in this country, and particularly violent crime, the one common nexus is drugs. So you've gotta take a hard look at that." Delahunt is a former prosecutor from Massachusetts. Asked how his experience as a prosecutor shapes his thinking on drug legalization, he turned the question around. "I mean, how long have we been waging the war on drugs?" he said. Forty years? "Is it working?" he asked. Webb's bill was heard on June 11th in Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Penn.) Crime and Drugs Subcommittee and is moving quickly. It now boasts 30 cosponsors, including Specter and the Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), also a former prosecutor. The top four Democratic leaders -- Sens. Harry Reid (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) -- have signed on. It has Republican backing from conservative Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both influential voices on the Judiciary Committee, as well as moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. "We've got a good chance to get this done this year," said Webb when he introduced the bill. "I'm very concerned about the issue of gangs and transnational gangs and I think a big piece of that -- not all of it -- a big piece of that is the movement of drugs." Ryan Grim's book, This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America , is now on sale Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Jim Webb
 
Trish Kinney: Sexual Abuse Takes Toll on Victims Top
As if women who suffer from sexual abuse don't have enough challenges in healing and moving on with their lives, a medical expert from the Mayo Clinic has revealed there are also physical side effects that plague victims sometimes as long as the emotional side effects. According to Dr. Larry Bergstrom, MD, Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale Arizona the emotional stress of being a victim of sexual abuse may lead to physical illness such as fibromyalgia, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even cancer. "I've seen in my referral practice that about 75 percent of my patients who suffer from fibromyalgia have sexual abuse in their past," Dr. Bergstrom said. "It's common for victims of sexual abuse to develop problems trusting people in their lives, so they develop perfectionist personalities, which drive them to be compulsive 'people pleasers' and make them believe they have to do everything themselves, otherwise it won't get done right." These personality traits take their toll on the patients, because they can't do it all, and their compulsions drive extreme amounts of stress into their lives. That stress manifests itself in a wide variety of ways, from simple pain to IBS to even cancer. No one knows this better than Trish Kinney, who was raised in a sexually abusive environment, which she believes led to her developing a cancerous tumor. Kinney, author of Silver Platter Girl , from Seven Locks Press (www.silverplattergirl.com), absolutely knows there was a relationship between her abuse and her cancer. She also knows that both circumstances can be beaten, because she's done it. "There is a difference between knowing the truth and telling it," she said. "It's crushing to comprehend that a member of one's own family is capable of such an act, but even more crushing when a victim finally empowers herself to talk about it, and the family refuses to believe her. It is the victim who is sacrificed, who is accused of lying, for the continued empowerment and control of the abuser with no regard for truth or consequences of such behaviors." But telling is the single most important thing an abused woman can do, Kinney added. "Every time an abuser chooses to abuse a victim, he takes a chance that he will be exposed, that the victim will tell," she said. "The dynamics of abuse usually protect the abuser and assure the continued silence of the frightened, intimidated victim. But when the victim tells, the abuser loses power. And an abuser without power cannot hurt anyone. An abuser without a victim is powerless. Telling empowers the victim and reduces or eliminates opportunity for further abuse. Our voice is our most powerful weapon. Combine it with the truth and the opportunities for healing are limitless." More importantly for Kinney, was the recognition that her cancer was directly related to her trauma. "I gathered all my trauma, turmoil, anger and sorrow and willed it into a physical manifestation so that I could remove it from my psyche by having it removed from my body," she recalled. "I remembered the moment that I began to form the tumor, and I can describe exactly what was inside of it, and back it up with medical aging of the tumor. It was part of my conscious plan to 'get sick to get well.' The deep symbolism of my bone marrow transplant as a transformative rebirth serves as validation that my cancer experience was my path to healing my emotional life." While difficult to understand, the patients in Dr. Bergstrom's practice are like a snapshot, taken at 10,000 feet above sea level, of the physical toll taken on victims of abuse. The challenge, Kinney added, is to transcend the statistics and accept every woman's journey to healing, no matter what road she chooses to arrive at that destination. "We are the sum of the things that happen to us, things that we are exposed to, whether or not by our own choice," she said. "we need to choose a way of living that honors who we are, that truthfully examines where we have come from and where we want to go, and makes healing and healthy living a priority.
 
Readers Giving Stories: Adding Life To The Days Of Those With Terminal Illness Top
Earlier, we asked HuffPost readers to send us their stories of service to the community. If you have a giving story to tell, please send them to submissions+goodforall@huffingtonpost.com with your name and if possible, a photo. This story was sent to us by Richard Carmichael, who told us of his work with Hospice Toronto, a haven for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. A few years ago I was introduced to the world of Hospice and Palliative Care through a project I was working on to help deliver volunteer training for people in remote areas using the Internet. I was inspired so much by the work of Hospice and their dedicated teams of volunteers. I decided to take the training myself to get a better idea of how I could help them take their volunteer training from the classroom to the web. Once in training, I was so incredibly moved by the truly inspirational work that these people do that I could not help but be drawn in and ultimately make the commitment to work as a volunteer myself. Since the early days, I have participated in a series of volunteer training courses designed to help me help people from very young children to adults and seniors confront an illness that will ultimately take their life. Such diagnoses cause such fear, such a stigma, and yet these people are incredibly courageous. What I have learned is that although their days are numbered, these people are are still very much alive and want to keep living life to the fullest until the very end. Our job as volunteers (though sometimes daunting) is incredibly rewarding as we work to give them as much peace, dignity and the greatest quality of life possible under the circumstances. There is no greater feeling when you can't add days to the life that you have, to be able to add life to the days that are left for someone facing the end of their journey. Recently I tapped into Facebook, Linkedin and other various social media tools to raise almost $5000 in ten days to help fund the work of Hospice and Palliative Care organizations in communities all across Canada. Together, our network of volunteers all across Canada did the same to the tune of over a million dollars with a national event called Hike for Hospice. I can not speak for all of us, but I can say that second to having kids, Volunteering for Hospice Toronto is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. If I only knew, I would have started this work a lot sooner. For more information on Hospice Toronto, visit http://www.hospicetoronto.ca/ . More on The Giving Life
 
Michael Brune: Arrested in West Virginia -- A First-Person Account Top
The horn blasted right outside the window where we slept early this morning. "Wake up, losers!" two miners yelled from their pickup truck, gunning the engine. "Wake up! Time to get a job! Better yet, time to get the f*** out of town!" Ah, yes. Mornings in the coal fields of West Virginia. For wake-up calls, I generally prefer morning crickets, birds chirping, perhaps the smell of coffee -- I'll even take a few kicks to the ribs in bed from my little ones. Oddly enough, however, I must say I find taunts from belligerent coal miners to be highly motivational. I've been in West Virginia the past few days to help bring an end to mountaintop removal. We've made it a top priority at Rainforest Action Network. Last week, 14 citizens were arrested in a high-altitude protest against leading mountaintop removal mining company Massey Energy. On Saturday, the New York Times stepped in with an editorial, " More than Stopgaps for Appalachia ," saying that the recent announcement from the Obama Administration, while a sign of progress, doesn't solve the problem, because: ... It still leaves in place the destructive Bush rules that essentially legalized the practice of dumping harmful waste in valleys and streams. The Obama administration has pledged to restore the old buffer zone restriction. But it has said nothing at all about redefining mining waste as an illegal pollutant, which it was before the Bush people came along. A bill before the House would do exactly that. The administration should do it first. Yesterday, a reported 800 people -- including a hundred or so coal miners gathered in opposition -- rallied at Marsh Fork Elementary School in West Virginia's Coal River Valley. Following the rally, I joined Dr. James Hansen, Goldman Prize winner Judy Bonds, Daryl Hannah, local organizer Bo Webb and more than two dozen other residents in a peaceful civil disobedience at the Massey coal processing facility adjacent to the school. There's been high tension leading up to yesterday's demonstration. Last Friday, upon learning that Dr. Hansen would be joining the protest this week, Massey CEO Don Blankenship challenged the NASA scientist to a debate on climate change. Goading Dr. Hansen and other residents, Blankenship stated in a press release, While I don't recall anyone inviting out-of-state environmental protesters from San Francisco and a Hollywood actress to Massey's property on June 23, I'm more than willing to invite Dr. Hansen to have a factual discussion about coal mining in West Virginia... Blankenship upped the ante at yesterday's event, giving time off to some of his loudest and most bellicose workers to come intimidate their neighbors. During the rally, miners tirelessly taunted each speaker, even shouting down local Reverend Jim Lewis while he gave a short prayer. I can't remember a more charged atmosphere. The majority of people surrounded one-half of the stage, supporting each speaker calling for an end to mountain blasting. Separated by police, the remainder crowded around the rest of the stage, wearing Massey t-shirts and shouting their disapproval. I spoke shortly after Ken Hechler, the 94-year-old former Congressional Representative who has decried the effects of mountaintop removal in his region for more than three decades. "I want to thank Don Blankenship for inviting me to this rally," I began, to a mixture of catcalls and applause. I told the crowd that mountaintop removal isn't just a local issue, it's an American problem -- brought to us by Massey Energy and other coal companies. When utility companies wanted to dam the Grand Canyon, people across the country, not just in Arizona, rallied to protect an American treasure. And when loggers were liquidating ancient redwoods in California's Headwaters Forest, Americans from every state exercised their right to preserve part of our natural legacy. Whether it was to end segregation or to honor women's right to vote, Americans have always exercised their voice. And the tragedy of destroying mountains and burying streams for relatively small amounts of coal can't be ignored by people in any state. Then I turned to the miners. "I understand why you're here," I said. "I have two young children myself, and know the pressures of needing to feed your family." Personally, I think its criminal the way workers in West Virginia are being treated by coal companies and government officials. Mountaintop removal is an abomination, and all bluster from miners aside, it can't feel good to be blowing up your own backyard. Let's be clear: this is a test of the Obama Administration's resolve to stimulate a clean energy economy. High wind speeds throughout much of central Appalachia present an excellent opportunity for investments in clean and renewable wind power. The Coal River Valley, slated to be blasted by Massey Energy, could support a 328-megawatt wind farm . It's one of the few places in the country where both the cause of climate change and its solution can be found in the exact same location. Will we make a deep commitment to clean energy and green jobs in the U.S.? Or will Big Coal continue to intimidate Americans from the coal fields to the Beltway? It's time to end mountaintop removal. We need your help. Check out this short video by James Hansen, and please get involved. More on Climate Change
 
Alec Baldwin: Don't Take the Bait Top
So South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford had an affair. Big deal. Now is a wonderful opportunity to show the country what Democrats/liberals/progressives/unaligned learned from the Clinton era. Whatever personal problems that public officials deal with privately, leave them alone. This could happen to anyone, in any state, regardless of party. Why make the voters of South Carolina suffer while Sanford is skewered? If he wants to resign, so be it. If not, let him deal with it in private. The Clinton scandal was one of the most horrific political episodes I have ever witnessed. Henry Hyde and Richard Mellon Scaife and Kenneth Starr, the right-wing's goyish Roy Cohn, chasing down Arkansas state troopers and bank records and real estate documents until they found what they were looking for in Monica Lewinsky's closet. Literally. Of course you remember! The chorus of right-wing talk radio sociopaths dancing, prematurely, on Clinton's grave. Perhaps John Kerry's problems had, in one sense, an extra twist, because those filthy, lying cowards at the Swiftboat Luftwaffe were doing their thing out of pure hate. There were no careers or money to be made, as with Clinton. (Whatever happened to those two witches, Linda Trippe and Lucianne Goldberg?) The rest of the world is about to kick this country right where it counts when it decides to go off the dollar as the reserve currency, and you want to spend five minutes over the fact that Sanford was cheating on his wife? Don't take the bait. Move on. More on Celebs Talk Politics
 
Lawmakers Call It A Week In Springfield As Budget, Income Tax Hike Still Unresolved Top
SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- Confusion over the Illinois budget crisis is growing deeper and deeper. Gov. Pat Quinn backed away Wednesday from his threat to make drastic cuts to social service spending. The Democrat had warned that a version of the budget approved by the General Assembly would require painful cuts. But now Quinn says he isn't willing to make those cuts. Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers have gone home for the rest of the week despite the budget mess. They're coming back to the Capitol on Monday, just two days before the current budget expires and a new one is supposed to be in place. State government faces the biggest deficit in its history. -ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
Jack Healey: Shepard Fairey and the Call for Human Rights Top
Sometimes in life, luck, unlike lightening, strikes many times. And every time it strikes, your life experience enriches. I have been fortunate enough to have luck strike about once a decade: In the 60's, a twist of fate brought me to Dr. King's March on Washington; in the 70's, Dick Gregory and I connected on ways to continue King's dream; in the late 80's, I was lucky enough to have a front row seat to the Human Rights Now Tour with Sting, Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel; in the 90's, on a whim, I met Michael Aris, the late husband of Aung Sung Suu Kyi, and later in that decade I had a chance meeting with the imprisoned rightful leader of Burma herself. Recently, thanks to my friends at Causecast , a new start up to help non-profits, I met Shepard Fairey. If there was one symbol that galvanized Obama's movement of hope and change, it was Shepard's red and blue image. The minute I saw it, I knew Obama would win. Shepard has been kind enough to use his talents to create a dazzling image of Aung San Suu Kyi. My sense is that it will turn the tide and be the lift this campaign needs. Why? It strikes you immediately, one of the portraits that immediately morphs into an icon because it does what Aung San Suu Kyi does: waits, and in its simplicity, inspires. It is the canvas equivalent of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" or U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or Sting's "They Dance Alone." When I met Aung San Suu Kyi, in Rangoon in February of 1999, I promised her husband I would do everything possible to get his wife the "freedom to lead." The US Campaign for Burma and Human Rights Action Center (HRAC) joined forces over ten years ago to give this movement more force. Helping this cause is not easy. Few know where Burma is. Even fewer can pronounce Aung San Suu Kyi's name. But the facts are impressive. She won the Nobel Peace Prize; she won as the candidate of her party, the National League for Democracy, with 82% of the vote. Her protest is non-violent. She could easily leave and live a grand life, traveling the world to receive awards, appropriate doctorates, etc. Instead she stays with her people as a prisoner. But unlike other leaders of her sort, she is not yet the Mandela of Asia. Nor the Gandhi of Burma. And yet, torture and rape remain state policy of the military and there are more villages destroyed in Burma than in Darfur. But no one notices. We've all been inspired by the recent and courageous movement for democracy inside Iran. We've been horrified by that oppressive government's response. This has been the status quo inside Burma for nearly two decades. What will it take for people to get outraged at this oppression? I hope Shepard's icon can help inspire people to care. It gave this seventy-one year-old radical a new lease on hope. Below is the image. If it moves you, please visit this site and do something. Time is running out. More on Aung San Suu Kyi
 
Anne Nelson, CBS' Longest Tenured Employee, Dies at 86 Top
Anne Roberts Nelson, who turned a two-week temp job in 1945 into a 64-year career at CBS that made her the longest-tenured employee in company history, died Saturday of natural causes at her home in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was 86. More on CBS
 
Yoani Sanchez: Hurricane Victims Caught In A No Man's Land of Indifference [VIDEO] Top
The victims of the last hurricane have ceased to be newsworthy; they are only numbers in the statistics of those who have lost their homes. The politicians no longer travel to the disaster zones to have their photos taken next to the injured, and the materials to rebuild are lost in the machinery of the bureaucracy. A few towns have been lucky enough to be showcases for the reconstruction, but others--small and unknown--are still filled with abandoned houses. Near Cienfuegos, a sheltered family suspects the cement and iron to raise their walls have been stopped by the hands of others who can pay more. Those who have grown tired of waiting for the rebirth of their home villages come to the outskirts of Havana to build their houses out of tin and cardboard. They don't want to be the victims of the next cyclone because these natural disasters, like Ike and Gustav, only throw light on the other disaster, the disaster of unproductivity and inertia that affects us all. It will soon be a year since thousands of homes came to have only the sky for a roof. Caletone, a town near Gibara that doesn't even appear in the Atlas of Cuba, is still deep in destruction. Its inhabitants know that with the current economic crisis it would be a miracle if the necessary resources reach their hands. They have fallen into that no man's land caused by indifference, the triumphalism of the press and the winds--not of hurricane force, but of waiting. This video shows the village of Caletone. Music in the video is from Ernesto Leucona: "Noche Azul" (Blue Night) Yoani's blog, Generation Y , can be read here in English translation. More on Cuba
 
Phil Bronstein: Hey Sanford! Did Obama put you up to this? Top
Don't worry Google, they found him. Let me just say it before a commentator on Fox does: This whole Mark Sanford mess is a Barack Obama conspiracy. The sad spectacle of Mr. Sanford's teary confessional is designed, at least in some part, to make the President look even better by comparison than he already does. You think it was a coincidence that as the Governor was into the meat of his dishonor, the CNN scroll noted that President Obama was going to the Vatican to meet with the Pope ? I have my own views about the Obama press machinery and resultant seduction quotient. But this latest stroke of behind-the-scenes genius never would have occurred to me if I hadn't read just last night Michael Wolff's shocking revelations in the latest Vanity Fair about just how this Administration is the most successfully manipulative of the press -- maybe ever. And Vanity Fair knows a thing or two about celebrity and the media. Really, who among us who's read even the partial clip library of Obamabilia the last few months would think for a minute that the President and his wife have anything but a damn good, and very likely faithful, relationship? Even Rush hasn't suggested otherwise. CNN anchor Kyra Phillips , despite reporter Candy Crowley's spirited attempt to say that we're all flawed humans in some way, admitted after the press conference that she was "feeling a little biased about this." And she didn't mean biased sympathy for the tanned-but-cornered Mr. Sanford . (Did that five days of crying involve some Buenos Aires beach time?) "We all want our leaders to have a moral compass," Ms. Phillips said, barely containing her angry disappointment. And who would that be, that moral compass leader? So how did the Obama machine get their hands on the levers of an illicit relationship that started eight years ago? In the shadow of the Governor's long wind-up and pitch, let me concede right away on this: I don't know. But lack of knowledge rarely impedes opinion. It's also true that, if you're looking for a fall guy who also happens to be a big Republican, finding adultery in Congress is like bobbing for apples in a drained tub. On a day when yet another in the endless round of stunning recordings comes out about Richard Nixon -- a man about whom anything was possible -- don't dismiss immediately the possibility of the Barack Obama secret Tweets some day showing a sly hand in the Mark Sanford, uh, affair. Frankly, before the Governor spoke, I was leaning toward insanity as the answer to the mystery of his disappearance. Then we could have called up the epic derangement of our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln, as an argument that craziness in politics, as in the art world, can be a plus. Maybe even a necessity. After all, hiking by yourself on a trail is probably viewed these days as far crazier than cheating on your spouse As Ms. Crowley pointed out so accurately, however, this was just another "microcosm of society," a tawdry friends-with-benefits family scandal to add to the Clinton, Edwards, Spizter, McGreevey , et al, ad nauseam roster. There's a lesson in there, I'm quite sure. And as the Governor started talking about how his Argentinian relationship took wing on the internet, here is that lesson: THE INTERNET IS AN EVIL TEMPTRESS! More on Barack Obama
 
Mark Sanford: The Twittersphere Reacts Top
Thousands of tweets were sent via Twitter in the wake of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's admission that he spent this weekend in Argentina where he cheated on his wife. Here are a small sample of funny lines delivered by the Twittersphere where this morning's press conference is by far the most popular thing to tweet about: More on Twitter
 
Heidi, Spencer Banned From E! Top
The people have spoken, and the people are sick and tired of "Speidi." After an overwhelming viewer vote, E! has announced it will ban "The Hills" villains Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag-Pratt from the network.
 
Dr. Michael J. Breus: Nap vs. Caffeine vs. More Nighttime Sleep? Top
If a 20-minute nap, a cup of joe, and more shuteye at night were in a cage match, who would win for reducing that classic afternoon "dip"? The answer is: (in order of effectiveness) Nap Caffeine Then more nighttime sleep A new study just released proves the power of a nap over a jolt of caffeine and even more sleep at night. It's actually the first such study to look at all three methods for combating the afternoon lull that's commonly experienced--and which is a very normal physiological response to the body cycling through its natural rhythms during the day. Just because you feel sleepy at some point in the afternoon doesn't actually mean you're sleep deprived. About eight hours after you wake up, the body's temperature dips a little, triggering that oh-so-annoying drowsiness after lunch and smack dab in the middle of your attempts to focus and get more done in the late afternoon. Why am I not surprised the nap wins out? For many reasons: Naps refresh you at a cellular level that--sorry, Mr. Joe and Soda--caffeine just can't do. Biologically, the body doesn't necessarily need that extra sleep if you force yourself to sleep more at night. (And getting sufficient sleep doesn't mean your body won't go through the dip regardless; it's a natural, physiological phenomenon tied more to your circadian rhythm than to your previous night's sleep and potential sleep debt.) Caffeine can wear off (especially if you're so used to it) whereas the benefits of a nap may charge your battery for a longer period of time. No one gets a "high tolerance" to napping.  I've long been an advocate for napping . The best kind? A 20-minute snooze within a 30 minute time period (10 extra minutes to get comfortable and into sleep mode). Or try the Nap-a-latte ™, which is the dynamic duo. But here's a big caveat: most people would probably choose caffeine over a nap, and ditch the nap entirely. Downing caffeine can be easier, quicker, and socially more acceptable in many ways. Finding a place to nap in the middle of the workday can be a challenge. And studies have also shown that when deciding between a nap and an "attractive wakeful activity," they choose the activity. Let's face it, coffeehouses have multiple buzzes going on. People. Internet. Connectivity. Social interaction. Exchanges of ideas. And tasty treats beyond the joes and javas. Naps tend to be solitary and, dare I say, not as sexy. But for what it's worth, hail to the nap. Sweet Dreams, Michael J. Breus, PhD, FAASM The Sleep Doctor™ This article on sleep can also be found at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog . More on Health
 
What Is The Perfect Food -- Both Healthy And Delicious? Top
Hate at first sight can often turn into love. I remember meeting my husband in someone else's house, taking one look and asking when he was leaving. Three years later, I arrived horribly late at Hawling Church, all dressed up to marry him. Sixteen years on from that date, and the man I married has revived a teenage ambition to ride as an amateur jockey, losing several stone to reach the ideal racing weight. Lentils, something else with which I began an ambiguous relationship, play a vital part in the diet. More on Food
 
Mike Sandler: Free Allowances to Utilities Are Not Dividends to Consumers Top
The allocation section of the Waxman Markey bill, also called the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), aims to distribute permits representing our national greenhouse gas emissions for decades into the future. That section of the 900+ pages of climate legislation, to be debated on the House floor as soon as next week, has kept politicians, lobbyists, and bloggers busy: how much to auction, how much to giveaway, and to whom? The Obama Administration campaigned behind a 100% auction of permits, and included auction revenues in a draft budget proposal. Environmental groups support auctioning 100% for many reasons, including that it avoids the government picking winners and losers, avoids the windfall profits to fossil fuel industry seen in Europe's ETS, and the auction revenues can be used for public goods and to lower the costs to consumers. However, the House Energy and Commerce Committee chose to divide the spoils to powerful constituencies instead of auctioning 100%. This could lock in a 30 year giveaway of allowances, with very little public understanding of what is happening. It would be as if the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 legislated monetary policy through 1940. Ridiculous, right? I mean, who had the crystal ball to predict that Great Depression thing? Some well-regarded groups, including NRDC , Joe Romm , and David Roberts of Grist have been implying that the giveaway of permits to utilities (also called "local distribution companies" or LDCs), representing 30% of permits (trillions of dollars), is equivalent to giving the money directly to consumers. Even the Congressional Budget Office's latest report assumes that the free LDC allocations will appear as a rebate on household utility bills. Will the utilities use their free permits to keep costs to consumers low? The ACES currently states they must use the windfall "for the benefit of the retail ratepayer," but what is "benefit"? A previous President might have said that a highly profitable utility benefits ratepayers through trickle-down economics. One hopes the current administration can see the similarities between giving Duke Energy and Peabody Coal free permits and those bank bailouts and AIG bonuses paid for with taxpayer money. For example, would LDCs invest the free permits into carbon sequestration from coal? Let's apply what we know from the government funding in the U.S. auto industry's R&D for the "Supercar concept cars" of the last decade. The U.S. companies claimed the technology was not ready yet. 10 years passed. Toyota took the initiative, and suddenly hundreds of thousands of Priuses are on the road. GM lost market share, finally came up with a nice design for the Volt (but no actual cars), then the government gives it billions of bailout money, and GM declares bankruptcy. This looks like a plausible model for how utilities will react when they receive free permits, and the government asks them, sweetly, pretty please, to invest in carbon sequestration or other breakthrough technology. They'd prefer to pocket the dough. If Congress' real goal was to help consumers pay for the potential increase in energy costs, they could just give the allowances (or the proceeds of the sale of allowances) directly to consumers , and let them sell them to the utilities, either through their electricity bills or through a mediated transaction like eBay. If the allowances were given to people (equivalent to Rep. Chris Van Hollen's Cap and Dividend proposal that sells the allowances to companies and then returns the proceeds to consumers as a per capita dividend), then we could avoid this whole debate, and Congress would look like heroes with a new form of stimulus package. But no, they are captive to corporations, and the percentages supported by each member show who owns them and how much they own, and we, the people, do not have enough lobbyists roaming the marble corridors, demanding their dividend or share. The allowance value should go to the people , not to their utilities.
 
Robert Suben, A NY DA's Son, Charged With Raping 16-Year-Old Top
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- State police are charging the 22-year-old son of an upstate New York district attorney with raping a 16-year-old girl. Robert Suben of Cortland is charged with third-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. He's the son of Cortland County District Attorney Mark Suben. Troopers say the incident took place May 23 at a residence in Skaneateles (skin-ee-AT'-lus), a Finger Lakes community 20 miles southwest of Syracuse. Suben is free on his own recognizance. State police didn't know if Suben has a lawyer. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said Tuesday his office is treating the case as it would any other rape investigation. Fitzpatrick said Suben is charged with statutory -- not forcible -- rape, meaning the sex was consensual.
 
Dr. Hendrie Weisinger: Are You Psychologically Green? Part I Top
Green with envy and Green with Greed have proven to be losing strategies for individuals and our country alike. Today, though, there is a new psychological green that brings with it optimism, productivity and a sense of thriving instead of surviving. Today, being psychologically green means tuning into your instincts, getting back to basics, and back to our human nature. Whereas physical green is analogous to protecting our planet, psychological green is about protecting and honoring our human nature. We have laws that force us to protect our planet, It's too bad we don't have laws to protect our human nature! The fact is, we have become disconnected from our instinctual tools that help us thrive, such as cooperation, curiosity, and care-giving to name just a few. Take a look at the plights we have now and you will see for that they are a result of going against our human nature, from being "instinctually disconnected." No wonder we are often so unhappy and unfulfilled. No wonder we sometimes get into the wrong relationships, take the wrong jobs, and make the wrong choices. At the same time, look at the individuals, families, organizations, and countries that are thriving, and you will conclude that they are doing nothing more than staying in synch with their human nature, that is why they are growing. It is our instinctual tools that allow us to thrive and to solve the everyday problems that we encounter. Today psychological green is true to the color of nature-green for growth." What can we do to create a culture of psychological green? How do we get back in touch with our human nature?" The answer lies in using the genius of your instincts, the tools Mother Nature has given you to thrive. Here are three tips to get you started: 1. Listen to your emotions Emotions are the voice of your instincts. Too often, we rely on the opinions and recommendations of others to make our choice. Friends tell you, "He is perfect for you." Parents and counselors tell the high school graduate, "This is the school for you." We follow the advice, despite the nagging feeling that tells us, something isn't right. Listening to your emotions and feelings is the beginning for getting connected to your shelter seeking instincts, their function being to get yourself into an "empowering environment," one that helps you grow. 2. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable You are hardwired to care -- ask others for help. It is Mother Nature's instinctual tool that helps you protect your vulnerabilities. Most people deny their vulnerabilities and as result, become disconnected from their care-soliciting instinct. Why does this happen? One reason is that feeling vulnerable is uncomfortable (as it should be since it communicates we are at risk.) Another reason is the conventional pop psychology message that successful individuals solve their own problems, the emotionally healthy too. Thus, we seldom ask for help when we really need it. Being comfortable with feeling vulnerable will allow you to take advantage of your care-soliciting instincts. 3. Develop others Can anyone deny the world would be better place if we all became more touched by our care-giving instincts, the evolutionary function being to develop the future. Fact is, Presidents have written books on the importance of care-giving, but Mother Nature said it first. Both males and females are hardwired to be maternal and paternal-it is in your genes. Early parents who were good care-givers increased the survival chances of their off spring, and just as the Roman Empire had to develop their strongest into young warriors, so do companies have to develop young talent into their "warriors." There are all sorts of reasons that inhibit our care-giving instincts, such as withholding love because of anger-animals never do this. Some catalysts to get to your care-giving nature: at work, focus on developing others; at home, prioritize your children; with your partner, tune in to their physical and mental health. Care-give to your parents more often. Also, do things for your community. In my next post, I will give you three more tips to become psychologically green for the purpose of helping you thrive! I'd like to hear your thoughts on "psychological green." www.drhendrieweisinger.com More on Marriage
 
Andrea Chalupa: Bargain Eye for the Laid-Off Guy: Get a GQ Look for Under $50 Top
The day I visited Marco Liotta's massive archive of vintage clothes--30,000 pieces and counting--in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Sophia Loren had been in the day before. With excellent reason: His collection is a library, a fascinating history of fashion, from New York and Europe and beyond. FIT, get to know this man. Coming from Rimini, Italy, the birthplace of Federico Fellini, Marco has been buying up vintage in Italy and elsewhere and carefully curating the pieces he sells in his Manhattan and Brooklyn stores. His Amacord shops and showroom are stocked with vintage Azzedine Alaia, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Jean Muir, Ossie Clark, Issey Miyake, and Christian Dior. I was most excited when he showed me a lime green dress from Alley Cat, a line designed by an up-and-comer named Betsey Johnson. His showroom is certainly epic and Amacord stores are so easy to shop, and more importantly for us, affordable. I find shopping a headache, but Amacord supplies reasonably priced high-end vintage that lasts. Example: I got a pair of tall leather boots that I wore everyday for two falls and winters. And they still look good, despite trudging through the snow and swampy gutters. So, basically, Marco is a gem, and that's why he's been a stylist for some of the biggest names in fashion and productions The Nanny Diaries, Austin Powers, Sex and the City, Life on Mars, and Gossip Girl. He's also dressed celebs Chloe Sevigny, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Coppola, Ellen Pompeo, Iman, David Bowie, Will Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Julian Casablancas from The Strokes, Rachel Zoe, socialite Genevieve Jones, and award-winning costumer Patricia Field. So with those credentials, Walletpop.com challenged Marco to go into a Goodwill in Manhattan and put together a sharp interview outfit for under $50. We even gave him a subject to work with. The transformation and tips are a lesson to job-seekers and stylistas everwhere: More on Sex and the City
 
John Ghazvinian: Iran: Is Larijani the New Rafsanjani? Top
For much of the past 10 days (in fact, for much of the past 20 years) the prevailing wisdom among Iran watchers has been that it is Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who holds all the cards in Iranian politics - and it's easy to understand why. Head of the powerful Assembly of Experts, President from 1989 to 1997, possibly the wealthiest man in Iran, largely responsible for Ali Khamenei's selection as Supreme Leader - in short, the consummate eminence grise - Rafsanjani is often ascribed something approaching Rasputin-like influence over all the levers of power in Iran. And since the 12 June presidential elections, speculating on his every move has become something of a parlor game. But the reality is that Rafsanjani has probably played out his hand. By coming down firmly on the side of Mousavi, he has launched himself into an epic and decisive showdown with the Supreme Leader and President Ahmadinejad (who attacked him repeatedly by name in the pre-election TV debates). Rafsanjani is no longer a kingmaker. He has become, behind the scenes at least, the leader of the opposition. So where should we be looking for an early indication of which way things might go in Iran's election crisis? Two words: Watch Larijani. One of Iran's shrewdest political operators, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, is the country's perennial political bellwether. Uniquely and deeply loyal to the Supreme Leader, Larijani is a bedrock conservative, and a former member of the Revolutionary Guard. But he also has a PhD in Western Philosophy and has written four books on Kant, and is generally seen as someone open to better ties with the West. His open discomfort with Ahmadinejad's rambunctious style has led to frequent clashes with the President in recent years. In 2007, Larijani was removed from his post as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, in a move seen as an expression of the Supreme Leader's preference for Ahmadinejad's more confrontational approach. But parliament swiftly elected him speaker, in a near-unanimous show of opposition to Ahmadinejad. Throughout his career, Larijani - the 'quiet man' of Iranian politics - has demonstrated a consistent knack for being in the right place, politically speaking, at the right time. And his reactions to last Friday's elections have been classic Larijani - deft, malleable, and sharply attuned to the shifting winds. Within hours on Saturday, he had pushed a resolution through the legislature congratulating Ahmadinejad on his resounding re-election - providing a major boost to the Supreme Leader's efforts to out-manoeuvre the Mousavi camp in those crucial and confusing early hours. But then came a series of more nuanced statements that have kept everyone guessing as to his 'real' allegiance - and his ultimate intentions. Just since Sunday, he has suggested the Guardian Council might be 'biased', accused the state broadcaster of being unfair to protesters in its coverage, held the Interior Ministry responsible for attacks on university dormitories, and demanded television air time for Mousavi to make his case to the public. In the same breath, though, he has lashed out at Britain and America, and criticised protesters for 'creating unrest and disrupting public security'. Larijani is certainly not the only key figure to be hedging his bets during this critical time, and hoping not to end up on the wrong side of history. Most of the senior clerics in Qom - including at least half the members of the Assembly of Experts - have thus far remained silent and refused to signal a clear show of support for either camp. But Larijani's role is different. As parliament speaker, he doesn't have the luxury of withdrawing into a cocoon of dignified silence until the dust settles. Regardless of whether Mousavi or Ahmadinejad is declared the ultimate victor, the new President will be leading a deeply fractured nation, and will be more reliant than ever on the goodwill of parliament to get his legislative agenda through. More than almost anyone else in Iran, Larijani has the ability to make the new President's life a living hell for the next couple of years. The fault lines have been drawn at the highest echelons of the Islamic Republic, and it has never been more obvious where everybody stands - with one notable exception. Watch his every move, his every word. More on Iranian Election
 
GOP Antics Helping Dems Push Climate Bill Top
With the House of Representatives barreling toward a Friday vote on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, Democratic leaders working to swing more "Yea" votes are getting some unintended help from Republicans. Republican attempts to obstruct business in the House with a barrage of procedural votes are actually helping the Democratic leadership galvanize undecided and opposition Democrats, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said Wednesday afternoon. "We're meeting with everyone," Markey said. "We have a lot of members on our list, and all of these roll calls that have been called are helping us to have the members come out so that we can move one-to-one and have conversations, hear their concerns, and try and reconcile their concerns to the goal of gaining their vote on Friday." The normal get-out-the-vote process often involves majority leadership staff reaching out to other members' staff, which is more time-consuming and less effective than face-to-face meetings between the representatives on the House floor. "In the GOP's attempt to stop the agenda they're shooting themselves in the foot," said a Democratic leadership aide. "More votes mean more time for us to whip." Markey declined to thank Republican leadership for the assistance, but acknowledged that they've helped him bait the hook. "It does help us to be able to have a well-organized fishing hole for us," he said. The GOP's unintentional assist doesn't even seem to be supported by most of their party. By Wednesday afternoon, Republican motions to adjourn barely garnered 20 votes each, with even Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) voting against them. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Climate Change
 
Carl Pope: Lord, Give Me Time Top
Coal River, WV -- I hope that when I am 94 I am able and eager to do exactly what retired coal miner and former Congressman Ken Hechler was doing in Coal River yesterday: getting arrested for the cause he has so long worked for. Hechler, along with NASA climate scientist James Hansen, Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Judy Bonds, and actress Daryl Hannah, was arrested and released yesterday . Media reported that a total of 14 people were arrested, and Bonds was actually assaulted by a Massey Coal employee, who was in turn arrested for battery. The protest was over a Massey mining project that has erected a 2.8-billion-gallon toxic coal sludge impoundment behind the earthen Shumate Dam, just hundreds of yards from the Marsh Fork Elementary School. The community is also subject to ear-splitting mountaintop-removal blasts daily. The protest was the beginning of a yearlong campaign against mountaintop-removal mining . Hechler was the leader of the fight in the 1970s to stop strip-mining -- a fight that seemingly ended in victory when Congress passed the Surface Mining Reclamation Act of 1977. But instead of getting cleaned up, strip-mining morphed into the monster called mountaintop removal mining, which was outrageously legalized by a series of regulatory and court decisions that authorized the dumping of entire mountains into streambeds as consistent with the Clean Water Act. (A few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the underlying Bush administration rule that legalized the whole racket.) The recent Coal River protest was the beginning of a nationwide campaign to end the practice of mountaintop-removal mining once and for all. Although the Obama administration has made some progress reining it in, the reality remains that mountaintop-removal mining should, quite simply, be made illegal and stopped. As Hansen put it: "I am not a politician, I am a scientist and a citizen. Politicians may have to advocate for halfway measures if they choose, but it is our responsibility to make sure our representatives feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not what is politically expedient. Mountaintop-removal mining, providing only a small fraction of our energy, should be abolished." The defense of mountaintop-removal mining -- as formerly with strip-mining -- is that the economy of Appalachia depends on it. This canard now has been solidly rebutted by West Virgina University, which released a new study this week showing that the cost, in human casualties alone, of the coal industry far exceeds the benefit it provides the region. The study estimates that the total benefit of the coal industry to Appalachia is $8 billion a year. Premature deaths caused by the coal industry cost  five times as much: $40 billion. Coal kills, and its toll appears to be between 4,000 and 10,000 people in Appalachia each year, largely from exposure to various pollutants related to coal-mining. The West Virginia study didn't even attempt to quantify the costs of destroying communities, lost property values, hundreds of miles of streams choked with mining waste, or even the loss of renewable energy opportunities from wind farms on the mountain ridges at Coal Mountain, which appear to be worth more as an energy source than the coal itself!
 
Jancee Dunn: My Retired Mother Gets a Tattoo Top
At a recent family gathering, as we were clearing the dinner dishes, my 67-year-old mother calmly announced that she was going to get a tattoo. Now, my mother is hardly the biker type. She's a wholesome Talbot's-sweater-wearing Southerner, a former flight attendant from the days when airlines had strict weight and grooming requirements. After a tense silence, one of us -- it might have been me -- asked if she had a design in mind. My husband suggested a 'do not resuscitate' tattoo he had recently seen on a retiree's chest, but Mom did not find the humor in that. She told us she wanted a large black raven on her left wrist. My father was appalled. He joked that it would resemble a giant liver spot. My two sisters and I -- all tattoo-free -- loudly backed him. Desperately, we tried scaring her with tales of dirty needles and rampant hepatitis. I said that tattoos have been called 'permanent bell bottoms.' She wouldn't budge. She just wanted to adorn her body with a little art, she said. A raven would make her happy. Period. So I told her to at least let me choose the artist. As I researched, I found that getting inked is not as taboo as it once was -- even among grandparents. Over a third of Americans between 18 and 25 now have a tattoo, and the number of first-timers 50 and over is growing. To meet the demand, a fledgling chain called Tattoo Nation is opening outposts in a number of suburban malls, where older customers will feel more comfortable. A couple of tattoo artists I talked to said that inscriptions of grandchildren's names were gaining in popularity among retirees, as well as the faces of deceased spouses. But Mom wanted a raven, so a few months ago, my parents and I went to Shotsie's Tattoo in Wayne, New Jersey, where a guy wearing a dog collar called the Ink Shrink gave my mother her wish. I was extremely uncomfortable, not just because we were easily the least hip people to ever visit the place, but because I was in the advanced stages of my first pregnancy. But my mother was serene. And so I stood by helplessly as someone I loved did something I thought was reckless and foolish. I had tried to talk her out of it, but she didn't listen for a minute, even though I was convinced that I knew best. As I watched the raven slowly come to life on her wrist, it occurred to me that my mother had given me an indelible preview of parenthood. Jancee Dunn is the author of the recent essay collection Why Is My Mother Getting A Tattoo? And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had To Ask .
 
Jancee Dunn: Heaven Can Wait Top
For nearly twenty years, I've made my living by interviewing celebrities. I've hoisted a pint of Guinness with Bono, helped a pregnant Madonna out of a chair, and eaten Doritos on a tour bus with Beyonce. But that was a while back. It's time to move on. It's been time for a while. I began my career in the late 80s at Rolling Stone . A typical week might involve a sit-down with Stevie Nicks, who once told me that her coke-Hoovering days came to an abrupt end after a doctor informed her that there was only a tiny piece of flesh left inside of her nose, and one good snort would rocket it to her brain to finish her off. Or I might chat with Grace Slick, who cheerfully described her abused lungs as "black bags," and, when asked if she had any regrets, immediately answered that she was dismayed that she hadn't "nailed" Jimi Hendrix or Peter O'Toole. Now, even the dimmest starlet from the CW network is media-savvy enough to deliver the blandest, most inoffensive quotes possible. I knew it was time to hang it up when I realized that virtually every interview I've done in the past few years contained a variation of the most inoffensive quote of all: 'I'm really blessed.' Now that I've pointed this out, you'll see it everywhere. Giselle Bundchen told Vanity Fair that she feels "really blessed" to have Tom Brady's baby in her life. Lindsay Lohan addressed her supposed bisexuality in Harper's Bazaar by saying, "I appreciate people, and it doesn't matter who they are, and I feel blessed to be able to feel comfortable enough with myself that I can say that." Shia LaBeouf told the Guardian newspaper, "I feel blessed. I'm an actor for hire, man. I couldn't be happier it's worked out this way, because that's a great job." Orlando Bloom informed an Oregon newspaper that he was "blessed" to be a part of Lord of the Rings. It's actually a pretty canny move. Saying you're 'blessed' is a way to seem humble and grateful for your good fortune -- and also a way to indicate that you're been singled out especially by the Lord. More on Madonna
 
Blago Trial Document Filed By Poweful Lobbyist Cellini May Become Public Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- Sealed court papers shedding light on a millionaire Springfield lobbyist who is a co-defendant in the corruption case against ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich may become public - but only in part. Federal Judge James B. Zagel indicated Wednesday the public is likely to see only a redacted version of William Cellini's motion to suppress wiretap evidence and any other materials he releases concerning the powerful businessman. Zagel said some elements will remain under seal and removed from the redacted version of whatever documents are released. The Chicago Tribune has been asking Zagel to unseal the documents, at least in part, to give the public more information about Cellini, described by the newspaper in its court papers as "a legendary Illinois political power broker." He is executive director of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association - a major component of the state's road-building lobby. His family's Commonwealth Realty Advisors, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of the fund that pays the pensions of retired downstate and suburban school teachers. Cellini is accused, among other things, of plotting to pressure Hollywood producer Thomas Rosenberg to raise substantial funds or make a large donation to Blagojevich's campaign fund or lose a $220 million allocation from the teachers pension fund to Capri Capital - an investment firm Rosenberg owns. Cellini has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Blagojevich also has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Even before the hearing, the government had indicated a willingness to release some redacted materials. Zagel called that "an obvious preliminary remedy." He directed the government to submit proposed redactions. But Tribune attorney Natalie Spears said the government and the newspaper's lawyers are still likely to clash over how much should be redacted. "We think it should be broader than what they propose," Spears said, meaning she hoped the release of materials would not be too limited. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Niewoehner said the government wants the materials under seal because of concerns about the privacy of people who may be mentioned but have not been charged with a crime or called to public attention. CNN, ABC and Chicago's WLS-TV, an ABC affiliate, have also asked the court to unseal the wiretap tapes made secretly by the FBI in the days before his early December arrest. Niewoehner told Zagel the government has "a strong investigative reason in addition to the privacy concerns" for keeping the wiretap tapes under seal. Zagel gave CNN attorneys until July 8 to file a fresh motion, providing additional legal reasons why the wiretaps should be made public. -ASSOCIATED PRESS More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Beth Arnold: Letter From Paris: Help Find an Iranian Photographer! Top
This comment was posted on my blog-- www.betharnold.com --yesterday by a friend who is missing a friend--a photographer recording the protests in Tehran. If anyone can help find him, please do what you can! We all need to stand with the Iranian people who need our support--in whatever way possible. One of the members of our daily photo community who was posting pictures of the current situation in Tehran has gone missing. This is his website . Here is a link to the recent article about eyewitness reporters on Tehran's streets in Life Magazine . Please ask as many people as possible to do what ever they can to help find him. And for everyone on Twitter : If you're on Twitter, set your location to Tehran & your time zone to GMT +3.30. Iranian security forces are hunting for bloggers using location/timezone searches. The more people at this location, the more of a logjam it creates for forces trying to shut down Iranians' access to the internet. Cut & paste & pass it on... Crossposted at www.betharnold.com. Beth Arnold lives and works in Paris. To see more of her work, go to www.betharnold.com . More on Twitter
 
Joe Trippi: Poll shows Rep. Carolyn Maloney leading potential senate matchup in NY Top
Interesting news out of NY: A Quinnipiac poll released today looking forward to a possible matchup for the 2010 Democratic Primary for US Senator from NY, shows US Rep. Carolyn Maloney ahead of incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and challenger Jonathan Tasini. It is pretty extraordinary to show an incumbent Senator losing a primary to an opponent who hasn't begun to campaign. Just as significant as the head-to-head poll, despite a well-publicized six-month effort by Gillibrand to sway New York voters, her favorable numbers have not moved. Looking at these poll numbers, I guess now we know why Kirsten Gillibrand is doing everything she can to clear the field of all potential challengers a year before the primary. Today's poll is the 2nd in a row in which Carolyn Maloney has come out on top and the third overall showing Kirsten Gillibrand trailing a potential challenger who hasn't begun to campaign. If there's anything that's becoming clearer, despite the forces behind Kirsten Gillibrand working to push out other candidates from this democratic primary, it's that New Yorkers agree that there are stronger candidates out there, and NY voters deserve a choice about who will be their next senator. Even more telling is the fact that, though more than half of those polled said they favored one of the three choices, large chunks of NY Democrats remain undecided. If past New York elections are any indicator, New Yorkers are closer to Carolyn Maloney ideologically on key Democratic issues like marriage equality, getting guns off the streets, and on women's issues. That's what this race is about, not endorsements. It's about who will stand up and fight for the voters of New York on the issues that matter. Though she has not said she will run, I hope Congresswoman Maloney does decide to enter the race. Not only would she win the nomination next year, but as the poll shows, she would defeat likely GOP nominee Rep Peter King. The Republicans are not going to pull any punches during the general election campaign next year, and New Yorkers need someone who will stand up for them on the issues , not change their positions for political expediency. Poll details : Carolyn Maloney: 27% Kirsten Gillibrand: 23% Jonathan Tasini: 4% -Kirsten Gillibrand's favorable ratings remain virtually unchanged since January 2009 despite a six month effort by Senator Gillibrand and her campaign. ---- For more updates, visit JoeTrippi.com .
 
Michelle Obama Called "Ghetto Girl" Top
I am notorious for having delayed reactions. So when the whole New York magazine/Michelle Obama/Martha's Vineyard debacle came up in our morning meeting today I was admittedly embarrassed that it hadn't been covered in the Michelle Obama Daily Diary (the First Lady photo blog I pen for ESSENCE.com). But now that some things have settled in, lil' mama has something to say. For those unaware, New York magazine published an article written by veteran Black journalist Touré in its latest issue titled "Black and White on Martha's Vineyard." In this ode to the affluent Black community in the popular New England vacation spot, Touré quotes an anonymous member of Black high society in Martha's Vineyard saying, "[Michelle Obama] is basically a ghetto girl. She grew up in the same place Jennifer Hudson did. She hasn't reached out to the social community of Washington." More on Michelle Obama
 
Saberi To Iran: Free My Cellmate Silva Harotonian Top
PARIS — American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi called Wednesday for the release of a former cellmate _ a U.S. aid agency worker held in an Iranian prison _ and expressed worry about those detained during opposition protests in Tehran. Saberi, jailed in Iran on spying charges and released last month, told The Associated Press she hopes to help other prisoners she says have been wrongly accused. "I was very fortunate to have been freed and fortunate because there was a lot of international attention on my case," Saberi said in Paris on Wednesday. Saberi appealed for the release of Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen who was helping run a maternal and child health project for the U.S.-based International Research and Exchanges Board. The 34-year-old Harotonian was convicted of trying to foster a "soft" revolution in Iran and sentenced in January to three years in prison. "When I was freed, I left a lot of people behind, a lot of innocent people. So I hope that in some small way I can use my experiences to help others like Silva, whether they're in Iran or in others countries," Saberi added. Also joining the appeal were Robert Pearson, IREX president; Karim Lahidji, president of the International Federation for the League of Human Rights; and Hadi Ghaemi, coordinator of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Saberi said that her dual citizenship helped her garner media attention, which she said helped her get out of jail. The 32-year-old Saberi was arrested in January, convicted of spying for the United States in a closed-door trial, and initially sentenced to eight years in prison. She was then granted a two-year suspended sentence, and was freed May 11. Saberi shared a cell with Harotonian for several weeks. Saberi said she was disturbed by the unrest in Iran, where several people have been killed in clashes between police and opposition protesters who say the June 12 presidential election was rigged. "It's been very inhumane," she said of the authorities' crackdown on protesters. "I'm very sad when I see the scenes of my friends, about the violence towards peaceful protesters, and about the many detainees who have been arrested in the past few days," Saberi said. "I am very worried about their welfare, and I think they are probably going through much more difficult times than I was," she added. Raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Saberi worked as a freelance journalist in Iran for the BBC and other news organizations. The United States called the charges against her baseless and repeatedly demanded her release. More on Iran
 
Harry Moroz: Changing the Climate for Cities? Top
While most of the country tries to figure out what health insurance exchanges and health insurance cooperatives are (and what exactly South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was doing in Argentina ), Speaker Pelosi has snuck game-changing climate change legislation onto the House of Representatives calendar for a vote - and likely passage - this Friday. In addition to a renewable energy standard, the bill establishes a cap-and-trade system (two, actually: one for greenhouse gases and a separate one for hydrofluorocarbons) designed to reduce emissions 17% by 2020 and 83% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. Limited emissions allowances will be both auctioned and sold to polluters, who can then purchase more allowances to emit more or sell allowances that are not needed because of energy efficiency improvements. In recent days, progress on the bill had been stalled by negotiations between Collin Peterson , the Democratic Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. At issue were the interests of rural constituents. Peterson and other farm-state representatives wanted more emissions allowances to be issued to rural electricity cooperatives and requested that the Department of Agriculture, instead of the Environmental Protection Agency (which is, evidently, in the pocket of large cities), to determine which offsets, schemes that farmers could use to make money by soaking up emissions, are acceptable. Debate, then, in these last critical days has focused on rural areas; the legislation's impact on cities has been largely ignored. In part, this is because urban and metro areas are better positioned to deal with any price increases that result from the cap-and-trade system. For one, metro areas have a smaller per-capita carbon footprint than rural areas and so on average will be less affected by the cap-and-trade system. But even representatives from older metros in the Midwest and on the Eastern Seaboard, which emit more than their Western metro counterparts because of dirtier energy sources, are less concerned about the legislation than their rural counterparts because the legislation redistributes proceeds from auctions of allowances to utilities according to increases in the price of electricity. Regions that experience more price increases receive more money, which they are required to pass along to their customers. At the same time, though, the legislation directs significant funds - 10% of the allowances in the initial years of the program - to state governments for clean energy and energy efficiency investments. This allocation ignores the leading role that cities have been playing in improving energy efficiency with programs like Chicago's green roofs initiatives and New York's plan to increase the energy efficiency of large buildings. The stimulus package is already leaning heavily on state governments to carry out energy projects. While city governments have gained experience instituting environmental initiatives, observers worry that Even the most competent government agencies have difficulty starting something new, and many state offices squeezed by budget cuts lack enough experienced civil servants to reliably avoid pitfalls. Finally, as Peterson presses for more concessions to gain farm state votes, he is sapping resources away from the meager allocations currently committed to worker assistance and job training (just 0.5% of allowances). Increased funding for job training in green collar jobs could help revitalize the industrial and manufacturing base as it retools to become more energy efficient, a critical step in ensuring the long-term vitality of the nation's metro areas. More on Climate Change
 
Jeffrey B. Swartz: Lessons Learned and Leading Change Top
Ten years ago, we didn't think it was possible to have standards around human rights. There was no regulation, little leadership, a lack of conviction that human rights was an issue people cared about. But the activists cared -- enough to make human rights violations the stuff of magazine covers and consumer boycotts. In response to the pressure -- and in the absence of set standards -- business set the standards for themselves. The result was a proliferation of codes of conduct, tons of redundant factory auditing -- companies complying with their own set of rules, but still no global standard or meaningful impact. Over time, the field got more sophisticated; competitors collaborated, industry standards were created, resources were pooled... factories and brands and workers and activists began to problem solve together. Ten years later, the process "works." What if we were to apply the same organic formula that worked to address human rights issues to environmental issues? Could we imagine the same progress? We all wish there was one set of standards and consistent tactics to address climate change -- and indeed, there are plenty of great minds thinking about how to create it. But when you consider the fact that even among 50 states in the US there's no common approach to environmental regulation and action, how on earth do we expect to create one globally? In the absence of consensus and clarity, someone needs to start leading. Business knows how. We can learn a lot from the human rights case history. We know active engagement is important: if we were brave enough to ask factory owners for a conversation about working hours or wages, we should certainly be able to manage a similar conversation about waste water and chemical use. We know collaboration is key: bringing together activists, factory owners and brands under the umbrella of common interest and with intent of creating the greatest pool of knowledge, skills and expertise yields the most potent and sustainable outcomes. Consider the progress being made by the Leather Working Group, a cross-brand collaboration aimed at improving the environmental performance of leather tanneries. Working together, the Group has managed to streamline the tannery assessment process, resulting in less audit fatigue and less confusion for factories about what environmental standards they're being held accountable for. Greater clarity leads to better performance, which leads to greater environmental "wins" for the entire industry. Absent any rules, we can write our own; absent any teams, we can make our own ... and absent any standards, we can and will measure against our own. Thoughtful approaches to global warming matter, consensus-building efforts matter, forums like COP15 matter. Global standards would make the work of tackling environmental issues easier to understand, if not easier to implement. But we can't wait -- it took us 10 years to get the process to work for addressing human rights; we don't have the luxury of another 10 years of trial and error to solve the climate crisis. The need is urgent, the tools and knowledge exist... it's time for industry to seize the initiative to lead.
 
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour To Replace Sanford As Head Of Republican Governors Association Top
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has assumed the chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association, CNN has learned. More on Argentina
 
Mark Payne: Innovation's Greatest Guru Doesn't Wear Black Turtlenecks: A.G. Lafley's Legacy Top
After such a sterling run, CEO A.G. Lafley's departure from P&G stirs an amalgam of feelings -- gratitude ringing the loudest. Over the past decade, A.G. did more to shape the innovation business than anyone else on earth -- including innovation's Mystic-in-Chief Steve Jobs. A.G. hasn't just worked his magic behind the curtain. He's been innovation's most public Pied Piper. He showed what was possible, proved it and invited us all on the journey. His proof lay in a torture test demonstration: Taking the staid-and-stumbling P&G he inherited, and making it dance to innovation's drumbeat in a way that most businesses could only envy. Signs of A.G.'s innovation-centric mindset were apparent when I first met him in the mid-nineties. A.G. was in Japan to sign-off new product plans for Olay. But A.G. wasn't just interested in whether all the P&G process boxes were ticked; he went deep on the ideas and what they meant to the consumers he considered his boss. If that sounds normal now, it wasn't at all in that moment in P&G history. During the Ed Arzt era, the company's global edict was Search & Reapply. This mandate to replicate rather than invent treated globalization not as a source of much-needed fresh perspectives, but as an institutional wet blanket. Later, under Durk Jager, the highly caffeinated talk was about the hunt for the big breakthrough. But the walk often wasn't. While Jager's right hand explored bold forays into pharmaceuticals, his left crusaded to put all of P&G's beauty brands in identical bottles to save a penny a pack. The unsubtle philosophy: Grow margin through standardization rather than imagining new, premium-priced consumer experiences. A.G. had a different vision, and he wasted little time showing it. Soon after becoming CEO, A.G. came to New York for a symposium on everything from Latino marketing to new digital research techniques. I'd been given a half-hour on the dais to share a new innovation model built to create bigger ideas and drive them faster to market. Intrigued, A.G. focused his remaining comments on what that model could do. His endorsement inspired me co-found Fahrenheit 212 with P&G as our flagship client. In the ensuing year, A.G. grew increasingly public about his belief that becoming world-class at innovation was pivotal to P&G's future. He foresaw the two greatest threats any branded FMCG player would face: Domineering retailers and insurgent private labels. Innovation was the only way to future-proof P&G's core - upping differentiation to insulate his growing stable of billion-dollar brands. Innovation could no longer be thought of as a mere activity stream of random hits and misses. It was now a mission-critical strategy to be delivered and monetized. To jumpstart the change, he fired a shot heard around the innovation world. He told P&G's brilliant scientists and marketers to abandon their famously insular ways and look outside for catalytic perspectives, ideas and solutions. Connect and Develop became the new paradigm. Its metric? Half of P&G's new offerings would come from outsiders, up from 10 percent. As with nearly every other ambition, A.G. surpassed that 50 percent goal with room to spare. A.G. spawned a new best practice and a new industry: The outsourcing of innovation. But he didn't stop there. He hard-wired innovation into every aspect of P&G's business: · HR had to find a way to single out and cultivate P&G's catalytic innovation leaders. · Finance had to make innovation a strategic line item in every business unit's P&L. · Design had to become a new company competency. · Business unit leaders had to learn to balance their innovation portfolios -with both low-risk iterations and bolder, game-changing bets - and to prove that their budgets could deliver a potent, long-term pipeline. At the heart of this was and is perhaps A.G's greatest legacy: Appreciating innovation not simply as a game of test tubes, theories and org charts, but of people and ideas. A special breed of people with innate restlessness, a gift for synthesizing connections others don't see and for developing transformational ideas that change lives and businesses. A.G. showed how this power could be tapped, harnessed and leveraged - giving the world an innovation roadmap. His principles are by now more than proven. As are the formidable talents of Bob McDonald, who steps into big shoes, but will find them more than comfortable. As fans, disciples and beneficiaries of A.G.'s indelible stamp on the business of innovation, we say: Thanks, A.G. We'll keep the torch hot. Mark Payne is President and Head of Innovation at Fahrenheit 212 in New York. More on CEOs
 
Art Brodsky: Our Government Opposes Internet Filtering -- Maybe Yes, Maybe No Top
All this talk of Internet surveillance is enough to cause intense bafflement. For the last couple of days, stories about the revolution Iran indicated that the government is able to keep track of the Internet doings of protesters by means of deep-packet inspection (DPI), a technology developed in the West that, like most dual-use technologies, has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that it can be used to manage networks and deal with computer viruses and other nasties. The bad side is that it can be used to track computer messages, target insurgents, invade privacy, violate Net Neutrality and, as AT&T wants to do, target the use of copyrighted material online and have users thrown off of the Internet. Using DPI as the mother of all Internet filters would seem to be a non-starter, and yet the industry keeps pushing it, perhaps thinking that the U.S. government is ambivalent on the subject. On that score, they might be right. After all, the Bush Administration instituted a widespread wire-tapping program which, as it turned out, snared not only suspected terrorists, but lots of innocent Americans who had their conversations trapped as well. Listening is listening. Congress, led by Democrats, got the telephone companies off scot free with immunity from doing illegal monitoring. Now we come to the Chinese, where the government wants all computer makers to install Internet filters on all personal computers. Putting filters on computers is a swell idea. In fact, the Chinese may have stolen it from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which advocated the same thing just last year. Nice to see that our government is standing up for freedom. According to PC Magazine , our government has told the Chinese that their plan for filtering software is unacceptable because of "censorship issues" and security implications. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk was quoted in the story as saying, "Mandating technically flawed Green Dam software and denying manufacturers and consumers freedom to select filtering software is an unnecessary and unjustified means to achieve that objective, and poses a serious barrier to trade." That's all well and good, but if that's so, Ambassador Kirk, what about ACTA -- the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement? Kirk was quoted not long ago as saying the government planned to move forward with the ACTA agenda about which the government has declined to provide details, even stonewalling a lawsuit brought by Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation that sought some sunlight for the secret negotiations. ACTA could require Internet Service Providers to filter content of Internet users on behalf of private industries, much as the Media Mogul Mob in Washington has consistently pressed for legislation to allow Internet filtering here in the U.S., in addition to its proposal for computer-based filtering. Are we for Internet filtering before we were against it? Or are we against it before we were for it? This is so confusing. Let's try to simplify this a little. If the government opposes Internet filtering in Iran and opposes it in China, then it would be nice if our legislators and our government opposed it here, too? Using the construction of Ida. Gov. "Butch" Otter (R), a former member of the House Commerce Committee, we can put it this way: Monitoring is monitoring. Spying is spying. Invasion of privacy is invasion of privacy. Seems simple enough. More on Iran
 
Sharon Glassman: What is Work? Part I: New Definitions Top
Last week, I got involved in a very modern three-way during a businessy trip to New York. Scott, with whom I used to work, was introducing me to Judith, who I wanted to work with. Judith had worked with Scott before I did. And now, if all went well, she would be working with Raj, with whom I'd worked before leaving town. The subject of our meeting, not surprisingly, was Work. We spoke about it, as folks tend to do today, in lowered voices. The way my friends and I used to talk about sex before we had any. Back then, my friends and I used to page through Sidney Sheldon books at the beach, looking for the dirty bits and blushing. Today the words "project," job" and "paycheck" are having a similar effect on salaried employees, job seekers and indie workers. It's as if to mention the thing is to risk losing it forever. Which made me wonder: What is work? Today, when so many Americans are out of it, changing it, and doing it for themselves, has the definition of work changed? To answer this question, I thought we'd take a page from the Trapp Family Singers and start at the very beginning. Which, as it turns out, is a very helpful place to start. For who better to discuss the true nature of work than folks who work with work for a living? Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant work as professional know-it-alls. This may sound way 21st century. But it's a field that can be traced back to Benjamin Franklin in America...who used the Poor Richard's Almanack as his 18th century pay-for-access web site. And just like Franklin, who sold thousands of almanacs a year, as senior writers for Discovery Communications' web site " How Stuff Works, " the guys make a living by demystifying stuff. About the definition of work, past and present, Josh Clark says: Work, as it was just a few decades ago, very much resembled the definition of work in the field of physics; it was pretty much the transfer of energy from one object (the worker) to another (the front fender of a Plymouth)... You were either harnessing your body's power or you were a manager in charge of a bunch of bodies exerting force on objects. If the latter, then most likely you used the scientific management model that was predicated on the idea that the average worker was motivated almost entirely by money. (1) Which meant that if your boss was so inclined, this model gave him license to exercise his inner jerk. One might think things were better in the "good old days." But as HuffPo's resident philosopher Tom Morris reveals, the Aristotelian ideal of work was no work at all. While a modern philosopher can make his living giving speeches, writing books and teaching at the university level (all of which Morris does), the Greek ideal of "manly labor" - sorry, ladies...this was a Man's Man's Man's world - was the leisure to ponder Life's Big Issues. Let's cast aside the question of whether the lucky, leisure toga'd class would choose to use its free time ponder Big Questions as opposed to the Big Game taking place in Sparta. The point is, in an ideal world of ideals, individuals would have the time and opportunity to choose. In the real world of course, work can be the means to achieve concrete goals. To return to the Trapp family for a moment, let's imagine their work is the beginning, middle and end of a song. They're singing the song for a reason. Ostensibly, they're working to entertain the crowd. But really, to save their lives - to cross the border and begin their life free from fear. In the movie musical version of their story, the family sings a verse, a chorus another verse. The songs ends. They move on. But the rules of the game have changed for many of us today. We start the song ... and no one really knows when or how it's going to end. Much less if we'll able to sing ourselves out of the economic or happiness hole where we find ourselves. Or, as Tom Morris puts it: The recent shifts in our economy, along with the general undermining of reliability in career trajectories have forced many to reassess their view of work. When work seemed more stable, and to lead to prosperity for many, it was easy to view it as of instrumental value only. Work was a means to get into the middle class, or get your kids educated, put food on the table, secure retirement, or even to attain the American Dream, variously defined. Now, when all stability of expectation seems to have vanished, we're being forced to rethink work in terms of its possible intrinsic values." In the days before World War II, Josh Clark points out, human work was similar to the classical definition of work in physic: an exchange of energy. But today, Tom Morris points out, "Work as an extension of who you are, not just for what it can get you externally." The good news here, it seems, is that while we're busy looking for work, certain kinds of work may be looking for us. Finding your calling in a time of economic mauling may not sound as fun-steam as a day at the beach with Sidney Sheldon. But as I'll explain in my next post, once you know how to work with the old and new ideas of work, it can be wonderfully empowering. More on Happiness
 

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