Thursday, June 25, 2009

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Felicia C. Sullivan: Interview: Entrepreneurs Alayna Kassan & Leslie Weissman, Presents for Purpose Top
In this precarious economic climate, non-profit organizations are suffering. From dramatic declines in government grants and private donor funding to escalating community needs, non-profits are struggling to sustain themselves. Many have opted to consolidate resources with other smaller organizations, while some have thought of creative, strategic ways in which they can raise necessary capital. Merge this need with the desire of for-profit entrepreneurs, who believe it's integral to align themselves with and support charitable organizations, companies like Presents for Purpose are emerging as profitable, albeit socially aware models. Alayna Kassan and Cynthia W. Dressel*, Founders of Presents For Purpose met in 1999, after each had successfully fought Hodgkins Disease, a form of Lymphoma Cancer. Both women became active volunteers in conventional fundraising and advocacy settings, anxious to give back to the community that helped them in their time of need. In time, they began developing unique ways for friends and family to continue to support the cause. In 2002, they designed their first retail collection, and the line of trendy crystal watches quickly sold out. $20,000 of profits was donated to the Lymphoma Research Foundation and Presents For Purpose was born. Today, Presents For Purpose works with dozens of wonderful charities that help people live healthier, happier and safer lives, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and invaluable awareness for their work. Everyone has the opportunity to shop in style and make a difference! Presents For Purpose has a socially-conscious and wholly altruistic business model - you're an e-tailer, whose sale of chic apparel, jewelry, accessories, and gifts, directly impacts non profit organizations and supports emerging designers. Consumers are empowered to put their discretionary income to work, as 10% (or more) of the proceeds of their purchase support non-profit organizations, which are selected by the consumer from a list of participating charities. What was the impetus for creating a for-profit company whose core mission is to provide financial assistance and drive awareness for charitable organizations? AK : Profoundly grateful for the life-saving treatment we received for Hodgkins Disease, Cynthia and I met volunteering for Cure For Lymphoma (now Lymphoma Research Foundation). We saw the challenges non-profits faced - with respect to both their existing group of supporters and the public at large - and wanted to do more. As a for-profit gift company we are able to invest in an exciting array of products, unique marketing and promotional campaigns that both support our wonderful charities and provide us with operating income to sustain and grow our business in the most efficient way possible. With this model we are also able to offer the best selection of classic, personalized and trendy gifts because we attract great business partners who can help causes that have meaning to them while growing their business at the same time. Your backgrounds are richly diverse (legal consulting, tax law, advocacy leader, online marketing and business development) -- what made you come together to form such a unique venture? AK : Presents For Purpose was conceived on a train back from a Congressional hearing on blood cancers where we were reminded of the power of awareness. Finding new and interesting ways to engage and continue to engage the public is vital. With that in mind, we designed and sold a line of fashion watches ($50) with the proceeds to benefit the foundation. Even people who did not realize what they were for bought the watches because they simply liked them! We donated our first $10,000 in a matter of months and a company was born. Each of us was and continues to be driven by our passion to give back. Touched by adversity and driven by so many blessings we have used the breadth of our backgrounds to develop a company that can support many different charities and causes that we are passionate about. We are able to work effectively given our backgrounds - calling on our contacts, past experiences and ability to bounce ideas off each other - effectively building a business from the ground up starting with our own skill sets and looking to our industry contacts to fill in our soft spots. From grassroots to internationally known organizations, how do you go about selecting participating charities? AK & LW : From health and safety to environment and education, we work with a richly diverse group of organizations that appeal to a wide audience. We don't take anything for granted - we feel it is equally important to support both smaller and widely recognized endeavors and love that the grassroots groups benefit from the exposure. As we're in the midst of a precarious economy, many are finding, ironically enough, that now is the best time to start a business. As someone who is a successful entrepreneur, can you speak to the process of how you launched your company? AK & LW : Our company was launched from our passion and crafted using our specific skill sets to manage the development and cost of starting a business. We were self-funded and we continue to manage our growth in a way that keeps us hands on and in control of the process. What's your strategy for thriving in the midst of a precarious economy where discretionary spending is tightening and consumers are less likely to shop as freely as they used to? AK & LW : As we all know charitable giving is down -- however folks are still purchasing reasonably priced birthday, anniversary, and other celebratory gifts. Now more than ever Presents For Purpose's smart and meaningful approach is paramount -- it enables everyone to give a gift and give back at the same time. We continue to get this message out and our audience is responding well. How did you get the word out about Presents for Purpose? Was it a grass roots, word-of-mouth marketing? Traditional publicity outlets, or a strategy that's a hybrid of varying outreach campaigns? AK & LW : Our strategy for positioning Presents For Purpose includes traditional, grassroots and out-of-the box ideas. Importantly, we work with our charities to stay in front of an interested audience with up-to-date messaging and useful information. We work with celebrity guest designers (for example, with Teri atHHHatcher for the American Red Cross) on causes they are passionate about to reach a large and often new audience. From gift guides, special promotions and awareness months, the media (print, tv etc) have embraced our mission from the very beginning. Our opt-in mailing list, e-newsletters and social media including our growing facebook fan page and our ever-current website storefront also help us broadcast our message. Looking back at the evolution of your company and brand - is there anything you might have done differently in the seven years you've been in business? Any critical lessons learned? AK & LW : Even in the most altruistic of circumstances you cannot please everyone - we have learned to let that go and remain focused on engaging our past and future customers in giving and gifting. Any new projects underway for 2009 and beyond for Presents for Purpose? AK & LW : We are really excited to be working with Paige Davis and Volunteers of America to support Operation Backpack which provides age-appropriate school supply-filled backpacks to children living in homeless shelters. In these difficult times these backpacks send a powerful message to our own children that especially in tough times, by helping others we show how much we truly have to share. Something as simple as the backpack our children carry to school each day makes a world of difference in another child's life. Any advice you'd like to impart for burgeoning entrepreneurs? AK & LW : Be passionate about your business and don't underestimate the value of your time. *A Note on Current Management Status: PFP was founded by Alayna Kassan and Cynthia Dressel in 2002 - Although Cynthia continues to be an advisor to the organization and her passion in founding the company is ever present she is not involved in the day to day operations. Cynthia was blessed with two children and has moved out of state to raise them with her husband. Inspired by her best friend's two time struggle with breast cancer Leslie Weissman joined the management team, injecting her own experience and enthusiasm into our efforts. We have made great strides together adding so many new charities and expanding our product lines. We continue to chart PFP's future together with great passion.
 
Michael Jackson's Life In Pictures Top
Michael Jackson died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 50 years old. See a Michael Jackson Style retrospective here. Below are just some photos from his long and stories career. PHOTOS: More on Michael Jackson
 
Michael Jackson's Style: A Slideshow Retrospective (PHOTOS) Top
Michael Jackson died after suffering cardiac arrest today. One thing the King of Pop was well-known for was his singular sense of style. From face masks before there was swine flu to glittery gloves, Jackson has forever left his stamp on fashion. Here's a look back: More on Michael Jackson
 
David Wild: Forever Came Today: Ten Songs by Which to Remember Michael Jackson Top
Among many other things, Michael Jackson was one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Here are some songs to help us all remember those times. "FOREVER CAME TODAY" - The Jackson 5 "I WANT YOU BACK - The Jackson 5 "AIN'T NO SUNSHINE" - Michael Jackson "HEARTBREAK HOTEL" - The Jacksons "WHO'S LOVIN' YOU - The Jackson 5 "SHE'S OUT OF MY LIFE" - Michael Jackson "BILLIE JEAN" - Michael Jackson "MAN IN THE MIRROR" - Michael Jackson "LEAVE ME ALONE" - Michael Jackson "BLESS HIS SOUL" - The Jacksons More on Michael Jackson
 
Gavin Newsom: A Model for Universal Health Care Coverage Top
President Obama is right -- the only way we are going to have real health care reform in the United States is by providing a public plan . But right now, special interests in Washington, D.C. are doing everything they can to stop public health care from materializing. They say it is too expensive, will limit choice and diminish the quality of care. This is simply not true and we need to fight back. In San Francisco, we are proving the special interests wrong . Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy Two years, after we launched the United States' first universal health care program , Healthy San Francisco , almost 70% of previously uninsured San Franciscans are now enrolled in our public program. Our experience in San Francisco is proving what most Americans already know -- it is much less expensive to keep people well than it is to treat their sickness. This is particularly true when much of the treatment for uninsured Americans is provided in costly emergency rooms. We are providing health care at a cheaper rate than similar private care options and we are doing this in the middle of one of the worst recessions in history. The president is making the case for a public plan across the country. But he needs your help if we are going to defeat the special interests and get Congress to act in our best interests. As the chair of U.S. Conference of Mayors Health Care Reform Task Force, I am working with both Republican and Democratic mayors to make the case for the president's plan to reform the health care system. As Congress gets closer to taking action on national health care reform we need to make our voices heard. The stakes are too high. The health of our nation and its economic recovery depend on it. We need a public option. Sign our petition and show your support for President Obama's plan to reform the health care system. Listen to Mayor Newsom's Green 960 radio show online or subscribe to his weekly policy discussions on iTunes . Join Mayor Newsom on Facebook . You can also follow him on Twitter . More on Small Business
 
Max Bergmann: On Soccer, Neocons sound like anti-American Europeans Top
Gary Schmitt's riff on America's victory over Spain is rightfully getting ripped . What I want to add though is how weird it is that the neocons - the people who are all about invading foreign lands - would adopt such an isolationist view, especially at a time when the world is beginning to freak out at the prospect of the potential rising of America as a soccer power. What is so bizarre about this is how much the neocons sound like American-hating Europeans. Both  dismiss American talent, American enthusiasm for soccer, and American understanding of the game. Just as neocons - and other soccer-hating sports writers of my parents generation - insist that we don't get soccer and don't care, European soccer writers are right there with them saying that Americans don't get it and don't care. Take for instance Football 365 a UK soccer site writing in typical British sarcasm: " Perhaps understandably, the three people that care about football in America are quite excited this morning." Gary Schmitt similarly - using the same fact based analysis that got us into Iraq - says that: Thankfully, Americans are not buying it [soccer]. In spite of the fact that one can drive by an open field on Saturdays and usually see it filled with young boys and girls playing soccer, the game's popularity has not moved anywhere toward being a major sport here in the United States. It's grown for sure but not close to where folks once expected it to be given the number of youth that have played the game over the past two decades. This is what makes being a soccer fan in the U.S. pretty bizarre, on the one hand you are constantly trying to defend the world's game to Americans, while on the other hand you are desperate to stick it to the world and show that the U.S. can beat them at their own game. Contrary to Schmitt and Football 365, any reasonable observer would expect the U.S. soccer to be exactly where it is today. The US has a league that is rapidly expanding and is gradually expanding its fan base - this may be a shock to some but there are often more people at DC United games then there are Washington Nationals games. The expansion of satellite tv and cable networks has also meant that - unlike when I grew up playing - American kids can watch professional European soccer as well as MLS. Coverage by ESPN - while still pretty poor - has expanded dramatically in the last five years - and American soccer fans rely tremendously on new media for information and commentary. As for the American team it has more and more players playing in the top European leagues and is becoming more talented and consistent. Just as Mexico - the country with the most direct knowledge of U.S. soccer is practically in national mourning due to the rise of the yanks. Mexico used to be the dominant team in North and Central America - they used to be the team representing the region at tournaments like the Confederations Cup - but not anymore. And they are sick to death about it. As the Reuters UK soccer blog assesses - which is not exactly a bastion for pro-American commentary - "the U.S are at least on a level with the second tier nations in Europe -- the Swiss, the Scandinavians." (Contrary to George Vescey's description of the victory over Spain as a "miracle on grass" this was no miracle - a stunning upset, but no miracle. Vescey is still stuck in 90s, in the last ten years the U.S. has evolved into a solid soccering nation. If a country like Sweden (or Mexico) beat Spain it wouldn't be called a miracle.) Steven Wells - one of my favorite writers who unfortunately tragically passed away of cancer on Tuesday - tracked for years the disturbingly high levels of anti-Americanism in the soccer coverage in Britain. His column on British anti-Americanism in soccer simply nails it. I excerpted a few money graphs (but the whole thing is worth a read: Alas, Englishmen who live in desperate fear of an American soccer planet are legion... there's no shortage of stuck up limey soccer snobs who still think it's frightfully funny the ghastly Yanks play the round ball game at all. Like most prejudices, this hatred disguises fear. Recently a leading English soccer journalist told me he "really hopes football fails in America". Others are less blatant but they make their loathing plain through sarcasm, satire and snidery... We - a substantial chunk of us, anyway - are desperately scared that association football will succeed in America. That the USA will become a footballing power. That the yanks will develop a version of the beautiful game as irresistible as jazz, rock'n'roll or the amazing American language (and unless you've checked the English/American phrase books handed out to GIs in 1942, you probably have no idea how much American you speak, limey). Why are we scared? Because as a nation we have a desperate need to feel superior to the vibrant barbarian culture that's replaced us as top global ass-kicker. Face it, feeling superior to Americans is about all we've got left. But the list of things we actually do better than the Yanks is slim and getting slimmer. Did you know that the bastards even brew decent beer these days? So what have we got left to be smug about? Wensleydale cheese, Ricky Gervais, Theakston Old Peculier and Helen Mirren. And, oh yeah, football. Sorry, the Yanks get it. Not all of them. Not even most of them. But enough of them. Even if Bex bombs. Even if the MLS collapses, American soccer isn't going away. It's time for a new joke.
 
John Kenagy: Ensuring Investment in Healthcare Information Technology Does Not Flatline Top
Given the $47 billion awarded in stimulus funding, it's clear the government's assumption is that healthcare information technology (IT) will deliver better care at lower cost. The IT industry and all the healthcare IT mavens are waving the flags and beating the drums. But can current IT deliver? I wrote a white paper for Microsoft in 2005 that suggested healthcare IT was not delivering on its promise then Microsoft Paper . And in January, The National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council (NRC) published a report that states it's still not delivering today NRC report. . The NRC report is a sobering breath of fresh air in a discussion that has grown stale and over-heated with the self-serving marketing efforts of the IT industry and chest-thumping, one dimensional reports of success. The report tells a far different story: current healthcare IT and all the billions of dollars we have invested in it "fall far short ... of what is needed to support the ... vision of quality health care." The caution is that the huge investment in healthcare IT is in danger of flatlining, if it's not already dead on arrival. The problem is not a lack of money, interest or hard working, intelligent, compassionate people. The root cause of our dilemma is the deeply embedded conviction that we have to solve big complex, expensive problems with big, complex, expensive solutions. What's wrong our with our current IT solution? The NRC report spells it out. It describes monolithic, expensive systems that are difficult to change - in fact, implementing and improving them can take years or even decades. Further complicating the issue is the fact that these systems' designs are tied to automation of current best practices - which often aren't "best" or even "good" and certainly aren't the future. They lack support or even understanding of the cognitive functions and needs of clinicians and staff. Finally, the report describes how poor designs can increase the chance for error, add to rather than reduce work, and compound the frustrations of executing required tasks without an effective way to rapidly problem solve and improve them. In my work I have seen far too many examples of such problems. One health system "successfully" automated physician histories and physicals in such a way that for months 50 percent of the histories and physicals failed to arrive in time for the patients' surgery. This multimillion-dollar system was perfectly designed to not work. On the other hand, I've learned that it is possible to improve healthcare IT to effectively deliver better care at lower costs. Recently brainstorming with a visionary technology entrepreneur, we came up with an idea for a healthcare IT system that a patient would wear on their wrist like a watch. The system would create continuity between every healthcare provider the patient encountered. Similarly, my soon-to-be-published book, Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times (Second River Healthcare Press, 2009), describes a simple "Ideal Health Card" that would permanently solve the hassles and frustrations of registration and medication reconciliation. I believe the healthcare IT problem relates to my frustrating experience as a healthcare executive searching for more data, better metrics and going to endless meetings to solve the big problems - quality, safety, profitability, compliance, paperless-records, etc. - while physicians and staff struggled with the multitude of small problems that eventually created all those larger issues. As a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School, I studied those few companies that successfully managed complex, dynamic, unpredictable work and found three common principles that apply directly to our current IT dilemma. The successful few were extremely good at: 1. Developing their people to solve small problems as close to the work as possible 2. Using that problem solving to create a responsive, learning organization 3. Accelerating learning with simple, flexible, locally responsive IT In other words, technology was not the solution; technology was a flexible, improvable tool that was used to accelerate the solution. My twelve years of experience in testing, validating and improving real time problem solving capabilities in healthcare makes it very clear what delivering on the IT promise will look like. Systems that will deliver will be less costly, modular, fast, flexible, friendly, and responsive. Think smart phones, distributed networks, intraoperability and locally improvable. Systems that won't deliver are the opposite. Think desk tops, laptops, expensive, centralized, massive roll-outs that can't be changed or improved until the next version is designed, built, purchased and implemented (again). Unfortunately, the latter is what the NRC report says we are getting. The big IT train is already out of the station. We won't derail it, but we can accelerate work on the alternative that will deliver on the promise. We won't buy this solution. We'll make it, through disruptive innovation. Fortunately, all the pieces to build fast, flexible, friendly, effective IT are out there waiting to be assembled, tested and improved. Mandl and Kohane's editorial, "No Small Change for the Health Information Economy" in New England Journal of Medicine ( NEJM editorial ) is a good summary. I know small companies with great, patient-focused IT solutions in important areas like diabetes that are in development now. Government can help by creating safe harbors for development and directing funding into non-traditional, disruptive opportunities. For disruption to succeed, it is essential for a few, visionary IT companies and healthcare providers to link together to create the new systems that will make current systems obsolete. We must start with the patient. Development must be embedded at the point-of-care to allow real time learning. The focus must be getting patients exactly what they need at continually lower cost. That's the way to fix healthcare. We can't afford for our IT investments to flatline. Dr. John Kenagy is a former Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School and the author of the forthcoming book Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times (Second River Healthcare Press, 2009).
 
Sheldon Filger: California Economy Confronts Fiscal Armageddon Top
"Our wallet is empty, our bank is closed, and our credit is dried up." Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California When he unseated the Democratic Governor of America's most populous state six years ago in a recall election, Republican challenger Schwarzenegger lambasted incumbent Gray Davis as a typical "tax and spend" liberal. In his thick Austrian accent, Arnold Schwarzenegger promised a new dawn of uninhibited free enterprise growth, facilitated by fiscal responsibility on the part of state government combined with a low rate of taxation. Well, another political promise bites the dust. However, Governor Schwarzenegger demonstrated uncharacteristic candor when he addressed a joint session of the California legislature and accurately outlined the brutal reality underlying California's dire fiscal crisis. California is financially bankrupt. The state coffers are bone dry, confronting a $24.3 billion budgetary deficit. This appalling number is likely to grow worse, as the state's official unemployment rate, currently at 11.5%, is projected to exceed 12% by the end of the year. Already, California is experiencing its worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression. Factoring in discouraged and underemployed workers, the actual unemployment rate in California exceeds 20%. Amid this melancholy economic stew, the state's legislature is mired in partisan political paralysis. With state government a triumph of ineptitude over responsibility, it appears that desperation is the only remaining option for America's largest state. In this case, desperation means asking the U.S. taxpayers for a Federal bailout. For the present, the Obama administration has been resistant to being the banker of last resort for the state of California. The reasoning is cogent in the extreme; if the U.S. government bails out California's state government, a precedent will be created whereby every deficit-ridden state, county and municipal governmental authority in the U.S. will coming crawling to Washington D.C. with hat in hand. However, political realities often override sound economic calculations. California's powerful congressional delegation will undoubtedly impose severe pressure on President Barack Obama, forcing him to ignore the danger of precedent and add California to the already long list of corporate wards of the U.S. ship of state. If California were an independent country, its $1.8 trillion GDP would rank as the sixth largest in the world. It is the leading center of high technology and manufacturing in the United Sates, and it is no exaggeration to state that California's economic fortunes are interlinked with the remainder of the United States. Unfortunately, all the indicators for California's economy are pointing south with abandon. The University of California at Santa Barbara recently released its highly regarded state economic forecast. According to the director of the center that publishes the UCSB forecast, economist Bill Watkins, "California's economy continues its descent into the depth of its most serious recession since World War II...It is possible that when this is over this recession will meet the technical definition of a depression in California." If California is headed towards a devastating economic depression, how can America avoid a similar destination? In the meantime, political incompetence continues to reign in Sacramento, while the rating agencies brace for a major downgrade in California bonds. With the financial and corporate sector having been proven wanting in responding to the Global Economic Crisis, it has been left to the politicians to rescue the global economy from a second Great Depression. What is now occurring in the political corridors of power in California reveals the entrenched limitations of what elected officials are capable of doing amid the unfolding economic disaster. In the final analysis, it may be that California may face the inevitability of defaulting on its debt, or as with the U.S. government bailout of the auto industry, some form of structured bankruptcy. Could this be what the United States as a whole is in store for, once its wallet and credit are as dried up as in the forlorn state of California? More on Global Financial Crisis
 
Daniel Krotz: Third Wave Feminism Top
The artist Sharon Sloan, who lives within spitting distance of the Kings River Bridge--where Woodstock meets Livestock, some wag suggested--dropped off a box of books the other day and considerably complicated my life as a bookseller. In the box was half a dozen books on German philosophy (in German), twenty books on artificial intelligence and "whither" computers, and another fifty books or so with such arcane titles as Scottish Crofters: A Historical Ethnography of a Celtic Village. Several of the books were written by "feminist" writers. Born directly after World War II, I have been a witness to or participant in a singular amount of civic turmoil: the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the liberation of El Salvador, the homelessness movement, and on and on. Concurrently and simultaneously, the Women's Movement unfolded with all of this other jazz, but unlike many of the movements it has had legs, and has stuck around well beyond the initial flash point. An unintended consequence of the women's movement has been that men have become even more infantile and more self-involved. Before you launch into argument, consider first please the United States Congress, the Democratic and Republican Parties, the corporatizing of Christianity, Islamic fundamentalism, professional sports, and the growing number of abandoned children and their mothers here in the US, and world-wide. If the women's movement has freed women to have abortions and jobs, it has also allowed a lot of men to believe that fatherhood and steady employment are lifestyle choices instead of obligations. I was thinking about this as I priced and shelved Dr. Sloan's very dense (and unsalable) collection in my tiny--but now larger--"Women's Studies" section. Among the writers and or subjects already there are the Peabody Sisters, Jane Hull, Dorothy Day, and the usual transitional trinity of Friedan, Steinem, and Greer. I own up to having a bit of docu-trash by Judy Collins, Gail Sheehy, Susan Faludi, and a few other pop psychology types, but I also discovered a complete absence of material that is being called third wave feminism. If I get this wave business correctly, first wave feminism was driven by women seeking the vote, and second wave feminism--where you and I come in--was (and is) focused on creating equal access to opportunity and ending legal sex discrimination. Third wave feminism is of course much more complicated, probably for its adherents, and definitely for booksellers. A review of the literature informs me that post-structuralism, womanism, libertarianism, postmodernism, transnationalism, and queer, critical and post-colonial theory are all central to third wave ideology. Added to the mix is something my daughter admiringly calls the Riot Grrl Movement--about which I am too scared to find out any more. I don't know what all this stuff means, except possibly for "postmodernism" which I mostly associate with a book, play, idea, or value that you carry in a hand basket on the way to the boredom of hell. One of the few postmodern writers that I enjoy, John Barth, himself says that he tries to get to know the person creating or standing behind the postmodern matter at hand--and if he likes the person, well then the matter at hand becomes less important. In any case, it is all very complicated, particularly for the bookseller who "organizes" new material, sees what he has--and sees what he lacks and doesn't quite understand but really (maybe?) ought to acquire. What I certainly know is that Sharon Sloan--academic, computer scientist, artist, neighbor--is now volunteering at our local literacy council. As you might expect, I think helping people learn how to read, and the promotion of reading in general, is among the most important work we can do as a nation, community, and as individuals. Many thanks to Sharon, and to all the people who volunteer in our nation's literacy councils.
 
FutureGen 'Clean' Coal Plant Loses 2 Financial Backers Top
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Just two weeks after the federal government revived plans to build the FutureGen power plant in eastern Illinois, two of the experimental coal plant's financial backers said Thursday they are withdrawing. The exit of American Electric Power Co. and Southern Co. leaves the nine power and coal companies that are still part of what's known as the FutureGen Alliance searching for new partners to help cover building and startup costs they expect to reach roughly $2.4 billion. The Department of Energy said June 12 that it would provide just over a billion dollars in stimulus money as it agreed to restart the long-stalled project, aimed at proving that the pollutant carbon dioxide can be removed from coal and safely stored. Both AEP and Southern, two of the country's largest utilities, cited concerns about cost. AEP says it will leave the project by July 1, mentioning both uncertainty about its details and how much money the Columbus, Ohio-based utility would have to spend. "There's like a billion dollar shortfall between what the alliance originally agreed to fund and what we think it's going to cost," AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry said. "There's not a definitive message from the Department of Energy of what scope and scale the project" will be, she said. In reviving the project, the Department of Energy has said FutureGen's carbon removal and storage goals might have to be scaled back. In a weak economy, AEP is cutting its capital spending and will focus on other carbon capture projects that it is involved in, McHenry said. Earlier this year, however, AEP's Chairman, President and CEO Michael Morris had promoted FutureGen as a good candidate for federal stimulus money. "That is one clean coal project that is shovel ready," he told The Associated Press. "The world needs the technology." Southern Co. spokesman Steve Higginbottom called the company's decision "definitely financial" and declined to elaborate. The Atlanta-based utility will spend only on other carbon capture projects it is working on, he said. FutureGen had already said it needed to find new partners to help share the costs of the project, spokesman Lawrence Pacheco said, and is negotiating with several companies. He declined to name them. "The alliance," Pacheco added, "will be working with DOE to figure out the cost share of the project moving forward, and that agreement will reflect the scale of the project, as well as the cost." Energy Secretary Steven Chu said earlier this month that developing the carbon capture technology that would be used by FutureGen would be "critically important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and around the world." Coal-burning power plants are the top producers of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas linked to global warming. The Department of Energy said Thursday it knew the two companies intended to withdraw when it announced plans to restart FutureGen, and that it remains committed to the project. "Secretary Chu believes the FutureGen project holds great promise and looks forward to working with the members of the Alliance who are committed to developing a flagship commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration facility," spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said in an e-mail. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who has long championed the project, said Thursday that he doesn't think the departure of Southern and AEP will hurt FutureGen. "I believe the Alliance will continue to grow in membership, in strength and in their partnership with the DOE," he said in a statement. At one time 13 companies were involved in FutureGen. Peabody Energy Corp., Consol Energy Inc. and the others decided in late 2007 to build the experimental plant in Mattoon, Ill. The Department of Energy shelved the project weeks later over cost overruns that later proved to be inaccurate. ___ AP Energy Writer Mark Williams in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. More on Energy
 
Real Talk On Mark Sanford (And The Rest Of Your Scritti Politti) Top
There's a lot that's already been said about Mark Sanford, but I think that this statement from my father (which I tweeted yesterday night ), really just about sums it up: "Clearly, the Good Lord continues to curse South Carolinians for putting mustard on their barbecue." Real talk . For God's Sake! Keep Steve Forbes Away From The Literature! : Via Chris Lehmann : And so it came to pass that Steve Forbes was prowling a bookstore in Naples, Florida a few years back looking "for something interesting to read." Forbes' employees must live in dread that at such moments their maximum leader will stumble onto Max Stirner's The Ego and Its Own or Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking; but happily for them, the quarry this time was Hannibal Crosses the Alps by John Prevas. And boy, did it ever get our correspondent thinking. First, he published a review of the book--well past its publication date-in his eponymous magazine, and thereby embodied a first principle of leadership: executive vanity will always trump timely coverage. Stimulus Packages : I'm not entirely sure I know what's going on in this segment on Fox News , but I am convinced that every little bit of it is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Red Cards : You wouldn't think it'd be possible for yesterday's victory by the U.S. Mens Soccer Team over top-ranked Spain would give the neoconservatives a sad, but lo, it's true. Click here for background , here for nonsense , here for rebuttal , and then cheer on your country in the FIFA Confederation Cup Final! Great Moments In Nico Pitney-gate : We get it, New York Times ! For maximum journalistic integrity, Nico should have gone to the White House with his own "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner . [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 .] Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Fox News
 
AKMuckraker: Palin Blasts Local Blogger Top
Welcome once again to the wacky world of Alaska politics. When we last left our governor, she was involved in a knock down drag out fight with David Letterman over a crass comment about her daughter getting "knocked up" during a baseball game. We all know how that turned out, and regardless of which side you were on, or whether you were somewhere in the middle, it was quite a spectacle. A battle of the Titans. Former VP candidate and Queen of Alaska Sarah Palin vs. The Undisputed King of Late Night Comedy who can make or break politicians with his sometimes acid tongue, and always razor sharp wit. It was quite a show that culminated in 15 protesters and 35 members of the media showing up outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City asking that the aforementioned King of Comedy get fired from his job. Fast forward a few weeks. Local Alaskan political watchdog and blogger Linda Kellen Biegel is in the middle of a project. She's working in virtual obscurity in Alaska, to get email records released that she feels will reveal questionable communications between the Palin administration and a local gossip columnist, and a local pro-Palin conservative radio talk show host. Palin herself has appeared on the show many times, in addition to her family members, her lawyer, her spokeswoman and various other members of the administration. The talk show host in question, Eddie Burke, recently showed up at an Anchorage Assembly meeting to give public testimony about an upcoming Municipal gay rights ordinance wearing this. A few months ago, security forcibly removed him from another Assembly meeting. Biegel believes the release of these emails will show a concerted effort between the Palin administration and these two members of the media to coordinate attacks on local watchdogs. She won't know for sure until she can pay the $5500 the state is charging her for costs associated with her records request. Last week she began a fund drive to raise the money online, and each night posted a "thermometer" showing the progress and featuring a different image. Here's where the fireworks begin. On Tuesday, a picture of Palin holding up her son Trig during that famous speech at the RNC convention became the thermometer graphic. Only in this picture, Trig wasn't Trig. In the image Biegel used, the governor is cuddling a photoshopped baby with the face of Eddie Burke. Disturbing, yes, but meant to illustrate the governor's strange and cozy relationship with this controversial Alaskan figure, according to the blogger. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, an out-of-state pro-Palin blog expressed outrage. At first they did not realize what the face was, as those outside of Alaska were not familiar with the visage of Eddie Burke. But after finding out, one of the bloggers at the site was featured on the Eddie Burke Show in Alaska and expressed the fact that her readers were outraged. This image was making fun of a precious special needs baby, she said. An hour of Burke's radio program Wednesday was dedicated to discussing the issue and callers weighed in from both sides. Biegel was called on to apologize to special needs kids everywhere, and the Democratic Party was called upon to renounce Biegel, who had been Alaska's state blogger at the Democratic National Convention, but whose official relationship with the party ended there. Today, Meghan Stapleton, the governor's spokeswoman issued a strongly-worded statement: Recently we learned of a malicious desecration of a photo of the Governor and baby Trig that has become an iconic representation of a mother's love for a special needs child. The mere idea of someone doctoring the photo of a special needs baby is appalling. To learn that two Alaskans did it is absolutely sickening. Linda Kellen Biegel, the official Democrat Party blogger for Alaska, should be ashamed of herself and the Democratic National Committee should be ashamed for promoting this website and encouraging this atrocious behavior. Babies and children are off limits. It is past time to restore decency in politics and real tolerance for all Americans. The Obama Administration sets the moral compass for its party. We ask that special needs children be loved, respected and accepted and that this type of degeneracy be condemned. Neither Stapleton nor the governor had commented on a similar photo that had been photoshopped using that same image to show Palin cuddling a baby with a David Letterman head last Friday, points out Biegel who says the photo is obviously making fun of Eddie Burke and the governor, not Trig. Tactics have changed. This is not a battle of the Titans, but more like Titan vs. Hedgehog. One thing sure to come from this latest turn of events is the evidence that Palin has changed her tactics, and that right or wrong, Linda Kellen Biegel and her blog will be better known by the time it's over. And so will Eddie Burke. More on Sarah Palin
 
Rick Lazio Governor Run In New York Planned, AP Says Top
ALBANY, N.Y. — Republican Rick Lazio, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2000, is planning to run for governor of New York next year, his spokesman said Thursday. "He fully intends to," said Barney Keller when asked if Lazio was running. Lazio has made no public announcement and Keller said the former congressman from Long Island is still deciding when to make the decision formal. Lazio has formed a campaign committee and his Web site is soliciting contributions. "This campaign will be about the future of New York and what kind of New York we want our children and grandchildren to inherit," Lazio says on the Web site. Lazio lost to Clinton in the historic race that made her the only first lady to ever be elected to the Senate. Lazio entered the race late, a last-minute substitute for then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who bowed out because of prostate cancer and a messy public divorce. Lazio could face Giuliani in a primary. Many Republicans are pushing the former presidential candidate to consider a run, but Giuliani hasn't committed. David Paterson, a Democrat who became governor when Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace, has said he intends to seek re-election. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is another possible Democratic candidate. A spokesman for the state Republican committee said a number of candidates for governor are under consideration. "He's certainly one of them," Matt Walter said of Lazio. Identifying himself not as a candidate but as a former congressman, Lazio put out a statement Thursday echoing Giuliani's call for a constitutional convention to reform state government, recently in turmoil because of a partisan power struggle in the state Senate. Lazio also recommended abolishing the Senate and Assembly and replacing them with one body. Lazio, 51, currently works in asset management at JP Morgan Chase. ___ On the Net: http://lazio.com/
 
Shannon Cutts: The "M" Word: Making the Most of Mentoring to Achieve (and Exceed) Your Goals Top
Mentoring . Suddenly the word is everywhere. January annually is National Mentoring Month. URS, Chevron, many learning institutions, and even the military have instituted peer mentoring programs in an effort to maximize resources. A group of Fortune 500 companies voluntarily participates in American Corporate Partners (ACP), a non-profit, nationwide veterans mentoring program. For that matter, the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, widely considered to be the most successful sobriety program in the world, relies largely upon volunteer mentors (called "sponsors") who pair with newcomers to recovery and guide them through the process. As of April 15, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education-Related Agencies is reviewing a bill to approve $100M in federal funds in FY2010 as a support for mentoring initiatives. But why mentoring? What is so special, so essential, about the esteemed but until-now rarely mentioned art and discipline of mentoring? For that matter, what exactly is mentoring, and how do you know when you have encountered someone who is qualified serve as your mentor, or someone who could benefit from the mentoring guidance you are uniquely equipped to provide? Mentoring, quite simply, is what happens when a mentor, a trusted guide who has knowledge and expertise in a certain area and is willing and able to share it, is paired with a mentee, a person who is in need of guidance and support, and is willing to receive it. A mentoring relationship is fundamentally driven by the mentee's desire to maximize their full potential in some area of life, whether it be personal, career, or some combination thereof. Katie, a 21 year-old social work major, shares that having a mentor "has really been that missing link for me. It's like I can actually use my skills and everything I've learned because I know I'm supported." Interestingly, there is more than minimal truth to the old adage that "when the student is ready, the teacher appears." This is why, while the mentor's value may be a mystery to outside observers, to the mentee the appearance of the mentor in an area where the mentee is struggling and the mentor has experienced success is literally a god-send. One of the most moving testaments to the power of mentoring can be found in acclaimed poet Rainer Maria Rilke's collection of correspondence with a young poetry student, "Letters to a Young Poet". Now a literary classic, the relationship began when the student encountered Rilke's work, became inspired to write to him for guidance, critique, and support, and was pleasantly surprised when Rilke actually responded to his letters! Rilke, a master mentor, recognized aspects of his own past in the student's plea for support, and responded out of the compassion and life experience that demanded to be passed along in order to be fully valued and preserved. Their correspondence reveals that, over the course of their mentoring relationship, Rilke steadfastly refused to critique the student's work, preferring instead to address deeper issues of life, love, and self-doubt that were gnawing away at the student's ability to let his unique poetic gifts flow. In the same way, you will recognize your mentor when your path crosses with an individual who makes you aware that you are not yet tapping into your full potential. This very awareness is also what infuses you with a courage you did not know you had to reach out to that person and ask for guidance and support. If the person is meant to be your mentor, they will respond as Rilke did, with compassion, empathy, and humility, freely offering what they know -- and doing so precisely because someone first offered them the exact same gift of hope and help when they needed it most. The true beauty of mentoring will then reveal itself, as, in time, with the help of your mentor, you will transition through challenge to triumph and find yourself in the mentor's shoes. As you grasp the true value of what you have received, gratitude is awakened along with a desire to continue to participate in the mentoring process by "paying it forward". One day you may find yourself very naturally responding to another person's request for help. Jeanette Henriques, a 30 year-old Ph.D. graduate in Counseling Psychology, has experienced this process from start to finish, first as a mentee and then in time by becoming a mentor herself. "Having a mentor was an important part of my journey. Now I have the privilege of being a mentor and sharing what I have learned with those who are still struggling. Being a mentor is a very rewarding experience because the relationships that are built are priceless."
 
Charles Karel Bouley: Feathering For Fawcett Top
Today, my first poster girl, Farrah Fawcett died. In the 9am hour on a June Gloom day the smile and hair that set the tone for a generation and the body and face that created the gold standard of movie star posters died of the Big C, cancer. And it makes me feel old. I loved Farrah. As a young gay man, I had to have my hair exactly like hers. The vent brush and white can Aqua Net (if I have to explain, you weren't there) flew with such fervor in my bathroom that on any given morning or night oxygen was in short supply and ozone destroying vapors filled the room. I would run in to my bedroom where on the closet door was adorned the poster, Farrah, looking at the camera, a smile, a bathing suit, yes, a nipple underneath. Hair incredibly blowing in a breeze, or looking like it constantly. That poster went on to sell somewhere between eight and 12 million copies and the little company Pro Arts Inc., who in 1976 approached Fawcett with the idea has been glad ever since. In fact, according to industry figures, her salary for Charlie's Angels was less than her revenues from the poster. And who could forget Jill Munroe of "Charlie's Angels?" It had me shouting "Cover me Kelly, I'm going in.,.." for years. It was September of 1976 when we first saw Jill Munroe and Farrah. The show was a hit and yet, she left after only a year. She went to the big screen, and no one really liked her early movies except those of us teenagers that adored her. So what that "Saturn 3" or "Sunburn" didn't sizzle at the box office, there were more posters, more fashions, more Fawcett. And we all still talk about turning 30 and being eliminated, so "Logan's Run" must have done something to our psyche. Then Farrah got all serious on us and started taking dramatic, often traumatic roles on TV and on stage. "Extremities" brought her critical and commercial acclaim, and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The cover girl and TV star was "all growed up..." As the obsessed Robert Duvall's wife in "The Apostle" she again delivered in spades, and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, all the while playing against type, not the glamorous model or gutsy police woman, but abused women, victimized women, women who then overcome. And abusers were put on short notice with the Emmy Award winning performance in "The Burning Bed" a TV movie that also brought Fawcett a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. More success and awards would follow with Nazi Hunter: The Bate Klarsfeid Story , Poor Little RIch Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story and Small Sacrifices which got Fawcett another Golden Globe and Emmy. She stayed in front of the camera through and through, in 2002-2003 getting an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress for "The Guardian" and even executive producing Farrah's Story in 2009 chronicling her battle with anal cancer, a disease with which she was diagnosed in 2006. Of course, like all of us, she went a little wacko at times. After posing nude for Playboy in 1995 (the best selling issue of the 1990's, even I bought one and I'm gay!) and then at 50 years of age doing it again (another best seller) she proved she was still the glamour girl that goes gritty for movie and TV. She began doing paintings where she rolled in the paint nude and stretched herself about on canvas. She was not an inhibited woman. But what she was, outside of being in love with Ryan O'Neal throughout her life (yes, she married the Six Million Dollar Man, but that was not a TV marriage made in heaven and when they divorced no one was shocked), was a refreshing TV and film star. Outlandish enough to stay in the talboids but not found in some drunken boozy mess all the time. She was a star, and carried with it the demeanor and style a Hollywood star should posses for life in the limelight. She courageously grew older, and pushed boundaries as to what is beauty, what is acceptable, what is it like to be an aging woman in Hollywood. When cancer came knocking, she fought hard and long, and had the courage to let her fans and family in, to see the real humanity of it all, and to put a face on something like anal cancer, hers. You may not have thought a lot about Farrah Fawcett but I, as a fan of Pop Culture, will for one miss her. She was always there, working, doing things in Hollywood, out of Hollywood. As for her family, she's the second Fawcett daughter to die to cancer, her eldest sister Diane Fawcett Walls died from lung cancer at 63, and I know they'll think of both of them daily. So, goodbye Farrah. Today, I take a vent brush out of my bottom drawer and lay it on the counter in your memory. It's been a long time since I've had enough hair to actually feather, but know, in my heart, I'm wearing golden locks blowing in the breeze for you. I'll show your movies to friends who may not have seen them over then next month or two thanks to our digital Netflix age, and talk about the issues your life and death raised. I, like many, will keep you immortal. To Ryan and the family, take care of yourselves. Caregivers often ignore their own health, she'd want you to be well. It's cliche, and everyone will write it, but she started as Charlie's angel, now, for those that believe in such, she's truly one indeed. More on Farrah Fawcett
 
Jaime Pozuelo-Monfort: Monfortable, Decempliant and Povertimmune Top
There are three words that define the new architecture of capitalism: monfortable, decempliant and povertimmune. Developed countries can become decempliant. Developing countries can become monfortable. Decempliant developed countries and monfortable developing countries can then have a povertimmune relationship that becomes the antidote against poverty in a new capitalist paradigm. What does it mean to become decempliant and monfortable? Developed countries can become decem-compliant or decempliant. Firms and wealthy individuals in developed countries can also become decempliant. Decempliant describes the ability to become decem-compliant. Decem compliance is fulfilled if the decem policies are fulfilled. In order to fulfill its respective decem policy a country should raise ten percent of its GDP in debt and contribute to the poor's endowment that I call the Decemfund. A company should contribute to the Decemfund as well with a contribution equivalent to ten percent of its after-tax corporate earnings, a contribution that I call the decem tax. Finally an individual should invest ten percent of his or her wealth in excess of $10 million in the Decemfund. A developing country will be monfortable if it agrees to receive the provision of global public goods through a new institution that I call The New Institution. The New Institution delivers healthcare, education, water and sanitation through an expanded microfinance network, getting rid of the middle man (the local administrations) and taking advantage of economies of scale. The developing countries that accept to become recipients of the delivery of such global public goods agree to participate in an ex-ante conditionality scheme. The new relationship between decempliant countries and monfortable countries enables the construction of a new geographic space that is povertimmune. The povertimmune environment hedges developing countries against the threat of the pirates of heartless capitalism and the pitfalls of the six components of the Axis of feeble. Developing countries can start to sustain economic growth and prosperity away from the externalities that many experts have associated to the origination and perpetuation of poverty. Decempliant and monfortable countries are signatory of new rules in the areas of agriculture and climate change, trade and labor rights, brain drain, financial architecture, extractive and mining industries, and small arms trade. The new rules guarantee that the monfortable developing countries are povertimmune and can grow away from the areas that originate and perpetuate the poverty trap. Only decempliant countries will take advantage of a new economic space that offers a healthy and educated worforce able to reach a middle income status on the mid run. Decempliant companies will be able to operate in monfortable countries if they decide to enter during the window of opportunity that opens up in 2010 and closes in 2015. In the forty year span that begins in 2010 and ends in 2050, decempliant companies will operate according to a social business corporate model until the monfortable countries reach two benchmarks: a per-capita income of $5,000 and a Gini under 0.45. From that point onwards and until 2050 decempliant companies will be able to operate with a profit-maximizing corporate model to extract a profit out of those that once were extreme poor. In the New Architecture of capitalism incentives of developed and developing countries are aligned, and corporations that invest on the long run will become the victors of a new, redefined loving capitalism. This is the New Architecture where short-term investors are discriminated from long-term investors. This is the New Architecture that penalizes the pirates of heartless capitalism. More on Africa
 
Aleta St. James: Too Old To Live Your Dreams? Don't Make Me Laugh Top
Here we go again. Elizabeth Adeney is making waves around the world because she's going to set the record as the world's oldest first-time mother when she turns 67 this month. Quelle scandale! L'horreur! But wait. Why was it OK when Larry King, Anthony Quinn and Tony Randall all had babies years and years after they got their AARP cards? Oh, yeah. They're men, doing what men do. Wink wink. But an older woman having a baby? Pity the fool. Last month on "Good Morning America," Diane Sawyer asked me "when does a woman become too old?" I said it is very individualistic, and that youth itself is no guarantee you'll live a long life with your children. I have two words for people who judge me or anyone else for their life choices: Natasha Richardson. No one ever expected such a bright beautiful light so full of life with so much to live for to leave us at 45. But she did. You never know what life holds in store for you -- you can only put one foot in front of another, do your best and live from the heart. Passion is a life accelerator, and as I told Diane -- who herself is certainly a wonderful model for this philosophy -- "I believe in winding up not down." I see dozens of clients in my healing practice every week, and it's always upsetting to me when people barely into their 40s come in to see me basically feeling like it's all over. My instinct is just to burst out laughing and get them to laugh with me, because I'm 61 and truly feel more vibrant and excited to be alive than ever before. I am about to give birth to my new project, my healing CD Passages , busy with my twins, am gearing up for my upcoming July webinar course: Cracking the Code to Extraordinary Love and heading to the Caribbean this summer to swim with the dolphins. Here's a glance at one day last week on my iCal: At 5 am, internal clock chimes and I'm up! Drink detox cleanse--warm water and lemon. Positive visualizations for 15 minutes. Rehearse songs for next studio recording session for "Passages." Showers, breakfast (and maybe a quick wrestling match!) with the kids--off to school by 8:50 Head to my healing studio. Prep for my live "Chakra Balance" performance at Avery Fisher Hall. 7 hours of healing sessions, back to back, lunch (green juice) on the run! Run home in time to put my two whirling dervishes, Gian and Francesca, to bed. Late dinner, return phone calls, fall asleep to the strains of Anderson Cooper. With the passion, comes the energy. For you, it's never too late might not be about having kids. Winding up and not down might include writing that novel, traveling somewhere exotic or finding your soul mate. Regardless of what it is, take that jump into the deep end of the pool and start paddling as fast as you can. You'll find that if you follow your heart's desires and you believe in yourself, it's never too late to live your dreams. Are there challenges, obstacles, and curve balls? Well, as Joan Rivers famously says, "Can we talk?" One afternoon recently I was attempting to take "a nap" (my first in about 4 years!) in my cushy chair, and just as I was drifting off I felt this trickle on my head. I looked up and my son Gian was pouring water on my head! Ah, the joys of motherhood. Is anyone really going to tell me I'm wrong?
 
US Sends Weapons To Somalia: State Department Top
The US has confirmed that it has sent weapons to Somalia's UN-backed transitional government. More on Somalia
 
GOP Continues Abandoning Republican Voters On Cap And Trade Top
With the House preparing to vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, congressional Republicans have stepped up their efforts to smear the Democrats' cap-and-trade bill. However, Greg Sargent points out that the GOP's opposition is not only at odds with the American people, which at this point is par for the course, but also with a significant number of Republican voters. More on GOP
 
Michael Jackson Dies Top
We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
 
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders: A Couple of My Favorite Farrah Photos Top
Farrah Fawcett sat for a portrait in Los Angeles, on November 11, 1989. The shoot was for Mirabella Magazine and my great friend Grace Mirabella visited the set. I remember shooting 8x10 Polaroids of Farrah, beautiful one-of-a kind images that developed in front of our eyes. Ms. Mirabella looked at the first shot and said, "There's our cover". I shot a few more frames for myself and the session was over. Later that day, some other "folks" sat for portraits -- Wayne Gretsky, Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer, Paul Witt, and James Galanos. We all had dinner together that night and Barbara Steissand joined the table. I sat near the man who owned a huge Hollywood studio. He was one of the richest guys in the world at that time...and really fat. He asked me how much money I made and I said, "not as much as the guy who owns Wal-Mart." Dessert came and I moved over to sit with Farrah. She was lovely and quite funny. We talked about her favorite photos and how they seemed to project a certain identity, one that was not necessarily who she was. At one point she said, "I'm just a pretty girl from Corpus Christi." She was a lot more than that. More on Farrah Fawcett
 
Sanford To Reimburse State For Trip To Argentina Top
In a statement, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said that he would reimburse the state for a trip to Argentina on which he met with his mistress. "As noted by the Department of Commerce, I attended a trade mission with the Department of Commerce last June. As the agenda notes, the mission was spent meeting with government and private business officials in both Brazil and Argentina. This trip was handled very professionally by the Department of Commerce, and I'm proud of their work there. "However, while the purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip, I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with. That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the Argentina leg of this trip," Gov. Sanford said. According to documents released by the state Department of Commerce on Thursday , the state paid $8,644.03 in airfare alone for the trip -- more than $9,000 altogether . Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Biggest Villans Of The Financial Crisis (POLL) Top
As we all know by now, the financial crisis was caused by a series of systematic failures -- botched regulations, corporations that grew to be too big too fail, consumer greed and, of course, outright fraud. Throughout the crisis, though, some names stick out more than others. We decided to assemble a motley crue of financial insiders who've done more than their fair share to cause our current economic crisis. Who's the biggest villain? Who's more of an innocent bystander ? VOTE below: Get HuffPost Business On Facebook and Twitter ! More on Photo Galleries
 
Frank Dwyer: Political Haiku: Randy Sanford Top
We don't need any federal stimulus, not down Argentine way.
 
David Beckmann: Local Purchase Means Better Foreign Aid Top
Officials from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently confirmed what many development experts already know: local and regional procurement of food aid provides opportunities to enhance U.S. foreign assistance efforts. Testifying before Congress recently, they warned, however, that challenges remain on how to efficiently and reliably distribute food aid to the world's poor and hungry people. The GAO found that local food procurements in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia were 34 percent and 29 percent less expensive than the cost of food aid shipped from the United States. Also, traditional commodities-based aid sourced in the U.S. takes the longest time to arrive where it's needed, averaging 147 days. In contrast, local and regional procurements take on average just over one month. Imagine trying to explain to a mother of hungry children in Mozambique why they must wait for five months before the nutritious food that they so desperately need arrives in their village. With the harsh realities of increasing global food insecurity and the number of undernourished people estimated to reach 1.02 billion worldwide by the end of this year, moving away from traditional commodity-based aid and towards a cash-based system is increasingly becoming the method of choice among the world's major food donors. As the world's biggest food aid donor -- supplying more than half the aid -- our nation plays a leading role in responding to emergency food assistance. However, our current foreign aid system continues to mandate that the large majority of U.S. food aid be from U.S.-grown commodities that are sourced and shipped from the U.S. to recipient nations on U.S. flagged vessels. This must change. As the GAO report illustrates, we need a more efficient foreign assistance system -- one that is better coordinated, more accountable, and ensures that people who need help the most get it faster and more effectively. Also, it will mean less waste and more impact for our hard-earned tax dollars. Rev. David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World; and co-chair, Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network More on Foreign Policy
 
Baby Opossum Rescued From NY Soda Machine Top
JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — A baby opossum's instinct to play dead evidently didn't help matters after it got wedged inside a soda machine at a upstate New York fitness club. The animal ran into the Court Jester Athletic Club in Johnson City, N.Y., near Binghamton, and scurried behind a soda machine in the front vestibule Wednesday evening. The club's assistant manager called police realizing the critter was stuck inside, hanging upside down in a compartment below the soda dispenser. A police officer tried to pull the animal from the bottom of the machine, but it was lodged in place and making no apparent move to escape. About a half hour later, an employee arrived with a key for the machine, the front panel was opened and the animal rescued. The officer released it in a nearby cemetery. ___ Information from: The Press and Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton, http://www.pressconnects.com More on Animals
 
MIT Developing Concrete That Lasts for 16,000 Years Top
The use of this new ultra high density concrete will have enormous environmental implications, given its ability to deliver lighter, stronger structures capable of lasting many civilizations, while drastically decreasing the carbon emissions sent into the atmosphere by its inferior predecessor. More on Green Living
 
Randall Amster: Time to Forgive, Forget, and Find a Little Jubilee Top
If we're truly looking for paths to economic stimulus -- which is about stimulating optimism as much as anything else -- then we ought to consider getting closer to the source and stop nibbling around the edges of corporate malfeasance. Instead, let's directly incentivize and bring relief to actual people, giving them a new start by wiping the ledgers clean and ensuring that their future decisions will never again have to be governed by the demons of debt. For the price of two massive bank bailouts, we could have essentially bailed out every American from under a mounting pile of indebtedness. By now, the average American debt is mildly staggering if not outright shocking. Households in the U.S. carry somewhere around $10,000 in credit card debts alone, and in 2008 individual fixed payment debts (e.g., auto loans, lines of credit) totaled almost $17,000 per person. When we add in mortgage obligations and student loans to the calculation, we start to approach numbers akin to the U.S. national debt, which breaks down to about $500,000 per capita. It's certainly no secret, but it needs to be recalled: We are a debtor nation -- and we've only begun to feel the effects of this eventuality. Some want to assign blame to either wasteful consumers or profligate lenders. But this is a cultural phenomenon, and no one is immune to acculturation. We've set up a system where payment plans, no-doc mortgages, and massive loans for education (masking as financial aid) are the norm. Money is the means to everything from food to sex, so it's no surprise what people are willing to do to obtain it, from criminal activities to simply ignoring the rising tide. A few timely pieces of data from creditcards.com tell the story: The average outstanding credit card debt for households that have a credit card was10,679 at the end of 2008. The average American with a credit file is responsible for16,635 in debt, excluding mortgages. As of March 2009, U.S. revolving consumer debt, made up almost entirely of credit card debt, was about950 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2008, 13.9% of consumer disposable income went to service this debt. Total U.S. consumer debt (which includes credit card debt and noncredit-card debt but not mortgage debt) reached2.56 trillion at the end of 2008. As household wealth has declined in the downturn, more American families are facing financial distress due to high debt burdens. In 2007, before the recession began, 14.7% of U.S. families had debt exceeding 40% of their income. Undergraduates are carrying record-high credit card balances. The average balance grew to3,173, the highest in the years the study has been conducted. Median debt grew from 2004's946 to1,645. 21% of undergraduates had balances of between3,000 and7,000, also up from the last study. 76% of undergraduates have credit cards, and the average undergrad has2,200 in credit card debt. Additionally, they will amass almost20,000 in student debt. Average credit card debt among indebted young adults increased by 55 percent between 1992 and 2001, to4,088. The average credit card indebted young adult household now spends nearly 24 percent of its income on debt payments. The average college graduate has nearly20,000 in debt; average credit card debt has increased 47% between 1989 and 2004 for 25-to 34-year-olds and 11% for 18-to 24-year-olds. Nearly one in five 18-to 24-year-olds is in "debt hardship." The upshot is that we're burying ourselves -- and in particular our young people -- under insurmountable debt burdens. These obligations will stay with us throughout our lives, forcing hard choices in areas such as career options, relationships, health care, education, and child-rearing. While this cycle has spiraled out of control in recent years, contributing to the present "crash" that we're in the midst of, it's also an old story as well. You can go back 50 years, or even 5000, and find some interesting parallels. Consider: The smell of freshly mown grass filled the suburban air across America. At local cinemas, Ben-Hur was playing and people were lined up for blocks to see it. Satellites were being launched into the night even as a plane came crashing down on "the day the music died." The first Barbie doll premiered and Nepali women got the right to vote, but Swiss women were denied theirs. Fidel Castro arrived in Havana and his government was officially recognized by the U.S. Two monkeys became the first living beings to return safely from a space flight. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet, and the first picture of Earth from space was transmitted. The year was 1959, and the modern world was stirring in a manner that we might recognize as similar to our own. While the decade ahead will become better known for launching the era that still lingers today, the doorstep year of '59 was perhaps the first to encapsulate the feel of a globally-connected, technologically-driven, consumer-oriented world. Half a century ago, the world stood poised to blossom into what it is today. It's also the case that the crises we now face were sown then as well. Tibet, Cuba, women's rights, the space race -- all are still with us today. Economically, we learn that the " debt issued by the World Bank has been AAA-rated since 1959 ," and that the "war economy" was flourishing as defense occupied a larger and larger share of the federal budget. Tellingly, certain " radical elements " were already noting the coming trends: "The concentration and centralization of economic power extends into the political sphere. There now exists relatively small group of capitalists, financiers, manage politicians, militarists, and labor leaders able to determine social activity by virtue of their overwhelming influence over the economy as a whole, including the defense establishment. [There is a] growing realization that, under conditions as they are now emerging, the traditional capitalist is doomed to extinction.... [T]he mass of the population is quite ready to accept a more radical change from the private enterprise to the state-controlled economy.... In this objective readiness lies the danger for the ruling groups, for in any period of economic stress, it may find expression in political attitudes which would force the free enterprise system into further retreat and give new impetus to those social forces that are steering towards a state capitalist economy." The concentration of wealth and power, a state-controlled economy, a populace primed to accept significant changes in the workings of finance -- that was 50 years ago but it could just as easily be culled from today's headlines. Certainly times have changed on many levels, and a person from 1959 might find 2009 baffling if not incomprehensible. Still, the salient notion of 'debt as commodity' that has spiraled into today's financial meltdown could trace at least part of its genesis back to those simpler, halcyon times of a bygone day. Fifty years of debt and a thinly-veiled version of indentured servitude; five decades of the masses essentially living in a de facto work-release program from a massive debtors' prison; and a half-century of unsustainable and dehumanizing practices that have brought us to the brink of economic ruination. Things are tough all over.... So, perhaps it's time for some Jubilee. A few thousand years ago, people faced similar issues: "In the Biblical book of Leviticus, a Jubilee year is mentioned to occur every fifty years, in which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest." "A Jubilee calls for forgiveness and, more accurately, release and cancellation of debt . [D]uring a year of Jubilee, all debts must be forgiven, especially those of the poor. No generation, no family, no nation should be condemned to perpetual debt from one era to the next. Fifty years is long enough." "The Jubilee year was meant to restore equality among all the children of Israel, offering new possibilities to families which had lost their property and even their personal freedom.... The riches of creation were to be considered as a common good of the whole of humanity.... The Jubilee year was meant to restore this social justice." Some folks already have begun advocating for Jubilee legislation, specifically focusing on Third World debt but raising concerns applicable domestically as well: "The Jubilee Act would cancel impoverished country debt, prohibit harmful economic and policy conditions, mandate transparency and responsibility in lending, call for a new legal framework to restrict predatory 'vulture funds,' and call for a U.S. audit of odious and illegitimate debts." To be sure, there have been Jubilees declared by the Church in recent years, notably 2000 and 2008. But it's been a long time since the original spirit of forgiveness of debt and parole from incarceration has been observed. The Old Testament origins of the concept included a codification of "clean slate" principles whereby people could start over and in many cases even reacquire property they had previously been forced to sell. With an eye toward reclaiming these old-school radical notions, I offer the following guidelines for a new Jubilee that could be just the stimulus needed to turn things around: Cancellation of individual debts Forgiveness of student loans Restrictions on future lending and usurious interest rates Prohibitions against government deficit spending Elimination of debt-based trade and markets Abrogation of IOUs, liens, and mortgages Parole of nonviolent prisoners and commutation of fines and sentences Abolition of prison labor Decriminalization of "lifestyle offenses" including drugs Living wage paid in all industries and job sectors Ban on products created through sweatshop/slave labor Cancellation of Third World debts Suspension of Structural Adjustment Programs Return of land to displaced and colonized peoples Naturally this will entail a substantial remaking of the political and economic map of the world. Yet ancient Jubilee years sometimes did precisely that, and were seen as fair to all because everyone (debtors and creditors alike) knew when they were coming. It seems to me that the present course of action -- namely funneling more and more money to corrupt lenders and wasteful industries, and exacting punitive sanctions on individuals and families who have been working and struggling to make do -- is really the one that represents a radical departure from the concept of fairness (and even celebration) that history counsels. In the end, it's well past time to retire all debts, and furthermore to abandon the entire notion of debt itself. We need forgiveness now, not recrimination. We need to unlearn and forget the practices that got us into this mess in the first place. Simply put, we need a little Jubilee to break with the recent past and connect with a much older, time-tested set of practices. For many, the new millennium feels as if it's just now beginning, so let's kick it off with a clean slate for all and wipe away the taint of immiseration and despair. More on The Bailouts
 
Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent: Forget Your Sign, Discover Your Design! Top
Who out there doesn't find astrology fun, interesting and at times eerily accurate? The idea of simultaneously learning something about your personality and your fate is just too attractive to resist, and we know that many of you (like us) start your day, week or month by reading your horoscope and wondering how much of it is true. But the practical side of us thinks that it's just too supernatural and unproven to possibly be correct, and that's why we were so excited to learn about a revolutionary new system called Human Design that combines science, spirituality and mysticism to help you discover the person you were born to be. Many of us spend our entire lives searching for our life's purpose, constantly wondering what we were put on this planet to accomplish and who we are really supposed to be. Human Design is a "self awareness tool" that not only tells you about your superficial personality traits, but opens your eyes to the deeper parts of yourself by explaining how your personal blueprint informs the way you react to different people, places and things. Perhaps the most innovative element of this system is that it teaches you not to fight your makeup in order to fit more comfortably into this world. Instead, you are meant to live and act as your true self and Human Design can help you determine precisely who that is. We were fortunate enough to get a personal Human Design reading from Chetan Parkyn, the master himself, and not only did he tell us things about ourselves that we never thought someone could tell from the time and place of our birth, but his reading made us feel validated, accepted and completely understood. We are thrilled to introduce this enlightening system to you, but we couldn't possibly explain it as well as Chetan himself. Below is our interview with Chetan so that you can learn a bit more about this system and discover the blueprint of your true self. 1 - First of all, tell us how you discovered Human Design. I'd been a mechanical engineer, traveling the world on diverse projects. Then my father died and grief sent me into a period of solitude. I started asking questions about what I'd done with my life, and who was I? Grief sent me inward into some serious self-examination. Consequently, I went to India and, to cut a long story short that is detailed in the book, I was told in 1979 I'd be working with a system that would have far-reaching impact into people's lives. In 1993, I was introduced to Human Design when it was brought to America by its founder, a Canadian man called Ra Uru Hu I realized that here was a system - a tool, an eye-opener - that answered so many questions about who we are as people, and what our purpose & potentials are. Ever since then, I studied it, mastered it and have seen the huge influence it has had on people's lives. 2 - You believe that having a strong sense of self can help people find happiness and fulfillment in life. Please explain how Human Design informs people about who they are and how this can help them change their lives for the better. Knowing who you are deep down, and honoring that true nature, is a fundamental aspect to finding fulfillment. As I say in the book, it's about the four A's: Accepting your true nature leads to an Allowing which catalyzes an Awakening that brings a personal Authenticity. Human Design reminds you of the person you were born to be and asks whether you're currently living true to that design? Who wouldn't want to know the blueprint of their personality? The actual structure of their inner-being? We have been given all sorts of rule systems and identities to follow blindly whether they have any bearing on our reality at all. This state of disassociation from our true Self is what is actually responsible for all the pain and misery in this world We are moving into the age of the individual where everyone lives their life according to their own nature; a period that challenges us to be more accountable to ourselves. Human Design not only attunes someone to their own unique nature but also clarifies and demonstrates how each individual can make better decisions that are in accord with their own nature. This is enormously empowering and freeing! If we recognize within ourselves what suits us best we find a life that is constantly fulfilling. 3 - Human Design obviously has many similarities to astrology, but it is far more grounded in science and technical astronomy. Can you explain how "science meets spirituality" in Human Design? It might appear that Human Design and astrology have common ground but, in actual fact, they're very different. This system divides the sky into 64 compartments, not 12 (signs of the zodiac) and its insights focus on the person within, not the journey ahead. It can provide a much more detailed snapshot evaluation of an individual than astrology can which is why the book suggests that a better social question would be 'Forget your sign, what's your design?' Human Design uses an astronomical calculation to determine the placement of the planets at an exact time of birth but that's where the comparisons with astrology end. Because it also fuses with the I-Ching, the Chakra system & the Kaballah to become a system in its own right. Its science is contained within the relevance of neutrinos and quantum physics, as well as the scientific finding that suggest a strong link between the 64 codons of the DNA and the 64 gates within the Human Design system. So there is a real symbiosis with our spiritual journey and science. There's nothing like Human Design in terms of self-discovery, our soulful purpose and the scientific evidence. 4 - In Human Design, we are each born with both conscious and unconscious personality traits. Can you explain the difference between the two and what role free will plays in all of this? Our unconscious qualities & influences are vaster than our conscious side, and yet many people walk through life without ever examining such inherent parts of themselves. The conscious side of humans is the tip of the iceberg - hiding the much deeper unconscious elements beneath the surface. Ultimately, a personal awakening and an increased awareness of the true self all hinges on getting to know these unconscious characteristics. We say and act out so many things that we do not understand and this is the unconscious at work. Human Design is the first system of its kind where, at the stroke of a key, both your conscious and unconscious personality traits are laid out on the page before you - and that's when the true self discovery can begin! Human Design doesn't affect our free will - it better informs it. When you know your design for life, and know what suits you, then you're better armed to make wiser choices within that free will. When we live our life more consciously and in accord with our design, we have the closest proximity to what we describe as 'free will', the state in which we can watch our choices as they become implemented in our lives. 5 - By downloading your software, people can map their own life chart, or "personality blueprint." Everyone's chart is different, so can you tell us if there is such a thing as a good chart or a bad chart? Are there certain personality types in Human Design that are better than others? You can walk along any beach in the world and not find two grains of sand the same. So it is with people. We are all unique - and Human Design sets out to remind you of that very uniqueness; what sets you apart from others; what are your strengths & potentials. The whole concept of something being either good or bad comes from the formulation of comparisons. If you accept yourself as unique then you will come to see that comparing your life with the life of someone else, or that you have a "good" or "bad" chart in comparison, is meaningless. The Human Design book takes you on a step by step guide to show you the inner-map within yourself. In many respects, it pulls back the curtain on the personas we carry through life. Imagine how empowering this is in both relationships and the workplace? What CEO wouldn't want to know the blueprint, potentials, weak spots and proclivities of the entire work force? There is no good and bad when one accepts that authenticity is the only way to approach life - to live a life true to the nature that Human Design reveals. 6 - Finally, tell us how we can learn more about Human Design! Where can our readers go to get a copy of your book and/or schedule their own reading with you? Everyone asks that, because Human Design is a treasure-trove of personal discoveries. You find out about yourself, then your partner, then your siblings, then your children.... The discoveries are endless. This book will lead you through the maze. Currently, it's on sale in the UK & Canada via www.amazon.co.uk or you can visit our website at www.humandesignforusall.com and click on the book page. Via this website, personal readings can be booked so that people can have a more complete, in-depth experience. But, first things first - the book is that first step towards an understanding of who you are as a person. It comes with free downloadable software which helps you create the life charts of friends, lovers, children, family members, etc. We're currently talking with US publishers to bring this book to America either later this year, or early next. The main thing is that I'm excited to be getting this out there, so that people in the UK, the US and throughout the world can ultimately discover who they were truly born to be. There's so much to learn about Human Design, and I'm excited to put this book out there for the enjoyment of a wider audience. Learn more about our books at www.heydayproductions.com or become our fan of the Hot Chick Book Series on Facebook!
 
Bill Maher: New Rule: Slacks Like Me Top
New Rule: The L.L. Bean Catalog doesn't need to have a black guy in it... Check out Real Time with Bill Maher live Fridays at 10PM ET/PT - Only On HBO. More on Bill Maher
 
Sri Mulyani, Indonesia's Finance Minister, Has Become Nation's Star Top
As Indonesia dodges the global economic crisis bullet, Sri Mulyani, a woman educated in America, has become a star.
 
Beth Arnold: Letter From Paris: Other Conversations Coming Out of Iran Top
With the crises in the world over the last year or so -- the attacks in Mumbai, the cyclone in Burma, protest in Tibet, and now the Iranian elections -- information has been reported fast and furiously by everyone with a device to do so. Were the facts accurate? Yes/no/sometimes. At the very least, the points-of-view of the senders are transmitted to us. No matter how or what, a picture of the disaster develops for the rest of us to experience in some immediate sense. We read the reports, look at the photos, and watch the videos. We draw our own conclusions about what the shocking calamity means to the society -- the individuals -- who are directly affected. And then there's the question of what these natural and man-made tragedies also mean to us. What will we, with all our enormous resources, do -- or not do? Who will let us in -- or keep us out? How long can the various unfair and usually heartbreaking calamities maintain our Western attention? Over this eventful year, I've been following a social network for international English students called englishbaby.com that has 1 million members all over the world. With many sources of information blocked in Iran, English, baby! is still publishing the voices of Iranian youth. Jason Simms, a Portland, Oregon, freelance writer who creates lessons and helps out with marketing at English, baby! told me this: While Twitter and Facebook have been mentioned in the media for circumventing censorship, Iranians are turning to smaller networks as well, especially one where all the content is in English. Since YouTube has been banned and other major sites may be next, sites like English, baby! could become more and more important in the cyber conversation. Here's what Jason wrote: Understanding comes when people of different nations and cultures come together and talk. Before there was Tehran, there was Tian'anmen. On our site, Iranian and Chinese students have discovered they share a strong bond. People in both countries have to be careful about what opinions they make public. Because it's primary function is educational, the English, baby! users are having a relatively unfettered discussion about Iran. What do the Chinese think of the crackdown on the demonstrations in Iran? A 28-year-old Chinese member with the handle sofree believes Iran only erupted because the election may have been rigged secretly: "My opinion is if one government want to rig, you should do it at the beginning, like ours. People will get used of it. Ask any 90 kids in China, I bet less than 1/20 know about the 1989 Tian'anmen protest." Another Chinese member, 25-year-old Carole, has no qualms decrying the violence in Tehran. "No matter what happened," she says, "the policeman and soldiers have no excuse to kill the civilian!!" The site's 10,000 Iranian members share varied opinions with the Ebaby! community. 19-year-old amirlashkari22 believes violence is necessary to prevent further chaos: "If they don't [shoot protesters] you ppl would fire much more stores, supermarkets, banks and buses." amirlashkari22 Tufan, a 24-year-old Iranian man, explains that there is no going back for Iran -- if a new election were held today, many would vote differently. "Now even people who voted to Ahmadinejad are regret for their decision when they see how he treats to demonstrators," he says. Despite the turmoil in his country, 25-year-old drmkazemkn is able to joke. "i tell Iranian not to worry about it," he says, "cause for the next election i am going to participate as a candidate so most people specially my English baby friend will vote to me so i will become president and solve all people problem." If you're following the events in Iran on Twitter, your information either comes from the people you follow, or the #IranElection topic with about 50 tweets per minute, many of which are retweets or helpful info for people in Tehran. In some ways, it makes sense to look elsewhere if you're an outsider wanting to get a sense of the variety of feelings in Iran or how people around the world are interpreting the events there. To join the discussion on Ebaby! , take a look at Tuesday's English lesson of the day about the protests in Iran, or this discussion thread, which was created by an Iranian member and is the longest on the topic on the site. This forum thread begins with a list made by a 16-year-old of all the good qualities of Iran, which he hopes are not forgotten during this time. Beth Arnold lives and writes in Paris. To see more of her work, including her new Obamarifix, go to www.betharnold.com . More on Twitter
 
Supermarket Suppliers Destroying Amazon Rainforest Top
Brazilian authorities investigating illegal deforestation have accused the suppliers of several UK supermarkets of selling meat linked to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest. More on Brazil
 
Marshall Auerback: Risk of Major Social Upheaval Likely if Bank Bonanza Continues Top
State and local governments have been forced into draconian budget cuts, firing workers who are among the most reliable in making their mortgage payments -- when they have jobs: firemen, policemen, teachers, civil servants. Yet the Obama administration won't spend even a small fraction of what it has wasted on the banks to cover state shortfalls. The guarantee of $5.5bn in short term notes for California was deemed to be fiscally irresponsible, yet hundreds of billions have already been allocated to the likes of Citigroup, AIG, and Goldman Sachs, all of whom have already beefed up salaries and bonuses as they emerge from the embrace of the federal government. Good for the banks, bad for the economy Banks are also benefiting from lending programs that effectively allow them to borrow at zero and reinvest in Treasuries at around 3%. A bank doesn't have to do anything to make money. The banks' return on equity is going to be very good. They are going to be able to restore their finances. While this is good for banks, is it good for anyone else? The problem is the government's "free money" program means banks have little or no incentive to do any actual lending. Combined with rising unemployment and the ongoing housing crisis, this means any recovery is likely to be muted, at best, especially given the ongoing weakness in the real estate market. Growing income inequality will likely be perpetuated and exacerbated with all of the resultant social strains. And in the meantime, the siren songs will grow that we are a nation addicted to debt, deficit spending our way to economic disaster. Housing bubble lessons Policy makers were slow to recognize the importance and magnitude of home price deflation. Keynes , Minsky , and Fisher understood that balance sheets matter to income and cash flow outcomes -- it is not just the other way around, as convention has it, where income and cash flow results passively accumulate on balance sheets at a glacial pace. The New Keynesians like Bernanke should have recognized this through their "financial accelerator" channels approach , but the near- ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) QE (quantitative easing) approaches have so far proven to be too little, too late. Moreover, there is now a wing of investors feeding fears that "monetization" and significant fiscal expansion may constrain the Treasury's room to manoeuvre further. The upshot is that we have missed a golden opportunity to deal with the growing problem of income inequality. Instead, we have the paradoxical spectacle of an ostensibly progressive Democrat administration, and a Democratically controlled Congress, presiding over one of the most regressive wealth transfers in history. As Keynes and Minsky realized a lifetime ago, durable asset markets, such as housing, do not clear as easily as markets for Chiquita bananas. This is especially true after asset bubbles have introduced structural excesses in parts of the capital stock -- what the Austrians call "malinvestment" or distortions to the production structure. When there are large outstanding stocks of durable assets relative to the potential flow supply, lower prices are not necessarily the cure for low prices, as the traders in the Chicago pits are wont to assert. The bias toward viewing markets as self-regulating, self-adjusting mechanisms does not hold equally well across all markets in all conditions, as this generation has been brainwashed to believe. Rather, lower prices can beget a stock overhang of existing owners who want to sell, especially if expectations about "normal" or future values are closely coupled with recent spot price trends. Following an asset bubble, when conventions about normal supply prices (or even legitimate valuation models in general) have been ruptured, recent price momentum does tend to become the main guide to expectations, as the trend extrapolating traders win the day against fundamental driven investors during asset bubbles. Obama, Geithner, and Summers misguided Obama, Geithner, and Summers misplaced their faith in lower prices as the cure to an excess supply situation in a durable asset market. They also they failed to understand that while lower spot prices may reduce new production, the desired selling out of existing stocks can swamp this flow supply reduction. Because of these misconceptions, they now think they face the choice of either having to let it all meltdown, or else using policy to synthetically reproduce the prior bubble credit conditions. Or consider this analysis another way, from the increasingly prevailing view that US policy makers are somehow edging us toward a hyperinflationary abyss . Money created has to be spent on goods and services to get higher product prices. Professional investors are working with very simple quantity theory approaches. They are not thinking about transmission mechanisms from money to prices. There is no auction market for M1 and the CPI that automatically settles at the end of each day. The only auction market is spending by public and private sectors on produced goods and services each day, week, month, quarter or year. Government is the only one increasing spending. The fact that nominal GDP is still falling tells us that the private sector is trying to save more than government is deficit spending, which is deflationary, not inflationary. Even arch monetarists such as Milton Friedman conceded that the path to inflation from money creation was through nominal GDP. In an inflation, people are eager to trade money holdings for produced goods and services or tangible assets. In a hyperinflation, even more so. That is not what we have today. Banks are hoarding $1 trillion of cash on their balance sheets. Companies are in cash conservation mode and stripping down inventories, headcounts, and reducing capital spending. Households are saving and building exposure to near cash instruments. Robust stimulus needed When an economy experiences sharp and sustained shifts in private liquidity preferences, the policy response must be to create money and additional aggregate demand via government fiscal stimulus, or let debt deflation rip. The latter tends not to be terribly acceptable to democracies for the obvious reasons which Fisher had to learn first hand. Statements by President Obama that "we are out of money" do not help, because they imply that there is an operational constraint on fiscal policy, beyond which the government dare not go. They feed the prevailing paradigm about "debt sustainability" and "national solvency" and thereby work at cross purposes. What President Obama, Fed Chairman Bernanke, and Treasury Secretary Geithner must say is that until the government deficit spending and the improvement in the trade balance exceeds desired net private sector saving, we can create all the money we want - it simply will not be enough to driver final product prices higher unless and until we succeed in restoring aggregate demand to sufficiently high credible levels where a self-sustaining economic recovery can take place. In one sense, it is pointless blaming Wall Street for exploiting a system heavily rigged in its favour. They know that the game is stacked in their favour, so they are rationally taking advantage. But the sickest part about the whole episode is that the casino rule makers, Obama, Geithner and Summers, are perpetuating a flawed game that they had in their power the chance to end. In my more cynical moments, I have to wonder why TARP , which is essentially a purchase of financial assets (and, hence, better left in the hands of the Fed, as Treasury is supposed to buy 'real things') was placed in the hands of Treasury. It's almost as if this was planned deliberately so as to provide the anti-government folks with a cudgel with which to beat back supporters of activist government. My issue with Obama and his fiscal package is the same as Rob Johnson's: taxpayer money is being deployed in hugely inefficient ways like Citi, BofA, AIG, and GM and discrediting fiscal policy in the process. Contrast this with the achievements of the New Deal. As Adam Cohen in his new book, Nothing to Fear. "[WPA] workers constructed or repaired more than 125,000 buildings, including 83,000 schools; 800 aiports; 950 sewage plants; and 650,000 miles of roads. They built or improved 78,000 bridges and 25,000 playgrounds; terraced 271,000 acres of eroded land; and taught two million people to read. They also ran a famous Federal Art Project, which hired destitute artists to create murals for public buildings, posters, and paintings. The WPA produced a highly regarded series of state guidebooks and an acclaimed collection of interviews with former slaves, and it played a major role in building the San Antonio Zoo, New York City's LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan airports, and the presidential retreat at Camp David. In 1965, on the program's thirtieth anniversary, The New York Times quoted a dispossessed North Carolina tenant farmer living in an abandoned gas station, who had been rescued by a WPA job. 'I'm proud of our United States, and everyting I hear The Star Spangled Banner I feel a lump in my throat,' he said. 'There ain't no other nation in the world that would have had the sense enough to think of WPA." This kind of puts the paucity of Obama's fiscal goals in stark relief, doesn't it? The key is building a political case for the stimulus. This means getting people around a common objective where everybody is perceived to be benefiting and that the sacrifices are being borne fairly. This was clearly the situation in WWII when the budget deficit as a percentage of GDP got as high as 30.3% of GDP, yet nobody complained about the "sustainability" of government expenditures. The upshot was that by 1946, the GDP per capita was 25 percent higher than it had been in the last peace years before the War. GDP per capita continued to grow during the Marshall Plan years. Despite giving away two percent of U.S. GDP, American residents (and taxpayers) experienced a higher standard of living each year. And nobody spoke about us running out of money. Bank bonanza must end By contrast, the current bonanza for banks is neither economically efficient, nor politically sustainable. What is driving the change in portfolio preference shifts is not only a misguided paradigm, but also an inability for the Obama administration to make a sensible, coherent case in what they are doing and why they are doing it. Their actions, in fact, seem to suggest that everything is ad hoc and that they are operating out of their depth, in effect continuing the same policies of the Bush/Paulson period, but on a much greater scale. Ironically, this ultimately will also prove highly inimical to the interests of finance itself. When most of the home owning voters cannot pay their major debt or have no incentive to pay their mortgage debt, there will either be a debtors revolt that society will sanction or there will be a bailout of such a magnitude that mega moral hazard will affect private lending forever. Once these things happen, you will no longer have the social rules for private risk based lending. In other words, financial markets will be unlike anything ever seen before in private economies. Is this really what Wall Street wants, let alone American society as a whole? Both FDR and JFK had a brain trust that could help forge public opinion. Obama has his halo, Geithner, and Summers. We've known from the start that was a misstep. In the meantime, beyond automatic stabilizers, the door appears to be shutting to further active fiscal ease. I wonder if the stage is already being set for tax hikes, as rumors of a federal VAT (value added tax) have been floating around of late. Add this to rising commodity prices and interest rates, and the profile of any recovery may become increasingly in question, a la 1937-8. Add to that additional bank write-offs, further credit contraction and a minimalist welfare system which leaves nothing in the way of social cohesion, and the prospects for major social upheaval look dangerously likely. What is missing is a vision of a new growth path for the US. If a public backlash is to be marshalled to something more than retribution, that needs to come to the fore. Once you get beyond the pothole and school patching, what industries can be pushed forward through public seed capital or public private partnerships? The economist Hy Minsky pointed out a better way to solve both the liquidity and the income problem, while also providing full employment: by channeling government expenditure through an employer-of-last-resort program. The current crisis could have been mitigated if increased household consumption had been financed through wage increases and if financial institutions had used their earnings to augment bank capital rather than employee bonuses. The current system has failed because it was built on an incentive system that did just the opposite. This piece was originally posted on New Deal 2.0 More on Barack Obama
 
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: A Modest Proposal Top
Chalk it up to the influence of his fashion model wife, perhaps, but French President Nicolas Sarkozy seems determined to put his stamp on Muslim clothing styles. Sarkozy apparently is responding to an unease among the French about the impact of a growing Muslim population on what had once been a homogeneous Gallic culture. As an imam, I have to agree with one thing Sarkozy said. Burkas are not a religious sign. The head-to-toe robes that cover the face are a cultural custom in some predominately Muslim societies. If Islam required them, they would be worn by the faithful from Morocco to Indonesia. In fact, women on pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina are not allowed to cover their faces. Islam requires modesty in female dress. Around the world, one sees that requirement fulfilled by a variety of styles, most often of the hijab, which covers everything but face and hands. Is the burka a symbol of repression? If a government tells a woman what she must wear, that could be considered repression. And if a government tells a woman what she cannot wear, that could be repression, too. If the French government tells a woman that she cannot wear a burka or limit where she can wear the hijab, then it is infringing on her cultural right to wear what she wants. Instead, I have a different proposal for Sarkozy. Everywhere Muslims go, they eventually adapt their clothing style to the cultural mores of their adopted countries. In India, Muslim women wear saris. In Malaysia, they wear sarongs. In France, it will be no different. So the French, with their enormous impact on haute couture have a terrific opportunity here. Sarkozy should announce a competition among the top French fashion designers - Hermes, Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, Christian La Croix, Givenchy, Christian Dior. The challenge would be to remake Muslim fashion with French haute couture. Imagine what would happen if a top fashion model walked down the runway in a Hermes-designed burka, or if Muslim women could vie for the latest French designs of their hijab? An entire line of French clothing could be designed to meet the Islamic need for modesty. Instead of tension between the French government and the Muslim world, this would create a new interfaith "dialogue." French-designed burkas and hijab could sweep through the Muslim world with its market of more than 700-million women. France could revitalize an entire industry, opening clothing manufacturers around the country. Perhaps we have an idea here that could help bring France out of the economic crisis, promote reconciliation between Muslims and the West, and make the world safe for Givenchy. Abdul Rauf is chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an independent, non-partisan and multi-national project that seeks to use religion to improve Muslim-West relations. ( www.cordobainitiative.org ). He is the author of "What's Right with Islam is What's Right with America." More on France
 
Lisa Cohen: The Mystery of Steven Damman Top
The DNA tests proved it. Fifty-three year old John Barnes is not long lost toddler Stephen Damman, missing since 1955 after his mother briefly left him outside a Long Island bakery, something she has now lived to regret for over 50 years. As much as I'm sorry that the Dammans have not found their son, there's a tiny, counterintuitive, part of me that thinks it's better for some other families that they haven't. As someone who has spent years talking to the parents of Etan Patz, I've heard the anguish of living with that never-ending question mark. Etan was the beautiful, blond six-year old boy who disappeared thirty years ago last month, on a day marked annually as National Missing Children's Day. His smiling face haunted us from signs on New York City lampposts and street corners and made him, quite literally, the poster child for missing children everywhere. The phrase I heard over and over again during my research was "the worst part was the not knowing." Not just from the Patzes, but as the mantra of every family of a missing child. Should we put his toys away, should we stop speaking of him in the present tense, should we begin to mourn his death, so we can struggle our way through that mourning period? As the years drag on, the goal becomes an ending of any kind, even if it is ultimately blind acceptance of the worst possible outcome. In 1980, as the first year of the Patzes vigil waned, Stan and Julie had begun to allow themselves to do just that, even as they publicly maintained an optimistic front. But then, ten long months into the futile search for Etan, a fourteen-year old named Steven Stayner was famously recovered on the streets of Northern California, seven years after he'd been snatched from his family. And the Patzes were filled both with a revived hope, but also with the new certainty that unless they actually found their son or his body, there would never be a date after which they could assume the worst...and move on. When CBS News "Sunday Morning" interviewed Stan and Julie soon afterward, the reporter asked if they could conceive of waiting seven years. Their answer is even more poignant today. "We would keep a little glimmer of hope," Stan replied. "But if someone had told us on May 26, 1979 that we'd be waiting ten months we'd have sunk into depression. If it takes seven years, so be it." "We can't determine when it's going to end; IF it's going to end," Julie added. "We'll wait as long as we have to." "And then we'll wait longer," Stan finished. By 1982, the third anniversary, the passage of time had eroded their stoicism, like flowing water carves out a riverbed as it pounds against earth and stone. Even if Etan were to be found, his father sometimes thought that, by this point, he would never really be theirs again. The damage done could take more than a lifetime of love and healing to undo. Finally, in 2001, almost twenty years later, Stan Patz had his son declared legally dead in order to file a lawsuit against the man authorities believe is Etan's killer. But Stan had already accepted for years that his son wasn't coming home. If it's not a reason for complete certainty, 22 years is long enough to know in your heart. Now think how long fifty years is. That's two generations. So if John Barnes HAD turned out to be little Stephen Damman, every parent out there who's been struggling to move on would be walloped anew with the message that 7 years, even 22 years, is not enough. Nor is 30. Or 40. Even though, in reality it almost never happens that way. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children figures at least 15 people over the last ten years have come to them with the belief they had "recovered themselves." None of them were right. But when their stories cause a media storm, like the Damman case did, that in turn stirs up a deep reservoir of grief and guilt -- for not having enough faith their child is still out there, and for having "lost" him in the first place. When I began to write the Patzes' story a few years ago, Stan told me about yet another lost soul who was emailing him. This one was convinced she'd been married to Etan, now in the process of divorcing him. His grown up features resembled Etan's (I saw the picture -- they did) and he had no photos of himself before the age of six. At some time and emotional expense, Stan good-naturedly agreed to hand over a DNA sample, a mouth swab from a kit she sent him. Mostly he did it because he's that kind of helpful guy, but also, maybe, because the woman's request tapped into Stan's reservoir, and he just couldn't ignore that. Nothing came of it, but I'm sure that thirty years into this case, it's not the last time the phone will ring, or the email will ping. And no, I don't really wish that the Dammans hadn't reunited with their son. Of course such a bittersweet moment is better than the alternative. Maybe what I really wish is that this sensational news story, ricocheting off the computers of millions; tweeted, blogged, and trumpeted in tabloid headlines, could have waited for the DNA results before it broke. A lot of protective scars might have remained intact. Instead this story undoubtedly drew fresh blood.
 
Nicole Williams: 5 Ways NOT to Save Money Top
We know times are tough, but there are some places where you really shouldn't cut costs--like on health insurance and personal hygiene. Here, five areas where it's worth spending the cash, plus suggestions on alternative ways to save a buck. 1. Cutting your own hair. Though it can help you trim your budget, clipping your own hair is often a bad idea. Take it from someone who tried to trim her own bangs and ended up wearing headbands for several weeks until they grew out. Not pretty, people! Most salons offer free touch-ups in between appointments, or you can ask for a stylist-in-training rather than a seasoned (read: expensive) pro. If you're really strapped for cash, then ask a friend to trade hairstyling services for, say, Web design or a piece of your handmade jewelry. Bonus: Many bottle blondes are going darker, because it requires fewer trips to the stylist for touch-ups. 2. Living without health insurance. If you think you can't afford to pay for health insurance, then wait until you land in the ER with a broken arm or catch a nasty virus and are too cheap to shell out for a doctor's appointment. If you've been recently laid off, ask about COBRA. Or check out group plans through organizations like the Freelancer's Union. At the very least, spring for catastrophic coverage and see if you can get covered under a parent or domestic partner's plan. 3. Forgoing the personal hygiene products. Trust us: One day without deodorant and your cube mates will wish you'd called in sick. Deodorant, shower gel, etc. aren't that expensive, but every bit of savings counts, so clip coupons from the Sunday paper, buy generic brands, or send away for a few free samples through websites like FreeSampleForager.com . 4. Stealing office supplies from work. Chances are, nobody will notice a few missing pens. But once you start sneaking entire boxes of folders or a few rolls of toilet paper into your purse, you know you've crossed the line. If you're anticipating a layoff or trying to set up a home-based business, try services like Freecycle.com, where you can get gratis goods without the guilt. 5. Sleeping on a futon mattress or an AeroBed. All those nights you lie awake tossing and turning might be due to that lumpy mattress, rather than your lack of cash flow (though that could be a factor too). A futon may have cut it in college, but it's not working for you now. Instead, invest in a decent-quality mattress so you'll feel rested and ready to give 110% at job interviews and everything else you do. More on Personal Finance
 
Harold Koh Confirmed After Long GOP Delay Top
Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh was confirmed as the State Department Legal Advisor in a roll call vote, 62-35. Koh was tapped for the job nearly four months ago, but has faced criticism from some conservatives for an alleged "transnational" approach to the law. But ranking Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republican Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) threw his support to Koh, in a statement Thursday: "After reading his answers to dozens of questions, attending his hearing in its entirety, meeting with him privately, and reviewing his writings, I believe that Dean Koh is unquestionably qualified to assume the post for which he is nominated."
 
Mike Elk: Growing Factory Occupations Threaten to Break the Banks Top
So far only one group has been able to force the banks to seriously change their practices - workers occupying their factories. Last December, members of the United Electrical Workers (UE) employed by Republic Windows and Doors were initially denied severance pay when management announced the closing of their Chicago factory. Bank of America and JPMorganChase refused to continue the company's credit line and to provide severance pay, required under the workers' union contract. Adding insult to injury, the company failed to give 60 days notice of the closing which is required by U.S. law under the federal WARN Act. Workers responded by occupying the plant, protesting the refusal of banks to extend credit under the slogan "You got bailed out, We got sold out". After a six day occupation and expressions of solidarity from around the world, including from President Obama, the banks caved in and agreed to pay workers' severance pay. However, unionized Republic workers did more than just win back their severance pay, they created a model of direct action which has the potential to hold the banks accountable for their actions. Prominent scholars like Paul Krugman, Simon Johnson, and Noami Klein have argued that opportunities to dramatically restructure the banking system have diminished greatly as the sense of crisis has decreased. Nobel Prize wining economist Paul Krugman claims that corporate interests have much to lose if real reform were enacted and are in response, pushing the line that the economy is returning to normal in order to kill reform. As my colleague Joshua Holland points out in a must-read piece : "Much of the business establishment has an interest in heading off any attempt to fundamentally transform the economy. After all, when things go south in the 21st century, the big fish are protected -- they get a bailout." While, the stimulus program and other bailout measures may have prevented economic devastation greater than the Great Depression, the current crisis remains one of the worst in decades. Unemployment is increasing to double digits, credit markets remain frozen, and many people may literally be forced to work until they die, as their retirement accounts have been devastated by gambling on Wall Street. Indeed, there is a potential for the crisis to worsen, as foreclosures increased by 20% from a year ago. At first, foreclosures were caused by the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage industry, but now unemployed workers unable to pay their mortgages are losing their homes at an alarming rate. The economic crisis remains very real. Wall Street, fearing real structural reform and regulation, are attempting to deny the depth of this crisis. While corporate interests were largely in favor of Obama's stimulus program because it meant more business for them, they are largely opposed to fixing the fundamental problem - putting profits before people. We need to put an end to the predatory practices of the big banks and investment houses by downsizing the banks, limiting CEO pay, eliminating the casino capitalism of credit swap derivatives and other regulatory measures that make banks accountable to communities Unfortunately, the current administration has fallen short in protecting us from Wall Street. Therefore, it is up to us through a model direct action, as used by civil rights movement's sit-ins and boycotts and the sit down strikes of the 1930s, to fight back against Wall Street. Under, the motto of "Wells Fargo- Roadblock to Recovery", the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers America (UE), the same union that occupied a Chicago windows factory in December for six days, has mounted protests in 20 cities against Wells Fargo when it denied credit to Quad City Die Casting, a state-of-the-art factory in Moline, IL. Quad City Die Casting had been profitable until last fall. So far, Wells Fargo has even refused to release details on why it is forcing closure of the facility. Workers at Quad City Die Casting are fighting back and now threaten to occupy the factory if Wells Fargo refuses to continue provide capital funds. The successful struggle at Republic Windows has provided a model under which workers can successfully fight the banks by occupying their plants. 4,000 workers, members of SEIU, at two Hartmarx men's apparel factories, are also fighting Wells Fargo's actions and are also threatening to occupy their factories . Last months, workers at four Canadian plants, members of the Canadian Auto Workers, used plant occupations to win their severance pay. Last week, President Obama called for broad financial reform calling it the most "the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s." Experts say that while the plan seems to be directionally correct in many areas, it is worrisome in the details that the plan omits. Some experts worry that the plan does not adequately address the issue of whether the banks are "too big to fail", does little to address the perceived incentive structure of executive pay, and does not outlaw the complex credit derivative swaps that lead to this crisis. However what is most worrisome to me is that the plan lacks any comprehensive measure to make banks more transparent and accountable to the communities they serve. Its time that we as a movement start drawing upon the massive mandate for change personified in Obama's landslive victory to bring real change to our economy. Seizing on the electoral momentum of FDR's massive landslide victory and upsets with poor working standards, UAW members in Flint, Michigan decided to occupy their factory in the Great Flint Sit-Down strike in 1937. Despite the passage of the Wagner Act in 1934, which gave workers the right to collective bargaining, most companies still refused to bargain with unions. The ultra conservative 1930's Supreme Court was even tempted to outlaw unions as unconstitutional in order to stop the power of organized labor to counter big business. The Flint Sit-down strike changed all this. It sparked a series of 538 similar sit-down strikes changed the economy of this nation for the better. The strikes brought companies such as G.M., U.S. Steel, and General Electrical to their knees forcing them to negotiate fair contracts with their workers.The Supreme Court backed off its threat to declare unions unconstitutional. The Flint-Sit down strikes revitalized organized labor with UAW membership increasing from 30,000 to 500,000 in just one year! The strong emergence of the labor movement created the political climate that laid to the passage of the Fair Labor Standards in 1938 which set a minimum wage standards, established overtime pay, and outlawed child labor. Similarly, while LBJ attempted to delay civil rights legislation, the civil rights went out and showed the urgent need for it through sit-ins, freedom rides, and massive boycotts against racial discrimination. As a result, they were able to hold not just individual institutions accountable for their civil rights practices, but indeed creates the political climate necessary for the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act. As Martin Luther King said in "A Letter from Birmingham Jail," "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored." We can also use direct action to create a sense of crisis in order to not just counter they myths of quick economic recovery being pushed by Wall Street and hold them more accountable to communities, but to also create the climate necessary for reform. We can force the banks to change their practices on predatory lending through defending the rights of families to stay in their homes after they have been foreclosed in order to force banks to renegotiate the terms of their mortgages. Laid off workers should stay in their factories after they are closed in order to force to negotiate a way to keep these factories open. Engaging in such actions will diminish the power of the banks to call the shots. As Chris Townsend, Political Action Director of UE, the union which occupied the factory in Chicago pointed out to me "One of the most interesting things about the Republic Windows occupation is that the banks wanted to settle in as rapid a fashion as possible. Two giant banks -- in one week -- were forced to pay the workers what they were owed to the tune of almost two million dollars. There are lawsuits and legal actions that have been going on for years against banks for similar things that have never been able to achieve those kind of results. These banks don't want to be in the spotlight, they want to hide at all costs. They wanted to settle as quickly in order to stop the movement of this type of direct action from spreading because they know such a movement could crush them." More on Barack Obama
 
Gerald Bracey: Arnie in (Charter) Wonderland Top
Arne Duncan recently talked about charter schools on "Democracy Now." The segment could have been called "Arne in Wonderland." Some of what he said: Duncan: "We also need to work together to help people better understand charters. Many people equate charters with privatization, and part of the problem is that some charters overtly separate themselves from the surrounding district. This is why opponents often say that charters take money away from public schools. And we all know that's absolutely misleading." No, Arne, we don't all know that because it's not true. Some, and Arne appears to be one of them, contend that since charter schools are public schools, then Q.E.D., they don't take money away from the publics. The more usual argument is that the money going to charters is offset by reduced costs at the remaining public schools. But this is not the case. It might be true if all the kids going to the charter left from Mrs. Smith's class in P. S. 101. Then we could fire Mrs. Smith. Even so, the school operating costs, transportation costs, administrative costs, etc., would remain the same. But, in fact, maybe only 3 kids leave from Mrs. Smith's class. Because money is allocated on a per-pupil basis, that's three fewer allocations. Costs are not lowered but resources are reduced. And if the three kids return to the pubic school, as happens in many cases, the money does not come back with them. Duncan: "Charters are supposed to be laboratories of innovation that we can all learn from." The operative phrase here is "supposed to be." Study after study has commented on how similar most charters are to regular public schools. In addition, it is likely that the stifling test score requirements of No Child Left Behind have squeezed out what little innovation there ever was in the first place. Duncan: "And charters are not inherently anti-union. Albert Shanker, the legendary head of the AFT, was an early advocate." This is true. As far as it goes. A 1988 speech by Shanker virtually launched the charter movement. But by 1994, Shanker had jumped ship and was likening the charter movement to the free-school movement in the 1960's and 1970's. In his December 11 1994 column in the New York Times, Shanker argued charters were "a recipe for chaos." And while charters might not be "inherently" anti-union, Shanker certainly perceived them that way. In his 1994 State of the Union address to the AFT Shanker said, "We have another threat or potential threat [to the union], and that's charter schools..." Again, harkening back to the earlier reforms, "And so what is happening is they're about to have a lot of schools go out and do their own thing. This is being used as an excuse to say, well, look, if were going to have a lot of schools that are operating on their own, that are independent, then we've got to get rid of union rules, because if the teachers in every one of these schools have to be bound by union rules, then they're not going to be free and creative..." Shanker then addressed charters' union busting potential: "That's something that we're not going to tolerate. This [charter] system is not going to be used as a way of breaking the hard won rights we have fought for." A 2003 AFT report on charters concluded no expansion of charters was warranted unless and until better proof of effectiveness was provided. Duncan: "The CREDO report last week was absolutely a wake-up call, even if you dispute some of its conclusions or its language. The charter movement is putting itself at risk by allowing too many second-rate and even third-rate schools to continue to exist." Wake up call? Arne, was living in Chicago like living in China? Did Daley preclude you from hearing news from the outside world? Charter schools have been found to be underperforming for over a decade. Moreover, if the CREDO results are true, Arne, why are you blackmailing states with threats to withhold stimulus money unless they permit charters or lift charter caps? The logic here is astonishing. Suppose I invent a medicine and find it helps 17% of people, doesn't do anything for 46% and hurts 37%. Would the FDA approve and tout my medicine? CREDO is a Stanford University-based think tank and its findings were that kids in charters did better than matched peers in publics in 17% of the cases, worse in 37% and neither better nor worse 46% of the time. As I closed my chapter on charters in Setting the Record Straight (second edition), "Charter schools were born of perceived failures in public schools. So, if the charters are doing worse than the publics, where is the outrage about them?" Where indeed, Arne?
 
Michael Jackson Heart Attack: Singer Rushed To Hospital Top
We've just learned Michael Jackson was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Los Angeles ... and we're told it was cardiac arrest and that paramedics administered CPR in the ambulance.
 
Geovany Soto Tested Positive For Marijuana Top
Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto said he has been informed by the International Baseball Federation that he tested positive for marijuana at the World Baseball Classic. More on Sports
 
Hamas Welcomes Obama's "New Language" Top
DAMASCUS, Syria — The top Hamas leader on Thursday welcomed what he said is "new language" by President Barack Obama toward the Islamic militant group _ part of Hamas' cautious outreach to Washington in recent weeks. In a televised speech, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal avoided any mention of the recent turmoil in Iran, even though the Islamic militant group is backed by the Tehran regime. Earlier Thursday, Iran's hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused Obama of meddling because of growing U.S. criticism of Iran's clampdown on opposition protesters. Iran's other militant ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, has sided with Iran's ruling clerics. Hamas has been trying to reach out to the Obama administration in hopes of breaking out of its international isolation and prying open the borders of blockaded Hamas-ruled Gaza. The U.S. and Europe consider Hamas a terror group and have said they will only engage if Hamas recognizes Israel and renounces violence. Hamas has rejected those conditions, saying it cannot make such concessions up front. In a speech to the Muslim world earlier this month, Obama insisted that Hamas meet the conditions, but also suggested the group could play a political role in the future. "Hamas does have support among some Palestinians, but they also have to recognize they have responsibilities," Obama said at the time. "To play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations, to unify the Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist." Mashaal on Thursday praised what he described as "Obama's new language towards Hamas." "It is the first step in the right direction toward a dialogue without conditions, and we welcome this," he said. However, he said the U.S. must respect the Palestinians' democratic choice; Hamas overwhelmingly won Palestinian parliament elections in 2006. The Hamas chief-in-exile also said Obama remains too sympathetic toward Israel, despite the president's pledge to work hard for the establishment of a Palestinian state. "Obama spoke widely about the suffering of Jews and their Holocaust in Europe but ignored the talk about our suffering and Israel's Holocaust that has been going on for decades against our people," he said. Mashaal also railed against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in a recent speech that Israel would retain sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, keep building in Jewish settlements and demand Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. "The enemy's leaders call for a so-called Jewish state is a racist demand that is no different from calls by Italian Fascists and Hitler's Nazism," Mashaal said. Mashaal said his group will keep working on a prisoner exchange with Israel to win the release of hundreds of Palestinians in return for Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, who was captured three years ago near Gaza. "So far, the Israeli intransigence has stopped all efforts but we are still ready to reach a prisoner exchange," Mashaal said. "Netanyahu's only choice to get back Schalit is a serious deal." Mashaal called on Obama to pull out Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. security coordinator in the region, who is supervising the training of Palestinian forces in the West Bank. Hamas overran Gaza two years ago, leaving Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas only in control of the West Bank. Abbas has been clamping down on Hamas in the West Bank since the Gaza takeover, and some 2,100 U.S.-trained Palestinian forces play a key role in that effort. Mashaal said Dayton's force "is the main obstacle to the success of Palestinian reconciliation talks" that are being sponsored by Egypt. Mashaal said a Hamas delegation will be flying to Egypt to take part in Sunday's talks with representatives of Abbas' Fatah movement. ___ Associated Press Writer Hadeel al-Shalchi contributed to this report from Cairo. More on Hamas
 
Bill Collector Saves Woman Held Hostage In home Top
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — Investigators say a California woman held hostage in her home by an ex-boyfriend has been saved by a chance visit from a bill collector. San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Mark James says the debt collector knocked on the door Wednesday. The 30-year-old woman answered, scribbled the word "help" and her ex's name, Miguel Rios. When the debt collector asked if she was OK, the woman cried and whispered that Rios had a gun and was holding her hostage. Deputies were called and the 28-year-old Rios was arrested. The woman, held since Sunday, had bite marks and bruises, including marks on her neck where Rios allegedly tried to strangle her. Rios was booked for investigation of false imprisonment and making terrorist threats, among other allegations.
 
Tom Andrews: Glass Half Full: House Democratic Caucus Backs McGovern Afghanistan Exit Amendment Top
For those concerned the U.S. is becoming mired in a military quagmire in Afghanistan there was good news and bad news on the House floor this afternoon: The good news is that a majority of House Democrats just voted (131-114) to support the McGovern amendment to the House Defense Authorization bill that requires the Pentagon to develop a military exit strategy from Afghanistan. The bad news is that the overwhelming majority of House Republicans voted against the amendment (164-7), leading to its defeat. For opponents of endless war in Afghanistan, it is a question of the glass being half empty or half full. One the one hand, the glass is half full: this was a strong first vote on what will likely become a prolonged struggle. The early Congressional votes on the Vietnam and Iraq wars were lopsided affairs as Members took the bait that a vote against administration policy is a vote against our troops. With this vote, it's clear that a majority of Congressional Democrats understand that establishing a clear mission that includes a strategy for getting our troops home is necessary to support and protect the men and women we're sending into harm's way. Endless war is not. On the other hand, the glass is half empty: Congressman McGovern's proposal was very modest. It did not proscribe what the exit strategy should be or on what time-line it should be accomplished. It simply required the administration to come up with one. As Congressman McGovern argued on the floor today: "This should not be controversial." How does something that does what the president himself told a national television audience last month was needed in Afghanistan go down to defeat in the House? How does one oppose such a reasonable and modest proposal? Simple. You find yourself under pressure from your party leadership-be it Democratic or Republican-and the administration. Leaders on both sides of the aisle pulled out all the stops to defeat this measure. The Democratic and Republican leaders of both the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees lobbied hard. They circulated a letter from all four leaders of the committees imploring a no vote while the debate was underway on the House floor. The administration enlisted the direct engagement of Secretary of State Clinton and Ambassador Holbrooke to convince Members to say no. The president may believe in the necessity of an exit strategy for US forces in Afghanistan but his administration is loathe to actually come up with one. The McGovern amendment may have come up short today, but nevertheless count me in the glass-half-full camp. Winning the House Democratic Caucus on an issue opposed by Democratic leadership and the White House is no small feat. Indeed, it is hard to vote against the position of a president who you so desperately want to succeed. But this is precisely why many did just that. They do not want to see this administration-and all of the hope and promise that it brings-mired in an endless war that ends in a disaster for all. The very real prospect that the escalation of our forces in Afghanistan will make things much worse and not better is why 80% of Afghans oppose it. Our congratulations and thanks go to Congressman McGovern (D-MA), Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca), and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the lead sponsors of this amendment. They deserve our thanks not only for taking a principled stand on an important and controversial issue, but for going to work to make this a significant vote - one that will stand as a marker for the struggle ahead. Come to think of it, with friends like these in Congress, our glasses are more than half full. Now, back to work. More on Barack Obama
 
Deborah King: Governor Sanford: Humpty Dumpty Cracks Up Top
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has tumbled off the wall of moral righteousness and not even all the king's men, or his fellow conservatives, may be able to put him back together again. Sanford is merely the latest in a long line of those who have been felled by sexual scandal. Coming just one week after Senator John Ensign admitted to an extramarital affair (and let's not forget former Senator Larry Craig, former Rep. Mark Foley, former presidential contender John Edwards, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, and former President Bill Clinton), our political parties seem to be having a hard time finding suitable role models in an era when no deed goes unnoticed by the media. But what do we expect? We are all human, mixtures of high aspirations and fundamental desires. We may strive to live "good," but our shadows will come out. If we try to stay rigidly atop a white horse, if we pretend to be paragons of virtue while demanding moral rectitude from everyone else, we're a disaster waiting to happen. Our integrity and trustworthiness stem from honesty--our ability to be truthful with others but, more importantly, truthful with ourselves, acknowledging that we are far from perfect. And Sanford is clearly not perfect. Not only has he tearily confessed to an affair with an Argentine "erotic beauty" (queue up Madonna singing "Evita"), but he also got sloppy with his governance. He slipped away from his security detail and disappeared from governing a whole state for a week without letting his staff know where he was or transferring executive power to the lieutenant governor. It's no coincidence that this all happened on the tail of his stressful defeat in his battle to reject federal stimulus money for his state. Sanford has rapidly lost the leadership of the Republican Governors Association and was dropped by the Value Voters Summit for its September roundup of GOP notables. Now there are calls for his resignation as governor. Why all the dishonesty and evasion from a man who voted to impeach President Bill Clinton over Monica Lewinsky by citing "moral legitimacy?" When we're not in touch with our own temptations and frustrations we're likely to come down hard on others for the behavior we reject in ourselves. It seems there's a wide gap between "God's law" and man's ability to hold fast. So Sanford, who has been highly judgmental about others' sex scandals, lied to his wife, to his staff, to his constituents and, most significantly, to himself. Anyone who stands on top of such a lofty wall of moral certitude was bound to trip and fall at some point. When will our political parties and "public servants," waving the flag for "moral values," learn that no matter how high-sounding their moral platitudes, their standard bearers have feet of clay? Sanford had been seen as a potential presidential contender. No longer. Isn't it time we grew up and stopped accusing others of sexual "wrongdoing" to cover our own misguided behavior? Europeans are much more honest with themselves about the behavior of their politicians, but we Americans are still heirs to a Puritanical background. When we kid ourselves about who we are, like Governor Sanford has obviously done, we wind up miserably trying to cover our own blemishes and failings. Or like Humpty Dumpty, falling so hard that we're unable to mend the deep cracks in our public and personal life.
 
Jim Gibbons Asks Judge To Seal Phone Records From Cocktail Waitress He's Accused Of Assaulting Top
LAS VEGAS — Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons wants a federal judge to shield his phone records from a former cocktail waitress who accuses him of accosting her outside a Las Vegas restaurant in 2006. Gibbons' attorneys argue in documents filed this week that releasing the records to Chrissy Mazzeo's lawyer would violate Gibbons' privacy and a court order limiting evidence collection in Mazzeo's federal lawsuit against the governor. Mazzeo attorney Robert Kossack said Thursday he wants to know who Gibbons talked to after the encounter with Mazzeo in a parking garage outside the restaurant. Mazzeo accuses Gibbons of assaulting her and orchestrating a cover-up in October 2006 just before the then-congressman was elected governor. Gibbons has said the woman's allegations are "simply false." ___ Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
 
Glenn McCall: Sanford Should Resign Top
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A top South Carolina Republican leader says philandering Gov. Mark Sanford should resign and practice the philosophy he's preached of holding GOP leaders accountable. Glenn McCall is one of the state's two national representatives to the Republican National Committee. He's also a county party chairman and said Thursday that party members want Sanford out. McCall says Sanford repeatedly has said party leaders should be held accountable for not upholding the GOP's principles. And McCall says the married father of four should be held to the same standard. The governor returned Wednesday from an international trip to see his mistress in Argentina. Hours later he publicly revealed that he's been having an affair for the past year. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was with his family Thursday as legal and ethical questions swirled over his secret trip to see a woman in Argentina with whom he admitted an affair. The state's top senator questioned whether Sanford broke the law when he disappeared for several days on a trip to South America and didn't transfer power to the lieutenant governor. "I would think that if the evidence indicates that there is a willful effort to circumvent the constitution, I think there would be a chorus of calls for him to resign," said state Sen. Glenn McConnell, a fellow Republican. McConnell said Sanford needed to answer questions about whether taxpayer money was used during the affair, but stopped short of calling for an investigation. Sanford's spokesman has said no state resources were used. His wife said in a statement Wednesday that she had kicked him out two weeks ago and asked him not to speak to her while she came to terms with his infidelity, but spokesman Joel Sawyer said they were together at the family's beach house Thursday. The Sanfords have four sons. "The governor is in Sullivans Island with his family," Sawyer said. "He's also going to be spending some time today and spent some time last night as well touching base with other elected officials." Sanford was a three-term U.S. House veteran who once cited "moral legitimacy" when he was a congressman voting for President Bill Clinton's impeachment, but he has taken a swan dive from the moral high ground. By admitting to an extramarital affair, the Republican governor makes the already-difficult end of his term-limited administration nearly untenable. Sanford was raising his national political profile with his outspoken fight against using federal cash for anything but paying down debt. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, he was raising money for candidates and deflecting talk he was planning to run for president in 2012. The speed of his collapse was shocking. Even his former chief of staff and friend of 30 years, state Sen. Tom Davis, said he didn't know about the affair until Wednesday. "I think that South Carolinians, in particular Americans, have tremendous capacity for forgiveness. That said, they can also recognize hypocrisy. I think the tale of the tape will be the next few days, whether or not Governor Sanford is sincere in his repentance," Davis told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday. About three weeks ago, Sanford lost a court battle to reject the federal stimulus money. A few days later, his wife, Jenny Sanford, kicked him out of their home to begin a "trial separation" with hopes of reconciling. Then on Monday, lawmakers and reporters started questioning where the governor had been for five days, including Father's Day weekend. His aides said the outdoorsman was hiking the Appalachian Trail to wind down from a grueling legislative session. But Wednesday the governor held a rambling, tearful news conference in which he finally revealed the truth: "I've been unfaithful to my wife." His family did not attend. The 49-year-old ruminated on God's law, moral absolutes and following one's heart. He said he spent the last five days "crying in Argentina." Sanford described the woman as a "dear, dear friend" whom he has known for about eight years and been romantically involved with for about a year. He said he has seen her three times since the affair began, and his wife found out about it five months ago. Sanford denied instructing his staff to cover up his affair. He said he told them he thought he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail and never corrected that impression after leaving for South America. "I let them down by creating a fiction with regard to where I was going," Sanford said. "I said that was the original possibility. Again, this is my fault in ... shrouding this larger trip." The State newspaper in Columbia published steamy e-mails between Sanford and the woman. Sanford did not identify her, nor did he answer directly whether the relationship with her was over. "What I did was wrong. Period," he said. Now the people of South Carolina and national GOP leaders are picking up the pieces. Davis, Sanford's longtime friend, said he expected the governor to stay in office. "We're all human, we all have failings and all we can do when confronted with those failings, is to own up to them and acknowledge the hurt you've cause others," Davis told CBS' "The Early Show." Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour took over leadership of the Republican Governors Association after Stanford resigned from the post. In little more than an hour after his announcement, other Republicans were backing away from him: the Value Voters Summit dropped him from the lineup for its September roundup of GOP notables. Political experts expect little from his last 18 months in office, and certainly not with the Legislature he's fought with for years. A lame duck session looms for Sanford. "Truth be told, over the past few years, he has soured his relationship with the Legislature so much that he hasn't been particularly effective at getting an agenda through," said Scott Huffmon, political scientist at Winthrop University. "And with the stimulus fight, pushing it all the way to the state Supreme Court, that affirmed the governor's subordinate position in this state." For now, Sanford's looking at the basics. "Over the time that I have left in office, I'm going to devote my energy to building back the trust the people of this state have placed in me," Sanford said. It will be a tall task. While some South Carolinians said they appreciated Sanford's eventual candor in admitting to his affair, the tawdry news surprised many. "I was shocked, shocked," said Tom Daly, 42, a magazine editor in Charleston. "First of all he's a Republican golden boy and he's a strict, staunch conservative. I'm so shocked. It was something I did not expect." ___ Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Susanne M. Schafer in Columbia and Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this report.
 
R.O. Blechman: The Big A (Adulterer), the Small M (Murderer) Top
 
Grant Cardone: Why You Don't Close Top
(excerpts from "The Closer's Survival Guide") by Grant Cardone #9 - A Shortage of Closing Material A lack of closing material will stop the close. It is one of the top ten reasons for not closing the deal. The close is where you hit pay dirt for the first time. While most sales people agree that the average customer has to be asked five times before they will finally close, the very same sales person only has four closes. That would be one close short of what would be needed on the average customer during a normal deal. When times get tough buyers get more resistant and that means you need even more closes. The reasons the close does not take place are finite... not infinite as many think. The close itself falls into a handful of categories; time, money (price/payment/terms), product justification, stalls and third parties. The number one biggest reason for not closing is never asking, the next reason is that the sales person was unable to persist because he/she ran out of ammo! Due to a lack of successful techniques and closing material, salespeople are unable to persist in the close. It is not because you aren't motivated, its because you don't know what to say. No matter how powerful the rocket it won't get anywhere without fuel. The fuel for the Closer is closes. You need hundreds of them drilled and rehearsed, loaded and ready to be fired off where appropriate! I have personally met hundreds of thousands of salespeople and only a small percentage of them have even a handful of practiced, rehearsed and prepared closes. I know thousands of salespeople who, after leaving my seminars and being on my closing programs have as many as one-hundred completely rehearsed, drilled to perfection magical closes that they are able to use and depend on in real life selling situations. All of these individuals watched their confidence, their love of their job and their incomes soar! Great sales people are rare and great closers are even more rare. While some of us have more natural gifts that would incline us to be sales people no one is born a great closer. This talent can only be learned and it is the kind of skill that can always be improved on. The single thing a closer needs is a wide variety of closes in order to stay in the deal and persist until he/she gets the yes! More on Economy
 
Wendy Gordon: Cap and Trade What? Top
When the conversation turns to cap and trade, is your first thought: "Oh, that will never work, it's too complicated?" It's true, it can be harder to get one's arms around than a gas tax or even a carbon tax -- who doesn't get taxes, right? -- but cap and trade is a familiar, and an effective means by which to reduce pollution among regulators and industry. In the 1990s, the U.S. acid rain cap and trade program achieved 100 percent compliance in reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. In fact, power plants took advantage of the allowance banking provision to reduce SO2 emissions 22 percent (7.3 million tons) below mandated levels for the first phase of the program. And on the global warming front, cap and trade is up and running in 10 states in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, which have pledged to work together to reduce climate altering pollution from regional power plants by 10 percent by 2018. While driving down pollution, cap and trade will also generate a lot of money for investing in energy efficient programs and clean energy. These investments, in turn, will help to create over 2 million new American jobs in just 2 years. Cap and Trade is a central feature of the American Clean Energy and Security Act which the House may vote on this week. Please take a minute to tell your representative "vote YES for ACES." Click here for a quick and easy way to send your message . Thanks. More on Climate Change
 
Manzullo Fumes Against Tougher Consumer Protection Laws Top
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing Wednesday to discuss how best to overhaul the nation's financial regulations, including expanding consumer protections. Committee member Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) didn't play nice with all of his guests. Ed Mierzwinkski, program director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, testified in favor of proposed regulations: "I would just say briefly that consumer groups think the new agency would cut through the red tape. There are twenty or so consumer laws. Currently there are seven -- or nine, depending on how you count them -- agencies that have authority over various parts of the law." "But that's -- why don't you just eliminate all that crap?" responded a flustered Manzullo. Mierzwinski pointed out that the Fed was failing to protect consumers, and suggested shifting the role of consumer protection from the Fed to a new agency. Mierzwinski's argument that "monetary policy conflicts with consumer protection," earned a sharp rebuke from Manzullo: "not if it's done correctly." Manzullo had similar exchanges with Elizabeth Warren, chairman of the Congressional Oversight Panel that monitors how TARP money is spent, and Ellen Seidman, senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Warren sided with Mierzwinski, saying that the Fed "want[s] to do monetary policy" and is "not interested in consumer protection." Again, Manzullo interrupted, saying "Yes they are. Mr. Bernanke is interested in consumer protection." Warren responded, "Then why hasn't he done anything?" Manzullo dismissed her remark. The proposed reforms come after widely accepted failures in existing legislation to protect consumers from dodgy financial practices. But Manzullo deemed the financial collapse a result of over-regulation, not under-regulation. When Seidman suggested that responsibility for consumer protection should be "moved over to [a] new entity," Manzullo responded: "Yeah, more federal jobs." After Manzullo's aggressive line of questioning, Subcommittee Chairman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) reminded the committee to be nice to its guests. "We did invite these people to come and address us and we might want to treat them as such. ... They are our guests here in the People's house, and we might want to treat them at least with some modicum of respect for their answers." Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Cenk Uygur: Sanford Should Apologize to Bill Clinton and Gay Couples Top
Mark Sanford voted to impeach Bill Clinton for having an affair and lying about it while in office. He said , ""I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally (to resign)." In explaining why he voted to impeach the president, he said, "I think what he did in this matter was reprehensible... I feel very comfortable with my vote." He added that Clinton lacked "moral legitimacy" after his affair. Now, a lot of conservatives will fall back on the old refrain of "But, but, but, Clinton was under oath!" Yeah, who put him there? Who would pass the test of being perfectly honest if they were put under oath about all of the details of their sex lives? I certainly wouldn't. No way I'd tell the whole truth to some pervert like Ken Starr who would later write a salacious, near pornographic, account about it - and seemed to relish every minute of it. That's my business and not his business, and he can find something else to jerk off to. But none of that matters, because Gov. Sanford agrees with me. He thinks lying to your wife is just as important as lying under oath. This is what he had to say about the affair of fellow Republican Bob Livingston: "I'm sure there will be a lot of legalistic explanations pointing out the president lied under oath, [Livingston's] situation was not under oath. But the bottom line is, he still lied. He lied under a different oath and that is the oath to his wife. So it has got to be taken very seriously." Game, set and match. This guy built his career on questioning other people's morals. He went after Democrats like Bill Clinton. He went after fellow Republicans like Bob Livingston and Larry Craig. He was on his moral high horse, all along. Listen to what he said about lying about an affair: "The issue of lying is probably the biggest harm, if you will, to the system of Democratic government, representative government, because it undermines trust. And if you undermine trust in our system, you undermine everything." So, what about that Appalachian Trail? What about going alone to Argentina? In his own words, through these lies and many others over the last year (at least), Sanford has undermined everything. So, what does he do now that he has fallen off his high horse - he begs for forgiveness and refuses to resign. Well, if you're going to do that, do it right. I will forgive Gov. Sanford if he truly apologizes and understands the mistakes he made in the past. The mistake wasn't just the affair. It was also in judging others. Not just politicians like Bill Clinton. But also, whole groups of people, like gay Americans. He argued they undermine the institution of marriage while he was busy undermining his own marriage. His wife built his career for him ( she was his campaign manager ), she built his family for him and he was ready to leave all that behind for an Argentinian lover with a nice rack. And gay people undermine marriage? I can begin to forgive Sanford is he gives this apology: "I am so sorry for all of the people I judged through my false righteousness. I am so sorry to have judged Bill Clinton for what he did in his personal life. We should have never dragged him through that. I am so sorry for voting for impeachment. I am so sorry to the all of the loving gay couples in this country who want to make marriage work while I made a mockery of it. If they can find it in their heart to forgive me, I will try to be a better, less judgmental, less hypocritical and more open-minded person. Help me to become that person." Then, we can see that he is sincere in recognizing his true faults. We are all human, but if we are to get beyond his mistakes and imperfections, he must understand what his original sin was. That is part and parcel of what he must atone for. Watch Young Turks on You Tube More on Argentina
 
'Houewife' Offers Advice To Jon & Kate Top
As Jon and Kate Gosselin go their separate ways, another famous couple are weighing in on how to "stay in love" under the intense spotlight of reality TV. The Real Housewives of New York's Alex McCord, 35, and husband of nearly a decade, Simon van Kempen, say that the key to keeping their family together while starring in a TV show is to make your relationship a priority. More on The Real Housewives
 
Kathleen Reardon: You Actually Want To TALK To The Doctor? Top
Nearly a month ago I took one of my teenaged children to the best of the best doctors. We'd been trying to get a diagnosis for a few years regarding recurring abdominal pain. I was charged more than $1100 for the initial office visit. When I got the bill, I called to see if there was some mistake. There wasn't. What surprised me next was that after informing me with palpable urgency that my daughter needed an endoscopy, we've been waiting for nearly four weeks post-procedure to hear back from the doctor. I've called three times. Finally someone got back to me. "No, they had not lost the results," she assured me. But she didn't share them. "Had I called about something specific? A problem?" I felt like screaming, "THE TEST RESULTS!!!!." She would have the doctor call me. That was last week. Two people I've shared this story with have said, "If there was something wrong, he'd call." But, that's not good enough. Why should it be? Now, let me just say that if this doctor can help my child, that's the main thing. He's brilliant and seems pleasant. And I am grateful to be able to afford him -- this time. But these events sure made me yet again aware of how difficult it is going to be for President Obama and his team to figure out how to deliver quality healthcare to all Americans. Even when you're spending an outrageous amount and know your way around medical systems, you can't get some doctors to return your call. Oh, and did I mention that this facility is part of the president's alma mater, Harvard? Surely they can do better. If my daughter were in significant pain right now, we would be camped outside the doctor's office. And that may yet happen as the pain often comes on without warning. But while I anticipate closure soon, one way or another, I thought I'd share this frustrating medical misadventure. They happen every day to thousands of people - many not knowing where to turn. It reminds us that cost is only one factor in the quest for quality healthcare, that patients may need to do with fewer options but on the delivery side there need to be some changes too, and in a small way - as real life stories do-- it exemplifies the monumental, multi-sided nature of the important task before us.
 
Pakistan Asks US To End Missile Attacks Top
ISLAMABAD — President Barack Obama's national security adviser reiterated the United States' strong support for Pakistan in its battle with Taliban militants during talks with senior Pakistani leaders on Thursday. Islamabad, meanwhile, called for an end to U.S. missile attacks on its soil, two days after a suspected drone strike killed 80 people in the country's northwest. Gen. James Jones discussed Washington's revamped strategy for the volatile region during talks with Pakistani military chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari during his two-day visit to Islamabad. He stressed that the two nations face a common battle against extremists. "Terrorism is not simply the enemy of America _ it is a direct and urgent threat to the Pakistani people," Jones said in a statement after meetings. The Obama administration has made the region a focus of its foreign policy, and is deploying an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to tame a growing Taliban insurgency there. Pakistan shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan and has its own problems with militants, and Washington views Islamabad's role as crucial to returning stability to the region. Gilani, meanwhile, voiced concern that the beefed up U.S. presence in Afghanistan could send a new wave of Afghan refugees across the border, his office said in a statement. Islamabad is already grappling with its own internal refugee problem and would likely be ill-equipped to handle a new influx of people. Some 2 million Pakistanis have been forced from their homes by the army's offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat Valley, northwest of the capital. With the operation in Swat winding down, Pakistan's military is gearing up for a new campaign in South Waziristan, where heavily armed tribesmen hold sway and al-Qaida and Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding. Suspected militant hide-outs in South Waziristan have been pounded for more than a week with bombs and artillery as the military softens up targets in apparent preparation for a ground offensive. In the latest violence, helicopter gunships attacked a seminary in Lehra village in the Kurram tribal area, killing at least five militants, local government official Mohammad Yasin said. Washington strongly supports both campaigns, viewing them as a test of nuclear-armed Pakistan's resolve to confront a growing insurgency after years of halfhearted offensives and peace deals with militants. The battle in the tribal region could also help the war in Afghanistan because the area has been used by militants to launch cross-border attacks on U.S. and other troops. Jones called the Pakistani government's push against militants "tremendous confidence-builders for the future." "That translates into popular support in the United States for what the government is trying to do, what the army is trying to do, and it obviously helps us in our overall fight," Jones said in an interview broadcast on Express 24/7 television. "It's a very, very important moment right now, it's a strategic moment, and the relationship is definitely (moving) in the right direction." Jones' visit comes two days after one of the deadliest attacks by suspected U.S. missiles on Pakistani soil that killed 80 people in the northwest. Gilani called for an end to such strikes "in order to ensure (the) success of Pakistan's strategy for isolating the militants from the tribes," the statement said. Militant leaders have been targeted in dozens of strikes in the past two years from U.S. drones, high-tech, remote control planes used for both surveillance and to fire Hellfire missiles. The U.S. military concedes it uses drones in Pakistan, but never comments on the strikes. Pakistan has loudly disapproved of the attacks because they involve the use of force by a foreign government on its soil and sometimes kill innocents and are highly unpopular among the Pakistani public. __ Associated Press writer Hussain Afzal in Parachinar contributed to this story. More on Pakistan
 

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