Tuesday, June 9, 2009

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Smart Grid: 5 Cities Leading The Way Top
The nation's electricity industry is in for an overhaul. Power lines spread across the country are finally moving into the digital age with smart grids that provide instant information on energy consumption. The hope is that people can finally deal with the impending climate crisis by using less energy. So smart grid leaders are creating thermostats that cut off depending on the price of power -- and plug-in hybrid cars to charge at night or even put power back into the grid. Barack Obama's stimulus package contains about $4.5 billion in grants for smart-grid investments. Here are five ongoing Smart Grid projects: Boulder, CO: Boulder is aiming to become the world's first smart grid city by the end of 2009. The city has partnered with Xcel Energy on the $100 million effort and customers can use the Internet to lower their thermostats or home or change the temperature on their furnace. Worcester, MA: National Grid will be building a smart grid pilot in Worcester. The pilot, believed to be the largest in New England, will work towards creating a highly reliable modern grid that can provide customers with energy use information, automation, and the ability to control how they use energy. Miami, FL: Energy Smart Miami , an energy initiative here proposes to use federal economic stimulus funds to help spur a $200 million investment in smart grid technology over the next two years. The initiative will deploy more than 1 million advanced wireless meters to every in Miami-Dade County. These meters will give Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) customers more information and control over their electricity usage while also providing FPL with information that will enhance system efficiency and reliability. Austin, TX: The city of Austin's Pecan Street Project aims to get people to start generating power from their own homes. "Smart" appliances, like refrigerators that turn off when there's too much load on the grid will also be a part of the project. Chicago, IL: With the help of the Galvin Electricity Initiative the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is adopting the electric grid . As with the other cities, the smart grid would use digital technology to collect, communicate and react to data, making the system more efficient and reliable. For example, sensors would help utilities locate problems and fix them quickly. More on Climate Change
 
News Corp Near Deal To Sell Weekly Standard To Philip Anschutz Anschutz: Report Top
News Corp. is near a deal to sell its right-wing political magazine, the Weekly Standard, to conservative media mogul Philip Anschutz, according to people familiar with the situation. More on Magazines
 
Facebook Usernames Coming Soon Top
We're planning to offer Facebook usernames to make it easier for people to find and connect with you. When your friends, family members or co-workers visit your profile or Pages on Facebook, they will be able to enter your username as part of the URL in their browser. This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you. We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook username in the future. More on Facebook
 
Reproductive Justice: God and Abstinence Top
By Kate Royals, Senior, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS. At the Mississippi Department of Human Services' summit entitled "Abstinence Works: Let's Talk About It," we didn't talk about abstinence, but we sure did chant, cheer, dance, pray and sing about it. At least sort of. Here's a few (of the many) things that stood out to me. Before the summit began, rap music blasted over the speakers. The 5,000 kids in attendance spent their time inside dancing and singing along to Soulja Boy's hit song "Crank Dat," the chorus of which repeats "Watch me crank that soulja boy, then superman that ho," which most young people know is a disgustingly explicit sexual innuendo. Shortly after the Grenada Middle School cheerleaders performed their catchy cheer "Stop, don't touch me there! You know this is my no-no square," outlining the shape of a box around their short shorts. Talk about mixed messages. And despite the fact the event was state sponsored and state funded, Reverend Gary Bell led the rowdy group in prayer, closing with "in the name of Jesus Christ." Performers sang about the glory of God and performed interpretative dancing to Christian gospel songs. Judge John Hudson's speech quoted the Bible and reviewed the Ten Commandments. As for how that relates to abstinence? According to Hudson, the commandment "Do not commit adultery" directly translates to "Do not engage in promiscuous sex, or sex before marriage." The constant and overzealous harping on God and Jesus wasn't just wrong because it ostracized anyone who didn't prescribe to a particular brand of Christianity -- it was wrong because it was illegal. Taxpayer and state money funded the event, and last time I checked, it is illegal under the U.S. Constitution to use those funds to promote a specific religious message or agenda. The main speaker, David Mahan, CEO of Frontline Youth Communications, spoke for an hour and a half and amazingly kept the kids' attention most of the time. However, he provided erroneous information, employing allegories and analogies to skirt around the subject. An example is: "Fire is good in the fireplace," a witty allusion to sex within marriage. But did he talk about the increasing rate of HIV infections within marriages? No. He did, however, make misogynistic declarations such as: "There is nothing more beautiful and nasty than childbirth. A pregnant woman will rip the skin off your arm." He later mimicked the teenage girls who call his wife, a pregnancy crisis counselor, in the middle of the night: "At 3:30 or 4 in the morning, I answer the phone... And the girl says 'I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I think I might be pregnant. I don't know how that happened.'" He imitated the girl using a ditzy, high pitched voice. He, nor any of the speakers, offered information on what to do if abstinence fails. Did he talk about proper use of condoms or birth control? No, but he did make the offhand and scientifically unfounded comment that condoms are "pieces of rubber that deteriorate in your back pocket. They only work some of the time." But the medical community considers an 87 to 98 percent effectiveness rate in preventing STIs and pregnancy as more than "some of the time." And how was the LGBTQ community addressed in the summit? Well, it wasn't. In most states, certainly Mississippi, same-sex marriage rights are not recognized, so how are they supposed to handle their sexuality? I would like to know why scientifically valuable and life-saving information is being censored and made unavailable, and to what end? Mississippi has spent more than $16 million in abstinence only programs, yet the state ranked number one in teen births in 2009, and in the top five in numbers STD infections. Mississippi even took the number one spot in 2006 as the state ranking highest in gonorrhea infections. As a college student, it's not terribly difficult to remember the anxious, insecure days of preadolescence and teenagedom. I tried to put myself in the place of the kids who attended the pep rally -- I mean, summit. I would have walked out of the Mississippi Coliseum that day humming a new tune or chanting a new cheer, but my level of sexual education would not have improved. In fact, it would have been dangerously stunted. Originally published on RHrealitycheck.org God and Abstinence from Stuart Productions on Vimeo .
 
Tanya M. Acker: Forget Paper vs. Plastic -- For the American Right, Gay Marriage is the New Green Top
Here is a well-kept secret. Notwithstanding its efforts to ignore, marginalize, or dismiss environmental science, the American right is creating an environmental movement of its own. This one, however, has very little to do with preserving the earth or its resources but instead is premised on some quite remarkable efforts to recycle various "outrages" around the issue of gay marriage. It is a masterful exercise in reusing resources. And sometimes the effort is so beautifully ironic as to make me know there is a God -- not because he has any interest in participating in the sociopolitical agenda of those purporting to be his proxies but instead because only a divine hand could orchestrate things with such darkly comic brilliance. One such instance arose when Bill O'Reilly told me to "keep quiet" in the course of a conversation on his show about how White (I'm not) conservatives (when measured on the O'Reilly scale, I'm certainly not) aren't allowed to express opinions that diverge from those of the "mainstream media." One such allegedly divergent opinion was the opposition to gay marriage. According to him, those who oppose equal rights for gay people in this respect are being unfairly excoriated by the "mainstream" press. (According to me, this effort to create martyrs of those playing in this arena is a bit of counterfactual nonsense, as in "tonight, the role of Joan of Arc will be played by Pat Robertson." Curious indeed.) Now -- I'm not complaining about being shut down by Messr. O'Reilly (if he gets to tell me to shut up, then I get to address him in French). I've done the show several times, he and I usually disagree (although not always unpleasantly) and since the show is not called the Acker Factor I can deal with it. Telling me to "keep quiet" in the course of complaining about how White people don't get to speak their minds was simply one of those supremely ironic moments about which every talking head dreams of telling her grandchildren. No, what truly interests me is how this cultural distraction -- one of the many battles that is waged in the name of the scam that is the "culture war" -- has evolved from a conversation about why it is okay to deprive a discrete minority group of their rights to why that minority group should simply sit down and "keep quiet" about it. While O'Reilly may complain of the fact that those who support Proposition 8 are being unfairly labeled as homophobes and subjected to boycotts and the like, I continue to maintain that you can't really promote or support discrimination against a group of people and just expect them to shut up (the way his guests are supposed to). (And by the way -- I don't remember hearing any such outrage from those quarters when certain evangelicals decided to boycott the Walt Disney Company because it offered health insurance benefits to gay and lesbian couples. Or when certain other evangelicals called for a boycott of SpongeBob SquarePants on the ground that he was an undercover gay icon. But I digress . . . ) How much more traction does the right wing need to get from this issue? Is gay marriage the gift that just keeps on giving? Useful in the first instance as a means of galvanizing the base and then easily recycled as a mechanism for arguing that those who oppose differential treatment are themselves the intolerant oppressors? Who knew that gay marriage would turn Bill O'Reilly into Martin Luther King? What is interesting is that when I talk to real-life conservatives (as opposed to the ones who play them on TV) this issue, absent the chest-thumping appeals by certain on the right to make it a priority, doesn't rank high on their domestic agenda. Indeed, the anti-gay marriage ballot initiatives and now this newest strategy -- of demonstrating the most profound indignation over the efforts of those who oppose Proposition 8 and similar measures -- seem not to arise organically but instead to be part of a well-orchestrated campaign to suck as much lifeblood out of this headline-grabber as possible. In fact, I doubt very seriously that mainstream conservatives are pulling their hair out over the fact that pro-Prop. 8 business owners, who made a lucrative living collecting dollars from gay and lesbian patrons, are now being boycotted as those dollars are directed elsewhere. I would imagine that even those who bought into the misleading propaganda about children being forced to read about gay marriage (the horror!) are now more concerned about the fact that, with the advent of California's current budget cuts (which include a proposed $6 billion in cuts to public education), their kids may not be doing much reading at all. (I suppose that mass illiteracy is one way to protect against the abominations of the New York Times). Funny, I always thought that it was the folks of my political persuasion who were supposed to be the elitists. Perhaps manufacturing dissension is the new latte. Tanya Acker is an attorney in Los Angeles. Follow Tanya on Twitter @tanyaacker. More on Gay Marriage
 
Justice Department Freezes $30 Million In Online Poker Payments, Group Says Top
WASHINGTON — An advocacy group for online poker said Tuesday that the federal government has frozen more than $30 million in the accounts of payment processors that handle the winnings of thousands of online poker players. The Justice Department has long maintained that Internet gambling is illegal, a view that the poker group challenges. The Poker Players Alliance told The Associated Press that the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York instructed three banks to freeze the accounts. Documents obtained by the AP show that a judge in the district issued a seizure warrant last week for an account at a Wells Fargo bank in San Francisco, and that a federal prosecutor told a bank in Arizona to freeze an account. In a letter dated Friday and faxed to Alliance Bank of Arizona, the prosecutor said that accounts held by payment processor Allied Systems Inc. are subject to seizure and forfeiture "because they constitute property involved in money laundering transactions and illegal gambling offenses." The letter was signed by Arlo Devlin-Brown, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. In another letter faxed the same day, Devlin-Brown asks that the bank treat the funds "as legally seized" by the FBI, saying that the government has probable cause that the gambling payments of U.S. residents had been directed to offshore illegal Internet gambling businesses. A spokeswoman at the Southern District declined to comment. John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, called the government's move an "unprecedented action" against online poker players. In a letter Monday night to Devlin-Brown, Pappas said that the funds belong to the alliance's members, and requested that his group be notified and given the opportunity to be heard regarding attempts to seize the frozen funds. "The PPA will pursue every legal course available to ensure that poker players' funds are not seized and their right to play poker online is protected," he wrote.
 
Obama Admin To Issue New Wall Street Pay Limits Top
WASHINGTON — Nearly three months after American International Group bonuses provoked an angry reaction in Congress, the Obama administration is ready to issue new regulations limiting the compensation of top executives at financial institutions that have received government rescue funds. The regulations, expected as early as Wednesday, would apply to the 20 most highly compensated employees at financial firms that obtained infusions of $500 million or more in assistance from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. The government, however, is not stopping at federally assisted institutions. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke want to give the Fed, which regulates banks, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees the financial markets, greater powers to set compensation guidelines across the financial sector. Executive pay is a politically charged issue. Bonuses totaling $165 million issued in March by insurance conglomerate AIG, which had received billions of dollars in financial assistance, set off a public and congressional outcry. Obama and his economic team have been trying to temper the populist urge to cap salaries while at the same time harboring a belief that compensation practices contributed to the current crisis by encouraging high risk taking. "I think boards of directors did not do a good job," Geithner said Tuesday. "I think shareholders did not do a good job in terms of discipline and compensation practices." The financial sector has been pushing back, arguing that restrictions that are too stringent could drive away professional talent. "This is the opening of Pandora's Box," said Tom Quaadman, an expert on financial institutions at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Gene Sperling, a counselor to Geithner, is scheduled to testify Thursday about compensation practices before the House Financial Services Committee. It was unclear Tuesday how much of its executive pay package the administration planned to detail this week and how much it would include in a broader list of regulatory proposals that President Barack Obama will announce next week. "A centerpiece of sensible reforms will be to tie compensation to better measures of long-term investment and return and to adjust them to reflect the risk," Geithner told a Senate appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday. The new regulations stem from legislation Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., inserted as an amendment to the economic stimulus package earlier this year. The legislation affects companies that have received assistance under the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. One of its provisions requires the treasury secretary to seek reimbursement of any compensation paid to a TARP recipient's top 25 employees if Treasury deems the payments contrary to the public interest. To undertake that review, the administration plans to retain Kenneth R. Feinberg, a lawyer who oversaw payments to families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to people briefed on the selection. ___ AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report. More on Timothy Geithner
 
Cicero President Larry Dominick Denies Sexual Harassment Claims Top
A spokesman for Cicero Town President Larry Dominick is denying that Dominick repeatedly harassed and assaulted female town employees. Cicero Animal Welfare department employee Sharon Starzyk alleged in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit that Dominick groped her and made vulgar comments. She is the fourth town employee since 2007 to sue Dominick and the town for harassment. On Tuesday Dominick spokesman Elio Montenegro dismissed Starzyk's claims, the Tribune reports : "He [Dominick] denies these allegations," said Montenegro. "I don't know why she is filing this lawsuit. If you look in our [town] newsletter, she writes a column every month and praises Larry Dominick and the work he has done. She praises him all the time." Montenegro also defended Dominick on Fox News Chicago , where he described the lawsuits as "political shenanigans": Dominick has not responded to the allegations directly.
 
Greenhunter Energy Stock Price Jumps 61.7 Percent In One Day Top
GRAPEVINE, Texas — Renewable energy company Greenhunter Energy declined to comment Tuesday on what the New York Stock Exchange called "unusual activity" after its stock jumped 61.7 percent in a single day. Greenhunter shares rose 71 cents to close at $1.86. After hours, the stock advanced another 15 cents. Contacted by the NYSE, Greenhunter said its company policy was not to comment on unusual market activity. A company spokesman said the same when contacted by The Associated Press. Greenhunter works on wind, hydropower, geothermal solar and other renewable energy projects. It has the nation's largest biodiesel refinery in Houston and a biomass-fired power plant in Brawley, Calif. More on Green Energy
 
Senate Panel Approves Drilling Near Florida Coast Top
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has approved opening the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling within 10 miles to the Florida Panhandle and within 45 miles off the rest of the state's coastline. The provision was tacked onto a broader energy bill by a vote of 13-10 Tuesday in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The eastern Gulf waters were singled out for protection against drilling by Congress in 2006 as part of a deal that made available 8.3 million acres for drilling in the east-central Gulf. Sen. Bill Nelson said that oil and gas development in the eastern Gulf would interfere with military training in the area. And the Florida Democrat vowed to filibuster the energy legislation and block its approval if the provision is not removed.
 
'Pregnant Man' Gives Birth Again Top
Thomas Beatie, the controversial "pregnant man," gave birth to his second child, a healthy baby boy, early this morning, "20/20" has learned. Sources close to the couple say that it was a "natural childbirth" and that they have not yet decided on the boy's name. Beatie's wife, Nancy, will be breastfeeding their son, as she did with their daughter, Susan Juliette, who was born last June.
 
Sarah Palin: Letterman "Pretty Pathetic" For "Slutty Flight Attendant" Joke Top
David Letterman used Sarah Palin's recent trip to New York as inspiration for a top ten list in which he described her look as "slutty flight attendant." Fans of the governor are up in arms -- and Governor Palin herself responded to the joke by calling it "pretty pathetic." The second "highlight" of Palin's visit according to Letterman: "Bought makeup at Bloomingdale's to update her "slutty flight attendant look." Palin, who was in New York for an autism awareness event before heading to Washington for a Republican fundraiser, responded to the jab from the late-night host on John Ziegler's radio show Tuesday afternoon, evidently missing Letterman's intended humor. "Pretty pathetic, good old David Letterman, that old David Letterman, what a commentary there ... very sad to not recognize what this trip was all about," she said. "Just doing some good things here for some good people in New York... such a distortion." She added that she had not visited Bloomingdale's and concluded, "Slow news day, evidently." LISTEN: Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on David Letterman
 
Robert Weissman: The IMF Accountability Moment Top
The Obama administration's budgetary Machiavellianism has backfired. Seeking to avoid a direct up-or-down vote on a proposal to send $108 billion to the International Monetary Fund, the administration, at the last moment, had the money stuck into a supplemental appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That maneuver turned out to be too clever by a turn. Republicans in the House of Representatives -- opposed to the process by which the IMF money was added, frustrated with the IMF unaccountability and critical of international institutions in general -- have announced they will oppose the appropriations bill . Meanwhile, 51 antiwar Democrats in the House voted against the appropriations bill when it was first under consideration, and 41 Democrats (overlapping substantially but not entirely with the 51 antiwar Democrats) have raised concerns about funding the IMF without attaching meaningful conditions. This unlikely coalition is poised to defeat the supplemental , unless the administration can peel off 18 of the antiwar Democrats to support the bill. The administration may need more than 18 if other Democrats vote against the bill because of the IMF money (this might include Blue Dog Democrats who object to the budgetary impact of the IMF funding and the ways in which the IMF money will aid European banks, as well as progressives). Defeating the bill will be a meaningful statement against the wars, and against unconditional money for the IMF. The White House and Congressional leadership are pressuring Progressive Dems to support the supplemental, warning of the cost of dealing a legislative defeat to President Obama. Whether they can stand up to the pressure -- and thus the outcome of the supplemental -- will depend in significant part on how much the public mobilizes to urge a vote against the wars and the IMF. You can take action through this "Citizen Whip" site maintained by firedoglake.com . Emanuel of course wields enormous power, but his arguments are misplaced. A defeat on the supplemental will be self-inflicted, not the work of progressives unsympathetic to the president. If the administration and House leadership are unable to garner sufficient votes to pass the supplemental, they can pull the IMF funding. Republicans will support a war-only bill. But antiwar forces will have shown their seriousness and power. And, the administration can seek funding for the IMF later this year, hopefully moving through normal legislative procedures. That would enable a legitimate debate over the merits of IMF funding. Critics would raise concerns that the money will be used to bail out European banks that lent recklessly in Eastern Europe. Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey has highlighted this issue , and noted the incongruity of aiding the European banks while Europe refuses to employ the stimulative measures adopted by the United States and China, among others. Critics would also focus on the contractionary policies -- primarily reduced government spending and higher interest rates -- that the IMF is imposing on borrowing countries hit by a global financial crisis not of their making. These policies are the opposite of the stimulative policies that the IMF recommends for rich countries, and directly contrary to the global stimulus that was the rationale for the decision of the G-20 (the world's most economically powerful countries) to increase IMF resources by $750 billion. On the ground in borrowing countries, these policies deepen the harmful impact of the economic crisis, and translate into serious human depredations. Less money is available for health, education and other key government programs; unemployment skyrockets; and families struggle to subsist. The IMF's favored contractionary policies also conflict with the economic logic of providing loans in the context of an economic crisis. "The main purpose of providing balance of payments support to a developing country in a time of recession or approaching recession is to enable the government to pursue the expansionary fiscal and monetary policies necessary to stabilize the economy," explains the Center for Economic and Policy Research in a recent paper . To be clear, the IMF has a response to these arguments : It says it has changed, and is much more reticent about demanding borrowing countries adopt contractionary policies than it once was. And, it says it aims to protect social spending in crisis-affected countries. Putting it mildly, the evidence does not exactly comport with this story. But in any case, it is a claim that should be examined through a proper legislative process. And, if the IMF takes the position that it only imposes contractionary policies when absolutely necessary, then it should be receptive to the top-line requests from IMF campaigners . These include demands that no contractionary conditions be included in IMF programs absent a quantitative showing that such conditions are necessary and cannot be delayed, and that health and education spending be exempted from IMF-mandated budget restraints.
 
Congress Subpoenas Fed To Hand Over Emails Top
WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Tuesday said they have subpoenaed the Federal Reserve to hand over e-mails, notes and other documents related to its role in Bank of America Corp.'s acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. In question is whether the Fed, along with the Treasury Department, pressured Bank of America into buying Merrill Lynch. The Fed and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson have denied doing so. "We expect to respond completely and fully as requested beginning today," a Federal Reserve spokesperson said. The subpoena by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee comes as Bank of America Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis planned to testify on Thursday before the panel. In prepared remarks, Lewis said his company had considered stopping the deal at one point because of "significant, accelerating losses" at Merrill Lynch. The bank decided to move forward with the deal after the government offered to provide assistance, he said. The government ultimately provided $20 billion. "This course made sense for Bank of America and for its shareholders, and made sense for the stability of markets," Lewis said in prepared testimony. "We viewed those two interests as consistent." Lawmakers say they are unconvinced that the Fed didn't take an active role in pressuring Bank of America to follow through with the deal and keep quiet about its worsening terms. The panel, led by Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., has been investigating the matter, as well as the $20 billion in taxpayer money provided to complete the acquisition. "The marriage between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch was a shotgun wedding pushed by the Federal Reserve," said Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the panel's top Republican. In April, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo confirmed reports that Lewis had told him that Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke had pressured him to go through with the deal. The government helped orchestrate the acquisition of the investment bank during the same weekend in September that another investment bank, Lehman Brothers, went under, setting off one of the most intense periods of the financial crisis. Bank of America completed its purchase of New York-based Merrill Lynch on Jan. 1. Lawmakers had asked the Fed to release the some 6,000 documents involved in the case, but the Fed has expressed concern that information was confidential. ___ Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa contributed to this report. More on Bank Of America
 
Pakistan Attacks In 2008, 2009 Top
A look at some recent major attacks in Pakistan or blamed on Pakistan-based militants: _ June 9, 2009: A huge bomb explodes at a luxury hotel in Peshawar, killing at least five people and wounding 65 others. _ May 27, 2009: A suicide car bomber targets buildings housing police and intelligence offices in the eastern city of Lahore, killing about 30 and wounding at least 250. _ March 30, 2009: Gunmen armed with rifles and hand grenades attack a police academy on the outskirts of Lahore, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens. _ March 27, 2009: A suicide bomber demolishes a packed mosque near the northwestern town of Jamrud, killing about 50 people and injuring scores more. _ March 3, 2009: Gunmen attack the Sri Lankan national cricket team in Lahore, wounding several players and killing six policemen and a driver. _ Nov. 26-28, 2008: Ten attackers, allegedly from Pakistan, kill 164 people in a three-day assault on luxury hotels, a Jewish center and other sites in Mumbai, India. _ Sept. 20, 2008: A suicide truck bomb kills at least 54 and wounds more than 250 and devastates the Marriott hotel in Islamabad. _ Sept. 6, 2008: A suicide car bombing kills at least 35 people and wounds 80 at a police checkpoint in Peshawar. _ Aug. 21, 2008: Suicide bombers blow themselves up at two gates of a weapons factory in the town of Wah, killing at least 67 people and wounding at least 100. _ March 11, 2008: Suicide bombs rip through the seven-story police headquarters and a house in Lahore, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 200. _ Feb. 29, 2008: Suicide bomber strikes funeral of slain police officer in the Swat Valley, killing more than 40 people and wounding at least 60. _ Jan. 10, 2008: Suicide bomber blows himself up among police guarding the High Court in Lahore, killing 24 people and wounding scores more. _ Dec. 27, 2007: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and 20 other people are killed in a suicide bombing and shooting attack in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter! More on Pakistan
 
Rep. Louise Slaughter: Tolerance is Always Superior to Intolerance Top
Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed my resolution condemning the murder of Dr. George Tiller who was shot to death in his church in Wichita, Kansas on May 31, 2009 and offered sincere condolences to his family. This tragic event, during which one man with a history of animosity towards women's right to choose ended the life of another man who dedicated his life to helping others, serves as a stark reminder of the raw emotions surrounding the right to reproductive freedom. While violence is always deplorable, it seems to me that this event was particularly wretched because it took place in a house of worship, a refuge for those who seek serenity in times of turmoil and safety in times of hostility. To promote hateful beliefs is objectionable and to commit violence is abhorrent and wrong, but to do so in a house of worship, a symbol of peace, marks an egregious violation of our social code and breaks the limit of what we, as a society, will endure. As we grieve for Dr. Tiller, we must come together to clearly and unequivocally denounce violence against any individual because of his or her ideology, faith or perspective. We must affirm the sanctity of places of worship, and remind ourselves of the merits of tolerance. Today, this legislative body passed my resolution and loudly issued this message. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Tiller's family, friends, colleagues, and congregation.
 
Obama Endorses Pay-As-You-Go Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged Congress to pay for new increases in federal benefit programs as it goes rather than sink the nation deeper into a debt, calling it a matter of public responsibility. Republicans lashed back that Obama is no voice of fiscal restraint as the deficit soars. The president's plan would require Congress to pay for new entitlement spending, such as health care, by raising taxes or coming up with budget cuts _ a "pay-as-you-go" system that would have the force of law. Under the proposal, if new spending or tax reductions are not offset, there would be automatic cuts in so-called mandatory programs _ although Social Security payments and some other programs would be exempt. Not noted by the president: Tuesday's plan is a watered-down version of the so-called "PAYGO" rules proposed just last month in his own budget plan. That version would have required, on average, all affected legislation to be paid for in the very first year. The new plan only requires such legislation to be financed over the coming decade. That mirrors congressional rules and reflects the likelihood that health care reform will add to the deficit in the early years. Obama said the principle is simple: Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar somewhere else. "It is no coincidence that this rule was in place when we moved from record deficits to record surpluses in the 1990s _ and that when this rule was abandoned, we returned to record deficits that doubled the national debt," Obama said, flanked at the White House by supportive Democratic lawmakers. "Entitlement increases and tax cuts need to be paid for," he said. "They're not free, and borrowing to finance them is not a sustainable long-term policy." Republican leaders, critical of the Obama-championed $787 billion stimulus package and other deficit spending, called the president disingenuous. "It's as if the administration and these Democrat leaders are living in an alternate universe," said House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia. "The quickest way to save money is to stop recklessly spending it." The pay-as-you-go rules would not apply to discretionary spending _ the portion that Congress decides how to spend each year _ which accounts for almost 40 percent of the budget, said Peter Orszag, the administration's budget director. Obama's call for binding legislation comes as a reward to moderate-to-conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats who are big believers in pay-as-you go. Their votes were crucial to passing a congressional budget blueprint that generally follows Obama's budget. The House and Senate already have their own PAYGO rules, but have routinely found ways around them. For example, a bill to effectively double GI Bill education benefits was enacted last year because of a loophole in congressional rules. Obama's "PAYGO" plan would also require future tax cuts to be financed by tax increases elsewhere in the code, though exceptions are made for extending President George W. Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, as well as other tax cuts that are scheduled to expire. The federal deficit is on pace to explode past $1.8 trillion this year, more than four times last year's all-time high. The deficit figures flow from the deep recession, the Wall Street bailout and the cost of the economic stimulus bill. Obama has defended the massive stimulus plan as essential to helping pump some life back in the economy, one that is still shedding jobs but showing more signs of life in recent weeks. "The fact is, there are few who aren't distressed by deficits," Obama said. He said restoring a pay-as-you-go method under law would force lawmakers to deal not just with the politics and crises of the day, but also remain fixed on the nation's long-term financial health. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this story. More on Barack Obama
 
Dr. Johnny Benjamin: A Doctor's Tips for Surviving Your Hospitalization Top
As a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, I have worked in many hospitals of varying sizes in several states. As the Chairman of a Department of Orthopedics, I have helped to create and enact institutional policy. I continue to operate and evaluate patients in my office on a daily basis. I am in the trenches, so to speak, on multiple levels of the actual provision of healthcare. In this era of shrinking bottom lines, resources are being stretched to their limits. Staffing is being reduced and those who remain are being asked to do more with less. Medical mishaps are usually related to simple human error and/or overworked staff. Over the years as an insider, I have learned a few tips that may help you better navigate a potential hospitalization. 1. Check your ID band/bracelet often. 2. Have an accurate list of your current medication and allergies. 3. Be aware of potential latex allergies and sensitivities. 4. Special precautions for mastectomy patients. 5. Proper technique for safely receiving medication. 6. Proper technique for safe transportation to testing and labs. 7. Safety tips for elective surgery and invasive procedures. 8. Request MRSA screening 9. Infection prevention 10. Befriend the nursing staff. Check your ID band/bracelet Make certain that your name is spelled correctly, your birth date is correct and the proper attending physician is specified. Check it every day. The ID band/bracelet is commonly changed, sometimes without your knowledge. FYI: wrong name on ID band...wrong everything. Have an accurate list of your medications Print on your computer the name, dosage and frequency of each medication that you take. Include herbals, over-the-counter meds and vitamins. List all meds that you have an allergy to and the reaction (e.g. allergies....penicillin - itching). Latex allergies and sensitivities If the elastic band of underwear or band aids causes a rash, redness or itching, you may be allergic or sensitive to latex. Latex is extremely common in hospital products and equipment. Make hospital personnel aware of this potential reaction. Better safe than sorry. Mastectomy patients Do not allow blood draws, IVs or blood pressure cuffs to be placed on the arm on the same side that you have had your breast removed. This may cause unnecessary painful persistent swelling. Receiving medication Do not bring your medicine to the hospital with you. The hospital has plenty. Bringing your own is a great way to receive an accidental overdose. Before you take any medication make certain that the person presenting you the medication has checked your ID band before you take or allow the medication to be administered. Always ask what the medication and the dosage is before you take it. If you cannot take a common medication like aspirin or acetaminophen make certain that is posted conspicuously in your room (taped to the wall over the head of your bed). Transportation for labs, testing or procedures When the transportation person arrives at your room to take you anywhere within the hospital make certain that they check your ID band and you should be aware that this event is to occur. No surprises. If there is any question, ask for your doctor to be contacted and the event confirmed. When you reach your destination, once again make sure that your ID band is inspected prior to beginning the event. Hospitals are busy places. There are commonly many patients waiting, dressed just like you, and it is very easy to receive a test meant for some one else who is scheduled at the same time or has a similar name. Orthopedic surgery If you are scheduled to have elective orthopedic surgery please take a thorough shower with an antimicrobial soap (like Dial) the morning of the procedure. With a black magic marker place an obvious X and the word "correct" with your initials at the proper surgical site (e.g. if you are scheduled for a total knee replacement on your left knee, then place an X with the word "correct" and your initials on your thigh just above your left knee cap). Elective surgery Make sure that you speak face to face with your surgeon prior to receiving any sedation medication by the anesthesiologist or being wheeled into the operating room. You want to be sure that your surgeon is physically in the surgical department and prepared to perform your operation. The statement that your surgeon is "on their way" should not be reassuring. Make sure that your surgeon is not planning to leave town prior to your anticipated date of discharge. If they do have such plans, you should be made aware of this prior to scheduling your elective surgery and be comfortable with the doctor that is designated to care for you in your surgeon's absence or choose another date. Elective invasive procedures Do not allow elective invasive procedures to be scheduled or performed at night, on the weekend or on holidays if it is safe to wait until normal business hours. Complications are a normal occurrence regardless of the quality of the physician. In the event of a complication, it is in your best interest to have every department in the hospital fully staffed, equipped and prepared to quickly and properly assess and correct the situation. Also you are far more likely to encounter tired caregivers during these "non-peak" times. FYI: Anyone that allows themselves to undergo an elective heart catheterization on a Friday afternoon especially in the summer or a holiday weekend almost deserves what may lie ahead. Doctors despite what many may believe are human too. Your doctor thinking about beating the traffic to their shore house or party arrangements are unintentional distraction that you may ill afford. FYI: Do not schedule elective surgery over holiday periods especially the week between Christmas and New Years. Newsflash: the hospital employees and physicians that are working probably have the least seniority/experience, staffing is minimal and not enthusiastic about being 'stuck' working over the holidays. You've been warned. Infection protection Hand washing. Hand washing. Hand washing. Do I need to say it again? After a surgical procedure, you should request that everyone prior to touching you to "please wash their hands" in your presence or use a readily available disinfecting foam or gel. An adequate hand wash should last at least 15 seconds ( HINT : how long is 15 seconds without looking at your watch? Hum the "happy birthday" song twice and that is a good approximation). Also limit visitors' and hugs and kisses. There should be plenty of time for all of that later. Visitors commonly unknowingly harbor all sorts of nasty little germs that you really don't want to know about. Pay special attention to this advice during the post-operative period when your immunity is lowered and you have incisions, IVs and tubes which make excellent routes of entry for infections. MRSA screen MRSA is the current super bug (bacteria) that is getting all the press and driving hospitals crazy. People commonly think that they acquire this infection from the hospital but this usually is not the case. Actually, most patients bring the MRSA with them to the hospital in their noses. During the preoperative work-up, you should request that a nasal swab be taken to screen for MRSA. If you are found to be a carrier for MRSA, you can then be treated prior to your surgery. Befriend the nursing staff This may be the easiest and most important tip of all, but it is often inexplicably overlooked. The nursing staff is your lifeline during your hospitalization. Do not for any reason cut it. They execute 99% of all orders from your physician and provide 99% of all of the valuable care that you will or will not receive. Do not alienate them. And don't let your family members alienate them for you, because you will be the one that suffers. Remember, the nursing staff is a highly trained group of professionals. They do not exist to be your personal servant. They are commonly overworked and underappreciated. Do not add to this perception. Be very polite and friendly. Always thank them for the care and attention that they provide and encourage your family to do likewise. A gift of warm, fresh bagels for the day shift or snacks for the night shift is very appropriate and appreciated. Put your loved one's name and room number on them so every one knows who deserves the brownie points. Just trust me on this one. Get out of the hospital as fast as you safely can As soon as you are healthy enough to go home, do so. Don't try to hang around an extra day or two until you're perfect or it is more convenient. Plan and prepare for your return home prior to your admission or have a designated family member handle those duties as soon as you arrive to the hospital in an emergency situation. Every day in the hospital is another opportunity for a complication, infection or human error to strike. Do everything within reason to limit those opportunities. More on Health
 
Miles Mogulescu: OBAMACARE: Will It Be Affordable Universal Health Care or a Government Bailout for the Insurance Companies? Top
According to recent reports, President Obama plans to play a bigger role in shaping health care reform legislation being formulated in the Senate and House. The questions is will Obama's personal involvement lead to more robust health care reform which will make significant progress towards affordable universal care? Or, in the name of gaining support from the health insurance lobby and the "moderate" Republicans and "centrist" Democrats to whom it has contributed so much money, will Obama allow so many compromises that health care reform turns into a government bailout for the insurance industry? Several administration quotes in the New York Times leave reason for concern. According to Rahm Emanuel, "The only nonnegotiable principle is success. Everything else is negotiable". According to the ranking Senate Finance Committee Republican Sen. Charles Grassley (a staunch opponent of a viable pubic option) in a meeting with Grassley and Democratic Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus (who has refused to commit to a public option) Obama said "Yeah, it's [the public option] a problem. If I get 85% of what I want with a bipartisan vote or 100 percent with 51 votes, all Democrat, I'd rather have it be bipartisan." Possible translation--we may be willing to give up a viable public option, mandate that every American buy private insurance, and tax workers for their employer-provided health care, if it will get a bill passed with some Republican votes. There is a version of health care reform that would be very much to the liking of the for-profit health insurance industry and is very much in line with proposals being discussed by health insurance shills in Congress like Baucus and Grassley who have received huge campaign contributions from the for-profit health care industry. • First, it would mandate that every uninsured American buy private health insurance or be fined by the IRS. This would provide the health insurance industry with 40-50 million new paying customers. (Obama argued against Hillary Clinton's proposals for such individual mandates in the Presidential debates, but now appears to be prepared to accept them as part of the price for insurance industry support for a health reform bill.) • Second, it would provide partial subsidies to families who make less than two to three times the poverty level to buy private insurance, money that would go straight into the pockets of the for-profit insurance companies. • Third, it would pay for this government subsidy by making workers pay income tax on their employer-provided health benefits. (John McCain supported this approach and Obama opposed it during the campaign, but Congressional opposition to other taxes to pay for health care reform may leave it as the last available option to Obama.) As Obama pointed out in his debates with McCain, this would lead many employers to drop health coverage for their employees and force them into the individual insurance market which is the most profitable sector for the insurance industry. • Fourth, it would jettison the implementation of a public non-profit insurance option that might cut costs and provide serious competition to the private insurance industry, or more likely, include a neutered public insurance option that would be barred from seriously negotiating with providers for lower prices, and that might well benefit private insurers by offering a dumping ground for older and less healthy consumers whom private insurers don't want to insure, anyway. If, as Rahm Emanuel says, "everything is negotiable", and if, as Obama says, he'd rather get part of what he wants with more than 60 votes--including some Republicans--than all of what he wants with 51 votes--all Democrats--then this is what health care "reform" may well end up looking like--a federal bailout of the private health insurance industry at the expense of the taxpayers. Supporters of compromise are fond of chastising supporters of more robust health care reform, particularly single payer advocates, by repeating that "we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good". The problem is that an overly compromised health reform bill that satisfies the health insurance lobby and its Democratic and Republican supporters in Congress may not be "good" at all, and may even make things worse. Health care costs would not be reduced, putting increasing strains on individual and government budgets. Uninsured individuals would be forced by the government to buy private insurance they can't afford, taking a big hit out of family income and reducing demand in other sectors of the economy. Workers would be forced to pay for it by being taxed on their employer-provided health benefits. And as a result, increasing numbers of employers would drop health benefits for their employees. In a few years, this could lead to a huge political backlash against Obama and Congressional Democrats who voted for this "reform". Just as the Clinton's flawed health care proposals in 1984, which never came to a Congressional vote, lead to the revival of the Republican party in the 1986 mid-term elections, the enactment of a flawed health care reform plan by Obama, which results in greater financial burdens being placed on American families, could lead to the revival of the Republican Party and its calls to let the "free market" rule. Part of the problem is that all of the leading Democratic Presidential candidates (Obama, Clinton and Edwards), as well as much of the grassroots progressive movement like MoveOn and unions like the SEIU, took single payer health care off the table from day one. If you scratch, them, most would agree that single payer health care (which would save approximately $400 billion dollars a year that now goes to private insurance company overhead, executive salaries, profits, and health provider employees responsible for billing) is, from a policy perspective, the best solution to providing affordable universal health care to all Americans. Single payer health care would align America with most of the developed capitalist world in which government-provided health care is a right and which provides better health outcomes for half the cost. Obama, himself, supported single payer health care as an Illinois legislator and during the Presidential campaign stated if he were designing a health care system from scratch, it would be a single payer system. But, liberal supporters of political compromise argue, single payer is not politically practical. This, despite the fact that polls by the likes of CBS News and USA Today show 55%-56% of voters support single payer. What they really mean is that, in their opinion, the insurance lobby is so powerful than even in the face of a mass political movement and Presidential leadership, single payer could not garner 51 (must less 60) votes in the Senate. Of course if 4 or 5 years ago you asked what would be more likely in our lifetime, single payer health care or an African American President, most of us would have said single payer health care. But even if the liberal supporters of compromise are correct and single payer health care is unlikely to be achieved in the next few years, Obama and his progressive supporters have made a potentially fatal political error by surrendering in advance to the insurance lobby and taking single payer completely off the table as an option. It means that they start the political bargaining process having already given away their most important bargaining chips. A mass movement for single payer health care, supported by the grassroots progressive movement and the most powerful unions, with support from key Congressional Democrats and at least tacit support from President Obama, would scare the hell out of the health insurance industry and might lead, in the negotiations over a health reform bill, to their at least living with a robust public option. With single payer off the table, the insurance industry can turn all its guns on pressuring Obama and his Congressional supporters to bargain away the public option, or just as likely, come up with a "compromise" which neuters the public option and make it largely ineffective, while still being able to tell liberal interest groups that some form of public option was included in the final legislation. Keep in mind that the argument of many progressives for a robust public option is that it's a stealth avenue to eventually reaching single payer. People like Paul Krugman and Jacob Hacker argued that it would save so much in administrative costs, compared to private insurance, and would be so much more effective in bargaining with providers for lower rates, that over time most people would chose the public option over private insurance until it became dominant and private health insurance begins to wither away. Did they think that the private insurance industry wouldn't notice this argument and wouldn't fight against a robust public option as hard as they would fight against single payer? (I've never completely bought this argument by public option advocates--It's true that there would be administrative savings, but the public option would still be relatively expensive if it offered comprehensive benefits, low deductibles and low co-pays. Private insurance could still offer cheaper options with high deductibles, high co-pays and lesser benefits that would draw away many of the young and healthy. This would lead to so-called "adverse selection" in which the older and less healthy gravitate to the public plan, making it increasingly expensive and thus less competitive with private insurance. Rather than leading eventually to single payer, it could instead lead people to conclude that "government financed health care" is expensive and inefficient.) Already, there are calls from some "liberals" to accept a less robust public plan as part of the political compromise necessary to pass health care reform. Chuck Schumer (Dem.-Wall Street) has put forward one set of principles for such a compromise. Some of the policy wonks who originally developed the idea of a public option are also busy devising such a compromise. The essence of such a compromise is that the public plan would be restrained from using its bargaining leverage to negotiate with Doctors, hospitals and drug companies for lower prices, or to condition their participation in Medicare on their willingness to accept patients from the public plan. Such a compromise takes away the major advantage of having a public plan at all, which is its ability to control spiraling health care costs The question now is, having taken single payer off the table, how far is the Obama administration and its progressive supporters--both in Congress and in the grassroots movement--willing to further compromise in order to say that they passed some kind of health reform bill? Will they continue to say that "everything is negotiable"? Or will they say that unless there is a robust public option, a viable means to finance subsidies to the uninsured to buy insurance, waivers to any individual mandate for those who can't afford insurance, and continued tax-deductibility of employer-provided health care, Obama will veto the bill, key House and Senate liberals will vote against the bill, and the progressive movement will oppose it? Unless Obama, Congressional liberals, and the progressive movement are prepared to draw a line in the sand behind these key, non-negotiable, reform principals, the health industry lobby will eat their lunch, health care reform will turn into a government bailout for the insurance companies, and over the next few years the public may turn against Democrats who allowed such a flawed form health care reform to become law. It won't be a matter of the "perfect being the enemy of the good" but of the bad being the enemy of the even worse.
 
Dennis Whittle: Coral Reefs and Innovation Top
Mario Morino posted a nice piece recently about the need to nurture "coral reefs" for innovation in the US. I like his metaphor very much, and he notes we don't know how to create reefs from scratch. Silicon Valley and other innovation centers such as the Research Triangle in NC, the Boston/Cambridge area, and the Seattle/Richmond area have grown organically, without a lot of top-down planning or intervention. The key, Mario notes, is to make sure that conditions are favorable for these reefs to grow, and to avoid disturbing or destroying them when they emerge. Though Mario is making the case for innovation in the broader sense, it is particularly relevant to developing countries. Per capita income throughout the world was more or less the same from the beginning of recorded history to the early 1800s. People struggled to produce enough to survive. In the early 1800s, a variety of technological and institutional innovations drove an incredible increase in per capita income. These innovations increased output beyond what was needed for immediate consumption, and the surplus could be re-invested to produce even more output in the future. Continued innovation meant that the returns to each unit of invested surplus (ie productivity growth) kept increasing as well. Few of us realize the extent to which we live in a period of unprecedented affluence. But the picture looks very different for people who live in what we call developing countries. Here is a comparison of growth in per capita for developed vs. developing countries (click to enlarge): The astounding gap between growth in developed vs developing countries is hard to explain. There have been many schools of thought over the years, but most have turned out to provide few useful insights about how to spur faster growth in developing countries. The whole international aid field is built on the notion that the developed countries can invest additional capital into the developing countries to accelerate the latters' rate of growth. Unfortunately, the returns to the $2 trillion in aid spent over the last 50 years have been disappointing. Some studies show zero return, while other studies show a positive, but small return. No one questions the fact that there has been little or no productivity growth in the returns to the aid spent. The low or zero productivity growth for aid reflects the lack of innovation in the field, which resembles the world economy pre-1800. But there is hope: when Mari and I did the first Innovation and Development Marketplaces at the World Bank ten years ago, we accidentally tapped into an exceptional well of innovation that the current aid system is ignoring. The prescription here is clear: "Physician, heal thyself." The top challenge for the aid system is to infuse innovation into its own DNA. GlobalGiving is a first step in that direction, and we are planning many new features in the year ahead. There have been other admirable new approaches arising out there as well. But much more needs to be done to bring the aid business into the modern era. [GlobalGiving]
 
Sarah Palin Snubs Washington Insiders At Senate-House Dinner Top
Dissed by the McCain campaign last year and now by the Republican establishment, it's a wonder that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin , the 2008 vice presidential nominee, still has any national standing in the GOP. But as her East Coast tour this week--capped by a controversial appearance at the House-Senate GOP fundraising dinner last night--showed, it's not the Washington big shots she's wooing: It's her grass-roots backers outside the Beltway. More on Sarah Palin
 
Danny Groner: Depictions of Julie & Julia Years Later Show Their Differences Top
Back in 2002, Julie Powell began a year-long quest to cook every one of the dishes detailed and discussed in Julia Child's famed Mastering the Art of French Cooking . Powell wrote about her project on a blog that generated so much interest that Amanda Hesser wrote about it , and Powell, in a 2003 article for the New York Times . This project, six years since its completion, is the focus of this summer's Julie & Julia , starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep in the title roles. Prior to attending an advanced screening of the film last week, I was somewhat familiar with Powell's project. Still, because I wasn't a regular reader of the Julie/Julia Project blog, I didn't fully appreciate the toll that this project took on Powell or the emotional triumph she experienced throughout the tiring ordeal. After seeing the movie, I decided to read what was written about Powell back when she was still actively engaged in her project. What I found was an equally accurate portrayal of Powell's mission, but with some notable differences. These differences can be attributed to one of a number of possibilities: Elapsed time in effect changed the focus of the story; the filmmaker (Nora Ephron) decided to go an alternate way than Hesser did; or a newspaper article, while descriptive, demands and delivers a different set of emotions and information than a feature-length movie can. While comparing the two stories and their narrative choices, I found it fascinating to see the way each tell the story. It's not an issue of preferring one ahead of the other, but more a pursuit to discover how a newspaper account of an event or an effort compares to what's presented on screen. The two share a number of similarities, as you'd expect. Powell is equally likable and thoughtful in each account, as her stream-of-consciousness extends beyond her blog and into her home. Neither let the tumultuous costs of this project sidetrack Powell's effort; it's a hurdle she must leap. These are the main spots where their stories deviate: 1. Hesser notes that the two women "do not have much in common." The film version, however, makes a point of showing that these women have a great deal in common with one another, especially in the way that the women seek out culinary arts to help give their lives more meaning. This cross-generational bond proves pivotal for Powell whose growth amid the year stems from the inspiration that she finds in Child's words. It's evident that Child speaks to her through more than just her cooking tutorial. 2. Hesser's article, no doubt written for foodies, goes into greater detail about the list of dishes that Powell cooks. Also, part of the newspaper story outlines when Powell grocery shops and finds the time in her schedule to manage this mission. Although these are important aspects to the story -- as people may wonder how someone with a full-time job could even accomplish this project -- the movie mostly leaves on the back burner any questions related to Powell's routine and activity. This is possibly an indication that moviegoers may think less practically and individually than Times readers might, and are more willing to commit to a story without worrying about intricate components. They are served just the meat and potatoes. 3. Powell's tastes changed during the process, Hesser explains. The movie, more concerned with Powell's growth as a person and handling of her life crisis, glosses over the impact that sampling new dishes has on Powell. Similarly, the movie only reveals in passing that Powell gains weight over the course of the year. For Hesser, these produced effects are essential to convey how Powell changed over the course of the year. The movie, on the other hand, tends to emphasize much more the effects that this project had on her marriage and in her other interpersonal relationships. Looking at the ways that journalists and screen writers the same material offers a glimpse into the ways they examine and craft what they deem the essence of the story. Hesser hoped to make Powell significantly recognizable so that readers would relate to her and her mission. Perhaps they even started similar projects of their own. She's very much in control of her project, her kitchen and her life. On the other hand, Ephron's film version depicts Powell as more of a mess, forced to endure a series of ups and downs. The movie ends with Powell emerging from her year intact, an admirable accomplishment. You have to wonder, though, how she made it through the next year of her life.
 
Congress To End Silence On Single Payer Health Care Top
The official silence on Capitol Hill on single payer -- at least in the House -- is ending.
 
Hamas Endorses Obama's Israeli Settlement Demands Top
CAIRO — The top leader of the militant Hamas group said Tuesday that President Barack Obama's pressure on Israel to freeze construction in West Bank settlements was an essential step toward restarting peace efforts. The militant group _ which is eager to win international acceptance of its rule in Gaza though it is shunned by the U.S. and others as a terrorist organization _ has tried to sound more pragmatic since Israel's punishing three-week offensive early this year. Leader Khaled Mashaal's endorsement of Obama's push also included an appeal for the international community to consider Hamas a "positive element" in the search for Middle East peace. "There is a new language from President Obama, but we expect real pressure on Israelis," Mashaal said. "There are demands Israel stop the settlements but this is not the price we are after ... although it's an essential step." Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, was pressing the demand on settlements in meetings Tuesday with Israeli leaders, who have refused to accept the call or to endorse the concept of a Palestinian state. Obama has so far followed the Bush administration's lead in not talking to Hamas. But in his remarks in Cairo, Obama seemed to suggest some basis for believing that Palestinian militants who rule Gaza might be drawn into the peace process. Mashaal seemed to pick up on that. "Hamas would be a positive element in helping with a solution that is fair to the Palestinian people and enables them to realize their rights," Mashaal said. "Hamas will not be an obstacle. Everyone knows that the obstacle is Israel." Hamas is also trying to form a unity government with rivals from the more moderate Fatah movement under Egyptian mediation, and Mashaal led a Hamas delegation in more talks Tuesday in Cairo. But that effort has hung up on Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel _ a central requirement for any Palestinian government to win international backing. Reconciling the rivals under the leadership of Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas is key to resuming peace efforts with Israel. More on Hamas
 
Stephanie Lazarus, Veteran LAPD detective, Faces 1986 Murder Charge Top
LOS ANGELES — A police detective with more than two decades on the force was brought to court Tuesday in an orange jail jumpsuit to face a capital murder charge alleging she killed an ex-boyfriend's wife 23 years ago. Detective Stephanie Lazarus calmly answered "yes" when Superior Court Commissioner Kristi Lousteau asked if she agreed to have her arraignment continued to July 6. Lazarus, 49, is accused of killing Sherri Rasmussen, who was bitten, beaten and shot in her condominium in 1986, when Lazarus had been on the police force for two years. Lazarus, a specialist in investigating art thefts, was arrested last week after colleagues in the homicide unit across a hallway at police headquarters examined the long cold case and made what they say was a DNA match. Los Angeles County prosecutors charged her with willful, premeditated murder with the special circumstance of murder in commission of a burglary. That makes the death penalty a possibility if she is convicted, but prosecutors have not decided whether they would seek capital punishment. Police officials have said Lazarus was not a suspect in 1986 because detectives believed that two robbers who had attacked another woman in the same neighborhood were to blame. However, the case file did mention Lazarus because she had previously dated the victim's husband, John Ruetten. Attorneys for Rasmussen's father and mother said at a news conference outside court that the parents want answers to why it took so long for police to pursue Lazarus as a suspect. Attorney John Taylor said the parents told the original investigators in the case that their daughter had a problem with Lazarus, who had appeared at Rasmussen's condominium in uniform and threatened her. Taylor said the parents unsuccessfully pressed police at the time to look at Lazarus but were told investigators were pursuing the robbery angle. Lazarus was identified as a suspect through a DNA match of saliva taken from bite marks on Rasmussen's body, Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said Monday. "There was a significant struggle that preceded the homicide," he said. Lazarus' husband, Scott Young, a detective in the San Fernando Valley, knew nothing about the slaying, Beck said. "None of us blames him. I don't know if he's been interviewed yet, but he will be, as will a lot of people," he said. Beck said investigators would interview several sources including Ruetten in San Diego, detectives who first investigated the case and now live in Idaho, and Lazarus' family in Arizona. ___ Associated Press Writer Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.
 
Huff TV: Katharine Zaleski, HuffPost Senior Editor, On Sarah Palin And The G.O.P.'s Annual Fundraising Dinner Top
HuffPost Senior Editor Katharine Zaleski talks about the controversy surrounding Sarah Palin's withdrawn speaking invitation at the G.O.P.'s annual fundraising dinner. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Sarah Palin
 
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Talks Microsoft, Government Regulation (VIDEO) Top
Google CEO Eric Schmidt talked to Fox Business this week about Microsoft's new search engine Bing, the government's response to the financial crisis, and Google's still ascendant position in the tech and advertising world. Here's Schmidt on Microsoft: "It's not the first entry for Microsoft. They do this about once a year. From BING's perspective they have a bunch of new ideas and there are some things that are missing. We think search is about comprehensiveness, freshness, scale and size for what we do. It's difficult for them to copy that." Watch the first part: Schmidt also talked about how technology could have prevented the financial crisis, and the current approach to regulation by the Obama administration: Get HuffPost Business On Facebook and Twitter ! More on Eric Schmidt
 
Slim Jim Plant Explosion In North Carolina: 3 Missing, 41 Hurt Top
GARNER, N.C. — An explosion at a Slim Jim meat products plant Tuesday injured at least 41 people, including four who suffered critical burns, and left a toxic cloud around the facility as authorities searched for three people still missing. Authorities first said one of the three had been located but later said that was wrong. "We don't know if they're in the building or not, but we're going to go look for them," said Jeffrey Hammerstein, district chief with Wake County Emergency Medical Services. Chris Woods, a worker at the facility, said he started running after feeling an explosion around 11 a.m. "I was picking up a piece of meat off the line and I felt it, the percussion in my chest," Woods said. "One of the guys I was working with got blown back, he flew backwards." Hammerstein said 41 people _ five tagged as priority patients with serious conditions _ were taken to hospitals, including three firefighters. Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said injuries ranged from burns to smoke inhalation. Emergency crews were keeping people away because of concerns about ammonia, and Williams said there was a toxic cloud around the facility. Ammonia is used to refrigerate the meat before it is turned into Slim Jims, ConAgra spokesman Dave Jackson said. Jackson said someone called the plant over the weekend and threatened to start a fire, but authorities don't believe there was any connection to Tuesday's explosion. The company searched the plant thoroughly and determined it was safe to work in, he said. "At this point we don't believe there was any connection," he said. Patients were sent to five area hospitals. Four people were in critical condition at UNC Hospitals with burns covering between 40 and 60 percent of their bodies, said Dr. Charles Cairns, professor and chairman of the department of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina. "Anything that covers more than 50 percent of the body surface area is a very major burn and can be complex to take care of and can result in major complications, including death," Cairns said. "So these people are very severely burned." About 300 people were in the plant a few miles south of Raleigh when the explosion happened, Jackson said. Parts of the roof collapsed. Officials said firefighters were still trying to contain a small fire and an ammonia leak several hours later. About 900 people covering four shifts work at the 500,000-square foot plant, which produces Slim Jim products and is considered one of ConAgra's largest, said Jackson, the spokesman for the Omaha, Neb.-based company. "Obviously our first priority is the safety of our employees and the community and making sure our employees are accounted for and working with them to get them whatever they might need," he said. ConAgra was sending a team of experts to the facility and helping local authorities. ConAgra Foods Inc. makes brands like Chef Boyardee, Hunt's tomato sauce, ACT II popcorn and Hebrew National hot dogs. It has 25,000 employees worldwide. The plant last was inspected by the North Carolina Department of Labor for workplace safety last July and no violations were found, said Labor Department spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry. The plant had violations in previous years, including a fine in 2007 for problems with eye and face protection equipment. ___ Associated Press Writers Mike Baker, Estes Thompson and Martha Waggoner in Raleigh and AP Business Emily Fredrix in Milwaukee contributed to this report. (This version CORRECTS square footage of factory to 500,000 sted 50,000.)
 
TARP Repayments Reveal The Weakest Banks Top
The government has finally acknowledged something it wanted to keep secret six months ago: Which banks are in the worst financial health. It's now obvious that Citigroup, GMAC, Bank of America and perhaps a dozen other large banks are in rough shape, but when the Troubled Assets Relief Program went into effect last October, the idea was to mask problems at sick banks by flooding the whole financial system with liquidity. More on Goldman Sachs
 
Edward Lifson: How to Make the Art Institute's New Modern Wing Even Better Top
The highly acclaimed Modern Wing, designed by Renzo Piano, faces the wildly successful Millennium Park. Here's a no-brainer: close Monroe Street that runs between the two! Truly connect Millennium Park with its sculpture and art to the Art Institute. This would also be the easiest way to make it easy for great numbers of people to enter the art museum. Here's the scene as the Modern Wing opened last month: Just imagine the above scene with this space landscaped and with sculpture! It'd be a fine new public space for the citizens and the many tourists. The automobile drivers survived Monroe street being close on the day above, didn't they? They easily found alternate routes. Chicago, especially at its hugely successful Millennium Park, needs to prioritize the people, the walkers, those strolling, enjoying city life. A great thing about Millennium Park is that because it is built over a parking garage it is raised up above the street. It is one of the few public places in the city where you don't see and hear and smell cars whizzing by, as you do in, for example, Daley Plaza. Extend this peaceful, urban, exalting feeling right to the door of the fabulous new Modern Wing of the Art Institute. Note to Mayor Daley: for a long time your name came up first when people talked of great American mayors, "green" mayors, visionary mayors. Now I hear more talk of Mayor Bloomberg in New York, as, for example, he closes parts of Broadway to car traffic to make it more friendly to pedestrians. We'll see Manhattan derive great benefits and better quality of life from its progressive move. If New York can close a part of Broadway, why can't Chicago close a part of Monroe? photo via Edward Lifson blogs regularly at Hello Beautiful!
 
Dr. Brendan Murray: What Will Make Your First Hundred Years The Highest Quality Possible? Top
Recently I was reading about the Framingham Study on heart disease. The authors proved that smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity all increase a person's chance of a heart attack. Before this 60 year study came along it was not understood what could be done to prevent a heart attack. Thanks to this information we can prevent heart disease and people are living longer. This increased longevity is wonderful as long as our quality of life is good and we can have the ability to move and enjoy these additional years. Unfortunately many people are not enjoying their lives to the fullest because they are restricted by pain and an inability to move. They are living longer but watching these additional years go by instead of enjoying them. One of the leading reasons most people visit their medical doctors is due to musculoskeletal pain. Back pain is the most common of these complaints. A large majority of these cases are diagnosed with osteoarthritis as the main generator of there pain. As with heart disease, arthritis is a chronic problem, which slowly builds up over time like the plaque in our arteries. Once you have osteoarthritis or wearing of the joints, no one treatment has been shown to be overwhelmingly effective. When you speak to most people they accept that they have or could have arthritis at some time in their life. But what can we do to prevent it? And what exactly is osteoarthritis? Essentially, osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of the joints is worn away. It is classified as the "wear and tear" kind of arthritis by the Arthritis Foundation. It is estimated that 27 million Americans are affected by this form of arthritis and, as we are living longer, it is having a more significant influence on a person's quality of life. When hip and knee joints are worn down and degenerated, the solution is to simply replace the entire joint through surgery. The problem is that we can't replace all of our joints. I am constantly wondering why prevention of arthritis is not being stressed or even discussed. It is widely accepted that treatment of a chronic problem is much more difficult than treating it early on in the disease process. As a chiropractor many of the patients that I see are seeking care because they are in chronic pain. Joint degeneration or arthritis is a common finding and is usually one of the causes of their pain. If we are truly looking to decrease our health costs, increase our quality of life, and strive toward "wellness care" shouldn't prevention of disease be one of our primary focuses? For every other disease, diabetes, heart disease, cancer etc... the best treatment is prevention or at least early detection. With all the great imaging technology available, we can detect the early onset of arthritis when many different treatments are effective. Osteoarthritis changes the quality of life of more people than any other musculoskeletal disease and it doesn't just affect older people. It is commonly diagnosed in our early 40's. With the baby boomer generation showing no signs of slowing down, along with every generation following behind us, isn't it time to do something to about this disease before it starts. Here are three simple things to you can do to limit or stop arthritis - Get up and move! Whether you walk, dance, play with your kids, just get up from behind the computer or T.V. - Move with control. Take a pilates class or yoga, do weight training, or take an exercise class. As you get stronger and more mobile pain and restriction decrease. - If you have stiff joints try massage or stretching but it must be pain free! Restoring joint motion is the best way to combat osteoarthritis! - If you already have arthritis then be proactive and stop any further damage to the joints by getting them evaluated and re-establish normal movement. Don't let your quality of life be limited by pain and restriction. More on Wellness
 
Pres. Paul Kagame: A Different Discussion About Aid Top
The United States of America has just sent a small number of its sons and daughters as Peace Corps volunteers to serve as teachers and advisors in Rwanda. They have arrived to assist, and we appreciate that. We are aware that this comes against the backdrop of increasingly scarce resources, of budget discussions and campaign promises, and of tradeoffs between defense and domestic priorities like health care and infrastructure investments. All that said, I believe we need to have a different discussion concerning the potential for bilateral aid. The Peace Corps have returned to our country after 15 years. They were evacuated in 1994 just a short time before Rwanda collapsed into a genocide that killed over one million people in three months. Things have improved a lot in recent years. There is peace and stability throughout the nation. We have a progressive constitution that is consensus-driven, provides for power sharing, embraces diversity, and promotes the participation of women, who now represent the majority in our parliament. Our economy grew by more than 11% last year, even as the world entered a recession. We have chosen high-end segments of the coffee and tea markets in which to compete, and attract the most demanding world travelers to our tourism experiences. This has enabled us to increase wages by over 20% each year over the last eight years -- sustained by, among other things, investment in education, health and ICT. We view the return of the Peace Corps as a significant event in Rwanda's recovery. These young men and women represent what is good about America; I have met former volunteers who have run major aid programs here, invested in our businesses, and I even count them among my friends and close advisors. Peace Corps volunteers are well educated, optimistic, and keen to assist us as we continue to rebuild, but one must also recognize that we have much to offer them as well. We will, for instance, show them our system of community justice, called Gacaca, where we integrated our need for nationwide reconciliation with our ancient tradition of clemency, and where violators are allowed to reassume their lives by proclaiming their crimes to their neighbors, and asking for forgiveness. We will present to them Rwanda's unique form of absolution, where the individuals who once exacted such harm on their neighbors and ran across national borders to hide from justice are being invited back to resume their farms and homes to live peacefully with those same families. We will show your sons and daughters our civic tradition of Umuganda, where one day a month, citizens, including myself, congregate in the fields to weed, clean our streets, and build homes for the needy. We will teach your children to prepare and enjoy our foods and speak our language. We will invite them to our weddings and funerals, and out into the communities to observe our traditions. We will teach them that in Africa, family is a broad and all-encompassing concept, and that an entire generation treats the next as its own children. And we will have discussions in the restaurants, and debates in our staff rooms and classrooms where we will learn from one another: What is the nature of prosperity? Is it subsoil assets, location and sunshine, or is it based on human initiative, the productivity of our firms, the foresight of our entrepreneurs? What is a cohesive society, and how can we strengthen it? How can we improve tolerance and build a common vision between people who perceive differences in one another, increase civic engagement, interpersonal trust, and self-esteem? How does a nation recognize and develop the leaders of future generations? What is the relationship between humans and the earth? And how are we to meet our needs while revering the earth as the womb of humankind? These are the questions of our time. While some consider development mostly in terms of infusion of capital, budgets and head counts, we in Rwanda place equal importance to relationships between peoples who have a passion to learn from one another, preparing the next generation of teachers, administrators and CEOs to see the exchange of values and ideas as the way to build the competencies of our people, and to create a prosperous nation. We will do this because we see that the only investment with the possibility of infinite returns is in our children, and because after a couple of years in Rwanda, working and learning with our people, these Peace Corps volunteers will be our sons and daughters, too. More on Africa
 
Mark Konkol and Todd Fooks: Keeping Score In Chicago Episode 13: Fook and Konkol's Guide to Rocking Buckets Top
If necessity is the mother of invention, then somebody on the South Side needs to invent a bucket muffler. Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly talks to the guys about his decision to target the Bucket Boys with a new noise ordinance, what's next for the Chicago Children's Museum in Grant Park and why he will not support Cook County Board President Todd Stroger for re-election. Also, funny summer crime stories. And the guys catch up with Chicago author Jessica Hopper and her rocking new book. Hot. And Carlos Zambrano in the wild. Be sure to check out Keeping Score in Chicago for more information and previous episodes.
 
Les Leopold: Fear and Looting in America: Should We Worry if Wall Street Loses its Top Talent? Top
"The banking industry had been lobbying the Obama administration to exclude traders and other highflying salespeople from the top 25, fearing it would lose top talent to competitors not constrained by the rules of a taxpayer bailout. A number of bankers at Citigroup and Merrill Lynch have already fled to higher-paying jobs with rivals. But officials say that the guidelines will apply to the top 25 earners, including the traders." As the Obama administration moves towards some form of salary constraints on recidivist bailout recipients like CitiCorp, AIG, and Bank of America, the financial industry is whining about how it will lose "top talent" and therefore would be at a competitive disadvantage to firms that don't have such constraints. Are they serious? First, this "top talent" created and traded wave after wave of fantasy finance derivatives -- CDOs, synthetic CDOs, CDO squared and cubed. These financial instruments were highly profitable casino games designed to attract the surplus capital that wealthy investors had been accumulating. Most of these fantasy finance instruments represented no ownership interest in anything tangible. But through the miracle of financial engineering, Wall Street's "top talent" said they were supposed to be nearly risk free. Wall Street's "top talent" was spectacularly wrong. Instead, these derivatives fueled an enormous asset boom in housing and an enormous wealth boom for this "top talent" based on phony profits. When those astronomically prices finally turned around, the fantasy finance instruments crashed, leaving financial toxic waste spewed all over the planet. Giant banking and investment houses were insolvent or nearly so. Good-bye Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Bear Sterns, and Wachovia. Next we saved AIG, CitiCorp, GMAC, and Bank of America and its "top talent," to prevent the entire financial structure from tumbling down. We were compelled to break the financial panic-and-freeze that was destroying the real economy. The taxpayer, to date, has fronted about $1.5 trillion in TARP and stimulus money to stop the hemorrhaging. And no one knows for sure how much more will be paid out due to federal asset guarantees. Had we not done so, most of the major firms on Wall Street would be in bankruptcy court and much of its "top talent" unemployed. Now those who crashed the financial system are complaining about placing limits on their astronomical salaries. And they're not kidding! I really don't want to hear about aligning their multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses to the long term financial health of the firm. I want their salaries directly tied to the health of the real economy, the very economy they nearly destroyed. How about this improbable solution: Let's have a "President's Wage Cap" and apply it to all of Wall Street. Until the national jobless rate goes below 5 percent, no one in the failed portions of the financial sector shall earn more than the President of the United States. If that causes an exodus of "top talent," to foreign banks and hedge funds, so be it. In fact, it would be better for society if much of the "top talent" found other work that might contribute more to the real economy. It should be very clear by now that we really don't need any more innovative financial engineering. We don't need to pay traders and Wall Street executives tens of millions of dollars for captaining their financial Titanics. We do need a slimmed down financial sector where people earn a reasonable living for moving capital to where it is needed in the real economy. If "top talent" wants to build more fantasy finance casinos, they should set up shop in Vegas... Housing is cheap. Les Leopold is the author of The Looting of America: How Wall Street's Game of Fantasy Finance Destroyed our Jobs, Pensions and Prosperity, and What We Can Do About It. (Chelsea Green Publishing, June 2009) More on Financial Crisis
 
Jeffrey Shaffer: People and Policies End; History Never Does Top
By now, millions of Americans are familiar with a question posed by General David Petraeus back in 2003, not long after coalition forces had toppled Saddam Hussein. Patraeus was talking with a reporter and said, "Tell me, how does this end?" While Congress and President Obama navigate our continuing involvement in Iraq, it's important to keep in mind that "how does this end?" was being used by the general in a military context. As the insurgency grew and commanders realized US troops were facing a deadly new threat, it began to look as if quick intervention might become a grinding long term occupation. The Bush administration added to the uncertainty by saying any timetable for withdrawal of American forces would be setting a "surrender date" and give a huge boost to the enemy. As of now, both countries are in agreement on the goal of getting all US troops out by the end of 2011, which should provide some military closure to General Petraeus's astute question. But in the context of transforming an entire nation from a tightly controlled dictatorship into a stable democracy, "how does this end?" doesn't have an answer. That fact is not something a lot of us want to hear. There's a long tradition in this country of believing we can overcome any problem, military or otherwise, if we just work hard enough. British historian Denis Brogan put it this way: "Probably the only people who have the historical sense of inevitable victory are the Americans." During World War Two, large numbers of US service personnel were surveyed about their feelings and motivations, and many of them talked about "getting the job done" and saw defeating the Axis as "taking care of business." They believed the international situation would then be settled, and all soldiers and sailors could return to their loved ones and enjoy life in a prosperous post-war America. But while the surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan was greeted in this country with a genuine feeling of "Mission Accomplished!" there were other conflicts already underway. Stalin moved quickly to dominate eastern Europe. Colonies of France, England and the Netherlands were agitating for independence. Mao and Chiang Kai-shek began their final showdown for control of China. Even if Franklin Roosevelt had been healthier and survived his entire fourth term, I'm not sure he could have changed the national desire for swift and massive de-mobilization. Read the military memoirs from that period and what you'll find again and again are statements like, "The moment we heard it was over, everyone in the unit started asking how soon we'd be able to go home." In Iraq, surveys indicate growing numbers of the locals want us to go home, and there are growing numbers of disgruntled Americans saying, in effect, "The heck with those ungrateful jerks!" But regardless of how many troops are still there at the end of 2011, the future of the middle east remains hugely complicated. One of my personal theories about American culture is that films and TV have distorted our view of everyday life by making it seem normal to have conflicts resolved in short time spans. In movie theaters everyone sees "The End" emblazoned onscreen, the lights come up, and the audience leaves. But the real world isn't a movie. What happens in Egypt after Mubarek is gone? Libya after Gaddafi? Or Iraq after Al-Maliki? I hope the president has lots of people thinking carefully about these scenarios and how the US might deal with them. Tyrants don't live forever. Regimes do change. Military expeditions are terminated. In every century there are moments when "The End" really does occur. But more often, the operative phrase in history is: "To be continued." More on Middle East
 
Craig Newmark: Asking Senators to tell us where they get campaign money Top
Well, there's this Senate bill, the The Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act , which pretty much means that Senators need to tell us where their campaign money comes from, and they need to do it online. The idea is that it's easier to dig up unsavory connections this way. However, one Senator prevents this kind of accountability and transparency from happening. As the Sunlight Foundation folks say : Unfortunately, one senator , Sen. Roberts, KS, is setting this bill up to fail by tacking on an unnecessary and controversial amendment that would actually decrease transparency and accountability in the Senate. I really don't know why the guy's standing in the way of American grassroots democracy, but I'd like you to help, and here's how to do that . More on Transparency
 
Bill Chameides: Cap and Trade Part 2: Walking the International Tightrope Top
Suppose the United States adopts a cap on greenhouse gas emissions and China does not? What then? The international thing: it's a bear. Addressing global warming requires an international effort. Especially critical is the participation of the United States and China -- the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, collectively responsible for some 40 percent of the world's emissions. Any international climate treaty that omits an eventual cap on China's emissions will be a treaty that fails to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference on the climate. But so will one that does not include a cap on U.S. emissions. Right now, in the run-up to negotiations in Copenhagen, the two countries look to be far apart. The United States has indicated a willingness to take a declining cap on its emissions but wants China to do the same. China finds the U.S. cap lenient (too small and too slow to reduce emissions) and opposes a cap for itself. China also wants developed countries to significantly fund its low-carbon technological transformation. In This Series Part 1: It's About the Cap, Stupid In reality, the distance between the two countries may not be quite so large. First of all, it's possible that China's statements do not reflect its actual position but rather an opening negotiating gambit. Secondly, China has already implemented ambitious mandates for renewables (see here and here ) and high-mileage automobile standards ( here , here and here ), and it has announced intentions [pdf] to significantly reduce the carbon intensity of its greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, to avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference to the climate, it's not necessary for countries like China to decrease emissions immediately but to agree to begin doing so within about 15-20 years. What's a Country to Do? Still, China's stated position raises the question of what the United States should do -- go forward or wait? Some argue that the United States should not enact climate legislation now and should go into international negotiations uncommitted. Under this scenario, America doesn't agree to cap emissions until China does. (I'm reminded of two kids in a fight and the parents tell them to shake hands and make up but they can't because each is waiting for the other to extend his hand first. "You go first." "No, you go.") Personally, I don't think waiting and allowing international negotiations to frame our climate policy is in America's best interest. For one, we tried that with Kyoto back in 1997 and we saw how well that worked out. Secondly, doesn't it make more sense for America to figure out what we want and then go to the international community to work out a global arrangement that fits it? But Suppose We Cap and China Won't Play? Okay, you say, suppose America goes first by enacting climate legislation like Waxman-Markey and then an intransigent China refuses to accept any constraint on its emissions? Here arises what I call the cry of the "cap and ... business wolves." Not only do our efforts to address climate change fail, but all our jobs and industries flow to China with its huge uncapped economic advantage. Right? Maybe not. One Scenario: United States Wins With a Cap Some folks, most notably New York Times columnist Tom Friedman , actually see advantages to being a first-mover with climate change legislation. Why? Because it would force us to innovate and develop the new, low-carbon technologies of the 21st century. In this scenario, America doesn't end up importing products from a cap-less China; instead, China imports from us. The net result: the United States wins economically and China's emissions go down because the Chinese effectively adopt our low-carbon technologies and buy up our low-carbon products. Possible? I guess so. A slam dunk? Hardly. Another Scenario: Carbon Tariffs If countries like China refuse to cap, we can level the economic playing field by imposing a carbon tariff on their imports. The amount of the tariff would be related to the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in the imports and the price of carbon allowances (in the case of cap and trade) or the cost of carbon emissions (in the case of a carbon tax). This approach, recently mentioned by New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, is in the Waxman-Markey climate bill making its way through the House. (In Waxman-Markey, the president is empowered to impose a carbon tariff on imports after 2025.) This idea has a lot going for it, given the size of the combined economies of the United States and the European Union. The adoption of a carbon tariff by all these countries could have the effect of forcing hypothetically cap-less countries to adopt a virtual cap or abandon their international trade aspirations. Sort of a win-win. Which is not to say that a carbon tariff comes free of complications. For one, experts in international relations point out that there are issues relating to trade agreements. It is not clear that carbon tariffs would even be legal under the World Trade Organization (WTO), and if not, changes to the WTO would have to be made. And then there's the specter of a trade war. There's also the problem of "secondary imports" wherein products from a cap-less country may contain materials originating from the United States. For a tariff to be imposed appropriately, the composition of imported products and their provenance would have to be established. The Bottom Line: We Have Options So yes, the international thing is a bear. But it's not at all clear that it should be viewed as a deal breaker to U.S. climate change legislation. Going forward unilaterally with our own climate change legislation will not necessarily leave us powerless and vulnerable to economic exploitation by intransigent nations. And being a first mover may have significant advantages. Next post in the series comes tomorrow -- what goes under the cap and what does not. Dr. Bill Chameides is the dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He blogs regularly at theGreenGrok.com . More on Thomas Friedman
 
Lloyd I. Sederer, MD: Adolescent Depression: Do We Have the Will to Make a Difference? Top
I was at a policy forum in early June in NYC convened after the release of two groundbreaking reports: The distinguished Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report that urged early detection and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in youth. The very influential US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations that adolescents be screened for depression in pediatric and primary care settings, using a specific, simple, low burden checklist while in the waiting room. Why did these remarkable groups go out on such a limb? Because mental disorders are exceptionally common in adolescence -- 50% of the mental illnesses that will occur in our lifetimes appear by age 14 and 75% appear by the age of 24. But, chillingly, over 80% of these youth and young adults will not have their illness properly detected or treated. The result is that untreated mental illness becomes a primary cause of school failure and dropout, is a principal path to disability and crime, and is disproportionately found in the very high users of medical services. Depression is the most common, disabling and deadly of the mental disorders: about 6% of youth are ill with this disease annually and it has a 20% lifetime prevalence. Estimates by the IOM are that youth mental disorders generate $247 billion/year in costs to the educational, criminal justice, health, social welfare service systems -- and to families. The terrible irony is that if a depressed youth is identified by screening and receives proven forms of mental health treatment the likelihood that young person will recover is very high, better than 75%, and comparable with other major medical illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Three medical journal articles add fuel to the need to do something. An article in the June 1 Archives of General Psychiatry demonstrated decreasing rates of the diagnosis of depression, especially in children and youth after the FDA warning about suicidality secondary to serotonin antidepressants like fluoxetine or citalopram. An article in the June 3 Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a simple, brief, low cost cognitive therapy approach reduces the onset of depression in vulnerable youth (when a depressed parent is also treated). Finally, an article in the June issue of Medical Care identified attitudinal barriers to youth obtaining depression treatment and means of overcoming those barriers, especially in primary care offices. In other words, the problem of diagnosis and treatment is worsening while the remedies are improving. The policy forum I attended had the task of making the case for widespread adoption of depression screening in primary care and finding ways to help primary care doctors provide treatment or referral when the illness is found. These goals are difficult because pediatricians and primary care doctors have their hands full and so are reluctant to take on more obligations. But unless they do, with proper supports, the problem of undiagnosed and untreated depression will persist, with all its disturbing consequences. Primary care is the essential venue because families and youth often resist going to mental health care because of stigma. Moreover, there are simply not enough child/adolescent psychiatrists and youth trained mental health clinicians to serve the large number of youth in need. This is not to say that some youth with severe forms of depression, including bipolar depression or active suicidal plans, don't need referral to specialty care; but those appointments are more likely to be available if mental health clinicians are not occupied with mild to moderate problems that can be handled in primary care, by the doctor alone or with a mental health trained social worker, nurse or psychologist on site to do the therapy that is known to work. I was struck by how tentative the discussion was at this forum. There was a lot of talk about the "necessary" conditions to implement screening -- like experts to diagnose or immediately available mental health services to refer to. I thought (and said during my presentation) that if those conditions became a standard of care that today's youth would be in nursing homes before they got the care they need. From my experience advancing depression screening and management for adults in primary care settings in NYC (see New York Times April 13, 2005, p1) government and other payers and policy makers only expand capacity when demand is created by patients and families. Otherwise, doctors and health care providers are likely to elude what clinically we know needs to be done, and which in this case works. We need to have the will to make depression screening for adolescents a standard of care for primary care: to make it a required field in the electronic medical record and a quality standard (as are immunizations and Pap smears) for health plans and hospitals. If screening is made inescapable , a clinical standard, doctors will learn to how to do it, successfully, and soon be taking pride in the essential and effective work they are doing. That is what has happened for other illnesses like diabetes and asthma. Let's not let depression and the youth who suffer from it be denied what they need to make a good life.
 
Dr. Dennis Gottfried: Our Cost-Quality Disconnect in Medicine Top
If America ever hopes to get some control over the soaring cost of our health care system and at the same time improve quality, we need to question our present health care practices. Medical procedures, testing, and treatments need to be based on sound science and not on pressures from economic forces, advocacy groups, or malpractice concerns. Those pressures, which influence all medical decisions in America, contribute to the high cost and suboptimal quality which plagues American medicine. Several articles recently published in major journals, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and the Annals of Internal Medicine (AIM), cast doubt, for example, on widely practiced cancer screening tests. In the AIM on 1/6/09 the results of a very large case control study from Ontario, Canada were published which looked at the effect of screening colonoscopy in preventing death from colorectal cancer. The gold standard for a study of this sort is a randomized controlled trial in which subjects are randomly assigned either to receive a colonoscopy or not to receive one and then followed prospectively for years to see if the intervention affected their likelihood of dying from colon cancer. No such study has yet been done for colon cancer. A case control study is the next best type of research and looks back retrospectively at people who have had colonoscopy to determine if having the procedure decreased the possibility of colorectal cancer death. In the AIM study, the mortality from colorectal cancer decreased 33% in those screened. A nice benefit all right, but probably disappointing to those colonoscopy advocates who might have hoped that inspecting the lining of the colon would eliminate almost all colorectal cancer deaths. What was most disappointing to those advocates, though, was that the study showed no benefit at all in preventing death from right-sided colon cancer death. (The right side of the colon is that part that is most distant from the anus.) The only part of the bowel in which colonoscopy was effective in preventing cancer death was in the distal colon, that part closest to the anus. Cancer death in this part of the colon has already been shown to be prevented similarly by a procedure called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, an easier, less invasive, and less costly procedure that uses a shorter tube than a colonoscope. It should not be forgotten that very serious complications could occur with colonoscopies in about 2 out 1000 people including heart attacks and even death. Our national policy of blanket colonoscopies -- promoted by specialty organizations, advocacy groups, consumer demand, and fear of malpractice -- could be replaced, according to this study, by an easier, safer, less expensive yet equally effective screening test. Two reports printed in the 3/26/09 NEJM similarly challenged another screening test routinely performed in America. These long-awaited studies, the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal Cancer, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) and the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer published their findings on the effect of PSA screening on preventing death from prostate cancer. Both were very large studies involving tens of thousands of men and lasting 7-10 years. The PLCO showed no benefit at all with PSA testing in preventing prostate cancer death whereas the European Study demonstrated a 20 % reduction in those screened. Even in the European Study, though, over 1400 men needed to be screened, hundreds of biopsies needed to be done, and 48 men treated with major surgery and/or radiation to prevent one cancer death. It is unclear what the medical impact of this demanding testing and treatment was on the men. Neither study was able to answer the pivotal question: does PSA testing overall produce more harm or more benefit? Based on evidence like these studies, the US Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend routine PSA screening for men. Yet in America today men expect and demand PSA testing and for a physician not to recommend routine PSA testing is a certain invitation for a malpractice suit if that man subsequently develops prostate cancer. It is doubtful whether these studies or similar ones will have any major impact on colorectal cancer and PSA testing as practiced in the U.S. Economic forces, consumer demand, and avoidance of malpractice suits so dominant our health care policies that science has lost is importance. It is no wonder that we spend twice as much on health care as the other developed countries yet our medical system is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization. Until we develop medical policies based on scientific accountability we are condemned to suffer with a permanent cost-quality disconnect in medicine. More on Health
 
Tom Coburn's Annual STD Lecture For Interns In Danger Top
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) may have to skip his famous STD lecture to Capitol Hill interns this year, depriving hundreds of college students one of the more awkward moments of their summer in DC. Coburn, an OBGYN, has traditionally provided a sometimes-graphic slide show to inters as a warning to practice safe sex. (He also warns students that condoms aren't 100% effective.)
 
Carla's Closet! Bruni's 12 Best First Lady Looks (PHOTOS) Top
As a former fashion model, it's difficult for Carla Bruni-Sarkozy to miss a style beat; but how has she been faring as France's First Lady? Très bien , in our opinion. From discussions with the Dalai Lama to invoking Audrey Hepburn's poise at a Spanish royal dinner, Carla always manages to pick the perfect outfit. Here are our twelve favorite looks from the French femme . Or check out Carla on the catwalk in our slideshow Carla Bruni: The Runway Years or her fashion face-off with Michelle Obama Part I and Part II . *Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook * More on France
 
MAX ARMSTRONG: Lance Armstrong's Son Top
AUSTIN, Texas — Why wait for France? Lance Armstrong can pop that bottle of champagne now. He announced the birth of son Max during a break between the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France next month. Max is Armstrong's fourth child. The 37-year-old cycling great posted a message on his Twitter account Thursday night and included a picture of the newborn, playfully sticking out his tongue at the camera. "Wassup, world? My name is Max Armstrong and I just arrived. My Mommy is healthy and so am I!" Armstrong wrote, noting Max weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. Armstrong and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, announced in December they were expecting a baby in June. Armstrong also has three children with his ex-wife, Kristin. On Friday, Armstrong wrote that he was watching the French Open on TV with Anna and maxarmstrong1, having already given the baby his own Twitter address. He also appreciated the outpouring of good wishes. "Thanks to you all for all the great notes, comments, emails, etc. We're lucky to have you all," he wrote. Max's timing proved impeccable. Armstrong finished 12th in the Giro d'Italia, which ended May 31. The seven-time Tour de France champion is eyeing a triumphant return to Paris, where he won the Tour seven straight times from 1999 to 2005. The Tour de France begins July 4. Three years after retiring following his last Tour de France win, Armstrong said in September his return to competition and cycling's marquee race in 2009. He called his comeback an attempt to raise global awareness in his fight against cancer. When the pregnancy was announced in December, a spokeswoman for the Lance Armstrong Foundation said that the baby was conceived naturally. Armstrong's other three children were born using in vitro fertilization with sperm he had banked before undergoing chemotherapy. The arrival of healthy son is good news for the cyclist after a rough spring. A crash in Spain left Armstrong with a broken collarbone and financial troubles for the sponsor of his Astana team threatened to get the team kicked out of competition. Astana receives most of its financial support from the Kazakh state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, but the Central Asian nation's economy has been badly hit by the global financial crisis. ___ On the Net: http://twitter.com/LanceArmstrong
 
Coroner: Danny Gans Died From Drug Reaction Top
LAS VEGAS — A coroner says Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans died accidentally last month because of a toxic reaction to a pain killer. Clark County Coroner Mike Murphy said Tuesday that the 52-year-old Gans' death was not an issue of drug abuse. Murphy said Gans had toxic levels of hydromorphone, an opiate drug used to treat chronic pain. He had a toxic reaction to the drug because of an existing heart condition. Police say Gans was found dead in bed at home in Henderson early May 1 after his wife, Julie, reported she couldn't rouse him. Gans was a singer, actor and impressionist who spent more than a decade working his way to top billing on the Las Vegas Strip.
 
Bankrupt Sun-Times Looks To Pay Bonuses To 20 Executives Top
Sun-Times Media Group Inc., which has been slashing jobs and closing down newspapers to cut costs, wants to pay 20 employees up to $1.8 million in bonuses if the company is sold for a certain amount.
 
Quinton Ezeagwula, Survivor Of Recruiting Center Shooting, Speaks Out (VIDEO) Top
The Army private who survived the shooting at an Arkansas Army recruiting center last week spoke to the press today at a news conference. Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula said he was shot in the back and a bullet grazed his head when Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a Muslim convert who expressed hatred for the U.S. military, shot Ezeagwula and Private William Long, who was killed. He declined comment on his emotional state but emphasized that he was proud to be in the military: "I like defending this country," Ezeagwula explained, adding that he learned to "love the Army." And he thanked supporters who have offered prayers to him and to the family of Private Long. He explained that he and Private Long were smoking cigarettes and talking about their future plans when Muhammad started shooting at them. Ezeagwula, with a smile, added that he planned to quit smoking. Watch the video of the news conference:
 
Ohio Man In Womens' Swimsuit Harassed Girls: Police Top
BELLBROOK, Ohio — Police in Ohio are accusing a Dayton-area man of harassing girls while dressed in a green, one-piece woman's swimsuit. Sugarcreek Township police said Tuesday they arrested 41-year-old Kevin L. Miller of Sugarcreek Township on Monday night. Miller has pleaded not guilty to charges of menacing and public indecency, both misdemeanors. Xenia Prosecutor Ron Lewis says Miller swam into the Little Miami River chasing two women who were canoeing, and chased two juveniles who had visited an ice cream shop. Lewis says Miller also partially exposed himself while wearing the swimsuit.
 
GOP's Senate Coup Paralyzes Albany Top
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A Republican coup in the state Senate, helped along by one Democrat with legal troubles and another who violated election laws, paralyzed the chamber on Tuesday. Democrats vowed to fight back, possibly with a lawsuit, but the new leaders said the takeover was in the name of reform: to turn back Democrats' overspending and overtaxing. Democratic Gov. David Paterson and good-government advocates criticized the move in a statehouse where control of a legislative chamber gives nearly unfettered power to the ruling party. The Senate and its committee rooms were dark Tuesday, normally an active day in the part-time legislature. There are only eight full days of the 2009 session left and several key issues, including legalization of same-sex marriage and control of New York City schools, are pending. Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos, the coalition's No. 2 leader, says he and Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., the de facto Senate leader if the coup survives, will conduct a session on Wednesday in a separate room if the Democratic conference locks them out of the ornate Senate chamber. Paterson called the overthrow a dereliction of duty just as New York starts to dig out of a fiscal crisis and faces major policy issues. He said the power grab was "dressed up in the cloak, falsely, of reform and good government." If reform was the point, said Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters, the Senate should have worked together to change the state's ethics and campaign finance laws and to take other steps to bring more democracy to the leader-dominated Legislature. "The public should look at all of this with disdain," Bartoletti said. Espada, named Senate president by the coalition, said its members plan to work past June 22 end of session set by Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith, who was deposed Monday. Espada said there will be no delay on critical actions. On Monday, Espada and a fellow Democratic senator, Hiram Monserrate of Queens, joined with Republicans on hastily introduced measures that changed the leadership structure. Neither Espada nor Monserrate changed party affiliation, but their votes helped the measures pass 32-30. Espada has sided with Republicans in the past and threatened Smith's leadership as soon as it began in January. He still has two pending election violation cases, but has pledged to resolve them. In one case, he and his campaign committees owe the state $13,000 in fines for not filing contribution records related to his 2008 election campaign. In the other, he was ordered by a court in December to pay the New York City Campaign Finance Board $60,000 in fines related to his 2001 campaign for Bronx borough president. Separately, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced he is investigating managers at the Soundview Health Center, founded by Espada. Cuomo is looking into allegations that state funds earmarked for programs designed to serve impoverished women, children and people with HIV and AIDS were instead diverted to finance political campaigns. Monserrate, the other dissident, is charged with slashing his girlfriend's face with a piece of broken glass. He has maintained his innocence and called his prosecution politically motivated. A conviction on the felony assault charge could cost him his Senate seat and put him in jail for up to seven years.
 
Michael Steele: GOP Is A Hat, Not A Tent Top
Here's more evidence that the GOP is still struggling to find fitting metaphors to talk about itself. The party was likened to a miffed Eminem by Gov. Tim Pawlenty at the College Republicans' national confab over the weekend, while at another of the convention's sessions, RNC chair Michael Steele was coming up with imagery of his own. Steele told the audience that "no one knows what the hell it means" when the GOP refers to itself as a "big tent." So he offered another analogy: The GOP is a hat. More on GOP
 

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