Friday, June 19, 2009

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Amb. Marc Ginsberg: Supreme Leader To Demonstrators: "Drop Dead!" Top
I am writing this as the sun is about to rise in Iran. I have this dreaded feeling that very bad things are about to happen throughout Iran in a few short hours and I pray I am wrong. In his Friday Prayer address, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei essentially threw down the gaunlet at the foot of Presidential contender Mir Hossein Mousavi and his allies warning that no matter how the Guardian Council may see it, the election was divinely free and fair and it is FINAL, no ifs, ands, or buts. Khamenei ominously warned that any further mass demonstrations, such as the ones planned by Mousavi's legions of supporters for today, are now considered a direct threat to the regime and no longer deemed by the mullahs a mere protest against a rigged election. Demonstrators, according to his Fatwa are now fair game for the regime and will be met with the full force of the state. If, as predicted, Mousavi's hundreds of thousands of followers take to the streets throughout Iran, Khamenei and Ahmadenijad may follow through and unleash the much feared Basij Militia -- the regime's dreaded Nazi equivalent of the SS and Gestapo. Think of the Basij Militia as roaming divisions of religious zealots armed with pipes, chains, knives, swords and guns who only answer to Ahmadenijad. Under his direct control and dispatched by his hand-picked Revolutionary Guard commanders, the Basij have begun to transform Iran from a theocracy to an outright military dictatorship and protesters will not merely face a round up, but the full wrath of the state's deadly force. That full force is something Americans barely comprehend -- with good reason. Iran being a police state, Khamenei has decided that no matter the magnitude of the outcry, whether domestic or foreign, he would rather commit state sponsored mayhem and murder against his citizens rather than cave into the demands of his opponents. While Khamanei is no firebrand like his presidential puppet Ahmadenijad, he is a diabolical believer in a pontifical-like divine ordination of his authority. It is Allah's will that his rule be absolute, and, therefore, preservation of the Islamic Republic and the mullahs' monopoly on such divine- right power is worth every drop of spilt Iranian blood, especially if that blood is spilt to prevent the evil hand of foreign forces from overthrowing the Islamic Republic. In 1979, when faced with the propect of massive demonstrations against his rule, Shah Reza Pahlavi was convinced by Jimmy Carter not to fire on his citizens, and the rest as they say, was another nail in the coffin of Jimmy Carter's presidency. In 2009, when faced with a similar street conflaguration, Ayatollah Khamenei will pay no heed to President Obama, and that, I venture to say, will be the first big nail in the Ayatollah's coffin. I say that because while Khamanei may succeed in silencing his detractors in the short run, the ruling clerical establishment is not universally beholden to him, and may very well turn against the Supreme Leader if they believe that his rigidity has irrevocably turned the Iranian public against the regime itself. Unlike the Pope, a supreme leader can theoretically be religiously "impeached" by the Council of Experts. The titantic struggle of wills between the Supreme Leader (how Orwellian a title) and Mousavi that is so riveting may very well seal the fate of any durable prospect of a rapproachment between Washington and Tehran. Why so? Because Khamenei and Ahmadenijad are drinking their own foreign interventionist Kool Aid. Indeed, in yesterday's ominous address, the Supreme Leader brought up the dreaded bogeyman Britain and denouced it as the "most evil" of Iran's enemies. LIke feeding candy to a baby, exhorting the regime's supporters to blame the UK for the disturbances is all Khamanei's mad followers need to strike at pro-democracy demonstrators. Khamenei and Ahmadenijad are holding their fire against the U.S. because in the annals of Persian history the UK has a much more demonic place. For good measure, the Supreme Leader can't stand the BBC's Persian radio and television broadcasts, which have become the most feared instrument of truth against the regime and are virtually impossible to jam. And, for good measure, Ahmadenijad's political hatchetman, Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi has fired a preemptive shot at Washington warning President Obama that any further statements on his part will irrevocably impair any hope for a serious dialogue. Quite likely, Khamanei fears taking on Obama and the U.S. right now, as well. He may be calculating that to do so will only further enflame his domestic detractors who are mesmerized with the possibilities of what Obama's outreach to Iran may mean to them. Khamanei may also want to keep the door open to Washington to manifest an artificial appearance of external reasonableness while cracking heads inside his country. But deep down inside, Khamanei probably believes that the U.S. is instigating the crisis, and that Washington's preoccupation with iran's nuclear program is nothing but a stalking horse to ultimately bring down the regime. All the more reason why, in my estimation, the Ayatollah will want to accelerate his nuclear weapons program regardless of any rapproachment with the Obama Administration. That may backfire. The more the regime clings to its nightmarish fear of its own people, and fails to accommodate to the forces at play, the more likely the regime will accelerate its own disintegration. Those in the U.S. constituting the discredited neoconservative bund demanding a clarion call to the ramparts from President Obama to Mousavi's followers dangerously misunderstand Iran and the Ayatollah's calculations. As tempting as it is for seriously callow Iranian observers such as Charles Krauthammer or Paul Wolfowitz to denounce the Obama Administration's carefully calibrated approach so far, they do so merely to cleanse their flawed reasoning for invading Iraq by conveniently equating events in Iran to events that they claim personal credit for that led to the overthrow of singular, discredited dictators like Ferdinand Marcos. How interesting to read Wolfowitz' Washington Post Op Ed yesterday taking one giant leap over his most recent and utter catastrophic miscalculation of what an American intervention could accomplish just next door to Iran. Other than scoring cheap political points against the Adminstration and perhaps feeling good about it, there is absolutely no basis to assert that should President Obama stand on the rooftop fo the White House shouting out his solidarity with Iran's women and students such action would help tip the balance against the Ayatollah or prolong the showdown. To the contrary, it could very well backfire on America's own goals and objectives and the hopes and aspirations of the very demonstrators we are most committed to supporting. Indeed, the advice coming out of Iran from Mousavi's supporters is totally contrary to the flawed neocon logic. Iranian intermediaries in the UAE who are communicating with their brethren in Tehran are sending carefully worded messages urging Washington not to take Khamenei's or Ahmadinejad's bait. But why would chaps like Krauthammer or Wolfowitz respect the wishes of Iran's anti-Khamenei democratic forces if such entreaties fly in the face of their own preconceived ideological beliefs? I trust that those excoriating the White House until now will take a moment and listen not to their own voices, but to the credible messages coming out of Iran from the regime's opponents and accept that they are serving no one inside Iran by trying to provoke an irrational and unhelpful statement out of the President at this time that would be seized as an excuse to unleas the Basij. But should blood flow through the streets of Tehran as many fear, the President will be justified in taking a stronger position against the regime, which will no longer have a pretext to justify its crackdown from anything the President may have said to date to blame America for its resort to force and violence. More on Ahmadinejad
 
Schwarzenegger's Plane Makes Emergency Landing Top
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plane has been diverted to the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley because of smoke in the cockpit. Spokesman Aaron McLear says the jet was about 10 minutes away from landing at the Santa Monica Airport on Friday evening when the pilot reported smoke coming from an instrument panel. McLear says the pilot made a quick and steep landing at 6:23 p.m. Los Angeles City fire crews met the jet on the runway. There were no flames and no one was injured. Schwarzenegger tweeted about the diversion, calling it "a little adventure," and posting a link to a photo of the jet on his Twitter feed. "All's ok, though," he wrote.
 
Karin Tanabe: Political Fashion Smackdown! (PHOTOS, POLL) Top
It's finally here! The glamazons of government are going head-to-head in the ultimate political fashion smackdown. Sure these friends and frenemies are all smiles when gracing the pages of Vogue and GQ, but how would they pair up in the ring? Who would win a Zoolander-esque walk off? Joe Biden, the dapper gentleman from Delaware may be number two on the political food chain, but could he dethrone the great gray suit wearing Barack Obama in a style showdown? And what of BFFs Valerie Jarrett and Desiree Rogers? Who would Heidi Klum dismiss with a firm auf wiedersehen ? The American public deserves to know. Barack Obama and Joe Biden Esquire named Obama one of the world's best-dressed men and many of us swooned as he went Baywatch on the beach, but the prez has had some cringe-worthy fashion moments while in office. Who can forget POTUS cheering on his soccer star daughters in baggy dad jeans and an ill-fitting White Sox jacket? While it's hard to rival the president when he's buttoned up in bespoke delivering a rousing speech, his casual afternoon attire could use some refashioning. As for blue-eyed Biden, he has taken his classic closet of crisp white shirts and jewel-toned ties into the Obama era with rolled-up sleeves and understated tailoring. While Obama may be the press darling, Biden is Mr. Consistency, never alarming America's fashionistas with his Sunday attire. Will steadiness trump the popular vote? You decide. Jill Biden and Michelle Obama Tall, athletic, and beloved by the international fashion industry, Michelle Obama is considered the ultimate triple-threat by fashion insiders. Rumor has it that Jill has been doing bicep curls all week to prepare for the rumble where both ladies will wear sleeveless shifts, bubblegum pearls, and ballerina flats, of course. The designers at J.Crew and special guest Jason Wu bought out the stadium seating months ago. While Jill looks hotter than a scarlet letter in her red evening gown, the competition is tough for the second lady. She pulls out all the punches with her waist-cinching dresses and cropped aquamarine blazers, but does Michelle Obama still manage to sail past her? You be the judge. Desiree Rogers and Valerie Jarrett Weighing in at not very much at all are Valerie Jarrett and Desiree Rogers! Both love wearing color and don't shy away from a print. Rogers sat front row with Anna Wintour during fashion week, but Jarrett wowed the world with her elegant evening wear from day one. Will the senior Obama advisor be able to take the trophy away from her sidekick, the equally fashionable social secretary? Just a few minutes into the smackdown and the judges have declared it the most boring match in history! The women keep trying to declare the other the victor in the ultimate show of BFF friendship. But wait! A picture of Desiree Rogers in a metallic sequenced dress has been submitted to the judges. The social secretary in a frock that Tina Turner would want to shimmy shimmy shake in? How utterly modern. Who will take home the win? Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi Are pantsuits allowed in the ring? Of course! This is politics and the two reigning queens of the pantsuit are ready for their match. Both the Secretary of State and the Speaker of the House would sew on the boxy jacket/pant combination if they could, with Clinton favoring colors you can see from the moon and Pelosi happy to swath herself in hundreds of variations of beige. While Clinton gains points for not looking like a walking sand dune, Pelosi is able to fly across the ring to her fancy footwear, elegant accessories, and the fact that she has never dressed like a human cantaloupe. Which pantsuit-wearer will end up with the highest score? Sarah Palin and Lisa Murkowski They're both Alaskan-born Republicans who love fishing and pencil skirts. In the right-wing division it's Alaska's own Palin and Murkowski! Palin's victory has been predicted for months, but some critics believe Murkowski's Beltway-friendly fashion could speak to city slickers who are sick of seeing Governor Palin adorned in moose print accessories. The women have been in the ring for days. The ref (who looks surprisingly like snowmobilin' Todd Palin) is exhausted from the longest (and only) Alaskan fashion smackdown in history. It seems inevitable that the beauty pageant governor will yet again bring home the crown...but wait! This just in...Palin has been penalized for tying dangerous instruments to her feet defined by the judges as "razor sharp peep-toe stilettos bought with hard earned tax payer dollars." While clearly the crowd favorite, will Palin be disqualified for her fancy footwear? *Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook * More on Barack Obama
 
Lloyd Chapman: IT'S TIME TO END THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S MASQUERADE AS SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCATES Top
A recent post on the U.S Chamber of Commerce website titled, "Business United or Business Divided - What's at Stake?" is one of the best examples you could find of typical U.S. Chamber propaganda. As he did in our heated exchange on CNBC, Chamber spokesman Giovanni Coratolo struggles to piece together a series of outright lies, blatant fabrications and misdirection to try and attack me and cover up the U.S Chamber's actual pro Fortune 500 and anti-small business track record. (http://www.chamberpost.com/2009/06/business-united-or-business-divided-whats-at-stake.html) If you haven't seen our debate on CNBC, you can find it on YouTube under, "ASBL President Lloyd Chapman spars with U.S. Chamber of Commerce." I hope 
I get a chance to finish our debate on national television sometime soon. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWtLshGVEss) Let me focus on Giovanni's statement referring to the annual diversion of over $100 billion a year in federal small business contracts to corporate giants as a "niche issue" that will "impact only a small sliver of the business community." The truth is, no issue affecting American small businesses has been the subject of more federal investigations and more stories in the mainstream media than the diversion of federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms and thousands of other large businesses. Since 2003, there have been over a dozen federal investigations on the issue and hundreds of stories. Every major newspaper in the country has reported on the problem along with major television networks like ABC, CBS and CNN. In Report 5-15, the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General stated, "One of the biggest challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today is that large businesses are receiving federal small business awards..." (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf) In February of 2008, President Obama acknowledged the magnitude of the problem when he released the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants." (http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/26/the_american_small_business_le.php) As opposed to the U.S. Chamber's position that this is a "niche issue" that will impact "only a small sliver of the business community," this issue has negatively impacted every man, woman and child in America. You don't have to be an economist to understand the diversion of over $100 billion a year from the middle class, year after year will have a devastating negative impact on the national economy. The U.S Chamber claims to have 3 million members, 96% with less than 100 employees and 5% of those firms do business with the government. That comes out to 144,000 U.S Chamber members that are small businesses being negatively impacted by this issue. Now let's look at what the U.S. Chamber has done over the last seven years to address what the SBA Inspector General referred to as one of the largest challenges facing the SBA and "the entire federal government today." NOTHING! No lobbying, no press conference, no press releases, no blog posts, no legislation, no lawsuits, no newspaper stories, no radio interviews, nothing on their website! Why wouldn't the organization that claims to be the most powerful voice for small business in American lift a finger to address a problem that is impacting millions of small businesses, including 144,000 of their own members? Because the Fortune 500 firms that are receiving the lion's share of all federal small business contracts are some of the most powerful members of the U.S. Chamber. Dozens of Fortune 500 firms that are currently receiving billions of dollars in federal small business contracts serve on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber. Take a look at stories on this issue from the Associated Press, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Take a look at the investigative stories by ABC, CBS and CNN. (AP, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/07/politics/main552758.shtml; NYT, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/business/06sba.html; WaPo, http://www.asbl.com/showmedia.php?id=1179; ABC, http://www.asbl.com/abc_evening_news.wmv; CBS, http://www.asbl.com/cbs.wmv; CNN, http://www.asbl.com/showmedia.php?id=1170) Now take a look at the list of firms that belong to the U.S. Chamber and serve on their board. Many Fortune 500 firms on the U.S. Chamber board have received federal small business contracts. (http://www.uschamber.com/about/board/all.htm) Small businesses in America need to quit listening to what the U.S Chamber says and start to watch what they do. You will quickly realize they are no friend to American's 27 million small businesses. More on Small Business
 
Steve Jobs Had Liver Transplant Top
The Steve Jobs health story takes yet another twist-this time a happier one: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Apple CEO underwent a liver transplant earlier this spring, and is recovering from the operation. More on Apple
 
John Hodgman Calls Obama A Nerd At Radio And TV Correspondents' Dinner (VIDEO) Top
Author and comedian John Hodgman--also known as the PC Guy-- was the headliner of this year's 65th annual Radio and TV Correspondents Dinner, and he delivered a humorous speech in which he teased President Obama for being a "nerd," saying that he hoped Obama could finally heal the "age-old conflict" between nerds and jocks. WATCH: More on Barack Obama
 
Leighton Meester SEX Tape Being Shopped Around Top
Spotted ... "Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester having sex with her BF... on video. We've learned a Meester tape is being shopped around town. It was shot a few years back, and shows Leighton in mostly innocuous though nude scenes -- with several big exceptions ... one involving her very talented feet. More on Gossip Girl
 
Steve Parker: My automotive talk shows this weekend Top
Join us LIVE Saturday and Sunday at 5pm Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com for our exclusive LIVE motoring and motorsports talk shows! Steve Parker's The Car Nut Show Saturday starting at 5pm Pacific Some good news for a change from the world of domestic cars: GM is re-hiring 900 workers for their Lansing, MI crossover plant ... and Dodge is re-opening their Viper plant, of all things! Makes sense - expensive car with a TON of profit built into it ... Plus the rumor is Fiat will use the existing Chrysler 300 sedan platform for their new large car. And John McCain tweets he's buying a Ford Fusion hybrid. Also, for over a decade the biggest auto event in the world has been the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise on that legendary road which runs from downtown Detroit to the city's 'burbs ... but this year there's trouble brewing. Learn the details! And Steve reviews the new less-cost-than-a-Prius Honda Insight gas/electric hybrid. Be sure to call-in and join the action! Honda's new Insight gas/electric hybrid is priced fully-turned-out at under $24,000 Steve Parker's World Racing Roundup Sunday starting at 5pm We talk with racing journalist/ex-racer Kurt Hansen about everything and anything in the world of motor racing. Several Formula 1 teams have announced a new "breakaway" series, which has become something of an annual event in that sport. F1 is in the UK this weekend. NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was under the influence of speed, and not the car kind, when he turned-up dirty on a drug test which got him suspended from the sport, probably forever. NASCAR is on the road course at Sonoma, CA, possibly the most fun event of the NASCAR year as drivers struggle to stay on the race track. And IndyCar is at Iowa Speedway for the "Indy Corn 250." Great name. And GM has announced the monetary death knell for some of their NASCAR Sprint Cup teams. Be sure to call- in and let us know what you think! Ferrari says they're joining a new breakaway F1 series ... again That's this Saturday and Sunday at 5pm USA Pacific time on www.TalkRadioOne.com ! More on Cars
 
Bradley Whitford And Jane Kaczmarek File For Divorce Top
Actor Bradley Whitford and wife Jane Kaczmarek filed divorce papers Friday in Los Angeles, PEOPLE has confirmed.
 
US Airstrikes In Afghanistan Likely Killed 26 Civilians: Military Top
WASHINGTON — A U.S. warplane failed to follow all operational rules in a complex battle in Afghanistan last month that killed an estimated 26 civilians and 78 Taliban fighters, the U.S. military concluded in a report released Friday. The deaths last month raised the stakes in a growing battle for the good will of Afghan civilians, whose allegiance Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said is crucial if the United States is going to win the faltering war in Afghanistan. "The inability to discern the presence of civilians and assess the potential collateral damage of those strikes is inconsistent with the U.S. government's objective of providing security and safety for the Afghan people," the report prepared by U.S. Central Command said. Three U.S. airstrikes conducted after dark near the close of the chaotic fight in the western Farah Province probably accounted for the civilian deaths, the report said. It contained only mild criticism of the B-1 bomber crew involved, however, and the nation's top military official has already said there is no reason to punish any U.S. personnel. The report contains no surprises _ U.S. officials had already given rough estimates of the number of deaths _ but provides a vivid narrative of a firefight that also killed five Afghan national police officers. Two U.S. personnel and seven Afghan security officers were wounded. Local Afghan officials have said as many as 140 people were killed. The report recommends refining the current rules for operations with the potential to kill civilians and ensuring that training matches the rules. Other recommendations include improving the military's ability to get its side of the story in front of Afghans faster, something commanders say is frustratingly difficult. The U.S. should be "first with the truth," the report said. The report promised a follow-up in four months on how well new tactical rules are working. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told a Pentagon news conference Thursday that he has seen nothing in the investigation that would call for disciplinary action against the U.S. forces involved. Mullen added that the complex, seven-to-eight hour fight, which stretched from daylight to dark, revealed gaps in the chain-of-command and some training shortcomings that military leaders plan to address. Mullen said he is satisfied that U.S. forces involved in the battle were sufficiently sure of their targets and believed that civilians would not be injured when they fired. Gates has said the accidental killing of civilians in Afghanistan has become one of the military's greatest strategic problems in a war his commanders have called a stalemate at best. Gates has also said the thousands of new U.S. troops deploying in Afghanistan can lessen the reliance on airstrikes, which are responsible for most of the civilian deaths at U.S. hands. He has assigned his new general running the Afghan war to find new ways to reduce the number of deaths. ___ On the Net: Copy of report: http://tinyurl.com/kl7d67 More on Afghanistan
 
McClatchy: In Stark Legal Turnaround, Obama Now Resembles Bush Top
President Barack Obama is morphing into George W. Bush, as administration attorneys repeatedly adopt the executive-authority and national-security rationales that their Republican predecessors preferred. More on Barack Obama
 
U.K. Police Launching Criminal Investigation Into Politicians' Expense Claims Top
London police started a criminal investigation into the possible misuse of Parliament's program to reimburse members for living expenses, adding a potential criminal element to a scandal that has already cut short several political careers.
 
Number Of Bank Failures In 2009 Hits 40 Top
Regional banks in North Carolina, Kansas and Georgia were closed by state regulators Friday, bringing the total number of failed banks this year to 40, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said.
 
Some Gitmo Detainees Resisting Move To Palau Top
The Obama administration's drive to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has hit a new snag: At least some of the 13 detainees accepted for resettlement by the island nation of Palau don't want to go there. More on Guantánamo Bay
 
Lisa Earle McLeod: Please Quit Drooling Over My Daughter Top
It's a middle-aged rite-of-passage. It's the moment you become invisible. It's when you realize that people (people of the opposite sex, that is) are no longer looking at you; they're looking through you. And it's even more depressing if they're gawking at your teenage daughter. For me, it happened at the mall. My then 14-year-old daughter and I were shopping, and I was in my usual mom wardrobe of exercise clothes and tennis shoes. But instead of baggy sweats, I actually had on black pants, with a matching jacket, and an unstained T-shirt, that was even a V-neck no less. My better-than-usual attire is why I assumed that the pair of 30-something men were so taken with my beauty that they did a double-take as I walked by. It hadn't happened in a while, but what with my matching jacket and pants and all - did I mention they were black velour? And the fact that I had put on mascara; it was nice to know that - even though I'm married and not trolling for men - I was still good looking enough to attract a second look. That's when I realized they were staring at my daughter. It was gross and awful on oh-so-many levels. My first reaction was maternal. What were these guys thinking? I was tempted to run up and poke out their eyes. These guys had to be at least 30, maybe even 35, and they were gawking at a 14-year-old! It was then that I turned and saw my daughter with eyes anew. Somehow, when I wasn't looking, the beautiful blond little cherub child whose hand it seemed like I had only recently stopped holding had turned into a beautiful young woman. A young woman whose self-assurance belied her junior high status and who, although oblivious to the stares, was clearly going to be getting them for many years to come. It wasn't until we got to the car that I fully processed what had happened. I was no longer the cute one. I was the matronly, invisible mother, and all the matching sweat suits in the world wouldn't turn me back into a skinny head-turning stunner. My daughter is 16 now, and I've become quite used to the gawking, although if the droolers look over 20, I consider it my motherly duty to give them an evil glare. However, it's also my motherly duty to show my daughter that, while male heads may not whip around the moment I walk into a room, I'm still happy with the way I look. I may not have her washboard abs or long blond hair. But looking great at 45 is different than great at 16, just as looking great at 60 or 70 will be different than 45. And just because most men aren't as immediately biologically drawn to older beauty, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. It's odd and a bit unsettling to see your sweet daughter reflected in the eyes of men. Just as it's odd to realize that the world now looks at you in a different way. However just as the drooling men can't possibly comprehend my daughter's most beautiful qualities, they don't see mine either. Because as my husband and her father will tell you, truly beautiful women are never invisible to the people who love them, no matter what their age. Lisa Earle McLeod is an author, syndicated columnist, keynote speaker and business consultant. More info: www.LisaEarleMcLeod.com
 
Arlene M. Roberts: Cricket in Canarsie Top
Cricket is enjoying a resurgence on these shores. From Canarsie to Miami, Los Angeles to Atlanta, membership in leagues is rapidly expanding due to the influx of immigrants from the Caribbean, India and Pakistan. Canarsie Park in Brooklyn now has bragging rights to a regulation-sized cricket pitch thanks in large part to a renovation project funded by Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilmember Lewis Fidler. Last Saturday, anyone attending the 2009 Mayor's Cricket Cup Tournament finals could walk away with the feeling that they just took part in a mini-United Nations event. Over seventy-five flags dotted the perimeter of the field, each flag representing a country where cricket is either the national pastime or enjoys a certain degree of prominence as a sport - from the Caribbean to Asia and Africa. At the tournament finals on Saturday, the borough of Manhattan challenged the borough of Queens for the championship title, with Manhattan emerging victorious. Coverage of the match was streamed live by New York Cricket . Cricket in New York is not a new phenomenon. As far back as 1751, the New York Gazette and the Weekly Post Boy reported an account of a match between a London 'eleven' and one from New York City. And in 1786, the New York Independent Journal ran an ad for cricket equipment. By the early 1900s, however, interest in cricket had tapered off. Now let's fast-forward to June 2009. In his introductory remarks last Saturday, NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe pointed out that there are approximately 4,000 adults in the league, 23 teams in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), 8 youth teams, a women's league and 200 adult teams. But now cricket is enjoying a comeback in New York. ( Photo Credits: Bob Rieves )
 

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