Wednesday, June 10, 2009

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Clarcon Skin Products Warning: FDA Warns Consumers Not To Use Top
The FDA has warned consumers not to use Clarcon skin products. From the release : Risk of bacterial contamination has led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to warn consumers to not use any products made by Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. The Roy, Utah, firm voluntarily recalled some skin sanitizers and skin protectants sold under a variety of brand names after a recent FDA inspection found that the products contained high levels of disease-causing bacteria. What products are consumers being warned not to use? Consumers should not use any Clarcon products. Examples of these products include • Citrushield Lotion • Dermasentials DermaBarrier • Dermassentials by Clarcon Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer • Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment • Skin Shield Restaurant • Skin Shield Industrial • Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion • Total Skin Care Beauty • Total Skin Care Work What should consumers do with these products if the have them? Stop using them immediately and throw them away in household refuse.
 
Chris Weigant: My Third Anniversary Blogging Top
This column apparently shares a birthday with none other than Donald Duck, who turned 75 years old yesterday. Who knew? Yes, my column turned three years old yesterday, since my first foray into blogging happened on Huffington Post on June 9, 2006 . Since I don't follow horoscopes, I have no idea what the metaphysical significance is of this column sharing the date with a duck who doesn't wear pants, so I will leave that for wiser minds to decide. Because it's time for an annual feed-the-ego column (actually, I wrote about my first anniversary , but the second seems to have slipped my mind last year...). If a column full of patting myself on the back with links to my other columns doesn't appeal to you, then I would advise you to stop reading right now. Fair warning! One year ago, Hillary Clinton had just been finally defeated numerically for the Democratic nomination for president. There was a lot of bad feeling in the air over this, and Democrats everywhere were wondering how many "PUMAs" (for "Party Unity, My Ass!") there really were, and what they would mean to the Democrats' chances in the fall. This led me to rewrite the labor anthem "Which Side Are You On?" for the occasion. As it turned out, by the time of the convention, the PUMAs were an endangered (if not extinct) species, and the convention was a shining display of unity behind Barack Obama. Much to the dismay of the media, who were really hoping for some fireworks on the floor (which has indeed happened before, but it's been a while). This past year has been an interesting one to blog, I have to admit. From Mrs. Chris Weigant guest-blogging on "Why I Decided To Become An American" to hitting 2,500 Diggs ( "End The Media's Pro-McCain Bias Now!" ) to our (sometimes) resident ChrisWeigant.com cartoonist C.W. Cunningham being honored by the Jefferson Center for Protection of Free Expression, it's been quite a year. I got the chance to interview Al Franken , and may (if he ever gets seated in the Senate) be able to line up a second interview, so that's something to look forward to. Of course, I've had to pay attention to Republicans during the year, so it hasn't all been roses. My favorite quote from a Republican all year: "[The Republican Party is a] dead, rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of Weekend at Bernie's, handcuffed to a corpse." This has also meant dealing with Republicans who badmouth you, dear reader, which I wrote about in "Oh, The Humanity! Godless Huffington Post Commenters Wickedly Destroying Conservatism." Of course, the election was the biggest story of this time period, and led to thinking the unthinkable (a 269-269 tie in the Electoral College), as well as things that used to be unthinkable (a 60-seat majority in the Senate), which is now within reach (as soon as Al Franken is seated). But the biggest election story was the presidential race, of course. I did a series of articles (which began rather modestly , and then added charts , and tracked Obama's chances from low point to landslide ) on the electoral math and polling, which ended with a final column just before the election. Watching Obama's acceptance speech at the convention was probably the high point of the whole time period. The guest column I ran during the election ( "Why Obama's Election Should Be Considered Historic" ) was probably the best one I've ever run, which was also a high point. Of course, there was McCain and Palin on the other side, who provided lots of material -- from telling the media to ask McCain how many houses he had (weeks before they actually did ) to telling Sarah Palin she was full of moose poop . I did, at one point, feel so sorry for Palin that I wrote a column titled "In Defense Of Sarah Palin" because I thought everyone wasn't even giving what she said an honest assessment. But in general, Palin was the gift that kept on giving (in terms of column material, at any rate). While I tried to be funny at times (like Hallowe'en ), I was so impressed with professional funnyman Craig Ferguson's rant "If you don't vote, you're a moron" that I had to transcribe the whole thing for posterity. The most memorable event of the year, however, was Inauguration Day, which I traveled to Washington to personally witness (and, of course, blog about ). I will forever be proud to say "I was there" whenever Obama's historic swearing-in is spoken of. I began commenting about Obama's term with a lesson I had learned during the campaign -- "Barack Obama Is Smarter Than Us" -- and a warning that Obama was going to, at some point, enrage the left . Since he's been in office, I've started another series "Obama Poll Watch" which will -- soon after the first of every month -- plot his approval numbers for his term in office. It's not as exciting as the Electoral Math series, but it's still fun to create lots of graphs for people. There were two recent columns which I thought deserved more attention (which is why I'm closing on this note) -- the concept of a "National Security Blanket," and a court decision on anonymous political emails ( "Anonymity Of 'Obama Is A Muslim' Emails Constitutionally Protected?" ). So, looking ahead to another interesting year, the big fight (at least at the beginning) is going to be countering the Frank Luntz Republican playbook on healthcare reform, which should take up a lot of time in the next few months. And taking one final look back, the most amusing contest I ran was a photo caption for a classic shot of President Bush preparing to spank a female beach volleyball player at the Olympics (which I picked winners for later ). All in all, it's been a good third year, and it's looking like my fourth year blogging will certainly be interesting (if perhaps not as exciting as a presidential election year), as we continue to watch Democrats attempt to govern, now that they've run the tables in two branches of our federal government. To my readers (both the faithful and the occasional), thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, and thanks (as always) for getting to the end of yet another lengthy post. I couldn't have done it without you.   Chris Weigant blogs at: ChrisWeigant.com  
 
Pelosi, Cantor, Top Congressmen Invested In Bailed-Out Firms Top
Top House lawmakers had considerable holdings in major financial institutions that took billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts at the end of last year, according to annual financial disclosure reports released yesterday. More on Nancy Pelosi
 
Stephen C. Rose: The Problem With The GM Gamble Top
By Stephen C. Rose The problem with the GM Gamble is not that the government is involved. There is every indication that government involvement is not that bad. Medicare and the notion of public guarantees of medical care are not noxious. And the President has, in the case of GM, said he will leave the nuts and bolts up to those who know about business. I know that is a weak assurance but it shows that in the Obama world, government involvement is not going to be the problem. The problem is the car. There are times when I think Obama is playing a game which is utterly necessary, given the obtuseness of our media and the knee-jerk capacity of the populace to take umbrage if an idol comes close to toppling. The game is not the change Obama will bring. It is the change that is coming willy nilly that no one wants to see. Take the current "recession" which is really a readjustment and a signal to the market. What few want to see is that the readjustment is in the direction of the public over the private, the reclamation of public space over private space, the creation of public options over private ones. We are being thrown together whether we like it or not. What Obama cannot say, though he has in fact talked all around it, is that we will no longer be a privatized commuter society where driving a private car and living in a detached house is the norm. What Obama cannot say, though it is implicit, is that the design of our schools, of our hospitals, of our human settlements is a problem, because it is all predicated on the car and cars are going to be less and less the norm. What will become the norm is seamless transit within communities and new modes of transit between them. Michael Moore has a good piece from which I will draw the salient statements with which I profoundly agree: 3. Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years. Japan is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its first bullet train this year. Now they have dozens of them. Average speed: 165 mph. Average time a train is late: under 30 seconds. They have had these high speed trains for nearly five decades -- and we don't even have one! The fact that the technology already exists for us to go from New York to L.A. in 17 hours by train, and that we haven't used it, is criminal. Let's hire the unemployed to build the new high speed lines all over the country. Chicago to Detroit in less than two hours. Miami to DC in under 7 hours. Denver to Dallas in five and a half. This can be done and done now. 4. Initiate a program to put light rail mass transit lines in all our large and medium-sized cities. Build those trains in the GM factories. And hire local people everywhere to install and run this system. 5. For people in rural areas not served by the train lines, have the GM plants produce energy efficient clean buses. 6. For the time being, have some factories build hybrid or all-electric cars (and batteries). It will take a few years for people to get used to the new ways to transport ourselves, so if we're going to have automobiles, let's have kinder, gentler ones. We can be building these next month (do not believe anyone who tells you it will take years to retool the factories -- that simply isn't true). 7. Transform some of the empty GM factories to facilities that build windmills, solar panels and other means of alternate forms of energy. We need tens of millions of solar panels right now. And there is an eager and skilled workforce who can build them. 8. Provide tax incentives for those who travel by hybrid car or bus or train. Also, credits for those who convert their home to alternative energy. READ THE WHOLE MICHAEL MOORE GM PIECE The car was and remains the central chip in the game. Cheney and Company cannot see beyond a world where Oil and The Car are objects of worship and cause for war. The American people are not ready yet to be told that the private car is the idol that needs to be shattered. Obama is left with the need to temporize. And I suppose the real question is whether he sees the new road beyond the spaghetti bowl world of today. I believe the answer has to be yes, because it remains true that we are at the beginning of a new stage where the world is creating a new option for living. The nation that understands that will prosper. The nation that believes the answer lies in selling enough private cars to turn a profit is whistling in the wind. More on Moving America
 
Fiat-Led Chrysler: List Of Products Planned Top
New products from Chrysler in 2010: _ Redesigned, lighter and more fuel-efficient Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle. _ Reworked Chrysler 300C large sedan, which had been a top seller for the company until it was caught and passed by newer vehicles from other automakers. Has a sleeker look, more luxurious interior. _ New Dodge Durango full-size SUV to be made on the same platform as the new Grand Cherokee. _ New rechargeable electric vehicle _ either a minivan, a sports car or one of two Jeep models _ that can go 40 miles on electricity before being recharged. It will have a small conventional engine to generate electricity and keep it running past 40 miles. Fiat SpA products likely to be sold in the United States: _ The Fiat 500, an iconic European minicar, to be built in the U.S. starting in late 2010. _ Fiat-designed compact and midsize cars, including hatchbacks. No time frame specified. _ Relaunch of the sporty Alfa Romeo brand in North America. The new Alfa 149 midsize five-door hatchback, to be unveiled next year, would be built in North America. _ Fiat engines and transmissions for a variety of Chrysler applications, including small gasoline, diesel, natural gas and ethanol engines. No time frame specified.
 
Gregory Weinkauf: Having a Ball for Amnesty... Top
"I saw The Secret Policeman's Ball and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed..." - Bono "I think everyone is in for a grave disappointment." - John Cleese This June marks the 30th anniversary of the Secret Policeman's Ball series - the pioneering benefit shows instigated by Monty Python's John Cleese to aid the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Amnesty International. The first show took place in London in June 1979, and it triggered a series of benefit events starring top comedians and rock musicians, that have been presented internationally over the past three decades. The series has also been credited with galvanizing entertainers to use their talents and influence to raise funds and consciousness for human rights and other social and political causes - and helped inspire 1985's Live Aid. Artists who cite the series as the starting point for their social activism include Bono, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Bob Geldof . The solo performances by musicians such as Pete Townshend, Sting and Phil Collins also inspired the "Unplugged " phenomenon. Entertainers who have performed in support of Amnesty over the past 30 years include: Comedic performers such as: John Cleese • Michael Palin • Terry Jones • Terry Gilliam • Graham Chapman (of Monty Python) • Peter Cook & Dudley Moore • Rowan Atkinson • Billy Connolly • Eddie Izzard • Hugh Laurie • Stephen Fry • Jennifer Saunders ("Absolutely Fabulous") • Neil Innes (Python associate and The Rutles) • Russell Brand • Graham Norton • Steve Coogan ("Night At The Museum") • Richard E. Grant • Alan Rickman • Jimmy Fallon • Chevy Chase • Sarah Silverman • Spinal Tap Musicians such as: The Police • U2 • Bruce Springsteen • Peter Gabriel • Sting • Pete Townshend • Eric Clapton • Jimmy Page • Jeff Beck • David Gilmour • Bono • Robert Plant • Phil Collins • Kate Bush • Jackson Browne • Joni Mitchell • Carlos Santana • Radiohead • Lou Reed • Sinead O'Connor • Bryan Adams • Bob Geldof • Steven Van Zandt • Donovan • Mark Knopfler • Dave Stewart • Joan Armatrading • Duran Duran • Tracy Chapman • Morrissey • Alanis Morissette • Yoko Ono • Seal • Joan Baez • Miles Davis The anniversary is being celebrated this summer with The Secret Policeman's Film Festival - a major 5-week film festival in both Los Angeles and New York - presented at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center (NY) , Grauman's Egyptian Theatre (L.A.) and The Paley Center for Media in both Manhattan and Beverly Hills. Huffington Post will be saluting Amnesty International and this significant anniversary with some special content relating to the film festival and the anniversary: • Special new video messages from Sting • Michael Palin and Neil Innes (of Monty Python fame) • Peter Gabriel • The ultra-rare controversial TV spot and the notorious theatrical trailer by Monty Python's Graham Chapman that spoofed the Moral Majority (sic) and launched the Secret Policeman's Ball in the USA. (The TV spot was banned by every US TV network in 1982!) The World Premiere of Triumph Of The Ball - a new short film that presents the highlights of three decades of great performances for Amnesty International. • Exclusive reports on the film festival in both Los Angeles and New York • Exclusive blogs from key supporters of Amnesty International and from Secret Policeman's Ball series co-creator/producer Martin Lewis who is curating and producing the film festival for Amnesty. On a personal note I am planning to attend and blog about the first 10 days of the festival in Los Angeles -- and then jet across the country to New York to cover the first week there. So check back for my reports on the festival! Official Festival Website Click on the icon to see video clips from the Balls
 
How To Help Automakers: Get Rid Of The Gibberish Car Names Top
WASHINGTON -- What exactly is a Cadillac DTS or a CTS and how is a Mercedes CLK different from an SLK? More on Auto Bailout
 
Bob Cesca: The Health Insurance Mafia Deserves a Good Screwing Top
Not so long ago, I lost my health insurance. The coverage was provided through my small business, that is until the carrier (rhymes with Screw Costs ) decided to triple the monthly premium completely at random, leaving me with a common ultimatum: either cancel the plan or spend myself out of business. So I canceled the plan. Good timing, considering that while riding my bike last year I was hit by a car and, upon being hurled to the street, I fractured my T10 vertebra. (My auto insurance covered my medical expenses free and clear, and I'm gratefully back to riding 80 or so miles a week.) Coupled with my wife's back surgery from the middle 1990s, though, there are currently two fairly serious preexisting conditions on our family medical records, and so now whenever I shop for health insurance, I'm either turned down or quoted a premium that amounts to a request for voluntary financial rape. There are an array of other craptastical tricks and awfulness dished out by the insurers, but those are the most common walls I run into. My only other option is to abandon my career and take a job that provides health insurance. As happy as that might make some comment trolls, I'm not in a position to do that either. But even if I did, there aren't any guarantees that the insurer wouldn't deny coverage that I paid for, along with a mélange of various other screwings the health insurance industry routinely gets away with. This story isn't unusual, unfortunately, though I doubt other stories too often involve ricocheting off of a moving vehicle onto hard pavement with nothing but a helmet and garish road cycling regalia to break the fall. So needless to say, I'm anxiously anticipating the public health insurance option -- as long as it's not crapped up with triggers or trap doors . Actually, "anticipating" doesn't suffice to define my mood right now. I need it. My family needs it. Because the private health insurance companies have essentially told me that either they want all of my money, or nothing. And if I were to acquiesce to their thievery, I could once again count on premiums randomly being jacked up and, as so many Americans have experienced, coverage being outright denied, all for the sake of profit margins, stock quotes and obscene executive salaries. A government healthcare plan, on the other hand, would be specifically tailored for stories like mine, and it's my only real chance of having health insurance anytime soon. In addition to putting the "insurance" back into "health insurance," the public plan would force the private insurers to figure out how to compete -- or face bankruptcy. How excellent would that be for a change? The health insurance companies under financial pressure brought on by a competitive entity that we own . Honestly, I hope they choke on it. I can think of no other American industry that more closely resembles a criminal shakedown of the public than the health insurers. Even calling it "insurance" is a sick joke. Insurance implies a guarantee, and no matter what we pay, there are never any guarantees . I propose replacing the word "insurance" with the word "maybe?" -- including the question mark -- as in "health maybe?" Maybe they'll pay when we get sick. Maybe they won't randomly hike our monthly premium by 30 percent. Maybe they'll cover our preexisting conditions without gouging us -- that is if they agree to cover us at all. Maybe they won't let our family members die after refusing coverage. The entire business model of the health insurance industry is based around a basic truth: people have a natural will to live, and in many cases we'll go broke paying someone to prevent death. The cost of healthcare is so expensive -- in some cases conspiratorial by design -- that we need these other companies to step in and help us pay for it. That's the whole scam. Pay or die. Consequently, the basic animalistic fear of pain and death coerces us to keep paying whatever we have to pay, and allows the health insurance companies total latitude to get away with their criminal enterprise. (It's a similar fear that keeps us hooked on a cocktail of prescription drugs even though the freakish excretory side effects are often worse than the ailments themselves.) The public option is an escape hatch. A light in the tunnel. It's actual insurance and not some sort of twisted form of legalized Mafioso extortion. The Republicans along with the several cowardly Democrats who oppose the public option, in addition to mostly being bought off by the dons who run the industry, are actually preventing competition when they otherwise claim to embrace it. They're preventing you from having a fair choice in this thing. Competition is what capitalism is all about, yes? The spirit of competition mandates that the marketplace -- you and I -- have the flexibility to move towards the path of least resistance, thus competition is generated, prices are controlled, service improves and the companies that can't compete are killed off. If we don't like one form of crap on a stick, we can stop buying it in lieu of better, cheaper crap on a stick. Choice drives competition and competition drives the economy, right? As it stands now, there are no choices so there's no real competition. If we opt to bail on our insurance company because we think they're being unfair or generally screwing us, there are no guarantees the next place will be better or cheaper, or that they'll even have us. And what if we developed an injury or illness on the previous policy? So our tendency is to stay put or, like me, roll the dice. We're very literally trapped and we have no leverage. We're effed coming and going. We're in a compromised, boxed-in, no win situation and the health insurance companies, along with the politicians they're buying off, know it. So they're exploiting our captivity (and our basic will to live) for profit and political gain. Tell me again how this is an industry that needs to be defended and protected. Tell me how this isn't organized crime. Ultimately, the public healthcare option has the potential to end the systematic screwing. It'll force la cosa nostra to compete -- to become more efficient and less criminally coercive. If they can't or if they refuse, then too goddamn bad. Or maybe they'll actually do the right thing and become better than the public option and everyone will want to buy in. Yeah, that last thing won't happen. After all, there are obscene CEO paychecks to support. * Ron Williams - Aetna - Total Compensation: $24,300,112. * H. Edward Hanway - CIGNA - Total Compensation: $12,236,740. * Angela Braly - WellPoint - Total Compensation: $9,844,212. * Dale Wolf - Coventry Health Care - Total Compensation: $9,047,469. * Michael Neidorff - Centene - Total Compensation: $8,774,483. * James Carlson - AMERIGROUP - Total Compensation: $5,292,546. * Michael McCallister - Humana - Total Compensation: $4,764,309. * Jay Gellert - Health Net - Total Compensation: $4,425,355. * Richard Barasch - Universal American - Total Compensation: $3,503,702. * Stephen Hemsley - UnitedHealth Group - Total Compensation: $3,241,042. These people are, of course, compensated based upon the potential profits they're able to generate for their respective shareholders. And those profits are generated both by charging ever-increasing premiums and by refusing to pay out. Put another way: screwing you. And, by the way, while they're screwing you they're locked into the recession-proof tobacco industry -- investing $4.5 billion dollars in a product that's been proven to kill you. Seriously. Good people. The health insurance companies and their guardians in Congress can't be allowed to win this one. The Obama administration is giving you and me -- our government, accountable to us -- a chance to compete with the health insurance crime families. We have to draw the line here. There can be no capitulation or compromise on public health insurance. More than any other issue on the table right now, this is about our lives and, in a very serious way, our human dignity. And at no other time in recent history have we had a similar such opportunity for victory in a system that is transparently designed to otherwise screw us. Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! Go!
 
Swine Flu Pandemic Is Closer, Says WHO Top
The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday as the H1N1 swine flu virus continues to spread around the globe, increasing the likelihood a pandemic will be declared. More on Swine Flu
 
Jessica Alba Vandalism? Oklahoma City Police Probe Photos Of Her Defacing Property Top
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jessica Alba ... a vandal? Photos have surfaced that appear to show her defacing Oklahoma City property with posters of a great white shark, and police are investigating. Police discovered the posters _ aimed at raising awareness about the species' declining numbers _ glued to a downtown bridge and elsewhere, including a billboard displaying a United Way advertisement. Police Sgt. Gary Knight said Wednesday that investigators have not interviewed Alba, who co-starred in the "Fantastic Four" movies as well as "Sin City" and "Good Luck Chuck." She's in Oklahoma filming "The Killer Inside Me," which co-stars Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson. (A 1976 adaptation of the Jim Thompson novel starred Stacy Keach.) Telephone messages left with Alba's lawyer and publicist were not returned Wednesday, but the 28-year-old actress released a statement to apologize. "I got involved in something I should have had no part of," Alba said. "I realize that I should have used better judgment, and I regret not thinking things through before I made a spontaneous and ill-advised decision to let myself get involved with the people behind this campaign. I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Oklahoma City and to the United Way for my involvement in this incident." Photos that apparently show Alba gluing posters and posing before the defaced billboard were posted to the site of blogger White Mike, but later removed. According to the site, the posters are designed to raise awareness of the dwindling population of great white sharks. A statement posted to the site Wednesday read: "International pressure is the only way to do it and that starts in Oklahoma, the heartland of America." An official with the city's Parks and Recreation Department reported the incident to police Monday after spotting the posters and the photos on the Internet. Alba's name is redacted from the police report because she has not been arrested or charged with any crime, Knight said. United Way of Central Oklahoma President Bob Spinks said Wednesday the group accepts Alba's apology. "Just as she is passionate about her cause, we are passionate about serving the people of central Oklahoma," Spinks said. "The interesting thing about this is with our fundraising campaign kicking off today, it's been sort of a funny thing that this has happened at this particular point. "This is probably the best unearned media we've had in a long time." Under Oklahoma law, maliciously defacing property can be a felony punishable by prison time if the value of the damage exceeds $1,000 or more. Estimates of the damage are between $500 and $700, said Kristy Yager, a spokeswoman for the city.
 
Stu Kreisman: Fox Makes A Funny About The Shooting Top
The Rupert Murdoch owned New York Post Internet headline regarding the horrible shooting at the Holocaust Museum is " Nightmare At The Museum ," a clever reference to the recent movie " Night At The Museum " Wonder why the editors went with that headline? Well surprise! Rupert Murdoch owned 20th Century Fox distributed the movie. Glad to see Murdoch and his cronies at the Post will use any type of tragedy to promote corporate synergy to make more money. Hope their shareholders are proud.
 
Ariane de Bonvoisin: Choices Top
It was my birthday a few days ago, always a time when I take a moment to think about the year. We're nearly halfway through this one already. For those of you who've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a big fan of picking a word for the year, more so than making resolutions. My word last year was to say "Yes. Yes to anything," things that I thought I wouldn't enjoy--last-minute invitations, things that scared me, you get the picture--and I was stretched way out of my comfort zone. But, to me, that's a great thing. So this year, my word was "Allow. Allow things to happen more than make them happen." Push, strive, control, act. I've done a lot of that and it's served me well. But I also see the power of allowing myself to receive, to sit back and open up to what life is trying to give me. Then my birthday rolled around a few days ago and I really wanted to have another word as my focus for the second half of this year. "Choice." I am so incredibly present to the fact that we really do get to choose so much of what we live through. We choose to stay in a relationship, or a job that no longer serves us. We choose to continue to be overweight. We really believe there is no choice, no alternative to what we're doing at the moment. It's just not possible to do anything else! We are in jail, trapped! We choose to live in places we dislike. We choose to continue eating badly. We choose to lie. We choose to be busy, busy, busy. We choose not to go to the gym. We choose to watch TV. I keep reminding myself that we can choose joy. We can choose to let go of our excuses. We can choose to stop telling everyone the story of why something has or hasn't happened. (It's family, genetics, the economy.) We can choose not to check email for a few hours. We can choose very different ways of living. We can choose to take a day off. Yes, society will impose its structures, its beliefs, tell you that you are not really free. Even the Buddha picked up from a perfect life of luxury, being a prince, married with a child and left to go contemplate life. Alone. Poor. This concept of really being free to choose is very hard to grasp when so much of our lives seem planned, organized, structured. Yes you can leave a job. Yes you can go back to school. Yes you can write a book. Yes you can leave a loveless marriage even when you have kids. Our lives are determined by the choices we make. We all know people who are born with life working against them yet they make choices to have an extraordinary life. Most of us have bought into why we cannot be, do or have something. It's time for us really to look at those reasons. Many of us will say, "ah but what about the money?" True, it's easy for folks to make serious choices when they have money. Most regrets and failures in life have nothing to do with money. Ask anyone who regrets something. They regret not getting divorced. They regret not going back to school. They regret not traveling. They regret not pursuing their dream. They regret not living somewhere else. They regret not telling someone they loved him/her. You can choose to have your reasons or you can choose to have the life that deep down you are longing for. Big choices, for instance, often start with smaller ones. Start being conscious of all the opportunities you have to make a choice. Here are a few basic choices most of us face each day: * what should I have for breakfast? * what should I say to myself when I look in the mirror? * what should I wear? * am I being kind or rude? * am I going to go to the gym? * am I smiling or not? * should I take this phone call? * should I take the elevator or the stairs? People are happier because day by day they make better choices with what life gives them. For the next 24 hours, simply notice all the choices you get to make!
 
Ariane de Bonvoisin: Tips for Recent Graduates on Finding a Job Now! Top
As a Change Expert, I'd like to offer some advice to graduates on the First 30 Days After Graduating in a No-Job Environment. 1) You don't need to figure out your entire career Begin by starting with something you want to do. Most 40/50 year olds still haven't figured out what they want to do with their lives. Chunk it down. Is there a part-time job you want to do for the next month or two? What would you be happy doing for the next year? That's all. Then see what happens. Get out from the pressure of figuring out your life's work. You cannot possibly know yet. 2) Go for what you love You are the "Do Something You Love Generation." This generation is much more motivated that the previous one to follow their passions. But then parents get in the way. Or fears. Or the news. Or friends who have gone on to do something that's safe. Do the inner work to get honest with yourself, listen to your gut, and ask -- what do you really want to spend your time doing? When there are fewer jobs, you learn to get incredibly focused. Become immune to what others want you to do or what anyone else thinks is right for you. Apply for jobs that speak to your heart and your passion instead of applying for everything and anything that is out there. 3) The original will inherit the jobs Do things no one else is doing. Don't just apply for the same jobs, go to the same job fairs or search the same sites online. Think about the companies, products, services you love. Even if they are no obvious jobs being offered, get resourceful. Find out the right person to mail. Tell them you love the company, what they stand for, their goals. Tell them why. Do your homework. Work hard. Make it personal. Get your personality on paper. Make it funny. Make it something they've never read before. Make it easy for them to meet you. 4) Take a "news fast" Trends, general opinions, and the news are not on your side. Read other types of news, sites and magazines. Refrain from agreeing with everyone on how bad it is out there. You get to choose what you listen to and what you let into your brain. Optimists choose to look at what's possible, the progress they're making, how something good will happen. Act as if no one had told you how bad it was out there. And don't use the news/statistics as your excuse to fall back on. 5) Flex your "change muscle" The most important life skill you can learn right now that can help you land your dream job is to be cool with change and uncertainty. The quality of your life is directly proportionate to the amount of uncertainty you can be comfortable with. Don't cling to answers, being in control, knowing what's next or how its going to turn out. Get flexible. Let things unfold. Be okay if you thought you were going to get a job and then didn't. Something good will come from any change. You are much stronger, more resilient, more intuitive than you've ever been told. The best of who you are comes out during times of transition. 6) Get Healthy Clean yourself up, literally! Get a makeover, get rid of any old clothes, cut your hair, cover up those tattoos, change those earrings and treat yourself to a new wardrobe. Working takes energy and endurance. A job search does, too. The more you take care of yourself, sleep, eat well, stay hydrated, exercise, the more energy you will have to dedicate to this post-graduation phase. Employers prefer to hire and also keep people who are healthy. When everything on the outside seems out of control, this area is under your control. Feeling discouraged, go to the gym, go for a run. You will always feel better about yourself. Get those emotions of fear, doubt, impatience moving out of your body. 7) Don't Eat the Marshmallow In a study at Stanford University conducted over 25 yrs ago, a class full of 5 year olds were given a marshmallow and told not to eat it for five minutes and only then, would they be given a second marshmallow. The teacher then left and observed the class. 90% of the kids ate the marshmallow. The kids were then followed for the next 25years. Those who were able to delay the instant gratification and wait, were off the charts and more successful in every area of their life. What's the lesson? Good things come to those who wait. Many students graduate and feel such pressure to be the next Steve Jobs, the next Anderson Cooper or a superstar designer. It's fine if it takes you a little while to find the job you want. We all overestimate how quickly things are going to happen in a month or so and often give up or settle. And we all underestimate how different our lives can be in six-to-nine months. Give yourself a longer runway. If you only do one only one thing to help yourself during this period of uncertainty, let it be to shift your beliefs! The job market is only as bad as you choose to believe it is. There will always be jobs. There will always be opportunities to help, to try to build your own company. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Think abundance, not scarcity! And until you do find that perfect job of your dreams, find an hour or two to contribute or volunteer. Your character is what's most important. "Giving back" has you meeting people, feeling useful, realizing someone needs you and your skills. Offer to help people. "Is there anything small I can help you with?" The world has a funny way of helping those who help others. Ask how you can be serve and you just might find the world looking to serve you too! Ariane is the founder/CEO of www.first30days.com, a company that helps people through all types of life changes. She is also the author of the book, The First 30 Days; Your Guide to Making any Change Easier (HarperCollins) just released in paperback. More tips for graduates are available on her blog at www.first30days.com/ariane
 
MTV's 'Real World' Going To D.C. Top
LOS ANGELES — MTV is electing Washington as the next location for "The Real World." The cable network announced Wednesday that the 23rd season of the reality series would begin production in the nation's capital later this summer and premiere in 2010. Previous editions have focused on young strangers living together in front of cameras in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, London, Las Vegas, Paris and Austin, Texas. Tony DiSanto, MTV's president of programming, said the network is "thrilled to be filming our classic franchise in the heart of where history is being made." The Cancun-set 22nd season of "The Real World" premieres June 24.
 
Chocolate Bunny Feud Heads To Europe's High Court Top
This morning in Luxembourg, five crimson-robed and white-scarved judges of the European Union's highest court will issue a ruling on this most gnawing question: Can you trademark a chocolate bunny?
 
Norm Coleman Ordered To Pay Al Franken $95K By Minnesota Court Top
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican Norm Coleman must pay Democrat Al Franken $94,783 to cover court costs for his appeal of Minnesota Senate election results. A Ramsey County court administrator entered the judgment Wednesday. It results from the two-month trial that ended with Coleman 312 votes short of Franken. Minnesota law required Coleman to cover some of Franken's court costs because the race's outcome didn't change. The judgment excludes Franken's attorney fees. The men have spent $50 million so far on their campaigns and legal fight over the November election. That's more than double the cost of the 2002 race when Coleman captured what had been a Democratic seat. The Minnesota Supreme Court hasn't said when it will rule on Coleman's appeal. More on Al Franken
 
CTA Tattler Turns Five Top
Today marks the fifth anniversary of CTA Tattler.
 
Egypt Praises Obama As Welcome Change From Bush Top
CAIRO — Egypt's president praised President Barack Obama on Wednesday, saying his outreach to the Muslim world is a welcome change from the policies of his predecessor. President Hosni Mubarak's comments were his first since Obama delivered a speech last week in Cairo aimed at improving relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world that were strained under former President George W. Bush. "In the previous administration, there was a feeling that Islam is a group of terrorists, Islam is hated and a Muslim should be watched over," said Mubarak in an interview with Egyptian television in the southern city of Aswan. Obama "sympathizes and says Islam is a heavenly religion like other religions," he said. The relationship between Egypt and the U.S. during Bush's time in office was often strained because of the administration's push for democracy in the region. Obama stressed the benefits of democracy in his speech but said it could not be imposed by any one nation. Obama also pushed for Israelis and Palestinians to work toward a peace deal based on a two-state solution, an effort Mubarak urged everyone in the region to support. "Obama understands the issue and will do his best," said Mubarak. "We must help him and the Israelis must help too." Obama has pushed Israel to commit to the creation of a Palestinian state and stop settlement construction in the West Bank, taking what many have described as a harder line than his predecessors. But Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has refused to agree to either demand. "President Obama is someone who differs from the other presidents of the United States," said Mubarak.
 
Trial Begins In Sex-Games Slaying Of French Banker Top
GENEVA — A woman charged with the murder of one of France's richest men during sex games begged his family's forgiveness Wednesday at the start of her trial in Switzerland. Banker Edouard Stern was killed in 2005, his body found in his penthouse apartment in Geneva, clad in a latex suit and shot four times, authorities said. His mistress Cecile Brossard, 40, was arrested two weeks later and confessed, according to Prosecutor Daniel Zappelli. Brossard told Geneva's Court of Assizes that she was sorry. "I would like to ask forgiveness from Mrs. Stern and her children," Brossard told a courtroom packed with 100 spectators, including dozens of reporters. "I know that it is offensive because you cannot pardon something this horrible. My heart is full of remorse." The woman had not yet testified on the circumstances of the killing, but her lawyer Alec Reymond said it was a crime of passion, which is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. The prosecution said it was murder, punishable by 20 years in prison. Two of the children and Stern's ex-wife, who live in New York, are attending the trial. The court went into closed session to listen to their testimony. Stern and his wife divorced in 1999. Brossard said Stern, 50, promised her $1 million to help her become financially independent, Zappelli said. Stern then deposited the sum in a special account for her, but the two quarreled over control of the money. Brossard told the court, however, "It was not a question of money. It was a question of love." Zappelli said that when the couple met for the last time they had "games of a sexual nature, consisting of her dominating him." "Edouard Stern was sitting tied up on a chair in a submissive position," according to the prosecutor. A police inspector told the court that Brossard had confessed to becoming enraged when Stern told her during their sexual games, "One million for a whore, that's expensive." The prosecution says she then got one of Stern's guns and shot him once in the face, then in the chest and side. He fell to the floor, and she fired a fourth shot in the temple, killing him. Brossard has been in prison since 2005. Xavier Gillet, who was Brossard's companion and supported her financially, said Stern sometimes harassed her the whole day with phone calls and messages. Gillet, 21 years older than Brossard, said he didn't realize Brossard had an intimate relation with the banker. Brossard had told him she was Stern's "sexual secretary," Gillet told the court, indicating she put Stern in touch with call girls. Stern had a long background in investment banking, working for his family firm Banque Stern from the age of 22 and forcing his father out of the company two years later _ with the help of two uncles. He sold the family business in 1985, but stayed on as chairman until 1998. He also was once in line to succeed his father-in-law, Michel David-Weill, as head of the investment bank Lazard LLC, but left the company in 1997 after they argued. He then set up his own investment fund, Investments Real Returns SA. _____ Associated Press writer Nathalie Ogi contributed.
 
Iraq War General Under Bush Names His Horses "Shock" And "Awe" Top
I [am not] making up the fact that two of the prize stallions on the Franks stud farm are named "Shock" and "Awe."
 

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