Friday, September 18, 2009

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Former Elite Chicago Cops Headed To Jail After Admitting To Theft, Break-Ins Top
CHICAGO — Four former members of a now-disbanded Chicago police unit have admitted they used to barge into people's homes and steal money. Three of the four pleaded guilty Friday in Cook County court to felony theft and one pleaded guilty to felony official misconduct. All four were sentenced to six months in jail and promised to cooperate in an ongoing investigation. The four say they once withheld insulin from a diabetic man until he told them where his cash was stored. They say they used to stop Hispanics driving nice cars, take the keys and illegally search the motorists' homes. The elite unit was disbanded about two years ago amid allegations its members were involved in crimes, including home invasions, kidnapping and murder-for-hire.
 
Lauri Lyons: Women in Hip-Hop: The B-girl Be Festival Top
In the context of popular culture the history of Hip-Hop has been recited and mythologized many times over. Born in the 1970's South Bronx, from a foundation of Jamaican DJ techniques and verbal delivery, plus African-American soul music, Brazilian capoeira inspired breakdance moves, and Technicolor aerosol paint, grew the international cultural phenomena known as Hip-Hop culture. The one element of Hip-Hop that has never been fully acknowledged is the role of women in the spotlight and behind the scenes. In 1979 Sugar Hill Records became the first record label to produce and distribute a rap record. The company's first single, Rapper's Delight became a national sensation and is considered to be a hip-hop classic. The co-founder of Sugar Hill Records was Sylvia Robinson. In 1981 Tommy Boy Records, released Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. Tommy Boy Records was also co-founded by a woman, Monica Lynch. Once again women were at the forefront when the female trio, The Sequence (featuring a young Angie Stone) released the hit Funk You Right On Up . The 1979 single is considered to be the first female rap record. Soon afterwards female MC's such as Salt -n- Pepa , MC Lyte and many others became forces to be reckoned with. For rhythmic backup women employed female dj's such as Spinderella and Jazzy Joyce for beats and rhymes. When the male MC's hit you with machismo, the women counterpunched with sass and class. On the graffiti wall of fame you can most certainly see the name Lady Pink. Lady Pink is considered to be a female graffiti artist and muralist with artistic skills as strong as, if not better than her male peers. She painted nyc subway trains from 1979-1985 and now her work is collected by major art museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lady Pink also had starring roles in Wild Style and Bomb It , classic films about Hip-Hop culture. In everyday life women are natural multi-taskers, and in hip-hop the fact remains the same. Female artists that developed their artistic and entrepreneurial skills have taken the art form to another level. In the early '90's Dee Barnes, a former MC and radio host became the first woman to host a syndicated hip-hop television show, Pump It Up! Queen Latifah quickly followed in her footsteps with a very successful recording career, the TV sitcom Living Single , a talk show, major cosmetic campaigns and an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Eve, has also done well for herself . Her empire has encompassed records, a sitcom, and a clothing line. Wendy Williams (the original DJ Spinderella for Salt-n-Pepa) a wildly popular radio host, now has one of the most highly rated talk shows on television. DJ Beverly Bond is using hip-hop as an educational tool to reach the youth. She is the founder of Black Girls Rock Inc! Black Girls Rock is a mentoring program focused on helping young black women interested in careers in music obtain the skills and guidance necessary to be successful in the business. For every woman in the spotlight there are hundreds more behind the scenes. Women are the people primarily working as artist's publicists, sylists and choreographers in the hip-hop world. If you liked the designs worn by Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes, you can thank stylist June Ambrose. If you are familiar with the many hip-hop album covers shot in the last ten years, you were probably looking at the work of photographer Sarah A. Freidman. When it comes to choreographers who got their start in hip-hop, think of In Living Color's Fly Girls alumni Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez, and Laurie Ann Gibson . All of whom have choreographed too many television shows, videos, movies, and concerts to mention. Today the future is brewing in Minnesota and there are many women's names about to be known. Intermedia Arts , located in Minneapolis, has unleashed the mother of all hip-hop festivals; B-girl Be . The B-girl Be festival is the only arts festival in the world solely dedicated to the contributions of women in hip-hop. The mission of B-Girl Be is to influence and inspire leadership to change the perceptions and roles of women in hip-hop for current and future generations. The fourth annul event is curated by Michele Spaise. This year's festival features Mama Said Knock U Out! an international visual art exhibition showcasing 28 female artists from around the world who use their art to empower, inform and organize. These women are employing hip-hop culture as a means of expression, connection, education and global social activism. Mama Said Knock U Out! will include work in video, photography, painting, sculpture, film, and textiles. Lauri Lyons was commissioned to produce a sculpture and sound installation in the main gallery. Past participants have included Lady Pink, Martha Cooper, Faith47 and Roxanne Shante. On Saturday, September 19th, Intermedia Arts takes it back to the streets with the B-Girl Be Block Party , an all-day festival that brings together women from Minneapolis and all over the world to celebrate hip-hop's girl power. The B-girl Be Block Party will showcase dance, live mural painting, film, a spoken world slam and an art marketplace. This year the B-girl Be organizers will have the power to literally choose a belle of the ball. The McNally Smith College of Music has donated a $10,000 scholarship to a B-girl participant for the McNally Smith's Diploma program in Hip-Hop Studies. The program is for prospective students who want to explore and develop in a cross-departmental curriculum that covers music, recording technology, language, music history, and music business. When it comes to women in hip-hop, don't call it a comeback. Women have been here for years. Purchase tickets online for the B-girl Be Block Party . The Mama Said Knock U Out! exhibition will be on view until October 23. Lauri Lyons is a photographer, artist and author. Her books include Flag: An American Story and Flag International . More on Magazines
 
Una LaMarche: Project Runway Episode 5 Recap and Photos: Derelicte Top
Before I begin this glorious recap of Episode 5, I have some good news: Qristyl Frasier may be down but she is not out. Someone tipped me off that she is taking her Plus Sexy show on the road over at eHow (Sample tip: "Think about length. If your ankles or knees are a little plus sexy make sure the length is proper." This is actually amazing. Cankles no longer exist; your ankles are just "plus sexy." I'm totally going to adopt this lingo. "Jeff, I'm feeling plus sexy today, so am going to be wearing my plus sexy pants, the ones with the elastic waistband." ). But seriously, good for her. It sucks that the first plus-size specialist got auf'ed so soon ... but it took eleven seasons for Tyra Banks to finally crown a zaftig America's Next Top Model , so maybe there's hope for PR yet. This is Lifetime, after all, airer of Drop Dead Diva and the unfortunately-named DietTribe . Anyway, previously on Project Runway : The models of the runway got promised a ticket to the future, and all they got was Christian Audigier at a Smurf prom. Qristyl's boring black was a big plus sexy mess, hence she was sent packing. The morning after: Everyone is getting ready. Although she is primping, Carol Hannah kind of resembles Pig Pen from Charlie Brown. Gordana looks like an East German Olympian even while ironing. I'm pretty sure Ra'mon Lawrence is putting on makeup. This is not a shock. Irina still has a bug up her ass that Althea won the challenge, and Nic--who is, definitively, the biggest bitch in this cast and who could not be more unlike his secret twin (or illegitimate father??) John Hodgman--says that Johnny and Irina don't deserve to be there. Out on the runway, Heidi emerges in what could be her Halloween costume as Jean Seaberg in Breathless . She announces that Tim will be taking the designers on a field trip and that, for this challenge, "the answers will all be in black and white." Pssst! And read all over, Heidi. You forgot part of the joke! Logan wonders if, since they are in LA, that the challenge will involve old Hollywood black and white movies. Yes, Paramount has decided to hand over the original print of Ruggles of Red Gap to be made into an evening romper. Shirin thinks they are going to a factory. Perhaps the glue factory to which ancient model Valerie was sent at the end of the last episode? The designers arrive at their secret destination, which is ... the LA Times! Well, I guess they really need the publicity. I'm actually kind of amazed that employees weren't setting things on fire or throwing feces in the background during this scene--isn't it like Lord of the Flies over there now? The designers are given giant plastic bags and must fill them with newspaper, which is basically what inmates are forced to do on the side of the road for community service. Awesome. The challenge, obviously, is to make a garment--any garment--out of newsprint. Tim brings them back to FIDM and tells them that they can use dyes and markers, and may even use muslin as an infrastructure (at hearing this, the two backwoods racists who watch the show become confused ). Then he delivers his first "Make it work!" of the season, which temporarily lifts my spirits. Oh, Tim. You complete me. Some of the designers take to the challenge like Malvin to a pretentious metaphor: Christopher wants to do a rigid bodice hundreds of "feathers;" Irina is planning an elaborate coat. Most, however, are dumbstruck. Althea has no idea where to begin and Nic, who says he has never worked with newspaper (unlike all of the others, who are secretly wearing thongs they made from back issues of The Onion , I'm sure), thinks he is going home. We should be so lucky. And now, children, we take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you a very special episode of Mocking Shirin . I didn't even have anything to do with it this time! Our favorite little imp is wrestling with some sort of paper-mache paste that she is using to craft a bodice, and yells, "My hands are so sticky!" (That's what she said. Sorry, I just watched The Office premiere.) Logan then interviews that he has never met "a small woman like that who makes so much noise." Ha! Nic, who I will temporarily like again for this comment, says that he feels like he's 40 around her, and that she's like an 11 year-old kid who will not shut up. I am so visibly gleeful after this that my husband pointedly calls me Shirin during the commercial break. "I've met a small woman who makes that much noise," he says, leveling his gaze at me. Ouch! Back in the workroom, Ra'mon Lawrence and Epperson are both working with origami, while Louise is decoupaging and Shirin is still elbow-deep in paper-mache. It's like a rainy day at summer camp up in here--it's only missing someone doing Spin-Art, and me hiding in a corner making God's Eyes and gimp keychains and trying to avoid Capture the Flag . Tim checks in. He loves what Gordana is doing, although she actually made two dresses, one of which was a "political statement" which was not so great. We see on her sketch that the dress says TIME FOR CHANGE. Man, this show is old. Althea has crafted paper shoulder pads, which Tim wisely discourages. Of Johnny's dress, Tim says "I'm woeful--it looks like a bunch of kindergartners did it." At this point I wish the camera had panned over to reveal Shirin eating her paper-mache paste, but sadly I was denied. Chris is making a "showstopper." Tim departs by telling the designers that he is absolutely wowed. As soon as Tim leaves, there is drama, and I'm not talking about the LA Times theater section. Nic interviews that Johnny is spewing a sob story that he tried to iron his garment and got water on it. Shirin agrees that Johnny is lying about the steamer so that he can start over again. I can sympathize with Johnny here. Some people just lie to cover stuff up instead of telling the truth. We're not a proud people, but we're not hurting anyone. As a child, I had a massive unibrow and when I finally plucked it in junior high for some reason I didn't want to admit it, so I told people I had just slipped with the scissors while trimming my bangs. That story would have worked, too, if I had actually had bangs. Damn. Anyway, Johnny does say that Tim hated his original dress, so he's working on a new one. One would hope that Steamergate is over (or has--wait for it-- lost its steam . Thank you, thank you. There's a two-drink minimum for this post) ... but one would be wrong. Epperson, trying to defuse the situation, says that Johnny is doing it for a reason. Nic quips, "Yeah, comic relief." Nic, you are not allowed to be such an unrepentant bitch and have that hair. I can only take one major offense to my sensibilities at a time. Tim arrives with the models and a giant game of paper dolls ensues. Whereas normally some models are stitched into their dresses, in this challenge they are glued in. With actual Elmer's Glue. Chris sticks his feathered skirt over his model's head and says that it's like giving birth. Chris, your health education has failed you. Lined up, all of the garments look like the fake collection from Zoolander , Derelicte. Which makes me realize that Will Ferrell would do a fabulous Michael Kors. On to the runway! Okay, listen, people, let's get serious for a minute. Let's rap. Where the fuck is Michael Kors? Seriously, Heidi, do you think we just won't notice? In previous seasons you would say "Michael is on vacation," or "Michael is showing a collection," but now you just ignore his absence like it's normal and ME NO LIKEY. Is he in rehab? Trapped under something heavy? What? Just tell us, I MISS HIM. Nina I miss slightly less but am still concerned. This judge-swapping business is low-rent. Bravo would never have done this. Oh yes, I am throwing down like that. Step it up, Lifetime. Or should I say, make it work? [Sassy finger snap.] Tommy Hilfiger is a guest judge, along with that editor of Marie Claire from last week. The celebrity guest judge is Eva Longoria. And seriously, Lifetime, if Kors is gone for good, get Will Ferrell. And while you're at it, Michaela Watkins for Nina Garcia. Impersonators would be better than lame stand-ins at this point. YOU ARE KILLING MY SPIRIT. Ahem. Right. The clothes: As a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, so must you become ... Derelicte! ALTHEA The shape is divine, the craftsmanship exquisite. While not the most inventive (but really, when you're already working with newspaper you don't need to get crazy), this is the classiest garment of the bunch and one I might actually wear ... though I shudder to think of the inkstains. CAROL HANNAH And now, a dramatic reading from The Tampon Diaries, Eve Ensler's little-known follow-up to The Vagina Monologues, performed reluctantly by Carol Hannah's model .... CHRISTOPHER LOVE the model's face here. This looks like what Joan Collins' character on Dynasty , Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan (yes, really, if you count all her marriages), would whip up if Linda Evans' character, Krystle Carrington, locked her in a dumpster before an important oil tycoon ball and Alexis was forced to jigger the lock with a crystal stick pin and then make a triumphant entrance. Then this would happen: EPPERSON I like the shape, but this really looks like newspaper, whereas most of the others look like fabric. Maybe that's what he was going for, though... GORDANA This looks vaguely like army fatigues, but it's cute. Gordana is most definitely skilled, I just wish she would really turn it out. I know she can do it! IRINA You can't really knock this. It's gorgeous. The detailing on the collar and sleeves is especially brilliant, and the fit is amazing considering what she's working with. I would have liked to see this with some color, but maybe the simplicity is what makes it so elegant. JOHNNY Oh, Johnny. Even the dress is rolling its eyes. From the hair to the shoes to the model's pained expression, this is a WORLD OF NO. LOGAN This is a great use of color, but I will deduct points for the Push Me Pull You echo of Chris' dress last week. LOUISE The neck puzzles me. Are those sausages? Lincoln Logs? Whatever they are, please take them away. Minnie would never let Mickey see her walking around in that. NIC Nic says that his garment reflects the "millennium version of punk rock," but in actuality it is closer to what the inmates wore in Elvis' Jaihouse Rock . That or a Jasper Johns painting. Either way, not loving this. RA'MON LAWRENCE I really like the almost-floral effect he achieves through the use of folding and dyeing the newspaper, and if the model didn't look like she desperately needed to pee in this picture I think the clothes would have looked even better. Speaking of bladder control, the colors make me think of my favorite but tragically discontinued Kool-Aid flavor, Purplesaurus Rex. Mmmmm. SHIRIN This is what it looks like when Bitchface sleeps! Aw! But seriously, this is OK. I just can't get past the fact that the skirt looks so much like Leanne's Bryant Park collection from last season, with all the waves. Right? Also in this case, unlike in Irina's, I really think color would have elevated this to another level. After the show, the designers return to the runway, and Heidi calls forward Johnny, Nic, Chris, Althea, Gordana, and Irina. Everyone she did not call is safe. Althea's well-constructed sheath is roundly praised. Heidi was bored by Gordana's "real-looking" garment, and the impostors judges agree that it is not risky enough. Christopher's is fine, but everyone freaks out over Irina's--Tommy Hilfiger even goes so far as to say that "it looks Coco Chanel meets Saint Laurent meets Givenchy in 60s and 70s." Which, for a newspaper trench coat I think is slightly effusive, but OK. Of Johnny's dress, Heidi says: "It looks like she is going to work. Like, work work." (She means hooking . Snap!) When Johnny starts in on the Little Steamer That Couldn't, the judges are not buying it, and Nic decides to loudly opine that Johnny is full of shit. Which is a sucky thing to do, but Johnny manages to keep the exchange civil, if sarcastic. Perhaps because it is so abundantly clear that Nic is an asshat, the judges rip into him. The Marie Claire editor thinks it looks like an insect, which Heidi points out is very New York, since we have so many cockroaches. Also very Derelicte, I might add. Still, "I dont think they have any choice but to kick Johnny off," my dad says, and I think he's right. Althea is in, and Irina is the winner of the challenge, which for the first time all season I think is right on the money. Chris is in, as is Gordana, which leaves Nic and Johnny in the bottom two. I hope against hope that the judges will base their decision on personality instead of talent, but of course Nic is in, which means Johnny is out. Johnny is super polite to Heidi and the designers as he leaves, but then tearfully interviews that he feels lost and empty again. Don't turn to meth, Johnny. DON'T DO IT. I hate that I know about his drug past. I worry. Of course, Nic still dumps on Johnny's garment even after he is gone. What a dick. But Tim kind of joins in, which is uncharacteristic. I'm woeful, Tim. Don't do that. Next week, Heidi says that the designers will finally "see what this town is known for." Could the producers have actually taken my idea for a Spearmint Rhino challenge???
 
Paul Slansky: This Preposterous Week in Review: Bachmann, Baucus, Birth Control And More! Top
ACORN • punking of particularly dim employees of by actors blatantly not who they claimed to be leads to cutting off of federal financing to Anastos, Ernie • unusual on-air banter with weatherman by Antichrist, the • poll shows that 21% of New Jersey voters think President Obama is, or at least might be Bachmann, Representative Michele • fear of that President Obama is going to "decide how many calories we consume or what types of food we consume" Baucus, Senator Max • bipartisanship is achieved by with health-care-reform bill hated on both sides of the aisle but, unsurprisingly, loved by the health-care industry that has given so much money to the campaigns of birth control pills • antiabortion Floridians seek to criminalize Brady, Representative Kevin • complaints of about the failure of the D.C. Metro system to provide better service for 9/12 tea partiers ring hollow considering that government funding for improving the subway was voted against by Brown, Dan • new book is published by Bush, George W. • Arlington, Texas, students who were not allowed to hear President Obama's speech to them last week will not, after all, be bused off campus to hear a speech by • former speechwriter for is the author of the latest, though surely not the last, book containing embarrassing examples of the ignorance of Carter, Jimmy • refreshing refusal of to back down from unpopular yet obviously valid assertion by that racism has a little something to do with why at least some people -- particularly the ones with spittle-flecked faces contorted in rage -- feel so free to express their hatred of President Obama FCC • solemn assessment by that the "graphic and shocking, albeit brief, exposure of Janet Jackson's bare right breast to a nationwide audience composed of millions of children and adults" warrants -- lo, these 5½ years after that insanely overhyped distraction from the Iraq war -- further investigation For more bad behavior, including transcendent new repulsiveness from Rush Limbaugh, click here. More on Week In Review
 
Frank Bruni Discusses Bulimia On Colbert (VIDEO) Top
Former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni discussed bulimia, secret eating and his new book, Born Round , on The Colbert Report , Thursday night. WATCH: The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Frank Bruni www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests More on Stephen Colbert
 
Najibullah Zazi's Father Also Taken In For Questioning Related To Terror Probe Top
DENVER — FBI agents will question the father of a man being investigated in a terrorism probe in New York and Colorado, a spokeswoman for the defense team said Friday. The FBI didn't say why it wanted to talk to Mohammed Zazi, but he will cooperate, said the spokeswoman, Wendy Aiello. She said the father would be questioned later Friday. FBI spokeswoman Kathy Wright said she couldn't comment. Zazi's son, Najibullah Zazi, was being questioned for a third day Friday. Aeillo said the fact that agents want to speak to the father doesn't signal that they are done questioning the son. Najibullah Zazi has already undergone hours of questioning this week, and his apartment and his uncle and aunt's home in suburban Denver have been searched. Authorities have not said what they found and have made no public statements on the investigation. Officials in both New York and Colorado have said they knew of no specific threat. Najibullah Zazi hasn't been arrested, and his attorney, Arthur Folsom, says he doesn't expect him to be. An official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that the younger man had contact with a known al-Qaida associate. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, would not provide details on the location or nature of the encounter. The official said agents have been monitoring Najibullah Zazi and four others in Colorado as part of a terrorism investigation. It wasn't immediately known whether Mohammed Zazi was one of the four. Folsom said his client has never met with al-Qaida operatives and isn't involved in terrorism. "He's simply somebody who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Folsom said Thursday. Folsom told The Denver Post the agents aren't repeating questions to Zazi but are asking different things. "They are going through things – the best I can describe it is chronologically. Covering all the bases," Folsum said. Najibullah Zazi is a driver for an airport shuttle service in Denver. Authorities say he rented a car and drove from Denver to New York, crossing into Manhattan the day before the anniversary of Sept. 11. He was stopped in what was described as a routine stop at the George Washington Bridge before he was allowed to go free. A relative said Zazi drove because he wanted to see the American countryside. Zazi said he went to New York to resolve some issues with a coffee cart he owns in Manhattan, but officials suspected that something more sinister might have been in the works. FBI agents and police officers with search warrants seeking bomb materials searched three apartments and questioned residents in the neighborhood in Queens where he was staying. A joint FBI-New York Police Department task force feared Zazi may be involved in a potential plot involving hydrogen peroxide-based explosives like those cited in an intelligence warning issued Monday, said two other law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation. Folsom said Zazi, 24, was born in Afghanistan in 1985, moved to Pakistan at age 7 and emigrated to the United States in 1999. Zazi's aunt had said earlier that he was born in Pakistan and grew up in Queens, N.Y. Folsom said Zazi has returned to Pakistan four times in recent years: in 2004 because his grandfather was sick and dying, in 2006 to get married, and in 2007 and 2008 to visit his wife. ___ Associated Press Writer Adam Goldman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
 
Irving Kristol Dead At 89 Top
Irving Kristol, considered the father of neoconservatism, died in Washington at the age of 89, the Weekly Standard reported . Kristol, the father of Bill Kristol, was a leading conservative voice and founded several conservative publications, including Encounter, The Public Interest, and The National Interest. He was an editor and then managing editor at Commentary magazine from 1947-1952. The Weekly Standard has published a collection of links by Irving Kristol here . Kristol received the Medal of Freedom in 2002 from President George W. Bush, who called him a "brilliant writer of remarkable insight and wit, [who] profoundly improved public discourse on the ideas he championed."
 
Lawrence G. McDonald: Paulson's Decision Cost Lehman, Then the World Top
My new book, A Colossal Failure of Common Sense , moves to a stark and irrevocable conclusion, that Henry Merritt Paulson, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, made a fateful decision that within two weeks brought the world's economy to its knees. He decided to let Lehman Brothers, the 158-year-old Wall Street institution, go bankrupt. He need not have done so. But on that fateful weekend, Sept. 13-15, 2008, he made the decision with which he must live for the rest of his life. He would not save Lehman Brothers. As one senior Lehman managing director told me, "They put Lehman's head underwater and watched for the bubbles." And that did it, globally, as first the U.S. and then the rest of the world swooned. Since last winter, I have had many hundreds of hours to ponder Paulson's history-making decision, and while I cannot revise the truth, nor in any way let him off the hook, I am drawn to the conclusion that the Treasury boss did not lose the war on that final weekend. He lost it the previous March when he stepped forward and saved the much smaller Bear Stearns, which was in the same leaking boat as Lehman with far worse debt and no hope. Hank Paulson could have let them go, but he did not. He practically frog-marched JPMorgan Chase (JPM) into the arena and ordered it first to loan Bear Stearns a large amount of cash, and then five days later to buy the 86-year-old Wall Street bank. When Paulson gave the lifeboat to Bear Stearns, it gave Lehman's CEO Richard S. Fuld a deadly, false sense of confidence. JPMorgan's Behavior Change Even today, the most clever Lehman minds tell me about a form of schizophrenia that JPMorgan displayed in its dealings with Bear Stearns and later Lehman. Bear was an investment bank almost half the size of Lehman. Yet the Fed and Treasury commissioned JPMorgan and its CEO Jamie Dimon to provide cash infusions to Bear the week before the bank's bailout. JPMorgan became a new tool in Hank Paulson's chest of creative innovations. Fast-forward to September 2008--and oh how things had changed. Most senior traders and bankers I spoke to from Lehman were shocked at the new demeanor of JPMorgan, the split personality that Lehman was now experiencing like a bayonet in the back. JPMorgan was in a foul mood of sorts. Injecting aid, a cash infusion for Lehman? No, JPMorgan was now demanding weekly increases in the collateral that Lehman would have to put up in order to secure short-term loans to run its businesses. This suffocated the 158-year-old investment bank. It put her to sleep. But what, I ask, would have happened if Paulson had simply stepped aside and let Bear Stearns collapse into bankruptcy back in March? I'll tell you the first thing: Dick Fuld would probably have had a heart attack. "If he can let Bear Stearns go, he can let us go." And what would have been the natural progression? Fuld would have had no options. Mired in debt, holding billions and billions of unsellable assets, already entering its death throes, Lehman would then have had only one way out: to accept the offer about to be made by the Korea Development Bank, which when it materialized was around $23 a share. Fuld might have been way out of his depth in 21st century finance. But he was nobody's fool, and he had a sense of self-preservation second to none. He would have accepted the Korean money in seven seconds, particularly since Paulson himself never stopped urging him to do so right until the men from the Far East withdrew as Labor Day arrived. Lehman's Leverage A similar scenario played out during that turbulent September. John Thain, CEO of Lehman's great rival, Merrill Lynch, knowing that Paulson was letting Lehman go, jumped willingly and enthusiastically into the arms of the near-bankrupt Bank of America (BAC). In the end, the Treasury chief never forgave the Lehman chairman for ignoring that Korean offer, because in Hank's opinion that probably would have saved the world. It was here that the constantly smoldering rift between the old Wall Street rivals, Paulson and Fuld, suddenly became a chasm. Because despite everything, Fuld had an almost obsessive desire to hold on to Lehman at all costs. With the Koreans on the sidelines, he began thrashing around, investing in major hedge funds, in small hedge funds, in overseas hedge funds. He even started to form hedge funds, and Hank Paulson was appalled. Here was a Wall Street bank leveraged almost 40 times its own value at the top of the market, plainly headed for oblivion, ignoring the Korean lifeline, silencing its best risk-takers, and spending its borrowed money like a drunken sailor. Hank Paulson never got over that. Let me clarify that 40 times leverage is the equivalent of any gambler walking into a casino with just a $100 bill in his back pocket but playing on the tables with $4,000. It doesn't take much to wipe out that old Benjamin. Fuld and Paulson had dinner that spring of 2008. Fuld was characteristically rude to the Treasury boss. In turn Paulson was infuriated at this disrespect to his great office of state. Most of the distilled opinion suggests that it was that spring when Lehman's fate was decided. But my own new opinion is that the hasty rescue of Bear Stearns was the fulcrum upon which the entire issue swung. Hank Paulson and then New York Fed chief Timothy Geithner have argued that Bear Stearns had to be saved because systemic defense mechanisms protecting the markets had not been set up yet. Well, a fool could tell you the adequate mechanisms were not set up when Lehman failed, either. If Hank had let Bear go, the world would have looked very different. More on Books
 
Susan Sarandon: Speak Your Truth, Even if Your Voice Shakes Top
There is nothing more powerful than hearing someone speak from their heart. That is why I was so moved by Barbara Lee's passionate speech on the floor of Congress September 14, 2001, eight years ago this week. She was the only member of Congress, in both the House and Senate, to have the courage to vote no against authorizing war in Afghanistan. Her voice shakes with emotion, but she stands her ground with strength and grace and the knowledge that she is speaking the truth that desperately needed to be heard. Hers was the only voice of compassion, of reason, during such a charged and painful time. When she said "Let us not become the evil that we deplore," she knew the quagmire that would result from such military engagement. This week, many of us took inspiration from Barbara Lee and used our own voices to speak out against our woefully misguided war in Afghanistan. As one woman, she spoke for many of us eight years ago. This week, we each have the opportunity to follow her lead and channel the outrage and hope of everyone who wants us out of Afghanistan; each day, we flooded the blogosphere and phone lines and opinion sections of newspapers with the words that need to be heard about why we need to end our involvement in Afghanistan. If you haven't already, you can still use these tools from CODEPINK to make your voice loud and clear. One of the best bumper stickers I've ever seen says "Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes." If you haven't ever blogged or called your Congressperson before, now is the time to do so, even if your voice shakes. It is up to us to remember Barbara Lee's brave example, her voice trembling with deeply felt conviction. We need more Barbara Lees to speak out against war. We can be those Barbara Lees, ourselves. We are the ones we've been waiting for. When we speak together from the heart, we truly can change the world. More on Afghanistan
 
Yoani Sanchez: Cuban Bloggers Win Another Victory: This One For "Panfilo" Top
I woke to news of the transfer of Panfilo from prison to a psychiatric clinic, perhaps to start his detox. On the list of victories won--which are still few and limited--for Cuban civil society over the last year, we can add the release of this humble man from his cell. On the short list of accomplishments, there should also be the freeing of Gorki Aguila over a year ago, and the decision not to apply a resolution that prevented Cubans from connecting to the Internet in hotels. I think the evolution of what happened in the case of "Panfilo", has been accomplished by the work of those who led the campaign, Food and Freedom , and who just yesterday offered three thousand signatures calling for his release. We must also thank the numerous international media who helped to call attention to the unjust two year sentence given to Juan Carlos Gonzalez. The alternative blogosphere--as expected--helped to push the wall, which seemed to grow stronger on that day when they imprisoned someone who was merely demanding food. In any case, the blunder of charging an inoffensive neighborhood drunk with pre-criminal dangerousness won't be forgotten that easily. Now we have to hope that he can return home, have access to that food that every human being deserves and the freedom of expression that allows him to say what he feels in front of the camera, without being hauled in front of a prosecutor. If in some way the delivery of the document " Send a Letter! " to a representative of Juanes has served to open the bars to Panfilo, then there is one more reason to applaud this concert on September 20. It is too bad that we have to wait for the famous to visit us to pull back the bolts, but regardless of this detail, we count the triumph as ours. You already know: if you are going to bring something to celebrate the release of Panfilo, bring water, not alcohol. Translator's note : Panfilo is the nickname given to Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a Cuban on the island who stepped into the frame during the filming of a video. He launched into a drunken rant, shouting, "Grub! Grub! What we need is food! There is tremendous hunger in Cuba! Grub! Grub!" The video went viral on YouTube and Gonzales was subsequently arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for "pre-criminal dangerousness." A campaign--Jama y Libertad--(Food and Freedom) was launched worldwide to free him. Yoani's blog, Generation Y , can be read here in English translation. More on Cuba
 
Climate Week NYC Is Here! Top
The 'Week' officially starts on Monday, but events start in earnest tomorrow. There's a full event listing on the Climate Week NY°C website, but here are some highlights: More on Climate Change
 
David A. Love: Health Care Reform Is America's Anti-Theft Device Top
James Baldwin warned: "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have." These poignant words come to mind when I think about that freak show, that hot mess that has passed for a dialogue on health care reform this past summer. On the one hand, the Obama administration -- overlearning from the heavy-handed mistakes the Clintons made on health care reform--wasted time and lost control of the narrative. Seemingly unsure of what it wanted in terms of policy, this White House stood on the sidelines and allowed Congress to draft the legislation and create a huge mess. Fixing the health care system was the cornerstone of the President's election campaign. Nonetheless, he has appeared too lackadaisical and too indifferent-- too eager to compromise with Republicans too early in the game, and for little or nothing in return. In the end, Obama's team came off looking like amateurs, the high school debate team, or student body president. On the other hand, with a vacuum of leadership created by Obama, the health insurance lobby was given the opportunity to spread their street money and run amok. Over three-quarters of the American people want a public option , that is, a choice between private health insurance and a government-run insurance plan that would create competition and lower costs. But the lawmakers who were purchased by the insurance companies--Democrats and Republicans--say there will be no public option. These senators and representatives get their money from one group and their votes from another. We know which group really counts. We're not talking about democracy, but rather American-style capitalism. Money talks, and, well, you know the rest. And the insurance companies have tapped into the anger of the unwashed fringes, and harnessed their rage at the town hall meetings-- the tea-baggers and the militias, the birthers and the white nationalists, the jingoists and the secessionists. These folks don't know the first thing about health care, but they do know that they hate government, they hate Obama, and they believe he is a foreigner and an illegitimate leader. And a communist Nazi Muslim terrorist. They won't allow a black man indoctrinate their children, nor will they allow one of them take over their country. Once again, moneyed interests use regular common folk -- suckers that they are -- to act against their own best interests. Rich Southerners had poor whites fight and die to maintain a system of slavery that rendered their labor unnecessary. During the struggles of the labor movement, corporations hired hooligans to beat up and shoot workers who attempted to organize. Appeals to white-skin privilege kept white workers from organizing with workers of color to better everyone's station in life. And today, particularly in states with the lowest educational and health standards, working class people who constitute the Republican party "base" fight alongside the corporations to keep healthcare expensive and inaccessible. Billy Bob is as dumb as bricks, and proud of it. The mobilization against health care reform has taught us several things: First of all, the Republican Party is, collectively, coo coo for cocoa puffs. The moderates, the reasonable people, the intelligent ones who are fond of book-learnin', and those free of mental defect bolted from the GOP. The Southern Strategy (a raw political appeal to white racist voters, which was perfected by the late GOP operative Lee Atwater) turned a reliable election-winning formula into a liability when Obama came on the scene. The base of the party is now mostly white, Southern, Christian fundamentalist and uneducated, and apparently delusional and unstable. A shrinking demographic, there aren't enough of them to win a national election. Yet, the Republicans cling to their base. Rather than repudiate the people who believe Obama is a foreign citizen and an illegitimate leader who should be stopped if not killed (yes I said it), the Republicans encourage these gun-toting thugs, these brown shirts with their threats of violence. The decisive issue for them didn't necessarily have to be healthcare, but healthcare did the trick. The main point is that for the radical conservatives, government is the enemy they treat with utter contempt. And they hate government so much that they try to destroy the country whenever they get into office. Enactment of real health reform will further marginalize the GOP, and render them irrelevant for generations. Second, President Obama might not be up to the task, at least as things stand. I say this as someone who believes he must succeed if this nation is to succeed. But if the President cannot put up a good fight on the primary issue that put him in office--his mother died of cancer from a lack of medical coverage-- when will he? What about future battles? Obama was elected on promises of bold change, not tweaking around the edges of pernicious institutions, or a willingness to comfort those forces that are hurting the public. On the campaign trail, he said himself that if he were to start from scratch, he would create a single-payer health insurance system, which would eliminate private insurers. So why protect those insurers now? In 2008, the people did not vote for a Rodney King, can't-we-all-just-get-along-for-the-sake-of-bipartisanship approach to government. Roosevelt didn't get the New Deal passed that way, and Johnson surely didn't pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act that way. These presidents prevailed because they got all the troops in line, and they moved forward without trying to butter up their adversaries, whose votes they would never hope to get. To be sure, Obama got his start as a community organizer. Yet, most of Obama's crew in the White House seems to consist of Wall Street hacks, apologists and enablers. Lots of bailout funds for banks. And "Green Jobs" czar Van Jones (one of the few movement progressives in the White House with authentic community bona fides) resigned in the face of attacks from Fox News jester Glenn Beck. Jones apparently was provided with no backup from the administration. One must wonder if the administration thinks it can throw all progressives under the bus the way it just did to Van Jones. Third, never underestimate the depths of American greed. With plans afoot to place one-sixth of the nation's economy back into the hands of ordinary people, we should expect a fight. Private health insurance companies serve no legitimate purpose. About fifty million people cannot afford them. If you can afford them, you give them your money for the sole purpose of medical care. And when you need medical treatment, they decide whether that money should go towards your treatment. In effect, they make their money by preventing you from getting the care you need. They profit from your continued agony, and in many cases, your imminent death. Only in America will people justify the continued existence of private health care insurers, and making a buck over what should be the guaranteed right of access to health care. As Bill Moyers recently noted about America's dysfunctional behavior, "we should be treating health as a condition, not a commodity." American-style, predatory capitalism is built upon winners and losers, a survival of the fittest mentality. That approach is incompatible with the best interests of society as far as health and social welfare are concerned. Once again we are witnessing, firsthand, the conflicting American impulses of expanding rights to the people on the one hand, and robbing them blind on the other. America fell because of greed, the bottom line, and the eternal quest for profits above all else. We are witnessing the greatest upward redistribution of wealth in American history, with the greatest gap between rich and poor since the Great Depression. Official unemployment flirts with the 10% mark. Meanwhile, the real unemployment rate, which includes those who stopped looking for jobs, and the underemployed who are forced to settle for part-time work, is close to 17% . Wages and benefits are decreasing. More than 35 million people are on food stamps , and 40% of recipients are working families . More than 1 million schoolchildren in the land of plenty are homeless . And even the most creditworthy borrowers are falling behind on their credit card and mortgage payments. A primary reason for this economic suffering is that corporations, particularly health insurance companies, are stealing our money. They have more of it because we have less. Unregulated and emboldened, they became far too powerful, just like the 1920s. Insurance companies are enjoying record profits because of ever-increasing premiums, and families are going bankrupt because they cannot afford to get sick. If health care reform is to succeed, its proponents must reframe the issue as one of nationwide criminality. The current health insurance system is a recurring act of national theft. These corporations are feeding off America like vultures, robbing from common people and crippling us in our ability to live our lives with happiness, security and dignity. Reform of the system, with a public option, is like an anti-theft device for the country, pure and simple. And this time, we cannot blame the sideshow that is the Republican Party. We know about their agitation at the town hall meetings. Plus, they're greedy and care little about the needs of everyday people, or using government as a tool for positive social change. But most of all, the GOP is not in power. The Democrats control the White House, a huge majority in the House of Representatives, and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. The Democrats' problem is that they do not have the will. As a corporatist party like the Republicans, they depend on the sponsorship and patronage of those financial interests that are causing our collective suffering. The will of the people be damned. If Obama refuses to change this reality in the party which he leads, then he is just another politician who, as Hillary Clinton once said, gives good speeches. And yet, it was predictable that this day would come at some point, that the base would have to hold the President's feet to the fire, and show that they are for real. Perhaps he is begging the base to provide the cover he needs to "make me do it", as F.D.R. once said. One thing is for sure: If the Democratic base does not force the Democrats to pass real deal health reform as they promised, then the Democrats will be finished. And maybe that is the price we must pay for progressive ideals to survive. David A. Love is an Editorial Board member of BlackCommentator.com . He is a writer and human rights advocate based in Philadelphia, and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His blog is davidalove.com . More on Health Care
 
Dan Brown: Mass Teacher Layoffs in D.C. Amount To One Hell of a Power Play by Michelle Rhee Top
The power plays over D.C. public schools just went into gonzo territory. This week, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced a reduction in force (RIF) was imminent-- despite having just hired 900 new teachers in a system of just 3,800 teachers. Layoffs begin September 30; fear and confusion abounds. No one knows yet who's going to go, but I wouldn't bet that the shiny new hires will be first out the door. Rhee's celebrity-- burnished by a cover story in Time Magazine -- is defined by her quixotic "battle against bad teachers." In Rhee's world, the quality of public education in D.C. has been dismal for years because of a critical mass of lazy, ineffective veteran teachers haunting classrooms. In her mind, the solution lays in clearing out the oldies in favor of legions of rookies with prestigious degrees and two-year teaching commitments. Evidenced by her death-match negotiating tactics with the Washington Teachers' Union, Rhee would love nothing more than to eviscerate collective bargaining and make all teachers at-will employees, corporate-style, accountable only by their students' test scores. Her latest gambit might be her wildest. How can someone hire nearly 25% of their work force over the summer and then less than a month into the school year throw up her hands and move to lay so many off? Here's how: Step 1: Hire a lot of Teach For America rookies and people who agree with you. Step 2: Put in place impossible-to-meet standards for teacher performance to make anyone a target for sacking. Step 3: Announce there has been a budget shock and a reduction in force is unavoidable because of the economic downturn. Pretend you somehow didn't understand in July 2009 how bad our budget situation would be in just two months. The teachers to be reduced will be selected out of those with less than stellar "performance" (and practically everybody will be vulnerable). Step 4: Get rid of whoever you want to sidestep due process and remake the teaching force in your image. This brand of shock therapy is attractive to observers who love words like "bold" and "hard-charging" and assign them to self-styled reformers like Rhee who want fast revolutions. They dismiss voices of caution and defense of existing contracts and due process as defense of the abominable status quo. That's disingenuous. The union ought to be open to loosening tenure provisions, but Rhee simply misses the boat by blaming DC children's academic struggles squarely on teachers. Rhee's mislaid battle of gutting the union and purging veteran teachers will leave an experience and institutional knowledge vacuum that no quantity of super-caffeinated twenty-two-year-old Yalies can remake. As with any profession, there are some teachers in D.C. who should not be there, but Rhee is moving here to throw out the baby with the bathwater. It's a fallacy that Ivy League grads are sprinkled with the fairy dust of brilliance to waltz into a classroom and be a great teacher. I received a world class education at NYU, and got the tar kicked out of me by a class of Bronx 4th graders in my rookie year. Becoming a good teacher takes time, reflection, and support. Many of the strategies it takes to succeed are non-intuitive and reflective of each teacher's unique personality. Most of the Teach For America teachers I meet have the makings of great teachers-- but they're nowhere near great in their first two years. Rhee's sweeping dismissal of so many experienced teachers will hurt far more than its sending a small number of truly washed-up teachers out to pasture will help. The ground-level effects of this veteran bloodletting will be immeasurable. Since the start of her tenure, Rhee has followed New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's lead by repeatedly calling herself a reformer, and trumpeting basic skills standardized test scores as the definitive word on a student's education. To achieve success in this brave new world, autocratic, corporate-style power is crucial. Too many dissenting voices could reveal that the emperor of testing isn't wearing any clothes when it comes to truly supporting students. Rhee's mass hiring of newbies thankful to have jobs, juxtaposed with an expected mass layoff of veterans who know about how schools should run, takes cold-blooded, short-sighted "reform" to a new level. Dan Brown is a teacher at a public charter school in Washington, D.C. and the author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle . He is not a member of any teachers' union.
 
Josh Garrett: Fuel Uses Education and Inspiration to Make Impassioned Case for Green Energy Top
Fuel is a documentary about oil, but it is not about the use of petroleum as the energy source for America's cars, light bulbs and computers. The film presents crude oil and its byproducts as the fuel that powers the military-industrial complex, political corruption, corporate greed, environmental destruction, and disease. While Fuel 's labeling of oil as the root cause of all of those scourges at times goes too far (especially when tying oil directly to 9/11 and its aftermath), it provides compelling evidence of at least partial causality. Director Josh Tickell and the main character of Fuel, biodiesel . The narrative of Fuel follows the life of its director, Josh Tickell, and his near-lifelong quest to cleanse America of its addiction to oil by tirelessly promoting clean, renewable alternatives to petroleum power. Tickell's story begins in Louisiana, the heart of American oil refining, where he spent much of his youth. As a boy, he was exposed to the pollution of air, soil, and water that was the result of decades of oil drilling and processing. He quickly learned that the government agencies charged with protecting citizens from such pollution shunned their responsibility simply because they were in Big Oil's pocket. The toxic waste dumped by refineries caused severe health problems in local residents, including higher rates of cancer and reproductive problems in women -- a fact devastatingly humanized by Tickell's mother choking back tears as she recalls her nine miscarriages. Despite those and other citations of the evils of oil production and consumption included in Fuel , the film's tone is decidedly positive. Tickell, whose on-camera commentary is peppered throughout the film in tandem with his narration, has a warm, irrepressibly upbeat presence. His inviting personality shines through in the segments of the film that chronicle his "veggie van" tour of the US in the late 1990s, when he drove a Winnebago powered by waste frying oil from fast food restaurants across the country to raise awareness about biofuels. It is clear that Tickell made a choice to channel his excitement and optimism into the film's central message. His genuine belief that widespread adoption of cleaner fuels in the US is not only possible, but closer than most Americans could imagine, makes Fuel compelling and exciting. Tickell's emphasis on the positive, on what is possible, makes the film distinctly different from the best known documentaries of recent years directed by peoples' hero/pariah Michael Moore. By leaving behind Moore's familiar tactics of mockery and ambush interviews, Tickell makes the content of Fuel (some of which is quite incendiary) digestible to Americans of all backgrounds and political persuasions. This accessibility and broad appeal no doubt played a major role in Fuel 's garnering the Sundance Film Festival's Best Documentary prize in 2008. To back up his optimism, Tickell includes fascinating facts about current alternative energy technologies and the huge potential they hold for powering America's future. From algae that feed off of power plants' CO2 emissions to megaflora trees that reach full maturity in just three years to provide rapidly renewable biomass, Tickell shows that numerous sources of biofuels are ready today to power a cleaner America tomorrow. Interviews with enthusiastic experts in a variety of fields who espouse the effectiveness of clean fuel technologies and the plausibility of their widespread use, lend legitimacy to Tickell's position. And, for good measure, Tickell throws in some star power in the form of inspired interviews with celebrity renewable fuel advocates like Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Sir Richard Branson, and Woody Harrelson. History, it seems, supports Tickell's case as well: both Henry Ford and Rudolf Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) originally intended for their mechanical marvels to be powered by plant-based fuels. While demonstrating that all of the needed technology for a petroleum-free America is already in place, Tickell also profiles two model societies that are already well on their way. He visits Sweden (which has pledged to be off of fossil fuels entirely by 2020) and Germany to demonstrate that grassroots action combined with intelligent planning can bring about an oil-free society. If two other modern Western cultures can make it happen, Tickell asks, why can't we? That is the unmistakable final message of Fuel : we can do it, and every interested American needs to start now. The film ends with an impassioned call to action from Tickell, who urges every viewer to push his or her representatives in Congress to take legislative action in support of alternative energy. The hopeful tone, fascinating technologies, and historical background all make for an inspiring film. By aiming from minute one for inspiration, by opening doors to reveal amazing possibilities in the world of clean, healthy, renewable fuels, Fuel achieves exactly what it intends. Fuel does not chastise Americans for using petroleum products, but instead shows that a post-oil nation is well within our grasp -- all we need to do is extend our hands. Fuel , directed by Josh Tickell, 112 minutes, not rated by the MPAA. Released today in theaters nationwide.
 
How The Electrical Socket Got Its Shape (VIDEO) Top
Via The Daily What comes this hilarious Ze Frank video that explains why electrical sockets look the way they look. In the grand tradition of "How the Leopard Got His Spots" and other such fables, Frank gives us a creation story fit for the ages. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Funny Videos
 
Dave Johnson: Myths of Protectionism Are Spread to Exploit Workers and the Environment Top
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture as part of the Making It In America project. I am a Fellow with CAF. "Protectionism" is a very powerful word. In fact, simply evoking the word is capable of ending debate on any subject related to trade. Invoking the magic words, "You can't do that, it would be protectionist," settles all arguments. Why , exactly, is protectionism so bad? Why can't we have fair trade that lifts workers and protects the environment instead of unregulated free trade that exploits workers and the environment? Well, after spending time looking for evidence to support the "protection is bad" arguments what I find boils down to, basically: "Because it is. Shut up." Here is how it works, in the current discussions of how to fix the problems that led to the financial crisis there are established discussion-enders. Often the 1930s depression is invoked. For example, if you want to bail out big financial corporations and executives (and their bonuses) you say it was a "credit crunch" that caused the depression so we have to prevent another credit crunch. Booga-booga, end of discussion (even though lending is still declining even a year after the huge bailouts...) If you want to maintain low-cost import pressures to force low wages you say "protectionism caused the depression." For other arguments, you can say it was unions that caused the depression, or perhaps government regulations, or perhaps taxes. You get the picture. Booga-booga, end of discussion. By the same magical mystique, current trade and economic discussion rules prohibit ever, ever suggesting that the depression and hence the current economic problems (because of course they are exactly the same thing, just as Vietnam was exactly like World War II) happened because of: • extreme concentration of wealth at the top, • monopolistic and predatory corporate practices, • wages and compensation that are too low for regular people to participate in the economy, • insufficient taxation of the wealthy, • exporting manufacturing capacity, • overconsumption, • unsustainable practices, • encouraging people and businesses to borrow too much, • coziness between government and wealthy special interests, • insufficient regulation of corporations, • or any argument that might result in people thinking that regular people should participate fairly in the economy or have a degree of control over the government and corporate practices. So with these rules in mind I would like to address a few of the myths about protectionism that have grown into a "conventional wisdom" that always serves the interests of the wealthiest few. Myth: Protectionism caused the depression or made it worse. Thom Hartmann addresses this very well, so I'll leave it to him. In 2004's, Democracy - Not "The Free Market" - Will Save America's Middle Class , Thom wrote, When conservatives rail in the media of the dangers of "returning to Smoot Hawley, which created the Great Depression," all they do is reveal their ignorance of economics and history. The Smoot-Hawley tariff legislation, which increased taxes on some imported goods by a third to two-thirds to protect American industries, was signed into law on June 17, 1930, well into the Great Depression. In the following two years, international trade dropped from 6 percent of GNP to roughly 2 percent of GNP (between 1930 and 1932), but most of that was the result of the depression going worldwide, not Smoot-Hawley . The main result of Smoot-Hawley was that American businesses now had strong financial incentives to do business with other American companies, rather than bring in products made with cheaper foreign labor: Americans started trading with other Americans. Smoot-Hawley "protectionist" legislation did not cause the Great Depression, and while it may have had a slight short-term negative effect on the economy ( "1.4 percent at most" according to many historians) its long-term effect was to bring American jobs back to America. [emphasis added] Myth: Protectionists are "against trade," and the similar argument protectionism is about creating barriers or just keeping out foreign goods . This is a way to short-circuit the actual arguments that trade should be fair to both sides instead of just unregulated and exploitative. Fair traders want trade to be conducted in ways that are fair and respectful of working people on both sides of the transaction. They want people to be paid fairly and their working conditions to be safe and they want the environment to be protected. When trade is conducted this way everyone benefits in the long run. Myth: Protectionism costs jobs . This scare-tactic is used by opponents of almost every policy that benefits working people. "Raising the minimum wage costs jobs." "Taxing corporations costs jobs." Etc. Fair trade policies would increase the number of jobs because the workers making the goods that we import would be paid enough to buy the things we make here. Myth: Protectionism ties up manufacturing resources in outdated uses. This is a valid criticism of protectionist trade policies if those policies were enacted as the result of lobbying by interests seeking to protect themselves from competition that is based on innovation and increased efficiencies. This is a key point and I want to repeat it. Fair trade advocates oppose exploitation of workers or the environment. Fair traders do not oppose fair competition, and it is important that trade regulations reflect this. There is no question, as I pointed out earlier this week in Myths of Protectionism: Stories You Are Likely to Hear in the Wake of the China Tire Trade Tariff Case that protectionism can be misused by wealthy interests to feather their own bed in ways that harm the rest of us such as by companies that protect their franchise from fair competition. I wrote, As with all rules they can be manipulated by the currently-powerful. This was done to keep some prices unreasonably high, encourage monopolistic practices, reduce access to localized or regionalized specialties ... So after we built up a manufacturing base the time came to start selling to others. This necessitated back-scratch trade agreements: you scratch my back by lowering your tariffs, we'll scratch yours by lowering ours. Etc. And each country's markets expand - as does the competition. We always have to protect against wealthy and powerful interests seizing the government's decision-making processes to further their own interests. That is just human nature. It is not an argument against the idea of having government and law, it is the reason it is necessary for us to be eternally vigilant of powerful interests and have systems and procedures in place to protect the rest of us. As with anything trade can be beneficial or harmful depending on how it is managed. Fair traders want trade managed in ways that lift people and the environment up, increasing our standard of living and protecting the environment. Yes, we want to protect our workers and our manufacturing capacity but this is the key to prosperity and economic power. Wealthy interests are using trade as a way to pressure us to force lower wages, loss of benefits and removal of restrictions on polluting the environment.
 
Investors Business Daily Publishes Ludicrous Poll Claiming 45% Of Doctors Would Quit Over Reform Top
Hey, kids! Have you heard the one about the poll that indicates that 65% of doctors are against health care reform, and that also says 45% of doctors hate it so much that they would totally go Galt, quit the lucrative medical profession altogether, and live off the land like the noble Cherokee? Yeah, well, you can all calm down, because that poll is crazy. Said findings were commissioned and reported by Investors Business Daily , which has been responsible for some serious lulus of late. The Awl's Alex Balk points out that the publication's previous contribution to the health care reform debate was to assert that if Stephen Hawking lived in England, the death panels would have killed him by now. It was a bold assertion, especially considering the fact that Hawking does live in England, and credits that nation's National Health Service for the provision of "large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived." Its editors are also the geniuses who brought us the poll that insisted that Senator John McCain would win the youth vote in the 2008 presidential campaign to the tune of 74-22: results which can only be achieved if you restrict your polling sample to "the staff of McCainBlogette ." Anyway, Nate Silver spits hot fire all over this nonsense , pointing out that, among other faults, the IBD poll was conducted by mail, that the paper reported its results before all the responses were in, that the questions were not objective, and that terms like "practicing physician" were not clearly defined. My advice would be to completely ignore this poll. There are pollsters out there that have an agenda but are highly competent, and there are pollsters that are nonpartisan but not particularly skilled. Rarely, however, do you find the whole package: that special pollster which is both biased and inept. IBD/TIPP is one of the few exceptions. RELATED: IBD/TIPP Doctors Poll Is Not Trustworthy [FiveThirtyEight] 45% Of Doctors Will Not Quit Practicing If Health Care Reform Happens [The Awl] [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .]
 
Dan Brown's 20 Worst Sentences Top
The Lost Symbol, the latest novel by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown, has gone on sale. We pick 20 of the clumsiest phrases from it and from his earlier works. More on Books
 
Hillary Has The Blues: Which Hue Did Clinton Wear Best This Week? (PHOTOS, POLL) Top
Hillary Clinton has been wearing the blues lately, sporting four different shades in four days. Which hue did Hillary wear best? And which ones were total busts? Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook ! More on Hillary Clinton
 
Dan Glickman: Saving A Billion People from Starvation Top
No American ever embraced the power of science to do good more than Norman Borlaug. Father of the "Green Revolution" that transformed agriculture in India, Pakistan and Mexico, he was a compassionate realist convinced that there was no way to feed more than 6 billion people without the judicious use of high yielding varieties, agricultural chemicals, and biotechnology. He never waivered in those views even as they became less politically correct. Strangely, Borlaug was not widely known in the US except in food and agricultural circles but he managed to become a hero to the poor in the developing world. He had helped as many as a billion people avoid the starvation Malthus had long ago predicted as an inevitable consequence of population growth. His application of science to food production was anything but cold or mechanical. Instead, he saw clearly the corrosive impact that hunger and poverty have on societies and believed passionately that adequate food was the first component of social justice and without it we will never attain peace. Last year, when food prices skyrocketed and riots broke out in 30 countries, Dr. Borlaug must have been reminded of decades ago when his field work helped contain the social turmoil caused by a similar run up in food prices during the oil crisis of the mid 1970s. He must also have thought how little we have learned to be going through the same experience again. Ironically, it was his success with the Green Revolution that allowed the World Bank, USAID and other major donors to neglect agriculture to the point that a new global food crisis was possible. America is working to rebuild its international image and has committed to dealing proactively with the problems associated with global food shortages and modernizing agricultural systems. Norm Borlaug's life is both a symbol of what can be done, and a reminder of the enormous problem of global poverty we still face. Why not finish his work? It is time we did. Who knows? Perhaps one day America will again be a hero to the world's poor. Dan Glickman is the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; Catherine Bertini is the former Executive Director of the UN World Food Program. Both cochair The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' study on global agricultural development. Its final report, Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty, is available online at www.thechicagocouncil.org/globalagdevelopment . More on Mexico
 
Eid al-Fitr Celebrations Around The World (SLIDESHOW) Top
After fasting for the past month for Ramadan, Muslims across the world can finally indulge in a feast to celebrate Eid. Biryani, sweets, and lamb kebabs are just some of the foods that will be eaten on Sunday. Share with the HuffPost community how your family and friends are celebrating the holiday. Whether you live in Lahore, Jakarta, Dubai or anywhere else, send us your photos of what makes your celebration special and/or unique. The HuffPost will feature the best photos on our site. We will look for images that capture both the spirit of the holiday and the community in which you live. Please include a caption with information on who took the photo, where it is and what is happening. (Note: please only send images that you have the rights to or are not copyrighted.) Here's how it works: Hit the participate button, leave your description and mark the location of the Eid celebration by searching for an address in the box on the top right of the map, upload your photo and hit submit. Thank you! Deadline: Tuesday midnight EST. For now, here's a look at how the festival has been celebrated around the world in years past. Vote for the slide you think is most inspiring. Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter! More on Religion
 
Second Life Sex Lawsuit: Linden Lab Targeted For Allowing Ripped-Off Sex Toys Top
Raising the stakes on a two-year-old intellectual property controversy in Second Life, a popular seller of online adult novelties filed a federal copyright- and trademark-infringement lawsuit against Linden Lab this week. The suit claims that Linden looks the other way, while virtual residents rip off the SexGen product line, which includes specially programmed beds, rugs, sofas and even a coffin that enable consenting avatars to engage in virtual sex acts.
 
Roubini: How The Federal Reserve Should Withdraw The Stimulus Top
There's a general consensus that the massive monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and support of the financial system undertaken by governments and central banks around the world prevented the deep recession of 2008-2009 from devolving into the Second Great Depression. More on The Fed
 
Penelope Andrew: Gertrude Berg (Molly Goldberg) Documentary on NY Diva Who Resonated from the Great Depression Through the McCarthy Era Plays Nearly 3 Months in NYC Now Out in Cities Across U.S. Top
No one was more surprised than I to see the documentary Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg enter its third month at the Quad Cinema in New York City while it played simultaneously at the Westhampton Theater in Richmond, VA, just a few miles from where I grew up. Being a classic film junkie, there's nothing I like more than a large helping of nostalgia. Obviously, there is something similar audiences currently feel as they embrace the character of Molly Goldberg in this fascinating documentary. The irresistible nostalgia of Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg as depicted in its theatrical poster. Director Aviva Kempner's film covers the life of the scriptwriter and actress Gertrude Berg. She manages to impart a deeply personal story while masterfully juxtaposing it with U.S. social history--which crosses the Great Depression, WWII, the birth of television, and the tumultuous McCarthy Era--and provides a feminist lens on a woman who conquered radio, television, and the theater. Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg underscores a unique moment in our history when the Jewish experience crossed over into households composed of African Americans, corn-fed Heartland Americans, and even Catholic-American nuns looking riveted as they listened to The Rise of the Goldbergs . The time was the Great Depression; the medium was radio. FDR credited a fictionalized radio family with getting America through its darkest hours. When wife Eleanor was the most admired woman in the United States, Berg was a close second (and, among the highest-earning women, Berg ranked above the First Lady). In watching the film with my own mother--a Greek-American who, in 1955, found herself in Hopewell, Virginia (after her quasi -arranged marriage to my late father) where ordering a bagel at the local, drug-store counter drew puzzled looks and a plate of white toast spread with southern hospitality, and whose Easter was so audacious as to fall on a different date--we marveled at the universal appeal of Berg's character, Molly Goldberg. This enormous popularity lasted from her 1929 radio days through her bittersweet, 1949 transition to television. The actress Gertrude Berg was also a prolific scriptwriter. She penned more than 12,000 scripts for radio, television, and the theater. Berg won an Emmy as Best Actress, a Tony for her performance in the play A Majority of One on Broadway (adapted for the screen starring Rosalind Russell), and fame beyond her wildest dreams. However, her life was not always so charmed. As a child, her brother died from diphtheria, a loss from which her mother, Dinah, never recovered. As Dinah's mental condition worsened, Berg was forced to institutionalize her. In sublimating personal tragedy and throwing herself into work, she created more than 12,000 scripts for television, film, and the stage. After Dinah passed away, Berg found she had visited her only two times, but wrote what is thought to be one of The Goldbergs' funniest episodes in which the character who plays Molly's brother, Uncle David, says to his friend, the proud father of a dentist, "I'm sorry, but a dentist is not a doctor. DDS is not M.D. My son is a real doctor." (I hasten to add that this isn't just an old-fashioned, Jewish point of view, but the current Greek-American position on "M.D." as well. Ask my mother, Aphrodite, her son is a real doctor too. And, like Uncle David, she will never let you forget it.) Many fascinating examples of social and political events that affected both Berg and America unfold in this compelling documentary. Most notable among them involved her co-star, social activist, Philip Loeb. He was blacklisted and became one of the casualties of the Red Scare whose flames were fanned by Congress's House Un-American Activities Committee. Loeb could no longer find work in film or television, but only occasionally on the New York stage. Tragically, he committed suicide in 1955. Candid interviews with Berg's family, friends, and colleagues coalesce almost seamlessly with interesting, socio-cultural perspectives by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, television pioneer Norman Lear, and Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, admitting how uncomfortable the Yiddish-inspired accents he heard on the radio made him feel as a Midwestern teen wanting nothing more than, "to blend." Perspectives also come from women who saw their African-American and Greek-American grandmothers in Molly. Another woman describes the joy her mother, who had no relatives survive the Holocaust, felt in claiming the Goldberg family as her own. In Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg , Kempner frames not only the heart and soul of an extraordinary woman, but her parallel in a troubled, yet resilient, America surviving in the best of times and the worst of times. ***1/2 Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg . Directed, written, and produced by Aviva Kempner. Cast: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Norman Lear, Ed Asner, Susan Stamberg, Chris Milanos Downey, and others. Running time, 1:32. Unrated. The film plays in cities across the United States through December 19, 2009. To find a theater near you, visit: http://mollygolbergfilm.org/theaters.php
 
Rockefeller: GOP Bringing "The Hammer" Down On Snowe Top
There's a very revealing moment in an interview that public option hero Jay Rockefeller gave to Ezra Klein. Rockefeller suggests he has first-hand knowledge of the tremendous pressure GOP leaders are putting on Olympia Snowe to not join Dems on health care reform: I think the world of Olympia Snowe. She's got incredible courage, and the Republican leadership is brutal in the way they apply pressure. Much more so than the Democrats... They bring the hammer down on her, and I'm not going to say how. She's very strong, and she represents a very rural state that has gone blue. So I don't know what she's going to do, and I'll respect her whatever she does.
 
Michelle Obama's BIG Belt: Hit Or Miss? (PHOTOS, POLL) Top
First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a speech on women and health care at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Friday. The first lady is famous for her wide belts, but Friday may have been her biggest belt to date. See the pictures and vote below. See more of Michelle Obama's belts . Want more Michelle Obama style? Visit the Michelle Obama Style Big News page. Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook ! More on Michelle Obama Style
 
Sarah Burd-Sharps: GDP an Inaccurate Measure of Stark Disparities in United States, Fails to Show Whole Picture in Louisiana Top
When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Mississippi and Louisiana four years ago, extreme weather and acute human vulnerability met head-on with tragic results. Long-standing gaps in the well-being of different groups of Gulf coast residents were suddenly everywhere in evidence - on rooftops, on I-10 overpasses, and on TV screens across the country. Many were stunned by what they saw. They should not have been. The problems of social exclusion, residential segregation, and human poverty that Katrina brought to light hide in plain sight in every U.S. state. A new study titled A Portrait of Louisiana released yesterday in Baton Rouge and supported by Oxfam America and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, uses post-Katrina data to examine disparities by parish, race, and gender in Louisiana, and shows that pronounced social and economic gaps left African Americans particularly vulnerable during the disaster and in its aftermath. Although improved disaster preparedness makes a replay of the worst aspects of Katrina unlikely, were a similar storm to hit the Gulf coast today, African Americans would again disproportionately lack the resources - from good health to sturdy housing to a financial cushion - to weather the crisis. People whose heads are barely above water in good times have little to draw on in an emergency. In 2008, we produced a first-ever American Human Development Report. Using a people-centered methodology developed at the United Nations and used to assess progress in over 160 countries, we created a ranked list of U.S. states in terms of human well-being. The human development index measures health, education, and income - the basic building blocks of a good life - using official U.S. government data. This work represents the only available calculation of life expectancy by congressional district and county. On the index, Mississippi ranked last, and Louisiana was third from the bottom. But averages can hide a lot. A Portrait of Louisiana reveals a distribution of vulnerability and resilience in the region striking in its variation and closely tied to race and place. This follows A Portrait of Mississippi , also produced by the American Human Development Report and launched earlier this year. Though both Mississippi and Louisiana rank poorly on the national list, some groups within these states enjoy some of the highest levels of well-being in the nation. Others experience health, education, and income levels that the rest of the country surpassed thirty, forty, even fifty years ago. White Louisianans living in the New Orleans neighborhoods of Uptown, Carrollton, Central City, and the Garden District have a score on our index (6.91) that bests the top-ranked U.S. state of Connecticut (6.37). (The highest score is 10, the lowest, 0.) At the other end of the spectrum, African Americans living in rural Tangipahoa Parish have a score of 0.98, the human development level of the aver age American in the early 1950s. New Orleans whites in these neighborhoods can expect to live, on average, an astonishing ten years longer, are nine times less likely to have dropped out of high school, and earn two and a half times more than Tangipahoa African Americans. In terms of health, in Mississippi, white women live three years longer, on aver age, than African American women; for men, that gap is four and a half years. An African American baby boy born in Louisiana today can expect to live, on average, to 68.1 years, a life span equal to that of the average American male in 1974 (and shorter than that of males in Iran, Nicaragua, Philippines, and other developing countries today). In both states, whites earn bachelor's degrees at twice the rate of African Americans and are nearly half as likely to have dropped out of high school. Higher levels of education typically lead to higher incomes; our research shows that if all adults in these two states had at the very least a high school degree, median personal earnings would increase by $1,700 per year. When it comes to income, whites earning the least have wages and salaries on par with those of African Americans earning the most . White men in Louisiana have earnings more than $8,000 per year higher than those of the typical American worker today, and white men in Mississippi surpass the national median by over $6,000. African American women, on the other hand, have wages and salaries typical of those that prevailed in the U.S. in the 1960s (Mississippi) and the 1950s (Louisiana). For men and women together, there is virtually no overlap between white and African American earnings in both states. Building resilience requires investing in people. Since 2005, the Gulf states affected by Katrina have received upward of $140 billion in federal dollars for hurricane re covery. According to the Louisiana Recovery Authority, and including recent federal stimulus bill funding, at least $63.3 billion has been allocated to Louisiana. This sum represents roughly $15,000 for each and every woman, man, and child in the state--about $44,000 for the average, three-person Louisiana family. Recovery funds must be directed not just to rebuild the physical infrastructure of Mississippi and Louisiana, but also to construct a new infrastructure of opportunity to serve the next generation of Gulf coast residents. Recovery offers a unique opportunity to empower people with the tools to lead self-sufficient lives of freedom, choice, and value and the capabilities required to meet life's disasters with resilience rather than vulnerability. But this won't happen automatically. Evidence from disaster recovery around the world suggests that the rebuilding phase often results in a further concentration of power and resources in the hands of elites. Ensuring that recovery benefits everyone requires that Gulf state governments set concrete targets and provide easily understood reports to the general public on the use of recovery dollars. Equally critical is that the people of Louisiana and Mississippi raise their voices to demand accountability.
 
Amy Nebens and Jara Negrin: Mom's Fall Rise-Up Top
Back to school for the kids means back to herself for mom, or at the least, we have a bit more time for ourselves these days. Our mood is best described by the Staples commercial with the sullen children following the ecstatic school-supply-shopping parent down the aisles. When the yellow school bus comes down the street, we see a light that shines brighter than those headlights. Half-day Kindergarten or full day middle school means mom has her brightest joys and biggest worries cared for, for the moment, and she can concentrate on perking up her wardrobe and renewing her body, not necessarily in that order. We found great products that satisfy both needs. Starting fresh from the inside As much as we'd like to think we'd have the discipline to master the Master Cleanse, our multiple attempts at taking more than one sip of the lemon, water, cayenne, and maple syrup concoction prove otherwise. Thankfully, improved health need not (and probably should not), come with such extreme deprivation. A significantly more doable alternative is the Sea Buckthorn Liquid Revitalize & Renew Supplement from the just launched Sibu Beauty line. As our dermatologist tells us every time we moan -- skin needs to be nourished from the inside-out. So now instead of turning to Red Bulls or failing at absurd liquid diets, we've been trying some Revitalize & Renew to boost our energy and help our bodies fill up with some of the nutrients we might be lacking (the nutrient-dense sea buckthorn berry harvested exclusively for Sibu Beauty in the Himalayas of Tibet contain omega fatty acids 3, 6, 7, and 9 all of which are vital to healthy skin, hair, and nails). While the 100% natural, tart and sweet-tasting supplement isn't the yummiest, until hubby green lights a splurge on a live-in personal chef trained to make sure we are getting a completely balanced diet on a daily basis, we'll have to turn to this helpful little boost. After cleansing. . . Even though summer's over, your husband may not be finished pulling out the big tongs and buying the store out of man-sized rib eyes. Barbequing is a great tradition, but not one without its downsides especially after tweaking our internal health with a cleanse. Some charcoal products contain petrochemical additives that aren't great for your health. We want a good chimichurri sauce with our steak, not chemicals. Nature's Grilling products make us feel much better about our steak splurge. They are made from wood that is harvested sustainably, so their production doesn't strain the environment, and they contain no synthetic additives at all. The 100% natural hardwood briquettes burn longer than traditional briquettes, and produce less ash--which means less waste and less messy cleanup. Yummy grilled food, and a much cleaner conscience. Outer beauty pursuits We're barely into September and we're already nearing our fall fashion budget max -- curse Zara and all their fantastic fall dresses! The solution? Turn to our beauty items to reign in our spending and spice-up what we've already got (we've all gotta make responsible fashion choices sometimes!). The fairy tale-inspired Fall 2009 Orly collection was designed to complement the Fall 2009 dominating colors and trends so it's little surprise that we're liking the way a number of their colors look against our gray, taupe, beige, and black fall looks. The collection includes shades of deep magenta, blue shimmer, burnt red, deep green, grey creme, and brownish gray creme each of which are free of DBP and all traces of Toluene and Formaldehyde. Called Once Upon A Time, the collection just hit stores and all shades have a subdued, muted feel to them. We're going out on a limb and predict that Orly's wonderfully rich, deep green (called Enchanted Forest), will be the "it" color of the season - at least we're hoping because another season of sad-looking black nails would seriously be no fun. Accessorizing at the right price Most people hear the name Avon and think of a cosmetic representative selling creams locally to her neighbors and girlfriends. Little do they know that Avon operates a multi-billion dollar fashion, footwear, and accessories business. We love Avon for their tried and true affordable buys (is there a better multi-tasking product than Avon Skin-So-Soft!?), and for their amazing work championing Breast Cancer and other important causes. Until recently however we hadn't a clue they had products far beyond creams and cosmetics, and that you could purchase them online. Among the new Summer/Fall items that they have is this $14.99 Clear Bangle Bracelet with Faceted Faux Stone Accents which we can totally see our little girls loving too), an array of everyday bags for under $20, and our persona fave, a duo of Dip Dye scarves for $14.99. Free shipping doesn't hurt either. Is it bad though that we secretly wish no one spots in our house those kitschy (think apple-shaped) jewelry boxes Avon is known for? Looking ahead It's not quite the holiday season yet, but we're already panicking about what to wear with the weather turning colder. We're saying bye-bye to our fabulous maxi dresses and easy tanks and breaking out all our little black dresses for nights out on the town. Hey, a mamma can dream, can't she? And our new LBD idol is Demi Moore. She's a hot mom who happens to still look like she's a hot chick and we're still dreaming about her textured Oscar de la Renta LBD with patent leather belt. It's sexy and age-appropriate perfect for a candle-lit dinner with hubbie (Hello, Ashton!) or a black-tie wedding. Of course, our red carpet budget isn't quite as flush as Demi's, but this Arden B belted dress, $58, has exactly what we're looking for -- sex appeal plus sophistication without breaking the bank and it comes in black, purple or blue. Plus, the braided leather belt is perfect for showing off our hour-glass figure even if we have a few more hours packed on than Demi School's out. . . End of day carpools, homework and dinner prep leave us begging for some help. We hardly ever ask for help but we do need this Help and their simple, chic, and affordable ($3.99 ladies!) solutions. The collection is made-up of six products to help with-headache, blisters, sleep difficulties, allergies, cuts and aching bodies. In other words, issues that are our every day occurrences. Unlike most products that tackle these problems, Help doesn't bombard us with bulky, gaudy packaging and wordy explanations. Everything in the collection is color coded and clearly titled to describe, in plain English, what particular problem it solves and how. To boot Help is less abrasive - both for us as users and for the environment--because it's packaged in sustainable materials (molded paper pulp and bio plastic from corn resin). More on Fashion
 
Derek Shearer: Obama's America: What Is Economic Growth For? Top
Fed chairman Ben Bernake, along with other Obama economic team officials, tells us that economic growth is returning, and that it is "very likely" the recession has ended. With ten percent unemployment in many parts of the country, this might seem like less than great news. Certainly, in conventional political terms it is progress--but that's the problem. It's a conventional view--not the Change We Need. The economic crisis from which we are slowly emerging is, at its base, a moral and an intellectual failure. As Robert Skidelsky, the award winning biographer of the great economist John Maynard Keynes, writes: "At the heart of the moral failure is the worship of economic growth for its own sake, rather than as a way to achieve the 'good life'. As a result, economic efficiency--the means to economic growth--has been given absolute priority in our thinking and policy." (check out Skidelsky"s new book, Keynes-The Return of the Master, which explains Keynes' relevance for today's economic crisis, as well as the failure of almost the entire economics profession). Keynes understood in the 1930s that capitalism needed to be stabilized through government action--primarily government spending--and most importantly, reformed to reduce systemic weaknesses that caused the Depression (and the current global economic crisis). The New Deal in the US and social democratic governments in Europe, both before and after WWII, took measures to stabilize their economies and to reform them. Efforts were also made to do this at the international level through the Bretton Woods agreements of which Keynes was a prime thinker and mover. These policies of stabilization followed by significant structural reform and ongoing programs of government spending (in the US, the GI Bill, national education and transportation acts, etc--and similar programs in Europe, Australia and Japan, including the creating of national health systems), laid the foundations for the economic growth of the post-war period in the 50s and 60s when real improvements in living standards, reduction in poverty and inequality, and the wide spread provision of health and welfare benefits created a thriving middle class in most non-communist nations. In speeches earlier this year, most notably at Georgetown University, President Obama said that he wants to lay the foundation for new economic growth--growth that improves citizens' lives and does less damage to the environment. Unfortunately, while his words are bold, he acts cautiously when it comes to actual reforms that are necessary to create this new foundation for economic growth, and he runs the risk of returning to the same old "money values" that underpin Reaganomics which brought us the recent economic crisis. His proposals, and his economic team, seem at variance with his rhetoric. Whether this is a function of his true beliefs about what his goals really are or simply his political calculus of what is possible is difficult to know. On the evidence, we do know that his choice of economic advisers and appointees has not been reformist. Instead of Joe Stiglitz, James Galbraith, Paul Krugman or Barry Bluestone, he has selected Larry Summers, Tim Geithner and Christina Roemer. Even Laura Tyson and Robert Reich, both of whom endorsed and campaigned for Obama, would have been more progressive and reform minded. In Washington, personnel is, in large part, policy--and who you see in power is what you get. Obama picked stabilizers not reformers. His recent speech to Wall Street spoke more about responsibility than about reform, as if it were personal failings rather than an unbalanced system that caused the crisis. Obama's proposed reforms are moderate and in the analysis of many experts like Simon Johnson of MIT, insufficient to prevent a future meltdown. Wall Street seems to have returned to its old ways of doing business, only with even larger financial conglomerates like the new Bank of America which swallowed Countrywide and Merrill Lynch and is surely "too big to fail." The message seems to be that the Obama government will bail out the big companies to get back to stability and growth, but not significantly change the way the system operates to prevent future bailouts. As with economic policy, so it is with health care. Obama's approach has been to move to the center even before the debate began. He could have said at the outset that a single payer system was, in fact, the most ideal, and then moved away from it towards the center as politics dictated. Sadly, thinking that he was avoiding all of the mistakes of the Clinton administration, he recreated Bill Clinton's approach of making too rationale a case for health care reform, instead of a moral one. There has been too much talk of "bending the cost curve" and not enough talk about how a decent country should treat all of its citizens. AS TR Reid writes, "The question facing Americans this fall is: what should be the ethical basis of America's health-care system?" (Reid's new book, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care, surveys the leading universal health care systems in such countries as Canada, Great Britain, Japan, France and New Zealand and finds lessons for the US). In 1992, I advised President Clinton not to put Hillary Clinton in charge of health care inside the White House. I wanted her to lead the reform effort outside--to follow the model of Eleanor Roosevelt--to travel around the country visiting hospitals, community clinics, health coops, model health centers, to gather stories and build grass roots support for reform by creating a compelling narrative based on peoples lives. At the same time, I counseled that a key Senator like Jay Rockefeller who represents a white-working class state, West Virginia, should hold hearings on the experience of other countries in covering all of their citizens-- telling the story that Reid reports in his new book. The facts about alternative health care systems would then have been presented to the public without much distortion. Clinton chose not to follow this advice, and Obama has not followed this path either. Obama's team learned the wrong lessons from Clinton's experience with health care. It was not the content of Clinton's plan that doomed it to failure, but the political strategy that he adopted. I hope that will not be the case with Obama and his efforts. Obama chose not to give Michelle a role, perhaps fearing a comparison with Hillary. She is not out collecting human stories of the failure of the health care system, and instead, is confining herself to the White House food garden and opening a farmers market near the White House. Worthy projects, but not the optimal use of her time nor her abilities. Hearings were not promoted by the White House on health care systems in other advanced democracies and Obama has not spoken about these other models in his speeches. This silence let opponents of reform offer false and politically damaging characterizations of how health care is delivered in Great Britain, Canada and France. Wild charges that Teddy Kennedy would not have been treated by the National Health Service in England or that physicist Stephen Hawkings would have been left to die have gone unanswered. Instead, the human narrative comes from the Right about Obama's death panels and letting Granny die. All these miscues are enough to make a good Democrat doubt the political bona fides of Rahm Emmanuel, David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett. What were they thinking? Political mistakes in the Obama White House have been compounded by the misuse of an asset that Bill Clinton did not have--10 million or more names of activists on computer. Obama's campaign army for change could have been used as a real potent force for political change; instead, it is just an email list which the White House uses in support of whatever stands Obama is taking. Had Obama turned the names over to a nonprofit group--one independent of the White House--perhaps run by someone like Marshall Ganz, the legendary organizer who helped train Obama's campaign staff, he could have created a political force outside of conventional Washington which would have organized grass roots support for strong reforms like single payer and put pressure on both the Congress and the White House for a truly ethical health care system. It was a missed opportunity, but it can be remedied, although not in time for the passage of a good health care bill this fall. I'm afraid that letting Max Baucus take the lead on health care reform in the Senate and pushing aside tougher reformers like Jay Rockefeller is another political error with consequences for the shape of any health legislation this fall. I don't expect much. If my leader and home Congressman Henry Waxman (one of my few personal heroes) votes for a final bill, then I will support it. Some kind of reforming the health care system, if Henry supports it, will be better than nothing--but things could have been so much better. It's deja vue all over again. I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that President Obama's governing style is not going to produce the kind of reforms which his millions of supporters had hoped for. We know that he is a powerful speech maker, but he has the unfortunate habit (as Frank Rich pointed out in his Sunday New York Times commentary) of thinking it is a more powerful tool than it is--and he has a tendency to think so much of his own powers of persuasion that he is in serious danger of overexposure or creating a kind of cult of personality. After all, this weekend he is appearing on all five national talks shows on Sunday, followed by an appearance on Letterman on Monday night--all to argue for health care reform. Is there no one else of stature in this administration who can make the case for reform? Where is Obama's Frances Perkins or his Senator Wagner--just two of the great Americans who brought us the New Deal as part of FDR's team? The power of rhetoric, even that of great Presidential orators, is overrated in politics, and is, I believe, less effective the more that it is used. In any case, it doesn't substitute for a more aggressive and smarter political strategy and bolder policy initiatives that wake up supporters in the progressive camp--and it doesn't work if there is only one voice speaking for change. Obama is clearly the One, but he needs others too. I don't want to be too pessimistic. Situations change, and personnel can be replaced. There are mid-course corrections in any Presidential administration, and there will certainly be ones in the Obama administration. As to the answer of what is economic growth for--the question posed in my title--for now, we have to look across the waters to France where President Sarkozy has just released the report of his commission on how to measure economic growth. Co-chaired by Nobel prize winner Joe Stiglitz, the report suggests new ways to measure a society's well being other than simply the growth of GNP. Sarkozy has indicated that the French statistics agency will be incorporating new indicators in its accounting of national income statistics. Perhaps, he will give President Obama and the other leaders at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh copies of the report. And perhaps, President Obama will give some serious thought to trading in Larry Summers for Joe Stiglitz , letting Jay Rockefeller take over for Max Baucus, or calling populist Democrats like Byron Dorgan and Sherrod Brown off the back benches and onto center court. More on Health Care
 
PETITION: Get Obama To Commit To Arrest Warlord Joseph Kony Top
If you haven't yet heard of Invisible Children , you're either not 19 or don't watch Oprah . You are, however, not alone. This youth-oriented organization has inspired tens of thousands of young people and seeks to get all active Americans on board to help free the thousands of child soldiers forced to fight against their will by the Lord's Resistance Army and warlord Joseph Kony in northern Uganda. In one of the most underreported humanitarian atrocities of the last several decades, Kony has actively kidnapped and detained thousands of innocent children and put them on the front lines of a civil war that's raged in central Africa for nearly 25 years. Invisible Children , a nonprofit organization started by three friends from southern California in 2003, has led a tireless campaign to educate Americans about the Ugandan crisis and to urge action. In April, 80,000 activists from around the globe participated in The Rescue invisiblec, a campaign to catch the attention of celebrities and politicians. In June, IC activists descended upon our nation's capital for How It Ends , a lobbying event in support of The LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. Now, Invisible Children's latest campaign is going after the big man himself, President Obama . Here is what they want him to do: Commit the USA to lead an international effort to arrest Joseph Kony and announce this strategy through a public statement by Christmas 2009. Commit to sign and implement into law The LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. Commit to the recovery and rehabilitation of the LRA affected communities in Uganda, South Sudan, CAR and DR Congo. One of the strongest messages of Invisible Children is that this is an issue that can be solved with international pressure and moral willpower. You can go to the Invisible Children website right now and sign the Citizens Arrest Warrant for Joseph Kony. You can also call and e-mail your Congressional representative to ask them to sponsor the bill. For more background on Invisible Children and the crisis in Uganda, visit Causecast.org and read about how you can help end human trafficking . More on Barack Obama
 
Kate Gosselin On Jon & The Babysitter: I Sobbed, I Don't Know If They Had Sex (VIDEO) Top
Kate Gosselin continued her co-hosting stint on 'The View' Friday and talked about her opposition to Jon's 23-year-old babysitter and possible lover , Stephanie Santoro, that led to a police-mediated fight at the Gosselin house last month. "I actually showed up and just cried and didn't say a word," she said. "I sat at the gate and just sobbed." Jon, however, refused to unlock the gate and a screaming match ensued. Someone called 911 and Kate spent the night at a Day's Inn. As for the alleged nine mediocre sexual encounters between Jon and Santoro following an initial naked soak in the family hot tub, Kate said she doesn't know whether the babysitter's claims are true. "I'm not saying it's true or false," she said. "All I'm talking about is what my intuition is saying. And bottom line of this background story is I had never met this babysitter and it made me uncomfortable." WATCH: Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Jon & Kate Plus 8
 
Afghanistan: Aid Agencies Say Pentagon Efforts To Enlist Their Help Place Them In Peril Top
GENEVA, Switzerland International aid and humanitarian organizations are increasingly under the threat of attack in Afghanistan and are struggling to find ways to operate safely in areas where the U.S. and the Taliban are at war. Amid concerns for security, the United States Agency for International Development has opened an investigation into claims highlighted in a GlobalPost special report that some international contractors may be involved in payments through local Afghan subcontractors that end up in the hands of the Taliban in exchange for protection in Taliban-controlled areas. More on Afghanistan
 
Miley Cyrus' Mullet Dress Top
Miley Cyrus arrived at the VH1 Divas show on Thursday night in a black dress that had a short front and long back. Speaking of short in the front and long in the back, the mullet hairstyle with a similar description was made famous by her father Bill Ray. She later changed during the telecast. PHOTO: Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Miley Cyrus
 
Sara Davidson: Starting a Rock 'n Roll Choir! Top
This summer a friend and I started a rock 'n' roll choir in Boulder. A woman we know in Napa Valley, CA, told us she'd joined a rock choir there and they were singing "Good Vibrations" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." I want to do that! I thought. But the only choirs I knew about in Colorado sing sacred or classical music or maybe world music. My friend, Nance, and I wanted to sing the songs we grew up with and love -- in harmony. We hired a musical director, Mike Cappo who's one of the Dueling Pianists who perform at Nissi's and other venues. Mike knows 2,000 songs, his range stretches from bass to soprano, and his playing makes everyone start to bounce and groove. But he'd never directed a choir before. We held a planning meeting, put out the word and more than 30 people showed up the first night. It seems that more and more of us are "coming out of the closet" for music. Everywhere, I meet grownups who're beginning to learn an instrument, taking singing lessons and forming groups -- for the pure joy of it. There used to be sense that if you weren't a pro or seriously gifted, you couldn't make music, but now it's for everyone who can carry a tune and loves it. We meet the first and third Monday of each month and pay $20 a month to cover expenses. No matter how tired or stressed people are, if they can get their bods to choir, they leave feeling energized. It's the old secret: singing makes you high. Last week we opened with "Feelin' Groovy," worked on Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes," "My Girl," "Let it Be" and "Brown Eyed Girl." We have a core group of 20, mostly female. Where are the guys?! All those hot (would-be) guitarists and vocalists? We could use more tenors and bass singers. If you'd like to join us, contact barb@vaned.com. As St. Augustine said: "Sing to make your journey more enjoyable. Sing and keep going."
 
Phyllis Caldwell: More Women Suffer During the Recession Than Men Top
Last week, the front-page news from the U.S. Census Bureau was alarming: nearly 40 million Americans are poor -- an increase of 2.6 million people in 2008. For a family of four, that means making ends meet on less than $22,025 a year. What didn't get as much attention is who these poor people are: Nearly 56 percent are women or girls. Almost a fifth of all girls are poor. Thirteen percent of adult women live in poverty. Almost twice as many elderly women as elderly men are impoverished. The problem is worse for families headed by single mothers. Nearly a third lives in poverty - a number that shoots up to 40 percent for black and Hispanic families headed by single mothers. In recent months, the media has focused on the plight of older, white men during the recession. While it's true that many have lost good jobs, the picture of who is struggling is more complicated. New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that single mothers are almost twice as likely as married men to be unemployed. One of every eight women who are the sole breadwinners in their families is unemployed compared with one of every 16 married men. The message is clear: Too many American women are poor and the recession has been a hardship for the most vulnerable among them. How can we change this picture? At Washington Area Women's Foundation, the only public foundation solely focused on improving the lives of women and girls in the greater Washington, D.C. region, we believe we have an answer. Our multi-year, $5 million Stepping Stones program invests in nonprofits in the greater Washington, D.C. region that provide job training, financial literacy and child care programs for low-income women. During the past four years, the program has served 19,000 women, many of whom are raising families on their own. Stepping Stones has helped these women increase their income and assets by a total of $22 million in just four years. As the economy tanked in the first half of 2009, the demand for financial education and counseling services nearly doubled, resulting in more than 3,000 women receiving these services. That surge is a direct consequence of the recession. Participating in Stepping Stones has enabled local women to save a total of $2 million, thanks largely to learning about how to claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, a vital tool in reducing poverty. Even with the retrenching job market, more than 70 women involved in the Stepping Stones program found good jobs - some in non-traditional fields such as cable installation and environmental surveying - resulting in a combined income boost of $600,000. And more than 60 program participants purchased homes this year. These women are on their way to better lives and financial independence. The success of these efforts is proof that investing in job training, financial literacy and child care programs yields big dividends by lifting women out of poverty. It is significant that women's foundations across the country are leading many of these efforts. Over the last 20 years, women's funds have invested nearly $500 million nationally and together have more than $456 million to invest in programs and solutions to fight root causes of poverty. Now, several women's foundations have banded together to launch a new national endeavor called Women's Economic Security Campaign (WESC) to raise awareness about how policy affects women in poverty. The strategy is simple and effective. When women with resources come together to help the less fortunate among them, families thrive, communities are strengthened and as a nation we all benefit. Phyllis Caldwell is president of Washington Area Women's Foundation. More on Economy
 

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