Tuesday, September 15, 2009

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Marissa Moss: HuffPo Exclusive: Indie Rock Legend Lou Barlow's New Music Video Top
You may not know the name Lou Barlow -- he's never stolen the mike from a teenage country singer at the VMAs, exposed a breast at the Super Bowl or been the soundtrack to an iTunes commercial. But that doesn't mean that he or his bands -- Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh -- are any less important on our cultural sidewalk splatter. Both can be credited with shaping "indie" (I used quotes in a slightly sarcastic, eye-rollin' way) rock as we know it -- emo before it lost a ball, folk before it joined the circus and picked up a freak, rock before it forgot a guitar is better than most anything at all. Lou's got a new record out October 6th, Goodnight Unknown , via Merge Records. To celebrate, he's released a series of videos on Lootube , his own personal indie-porn youtube. Merge gave us the exclusive first dibs on Too Much Freedom, the next installment in the series. Check it out here: More on Video
 
Sen. Rockefeller Won't Vote For Baucus Health Bill Top
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), the second-ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee, will not vote in favor of the healthcare reform bill his panel's chairman will introduce Wednesday, he told reporters Tuesday.
 
Manisha Thakor : 5 Items Will Consumer 50% of Your Income - Are You Prepared? Top
In these recessionary times, financial tips are flowing fast and furious about how to save money and stick to a budget. Facing a sea of information many people are asking, "Where do I start?" For most of us, five areas of spending will consume over 50% of the money we earn during our lifetime, so that's the best place to begin. The five areas are: Home, Car, Kids, Education, and Retirement. Here's what you need to know about each: (1) HOME: Don't bite off more HOME than you can chew. How much house can you comfortably afford? For most people the answer is a house with a purchase price of no more than 3x their annual household income. Rationale: the cost of a home includes much more than the monthly mortgage payment. It's also property tax, insurance, upkeep, etc. Typically these costs run 2%-3% of the price of your home each year. Assuming a 20% down payment, a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, and interests rates in the 5%-6% rate, the 3x your income rule of thumb will translate into total housing costs of roughly 30% of your gross income. (2) CAR: Don't let your CAR drive you to the poor house . The same logic applies to your car. Most people can comfortably afford a car that is 1/3rd of their annual income. If you make $60,000 you can comfortably afford a car that costs $20,000. If that seems low - now you know why so many Americans are in financial trouble. They are driving it. A car has many other costs than simply the monthly payment. There's insurance, gas, parking, maintenance, etc. If you follow this rule of thumb, your total transportation costs should be 10% or less of your gross income. (3) KIDS: Don't let your KIDS kick you in the wallet . Kids are expensive. From a purely clinical standpoint the Dept. of Agriculture estimates it will cost $220,000 to raise a child born in 2008 from diapers to age 18. And that figure is before you add in the cost of college! Deciding to be a parent is a major financial obligation. Don't make it worse by over-indulging your love bundles. (4) EDUCATION: Don't forget to ask "How high is too high for higher EDUCATION? " It used to be good debt was defined as mortgage and student loan debt... and bad debt was everything else. Not any more. We've now learned that too much of a good thing can indeed be bad. Rough rule of thumb, don't take on more in total education debt than you think you are going to earn on average annually during your first 10 years after graduating (from college or grad school). In plain English, if you think you'll make $50,000 a year, don't take out more than $50,000 in loans. The logic behind this is that if it takes you more than 10 years of paying 10% of your income a year in student loan repayments, it's going to be tough to meet your other financial obligations. (5) RETIREMENT: Don't underestimate the need to feed your RETIREMENT nest egg . How much will you need to retire? A simple rule of thumb is to multiply your current income by 25. So if you make $50,000 a year and want to maintain that standard of living in retirement, you'll need a nest egg of at least $1,250,000. Understanding early on in your working life what "your number" is... will help you see just how important it is to plan for this major savings goal. More on Retirement
 
Deborah Plummer: When You Only Have a Hammer...Debate Top
Rudy Giuliani on The View on 9/11 reflected on the meaning of this day in our history. He stated that as a result of 9/11, Republicans and Democrats came together to bring the country out of crisis. He went on to say that this act of coming together only lasted for a few months. Both parties then went back to disagreeing and debating. After all, that is what Republicans and Democrats do...they disagree and debate. As the saying goes, when you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail. If the only thing Republicans and Democrats know how to do is disagree and debate, we are in a sorry state of affairs.The ill effects of having only one communication tool is hindering our efforts to reform health care. Debate is a form of communication designed to win over, influence and persuade. In a debate one listens for rebuttal rather than listening to understand. The goal of a debate is to win rather than to achieve new ways of knowing and understanding. Dialogue is form of communication used for complex issues such as the ones we are now facing as a country. It aims to enlighten and create an atmosphere where everyone learns and grows. Dialogue is useful for creative thinking and developing new approaches and methods. We need new approaches and methods to the age-old problem of health care reform. It is easier to debate health care reform because you only have to believe and push your side of the issue. Facts do not matter because in such a complex issue "facts" come in many forms. Choose your fact and just keep pushing it. Dialogue requires that you suspend your understanding of the issue to get clarity on the other side of the issue. Dialogue requires a non-defensive, non-competitive posture, a spirit of inquiry, openness to influence, and respect for each other as colleagues. These conditions are far harder to achieve than to create conditions for a debate. Toddlers and adolescents have the emotional maturity to debate. Dialogue requires a level of emotional maturity sorely missing from too many of our civic leaders. As a diversity champion, I have this fantasy that if there were more women in the Senate and the House of Representatives we might move toward dialogue. But I live in reality where I am getting pounded by the hammer of debate. More on Rudy Giuliani
 
Jenna Woginrich: We Are What We Eat. Let's Be Something Better. Top
Last night I left the farm and drove into Manchester to see Food Inc. (which was wonderful) and engage in a group discussion about industrial food. Now, I knew I was going to the movies but I had no idea when the film was over there would be a stay-in-you-seats discussion over local community action. There was. I love Vermont. A local group call Manchester Town Transition hosted the post-film talk. The MC walked down the rows, mic in hand, asking about changes that could happen in our area to help solve the problem. I listened to local small farmers take turns talking about their issues: horror stories about trying to sell to grocery store chains, the struggle to get apathetic people involved in the town farmer's market. We passed around the microphone with ideas and talking points and when it got to me I had one question to ask the eager audience. "How many people here have a garden?" Everyone shot up their hands. We were preaching to the choir. Not one of us needed to see this movie. It was like an evangelical popping in a praise-n-worship cd in a station wagon with the rest of the youth ministry. What we needed was to get our unsaved friends in the seat next to us. People who unless handed the microscope would never look that close into their cereal bowl. That's where you come in. Go see this movie and take someone who doesn't give a damn about corn. The problem is that Americans have convinced themselves that cheap food, a seasonless selection, and endless variety are their rights instead of healthy food, in-season crops, and correct variety. Some folks say a local organic diet is an elitist goal. Regular folks can't afford it. Listen, I'm not suggesting everyone shops at Whole Foods. That's ridiculous. What I am suggesting is we start caring a little more about the people stamping the quality seals on our bacon. Somehow our collective apathy has dulled our teeth on this matter--either we've bought the lie that eating whatever we want of lesser quality is a sign of progress, or perhaps we're just relieved we don't have to look the cow in the face before we smear ketchup on it. Either way, something's got to change. Ask the average American if they'd rather buy feeding lot chicken that comes with a death warning than drive to a farmer's market down the block? Most will prefer the healthier option, but few actually choose it. One hilarious section of the movie interviewed a well known sustainable farmer who was almost shut down for processing his poultry outdoors near birds' pasture. So he sent a sampling of his stock and an equal sampling of chickens from the grocery store shelves to be tested for bacteria levels. His came back ridiculously healthier and his animals never went through chlorine baths snf packaging plant. It's how the animal is raised, son. I understand that we have a world to feed. I understand how complicated this whole downer cow of an issue is. But it seemed to me that Food Inc wasn't so much against industrial food as it was against the lack of regulation. The film didn't want everyone to boycott Kroger--they wanted you to change what's inside by voting with every purchase of healthier food. Buy local, organic, and do your best. Not everyone can afford this, but most of us can afford one local meal a week. Experts say if every American ate one meal within 100 miles of their home the food industry would be forced to change dramatically. Then organic food wouldn't be expensive, i'd be normal. Get some oats at the farmers' market and you've just eaten a breakfast that can change the world. Let's be honest. Most people don't want to think about where they're food comes from. They don't want to buy healthier meat for more money and eat less. It's not that they don't care about local farmers, poisoned peanut butter, and salmonella outbreaks. But more and more those types of events have become background noise on the evening news. Busy people have jobs, lives, and families to take care of. I get it. I have a job and mouths to feed too. But I'll be damned if I'll sit back and watch the food my family eats hurt them. We may have our disagreements, even about blog posts like this, but they can count on me to produce meat, eggs, vegetables and energy that won't put them in the hospital. We are what we eat. Let's be something better. Comment, discuss, and join the Cold Antler Farm Community here. More on Green Living
 
Waylon Lewis: Bill McKibben & Climate Scientists in Boulder: a critical report. Top
Why are we losing the War against Climate Change? Because Americans are, more and more, merely Preaching to our respective Choirs. ~ I had a depressing moment, last weekend. Saturday morning, I (biked) up to Boulder's historic Chautauqua to interview Bill McKibben , the man who was the first to write about this new thing called "Global Warming" back in the 80s, who was on Colbert last month, and whom I've had the honor to interview twice before. 30 years have passed since McKibben wrote his best-selling End of Nature. And things have only gotten much worse, scientifically-speaking, since the 80s. Back then, our earth's atmosphere's carbon levels were well below 350 parts per billion, globally. Now, we're at 387, and rising steadily. ~ I walked into the historic Chautauqua auditorium, where there's maybe 1,000 seats, and only about 200 of 'em were full. It was the old Boulder tribe, out in force. They reminded me of an aging, dying warrior clan in Tolkein or sumpin'--the noble, now-gray hippies that made Boulder the green, walk-the-talk place it is. Or was , until 89, and the CAlifornians started moving here in droves, and our real estate boom was on. There were a few token college kids, who the charming moderator made a point of calling on. Gotta bring the show ponies out for the old-timers (all the other green-minded young Boulderites musta been at New Belgium 's Tour de Fat ). But what bothered me most wasn't that only maybe 200 had come out on a Saturday for a panel, including McKibben, of top-notch scientists, authors and professors (including the ancient, sweet, ever-youthful 90-year-old Al Bartlett ). When I walked in someone asked about how to convince people who didn't believe in climate change . All the speakers started saying self-righteous, stupid (to my mind) things about how the other people were self-righteous and stupid. It was like a liberal version of the partisan rancor in Washington, as symbolized by Joe Wilson's heckling the other day: you lie! I waited for McKibben to answer, and I expected him--an idol of mine because he is, like Michael Pollan and Jon Stewart , a master communicator to the masses--to demur. But when he said you just have to walk off at some point and get active and change things anyway... ...for the rest, go to elephantjournal.com. _ Waylon Lewis is the founder of elephantjournal.com and Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, an irreverent green talk show which airs monthly from Naropa University. To host Walk the Talk Show videos on your site free, email talkshow[at] elephantjournal[dot]com. Follow elephantjournal on Twitter. Become a Fan on Facebook . Subscribe to elephant's free, weekly top 10 blog enewsletter. Follow Waylon Lewis on Twitter (for Boulder-related elephanty news) More on Climate Change
 
Michelle Renee: Creepy Job Postings on Craigslist Top
Millions of people everywhere are struggling to make ends meet, stay in their homes and afford to put gas in their car to even get to a job interview. Okay, so there are a few that are not struggling and some that will tell you that there is no recession, repeat stuff from The Secret , and then go home to a stack of bills. As a writer who isn't sure where my next check is even coming from, browsing the job posts for freelance opportunities has become part of my regular routine. But a freelance position took on a whole new meaning today when I found this post for an "Executive/Personal Assistant": Busy executive seeks mature lady for, personal assistant duties, social engagements, and discrete rendezvous. If you are generally free during the day between 9-12am and live near the Eastlake Design district I am interested in speaking with you about this opportunity. Very generous financial incentive will be provided for companionship. Please include a picture and contact information in your reply to expedite the process. Prefer reserved housewife type looking for supplemental income. After a few minutes I went back to copy the verbiage and it had been suddenly changed to "Assistant/Companion". No matter what the heading is, this job posting on Craigslist, not listed in the gigs section under adult so only those looking for this type of "Betty Crocker meets Heidi Fleiss" job will be able to access it, got me thinking. In our current economic state and unemployment rates skyrocketing, I wonder, with so many unable to stay afloat, is this type of post more tempting to more women? What will the response rate be? Are creeps tapping into desperate women's plight? Whatever the case may be, I was sad to see the post, realizing that there actually may be women who are desperate enough and lack the support and self-esteem they need to never even consider this an option. Note to Craigslist: better filtering of job postings would be nice. More on Economy
 
Joe Wilson Resolution of Disapproval: House Votes To Admonish Top
WASHINGTON — Bitterly divided over an accusatory outburst – "You lie" – lawmakers neared a vote Tuesday on admonishing one of their own for his jarring interruption of President Barack Obama. The proposed resolution of disapproval against Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina added to the already-toxic atmosphere of partisanship in the House. Democrats said Wilson's behavior during Obama's speech to Congress last week was an egregious display of disrespect for the president that could not be ignored. Republicans accused the majority party of hypocrisy and wasting the taxpayers' time. "That's a very serious breach of decorum, and if it goes unaddressed then we will probably see other, worse breaches in the future," Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said before floor debate began. But Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, a member of the Republican leadership, countered, "Our economy is struggling, families are hurting. And yet, this Congress is poised to demand an apology from a man who has already apologized. It's a disappointment to millions of Americans." The Office of the House Historian said the resolution, if approved, would mark the first time in the 220-year history of the House that a member had been admonished for speaking out while the president was giving an address. The vote was on a resolution of disapproval, less severe than other disciplinary action available to the House, including censure or expulsion. Wilson appeared on the House floor before debate on his behavior began, delivering a short speech without referring to his confrontation with Obama. He spoke of town hall meetings he held over the August recess full of "honest patriots" who "want us to work together for health insurance reform but not a government takeover." Wilson's "you lie" outburst came as Obama, during a joint session speech on health care legislation, said that illegal immigrants would not be eligible for federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. The outburst drew gasps from other members, and Wilson, at the urging of Republican leaders, called White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize. But he has resisted later suggestions that he go to the House floor to express further remorse. "I think that Mr. Wilson could have resolved this himself" by speaking directly to his House colleagues, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Obama accepted the apology and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initially said it was time to move on to health care and other substantive issues. Republicans agreed. But other Democratic leaders, including third-ranked James Clyburn of South Carolina, pushed for a House vote. Clyburn, in an interview last week, said Wilson's behavior was "indicative of the combativeness he displays all the time when it comes to politics." A leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Clyburn perceived it as a snub that Wilson held a town hall meeting on health care this summer at a school in Clyburn's district – where Clyburn's children attended – without telling Clyburn. There also have been suggestions that recent harsh criticism of Obama has been at least partly motivated by race. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., current head of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that "today is about the civility and decorum of the House." But she added that we "can't sweep race under the rug – racism is still a factor and must be addressed." A House Rules Committee summary of guidelines for members states that while it is permissible to challenge the president on matters of policy during debate, personal attacks are off limits. House rules note that a member could refer to a presidential message as a "disgrace to the nation" but it would be impermissible to call the president a "liar," a "hypocrite" or say he was "giving aid and comfort to the enemy." Treatment of Wilson's shout was complicated by the fact that it occurred not during floor debate but during a televised presidential address to Congress. In 2007 Republicans unsuccessfully introduced a censure resolution against Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., for saying during debate that U.S. troops were being sent to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." Stark later apologized to his colleagues. On Wilson, there were dissenters from party solidarity on both sides of the aisle. Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts said he would vote against the resolution because "I think it's bad precedent to put us in charge of deciding whether people act like jerks. I don't have time to monitor everyone's civility." On the other side, Wilson's fellow South Carolina Republican Bob Inglis tweeted that he had told other Republicans and Wilson himself that he should apologize anew. "He should apologize to House for rule violation. That would end the matter." Beyond the controversy swirling around Wilson, there appeared to be some progress in resolving the issue he raised over illegal immigrants receiving federal subsidies to get health care. Democrats have insisted that their proposals specifically prohibit undocumented immigrants from getting assistance. But Republicans say the legislation needs stronger verification requirements. Senators trying to negotiate a bipartisan deal are working to do just that, a step that could please some Republicans but also antagonize Hispanic lawmakers sensitive to rules making it harder for people to obtain health care. The dispute, by capturing the attention of Republican and Democratic loyalists, has been a financial bonanza for both Wilson and his expected challenger in next year's election, Rob Miller. Each has raised some $1.5 million in contributions since the speech last week.
 
Steve Clemons: Afghanistan & Health Care Making Democratic Disharmony Structural Top
Charlie Cook , one of the best political handicappers in the country, sees the Democratic camp diverging in three directions -- loyal Obamites, Liberal purists, and skeptics. Charlie doesn't even get into the questions of national security policy and the Vietnam-like stumble into something bigger in Afghanistan, but his template fits the foreign policy world pretty well too. I am told that tonight on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer :, the reputationally hawkish Congresswoman and national intelligence expert Jane Harman talks about the growing unease among Congresssional democrats about what is happening in Afghanistan. Her bottom line approximately: No more US troops to Afghanistan unless they clean up the corruption there. Well, that means the White House can't count Harman in the support corner now more US troop deployments. As Harman writes in a recent oped on Afghanistan, she sees the nation as somewhat as a cesspool of corruption in which American national security resources are pouring into a black hole with no hope -- unless corruption is addressed -- of achieving America's national objectives or achieving a stable and healthy Afghanistan. In response to the Democratic Party's tripartite disarray, the Republicans have not marshalled anything coherent in response. The Republicans are divided into a bunch of camps as well -- probably far more than three -- and the sensible pragmatists with whom I feel most comfortable are barely in the party any longer. Charlie Cook writes in his " Cook Report " in National Journal : In assessing the severity of their current problems, Democrats have split into three distinct camps. The first, the Loyal Obamaites, is made up of those most committed to President Obama, whether or not they're on his payroll. They stress that it is a long time until November 2010 and that their party's problems are primarily driven by the economy. In their view, if the economy turns around over the next year, the president's fortunes and those of his party will improve. If the economy fails to improve, Democrats are pretty much screwed no matter what they do, the Loyalists continue. They maintain that tackling health care reform would be tough in any year, that candidate Obama promised to take on this challenge, and that he cannot back down. Some Democrats in this camp sound as if they would not mind if a dozen or so "Blue Dogs" lost next year, since on tough votes these moderate-to-conservative Democrats are not with the president and their party's House leadership anyway. The second Democratic camp, the Purists, is chiefly composed of liberal activists and bloggers who see the current problems of the president and the party as the result of their being insufficiently liberal and of not sticking with their convictions. Purists see compromise as weakness or appeasement. And on health care they view anything short of a full-blown public option as a rejection of core Democratic principles. Oddly, universal coverage is not where they draw their line in the sand. (Without weighing in on the validity of the liberal Purists' arguments, I would like the record to show that when conservatives made a similar argument -- that Republicans lost the 2006 and 2008 elections because they had veered away from conservative principles -- liberals laughed hysterically.) Finally, there are the Skeptics, those Democrats who have concluded that this is not the cruise they signed up for. They worry that the problems facing Obama and their party's congressional leadership stem from something deeper than just the recession and that major strategic mistakes have been made. They can't see how this trajectory doesn't take their party to a bad place by November 2010. The Skeptics think that the rapid and unprecedented expansion of government -- under both Presidents Bush and Obama -- since last year's collapse of Lehman Brothers has gone too far and that costly health care proposals and cap-and-trade legislation are the straws breaking the camel's back. My own hunch is that the Skeptics are right that the Democrats' problems are bigger than the recession: Purple America is reacting to the growth of government with emotions ranging from dubiousness to outright hostility. So, the rebound for which almost everyone is praying won't necessarily fix the Democrats' problems. Americans may have replaced a housing bubble with an Obama bubble -- but hopefully the President's team can keep some air in it for some time. Bubbles can be good and bad. The good part is when you have time, resources and mystique to rework how a nation moves and feels. The bad part about bubbles, particularly political bubbles, is that gravity hurts when all the air is gone. -- Steve Clemons writes the popular political blog, The Washington Note More on Afghanistan
 
Blago Friend Christopher Kelly Took Rat Poison, But Killed By Aspirin: Sun-Times Top
Chris Kelly ingested rat poison and an "extraordinarily large dose of aspirin," a source told the Chicago Sun-Times. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Yvette Kantrow: Irresistible glam Top
Since this is The Deal's 10th anniversary issue, we initially planned to discuss how much has changed since we penned the first Media Maneuvers column back in 1999. In those days, we were primarily concerned with how deal news was reported in, or in most cases, purposefully leaked to, certain media outlets, notably The Wall Street Journal, as well as how the media reacted to M&A news. Back then, big transactions were usually met with cheers, except if an airline, local bank or similarly consumercentric company was involved. Our obsession with deal leaks and scoops subsided along with the boom that fueled it, resulting in a column that trained its occasionally gimlet eye on everything from basic business reporting to the media's coverage of Analystgate and other scandals to the retirement-obsessed personal finance press. The media's growing mistrust of deals also supplied rich fodder for the mill -- "What are mergers good for?" The New York Times Magazine asked in 2005 -- as did the media's cartoonishly negative portrayal of Wall Streeters, including the time Slate likened investment bankers to dogs. As in not human. These days, M&A remains on the column's agenda, of course, but in a world where everyone from big newspapers to bloggers to interested parties with Twitter accounts is scouring Wall Street for news, tracking deal scoops seems like an antiquated exercise. Today the media competes not so much to break M&A or Wall Street stories as to quickly offer opinions, thoughts and off-the-cuff observations about them, often with a side of snark -- then to fire back responses to other opinions. For instance, last week's big deal news, Kraft Foods Inc.'s unsolicited offer for Cadbury plc, was broken by absolutely no one, but the commentary machine kicked into high gear immediately to tell us what it means. A consensus quickly emerged: Deals are back! But maybe not! So much for wondering what mergers are good for. Deal reporting may have changed over the years, but one thing has remained the same: the media's desire to call and cover an M&A boom, to view it as a game, much like CNBC treats the stock market. In the wake of several big deal announcements in late August and September (Kraft-Cadbury, Disney-Marvel, eBay-Skype, among others), The New York Times and the Journal both cooed about the return of "Merger Monday." Of course, the reports contained a dutiful dose of skepticism -- "dealmaking is likely to rise only in fits and starts," warned the Times -- as well as reminders of the potential evils of deals. But overall, the prospect of a long and messy takeover battle, for a candy company no less, had the media aflutter, mostly because of what it says about the economy and the recovery. As London's Guardian put it in a headline, "The revival of M&A is better than a poke in the eye." That's not quite the same level of euphoria the media had for deals back in 1999, but all the musing about a possible merger wave still had us feeling some déjà vu. And that sense crystallized last week, when the Times published a fulsome story about Oliver Stone preparing to film his long-awaited sequel to his 1987 movie, "Wall Street," reportedly titled "Money Never Sleeps." In the Times, Stone expresses surprise that the intended villain of the piece, Gordon Gekko, inspired young people to seek careers on Wall Street. But at the same time, he takes credit for bringing "glamour" to finance and, by extension, to financial journalism. Stone (and the Times) can't seem to decide whether Gekko and Wall Street are indeed glamorous and enticing or greedy and repulsive. "We wouldn't have done this movie in 2006," Stone says in the story. "Things were too loose. I didn't want to glorify pigs." Gee, Oliver, tell us what you think. Does that mean that if Wall Street hadn't melted down, providing easy targets, you wouldn't have stirred? Or that even you sense the public's ambivalence for the joint? The same ambivalence, of course, applies to how the media and the popular culture view deals and dealmaking. For 10 years, this column has watched the media struggle to decide whether deals and the people who make them are good or bad, glamorous or greedy. The truth is they are both -- good and bad, complicated and conflicted, depending on often complex, and poorly understood, situations. Alas, that doesn't make for good copy. Just ask Oliver Stone. Yvette Kantrow is executive editor of The Deal. More on Financial Crisis
 
Daniel Heimpel: The Fight to Make Well-Being a Foster Child's Right Top
In the twilight of his Presidency, George W. Bush signed The Fostering Connections to Success and Increased Adoptions Act of 2008, marking a fundamental shift in the priorities of Child Welfare in this Country. On Tuesday a subcommittee of the Congress' Committee on Ways and Means will convene to discuss the law's lagging implementation. For the past three years, I have been a mentor and friend to two 18-year-old boys who both spent much of their childhoods in LA County's rambling foster care system. Roughly 4,000 foster youth age out of California's foster care system every year. For most their 18th birthday is not so much a day of celebration as one of total isolation. Already separated from their biological families by death or abuse or neglect, at 18 the system turns most out -- leaving many with only frazzled wits to face an uncertain future. Fostering Connections offers states matching funds to extend foster care till 21 and has placed requirements on the public Child Welfare departments across the country to notify kin if a child is taken into state custody, increase efforts to keep siblings together, enhance health care standards and keep kids from bouncing from school to school even if they are bouncing from group home to foster home and back again. Until Fostering Connections, Child Protective Services' overriding priority was making sure children were saved from abuse, neglect and dangerous living conditions. What the law makes clear is that safety is -- in and of itself -- an insufficient goal, and compels foster care agencies to do what they have never been legally mandated to do before: provide foster children lasting connections with loving adults and increase their overall well-being. Despite the importance of this law, ossified state and county departments of child protective services have done little to see it implemented and states that have gone as far as draft implementation legislation have been railroaded by a buckling economy. For the young men I know, provisions like extension of care can be the difference between the abject and the edifying. For John, whose case was terminated by the department on Christmas Eve of 2008, two months after his 18th birthday, life is out of control. Six months ago he left Los Angeles and his then six-month-old son to try anew with his sister in Montana. Four months later he had burned his bridges there and had impregnated his new girlfriend. For Chris, who knows John from when they were both 15 years old and living in the same South Central group home, life is different because he was among one of a handful of foster youth who have their "emancipation" stayed, by entering into what are called transitional housing programs. Staying in the system has given him the housing and stability to successfully land a job at a fried chicken restaurant. On Wednesday I am taking him to get his driver's license. The difference for these two young men is that one was allowed to stay within the system while the other was forced to languish without. If the federal law was a reality on the ground, every dollar states spend on supporting youth like Chris past his 18th birthday is matched by a dollar from the feds. But for states to receive the funds they need to pass implementation legislation. In California Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass pushed through complicated and essential legislation to ensure the money. Unfortunately the current budget crisis has put those funds on hold till 2011, though they were meant to flow in 2010. That means one more year that a young man like John isn't afforded the same opportunity as his peer and friend Chris. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), who introduced the bill back in '08, will hold a hearing on the law's implementation tomorrow. The clear message to states during that hearing must be that while the economy has hampered efforts to speed implementation, the commitment to seeing it through cannot falter. Otherwise John's story will continue to be more common than Chris'.
 
LeBron James To New York? Jon Stewart Lures Superstar To Knicks With Shake Shack (VIDEO) Top
LeBron James was on The Daily Show last night plugging his new book Shooting Stars , which he co-wrote with Buzz Bissinger . Talk with James, who is rumored to be leaving Cleveland when his contract runs up, quickly turned into a full-press courtship of the superstar, with Jon Stewart extolling the virtues of Shake Shack and offering him a "Tyrannosaurus Rex vertebrae." WATCH : More on Video
 
Dr. Susan Albers: Should Junk Food Be Banned? Dr. Oz Weighs In Top
Dr. Oz, a frequent quest on Oprah , has banned junk food in the office of his new television show which begins on September 14, 2009. Dr. Oz shared this revolutionary decision with the women on The View on the day that his first medical talk show was set to air. Frankly, they looked horrified and a little stunned. The co-hosts tried their best to challenge him on this rule. The discussion began with a behind-the-scenes tour of the employees' desks at The View . Like many offices in America, every nook and cranny of the desks were filled to the brim with little candy bars, snack packs and other food items. Dr. Oz was probably cringing internally! Dr. Oz isn't alone. His colleague, Dr. Roizen, a wellness guru, has made a similar move at his office to eradicate fast food restaurants, sugary soft drinks and junk food in vending machines. It's a trend catching on across the country -- making American's office places healthier and therefore better places to spend the majority of your day. In the long run, this also saves money on health care costs. It's a win-win for everyone. Despite the protests from the co-hosts on The View, who could really argue with Dr. Oz's logic? It makes a lot of sense. Why not make it easier for people to make good choices? Imagine this scenario. It is 3:00, you are running up against an important deadline and you are getting hungry. You find yourself having to make a decision that could lead to stress eating if you aren't careful. You make a beeline to the vending machine. All you find are some healthy snacks to give you a little energy boost. You get your snack minus the guilt you would have wrestled with if you had went for chocolate or a sugar item. This scenario helped you avoid the entire emotional struggle. Is taking away candy bars violating your civil rights? Would we bat an eye if this question had been put into the context of smoking? How long ago was it that a "smoke break" was perfectly acceptable? Has this helped Americans to be healthier? Or, is it too much of a slippery slope to make certain foods taboo? Could this lead to the government making certain snacks illegal to eat? No one wants to be told what to do. Yet, at the same time many delicious snacks have been taken off the market because they were filled with harmful, toxic trans fats. It's a complicated debate. Okay, so maybe you aren't ready to clean out all the vending machines or hand out apples. Here is a way to start helping yourself and your coworkers eat more mindfully. www.eatingmindfully.com By the author of Eating Mindfully and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. More on Food
 
Kim Morgan: Patrick Swayze: 1952-2009 Top
"Nobody puts Baby in the corner." How many young girls (and older women, and many men as well) swooned when that rough-hewn handsome yet sensitive, yet beautifully graceful Patrick Swayze stood up for the awkward,  nerdy Jennifer Grey in the admittedly cheesy but now classic Dirty Dancing ? Legions. Legions . I remember sitting on the school bus in 1987, wondering what these girls were excitedly yammering on about like middle-aged housewives -- a 1960s-era story of the mismatched but eventual love between a Catskills dance instructor/bad boy and a sweet, smart but insecure vacationing teenager? OK. When I finally got around to seeing the movie later, I thought, wow, kind of cornpone, and ..."She's like the wind?" " But there was something -- a definite "it" quality that spiked directly into the world's romantic fantasy jugular. But for me, that "it" was Swayze himself. He was the movie. He could dance. And was, perhaps, one the last tough guy dancers who could reveal his significant talent without worrying about being feminized by it. In many ways, and through many pictures, Patrick Swayze is the perfect example of pre-1990s irony. It's not funny he can dance -- it's goddamn lovely he can dance. His dancing was not only erotic swagger; he brought the heart and soul and heat and sexuality and even a wounded vulnerability to his part (and the music, particularly the Otis Redding, helped). Much like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever , this was a man, not a little boy, not Zac Effron, but a man, dancing with such impressive athleticism and grace that, no matter what you thought of the movie itself, you could not take your eyes off of him. Born in 1952 in Houston, this rough-around-the-edges Road House toughie was actually (and perhaps, not surprisingly) the son of a choreographer/dancer mother, who influenced young Swayze toward dance. Rounding out his abilities nicely, he took up ice skating, classical ballet, gymnastics and acting. But it's the dancing that stuck, so, in 1972, he completed his formal dance training in New York at the Harkness and Joffrey ballet schools. But, in spite of his training, it wasn't the dancing that gave him his Hollywood breakthrough. It was the movie in which I first saw him: Francis Ford Coppola's lovingly made, bad boy teen melodrama  The Outsiders , in which he played Darrel -- the older, greaser brother and concerned surrogate parent for his troubled Tulsan siblings Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and Sodapop (Rob Lowe). Lecturing his brothers with a rugged, likable and stern quality (he had that kind of face), this somewhat odd looking yet severely handsome man could rumble, carry heavy artillery and fight. And we knew it especially in works like the spectacular Red Dawn , Youngblood and his acclaimed Civil War TV miniseries North and South . He was well on his way to becoming a huge star. Who even knew this guy was a dancer? By 1987, everyone . And then, there was the absurdly entertaining Road House .  Though considered trash by those who should know better, the picture is another  un-ironic tale (and truly, one of the last serious good ol' boy type movies) that finds Swayze's bar "cooler" taking on crazy drunks, a hot blonde and a town run by a ridiculously, yet hilariously neofascist Ben Gazzara.  Road House has since (and deservedly) become a cult classic and it's rather surprising, refreshingly shocking line ("I used to fu** guys like you in Prison") spat to Swayze,  is among Road House fanatics just as famous that "Baby in the corner" business. Or "Ditto." (I personally like the simplicity of "left boot" but I love watching people excel at their job). But back to "ditto" -- the enormously successful Ghost would provide Swayze a colossal hit. The movie was nominated for Best Picture, Goldberg won Best Supporting Actress, and Demi's pixie haircut became as famous as "the Farrah" or "the Rachel." It seems like Swayze was left out of the accolades, which is a shame. Among all of the picture's sappy "Unchained Melody," pottery wheel spinning eroticism, it was Swayze who provided the picture's emotional weight. Carrying the universal understanding of sadness, love and regret - and in particular, the regret of not saying those things we should have said to loved ones, he was the film's center. No matter how schmaltzy the movie was, Swayze always seemed real to me.  And he had range. After Ghost , a tanned and coiffed Swayze starred in Kathryn Bigelow's undeniably entertaining Point Break , playing the guru villain opposite Keanu Reeves. And watch it again. It's so giddily entertaining and he's so yes, magical here, that you're sad movies like this, really, don't exist anymore. Again, Irony. Oh the irony of movies these days.  Not that Swayze didn't allow self humor -- he did. But he also, wonderfully, memorably played it straight. God bless him for that. After a riding accident in which he fell from a horse and broke both of his legs -- not good for an actor, and especially a dancer -- his career was on hold for a while. He was depressed. He was reportedly drinking. I have to think that his bouts with darkness were always in him, making him a lot more interesting than he was given credit for. I loved that Richard Kelly recognized his varied sides and so brilliantly cast him as a motivational speaker/secret pedophile in 2000's Donnie Darko . What a bold move for Swayze. And what a complicated performance. He plays it as a joke at first (that scale of fear and love), and then becomes a monster, and then...an oddly heartbreaking human being  -- and in one brief moment.  During a beautifully filmed sequence set to Gary Jules' cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World," he conveys such intense anguish it's hard to not gasp by how intensely moving he is. And his face, his tough yet pleading face, filled with such mysterious need that, combined with his body, a body that understood dance, made him a unique, underrated creature. He may have become typecast as a kind of cheesy relic of the 1980s, but, really, he was so much more than that. He had a great career, certainly, but it could have been greater. Had he'd been allowed to stretch, been allowed to express his natural poignancy (think of that oddly touching Chippendale's comedy sketch with Chris Farley), and been allowed (or able) or to extend his dancing, Swayze could have soared even higher.  Since early dance training may have caused Swayze to fight against any labels of "sissy," he exuded a touching empathy while looking like a guy you'd want on your side in a bar fight.  Ah, I'll state the obvious here, but it's damn sad. Quite simply, I liked him. And I'd love for him to come back, if only for one moment, and even just to say that one corny line: "Ditto." Or better yet and without one trace of irony, "Left boot." Read more Kim Morgan at Sunset Gun.
 
Eric Margolis: Dangerous Intrigues in Istanbul Top
The name "Ergenekon" may not be familiar to non-Turks, but this murky political affaire has riveted Turkey's 70 million people. Thirty-three members of a neo-fascist group called Ergenekon have been on trial, accused of murder, terrorism, and trying to overthrow the elected government. The trial was temporarily suspended after the courthouse was flooded out during torrential rains that inundated Istanbul last week, leaving 31 dead. This fascinating trial has been exposing the workings of the `deep state,' a powerful cabal of retired and active military officers, security forces, gangsters, government officials, judges, and business oligarchs that has long been the real power in this complex nation. Turkey's military vigorously denies any links to the Ergenekon. The `deep state' advocates extreme Turkish nationalism and revived Pan-Turkism, or Turanism, the unification of all Turkic peoples from Turkey to the Great Wall of China. Its extreme rightwing members are bitterly anti-Islamic, and violently oppose any admission of guilt for the mass killing during World War I of many of the Ottoman Empire's Armenians. Most Turks insist the killings occurred in the chaos of war and insurrection. Armenians call it the 20th century's first genocide. Turkey's hard right also opposes improving relations with neighbors Armenia and Greece, or making any more concessions to Turkey's sizeable Kurdish minority. Ergenekon's plotters stand accused of plans to assassinate officials of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Part(AKP), a democratic, modernizing movement advocating Islamic principles of fairer wealth distribution and social welfare. While AKP is a moderate, centrist party, Turkey's secularists, without any serious evidence, claim it is the spearhead of a radical Islamic movement. The real issue is as much about the secularist's right to protect their long-enjoyed economic and social privileges as it is about religion. The plotters reportedly hired hit men to kill leading liberal intellectuals, including acclaimed writer, Orhan Pamuk, and may have murdered a prominent Armenian-Turkish journalist and three Christians. They also oppose Turkey's entry into the EU as a threat to `Turkishness.' What makes this case particularly interesting is that Ergenekon may well be linked to Gladio, a secret, far right underground group created in the 1950's by the US and NATO during the Cold War as a `stay behind' guerillas to resist Soviet invasion or Communist takeovers. Gladio had a network of agents and caches of arms across Europe with secret links to NATO intelligence services. Gladio staged numerous bombing attacks and assassinations during the 1970's and 80's in a effort to promote far right coups in Italy, Belgium, and Turkey, where it remains active. A cell was even recently uncovered in Switzerland. In Italy, Gladio members played a key role in the P2 Masonic Lodge's plot to overthrow the government. The Vatican's Banco Ambrosiano, its head, Roberto Calvi, and Italian military intelligence, were also involved this intrigue. The Ergenekon plot is one facet of the intense struggle between Erdogan's Islamist-lite reformists and Turkey's 510,000-man armed forces which sees itself as defender of the anti-religious, westernized secular state created in the 1930's by Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey. Turkey's generals are closely allied to the deeply entrenched secularist oligarchy of business barons, judges, university rectors, media groups, and the security services that has made Ataturk's memory and anti-religious values into a state philosophy. Turkey's rightwing generals have overthrown three governments and ousted a fourth. The Turkish military establishment is traditionally close to the US and Israel, with whom it's had extensive military, arms and intelligence dealings. Until PM Erdogan's election, the military was Turkey's real government behind a thin façade of squabbling elected politicians, a fact lost on western observers who used to urge Turkey's "democratic" political model on the Muslim world. An intensifying struggle is under way between the two camps. On the surface, it's "secularism" versus "Islamic government." But that's just shorthand for the fierce rivalry between the military-industrial-security complex and Erdogan's supporters, many of whom are recent immigrants to the big cities from rural areas, where Islam remains vital in spite of eight decades of government efforts to stamp it out or tightly control it. Rightwing forces recently got allies in the Appeals Court to lay spurious corruption charges against Turkey's respected President, Abdullah Gul. The Erdogan government struck back by levying a US $2.5 billion tax fine on the powerful Dogan media conglomerate that has been a fierce critic and enemy of the prime minister. Both foolish acts injure Turkey's image as a modern democracy. Erdogan has been Turkey's best, most popular prime minister. He has enacted important political, social, legal and economic reforms, and has drawn Turks closer to Europe's laws and values. He stabilized Turkey's formerly wild finances and brought a spirit of real democracy to Turkey. The EU keeps warning Turkey's growling generals to keep out of politics. After 50 years of trying, Turkey still can't get into the Europe. Europe clearly wants an obedient Turkey to protect its eastern flank and fend off more troublesome Muslims, but not an equal partner and certainly not a new member, even though Turkey is as qualified for the EU as Bulgaria or Romania. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's Nicholas Sarkozy, both leaders of Europe's anti-Muslim right, keep saying no to the Turks. The EU wants no more farmers - and productive, lower cost ones at that - and no more Muslims.
 
Stephen C. Rose: A Cheap Shot Versus Twitter in The New York Times Top
I hope James P. Othmer's forthcoming book is better than his column in today's New York Times . The headline in my paper copy reads: Don't Tweet About Health Care . The author informs us that the President was wise to use TV as his platform to address Congress last week. Fine. Duh. Then, to hang this truism on something provocative, he suggests that using social media to get his message out won't work this time around. He notes that there are opponents of health care reform online. This is also a truism, but his advice is entirely wrong. The health care reform battle will be won online. Mr. Othmer does not offer a shred of evidence to back up his thesis that it won't. He says there are a lot of opponents online. He does not indicate that there are widely effective pro-reform activities going on all the time and growing in intensity and effect. It is columns like his that add weight to the scales I look at in my mnd's eye when evaluating the future of the Times . It is a pebble added to the side that moves downward. http://stephencrose.wordpress.com More on Twitter
 
Dan Brown: Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol, and Me Top
"Excuse me, Mr. Brown... I just want you to know... I've read all your books, and Angels and Demons is my favorite!" The wide-eyed woman shifted her weight anxiously. We were in the Upper East Side's Corner Bookstore, minutes before my nerve-addled, first-ever book reading. "I was wondering, how did you come up with...." "Well..." I offered, gently cutting her off, my teeth clenched in friendly rejection. "I'm really sorry, but I didn't write those. That's another Dan Brown. My book is about being a rookie teacher in the Bronx." She was undeterred. " I love that book ." Her inflection left no doubt of her Dan Brown-inspired passion. We hung there for a long moment. "That's a totally different guy." Again, silence. "But... what about The Da Vinci Code ?" I puckered my face again to express, "I would really like you to stay but I understand that from your perspective I am innately disappointing." (All of that with a brow furrow.) "Digital Fortress ?" she tried again, hoping for a jackpot. "Well...." "Yes???" "I'm not that guy. Sorry." The woman nodded, a little stunned. She slouched away and took a seat in the back--- though she later bought two copies of The Great Expectations School . Since then, I've been asked if I'm "that Dan Brown" about nine thousand times. Brown's latest crypto-thriller, which is unleashed today, has brought with it a 50% uptick in alternately genuine and jokey questions for me. Good luck on The Lost Symbol , Dan. And thanks for the memories. Dan Brown is a teacher in Washington, DC, and the author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle. He read The Da Vinci Code , but did not write it--- and he's okay with that. More on Books
 
Samuel S. Epstein: Response To Dr. Susan Love's Post On Breast Cancer Top
Dr. Susan Love is a distinguished breast cancer surgeon who works in close collaboration with the giant Avon cosmetics and personal care products company. Candidly, she claims no expertise for scientific qualifications on the causes and prevention of breast cancer. Nevertheless, in her September 5, 2009 posting , she challenges explicit evidence on the carcinogenicity and hormonal toxicity of ingredients in Avon cosmetics and personal care products, as detailed in my December 18, 2008 e-mail to her. The great majority of carcinogens, including those in Avon products, have been identified in standard feeding tests in mice and rats by the federal National Toxicology Program (NTP). The results of these tests have been published by the NTP and accepted by the independent scientific community, and federal regulatory agencies, besides by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The scientific evidence on toxic hormonal effects of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products is based on laboratory tests, and also tests on pregnant rodents. The validity of these tests has also been recognized by Breast Cancer Action , besides other breast cancer activist groups nationwide. Reflecting this undeniable evidence, it is anticipated that the National Cancer Institute, under its new director, Dr. John Niederhuber, will terminate its prior partnership with the Love/Avon initiative. Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition ; The Albert Schweitzer Golden Grand Medalist for International Contributions to Cancer Prevention; and author of over 200 scientific articles and 15 books on the causes and prevention of cancer, including the groundbreaking The Politics of Cancer (1979), and Toxic Beauty (2009). More on Health
 
Chris Guillebeau: Authenticity: You Has It Top
At any given time, most of us have no shortage of challenges we're trying to work through or overcome. Entrepreneurs must create something out of nothing -- a process that is both fun and tiring. Ambitious people who work in organizations have to work with colleagues in pursuit of collective goals. Sometimes the colleagues aren't as ambitious or have other ideas. Those of us who go it alone have plenty of issues, too. If someone ever implies it's easy out there, put your skeptic hat on. Thankfully, there is one challenge that is entirely optional . This challenge is the question of how to be yourself, otherwise known as authenticity . Good news, everyone. When it comes to authenticity, you already have it! Authenticity is the core part of who you really are. It's whatever you have that is deep down underneath everything you do because you think you should. No one can bestow it upon you; it's the thing about you that is REALLY YOU. The reason why this is difficult for some of us is because we have trouble locating the core. It is very likely that this core has been disrupted and disturbed by authority figures who thought they knew better. What has been taken from you? How can you get it back? These are the important questions of authenticity. Authentic Branding There is nothing mysterious about authenticity. If you have to ask, "How can I be authentic?" you're on a slippery slope. Authenticity is not a game to be played or a strategy to be devised. At least twice a week, someone asks "how I make the guides and manifestos." They often use the word "software" or "program," and they're not asking whether my superstar designer prefers Adobe or Quark. Instead, they're looking for the magic service where you put in a text document and out comes a beautiful design, completely customized for you and your readers, already debugged and tweaked, with all the right small touches that make the difference between good and great. As you might guess, there is no secret software or magic service. The secret is having a great designer who has spent years honing her skills. When you visit her in Asia you see the thick notebook pages she has filled with concepts and early drafts. Meanwhile, Reese, the designer in question, gets queries every day from people who correctly deduce that there is a design wizard behind the operation. When she asks what kind of style they want, about 50% of them tell her: "I want it to look like Chris's site!" Both of us are flattered...but in the long-run, all of these people will be better served through authenticity than imitation. People want you . They really do. I like how Gary Vaynerchuk said it recently: "Not being yourself is exhausting." I agree with Gary -- from time to time I try being someone else, and the act of being an impostor really wears me out. I'm much better at being myself, including the flaws. All things considered, it's worked out okay so far. The problem is not how to be yourself. The problem is how to get yourself ("your message") out to the world. Over the past few weeks I've been collecting stories of unconventional success through social media. I've been having so much fun, I hardly realized I was working. I've heard from science fiction writers, artists of all kinds, animal rescue activists, and entrepreneurs. Among many others, I heard from a guy who works at a Mexican restaurant in the northeast U.S. He was brought in to run the one-man marketing department. In his own words, "The boss was clueless about marketing, but so was I." The first month, he bought billboards and TV ads. Results: a few people came in, a lot of money was spent. The second month, he decided to sign up for Twitter. Results: almost no money was spent, a lot of people came in. The funny part of the story was when he first started using actively using Twitter to broadcast burrito specials, a couple of self-identified social media experts contacted him to nitpick. "You're doing it wrong," they said -- and of course he was worried. Experts know better, right? Since so many customers were coming in and the boss was happy, though, he decided to ignore the experts. A few weeks later, he went to a local Tweetup and put his user ID on a name tag. Someone saw it and told the whole room: "Hey everyone -- this is the Mexican restaurant guy!" He ended up being the most popular guy there, and business is still booming. Hint to experts: if your strategy works and people like you for it, you're probably not doing it wrong. Product Launch Update I recently released the Unconventional Guide to the Social Web , my first product in a long time. A co-conspirator worked on it non-stop while I spent the last month at home after a whirlwind of travel through Asia and the Middle East. You don't need a product to be authentic, of course, but if you want to spread your net wider or reach more people, this will help. If you feel overwhelmed or afraid of putting yourself out there to the world, it will also help. Here are the details if you'd like to learn more about that. More importantly, check with yourself to see if you like who you are. If so, that's authenticity. You has it . There's no need to be like anyone else, or anything less than you already are. Right?
 
Income Inequality: How The Wall Street Journal Got It Wrong Top
For anyone with even a passing familiarity with issues associated with economic inequality, The Wall Street Journal front page story last week was shocking. Its use of bad data was a misuse of this important forum. More on Wall Street Journal
 
Denmark: Tourism Ad Pulled Over Promiscuity Charges (VIDEO) Top
COPENHAGEN (AP) -- Denmark's tourism agency has removed an advertisement from YouTube after complaints that it promoted promiscuity in the liberal Scandinavian country. The video clip, nearly 3 minutes long, shows a young, blond woman cradling a dark-skinned infant called "August" and saying he is the result of a brief fling with a foreign tourist. Speaking English in the video, she says she is "trying to find August's father" through Google's YouTube site. Danish TV2 has clarified that the scene was staged and the woman is an actress. Since being posted Thursday by VisitDenmark, the ad received more than 800,000 hits on YouTube. VisitDenmark removed the clip Monday, but it can be still viewed as it has been copied and posted elsewhere on the Internet. Sociologist Karen Sjoerup said the ad suggested "you can lure fast, blonde Danish women home without a condom." Economy Minister Lene Espersen said the video presented "a not very well-thought-out picture of the country." Espersen also holds the government's tourism portfolio. "I regret that the film has offended so many people," VisitDenmark manager Dorte Kiilerich said, explaining that intent had been to tell "a nice and sweet story about a grown-up woman who lives in a free society and accepts the consequences of her actions." Watch the video below. Caution: Some find it offensive: Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter! More on Advertising
 
Mike Shea: ACORN's Response to Conservative Attacks Top
Last week the nation became aware of video tapes made by a conservative activist targeting ACORN and ACORN Housing Corporation field offices across the country. A secret camera was used to record informal conversations. Three of the employees seen in the tapes are ACORN Housing employees, who are observed responding to the imposter's inquiries about ways to hide an illegal enterprise. I was horrified, just like many of you, when I saw the video. While no transaction took place in this incident -- no client files were created or billed, no loan documents were signed or submitted, no bank loans were arranged -- this is not how members of our organization should behave. The employees might not have broken any laws, but they violated the moral and ethical standards that we have set for ourselves. We have fired or suspended all of the employees that appear in the tapes and have transferred their client files to other offices. We have suspended all Housing counseling work in the DC office until we conduct a thorough investigation of that office's activity. While nothing excuses how a handful of our staff responded, we will use these incidents as an opportunity to ensure that ACORN Housing operates according to the highest moral and ethical standards. We are taking steps to make sure that all employees know and understand the organization's standards, the behavior required by those standards, and the procedures and policies we have in place to enforce them. We are planning an expanded series of mandatory trainings on ethical standards and behavior and have initiated a thorough review of our existing policies and procedures. Having said that, we will not let the behavior of a few employees, out of the hundreds we have nationwide, be used by those with a political agenda to either define us or distract us from our mission. The conservative activists who made these videos chose not to show the offices where the activists were turned away like the one in Philadelphia where the staff called the police. Here is the police report for that incident: James O'Keefe Police Report - What these activists have done to us is not original. The "producer" of these videos has a history of targeting progressive organizations. Dianne Quest, of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, wrote us about their experience: "(James) O'Keefe (the activist) has a sordid history of preying on receptionists and other front-line service workers for respected organizations. In 2008 he pulled a similar stunt on Planned Parenthood when he and another female colleague secretly recorded phone conversations with staff who handle fundraising calls at a few of the organization's affiliates. During the calls, O'Keefe pretended to be interested in setting up funds for low-income women in need of health care. Once the conversation hit a comfortable stride, O'Keefe would change his tune and explain, in explicit language, that his real intent was to target women of color in an effort to control minority populations. The audio recordings were edited in an attempt to make it appear that Planned Parenthood was complicit in accepting donations for racist purposes. O'Keefe's intent then, as it is now, was to entrap an organization whose mission he is ideologically opposed to, and masquerade his efforts as investigative journalism rather than the propaganda videos they are." Our mission -- to make the American dream of home ownership available to everyone who wants one and to keep people in the homes they already have -- has not changed. I am proud of the work we do. The numbers back us up. In the last 18 months, we have helped over 50,000 families in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, with over 80% of those having low and moderate incomes. Since we started in 1986, we've assisted over 110,000 families to get mortgages and buy their first homes. We've provided mortgage counseling to at least 350,000 families. We have provided foreclosure prevention counseling to at least 26,000 people. That's the real ACORN Housing story. We know that these conservative activists visited offices in several other cities and there may be more videos to come, but ACORN Housing takes its mission and work very seriously. If there is more action required, we will take it, but we will not lie down without a fight and that is why I am publishing the official statement we released on Friday detailing the actions we have taken so far along with the police report filed by our Philadelphia staff. Our mission is to help low income people get and keep housing and despite the attacks of right wing activists, that is what we will keep doing.
 
Mari Gallagher: Go Bananas During National Food Desert Awareness Month Top
In an effort to raise awareness to food access and insecurity issues, the National Center for Public Research declared September National Food Desert Awareness Month . Careful, now: it's deserts, not desserts. Forget cakes and chocolate and instead picture large geographic areas with no or distant grocery stores. Research shows that residents of food deserts are more likely to die prematurely and suffer from diet-related conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain kinds of cancer. Food deserts exist in every type of community across the United States -- urban, rural, and suburban. Recently I went to Savannah, Georgia, to assess the city's food situation. Established in 1733, Savannah is known as America's first planned city. It is also famous for its picturesque port and lovely collection of historic structures. Early in Savannah's history, farmers discovered that the climate and soil were ideal for cultivating cotton, rice and lush backyard gardens full of great varieties of nutrient-rich produce. But just as in many other cities, small towns and even rural areas all across the country, local residents eventually became more and more disenfranchised from locally produced good food, many settling instead for readymade fast food high in salt, fat and sugar, and low in nutritional content. One thing we found in Georgia, like in many communities around the U.S., is that gas stations make up a large and growing share of food purchases. Most of these "combination stores" offer several aisles of eat-and-run snacks. Unfortunately, most of this so-called food has very little if any nutritional value. Fast, cheap and easy is not a porn film; it's the new American diet. At the beginning of my Georgian journey, I challenged myself to find a single fresh banana somewhere along the highway. Honey Buns, cupcakes, Pork Cracklins, fried and boiled peanuts, hot dogs, slices of pizza, candy bars and soda were all easy. Peach stands did occasionally dot the horizon but my banana quest was difficult. I eventually found one that cost 79 cents. Looks can be deceiving, but do you think it was worth eating or worth the money? You be the judge. A fresh banana was hard to find on a recent road trip from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. This one was purchased for 79 cents at a highway food and gas mart. Stopping to get gas and a quick dinner at the same time can be convenient when traveling. But in some food desert communities, gas stations -- along with convenience stores, liquor stores and even dollars stores -- are the only purveyors of food. In those locations, it's expensive to be poor: the quality and availability of good food are often lower but the prices are often higher than in other markets. Finding a mushy banana isn't impossible but you're likely to pay too much for brown spots and bruises. Not everyone in food deserts is poor, by the way. For example, Chicago has over 13,000 food desert residents whose households earn more than $100,000 a year. The market is imperfect. Demand does not always equate with supply. And despite warnings from the surgeon general and other health authorities, you can't choose healthy food if you don't have access to it. The National Center for Public Research launched the Food Desert Awareness campaign across the country with events in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. In each location, we are working with local partners on a poster contest that asks children to develop new messages for young people that explain the benefits of good food and exercise. We are encouraging everyone -- including you -- to take our Good Food Pledge: I pledge that from this day forward I will strive to be an ambassador for healthy eating. I, from this day forward, will strive to choose fruit instead of candy, water instead of soda, baked goods instead of fried foods. I, from this day forward, will strive to educate myself, my family and my community about the benefits of good nutrition and exercise. I pledge that from this day forward I will be an advocate for healthier food options in my community, so that these positive "good food" solutions that I commit myself to today can be easier for me and for everyone to make. The news isn't totally bad on food deserts, however. Progress is being made in cities like Chicago (see report here ), and all over the country, community-supported agriculture, farmers markets (even at the White House!), and healthy corners stores (such as Johns Hopkins' work in Baltimore ) are taking the place when grocery stores or other outlets with a full range of healthy options do not exist. Even if you don't live in a food desert, take this opportunity to talk about the impact of food access and the actions you and others can take today, tomorrow and all year 'round to promote length and quality of life. Health reform is dominating the news; personal responsibility, prevention and wellness are at the forefront of debate. But communities cannot make some of the most basic choices -- such as an apple instead of French Fries -- if they simply do not exist. We'll only get there if we take action: follow Food Desert Awareness Month on Twitter , engage with like-minded groups, and talk to your local aldermen or city council members that make decisions about where and how your community gets its food. More on Local Food
 
After NYC Anti-Terror Raids, FBI Warns Police Departments On Counterterrorism Top
NEW YORK — Counterterrorism officials are warning police departments around the country to be on the lookout for evidence of homemade bombs following raids on several New York City apartments in a hunt for explosives and possible links to al-Qaida operatives. Investigators issued warrants to search the residences early Monday for explosives material but did not find any, according to a person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity. The searches came after the man, who was under surveillance for possible links to the terrorism network, visited New York City over the weekend and then left the area, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. The joint FBI and Homeland Security intelligence warning, issued Monday, lists indicators that could tip off police to homemade hydrogen peroxide-based explosives, such as people with burn marks on their hands, face or arms; foul odors coming from a room or building; and large industrial fans or multiple window fans. The warning, obtained by The Associated Press, also said that these homemade explosive materials can be hidden in backpacks, suitcases or plastic containers. The notice was not intended for the public, said Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolko. Homeland Security and the FBI have no specific information on the timing or target of any planned attack, Kolko said, but "we believe it is prudent to share information with our state and local partners about the variety of domestically available materials that could be used to create homemade explosives, which have been utilized in previous terrorist attacks." Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Tuesday he couldn't comment on whether there would be any arrests or whether the raids were tied to al-Qaida. "I think you just have to think about the sequence of events here," Kelly told the AP. "Warrants were executed. Material was obtained during the execution of those warrants, that material is now being analyzed, and we'll see what develops from the analaysis." Sen. Charles Schumer said the law enforcement action Monday was unrelated to President Barack Obama's visit to the city the same day. "There was nothing imminent, and they are very good now at tracking potentially dangerous actions, and this was preventive," said Schumer, D-N.Y. Both lawmakers were briefed by law enforcement officials. Two U.S. intelligence officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, said the target of any purported attack – or who would carry it out – remained unclear. Authorities have not found any weapons ready for use that would indicate an attack was imminent, they said. Nevertheless, one of the officials called the threat very real and emphasized the urgency of it. New York police spokesman Paul Browne confirmed that searches were conducted in the borough of Queens by agents of a joint terrorism task force. Residents in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens on Monday described officers armed with search warrants swarming their immigrant neighborhood at about 2:30 a.m. Akbari Amanullah, a cab driver who lived in an apartment with four other natives of Afghanistan, said when he arrived home from work afterward, he was told that one of his roommates had been taken away. Neither the FBI nor the NYPD would discuss the whereabouts of the al-Qaida suspect or whether anyone was being held for questioning in New York. A White House spokesman said Obama, who spoke on Wall Street on Monday, had been briefed on the investigation. The person familiar with the case said the raids were the result of previous law enforcement surveillance of people. The investigation was continuing. One man at a three-story brick apartment building in the neighborhood confirmed Monday that authorities had been at his apartment, but he wouldn't identify himself or comment further. Nearby resident Kabir Islam said he saw FBI agents and police officers surrounding the apartment when he arrived home after 3 a.m. Amanullah said about a dozen FBI agents went to his nearby fifth-floor apartment at about 2:30 a.m. ___ Associated Press writers Eileen Sullivan, Lara Jakes and Pamela Hess in Washington and Adam Goldman and Bonny Ghosh in New York contributed to this report. Barrett reported from Washington. More on Terrorism
 
James McDonald Dead: Rockefeller & Co. CEO Found Dead Of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Top
BOSTON — James S. McDonald, president and chief executive of investment management firm Rockefeller & Co., has died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, Massachusetts authorities said Tuesday. McDonald, 56, was found in his vehicle at about 3 p.m. Sunday behind a car dealership in Dartmouth, about 50 miles south of Boston, said Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol district attorney's office. There was no note, but McDonald "made a phone call to his wife earlier in the day," Miliote said Tuesday, without getting into specifics of the call. The death is still under investigation. Barclay McFadden III, a longtime friend, said McDonald "took his own life," and added that neither he nor the family had further comment. McDonald had been president and chief executive of the New York investment manager since 2001. The company was started in 1882 by John D. Rockefeller to manage the family's assets. Rockefeller & Co., which also has offices in Boston, Washington and Wilmington, Del., offers wealth and investment management services to families, foundations and endowments. The company had $25 billion in assets under administration at the end of last year, according to its Web site. "Jim McDonald was an exceptional individual, who provided strong leadership of Rockefeller and Company for over eight years," board Chairman Colin Campbell said in a statement. "He will be missed by all of us privileged to have known and worked with him." Austin Shapard, the company's chief operating and financial officer, has assumed day-to-day leadership of Rockefeller & Co. McDonald, a New York City resident, was also on the board of stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext. He was formerly on the board of CIT Group Inc. "The NYSE Euronext community offers our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Jim McDonald, an outstanding and accomplished individual who served our capital markets and NYSE Euronext with great commitment and integrity," spokesman Rich Adamonis said. He had been on the board since 2003 and headed the audit committee. McDonald earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard in 1974 and a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1977. Prior to joining Rockefeller & Co., he served as chief executive at Pell Rudman Trust Co. in Boston. Funeral arrangements are pending, McFadden said.
 
Jerusha Klemperer: No Impact Man and the Pursuit of Happiness Top
In dieting, I learned early on, exercises in extremes do not yield good results. Starve yourself of chocolate, and you can be sure the first thing you'll do when no one is looking is dive into a kiddie pool of chocolate, roll around in it and then lick your own arms. I once even tried to give up bread. After two weeks I sat down and ate an entire baguette, crusty end-to-end. Walk the middle ground, I decided, in food and all things. Maybe it was this hard-earned (and hard-learned) lesson that led me initially to avoid Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me. It reeked of gimmick, and seemed on the outside to offer no takeaway lessons. Nobody eats fast food all three meals (right?) so what could be the point? I did see the movie later and had to admit that I was wrong. It turned out that the parameters of his experiment were more rigorous than I expected, and it also turned out that setting an extreme goal yielded behavioral and biological results that could be extrapolated for meaning in the not-so-extreme. And it turned out that, in truth, the way many Americans were/are eating is extreme. And I was forced to confront that extremity. Similarly, I was wary of No Impact Man. I admired the gesture, and appreciated its Thoreauvian allusions (did I just make up a word?), but I wondered if there was anything of merit for me in there. Again, similarly, I had to admit I as wrong. Colin Beavan, as you may have read , did a year-long experiment in which he -- and his wife and infant daughter -- tried to live in their Manhattan apartment with zero environmental impact. He blogged it, chronicled it on Good Morning America , and let a documentary film crew follow him around. Now, the movie is in theatres, and the book is on shelves. They gave up a lot -- electricity, coffee, toilet paper, transportation that wasn't self-propelled, non-local foods, etc. -- but in the process tried to show that it wasn't about deprivation, but how much you could give up and still be really happy. And actually the quest for happiness was the part that really interested me. That and the fact that while it wasn't explicitly a movie about food, it turned out to be largely so. Maybe that's because the production and distribution of our food has such an enormous carbon footprint; maybe that's because their lives became largely about food procurement and preparation (i.e., when you eliminate take-out and introduce cooking, food becomes a much bigger part of your life). Whole swaths of the film center on the greenmarket in Union Square , on the community garden on LaGuardia Place and Bleeker , and on two farms that NYC-dwellers know well, Hawthorne Valley and Ronnybrook . And so maybe he makes some critics cranky. They wonder why -- if sustainable food enthusiasts and advocates (like blogger Kerry Trueman who has a nice lil' cameo; or Majora Carter from Sustainable South Bronx ; or Mayer Vishner, the community gardener who takes Colin under his wing) have been living this life for quite some time now, composting, and eating local food, and forgoing bottled water -- why we should care about this self-professed "guilty liberal." They might wonder along with Beavan himself, if he is "self evolved, or just self-righteous." They might wonder, like Mayer the gardener, if he is "dishonest or delusional" in believing that his lifestyle choices will somehow cancel out his wife's job at Business Week , propelling the capitalist machine. Meh -- those questions don't really bother me so much. I liked watching these two regular people play around with change, with having less and discarding less, and with what it means to take individual action towards a global goal. I was most interested in Beavan's wife Michelle's journey, her humor and frustration, her quiet expression of loss of the part of her that loved to buy things, and realizing that she was left with a hole to fill. With what? With time at the neighborhood park; with household chores like cooking and washing that are taking longer, but are suddenly more fun; with family time; with book reading by candle light; with dinner parties with friends; with charades and Scrabble. I dunno, but it sounds like a good time to me. More on Sustainability
 
Twitter Research Shows Men Follow Men, Nobody Tweets Top
Twitter has attracted tremendous attention from the media and celebrities, but there is much uncertainty about Twitter's purpose. Is Twitter a communications service for friends and groups, a means of expressing yourself freely, or simply a marketing tool? Harvard Business School Researchers examined the activity of a random sample of 300,000 Twitter users in May 2009 to find out how people are using the service. They then compared their findings to activity on other social networks and online content production venues. Their findings are very surprising. More on Twitter
 
Steve Clemons: Realists Warn on Iraq Afghanistan War Top
Politico 's Ben Smith got the scoop on a letter today drafted and signed by a number of realist-tilting scholars and commentators raising many of the key questions and concerns about growing US presence in Afghanistan that were Obama's concerns about Iraq. I have signed this letter along with a number of others I respect including Robert Jervis, Christopher Preble, Rajan Menon, Andrew Bacevich, Jack Snyder, David Rieff, Gordon Adams, Jonathan Clarke, Michael Desch, Stephen Walt, Eugene Gholz, Sean Kay, Scott McConnell, Barry Posen, and many others. The list will be added to in coming days. The letter is important as I think it captures well the views of an important wing of the foreign policy establishment that is arguing that it is unconvinced by the White House's depiction of objectives and the rationale for deployed resources in the Afghanistan conflict. A key line of the letter reads: Today, we are concerned that the war in Afghanistan is growing increasingly detached from considerations of length, cost, and consequences. Its rationale is becoming murkier and both domestic and international support for it is waning. Respectfully, we urge you to focus U.S. strategy more clearly on al Qaeda instead of expanding the mission into an ambitious experiment in state building. The letter is signed by individuals and not institutions -- and I happen to work with some of the nation's leading authorities on AfPak issues such as Steve Coll and Peter Bergen who each have compelling perspectives on the Afghanistan situation that deserve to be scrutinized closely as well. The New America Foundation also co-manages and co-hosts the AfPak Channel with Foreign Policy magazine that has become a must-read for anyone following the evolving challenges in South Asia. On the New America Foundation front, there is an AfPak Channel focused event titled " Covering Afghanistan " this Thursday featuring Steve Coll and Peter Bergen of New America, Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post , and Susan Glasser of Foreign Policy . And soon, I will be working with my colleagues to organize a very large conference on America's engagement in the region that assembles advocates, semi-skeptics, and foes of the President's current Afghanistan course. The letter reads: The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House Washington, DC Dear Mr. President: During your campaign for the Presidency, Americans around the country appreciated your skepticism of the rationales for the Iraq war. In 2002, you had warned that such an endeavor would yield "a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, and with unintended consequences." You pointed out the dangers of fighting such a war "without a clear rationale and without strong international support." As scholars of international relations and U.S. foreign policy, many of us issued similar warnings before the war, unfortunately to little avail. Today, we are concerned that the war in Afghanistan is growing increasingly detached from considerations of length, cost, and consequences. Its rationale is becoming murkier and both domestic and international support for it is waning. Respectfully, we urge you to focus U.S. strategy more clearly on al Qaeda instead of expanding the mission into an ambitious experiment in state building. First, our objectives in that country have grown overly ambitious. The current strategy centers on assembling a viable, compliant, modern state in Afghanistan--something that has never before existed. The history of U.S. state-building endeavors is not encouraging, and Afghanistan poses particular challenges. Engaging in competitive governance with the Taliban is a counterproductive strategy, pushing the Taliban and al Qaeda together instead of driving them apart. If we cannot leave Afghanistan until we have created an effective central government, we are likely to be there for decades, with no guarantee of success. Second, the rationale of expanding the mission in order to prevent "safe havens" for al Qaeda from emerging is appealing but flawed. Afghanistan, even excluding the non-Pashto areas, is a large, geographically imposing country where it is probably impossible to ensure that no safe havens could exist. Searching for certainty that there are not and will not be safe havens in Afghanistan is quixotic and likely to be extremely costly. Even if some massive effort in that country were somehow able to prevent a safe haven there, dozens of other countries could easily serve the same purpose. Even well-governed modern democracies like Germany have inadvertently provided staging grounds for terrorists. A better strategy would focus on negotiations with moderate Taliban elements, regional diplomacy, and disrupting any large-scale al Qaeda operations that may emerge. Those are achievable goals. Third, an expanded mission fails a simple cost/benefit test. In order to markedly improve our chances of victory--which Ambassador Richard Holbrooke can only promise "we'll know it when we see it"--we would need to make a decades-long commitment to creating a state in Afghanistan, and even in that case, success would be far from certain. As with all foreign policies, this enormous effort must be weighed against the opportunity costs. Money, troops, and other resources would be poured into Afghanistan at the expense of other national priorities, both foreign and domestic. Mr. President, there is serious disagreement among scholars and policy experts on the way forward in Afghanistan. Many of those urging you to deepen U.S. involvement in that country are the same people who promised we would encounter few difficulties in Iraq and that that war would solve our problems in the Middle East, neither of which proved to be the case. We urge your administration to refocus on al Qaeda and avoid an open-ended state-building mission in Afghanistan. Sincerely, Gordon Adams American University Andrew Bacevich Boston University Doug Bandow American Conservative Defense Alliance Ted Galen Carpenter Cato Institute Jasen Castillo Texas A&M Jonathan Clarke Carnegie Council Steven Clemons New America Foundation Michael Cohen New America Foundation Michael Desch University of Notre Dame Carolyn Eisenberg Hofstra University Ivan Eland Independent Institute Bernard Finel American Security Project Eugene Gholz University of Texas - Austin David Henderson U.S. Naval Postgraduate School David Hendrickson Colorado College Patrick Thaddeus Jackson American University Robert Jervis Columbia University Sean Kay Ohio Wesleyan University Peter Krogh Georgetown University Christopher Layne Texas A&M Justin Logan Cato Institute Douglas Macgregor Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.) Scott McConnell The American Conservative John Mearsheimer University of Chicago Rajan Menon Lehigh University Robert Paarlberg Wellesley College Charles Pena Independent Institute William Pfaff Author and syndicated columnist Barry Posen Massachusetts Institute of Technology John Prados Author Christopher Preble Cato Institute Daryl Press Dartmouth College David Rieff Author Paul Schroeder University of Illinois Tony Smith Tufts University Jack Snyder Columbia University Robert W. Tucker John Hopkins University - SAIS Stephen Walt Harvard University **This letter reflects the opinions of the individual signatories. Institutions are listed for identification purposes only.** -- Steve Clemons More on Afghanistan
 
Swine Flu Vaccine APPROVED Top
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration approved the new swine flu vaccine Tuesday, a long-anticipated step as the government works to get vaccinations under way next month. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the vaccine's approval to Congress – and said she hopes to get the first limited supplies distributed early in October. The bulk of vaccine will start arriving Oct. 15, and Sebelius said it should be available at 90,000 sites around the country. "We will have enough vaccine available for everyone" eventually, Sebelius said – everyone who wants it, that is. The government has ordered 195 million doses for now but may order more if needed, she said. Typically 100 million Americans seek flu vaccine every year. But the vaccine, which protects against what doctors prefer to call the 2009 H1N1 flu strain, won't arrive all at once. About 45 million doses are expected by mid-October. That's why the government wants the people most likely to catch swine flu, and to suffer complications from it, to be first in line – including children and pregnant women. FDA licensure means that the government has certified the vaccine is made properly and meets specific manufacturing and quality standards. Separately, the National Institutes of Health is studying the vaccine dosage and safety. Last week, the NIH announced that one dose appears to protect adults – and that that protection kicks in eight to 10 days after the shot. Studies in children and pregnant women are continuing. The vaccine approved Tuesday is made by CSL Ltd. of Australia; Switzerland's Novartis; Sanofi-Pasteur of France; and Maryland-based Medimmune, which makes the only nasal-spray flu vaccine. More on Swine Flu
 
Jennifer Donahue: Baucus Brings Life, and Obama Brings Passion, to Health Care Reform Top
After months of missed opportunities, tense town hall meetings, and an American public with too little information on what a health care overhaul would look like, President Obama today brought the freshly finished plan from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus straight to the people. The President has ccomplished a media grab that will confound his opponents for weeks. Just as chances for significant health care reform were flat lining and Obama could not get a break, the White House announced upcoming speeches on the economy. The news was all economic as President Obama lulled the media into coverage of his speech on the anniversary of the Lehman bankruptcy and the ailing economy. At the same time, the Senate Finance Committee finished a health care plan, outlined with force by none other than President Barack Obama to a speech to Labor Unions in Ohio on Tuesday. This is the speech the public has been waiting for. Speaking Tuesday, Obama's tone brought the passion, commitment, and force of campaign trail style to health care legislation. That is not to say that Obama has not tried, but with legislation now tangible, the discussion is finally real. Granted, President Obama was talking to the base, so the audience was receptive, and vocally so. But the milestone is significant still: Obama has legislation he will champion. He will bring the energy and power he showed voters on the stump to this health care legislation. Obama talked about the public option, clarifying it, but not tying himself to it. "Let me be clear. . . this would just be an option. No one would be forced to choose it," the President said. He went on to explain that the public option would offer more choices, and put pressure on private insurers to make policies better. This furthers the soft implication of last week's address to Congress, when he offered support for the public option, but did not make it a centerpiece of his message. The message appears to be that House and Senate Democrats can negotiate the public option but Obama is not holding out for it, and won't let the issue bring the legislation down. The speech is not an endpoint but a starting point. This weekend, the president will do the Sunday hat trick (Face the Nation, Meet the Press, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos, plus interviews for CNN and Univision). On Monday, he will be appearing on Letterman. During the campaign, Obama was often criticized for not reacting quickly enough to his opponents, from Senator Clinton to Senator McCain. Then, as now, he chose to pull his punches and wait until the time was right. Then, as now, the strategy appears to have worked. More on Health Care
 
Beth Armogida: Rush Limbaugh's Big Fat Republican Health Care Plan Top
Some people see Rush Limbaugh as a successful entertainer, some see him as a conservative prophet and some see him as the mighty king of all douchebags. No matter what you think of Limbaugh, it's fair to give him credit for his staying power. Like herpes, he never goes away and tends to surface at the worst times. Recently, Limbaugh has spoken out against the current health care reform bill. And he's joined by Republican lawmakers, conservative mouthpieces and wannabe douchebag king Glenn Beck, all failing to produce an alternative plan to solve our country's health care crisis. With a big pile of nothing from them, it only leaves us to wonder what Rush Limbaugh's Republican health care plan could include: • Irritable bowel syndrome will become the number one medical priority. • Homosexuality will be classified as a mental illness, unless of course you're a male, Christian politician. • OxyContin will be free, untraceable and in donut form. • Anyone who shouts "You lie!" during a Presidential speech will be given a free CAT scan. • Carpal tunnel syndrome will be covered only if it's a result of masturbating too much while listening to radio airchecks of yourself. • All illegal aliens will be covered... with dirt. • No funds will be used for abortions except in the cases of lonely, divorcee radio groupies who spread their legs for a box of wine. • Any form of socialism will be identified and treated as a rash. • If you divorce your spouse while they are recovering from cancer, you are not responsible for the co-pay. (Special thanks to Newt Gingrich for authoring this section.) • Corporate insurance companies' profits will be limited. Just kidding. • There will be no death panels, but grandma might be sent off to Gitmo. • Viagra will be officially classified as a candy. • Brain injuries, Tourette syndrome and halitosis will all fall under a medical condition called Ann-Coulter-itis. • Anesthesia for surgeries will be available once you commit yourself to God. • The official food pyramid will only contain pork. These are just some examples of what could be in a Rush Limbaugh health care plan. Naturally, the Limbaugh plan would exclude gays, lesbians, feminists, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, French Canadians, Mexicans, Muslims, non-Christians, anyone who meditates or does yoga, animal lovers, maids who yap to the police about procuring illegal drugs for their employers , Hollywood, San Francisco, Lexus owners, men in turtlenecks and big tippers. More on Health Care
 
Serena Williams Apologizes, Says She Lost Control In "Good Morning America" Interview (VIDEO) Top
Serena Williams went on Good Morning America today to repent for her US Open semi-finals outburst , and attempt to repair her image. In the interview, Williams discusses exactly what was going through her mind when she threatened the line umpire, her new book , and the murder of her sister Yetunda Price in 2003. More on Sports
 
World In Photos: September 15, 2009 Top
Here is the HuffPost's selection of photos of today's news and events from every corner of the globe. Check back Monday through Friday for this HuffPost World feature. Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Lorraine Roe: Kanye West: Heartless Alcohol Top
Actor Will Smith has a great quote about those who make it big. He says, "Money and success don't change people, they merely amplify what is already there." Now I'm going to add to that notion by saying alcohol does something similar. It doesn't imbue you with a new personality; it only exaggerates what's already there. Which of course leads me to Kanye West. In several photos from the MTV Awards he is pictured holding a bottle of Hennessy Cognac. Why drink from a glass, when you can just suck it down from the bottle? As a recovering alcoholic who enjoyed my liquor, I can see the point. But just because you can, should you? Kanye West is apparently still grieving the death of his mother, who died unexpectedly in 2007. He apologized on Jay Leno's show for taking his pain and putting it onto someone else, (Taylor Swift as she tried to enjoy a moment of glory.) But, here's the thing. If you don't deal with grief in a way that means real healing and resolution, you can end up drowning your sorrows with alcohol and then lashing out at some innocent bystander. In recovery rooms they call that self-pity. It goes like this, "poor me, poor me, pour me another drink." Twitter's tweeting with the song lyrics "Blame it on the alcohol" when it comes to the Kanye West incident. Apparently he was swimming in booze when he behaved unswiftly with Taylor Swift and was showered with boos by the audience. Maybe the alcohol amplified something in him no one wanted to know about. But he did it on stage in a very public way, so now we know. Untreated grief and unchecked aggression often go on stage when we drink too much. Sure one can have fame and fortune, but without sobriety, you have to wonder what is it that you really have? Besides of course a very, very large magnifying glass (alcohol plus a national audience). I'm not rich and I don't sing, but I do have sobriety and for that I'm grateful. When I see alcohol take the stage for someone else, I remember the good 'ole drinking days weren't so good. I don't claim to know Kanye West nor do I personally know what's going on with him. But like a lot of other recovering alcoholics, I do claim to know what too much alcohol can do. It can highlight the places that need healing. And when it gets really humiliating on life's stage, sometimes it forces you to get sober. Maybe the MTV stage show will put some more attention on the ugliness of drinking too much and the healing aspects of good emotional and mental health. Who's Kanye West singing to in his song "Heartless" anyway? How could you be so heartless? Oh...How could you be so heartless?

 How could you be so Dr. Evil?
 You're bringin' out a side of me that I don't know Maybe he's singing to his bottle of Hennessy. More on Addiction & Recovery
 
Jonathan Spalter: A Mobile Connection for the Hispanic Community Top
Ask someone who the biggest users of data services are on mobile phones, and you'll get predictable answers including Gen X, Gen Y, and businesspeople. All true but there's a far more interesting - and overlooked - group to add: Hispanic Americans. That raises a key issue for upcoming Congressional debates over health care and the economy. This week, The Hispanic Institute and Mobile Future published a remarkable study of Hispanic Americans' adoption of mobile technology. The facts are truly compelling. More than half of America's Hispanic population uses the mobile Internet, compared to about a third of whites. Hispanics also account for more minutes used and for a higher percentage of cell-phone ownership than other ethnic groups, despite their comparatively lower incomes. There are likely multiple reasons for this but two seem especially persuasive. First, Hispanic Americans tend to move more often than the U.S. average, and the ability to keep a single phone number through multiple moves is appealing. Second, roughly 40% of Hispanic Americans were born in other countries, where wireless service can be more common than landlines. But beyond the usage figures, the big issue for policymakers at all levels is: How can we leverage this? That's where this new study shines. The report suggests ways to improve access to health care, education and economic opportunity, all through encouraging wireless innovation. Take health care. Hispanics are more likely than some other groups to suffer from diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Text messaging is an obvious and inexpensive way to expand preventive care by reminding people to check their blood sugar levels, check their blood pressure or take their medications. Wireless monitoring of a heart condition is already a reality. Moreover, wireless technology is being used increasingly by health care providers to streamline and improve care . This report analyzes the broader implications of increased mobile usage in the Hispanic community and builds on a Pew survey released earlier this summer on usage habits of Hispanics and African-Americans . But with wireless' potential to help the neediest Americans, and lift diverse American communities, this is an important issue for lawmakers and regulators. Much of the health care debate, for example, centers on how to control costs while expanding access, monitoring and information. Hispanic Americans seem ready and willing to leverage their wireless devices to do all three. The way they have embraced wireless broadband - services and devices - has also armed Hispanic Americans with one of the most affordable tools to improve educational opportunities for their children. As the old Hispanic proverb goes, when fortune knocks upon the door, open it widely. The growing mobile usage rate among Hispanic Americans creates an empowering option to improve their access to vital government, education and healthcare services. This is one door that public officials should open very wide indeed. Jonathan Spalter, chairman of Mobile Future, has been founding CEO of leading technology, media, and research companies, including Public Insight, Snocap, and Atmedica Worldwide. He served as an advisor to and spokesperson for Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. www.mobilefuture.org More on Health Care
 
Jon Corzine Takes Lead Over Christie In NJ Gubernatorial Race Top
Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine has for the first time gained the lead in the gubernatorial race among all registered voters, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll. Among all registered voters polled, Corzine holds a one percent lead with 41 percent for the governor and 40 percent for Republican challenger Chris Christie. Christie had a 4 point lead among registered voters in the August poll and a 6 point lead in July.
 
Andrew Cherwenka: Social Marketing for Celebrities: Five Lessons from Neil Young Top
He isn’t on Twitter, he has no official Facebook fan page, and his website is a Flash disaster stuck in the ‘90s.  So what can Neil Young teach celebrities today about social marketing?  Canada’s legendary mutton-chopped musician was leveraging 5 key principles of social marketing decades before the internet came to be. Generate lots of content “I recorded everything and kept everything. We were not about saving tape. Our whole message was just be rolling all the time.” - L.A. Times Music Blog Young’s massive collection of recording studio outtakes and radio interviews since 1963 makes him an early lifestreaming pioneer.  Today’s celebs and TV shows would be wise to follow his lead and provide us with their own outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.  Look to the Rachael Ray Show website for an example of backstage exclusives and celebrity soundoffs on the site, and behind-the-scenes pics from their Twitter account . Be great “After the Gold Rush” went viral in 1970 because it was a great album.  Danyl Johnson’s X Factor audition has over 5 million views on YouTube because it’s an impressive performance.  Most “viral videos” share one thing in common:  they’re entertaining enough to make us want to watch it again and share it with others.  All the web marketing tricks in the world won’t compensate for simply average material. Be shareable Ever sit around a campfire where somebody isn’t strumming a Neil Young song?  Young believed early on that music should be shared and he wrote his songs with that intention in mind.  Learn a few chords and you can play recognizable versions of many of his best songs. Want people to spread your material to their friends or share links to your sites and profiles?  Make it easy for them.  Provide short clips and posts in addition to your longer material.  Roger Federer has an 8-second video clip on his Facebook Page that received 95,856 likes and 29,259 comments.  Simple, easy to consume, and easy to share.  Look to the newly launched ArtOfTalk.tv for a great example of community sharing and commenting around bite-sized content. Compliment others publicly “Bob Dylan, I'll never be Bob Dylan. He's the master. If I'd like to be anyone, it's him.” - from an interview with Time Magazine Compliments are a powerful force, and not just for their karmic potential.  Recognizing your peers and competitors enhances your own image.  Compliments spread and make headlines. When John Mayer praised Demi Lovato's musical abilities on Twitter , everybody won: Mayer for supporting another artist, Lovato for the publicity, and the tabloids for being able to report on a positive little celebrity exchange. Take risks “I didn't really know what I was doing when I started. I just started writing songs. After two songs I just continued to explore it.” - quoted from tv.com Gary Vaynerchuk’s initial Wine Library TV webisodes were clunky but he found his groove somewhere between #1 and his latest, #737 .  After a somewhat shaky start trying to integrate Facebook and Twitter into their show, MTV’s “It’s On with Alexa Chung” quickly gained speed and is now actively including their 74,000 Facebook fans and 384,000 Twitter followers .  Getting solid advice and creating a smart plan are important but once that’s in place it’s up to you to summon up the courage and get out there. Neil Young is a marketing-savvy pioneer who continues to build his fan base thanks in part to his embrace of social marketing.  Today’s social web and tools simply make it easier and faster than it was when the Godfather of Grunge started his career back in the ‘60s. More on Twitter
 
Ian Gurvitz: The 9/12 D.C. Cattle Drive Top
This past weekend tens of thousands of corpulent, toothless economists were herded to Washington to express their outrage over the prospect of government health care, and the rising federal deficit, collectively experiencing two phenomena for the very first time: Protest. And walking. Brandishing the obligatory Obama-as-Hitler signs alongside the "I break for gravy" bumper stickers, the event marked the first time in history this many fat white people gathered in a single location without the promise of football, free beer, stock cars, or Toby Keith. Wheezing along the famed D.C. streets, blood red anger coursing through their sclerotic arteries, the protesters demanded their right as hard-working Americans to be dropped by their insurance companies when they get sick, and gouged by pharmaceutical companies for the Diabetes drugs they'll soon need. They waved flags, honked horns, and shouted anti-government slogans, all as a way of venting their enlarged spleens over the prospect of the government improving the quality of their lives. Not since the 1929 Rose Bowl, when Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran a fumble back 65 yards, almost into his own team's end zone, has so much energy gone into an effort so blatantly self-destructive. But as they hoofed along the D.C. streets, snapping photos of famed government buildings, while scanning the side streets for the nearest Applebees, one couldn't help but wonder: where was all this economic righteous indignation when the Clinton surplus became trillions flushed down the Iraq toilet? Where were Glenn Beck's tearful fears for his country? Limbaugh's Mr. Creosote-like explosive apoplexy? I don't recall any anti-government outrage, then. I guess the leaders on the right were too busy screwing their mistresses for Jesus. But for all the smugness and stupidity on parade, the venal spirit of the event was captured by a single sign, reading "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy." Very nice. The man served over 45 years in the senate and he's barely dead a week and this is where you want to take the debate? Fine. Get nasty. But you assholes are going to get some form of health insurance reform whether you like it or not? And maybe, just maybe, by the time you have your first heart attack at 37, the amount of the hospital bill, or the fights with your insurance carrier over the enormous co-pay won't give you a second heart attack. Bury Obamacare with Ted Kennedy? I don't think so. Maybe "Bury corporate greed, selfishness and stupidity with Ronald Reagan?" How's it feel, fuckos?
 
Michael Shaw: Reading The Pictures: Teabaggers' Subliminal Death Message Top
The wingnuts don't consistently merge health care reform with Obama's name just because it's catchy. The most chilling and sickest thing about the Teabaggers' presentation strategy is the way their exploitation of death symbolism, merged with their hatred of the President, cross-fertilizing a "death to/of Obama" suggestion. For more visual politics, visit BAGnewsNotes.com (and follow us on Twitter ). (image 1 & 2: NineTwelvePhotos at Flickr. Image 3: Newscom/ZumaWire via TPM)
 
Nikolas Kozloff: HuffPost Review: Crude Top
What is it going to take for Americans to take action against environmentally-unfriendly U.S. companies doing business abroad? That's a question on the minds of many Ecuadorans who have been seeking environmental justice against Texaco, an oil company which turned their lush rainforest into a toxic cesspool. According to Amazonian Indians, from 1964 to 1990 Texaco caused serious damage to human health and the environment by employing obsolete technology in drilling operations at hundreds of wells spread throughout the jungle. Unfortunately, Americans have shown scant interest in the story and it's unlikely that there will be a ruling in a pending legal case against Texaco for some time. I know how difficult it can be to get any traction on the Ecuadoran Amazon story: in 1992, having just completed a reporting internship at local radio station in New York, I headed to the Ecuadoran capital of Quito. One tribe, the Huaorani, had just traveled from the eastern Oriente region to Quito where they carried out a militant protest to demand a halt to road construction furthering oil exploration on Indian lands. Powerful interests were at play: on one side was the pro-business government, the media establishment and Protestant North American missionaries. On the other were a handful of Ecuadoran and U.S. environmentalists. I was intent on interviewing the Indians but U.S. missionary pilots who controlled air traffic in an out of the Amazon were suspicious of my motivations and I was obliged to haggle with them before they ultimately agreed to take me into the interior. Once in indigenous territory I spoke with the Indians who were living in deplorable health and sanitary conditions. Later in Quito I couldn't find a very suitable venue for my articles: the U.S. media was disinterested in the oil story and in the capital many Ecuadorans seemed unaware of what was happening in their own land. Finally, one editor of a local glossy magazine agreed to publish some of my pieces. Though a conservative he had an avid interest in indigenous cultures and managed to persuade the business partners in the magazine to carry my work. I also published some of my material in a left-leaning daily newspaper though unfortunately the articles came out on the back page. In my pieces I dissected the oil companies' unconvincing propaganda and warned of imminent environmental problems in the future. As it turns out I wasn't far off target in my reporting: after I left Ecuador in 1993 social and environmental conflict intensified in the Oriente. Yet, the media establishment continued to ignore the story. Fortunately, intrepid documentary film director Joel Berlinger has just released a new film called Crude which stands to raise awareness about the vital environmental stakes in tiny Ecuador. Shot in cinéma-vérité-style, Crude takes up the controversial issue of Texaco and the Indians' harrowing struggle to hold the company to account for its environmental crimes through a landmark historic lawsuit. The plaintiffs allege that Texaco -- which merged with Chevron in 2001 -- spent three decades systematically polluting the rainforest while poisoning the water, air and land. Amazonian Indians sued Texaco in 1993 for $1 billion in U.S. Federal court in New York. In 2003 the case moved to Ecuador and four years later the amount of damages was increased to $27 billion based on an expert's report. Indigenous peoples claim that contamination has created a virtual "death zone" in an area the same size of the state of Rhode Island. Within the area, they say, local people have suffered from increased rates of cancer, leukemia, birth defects, and a variety of other medical problems. Chevron ardently denies the claims, outrageously arguing that the case constitutes a fabrication spread by "environmental con men" seeking to enrich themselves by cutting into company profits. But those claims are revealed as truthful when, early on during the film, a lawyer named Pablo Fajardo representing the Indians accompanies a fact-finding delegation to toxic pits deep in the Amazon. A young man with a sensitive and compassionate mien, Fajardo is the most compelling character in the movie. Indignantly, he denounces Texaco for its environmental disaster while the judge and onlookers take in the scene. For Americans more accustomed to seeing their legal cases unfold in the cold stodginess of a court it's an unusual sight. As the delegation moves from one sludgy pit to the next a Chevron lawyer does his best to attempt the impossible. There's no evidence, he says, that the oil company is responsible for the mess that occurred long ago. It's a claim so ridiculous as to be patently absurd, yet the wheels of justice in Ecuador turn slowly. In a country plagued with corruption and weak institutions including the judiciary, it's easy for the oil companies to get their way. Indeed, the Ecuadoran legal system as portrayed in the film would seem to be a free for all: in one memorable scene Steven Donziger, an American lawyer representing the Indians, confronts his Chevron counterpart in the offices of a Quito judge. "You are a corrupt Texaco lawyer!" screams Donziger. As the two lawyers trade barbs the aging judge sits at his desk, bewildered at the altercation. To be sure it's a daunting legal milieu for the Indians and their allies who lack the financial resources of multinational corporations to carry on a prolonged legal battle. Unfortunately, the longer the case drags on the longer the Indians suffer from the prolonged effects of oil contamination on their lands. The first half of Crude is riveting but psychologically difficult to take in: an Indian woman breaks down and cries as she talks about how her daughter has fallen ill with cancer. The mother can't afford to pay outstanding medical bills and in a desperate attempt to make ends meet she buys some livestock to supplement her income. However, the animals drink the oil-contaminated water nearby and get poisoned. The camera trails a young boy as he throws dead chickens into the forest. You don't need to hit the viewer over the head or resort to Michael Moore-style gimmickry to make the point about social injustice in the Amazon, and Berlinger's cinéma-vérité strategy is effective here. However, in the second half of the film the director increasingly shoots the story from the perspective of Donziger as well as Trudie Stuyler, rock star Sting's wife who has taken a keen interest in the plight of Ecuador's Indians. Personally I wasn't nearly as interested in them as Fajardo, a humble lawyer from the Amazon. At one point he talks about how his brother was tortured by the security forces and killed. Fajardo is seen grieving at his brother's grave site but we don't learn very much about the mysterious incident. Fajardo himself worked for the oil industry earlier in his life and it might have been interesting to tell the film's story more from his own perspective. In particular it would have been revealing to address the question of how the Texaco case changed Fajardo's life. In an effort to bring attention to the oil company's ecological crimes, environmentalists brought Fajardo to San Francisco. There is a telling scene in which Donziger talks about the need to promote Fajardo in the media as a kind of "naïve" Mr. Magoo personality who's traveled to the city for the first time. As a result of Donziger's outreach, Vanity Fair ran a glossy profile on Fajardo which brought the Ecuadoran to U.S. attention. That in turn led to Fajardo receiving a CNN "Hero" award and the Goldman Award, the environmental equivalent of the Nobel Prize. What's more, Fajardo was invited to meet North American environmentalists during the Live Earth concert in 2007. After the performance Sting presents Fajardo to the media. At one point an aghast environmentalist asks Fajardo "so you've really never heard of The Police?" It's an ironic moment in some ways and I was interested to learn more about Fajardo's perspective on the nature of environmental campaigning and public relations in the U.S. Sadly, it may take celebrity outreach to wake Americans up to environmental crimes committed in poor and neglected areas of the world. Nikolas Kozloff is the author of Revolution! South America and the Rise of the New Left , which is being released in paperback by Palgrave in November. He is also author of the upcoming No Rain in the Amazon: How South America's Climate Change Affects the Entire Planet (Palgrave, 2010).
 

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