Saturday, September 12, 2009

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12-Year-Old Girl Dies While Giving Birth In Yemen Top
SAN'A, Yemen — A 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride died after struggling for three days in labor to give birth, a local human rights organization said Saturday. Fawziya Abdullah Youssef died of severe bleeding on Friday while giving birth to a stillborn in the al-Zahra district hospital of Hodeida province, 140 miles (223 kilometers) west of the capital San'a. Child marriages are widespread in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, where tribal customs dominate society. More than a quarter of the country's females marry before age 15, according to a recent report by the Social Affairs Ministry. Youssef was only 11 when her father married her to a 24-year-old man who works as a farmer in Saudi Arabia, said Ahmed al-Quraishi, chairman of Siyaj human rights organization, which promotes the rights of children in Yemen. Al-Quraishi said that he stumbled upon Youssef in the hospital while investigating cases of children who had fled from the fighting in the north. "This is one of many cases that exist in Yemen," said al-Quraishi. "The reason behind it is the lack of education and awareness, forcing many girls into marriage in this very early age." Impoverished parents in Yemen sometimes give away their young daughters in return for hefty dowries. There is also a long-standing tribal custom in which infant daughters and sons are promised to cousins in hopes it will protect them from illicit relationships, he said. Al-Quraishi said there are no statistics to show how many marriages involving children are performed every year. The issue of child brides vaulted into the headlines here two years ago when an 8-year-old Yemeni girl went by herself to a courtroom and demanded a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30s. She eventually won a divorce, and legislators began looking at ways to curb the practice. In February, parliament passed a law setting the minimum marriage age at 17. But some lawmakers are trying to kill the measure, calling it un-Islamic. Before it could be ratified by Yemen's president, they forced it to be sent back to parliament's constitutional committee for review. Such marriages also occur in neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia, where several cases of child brides have been reported in the past year, though the phenomenon is not believed to be nearly as widespread as in Yemen. More on Yemen
 
Danny Pang Dead: Financier Under Investigation Dies Top
LOS ANGELES — Danny Pang, an Orange County financier accused by federal regulators of defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars, died Saturday. He was 42. Pang died at about 5 a.m. at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Supervising Deputy Corner Larry Eslinger said. Police had been summoned to his house in a gated community at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday on a medical emergency call, and paramedics took him to the hospital, said Newport Beach police Sgt. Doug Jones. The cause of death was not immediately available, Esslinger said. An autopsy was scheduled for Sunday. Pang pleaded not guilty in July to federal charges of evading currency reporting laws. The case had been set to go to trial next week, but was delayed until next August. Pang, a Taiwanese immigrant, is accused of bilking investors in his $4 billion firm by falsely portraying returns as coming from investments in timeshare real estate and life insurance policies of seniors. Prosecutors said he in fact he ran a Ponzi scheme, using money raised from newer investors to pay earlier ones. Pang's companies, Private Equity Management Group Inc. and Private Equity Management Group LLC, are based in Irvine, Calif. "Danny was a wonderful husband, loving father, and honest businessman," Pang's family said in a statement released through spokesman Charles Sipkins. "It is distressing that Danny had to endure such a mean-spirited assault on his character without ever having a chance to defend himself. "We remain steadfast in our believe that Danny would have been vindicated if he had been given that opportunity." The Securities and Exchange Commission froze Pang's assets in April, ordered him to surrender his passports and bring back to the U.S. any assets he had sent overseas. He stepped aside as chairman and chief executive officer. Pang was arrested days later by the FBI on charges of gradually withdrawing about $360,000 from a company account so he wouldn't have to report the transactions to regulators. Robert P. Mosier, a court-appointed received in charge of Pang's companies, said in court documents that Pang managed his investments as a "personal piggy bank" to fund a lavish lifestyle, including spending $35 million on a fleet of jets, $1 million on a cruise for employees and $1.5 million on a China vacation for his staff. In a separate civil lawsuit, the SEC alleged Pang and his companies have been engaged in the fraudulent offering of securities for at least five years, raising hundreds of millions of dollars from investors mostly living in Taiwan. In one case, investors were presented with a forged $108 million insurance policy to support a false claim that an investment was guaranteed, while the actual insurance policy was valued at $31 million, according to the SEC. Pang first appeared in the news when his wife, 33-year-old former topless dancer Janie Louise Pang, was shot and killed in their home in 1997. Pang's attorney, Hugh "Randy" McDonald, was charged with the killing but his jury could not reach a verdict and prosecutors did not attempt to try him again. (This version CORRECTS RETRANSMITTING to fix dateline to LOS ANGELES. UPDATES with detail, corrects that trial delayed until next year. CHANGES dateline, ADDS byline. Moving on general news and financial services.) More on Banks
 
Tina Fey Wins Emmy For Sarah Palin Impressions On SNL Top
LOS ANGELES — Is Tina Fey an Emmy winner? You betcha. Fey received an Emmy Award on Saturday for her impersonation of Republican vice presidential contender Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live." Accepting her trophy for best guest actress in a comedy, Fey thanked "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels and her parents, "who are lifelong Republicans, for their patience." She was honored at the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys, which recognize technical and other achievements for the 2008-09 season and preceded next weekend's main ceremony. Fey has the chance for more awards: She could repeat last year's win as best actress in a comedy series for "30 Rock," and the show also could again claim top comedy honors. Justin Timberlake was another "SNL" winner Saturday, honored as best guest actor in a comedy series. On the drama side, Michael J. Fox won the guest actor award for his turn on "Rescue Me," and Ellen Burstyn was honored as best guest actress for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." "I always wanted one of these," Burstyn said, winning her first Emmy after being nominated five times. Neither Timberlake nor Fox were on hand to accept. Kathy Griffin was host of the nearly four-hour ceremony, her trademark outrageous humor intact with risque jokes and filmed bits. An edited, shorter version of the ceremony will air Friday on E! at 1 p.m. EDT. The top network winner was HBO with 16 trophies, followed by NBC with 11. Fox and ABC each won eight awards, with CBS, PBS and Cartoon Network each claiming six. PBS' "Little Dorrit," an adaptation of the Dickens novel, was the most-honored program with four awards. Several shows, including the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and "American Idol," received three creative arts trophies. Next Sunday's Emmy ceremony, with Neil Patrick Harris as host, will air on CBS. ___ On the Net: http://www.emmys.org More on Tina Fey
 
ABC Rejects Tea Party Organizers' Attendance Claims Top
Conservative activists, who organized a march on the U.S. Capitol today in protest of the Obama administration's health care agenda and government spending, erroneously attributed reports on the size of the crowds to ABC News. More on Tax Day Tea Parties
 
Toby Barlow: The Power of Protest Top
My heart sank when I saw the thousands out protesting health care reform in the Washington today. While I would love the idea of us joining the rest of the civilized world with a policy of universal health care, I now know this is just a dream. Thanks to that protest, nothing will happen. Don't believe me? Ah, how people forget. Do you not remember that fateful day, on Februrary 15, 2003, when not just "thousands" but hundreds and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets came to protest the invasion of Iraq? And not just in D.C. but in cities all over the world. Don't you remember that? We sought mediation, we sought a peaceful solution, we sought any alternative but the "shock and awe" of missiles and arms and death that the White House had promised were on their way. And guess what, we did it! We stopped the war! George Bush watched the news all day and listened to NPR and then he and Laura had that famous "Late Night Cookie Chat" about it, and that's how we avoided getting embroiled in one of the worst planned and worst executed military actions in the last thirty years. I am sure that is exactly what inspired the riders of the Tea Party Express and Dick Armey's army of Freedomworks soldiers to get out there with their own protest today. Sure, they didn't have nearly the numbers. But they know there is nothing like a good foot stomping saber rattling protest to turn things around. They remember how, together, we collectively stopped George Bush from causing the deaths of thousands of innocent people and wasting billions of our hard earned tax dollars. And they know that - by using these same techniques against us - they can keep Barack Obama from helping thousands of innocent people and putting tax dollars to good use. So we may as well put our hopes and dreams for national health care reform in the old recycling bin, because it's over. Those protesters beat us at our own game. Touché, my fine opponents. Well played. Very well played. More on Health Care
 
Michael Giltz: Toronto Film Fest Day 3: Cartoons, Cads and Commies (post- and pre-) Top
A lot of hard choices today. I didn't go to the only screening of The Road (based on the Cormac McCarthy novel) because it's already played at other festivals and I know I can see it when it opens commercially in November. I also missed both the Francois Ozon and a well-reviewed French film to see Dorian Gray (big mistake, that one.) And everything else slipped away thanks to podcasting duties until I managed to slip into a Czech film I knew nothing about at the end of the day. Audiences still dutifully applaud volunteers after a trailer encourages them to do so (only in Canada!) and the best part of wandering around the neighborhood is the Beatles music flowing out of all the record stores nearby. WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY *** out of **** -- A fascinating look at the resurgence of Disney animation in the 80s (after decades of slumber), the many factors that made it happen and how success can breed resentment as everyone angles for credit. I pinpointed the turnaround beginning with The Great Mouse Detective in 1986 and was pleased to see this film agreed as well. But I never realized the many factors that came together to get to that string of critical and popular hits that included Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King that put Disney back on top. Of course, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells rejuvenated the studio as a whole, thanks to the imprimatur of Roy Disney. They brought in Jeffrey Katzenberg, who became passionate about animation and wasn't afraid to trash months or years of work if a project wasn't gelling and start all over again. Roger Rabbit brought in a wave of European talent. The Rescuers Down Under kick-started computers as a tool for animation. Getting kicked off campus to a new miserable location for the animators meant an open-air cubicle setup that inadvertently sparked more collaboration and teamwork. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman came into the fold as two of the most gifted musical theater composers of their generation -- and two of the most broadly appealing since Rodgers & Hammerstein. (That should be at the top of any list.) That list goes on and this film -- which is 86 minutes long and might be even better as a two-parter on PBS or some such venue at twice the length -- covers it all pretty fairly. My friend was astonished by the bitterness of some at Katzenberg but failure could never equal success for generating finger-pointing and backbiting. And I'm still waiting to find out why they never greenlit a sequel to Roger Rabbit, which always seemed a no-brainer to me. DORIAN GRAY no stars out of **** -- I've always been puzzled and intrigued as to how some bad movies almost instantly feel artificial. I mean, the movie begins and a cop goes to work, for example, but somewhere in the back of your mind you can't stop thinking, 'That's not a cop; that's just an actor in a costume!' Not all bad movies are like this (heck, most bad movies aren't like this) and avoiding it doesn't mean you're a good movie. It's just a certain level of artificiality, a certain sense of inauthenticity that stamps some movies immediately and forever. The second Dorian Gray begins, I had that uneasy feeling: those are costumes, not clothes; that's a set, not London and so on. I knew I was in for a long 107 minutes. Indeed, when young Dorian Gray arrives in London (played by handsome Ben Barnes, who has unfortunately been in Stardust, The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian and this) his absurdly innocent demeanor -- rube alert! -- is so extreme he just stares in puzzlement when a street urchin reaches into his pocket and takes coins without so much as a "hey!" at the little thief. Any film this false right away is in trouble and this one surely is. Based on the Oscar Wilde novel (which I remember being nonplussed by as a boy), it follows Gray the innocent as he becomes corrupted by the pleasure-seeking Colin Firth, yearned after by painter Ben Chaplin, loved by a no-name actress and soon becomes such a cold hedonist he outdoes his mentor in caddishness. All while remaining forever young thanks to a mysterious portrait he keeps locked in an attic -- handy that. Few things are quite as depressing as deviance when it's dull -- not only are you bored, but you can't even think about sinning after the movie is over, it seems so tiresome. The novel is often read as a coded tale of homosexuality but there's nothing modern or interesting about this take -- Gray may kiss one or two men but it's only because he's running out of possibilities. And director Oliver Parker's depiction of the painting is especially unwise: it groans, it shakes and we even get numerous shots seen from the painting's own point of view (a grainy image that leads one to suspect the painting is concealing a CCTV camera). Oh dear. I feel bad about trashing Dorian Gray. I'm sure everyone had the best intentions and the fine cast (including Firth, Chaplin, Rebecca Hall and Fiona Shaw) surely didn't choose to spend their time on a bad film. I rarely take cheap shots and hopefully my tone is seen as properly directed at the film itself and not the people who made it, as such. Which brings up the question of politeness. I referred to a review of A Serious Man as "polite" and someone wondered what I meant and why any reviewer would feel the need to be polite. I use it to capture the tone of a review that recognizes a movie had noble intentions and was made with care and craft but for whatever reason falls short. It would be unfair to be dismissive or snide, people evidently took care...it just isn't good in some fundamental way. Hence, a polite review. My review of Dorian Gray isn't that polite because the film fell so terribly short, not because the people who made it offended me with their failure. Or the experience is so uncomfortable or exhausting you can't help but reflect your frustration in some way for fear of being too polite and misleading audiences into thinking a movie has some merit. What follows is a polite review of The Trotsky. THE TROTSKY ** out of **** -- Our hero Leon Bronstein (a good Jay Baruchel) is convinced he's the reincarnation of Communist icon Leon Trotsky. (This is a comedy and being a high school revolutionary who is the reincarnation of Trotsky is funny -- Stalin, Lenin, Pol Pot, not so funny. But just the name "Trotsky" holds promise.) No good reason is ever given for this. His father Saul Rubinek doesn't pay attention to him but that doesn't quite cut it -- dad seems fine except when he has to deal with his 17 year old son organizing a hunger strike at the factory Rubinek owns. And the many "coincidences" between our Leon and Russia's Leon don't work either -- they're either forced into being by Leon (who, for example tracks down a guy with the same name as Lenin and later gets himself arrested) or just too banal. Does any of this matter? Yes, actually. In Rushmore (another film about an eccentric high schooler), our hero had all sorts of odd tics about him. But they were presented so matter-of-factly or so convincingly that we bought him whole hog. Leon, we don't. And so the movie never rises above its very high concept, never goes from concept to character. Leon wants to unionize the kids at his new public school. No particular reason, really, he just wants to storm the barricades and any barricades will do. Only the mildest of tyrannies sets this up (a hall monitor who gives detentions for untucked shirts and muddy shoes). That's it. That's the beginning and the end of the outrages, other than the fact that administrators ignore Leon, which suits him fine since he doesn't really want changes in the system, he wants to lead a revolution. But agitation without purpose is pointless. Stalking a girl who is nine years older than he and named Alexandria (just like Trotsky's first wife!) isn't fun either, especially when she rather unconvincingly humors this nut. Imagine if Leon had started as a revolutionary but learned to care about actual issues as the film progressed. That would have made a real story. Instead, the most impassioned speech comes from a fellow student when Leon isn't even around. And the movie has kept the other kids at such arm's length I didn't even realize the guy was supposed to be gay until the finale. The movie cares about the other characters as little as Leon. And if he knows them so little, how can we know him? Or care to even try? Director Jacob Tierney made the well-cast gay spin on Oliver Twist (called simply Twist ) and this movie has enough spark (joke intended, Trotsky fans) to make me keep an eye on Tierney. I just wish I had felt more driven to keep an eye on Leon. Still, I did enjoy the Ayn Rand jibe. Audience note: the film got some of the strongest applause so far, though Toronto is clearly not a cheer or boo sort of festival a la Cannes, so this may be nothing more than support for a Canadian movie by the locals. After The Trotsky, I decided to mount a revolution...actually, I spent a few hours doing my weekly podcast for Showbiz Sandbox. That meant my last chance to see a film was down to Shameless , a Czech film by the director of the pretty good Divided We Fall, so in I dived. SHAMELESS ** 1/2 or maybe *** out of **** -- Unlike last night's shot in the dark, this quiet little drama had a shaggy charm. Our hero (of sorts) is a shameless fellow. Out of nowhere, he finds his wife's nose disturbingly large, something he can't fail to mention. Then we realize he's been shagging the young au pair (why anyone who's ever seen a movie with an au pair would allow one in their house is a mystery to me -- they are trouble!). The wife kicks him out and he loses his job as a weatherman. She falls for a new man, while getting along great with her in-laws, who seem to like her more than their ne'er do well son. He has the au pair, but falls for a famous singer old enough to be his mother. It's all quite ramshackle and meandering, happy to take its time getting somewhere and not too concerned to make that somewhere important or momentous. Enjoyable. Tomorrow is just a train wreck of competing film screenings. I interview Vera Farmiga at 10:20 for the excellent Up In The Air. But then what? Michael Moore's Capitalism or the very well-reviewed L'Affaire Farewell? I was leaning towards L'Affaire , but that would make it impossible to see the Michael Caine vehicle Harry Brown. But if I see that I can't see Lebanon , which just won the top prize at Venice. And they both conflict with Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Bitch Slap. Sigh. At least I know nothing will get in the way of the Frederick Wiseman documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet at 8 p.m. Visit me online at my website, MichaelGiltz.com. Join me on Facebook. Belong to Netflix? Friend me and get easy access to thousands of my ratings and reviews.
 
Newlyweds Escape From Man Who Stormed Kansas Home: Police Top
DOVER, Kan. — Two newlyweds held hostage in their eastern Kansas home on Saturday escaped unharmed when the man holding them captive fell asleep, after they gave him pillows and a blanket, authorities and family members said. Jesse Dennis Dimmick, 23, was shot and injured when confronted by officers as they stormed the beige, one-story ranch-style house in Dover, a tiny town about 15 miles west of Topeka. Police said Dimmick – wanted in connection to a homicide in Colorado and burglaries in three states – crashed his car into the couple's front yard after leading police on a chase. Family members said the couple befriended Dimmick after he forced his way into their home. They offered him something to drink and gave him pillows and blankets so he could lay down in their bedroom. When he dozed off, they ran from the house. The chase began about 50 miles west in Geary County when sheriff's deputies spotted a car that authorities said Dimmick stole in Colorado. "The suspect ended up having a couple of accidents along the way," Topeka Police Capt. Jerry Stanley said. "It was a pursuit that ended up in the front yard." Dimmick was shot once in the upper left part of his chest, though his injuries weren't considered life threatening, said Kansas attorney general spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett. He underwent surgery Saturday afternoon. His condition hasn't been released. The couple, Jared and Lindsay Rowley, were married last week and went with police to Topeka to answer questions following the incident, family members said. They said Lindsey Rowley is studying criminal justice at Kansas State University. A message left on cell phone was not returned Saturday night. Family members said they received text messages from the couple while they were inside the house and passed them on to authorities. "They didn't know where he came from. They hadn't heard anything," said Brenda Sage, Lindsay Rowley's aunt. Another aunt, Janet Sage Bruce, said the couple were watching a movie and didn't know authorities had surrounded their home until they fled. "They were watching 'Patch Adams' on the TV," she said. Authorities were looking for Dimmick in connection with a homicide at a motel in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colo. On Friday, Geary County deputies began chasing Dimmick after learning that the vehicle he was driving was stolen in Greeley, Colo. During the pursuit, Dimmick wrecked the vehicle near Junction City and fled on foot, the Kansas attorney general's office said. Officials spent hours searching for him Friday, then spotted him Saturday in a second stolen vehicle, authorities said. In addition to his connection to the Colorado killing, the Kansas Attorney General's Office said Dimmick is also wanted in North Carolina, Louisiana and Colorado for burglary. Authorities in Colorado wouldn't comment on Dimmick's connection to the homicide. They said they arrested another man, Shayne Michael Miller, Friday in Salina. ___ Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda in Denver contributed to this report. More on Crime
 
Tales From Lehman's Crypt: How Former Employees Are Faring Top
True, thousands of financial industry jobs have vanished and several of the country's best-known banks and brokerage firms have disappeared. Since a peak in 2007, the market valuation of the country's 29 biggest financial services firms has been cleaved by about half. But significant parts of Wall Street endure, and some firms are raking in handsome profits. Indeed, many bankers and traders are looking forward to big bonuses once again. Some of those Lehman alumni who didn't manage to hang on to Wall Street jobs are still angry, bitter and confused... More on Banks
 
NFL Sets Its Sights On China With Reality TV Show "NFL Blitz" Top
For years the NFL, which kicks off its regular season in full on Sunday, has been the most lucrative sports league in the world, generating an estimated $8 billion a year in revenue. But as technology improved, making it possible for American sports to be seen in more and more countries, the NFL has found itself in a dilemma, staring longingly at blossoming international markets yet with a game few outside of this country understand. More on Sports
 
Venezuela Earthquake Rattles Caracas, Measures 6.4 Top
CARACAS, Venezuela — An earthquake shook Venezuela's capital and nearby states Saturday, injuring 14 people and causing damage to a few buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, saying the epicenter was off Venezuela's Caribbean coast 65 miles (110 kilometers) west of Caracas. The head of Venezuela's seismological agency, Francisco Garces, put the quake at magnitude 6.2, followed by an aftershock registering 4.0. Two young people, ages 9 and 26, suffered serious leg injuries, and 12 other people had minor injuries, Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said. El Aissami said western Falcon state reported the most structural problems, with seven houses and two other buildings damaged. Two houses were reported damaged in neighboring Lara state, where the wall of a medical clinic also collapsed, state civil protection director Hector Vargas told the state-run Bolivarian News Agency. Buildings swayed as the quake rocked Caracas about 3:40 p.m. local time (4:10 p.m. EDT, 20:10GMT). Only a few people evacuated buildings to stand outside as a rainstorm slowed traffic. No injured were reported in the capital, El Aissami said. The head of Venezuela's national civil protection agency, Luis Diaz, said authorities would evaluate two Caracas malls, including one where glass had shattered, to ensure their safety. Cities in nearby Carabobo and Aragua states were also jolted, but did not experience major problems. In Aragua, there were reports of damage to some houses, and some people were injured on an escalator at a mall during a panicky evacuation, a state security official, Col. Cesar Oliveros, told Venezuela's official news agency. Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello said there were no reports of major infrastructure damage. No problems were reported at oil refineries or other installations in Venezuela's key oil industry. More on Venezuela
 
Tea Party Protester: "We Think The Muslims Are Moving In And Taking Over" (VIDEO) Top
UPDATE (8:43 p.m. EST): NBC has replaced this woman's comment about Muslims with a less inflammatory comment: "I'm scared to death for my country. I believe Obama is running this country into the ground." This appears to be the only edit made to this online video. Footage of her previous comment does not appear to be posted. The original video was broadcast Saturday evening, Sept. 12, 2009, on NBC Nightly News. ------------------------------- A protester at Saturday's Tea Party on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. made clear that she was afraid, saying "We are losing our country, we think the Muslim's are moving in and taking over." NBC Nightly News interviewed the woman, who was surrounded by fellow protesters as she made the remarks. Her name was not used. Participants at the event, billed "March on Washington" by its organizers, rallied against President Obama's health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending. WATCH Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Health Care
 
Rachel Strugatz: Reem Acra's Office: See What's Inside (PHOTOS) Top
Reem Acra is the Beirut-born designer responsible for the striking strapless dress Jill Biden wore to the Inaugural Balls. Since launching her eponymous label in 1996, Acra's bridal gowns and evening wear have become perennial favorites with celebrities such as Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Olivia Wilde, Katherine Heigl, and Eva Longoria. Reem Acra in her office Photos by Brandon Perlman With the help of a live-in seamstress that helped bring her designs to fruition, Acra has been designing dresses since she was a little girl. After relocating to the United States in 1983, she studied at both the Fashion Institute of Technology and then at ESMOD International Fashion University Group in Paris before returning back to New York to open her own design house. Her gowns are both lavish and glamorous without being over the top, and it's clear why Acra's designs have become red carpet mainstays at the Emmy's, the Golden Globes, and the Oscars. Her fashion-forward take on traditional style results in dresses appropriate for twenty-something starlets to politicians' wives. In the midst of frantically preparing for her upcoming Spring 2010 show, which takes place on Sunday, Reem sat down and shared her inspirations, her philosophy on dressing from day to night, and even sketched a dress on the spot. Rachel Strugatz: Describe your personal style Reem Acra: My personal style is a mixture of classical and modern. My style definitely has a sense of humor and I like to always be dressed from the office and ready to go out. I wear pieces that can be casual and then dressed up for an event. RS: Tell us what you're wearing from head-to-toe RA: I'm wearing a new skirt from my Spring 2010 collection, a Jil Sander t-shirt, a black draped cropped sweater, and a red patent belt from my collection. A touch of color - like this red belt - is always good. I'm also wearing Sergio Rossi satin peep-toe platform pumps - they are black with a navy blue platform and heel. RS: What are your must-have items? RA: Necklaces and the belts from my collections - I have to have belts. There are patent, fabric, and some of the belts are beaded too. Another must-have for me is always being neat and organized. I also can't live without Altoid Smalls and my Sony Cyber Shot digital camera, and my dog Loulou goes everywhere with me. RS: What inspires you? RA: I'm inspired by everything from fabric swatches, to people, to cities, to traveling, to art, to architecture - anything still or moving. The city is filled with things that are inspiring, but it really starts with the fabric. My fall collection is Greek Goddess inspired, but in a modern way. It came about because I was having dinner with a friend, talking about a Greek statue that he owned. I had him email me a picture of the sculpture and I asked if I could use it as my muse. The trick is how you translate and the fabrics worked well because they were muted. 5 Things About Reem... 1. Her favorite movie is Slumdog Millionaire 2. She takes ballroom dancing lessons four times a week 3. The last book she read was Madame Bovary 4. She is an accomplished painter (but gave it up a long time ago) and has a passion for interior decorating 5. She is fluent in three languages In Reem's Office... Pink Alessi Timer -- "In case people stay too long in my office during meetings." Framed Photo of Her Mother -- "This is from the 40's. It's one of the only ones we can find. She influenced me and taught me how to buy fabrics. She was always well dressed." Butler and Chef Wine Holders -- " I keep my brushes in here because I like to keep my girl things in here." Black Lacquered Wood Desk -- "My brother Max made my desk. It's a masterpiece like a piano. Everybody who comes in my office loves my desk." Writing Instrument Holder -- "I use black felt pens and Sharpie's when I'm sketching something larger. Never leave a pen around me -- It will be gone." Red Chinese Box -- "This is a very interesting box, it's so unusual." Roger Vivier Flats -- "These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes." Lulu Guinness "Don't Forget" Satin Bag -- "I love bags and little bags within bags. Everything is contained." Little Girl's Dress -- "I designed this when I was eight." Altoid Smalls -- "They are small and have a better effect than the bigger ones." Prada Tortoiseshell Sunglasses -- "I can't go out without them." Red Boxes -- "They are essential. It's archives of pictures, videos, and CD's. After every collection, anything related to the show - the program, show DVD, and the invitation-- goes in a box." Rachel Strugatz can be contacted at rachel.strugatz@gmail.com. Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook ! More on Fashion Week
 
Rachel Farris: Dare Devils: Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Death Panel Top
I've chosen to ignore most of the health care rhetoric. I know what I believe--the health care industry is so clearly broken that a thousand monkeys typing explanations of benefits could come up with that conclusion--and I'm sick of hearing Republicans argue otherwise. But on the subject of death panels, which Sarah Palin dropped into her recent Wall Street Journal op-ed with a wink , like a twelve-year old flashing a passing car--"Dare me, guys?"--I find the conservative argument bordering on the edge of delusional. Republicans like Sarah Palin need to stop playing truth or dare with people's lives. Since when do conservatives care about anyone dying? With the exception of their fetish for protecting a few eggs produced by women's ovaries every twenty-eight days, the Republican Party has historically shown zero regard for whether anyone lives or dies. People die every day, buried with medical bills and coughing blood from their graves. The slaughter of Iraqis is neither shocking nor awesome. Immigrants scrambling across the border are not deserving of a life in this country, legal or otherwise. Former Republican Party of Texas vice chairman David Barton, now enjoying an appointment by the Texas Board of Education, has so little regard for a human's life that he wants to strike Cesar Chavez from the history books . In Barton's "expert" review of Texas schools' social studies curriculum, he says Chavez "lacks the stature, impact and overall contributions of others." He forgot to add, "Who are white" after that statement. But the most disturbing representation of a life lost was the one sentenced to Cameron Todd Willingham, who in 1991 lost his three children in a house fire in Corsicana, Texas and was sentenced to death after refusing a plea-bargain for life in prison. The New Yorker recently took an in-depth look at the case, asking, "Did Texas execute an innocent man?" Willingham, who maintained his innocence up to his death, spent twelve years in prison going through the government's appeals process. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, whose presiding judge is conservative Sharon "We Close at 5 O'Clock" Keller , "was known for upholding convictions when overwhelming exculpatory evidence came to light." The court denied Willingham of his writ of habeas corpus and a month before his execution, his file landed on the desk of Dr. Gerald Hurst, an Austin scientist and fire investigator who began reviewing the case. Hurst's report, which concluded there was "no evidence of arson," (a conclusion which has since been reached by three additional investigations) was sent to Governor Rick Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles along with Willingham's appeal for clemency. The board members are not required to review any submitted materials, and "usually don't debate a case in person." Instead, they cast their votes by fax--a process which, the New Yorker article states, "has become known as 'death by fax.'" Even more troubling: "Between 1976 and 2004, when Willingham filed his petition, the State of Texas had approved only one application for clemency from a prisoner on death row." It is, in fact, Texas's own death panel. Health care reform at best will offer an alternative to the people who need it the most, stymie medical costs, and create change within an industry that has been allowed to run rampant. At worst, it would be symbolic proof that the option can be supported and improved from there. In either case, it is not going to create a government panel to put people to death. We already have one. "The only statement I want to make is that I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been persecuted for twelve years for something I did not do. From God's dust I came and to dust I will return, so the Earth shall become my throne." - Cameron Todd Willingham's final statement, February 17, 2004 More on Health Care
 
Roy Ulrich: What It Will Take to Win the Healthcare Debate Top
In a speech to a joint session of Congress on health care Wednesday night, President Obama briefly alluded to the age-old argument between the individual's desire for freedom and the need for security. He noted there has been a healthy skepticism of the federal government since the nation's founding. On occasion, in reaction to the destructive excesses of this or that Gilded Age, progressives have been able to overcome our natural Jeffersonian inclination to prefer limited government. It is only when levees burst, markets crash, or regulators fail us that there usually comes a brief burst of progressive action. That was what happened in 1933 when Social Security was enacted. In 1993, the Clinton health care plan was undone by a series of ads featuring "Harry and Louise" who convinced each other that the federal government shouldn't play any role in the nation's health care system. That strategy worked then and the Republicans hope it can work again. They continue to parrot consultant Frank Luntz's line that the Democrats want nothing less than to accomplish a government takeover of health care. We should be clear that the opponents of genuine reform have no comprehensive alternative they can claim as their own. Aligned with the private insurance carriers, their real goal is to maintain the status quo. Their real fear is the realization of a decades-old Democratic dream: low-cost, universal health care. They realize that should this dream come true, they will remain out of power for many years to come. The anti-government crowd, embodied by Ronald Reagan, rode into Washington in 1981. At his first inaugural address on the steps of the nation's capitol, he said, "Government is not the solution to our problems; it's the problem." Today, all too many Americans believe that to their very core. According to data compiled by the Pew Research Center, an astounding 62% of Americans believe that when the government runs a program, it is usually inefficient and wasteful. That's what did in "Hillary care" in 1993. The outcome of the health care debate taking place in Congress today will determine if the 28-year conservative stranglehold on Washington is finally nearing an end. There are two things holding us back as we stand on the precipice of enacting genuine health care reform, that is, one that includes a public plan as one among others. First, from 2000-2008, the Bush Administration showed us that it had little interest and limited ability to actually govern. In fact, the monumental incompetence of Bush and his cronies will make the job more difficult, for they failed in ways that have undermined Americans' confidence in the ability of government to solve the country's most pressing problems. Second, when we speak -- as the President did the other night -- of our willingness to come to the aid of others in need, most people think of individual or organized charity or other acts of kindness. Alternatively, one thinks of "individual" giving and selflessness in times of a national emergency, as was the case with the nation's response to the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City in 2001. "Government action" -- other than a military response -- is not the first words that come to most people's lips at such times. Nor is it clear, as the President maintained on Wednesday, that most people think government should step in when someone is in need of a helping hand. Not yet, at least. Here, then, are suggestions for the President's next speech if he really wants to change public attitudes on the proper role and size of government in American life. He should remind us that it was the government of the United States that substantially reduced the number of elderly in poverty, landed a man on the moon, helped conquer fascism, built interstate highways, made loans to homebuyers and students, insured bank deposits, and led the most successful anti-smoking campaign in the history of the planet. And it continues such diverse tasks as making certain that unsafe drugs don't reach the market and providing financial assistance to victims of natural disasters. In truth, most Americans are slightly schizophrenic about their views of government. They rightly hate red tape, bureaucracy, and waste, but they want the airlines they fly, the products they use, and the food they eat to be safe. Henceforth, liberal Democrats in Congress and the President need to go on the offensive and ask those who want to keep the public option out of health care overhaul a few questions: Do we want the Consumer Product Safety Commission to continue to inspect for lead in imported Chinese toys? Do we want the Food and Drug Administration to check for E. coli and salmonella in the food we eat? Do we really need an Environmental Protection Agency? This is far more effective strategy than simply denying that the proposed healthcare plan amounts to a government takeover. Finally, the President and liberal Democrats in Congress need to remind all Americans that government has a role to play in the struggle between the people and the powerful, in this case the powerful healthcare industry. In 1941, President Roosevelt described the Democrats as "a party which believes that, as new conditions and problems arise beyond the power of men and women to meet as individuals, it becomes the duty of government itself to find new remedies with which to beat them." Nothing has really changed since then. _____ The writer is a researcher at Demos, a New York based think tank.
 
Gerald Sindell: Why Start With The Perfect? Top
You're third in line for takeoff, finally ready to depart for La Guardia and get to your lunch meeting in Chicago. The pilot comes on the P.A. for a last-minute cheery message: "Thanks for your patience. We hope to make it up once we're in the air and get you to O'Hare on time. Or at least someplace not too far from there. We're thinking maybe Gary or Indianapolis. As the President says, we shouldn't make the perfect the enemy of the essential. So wish us luck." What if that were acceptable? What if we never got where we were hoping to go, and it was okay? What are the implications when President Obama tells us that part of his philosophy is, "We shouldn't make the perfect the enemy of the essential?" Sounds reasonable, in a way. Don't want to be a perfectionist about everything. Wouldn't be realistic. Never get anything done. Got to compromise, make a deal. Make progress of some kind. I'm not so sure about throwing the perfect overboard. I keep wondering how can we ever know what really is essential unless we first know what the perfect looks like? Sure, when you're going 500 miles per hour in an aluminum can at 30,000 feet, essential is you land in one piece, somewhere. But when you're on the ground planning a trip, maybe the perfect includes getting all the way to your destination. You want to know why this country is so confused about how to move forward on health care? One reason is, no one has given us a vision of what the perfect looks like. Without the perfect, we're not even heading to Chicago and putting up with the reality that we might land in Cleveland. Obama's vision for health care still feels to lots of people as if we're just lifting off with no clear vision of where we hope to land. Would you really want your team to design anything without first making the effort to get a clear picture of what the perfect might be? If we don't attempt to imagine what the perfect is, let ourselves dream and reach for the stars, then we are giving up our greatest gift as human beings before we even start. Without a destiny that we can see and dream about and hope for, what is to guide our efforts? The journey of progress will be vastly longer if we don't know where we're going. What if Frank Gehry had listened to that board member (whom I'm certain existed), the one who said, "Now, don't go all crazy Frank," and never asked himself what the Disney Concert Hall should be like if he could create exactly what we wanted? What would I like the outcome to be of my open heart surgery? What kind of achievements would you like to have in your life? Do you want to start by thinking about all the compromises you're going to have to make, or do you want to imagine what you want to do, first? Now that I've won you over (at least for a moment) to the notion that we should try to imagine what perfect would look like, let me invite you join me in imagining what would a perfect health care system be like? I, for one, would toss in the principles that everyone would have the health care they wanted and needed. People would be educated about healthy choices, and the obesity rates would decline. Money in the system would go to caregivers. Overhead would be kept at a minimum. Compensation for doctors would incentivized quality outcomes. We would shift from a sickness to a wellness system. That's top of mind for me. What about you? You can add your own thoughts, or turn this upside down. But whatever the discussion, we need to be able to hold up for ourselves a clear well defined picture of where we'd like to be someday. Many people feel the perfect is, "Single Payer." But I think whether that's it or not, we need to see how it would actually be in reality. Maybe we even to imagine what would happen if the healthcare insurance industry were downsized or shut down. I have no trouble seeing it, by the way. I just imagine decommissioning old coal-fired electricity generating plants. Same thing. Whatever our vision of the perfect is we will be, finally, ready to design our compromises with "political reality" (which means working with those Stakeholders Who Are So Large That No One Can Say Their Name). And most important, look at those compromises and determine whether they allow us to remain aligned with our vision of the perfect, or if they take us farther off track. Without that clear picture of where we want to go, we will never get closer to it. With that vision of the perfect, we'll always know what's left to be done. That's what leaders are for, by the way. To inspire us with a vision of the ideal, and then make the incremental steps that move us comfortably yet inexorably, forward.
 
Maggie Van Ostrand: God Sues Congress Top
In a one-off interview with God (sorry, no photographers were permitted), this reporter had the privilege of learning His plan to file lawsuits against individual members of Congress and clergy. Though I could actually not see Him, I knew He was there because fish and wine were on the table next to his iPhone. My exclusive interview follows: Reporter : Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Lord. I realize Your time is taken up by earth's many other problems, like starvation, poverty, war, pestilence; you name it, we've got it. GOD : How many times do I have to say it: Nothing is more important than Truth. Woe to hypocrites and liars. Reporter : How did you reach a decision to sue, and on what grounds will your lawsuit be based? GOD : Ah, a two-parter. That's just like the media to exaggerate even a simple question. I decided to sue when My communications to humans were ignored by the few whose personal agendas were believed by the many. Charges are malfeasance, misrepresentation, inciting a riot, unfair business practices, intolerance, verbal hate crimes, treason, and tampering with My 10 Commandments. George Carlin was My only exception to that last charge. Reporter : Exactly how did you communicate your wishes? GOD : Conscience, dear boy, conscience. It escapes even Me that some humans know they're doing wrong, and do it anyway. What, they can't read a Bible? Take that pair of fellows, Anderson of Arizona and Drake of California. They call themselves pastors and yet they ask me to kill the President of the United States? This is a personal affront. Did they think I was kidding when I said 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' I even put it in writing, for Heaven's sake. And they call themselves Baptists? Where I live, we have millions of Baptists, one of my most loving religions. We took a vote and not one Baptist wants people moving in who create dissention, fear and hatred. Machiavelli came up with "Divide and ye govern," so we might wonder if these dissidents wish to align themselves with someone whose very name means cunning and deceitful. Perhaps I should not have given humans Power of Choice without further vetting. Reporter : Are any other humans actually named in your proposed lawsuit? GOD : There are a few in South Carolina who need to study the Commandments. Joe Wilson and Jim DeMint broke the Ninth many times over; Mark Sanford broke One, Three, Seven, and Nine and he's still in office. I would include Graham, but there's no Commandment against uppityness; if there were, I would have sued Georgia's Westmoreland long ago. My Commandments are more than the plot of a DeMille movie. Why do you think I suggested Charlton Heston as Moses? Because Heston's voice is exactly like the real Moses' and, as I said before, truth is urgently important to Me. You know how My family hates hypocrites. We've talked about it often enough. Reporter : I see by the hologram of Your iPhone calendar that You've got an appointment in a few minutes to moderate a debate between the Coast Guard and CNN. Before you leave, Lord, is there anything else you want to say? GOD : Yes. Humans who do not pay attention and mend their ways should familiarize themselves with the word SMITE. Even I have a limit on irk. Reporter : One more question, Lord, if You don't mind. What is the name of the attorney representing You in this lawsuit? GOD : I've had to put an ad on Craig's List because I couldn't find any lawyers where I live. ### More on Mark Sanford
 
Tim Gunn Swoons Over Christian Siriano: "He's This Generation's Marc Jacobs" Top
NEW YORK — Designers from "Project Runway" have come and gone – sadly, mostly gone. But Christian Siriano has shown he plans to stay. Siriano's spring 2010 collection shown Saturday was his third at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week following his stint on the reality show, and in that time he's made his way to the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue and to the shoe aisles of Payless. The collection was a lush take on Mediterranean travel, concluding with three intricate ball gowns that elicited spontaneous applause from a crowd that included actresses Mena Suvari and Tori Spelling and model Alessandra Ambrosio. A satin-faced organza strapless gown in blush, elegantly draped and with a beaded bodice, cried out for a red carpet. "I feel like a proud dad," said Tim Gunn, the "Project Runway" mentor. He said he knew Siriano would be a standout from the competition, and thinks he's evolved into something more: "I believe he's this generation's Marc Jacobs. I do." Some of Siriano's most striking pieces were made from a fabric print created using an aerial photograph of the Italian coast line – "flipped, modified, repeated and saturated with Volcanic and Oceanic colors," as Siriano described in his notes. The result was a richly intricate pattern that looked almost animalistic rendered in reds and orange and like a deep ocean cartography in blues. Siriano is a natural showman, so wearability seems beside the point. But his weakest moments came when he strived for it – as in a fitted khaki funnel neck dress with blue piping – and when he totally ignored it, as in an ocean print body suit that was unflattering on the model, who looked famished even by model standards. But he showed a capacity to wow with some of his tamer pieces in shades of blush, nude and khaki – there was elegant draping, delicate pleating and gathered flounces at the shoulders and hips, two body parts getting a lot of attention at Fashion Week. Also meant to be wearable: the sky-high shoes for his third Payless line with a curved, pointed heel and sometimes upturned toe. Just don't try walking too far. It wouldn't be fierce. Nina Garcia, a "Project Runway" judge and fashion director of Marie Claire, said she agreed with Gunn's assessment of the designer, calling Siriano "pretty amazing." "Go to the Saks Fifth Avenue third floor and you'll see him among all the big designers. So clearly it's not just us who think that way but I think also the retailers," she said. "Christian had just fearlessness about him, he just kept pushing the envelope. At the end of the day you have to have that to make it." More on Fashion Week
 

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