Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Y! Alert: The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Yahoo! Alerts
My Alerts

The latest from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Most Corrupt Congressmen: Blago Lands Burris, Jackson Jr. On List Top
Their quest for the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President Barack Obama has landed Sen. Roland Burris and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. on a watchdog group's annual list of the "15 most corrupt members of Congress."
 
Paul Armentano: Pot Arrests for Year 2008 Second Highest Total Ever Reported Top
Police arrested 847,864 persons for marijuana violations in 2008, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report , released today. The total marks a three percent decrease in marijuana arrests from 2007, when law enforcement arrested a record 872,721 Americans for cannabis-related violations, but still remains the second highest tally of annual arrests ever reported. Marijuana arrests now comprise one-half ( 49.8 percent ) of all drug arrests reported in the United States. Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 89 percent , 754,224 Americans were charged with possession only. The remaining 93,640 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses, even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use. Marijuana arrests were highest in the Midwest and southern regions of the United States, and lowest in the west , despite this region possessing some of the nation's highest rates of cannabis use. Commenting on the 2008 figures, NORML Director Allen St. Pierre said: Federal statistics released just last week indicate that larger percentages of Americans are using cannabis at the same time that police are arresting a near-record number of Americans for pot-related offenses. Present enforcement policies are costing American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars, ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans, and having no impact on marijuana availability or marijuana use in this country. It is time to end this failed policy and replace prohibition with a policy of marijuana regulation, taxation, and education. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009) added: According to a just-released Rasmussen poll , a majority of American adults believe, correctly, that marijuana is less harmful than booze. The public has it right; the law has it wrong. To read the FBI's 2008 Uniform Crime Report, please visit here .
 
David Parker: Prague: Monstertown Top
The cabdriver who picked me up at the Prague train station looked like a cross between Ivan Drago and the punching machine that Drago uses to show how much stronger he is than Rocky. So when he charged me eighty euros--about $115--for a ten-minute ride to my hotel, I thought it best to pay. I went to an ATM and withdrew cash while a man stared at me intently. He was wearing a track suit with dress shoes. When I'd finished, I gestured to the machine as if to say, "All yours!" The man shook his head slowly. He looked at me as he punched numbers into his cell phone. He clearly wasn't waiting to use the ATM. To avoid being robbed of all my korunas and left for dead on a Mala Strana sidewalk, I ducked into a bookstore. In the window, two books were prominently displayed: Mein Kampf and Winnie the Pooh , or as it's known in the Czech Republic, Eeyore's Kampf . Back at my hotel, I encountered a different breed of monsters: a Scottish bachelor party. They seemed nice. They welcomed me into their group by forming a circle and surrounding me. Worried that I wouldn't understand their accents, they got really close to my face and spoke very loudly. They were also generous enough to share their three-step plan for enjoying Prague: drink a thousand beers; punch some old buildings; drink a thousand more beers. At dinner, I had a cup of strong coffee in preparation for a night of beer-drinking and building-punching. Then, as I walked out of the restaurant, one of my dining companions was struck with something. A few feet away, a grinning teenager was standing with a metal bowl in one hand and a fistful of potato salad in the other. I decided to call it a night. Too caffeinated to sleep, I turned on the TV in my hotel room. There was one channel in English: it was showing Hostel 2 . When you're staying at a creepy Central European hotel, it may sound like fun to watch a movie that takes place at a creepy Central European hotel. A voice in your head might say, 'It's just a movie! You'll have no trouble falling asleep! And when you are finally sleeping, there's no way you'll have horrible nightmares about being scythed to death!' Don't listen to that voice: it's a monster. Travel tip: daytime in Prague is relatively monster-free and good for sightseeing. I recommend the Castle! On my last night in Prague, I was taken out by a friend's parents. They wanted to try a famous bar; when we got there, it was closed. There's nothing really scary about this story but missing out on that bar was kind of a bummer. More on Travel
 
Jenna Busch: Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney Talk The Other Man Top
After reading a note from his wife Laura (Laura Linney), Peter (Liam Neeson) discovers that she's been having an affair. His reaction to the discovery of this "other man" (Antonio Banderas) and his wife's motives in leaving him a clue are the basis of the upcoming film The Other Man . I recently got a chance to participate in a round table discussion with Linney and Banderas about their roles, the film's morality questions and why this film could never have been made in Hollywood. Oscar-nominated actress Linney was fascinated by the role of the enigmatic Laura, but it wasn't the reason she took the job. "I wasn't really attracted to the role, honestly. I was attracted to doing a movie, being able to work with Liam again, working with [writer/director] Richard Erye again, getting to know Antonio and work with him. So it was really more...I said yes almost before I'd even read the script. I didn't even need to read the script. I just said yes and then read the script. And I was like, okay, this is my challenge. Here is my challenge now. So that was sort of more why I did it." Banderas agreed that it was about the quality of the people involved, saying he has a tremendous amount of respect for Neeson and Eyre. He told us that the role of Ralph, the other man, was a challenging one for him. "I was more troubled by the character...in terms of knowing that I have to step into territory that was unknown...a type of nakedness. A separation [from] the kind of characters I have been doing the last 15, 20 years. It related to me, when I read the script for the first time, in some of the characters, in terms of risks...and when I met Richard, he confirmed that...'I know you're not afraid to expose yourself in pieces, and go for the character like that.' That is, in a way, quite pathetic, if you will. He's a man with a double life...in a way he's rewarded, because she's a woman with a life. She's living in a happy environment...happy is probably too big of a word, but with joy. But in my case, no. In my case the only thing real that I have is her. If I don't have her, I'm a nobody, and pretending the whole entire time to be somebody else. It's quite uncomfortable to attack a character like that. You know? But I think that is exactly what Richard Eyre was looking for...'here is a cliff and you have to jump,'" he was told. "I don't know if at the end of this jump there will be rocks or you're going to find water, but that's the whole entire feeling I had while I was doing the movie." Eyre is known for his work in the theater. In fact, he directed Linney and Neeson in a production of The Crucible this past Spring. The film itself feels like a small stage production, with distinct acts, and a tiny cast. It takes place in some lovely locals, but one gets the feeling that the story wouldn't suffer in a black box theater. Linney told us that directors who've worked in theater often understand actors better than those that deal strictly with film, and she appreciated the longer rehearsal process. The film poses questions about love and morality, and Linney said that's sort of the point. Why does Laura cheat? Why does she leave her husband clues about the affair? Does she really want him to find out? Which one of them is actually the other man? "It's complicated," Linney said. "I mean...I think there's great value in looking at it from both perspectives. And it's sort of that way throughout the entire film. You can take one viewpoint and one philosophy and watch the movie with that philosophy, and it will be a completely different experience than watching it with a different philosophy...I'm finding that I'm having a very hard time talking about it. Or being clear. I'm contradicting myself all over the place whenever I discuss this film." She explained that the note she leaves Peter, which reads "Lake Como," could be interpreted as a place she wanted to go with him, or as a device to allow him to discover the affair. And she played it coy when asked which one she believed it was. "Weeell, I wanted to play it so both points of view were possible. I wanted to leave it a mystery." She said that the debate about Laura's motives that will inevitably take place after viewing the film was the whole point. Banderas had a theory about why Laura chooses to cheat with Ralph. "...there is a certain satisfaction...in taking somebody and making somebody happy. To fulfill the dreams of that person. She sees this man, greets him in a certain way...and provides him with a big chunk of reality. And that chunk of reality is herself. And it's almost like seeing a plant dying and putting some water in, and having the satisfaction of seeing that plant grow. She does it with this person, for reasons that are very unexplainable." The film was produced outside of Hollywood, and Banderas thinks that allowed them greater freedom to create the film they wanted. "This is a movie that, in Hollywood, would literally have been impossible to make. Because it would have cut the peaks and lows of the movie and make something very edible for audiences. And the movie definitely has a big amount of reflection in it. It doesn't give you straight answers, but the possibility of sitting down in front of a screen and reflecting about things that are very deep into the soul of human beings. That's what I really got at the end of this process." The Other Man opens in limited release on September 25th, 2009 and is rated R.
 
Drew Barrymore's Colorful New Look: What's The Craziest Part? (PHOTOS) Top
Drew Barrymore is in Toronto for the Film Festival and she's making news as much for her new two-toned hairdo as for her directorial debut, "Whip It" At Tuesday's press conference Drew wore fingerless gloves, fingernails and tights in a matching blue-green and the blonde/black hair she's had in recent days. Scroll through and decide, what's the craziest bit? Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Brooke Siler: Pilates: Body In-Flight Top
So I'm fresh off a 24-hour cross country jaunt flying New York to LA and then back again the very next afternoon. This gave me time and cause to explore my conspiracy theory query: "Why are they trying to destroy us with these seats?" I have often wondered if they make the seats in airplanes, cars, busses, subways, etc. to cater to the already broken down bodies that will inhabit them. This to me is similar to vending machines serving you junk food because they figure if you're already so far gone as to need to eat from a vending machine then there's really nothing anyone can do to help you anymore. Sort of like, If it's already broken, don't even think of bothering to try and fix it. And I wonder if the reason I'm so uncomfortable in the these seats is because I come bearing good posture and know when my head is being pushed forward or low back enticed to collapse. I often think that if I were to design a seat that encouraged good and proper posture people be more uncomfortable because this position would be so foreign to their bodies. I can only imagine that design engineers are brought in, at great expense, to find the 'prefect' pitch and curvature, and yet the more it's messed with, the more uncomfortable it seems to get. In fact, I was in first class when all this pondering took place and with every button at my fingertip to adjust lumbar "support," footrest, incline, recline, you name it and none of it did what I believe, in good faith, it is intended to do. Let's bear in mind that I am six feet tall and therefore not exactly average. However, I am writing this from the most bare-essential, stripped down version of a seat short of a stump I've encountered in a very long while. I'm on the Bergen line of NJ Transit for the first time and am sitting in what could be described as a basic L. Straight base, straight back, no frills, and guess what ... I'm totally comfortable! This immediately conjures my images of Joe Pilates' own vision for the human condition, in which he created his various apparatus to be as multi-tasking as possible, doubling as furniture in exercise downtime. His Wunda Chair flips from the abdominally assaulting spring action device into a unexpectedly impressive seat that forces proper posture in the most unassuming way. His Cadillac piece originated as a frame that rolled over your bed so you could wake up and begin stretching and strengthening before your feet hit the floor. He even designed wheelchairs with pedals to be used to strengthen an infirm, non-ambulatory person within it. Daily life and exercise, exercise and daily life -- they can fit together so nicely if we allow for it. So what to do in the interim while we are awaiting contact from a major airline requesting the research and redesign of seats that serve the greater good rather than catering to the already bad? Here are some stretching and strengthening tips to make your next trip one in which to build a little extra body awareness so you might walk away a little less worse for wear. Because sitting tends to be a passive activity for most, muscles you'd think would relax -- after all they seem to be doing so little -- actually stiffen. Here are some ways I like to make travel time bearable: there are no prescribed repetitions, although stretches can be held a good 30 seconds or more if you're not in pain, use your own internal meter and some common sense. With a little concentrated effort the smallest moves can have the biggest impact. Toe Tucks For Tuckered Tootsies: Point your toes underneath you and press the knuckles of your feet into the floor to stretch the tops of your feet/toes and ankles. Figure Four Hip opener: Cross your right ankle over left knee in a figure 4 position. Sit up tall and allow your right knee to 'fall' open as much as your body allows. You may slowly increase this sensation by placing your right elbow/forearm onto your right knee and leaning forward gently pressing down on your right knee. Next, sit tall and press the heel of your right hand against the knee. Use this leverage to help you sit taller and draw your abdominals in and up your spine. This move is as much to lengthen your low back as it is to open the hip. Remember to breathe! Next, add a twist by placing both hands on the outside of your right leg and twisting to the right, lifting your waist as you do. Switch sides and repeat the entire sequence from numbers 2-4 . Up Rack for your Upper Back: Sitting up tall in your seat, begin inflating your chest on an inhalation and allowing your chest to float upward. As you do this you will feel an arch beginning to form in your mid-back region. Continue to lift your chest and allow your face to turn skyward as well. Hold your breath in the uppermost position your reach and then slowly release the breath as you return to the starting position. Ideally you want the upward movement to take a count of 5, the breath-hold to be a count of 5 and the recoil to start to take about 10 counts. Again, internal meter and common sense are in play. Covert Surrender. This stretch releases the shoulders and upper back. Fold your arms in front of you (genie style) and slowly lift them upwards until, ideally, biceps are alongside your ears or even behind them. Back is long and abs are engaged. Brainteaser: try to repeat this with your arms folded in the opposite pattern. (i.e. if right hand was tucked under left bicep try to tuck the left hand under the right bicep.) This neuromuscular repatterning play can help expand your mind and improve your coordination. Happy travels! More on Travel
 
Michael Conniff: Con Games: How Conservatives Play the Race Card Top
In case you missed it, the latest attack tactic deployed by conservatives is to play the race card by saying that liberals and Democrats are playing the race card--racial jiu-jitsu far too lame to work anywhere but in the echo chamber of conservative self-love. The problem for the conservative conspirators: President Barack Obama is black, and that is very bad news for their tighty-whitey movement, because it makes him very difficult to defame in their best Kennedy-Clinton manner. By all appearances, he is also a righteous family man in his marriage, so there is no Monica Lewinsky or Mary Jo Kopechne to invoke for the moral outrage these raging amoralists so covet. So the co-conspirators have moved against Obama racially by acting in code. Keep in mind that 40 percent of the Republican party is in the South and that the successors to the old Southern Democrats are now all Republicans. (The Senator from the State of Segregation, AKA Strom Thurmond, had to literally leave the Democratic Party for that reason.) The only black Republicans you ever meet are on Fox News, and two out of three Latinos voted for Obama in 2008. All of that is not exactly an endorsement of conservatism from the people of color in the United States. When the punditocracy talks about conservatives "playing to their base" in the Obama Presidency, the racial card is always on the table. Why did Rush Limbaugh fall in love with "The Magic Negro," an essay about Obama? Because it allowed him to call Obama a negro for months and months, with all the denigration that term implies in the 21st Century. In fiction, in fact, the "magical negro" is a character who helps the white protagonist get out of trouble. Two incidents of a magical nature for conservatives transpired over the weekend just past: the meltdown by Serena Williams, who is black, at the U.S. Open, and the rude behavior by Kanye West, who is black, at the Video Music Awards. First understand how the co-conspirators play the racial game: by not mentioning it. These were two bad moments for two black people, but it is no coincidence that Sean Hannity's radio program and television show on Fox News paired them together Monday under the general heading of what's wrong with America -- and no coincidence that that incidents pitted two people of color against two women not of color. Nor is it a coincidence that Hannity had two blacks on a panel of three to discuss the incident on Fox News. See? Fox News is racially fair and balanced because Hannity and the other panelist are white. Kanye West, you'll remember, said George Bush hates white people after Katrina, an unfortunate outburst that Hannity put on the table on his radio program. But that little tidbit, though certainly relevant in the context of Conservative Racial Theory, was left out of the panel discussion, perhaps because it would have seemed...racist. In fact, Hannity and Dick Morris talked about race earlier on the television show by agreeing liberals say all criticism of Obama is now racist -- then Hannity did not even mention race in a context where it was clearly relevant. A pretty neat trick, stop to think. Hannity could not mention race in the Serena-Kanye segment because the part of the program was entirely about race. Not mentioning race was actually an act of racism. Remember too that Kanye West said a black singer, Beyonce, should have won the Video Music Awards instead of the young white woman who did. Two more things. It's no coincidence that both segregationist Strom, the Democrat turned Republican, and Congressman Joe "You're a liar" Wilson are both from South Carolina, in what remains the white heartland of the shrinking conservative base. And it's no surprise to look at the tens of thousands of protesters in Washington, D.C., over the weekend and see almost no white face. Ever since Barack Obama arrived on the scene, the race card has become magical for conservatives. More on Fox News
 
Gerald McEntee: Standing for Meaningful Health Reform Top
The Senate Finance Committee is getting ready to debate a health care bill that does not come close to meeting the needs of America's working families. Nor does it meet the standards President Obama laid out in his address last week to Congress. There is no employer mandate, no public option, no help for retirees. The bill imposes substantial costs on the states, weakens state insurance regulations and taxes health plans that provide benefits for many middle class families. This bill fails to provide good, affordable coverage and does not protect families from medical bankruptcy. It is unacceptable. Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA executive, calls the Finance Committee bill an " absolute gift " to the insurance industry. It requires families to purchase coverage but doesn't require the industry to provide coverage that is adequate and affordable. That's wrong and it's a political train wreck. Requiring families to get insurance they cannot afford or fining them thousands of dollars if they don't will create a huge political backlash. Everyone who believes in meaningful health care reform should call their Senator today, especially those who serve on the Finance Committee, to tell them that the bill being considered there must be fixed. It has been written to appease a small group of Republicans who will not vote for it. Democrats can do better and they must do better. Reforming health care is too important to do half way. The problems with the current U.S. health care system are linked to the overall problems with our economy. As our health care costs have increased, our economic bottom lines have plunged downward. That threatens the economic security of working families, strains state and federal budgets, and reduces the competitiveness of American businesses. Working families are paying more and getting less - while being forced to fight with insurance companies to get the care they need and get their bills paid. We know that President Obama gets the connection between our broken health care system and our failing economy. That is why he is so committed to achieving comprehensive health care reform this year. We share the President's passionate belief that no one in America should have to go without necessary health care. No one should be denied medicine or treatment because of insurance company whims or tricks . And no one should go bankrupt to pay for decent care. AFSCME is working to stabilize the system of employment-based health coverage and ensure that employers assume responsibility for contributing to the cost of coverage. We are fighting to keep a public plan option to inject competition into the system. That way working families will still be able to keep the coverage they have, but their costs will be lower because of the competition provided by an administratively-efficient public plan. We also support making needed reforms to the private health insurance markets to make sure that no one is denied coverage or charged more because of their health status or gender. As a case in point, the most expensive health coverage plan for state employees is in Nebraska, where premiums for family coverage run just under $25,000. It's no coincidence that the last time this plan was put out for a bid, only one insurer bid on it. In North Dakota, where Blue Cross/Blue Shield is the state's dominant health insurer, member premiums have skyrocketed. At the same time, insurance company executives have given themselves nearly $15 million in bonuses, regardless of their performance. In fact, as The Fargo Forum reported last week, their compensation incentive program "was rigged" to pay out even when their company suffered losses. That's an outrage. The bottom line for us is when there is little or no competition, our costs go up, and this is why we need a public plan option. Last week and today at the AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh, President Obama said that enough is enough. Enough of inadequate health care and high costs. Enough of the political games. Enough of the half measures and delay that keep America's families from getting what they need. The President made it clear that America can't wait for meaningful reform that lowers costs, improves quality, covers more and stops insurance company abuses. That's why AFSCME joins him in this fight. AFSCME members know that the health of our family budgets, our federal budget and our very economy depends on health care reform this year. And we also know that the President and Congress can't get it done without the leadership and support of labor. AFSCME has committed an unprecedented amount of resources and energy to this effort -- including ads, canvassing, phone calls, online activities and the deployment of dozens of campaign field organizers to key states. AFSCME is doing all we can to ensure that, as President Obama said, he will be the last president forced to make the case for health care reform. We're going to hold Congress accountable and take on the insurance industry.
 
Susan Harrow: Mothers That Measure Their Daughters Top
My mother is a measurer. And I am one to be measured. I do not like to be measured by my mother, or anyone else. Counting, keeping track, measuring, doling, these are things for cooking, not people, not love. And yet I am examined, scrutinized and commented upon. "I didn't have lines like those on my lips when I was your age," she says in the bright lights of her marble bathroom. "Well, you're not me, are you?" I wanted to say, but refrained, knowing that she thinks she is, and cannot separate us. But I can. I may be like my mother, but I am not her. I cannot become my mother because I am me. And yet I see the two little dimples in her nose, feel her cold hands, and know we are sisters, kin, joined by the sinews of our bean picking elders. I wonder what will come first, loving my mother better, or loving myself. Neither seems possible. Both appear as distant isles in a fog, far off, just visible, but retreating, retreating, the faster I try to paddle toward them. My mother asked me for pictures, the ones where I'm wearing a year of make-up and false eyelashes. The ones where I am dolled up into the illusory girl, the one without lines on her lips or saggy cheeks. The ones where my eyebrows are both neatly symmetrical. A girl she can call her daughter without an ounce of shame because in these pictures she looks thin, groomed and well-behaved. She looks like someone who could be called respectable. "It's all make-up and lights," I say when someone compliments these new photos. This is the version of me that my mother believes in, thinks that I will grow into, someday, soon, before she is too old to enjoy me. She says, "You always had such potential. We didn't have much hope for you. The teachers all said that you'd just get by, not to expect much. So we're happy you've turned out as well as you have -- though we still hope for better." "Don't stop trying," she says. "It's never too late." More on Yoga
 
Christopher Kelly Suicide: Police Say Key Blagojevich Aide Killed Himself Top
CHICAGO — A former fundraiser for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to commit suicide last Tuesday after pleading guilty to fraud charges, four days before he died of an apparent overdose, police said Tuesday. Christopher Kelly, 51, died Saturday morning, hours after his girlfriend found him slumped over the steering wheel of his Cadillac Escalade in a lumberyard parking lot in Country Club Hills, a city just south of Chicago. Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina Evans said Kelly had set up a sleeping bag inside a rented trailer at the lumberyard and set out photos of his children before taking a suspected overdose. She said an unopened box of rat poison was found in the trailer, and someone later turned in empty containers of Tylenol and aspirin that had been removed from the scene. She would not comment on what Kelly ingested until toxicology reports are returned. The Cook County medical examiner's office has said it could take three to six weeks to get the results of those tests to determine an exact cause of death. Evans said Kelly first tried to hurt himself last Tuesday evening, and left a note, but called friends and asked for help. She said he was taken to the hospital that night but did not go in after promising that he would get help for depression. He contacted girlfriend Clarissa Flores-Buhelos late Friday night to say he needed help. Kelly had raised millions for Blagojevich's campaigns and had emerged as a trusted adviser. But he became part of a federal investigation of corruption in the ousted governor's administration. He was to begin serving eight years in prison on Friday, Sept. 18 for two separate fraud cases. Kelly had been due to go on trial on corruption charges with Blagojevich, the impeached governor's brother and three other men on June 3. Kelly, a roofing contractor from Chicago's southern suburbs, had already pleaded guilty to $1.3 million in tax fraud and swindling two airlines in connection with $8.5 million in contracts for work on their hangars at O'Hare International Airport. A funeral Mass for Kelly was scheduled for Wednesday morning. Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, will attend, according to the former governor's publicist, Glenn Selig. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Cheronda Guyton: PHOTOS: Wells Fargo Exec's Malibu Party Home Top
You can say this for Cheronda Guyton , the recently fired Wells Fargo exec who foreclosed on - and then partied in - a Malibu home, he certainly has good taste. As you can see below, the $12 million beach side mansion is rather breath-taking. As the AP reported: "The previous homeowners, Lawrence and Linda Elins, turned over the 3,800-square-foot house to Wells Fargo in May. Their real estate agent said they were financially devastated by Bernard Madoff's fraud scheme and had to sign the property over to Wells Fargo to help pay a larger debt." Check out the PHOTOS, which are courtesy of Irene Dazzan-Palmer Of Coldwell banker (www.IreneDazzan-Palmer.com) Get HuffPost Business On Facebook and Twitter !
 
Can Condoms Fight Climate Change? Top
To heck with carbon dioxide. A new study performed by the London School of Economics suggests that, to fight climate change, governments should focus on another pollutant: us. As in babies. New people. More on Climate Change
 
Liz Black: Andy & Debb Don't Disappoint Top
Yet another season of amazingly tailored, absolutely wearable pieces from Andy & Debb. With Mad Men -esq high-waisted skirts and pants, topped off with ladylike curvilinear blouses and jackets played up the circular inspiration that ran throughout the entire collection. The icing on the elegant cake were the conical bouffants and bright lips that completed the refined visage. Andy & Debb, always the clever ones when working within a specific theme, had one dress that obviously showed the circle motif. The dotted dress is adorable, and will likely be on the top of every buyer's list. If you find yourself wandering NYC in circles in an attempt to secure your Andy & Debb merchandise, check out Beyond Seven at 263 Eleventh Ave in New York City. More on Mad Men
 
Frank Schaeffer: Remember What Civility Was? A Book to Remind Us Top
In a dream world where the shouting stopped, where of course Americans argued with each other, but where we all assumed that we were all in this together, that we all wanted a better America, that it was about building community and treating each other with decency and respect, what would our discourse sound like? I am happy to report that I can point to an example of what America could be about if sanity prevailed. People who have read my books about my life over the past 20 years know that I have a friend in left-wing Santa Monica, California, named Frank Gruber, a self-proclaimed old-fashioned "jobs, housing, education and the environment liberal." Back in the days before I left the Republican Party (or it left me), Frank and I used to argue a lot about politics, but it never became personal. We both knew that we wanted the best for each other, for our families, for our communities, for the country and for the world -- we only disagreed about how this might best come about. Ever since I knew him, starting around 1990, Frank was involved in local politics, which in Santa Monica -- sometimes called the Peoples Republic of Santa Monica -- is taken seriously. Frank likes to say that he went from citizen activist to public pariah in seven years. That was the time it took him to go from being a resident working on plans to redevelop Santa Monica's civic center, to being voted onto the Planning Commission, to being voted off the commission when he opposed the winning slate in a City Council election. But the end result was good, because after losing his seat on the commission, and just before the 2000 election, Frank started to write a weekly column for a new website that had been founded to cover local news in Santa Monica. The column was to be about local life and politics, and it was, but it grew into something much more. A collection of columns from the years 2000 to 2004 has now been published as a book, and it's that book, called Urban Worrier: Making Politics Personal . I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good read. It's a great example of a better way to communicate ideas than all the irrational screaming and yelling that passes for "debate" in America today. Urban Worrier is an extraordinary book about an ordinary life as lived in extraordinary times. How I wish voices like Gruber's were the voices of politics and argument we were hearing on cable TV! Excerpts taken out of context don't do the book justice, but here are a few. As I said, Frank is "of the Left," and he opposed the invasion of Iraq. But in February 2003, when the Santa Monica City Council passed a resolution opposing the war without knowing the meaning of text of the resolution, Frank went after the Left: A couple of weeks ago, a friend forwarded me a speech the playwright Tony Kushner gave at an anti-war rally. Much of the speech consisted of calling George W. Bush names and equating the possible war in Iraq with the aggressions of Hitler and Mussolini. Here's a sample quote: "Most people, when they hear 'This Fratboy Plutocrat Blood-Grizzled schmuck of an inarticulate Rancher from Crawford Texas' say WAR WAR WAR, have a better idea, an answer, and now, all over the world, people are making sure that Bush, even Bush, hears their idea. And their idea, OUR idea, our answer to his WAR WAR WAR is PEACE PEACE PEACE." What's the purpose of this kind of rhetoric? (And if I had a dollar for every useless "how stupid is Bush" joke I get by email I'd be rich enough to appreciate Bush's good points.) Frank's writing about this left-wing version of today's "tea parties" , "deathers" and "birthers" -- written while imploring liberals to get their act together so that they can win elections again -- almost feels like way back in 2003 he was wishing the presidency of Barack Obama into existence. But most of the book is not about national politics. It's about life in an American place, and works on several levels. One level is local politics and policy -- the kinds of issues and personalities that anyone who lives anywhere will relate to. Here is Frank writing about homelessness, which is a big issue in Santa Monica: I'm cynical, too, about the political rant from the Left. This is not about capitalism. As mean spirited as some business people are, they are not upset about poor people, they are upset about people who have diseases -- alcoholism, addiction, mental illness. Perhaps this is just as bad, or even worse, depending if you think there is a moral difference between poverty and illness, but class struggle has as much to do with it as it would with an outbreak of leprosy. I'm cynical about no-growthers and NIMBYs who whine about the crisis in affordable housing when over the years they have done their best to stop the building of apartments all over the Westside, including in Santa Monica. I'm even cynical about the homeless themselves and their apologists, or at least some of them who testified Tuesday night, who seem to think that being drunk excuses being disorderly. Mostly I'm cynical about all of us who don't like looking at the homeless but who won't face up to the price of making a dent in the problem. No one wants to pay the taxes necessary for a mental health system that might be able to deal with people deranged or sick enough to spend their lives dying in our streets. Instead we want to make sleeping on the street criminal without even providing enough beds for these potential criminals to "flop" in. If people were slowly dying in our streets of cancer, wouldn't we do something about it? Problems seem intractable because people try to solve them using means that conform to their own preconceptions, as grist for their conceptual mills. If everyone tried to look at intractable problems from different perspectives, perhaps these problems would not be intractable. Frank is a local, thinking person writing about his place in the world. Here is something that Frank wrote after 9/11 that I find eerily prophetic: We Americans have, in fact, already started fighting back: The passengers in the fourth jet, when they learned what was at stake, did not hesitate to join the terrorists in battle-and win. . . . I hope we are as smart as we are tough. I have a fantasy that the U.S. will obtain and show the Taliban convincing evidence that Osama bin Laden is guilty, and that the Taliban will give him up to our justice system. Think what a triumph it would be to show that we can give our sworn enemy a fair trial. I know that is a fantasy, and an unlikely one. We rightly characterize these atrocities as acts of war. We will not limit ourselves to judicial process. I accept that, but as I look out over the Pacific, trying to calm my emotions, I see peace for half the globe, notwithstanding that other "day of infamy" sixty years ago. In a vast sea that recently saw vast strife, ships, and planes carry trade and tourists and the hope of mutual understanding. But I also think of Vietnam, where we lost a war because we did not understand what the other side was fighting for. I recommend reading Frank's book, Urban Worrier: Making Politics Personal , because it shows what the world would be like if facts, compassion and common sense ruled. It's also a great read. Urban Worrier won't be reviewed by the Times , nor will it be a brick in some culture war barricade. But it's an example of what America could be all about if we could just scale back the hate and talk to each other. Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and the forthcoming Patience With God: Faith For People Who Don't Like Religion (Or Atheism) .
 
Will Rogers: Decades Later, Public Land Fund Still a Great Idea Top
Last month, my family and I spent part of our vacation in the Colorado Rockies, hiking on public lands that are collectively owned by all of us. Every time I get the chance to enjoy the places we all own together, I am thankful for a farsighted decision made almost a half-century ago by Congress. In 1964, Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to receive a portion of the money that was paid to the federal government by people and companies who drill for oil and gas on our federal lands. Congress said $900 million each year would go into the fund. The philosophy behind the fund is elegant and simple—when private companies profit from public lands, some of the money from those profits should be recycled into protecting more land for everyone to enjoy. Over the years, the fund has been used to protect millions of acres and many iconic places across America—national forests nationwide, redwood groves in California; beaches in New England, Florida, and along the Gulf Coast; Civil War battlefields; and additions to national parks such as Yellowstone and Valley Forge. This includes land in the Colorado Rockies where my family and many others like to hike. LWCF is a great idea with only one problem: Congress needs to appropriate that $900 million every year, and most years only a small fraction of that amount has been spent from the LWCF pot. This means lost opportunities for permanent protection of important landscapes. All of us have seen lands we care about covered with shopping centers and housing developments. As a former developer myself, I’m not against growth, but there are special places we all love that should be kept open and wild and not be developed. The LWCF is a critical tool to help communities seeking a balance between development and preservation, and we should be using the entire fund to protect those places. The good news is that this week Congress is considering legislation to fully fund LWCF so that every year the authorized $900 million would be spent to buy lands for our future. A coalition of organizations has detailed recommendations to preserve and strengthen this funding source. There are many competing priorities in the federal budget. But finally realizing the goal set by Congress nearly 50 years ago is a small, but important, step toward making sure that generations to come will have the chance to hike in unspoiled wild places, to connect with nature and each other, and to enjoy the wonderful American heritage of public lands that is the envy of the world. More on Barack Obama
 
Steve Ross: That Downturn Chic Top
"I don't usually shoot homeless people," Scott Schumann said. It was just that the man's jeans-shorts-over-sweat-pants look, his pale blue boots with matching socks, gloves and glasses, suggested that he had not lost his need to "communicate and express himself through style." Designers as unalike as Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and even Marc Jacobs have spoken admiringly of the improvisatory and, naturally, desperate way some people without a permanent place to live compose themselves....Erin Wasson, a model turned designer, seconded Mr. Dufty's view that the professionals could take some tips from the homeless. "The people with the best style for me are the people that are the poorest," Ms. Wasson said. -- New York Times Style Section, 9-12-09 Judging by last week's Fashion Expo, this fall's downturn-inspired clothing will be even bolder and brassier than last year's extravagant offerings, bringing to mind the creativity of the Reagan era, when Vagrant Chic had its feisty, post-Depression Era zenith. The Armory was filled to capacity with buyers, designers, and reporters giddy to glimpse the new collections of this, our inimitable American look, and to sample the free buffet. In keeping with the theme of this season's Expo -- "Donations: Past and Present" -- the audience of fashionistas and former financiers paid tribute to this year's movers and shakers in Downturn Fashion. Anna Wintour, her sunglasses dangling a Duane Reade price tag, welcomed Ben Bernanke, who brandished a bandolier of bailout funds strewn in an X across his hirsute chest. Richard Fuld, former CEO of Lehman Brothers, sported a tattered Mets cap in a nod to a team whose collapse was as dramatic as Lehman's one year earlier. Vera Wang, sitting beside the jowly Greenspan, was given an Outstanding Achievement Tin Cup for her new line of low-priced fashion designed for Kohl's -- featuring her smart and sassy use of fake furs, teased to shed, as the centerpiece of her "waif wear" line -- and spoke affectionately of polyester as "the new silk." Other luminaries included Ben Stein, displaying such a dour demeanor -- and mumbling about lowering profit outlooks and hemlines in tandem -- that rumors abounded that he'd had one too many Madoffs, the drink du jour in the Hamptons whose giddily intoxicating first flush eventually gives way to a debilitating hangover that is said to last for months. Jim Cramer leapt to his feet, blowing whistles and clanging bells (thus discomfiting Ben Stein) at the clunk on the runway of every approaching pair of clogs or Converse. Nina Garcia seemed exasperated by the erratic behavior of her neighbor, Paula Abdul, who repeatedly tried to climb over Nina into the lap of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; apparently Paula had overheard while eating pigs-in-a-blanket that Geithner is responsible for dispensing $700 billion in bailout funds. But while such distractions "begged" for our attention, it was the designs the attendees were most "hungry" for, and their appetites were well sated. Elie Tahari opened with a line that showed how digging out those old leggings, worn with last season's tunics, can bring down the house with the restrained use of rips, runs, and stains. "The idea is not to imitate but to emulate," he said. "You want to copy the way an urban bedouin dresses and adopt some of his comfort and élan, but not surpass him with your version of indigence." Tahari also showed a "rich" assortment of downturn jewelry: big hoop pipe-cleaner earrings, bandage rings, pop-top chain bracelets, and necklaces of yarn, string, and electric wire. "Of course a strand or two of chewed gumwads dipping into the neckline then casually peeking through a frayed rip makes a dynamite fashion statement." In keeping with the flouncy, flophouse sensuality of Paulina Straits' best designs, her new line shows even more flesh than ever. The audience oohed and awed over her newest look: a trim, somewhat open blouse (shown here pinned just above the navel) to reveal a bit of stained white undershirt beneath. Her line emphasized low waistlines showing more than a flirtatious glimpse of undergarment waistbands. Otherwise Straits' trademark oversized clothes -- especially her enormous, tattered slacks, sans belt loops, requiring the wearer to hold up the garment -- contained few surprises. Above: Charlie Chaplin created a fashion stir with his tramp outfit. Then, as now, dressing was part of a mystique, the aura of impeccable impoverishment. The cane today remains a bold and useful accessory, and as Tim Geithner quipped, "something to lean on if your 401K has disappeared." Left: "Joe", a vagrant whose calculated indigence is a match for his bristling, surly manner, has his own ideas about vagrant fashions. "Git outta my face," he says with a wave of his arm, revealing French cuffs fastened with adhesive tape. And he sports a matching adhesive pinky ring. (Polyethylene plastic vest, $3.29 [box of 20], by GLAD, at Shop-Rite. Knife, $18.95 [sheath is extra], at Bob's Thrift Shop) An added bonus at this season's Expo was the accessorizing workshops held by some of the designers after the runway show. This reporter peeked in on a number of these and came away with more than "spare change" worth of tips: MAKEUP should be well-planned and carefully applied to create those all important "wish I had a mirror" smears and smudges. For those with more of a flair for the dramatic, the bad news is that the "festering sore" still makes too bold a statement for everyday wear on or off the avenue, but a blood-red vertical line from eyebrow to cheekbone can be a successful attention-grabber without detracting from a strong ensemble. Teeth-blackening, though effective, should be used sparingly. STAINS are marvelous for reinforcing an air of casual, unselfconscious destitution. They, too, must be carefully thought out and applied. Stains can be boldly colorful, as with mayonnaise, mustard, grass or blood, or uniquely textured, as with mud, chewed luncheon meat, or excrement. But placement is all! A slap-dash application can tumble a refined dishabille down to déclassé. ACCESSORIES are convenient and, as the fashion-forward philosophers might say, utilitarian. Paper coffee cups lend that "Buddy-can-you-spare-a-dime" air and conveniently double as a clutch or purse. Plastic shopping bags remain de rigeur --they should be doubled if possible and well stuffed: with this season's roomy bags and the increasing trend toward scrimping and saving, there's no reason to leave your essentials, or your resume, behind. Right: An open trouser fly deftly enhances the aura of je n'ai rien. Mittens, $3.95/pair, by Gold Toe, at The Sock Shop. Wine, $3.99/pint, at Frank's Beverages. More on Fashion Week
 
Judy Licht: InTents: New Kids on the Block Top
And a little child shall lead them. In the religion that is fashion, one of the seven stations of the cross plays out on the runways of New York City's Bryant Park. And each season there is a new little child/wunderkind who catches the imagination and proclaimed by the disciples/editors as the new one to follow. This season there are two. One is a young Nepalese-American named Prabal Gurang. Another is Joseph Altazurro, a young Chinese-French-American. Both of them offered sophomore collections of sophisticated, ladylike clothes that wowed the women-in-black (the editors) who decide these things. How they will do with retailers is a whole other matter. But the editors, and this blogger, loved them. Last year's wunderkind, Jason Wu, was catapulted out of the stratopshere thanks to the patronage of Michelle Obama and her hometown Chicago's fashion guru Ikram Goldman. Remember the inaugural ballgown? Back a few years before that it was the Thai-American Thakoon Panichgal, another Obama favorite. And before that it was Alexander Wang, the darling of downtown. And Philip Lim"s creations are to be found in every fashionista's closet. Derek Lam, a personal favorite, has actually become the establishment. Aside from his own line, he is the designer for Tod's. Just as in 60's music there was the English Invasion, for new millennium fashion there is the Asian Invasion. Asian-Americans are the cool kids, a new tribe of fashion titans who are following on the heels of Oscar and Donna, Ralph and Calvin. Although, thanks to the new and frighteningly fast cycles and iffy financing in the current retailing world, it's hard to say whether any of these newbies will ever have the staying power of their predecessors. But they're the ones the the young fashionistas will flock to and the fast fashion stores will knock off. How many of them will stay hot in this A.D.D. addled world is hard to predict. I find it somewhat ironic that former coolest kid, now all grown up, Marc Jacobs' latest show had a distinctly Asian vibe. Naturally, these aren't the only young designers who have caught the attention of the Fashion Flock. Chris Benz has a strong sense of color and line that is exciting. Maria Cornejo is a young Chilean with all the right stuff who is also creating some buzz. And when it comes to downtown cred, Rag and Bone and Band of Outsiders have both developed a devoted following. And there are others, more commercial, who are also making waves. Nanette LePore, Tory Burch, Tibi, and Milly are young firms growing like wildflowers here in the fashion jungle. But more than any other time in recent memory, there seems to be a changing of the guard. Maybe because in this economy, only the young are brave enough to jump in. Or perhaps it's the arrival of the new millennium in the fashion world ... ten years later. But for those of us with our ears to the ground and our hangers held high, there really is a seismic shift. Like the song says, "Something's happenin' here, what it is ain't exactly clear." More on Fashion Week
 
Stacie Nevadomski Berdan: No More Cuts! Keep Foreign Languages in Schools Top
Global is everywhere today. You can hardly turn on the news or read an op-ed without hearing how our world is growing more crowded and interconnected. Yet I was dismayed to read a troubling piece in Sunday's New York Times about foreign language suffering cuts yet again in elementary schools around the country this fall. In this day and age, American students need second language skills to keep pace with globalization and the competition rising from the super economies of China, India, Brazil, Mexico and Russia. Take, for example, the streams of recent American college graduates who could not land a job in the U.S. and so, in order to escape hard times at home, headed to China to find work . Graduates with some Mandarin skills will fare better than those without; most likely all will learn while they are there. If and when these students return to the U.S., future employers will appreciate their ability to work cross-culturally, to understand aspects of Chinese business and language, and will -- if history is any indicator -- reward them with faster promotions and greater responsibility . Companies understand the value of global education. In the global financial crisis, Americans learned that -- for the first time -- the so-called developing world surged past the developed world in its share of global productivity; Americans are learning that we can no longer afford to ignore China, Russia, India or Brazil. When today's kids grow up, they are as likely to be competing for jobs in and with people from Beijing or Brasilia or Bangalore as from Boston or Baton Rouge. In our ever-shrinking world, global experience will continue to move from "nice" to "must-have" for career success. At stake is nothing less than our ability to compete successfully in the raw global arena, and one of the deciding factors will be American professionals' ability to speak strategic foreign languages. However, because studies show that language learning comes more easily to those whose brains are still in the development phase -- up until roughly 12 or 13 years of age -- when we cut language programs from elementary schools, we are inhibiting bilingualism in future adults. We comfort ourselves with the unrealistic expectation that students will learn in high school or college. But that is unlikely to happen due to the increased difficulty in language learning as we get older. Arguably, bold and innovative new methods of teaching foreign language are needed now more than ever - and instituted in schools as early as kindergarten. Moreover, cultural knowledge and understanding (gestures, choice of vocabulary) need to be married to actual language acquisition in a systematic way. Having native speakers with different world views as teachers allows children to acquire their language skills accompanied by enhanced levels of cultural, political and historical context. School districts need help in rising to this new challenge. Yet despite the need, our foreign language skills have decreased precipitously. Perhaps this is because the time commitments required to achieve and retain a high level of skill, weighed against expected use and the widespread perception that foreign language skills are not really necessary -- do not favor language learning in school. Until this situation changes, it will be very difficult to radically alter our foreign language education system. The United States must act boldly, and all sectors of society must participate lest we lose our competitive edge in the international marketplace. While multi-million dollar government grants continue to be issued to school districts interested in pursuing language curriculum, the current economic crisis does not bode well for growing these programs nor enabling schools to stretch beyond their basic needs. Businesses must continue to embrace international operations through expansion and operations abroad, but simultaneously through language and cultural acquisition. Universities and colleges must emphasize internationalism, including playing a leadership role in achieving language proficiency - which begins before students arrive on campus. The stakes for our children are high, and rising. Americans must fight for the need to keep foreign language in the budget as a critical component to our children's success. Knowledge of and appreciation for another language and culture will help our children grow up ready for a complex and multi-cultural global economy. If we are to continue to prosper as a country, our children must become global citizens: open-minded, bilingual kids ready to see global interconnectedness as both opportunity and welcome challenge. Learning a second language is an integral part of this cross-cultural sophistication.
 
Venkat Srinivasan: The Exchange, Beyond the Numbers Top
Near the intersection of Exchange Place and Broad Street in New York City's financial district, three distinct smells pervade the air: cigarette smoke, pretzels, and construction dust. A young man dressed formally carries a yellow placard through the tourist crowd urging, "Believe in the Lord Jesus." The steps of the neighboring Federal Hall National Memorial Building serve as the passing travelers' lunch table, photo backdrop and temporary office desk. From there on, September 15, 2008, unfolds a little differently. Lehman Brothers had just filed for bankruptcy; Merrill Lynch had just been bought by Bank of America. Television crews are the only windows into the crisis surrounding the tourist and the citizen. Nobody understands it all. Somebody needs to be blamed. Everybody seems to know it needs to be documented. Tourist traffic marches past the scene unabated: One group obediently follows its guide, who shuffles past the crowds, using his raised blue umbrella like a lantern for his herd. It isn't the first time that stocks bounce randomly. Nor is it the first time that tourists parade outside, a little perplexed. But it is one of those rare moments at the beginning of a long and painful recession, when everybody seems to stop playing the confidence game, and the tickers, crowds, analysts, and media crews grope in the dark in unison. "Nobody expected it," says Radhika Thirumalai with an incredulous smile. She lost her job the day before at an asset management reporting firm with close ties to Lehman Brothers. Standing outside the Exchange, she appears cheerful; a red jacket protects her from the breeze as her hair flies across her face. "Life goes on," she muses. "I wanted to start my own consultancy anyway." This is her first free weekday during her four years in New York, and her first trip to the Stock Exchange, the home of some of those assets she helped manage. The Exchange stands behind black metal barricades and security posts; three New York Police Department vans with four police officers and a sniffer-dog keep watch from a distance. "We've been doing this every day after 9/11," says one officer. "Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 p.m." A gigantic American flag, installed after 9/11, covers the six Corinthian columns on the Exchange's façade. Shock and awe manifests itself in small measure here. "Things were a little anxious before the opening bell, but it's a normal day inside now," a floor trader had remarked earlier. The market lost 410 points the previous day. It bounced back today by 113. By the end of that historic week, it will have regained all losses. The 113, everyone seemed to silently believe, was cause for short-term cheer and long-term anxiety. "There's never a dull day," explains Annmarie Gioia, a media representative for the Stock Exchange, escorting a group of media photographers inside. The group isn't pleased with its vantage point. "It's the second floor gallery, and all you get is a sea of heads," laments one photographer. "Unless someone looks up." A weary trader plops onto his chair as the closing bell rings in the end of the trading day. He rests his elbow on a table and props his head in his hands. There's sudden activity in the gallery, as photographers turn their cameras toward him with a volley of clicks. The trader closes his eyes, visibly tired. More clicks. The caption, it would seem, had preceded the frame. More on Financial Crisis
 
Kathy Plesser, MD: Video: Conserving the Breast in the Removal of Cancer Top
The aim of surgery is to remove all of the cancer in the breast. The initial pioneering operation was a quadrantectomy. This proved to be very successful but was a deforming operation. Excellent cosmetic results are now expected with lumpectomy which is a more modest procedure, performed with meticulous technique with the goal of achieving cancer free margins. When followed by radiation therapy, the risk of recurrence in the breast is low. Interviewee: Freya Schnabel, MD  Director of Breast Surgery Professor & Breast Surgeon NYU Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center This post was originally posted on BeetMedicine.TV by the site's medical director Peter Pressman, MD.
 
Annie Le Suspect: "Person Of Interest" Identified In Yale Murder Top
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Police have identified a "person of interest" in the killing of a Yale University graduate student whose body was hidden for days in a wall in a university research building, a Connecticut state official said Tuesday. The official has firsthand knowledge of the police investigation into the death of 24-year-old Annie Le and would not elaborate on what was meant by "person of interest." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. A spokesman for New Haven police, who have been extraordinarily tight-lipped during the investigation, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Police said earlier Tuesday that they had questioned 150 people in connection with the death of Le, who vanished Sept. 8 from a Yale research building. Her body was found Sunday, on what would have been her wedding day, stuffed behind a wall in a basement laboratory. They said they did not expect to make an arrest Tuesday. State prosecutors also blocked the release of autopsy results in Le's death on Tuesday. The chief state medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide Monday but have yet to say the manner in which Le died. State's Attorney Michael Dearington did not return a call seeking comment on why his office requested that the autopsy results be delayed. Authorities were keeping watch on some of Le's co-workers and have descended in large numbers this week on the home of a Yale animal research technician who lives in the Wharfside Commons apartment complex in Middletown. An official parked outside the complex, about 20 miles away near Hartford, wouldn't confirm whether police were there to investigate the Le killing, but public records show the technician lives in a first-floor apartment. A man answering the door Tuesday said the technician wasn't at home and closed the door. Neighbors said authorities in unmarked cars arrived Monday afternoon and frequently follow and pull over drivers in the complex. New Haven police would not comment on the efforts there. Police are analyzing what they call "a large amount" of physical evidence but have not gone into detail. At a meeting of medical school students and teachers Monday, Yale president Richard Levin said police have narrowed the number of potential suspects to a very small pool because building security systems recorded who entered the building and what times they entered, the Yale Daily News reported Tuesday. The appropriate people are being monitored, he said. Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said he couldn't confirm the report. The killing took place in a heavily secured building accessible only to students and university employees. It was the first killing at Yale in a decade. Hundreds of students attended a Monday night prayer vigil where Le's roommate, Natalie Powers, recalled her friend as tenacious, caring and "tougher than you'd think by just looking at her." "That this horrible tragedy happened at all is incomprehensible," she said. "That it happened to her, I think is infinitely more so. It seems completely senseless." Police found Le's body about 5 p.m. Sunday, the day she was to marry Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky, lovingly referred to on her Facebook page as "my best friend." The couple met as undergraduates at the University of Rochester and were eagerly awaiting their planned wedding on Long Island. Police have said Widawsky is not a suspect and has helped detectives in their investigation. Le was part of a research team headed by her faculty adviser, Anton Bennett. According to its Web site, the Bennett Laboratory was involved in enzyme research that could have implications in cancer, diabetes and muscular dystrophy. Bennett declined to comment Monday on the lab or Le's involvement with it. The Yale building where Le's body was found is part of the university medical school complex about a mile from Yale's main campus. It is accessible to Yale personnel with identification cards. Some 75 video surveillance cameras monitor all doorways. Her body was found in the basement in the wall chase – a deep recess where utilities and cables run between floors. The basement houses rodents, mostly mice, used for scientific testing by multiple Yale researchers, Alpern said. The death is the first killing at Yale since the unsolved December 1998 death of student Suzanne Jovin. The popular 21-year-old senior was stabbed 17 times in New Haven's East Rock neighborhood, about 2 miles from campus. ___ Haigh reported from Hartford, Conn. Associated Press writers Dave Collins and Pat Eaton-Robb in New Haven, Conn.; Frank Eltman in Huntington, N.Y.; Juliet Williams in Placerville, Calif.; and AP news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York also contributed to this report.
 
Miles J. Zaremski: Health Care: Is it a Right or . . . Is It a Commodity? Top
Being engaged in the health care debate ever since I first began writing that health care should be a right in the summer of 2008 leaves me to wonder whether there is anything left to be said that all others have not already spoken or written about, either because it is true based on fact and reality, or untrue, based on made-up stuff, like, you know, death panels and killing off grandmas. The other evening my wife, Elena, and I dined with our colleagues and friends, noted Chicago-area cardiologist, Alan Kogan, and his wife, Robin. We were engaged in a variety of topics, but we settled in on, what else, health care reform. I mentioned health care as a right for every single American, and he said that it is either a right, or a commodity, that can be bought, sold, and bartered, like any other service or good. If an American can afford health care, all well and good; if a citizen cannot access or afford health care services with health care insurance, tough luck (this is my description). The more I thought about this, I more I thought this should be not only the beginning of any discussion on health care reform, but also the end point. The doctor friend also equated our need for water to sustain us to health care that keeps us healthy. We pay for water through various governmental and municipal sources, so why not the same for health care? Good questions, indeed. If we all recall, our system of health care was based for so long on the fee -for-service model -- if you wanted treatment, you pay what the doctor charged. That grew too expensive, so our system morphed into managed care products and services. This new system worked like a charm -- for managed care companies. After all, look at the millions (billions?) of dollars these companies and their executives have made since they were first created close to 20 years ago. The cost of health care services and insurance coverage for those services continue to skyrocket. So, too, this system of care interferes with the doctor-patient relationship every day of the year. Just ask your doctor. Politicians who oppose President Obama's current plan say that by the government imposing a public plan (or whatever you want to call it that keeps in check insurance company costs, provides for stiff competition and allows another alternative (option) for consumers who seek health care insurance) the insurance industry will be gone as we know it in a blink of an eye. Juxtaposed to this is that leaders of the opposition are now also saying that they stand shoulder to shoulder with the President when he calls out for insurance regulation in the form of, for example, no caps on coverage; limits on out of pocket expenses; and making it illegal to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, or rescinding that coverage absent provable fraud after care and treatment has already been rendered. But not for any such public option. But, and this is important for everyone reading this post, all these new regulations will mean increased exposures to the insurance industry; increased exposures mean more expenses and payouts for claims, and less revenues that will go to the bottom line. Without an effective check on insurers with a public plan (again, or whatever you want to call such a mechanism), insurers will be free to raise premium costs to recoup the loss of revenues that these additional exposures will cause . We all will be back at ground zero, so to speak, if regulations without stiff competition come about. If we all think there are catastrophic problems with health care now, heaven help us if we have regulations without real and effective competition with insurers. Mr. President, are you listening? But if we want the status quo (and it seems that Republicans are for this despite the words their representatives mouth), then we will continue to treat health care as a commodity, as Dr. Kogan mentioned to me at the dinner table. I prefer to say that health care remains a right for all of us. This is the moral imperative of which Obama spoke when he addressed a joint session of Congress. This is a right that Teddy Kennedy said we all had when he spoke at the 2008 Democratic convention; this is what Obama articulated when he debated McCain on the campaign trail a year ago in Nashville; and even I scribed such words a year ago July. If it is not a right, then why do all industrialized nations besides out country treat health care this way, do not allow their countrypersons to fall into debt and go bankrupt over medical bills, and do not allow them to perish from illness or disease because they cannot afford to pay the charges for necessary care and treatment? Is it that our Republican leaders are intellectually challenged when they oppose President Obama without fact or foundation, or can it be that they just plain don't care whether Americans with serious medical conditions live or die because they can't afford or access our present system? It sure seems like the latter given all their recent rhetoric! In the end, there must be effective competition together with the insurance regulations such as those being proposed by the President. One other item that should be considered since everything is presently in a state of flux: eliminating the antitrust exemption for the insurance industry . Remember that the opposite of true competition is . . . monopolization (which antitrust laws are intended to protect against). At the moment, insurers don't have a care in the world about this item. It is high time that they should. With all my talk about health being a right, Dr Kogan, I think you were really onto something the other evening when you planted the notion in me that opponents of reform think health care is only a commodity.
 
The Hollywood Ham: Footage Cut From "Leno" Premiere Shows Host Repeatedly Reminding Kanye of Dead Mother Top
Footage cut from the premiere of The Jay Leno Show unveiled a rougher side to the talk show host, as he hectored guest Kanye West, repeatedly referencing his dead mother. Members in the audience witnessed a scene far different than what was broadcast. As the show's producer cut from a distraught West to commercial break, Leno reportedly halted the crew and yelled to his cameraman, "Don't touch a thing, Gerald! I want America to see this. Get in here. Get in here tight." When realizing his command was too late and a commercial was running, Leno did not relent, informing the crew and the audience that he wanted to film Kanye's breakdown for his "personal collection." Witnesses say that when Leno saw West near tears, a devious smile appeared on his face as he took it up a notch and repeated the phrase, "Your mother is dead," occasionally adding, "And if she hadn't died a tragic death a couple of years ago, your actions would've sent her to the grave." For good measure, the veteran late night host also reminded the rapper that his mother was the one person in this world who would ever love him unconditionally. He then repeated the word "ever" until his point was made and West was bawling in front of the studio audience. Afterward, Leno was furious to hear that the footage would never see the light of day. "I really hoped America would see the a new side of me," Leno told reporters. "Without it, my new show was just as lame as my old show, which only made funny people cry." Next week, Leno is set to welcome the last living Kennedy, and plans to ask questions such as, "So your entire family is dead. You entire family. What's that like?" -Dan Abramson, thehollywoodham.com -Follow The Hollywood Ham on Facebook More on Jay Leno
 
Andy Kroll: Obama vs. the Lobbyists: A Scorecard for the Future of American Politics Top
Cross-posted with tomdispatch.com . At the end of this summer of discontent, of death panels and unplugging poor Grandma, of birthers and astroturfers and rifle-toting picketers, the halcyon early days of the Obama administration feel increasingly like hazy, gilt-edged memories. The president's sprawling legislative agenda -- a health-care overhaul, financial regulation reform, slashing wasteful military spending, and climate change legislation legislation -- is slowly grinding its way through the halls of Congress. Barack Obama's sheen, his administration's unflagging confidence, and all the bipartisan, post-racial aspirations have been replaced by the hard realities of Washington politicking. And with the media's lens more tightly focused than ever on Washington's every move and utterance 24/7, anything said a few months back feels like a lifetime ago. One particular statement from distant April, however, bears revisiting. The president's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, then grasped not only the magnitude of what was being undertaken, but the raft of entrenched interests lining up in opposition. As he told the New York Times : "We're not taking on a fight; we're taking on a multiple-front fight because we've taken on a series of entrenched interests across the waterfront -- from education to health care, and the defense industry, and the lobbying industry as a whole... There will be a scorecard at the end of which ones we won and which ones we didn't, but every one of those policy challenges have been initiated by us." Never short on chutzpah , Emanuel made it clear: it was Us vs. Them in a "multiple-front fight." A "scorecard at the end" would determine winners and losers. As a candidate on the campaign trail, Obama himself regularly decried the undue influence of moneyed interests and lobbyists. Announcing his candidacy on February 10, 2007, for instance, he declared it "time to turn the page" on the "cynics, and the lobbyists, and the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play." And on January 21, 2009, the very day he came into office, Obama issued one of his first executive orders aiming to limit the influence of lobbyists in the new administration. He planned to "close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely, and lets them use their time in public service as a way to promote their own interests over the interests of the American people when they leave." The new White House stood confident in those early months that it could take on "K Street" -- a street in the capital notorious for the density of its lobbying firms as well as Washington shorthand for their growing ranks. Tallied up today, however, the administration's seven-month scorecard tells a different story. Just as sweeping as the administration's packed domestic agenda has been the sheer force with which the lobbying industry and its clients have fought back, blocking, maligning, or undermining its progress. In a Washington version of Newton's third law , the president's actions and those of his allies in Congress have elicited an equal and opposite reaction from opponents -- inside the Beltway and beyond it. Spending eye-popping sums of money, deploying armies of lobbyists, dispatching grassroots foot soldiers as agents of disruption, the special interests have fought fiercely to derail the White House reform agenda. It's now apparent that Obama and his advisers, including Rahm Emanuel, underestimated their strength. Even if Congress were to move in all four areas targeted for reform, the concessions already made, the softening of prospective regulations and restrictions, would likely signal a series of genuine victories for those special interests. What does it mean when an intelligent, ambitious, and well-liked president, who broke through one of the nation's most glaring racial barriers and enjoys majorities in both houses of Congress, can't overcome the deeply rooted interests that now seem thoroughly embedded in the American political system? A look at the unprecedented opposition to Obama's plans reveals why Rahm Emanuel might want to pocket that scorecard. An Opposition That Knows No Limit The sheer presence of lobbyists cannot be underestimated. Case in point: the legislative battle over health-care reform. As of mid-August, there were six lobbyists trying to influence health-care legislation for every single member of the House or Senate, Bloomberg News reported . That's 3,300 lobbyists working on a single issue (three times the number of defense lobbyists) with nearly three new lobbyists joining the fray each day. So far this year, $263 million (or more than one million dollars a day) has been shelled out just for lobbying health-related issues, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Industry players have waged war to sway public opinion, spending $75 million on TV ads. Lawmakers up for election in 2010 have already seen $23 million flow into their nascent campaign coffers. And the biggest spenders in health-care lobbying aren't doling out their largesse to just anyone. Take Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, leader of the bipartisan "Gang of Six" spearheading the Finance Committee's health-care negotiations, and architect of that committee's much anticipated health-care legislation. He's also one of the top five recipients of health industry-related money in Congress, pocketing $2.9 million in his career. For his 2008 reelection campaign, the unassuming Baucus took in $1.2 million from health industries, $690,050 of which came from health-related political action committees, the most for any Washington politician. Not that the six-term senator needed it: He steamrolled his opponent, an 85-year-old serial also-ran who'd lost 14 elections in 44 years and campaigned on a platform to turn the U.S. into a parliamentary system, by 48 percentage points. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican member of the Finance Committee, not surprisingly ranks among the top recipients of health-related money as well. He's received $2.1 million from health industry players. And yet another Senate Finance Committee member and Gang of Sixer, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), has likewise enjoyed a steady flow of donations to his political action committee from lobbyists working for the pharmaceutical and health-insurance industries. Loosening up lawmakers with lobbying and campaign donations is one way in the door; having worked for them doesn't hurt, either. According to the Sunlight Foundation, five former Baucus staffers -- two of whom are former chiefs of staff -- now lobby or work for major players in the health-care debate, including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (which outright opposes the House's promising health-care legislation that includes a public option) and drug makers Wyeth, Merck, and AstraZeneca. Similarly, all but one of the Finance Committee's 10 Republican members have ties to former staffers now lobbying for health-care-related companies and organizations. Perhaps, then, it's not so surprising to learn that none of the Big 3 -- Baucus, Grassley, or Conrad -- backs a true public option in health-care legislation, arguably the only way to keep insurers honest, ensure competition, and lower costs. Before the August recess, Democrats had hoped Grassley might come on board with health-care legislation, giving the Obama administration the bipartisan imprimatur it sought. Grassley had other ideas, and spent his recess propagating the myth that the House was trying to "pull the plug on Grandma." He was even more forthright in a fundraising letter , declaring, "I am and always have been opposed to the Obama Administration's plans to nationalize health care. Period." Baucus and Conrad, meanwhile, back a non-profit co-op model , a pseudo-public option that, while successful in a handful of settings nationwide, would, most experts believe, likely fail dismally in any competition with heavyweight private health insurers. Indeed, an early outline of Baucus's long-awaited legislation lists Elizabeth Fowler, the senator's chief health aide, as the apparent author; Fowler, it turns out, formerly worked as an executive for Wellpoint, a big-time health insurer that -- you guessed it -- opposes a true public option. Nor has the White House withstood the pressure of the deep-pocketed health industries. Before the August Congressional recess, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius broke new ground, declaring that a public option was "not the essential element" of a health-care overhaul. By then, the Obama administration had already made its "secret," backroom deal with top drug company representatives. In exchange for early support for its reform agenda, the White House agreed to limit how much (via drug price negotiations and industry rebates) Big Pharma would have to decrease the cost of its products, now borne by taxpayers, to $80 billion over 10 years. The deal was a coup -- for the drug makers. After all, the total sales of the top five U.S. pharmaceutical companies alone totaled almost $660 billion in the past half decade, more than eight times the agreed upon cost savings. Health care may be the most striking example of what's been going on in Obama-era Washington, but this sort of lobbying onslaught actually extends to Obama's whole agenda. Almost 2,400 lobbyists are, for instance, working on financial industry-related issues like the White House's proposed financial-regulation and consumer-protection reforms . Influential players, among them the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, have already spent a staggering $222 million on lobbying in just the first half of 2009. The Chamber of Commerce, in particular, ranks first this year in finance-related lobbying (total spending: $26.2 million; total number of lobbyists employed: 167). A senior director for the Chamber of Commerce, which vehemently opposes a White House-proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would consolidate authority over credit cards, mortgages, loans, and other consumer products into one centralized regulator, pulled no punches in a comment offered to Reuters : "We are working to kill the bill." In fact, Wall Street's lobbying battle against increased financial regulation has been so powerful and smothering that, one year after the financial crisis began, plenty of experts already foresee future crises like the one in our not-so-distant past. Of the mega banks on Wall Street, MIT professor and former International Monetary Fund chief economist Simon Johnson says , "They will run up big risks, they will fail again, they will hit us for a big check." On the Waxman-Markey climate bill, the first in U.S. history to tackle global warming, opponents have thrown everything but the classic kitchen sink at lawmakers to persuade them to drop their support. One of the heaviest hitters, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy (ACCCE), an umbrella advocacy group representing mining, coal, manufacturers, and other energy interests, has spent nearly $12 million since 2008 lobbying against climate change efforts. But the 2,800 lobbyists weighing in on the Waxman-Markey bill in Washington -- more than 75% representing industry interests -- are only the tip of a rapidly melting iceberg. The American Energy Alliance , headed by oil lobbyist Thomas Pyle , has hit the road with its "American Energy Express" bus tour visiting county fairs, horse shows, and baseball games in coal-friendly Midwestern and Appalachian states, claiming that Waxman-Markey is actually a national energy tax that would eliminate jobs. The ACCCE has also hired a firm specializing in astroturfing -- that is, in creating or funding phony grassroots organizations or networks -- to put together "America's Power Army," a 225,000-strong volunteer network to spread misinformation at the town-hall meetings of congressional representatives and other forums. The anti-Waxman-Markey warfare reached a new low when one sleazy D.C. lobbying firm, showing the lengths to which opponents will go, fabricated letters opposing the bill and sent them to members of Congress. A Congressional investigation found that Bonner and Associates, a specialist in grassroots/astroturf campaigns working for ACCCE,
 
John Atlas: We Need to Support Obama in Overhauling the Financial Industry, Before it's Too Late Top
New York -- Yesterday as I entered Federal Hall in the heart of Wall Street to hear President Barack Obama's speech, a huge crowd gathered outside the building hoping for a glimpse of President Obama. Inside the hall I sat down with 150 Wall Street executives, government officials, including Tim Geithner and Mayor Bloomberg and a few citizen activists, to hear his speech. The activists included Phyllis Salowe-Kaye from New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) and other members of Americans for Financial Reform (AFR). We were hoping to hear a tough speech warning Wall Street to mend its ways and support new regulations to protect consumers. We were not disappointed. A year after the fall of Lehman Brothers, Obama, pointed his finger at big bank presidents and the Gorden Gekkos of Wall Street and said, "I want everybody here to hear my words: We will not go back to the days of reckless behavior and unchecked excess that was at the heart of this crisis, where too many were motivated only by the appetite for quick kills and bloated bonuses." While Obama made it clear that he strongly supports what I consider the most important reform, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, (CFPA) HR 3126, its future remains in doubt. CFPA creates a separate standalone agency with the sole mission of protecting consumers. The creation of that agency should be the top priority for Congress. It's the key reform to protect consumers from financial abuse. As Salowe-Kaye said to me, "It's a crazy situation...that if you buy a toxic toaster, you have the Consumer Product Safety Commission to protect you from harm," But there's nothing to protect us from toxic loans." The CFPA proposed by the president would have broad institutional oversight of enforcement responsibilities for the wide range of financial consumer protection laws already in place, including CRA, and bolsters the chances of passage of the Community Reinvestment Modernization Act of 2009, which now has 50 co-sponsors in the House including New Jersey Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-10th Dist.). This law would expand CRA's reach to non-bank financial institutions. It is common sense to have independent mortgage companies and other non-bank lenders subject to the same rules as banks. All businesses making loans should be subject to the same rules. Community Reinvestment Act CRA is one of the most important laws for building wealth and revitalizing neighborhoods. It helps keep banks honest by making them report specific loan data for low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, ensuring that consumers in traditionally underserved communities have access to safe, sound and affordable mortgages and home equity loans. If the CRA had been applied to those non-bank financial institutions, we would have avoided the present foreclosure and financial crisis. To make sure financial reform passes quickly, all sorts of groups are joining the Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), a national coalition of more than 200 national, state and local consumer, employee, investor, community and civil rights organizations spearheading a national campaign for real reform in our banking and financial system. The coalition includes USAction, AARP, ACORN, private financial firms like American Income Life Insurance Company, AFL-CIO, Common Cause, Consumer Federation of America, and Public Citizen. Up until now, efforts to gain a measure of democratic control over the financial sector have been scattered and localized, responding to different aspects of the bank-induced crisis. AFR was organized, according to Heather Booth, director of the newly formed AFR, "to provide a loud, unified voice needed to call for transparency and accountability in the financial bailout." To counter the immense power of the finance industry, AFR has been mobilizing on multiple levels, from Capitol Hill to neighborhoods decimated by factory shutdowns and home foreclosures. Although Obama did a good job reminding the public that he had no choice but to strengthen the enforcement of regulations overseeing Wall Street, I am concerned about whether his administration has the stomach to keep up the attack on Wall Street greed. It is well documented that the cause of the economic crisis was deregulation and securitization pushed by Wall Street. After more than two decades of a Wall Street supported system of unfair, abusive, deceptive, mortgage loans, we must change the system. (See for example,"Foreclosing on the Free Market: How to Remedy the Subprime Catastrophe."John Atlas; Peter Dreier; Gregory D. Squires, New Labor Forum: A Journal of Ideas, Analysis, and Debate, 1095-7960, Volume 17, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 18 - 30) The entire financial and housing system participated in a greedy shell game. Mortgage brokers brought borrowers to the lenders using deception. Many made higher commissions for selling high interest sub prime mortgages to customers who qualified for prime loans. Mortgage companies provided the mortgages using deceptive sales practices and charging high unregulated interest rates and fees. Wall Street firms packaged the sub-prime loans into exotic investments that no one understood. Credit agencies cheated on the ratings. Greenspan and the regulators kept pumping money into the economy and instead of oversight, they looked the other way. Business as usual led to massive foreclosures and the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., at that time the fourth-largest investment bank in the country. Its failure sparked a panic on Wall Street and served as the ignition to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. I believe its time for the government to exert tough new control over the financial services industry. Polls show that a majority of the American people agree. Deregulation flourished because Americans were sold a flawed economic philosophy that said we need an "unfettered free market" to increase homeownership and bring about prosperity. And that it was a conservative movement pushing this philosophy got us into our current crisis, and only a complete reversal of the Bush era policies and philosophy can get us out. We need to remind the public that the philosophy of small government, cutting taxes for the rich, and deregulation should be dead in the water. Public polling has shown enormous disenchantment with policies of financial deregulation, banks in general and Wall Street in particular, so we expect public sentiment on our side. As the speech ended I remembered what I thought a year ago, when Wall Street was hated by virtually all of us because its shenanigans and had destroyed our economy. Congress should have held hearings publicizing Wall Street's misdeeds lashing our out at Regan, Bush and Clinton for their support of deregulation. After Obama entered office I thought he should have broken rank with Paulsen and Geithner and pushed the TARP money directly into the hands of American working people who were losing there homes and jobs. Then, Obama and the Democrats would have been embraced by the American people and would have undermined the Republican and right wing's ability to reach out to independents, and put the Democrats on the defense. Still I don't think its too late to win and besides we have no choice but to fight for what we believe. Now we have a national organization to support our local efforts. AFR's four priorities are correct. - Renegotiate mortgages to prevent foreclosures and keep people in their homes. - Support a strong Consumer Financial Protection Agency that will scrutinize the entire banking industry. - Regulate "shadow markets," where financial transactions occur without any oversight. - Democratize the Federal Reserve, which now essentially functions as a quasi-private bank despite the vast public power it commands. Banks and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will fight Obama's proposal to strip consumer protection from the current assorted regulators and give it to a new agency that would have that as a single mission. We all need to join in the fight. John Atlas is the president of The National Housing Institute (NHI), founded in 1975 as an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering decent, affordable housing and a vibrant community for everyone. More on Economy
 
Jimmy Demers: Ride Like the Wind Top
You never know who you're going to sit next to when you move to Los Angeles. I arrived from Logan airport to the City of Angels at the same time they hosted the Olympic Games in 1984. Like many who gravitate here, I had big dreams and didn't know a soul. In a town where so many can so easily forget what they really came for, I found myself on that fateful day, sitting next to someone who clearly knew his own heart, and had every intention of sharing it with the world... He would go on to get the part. The film was Dirty Dancing . The man was Patrick Swayze. I never forgot the kindness with which he greeted me, and years later, when fate would again bring us together, sitting next to each other at a dinner party in Los Angeles, I reminded him of when we had originally met and how in his actions he had taught me that it didn't matter whether you got the part at an audition -- what really mattered was acknowledging those who were seated with and beside you. When he and his wife Lisa made their labor of love film, they asked me to sing a song they had written and it amazed me how even as a house-hold name, he was as kind, gracious and humble as that young man I had sat next to years before. A couple of months ago, Lisa invited me to their ranch and i got to see Patrick once again. He was obviously going through the battle of his life and even in this painful stage, he still possessed a bright and beautiful light. My brother Donnie, who always has a camera with him, was also there, and although at first i hesitated, i decided to ask Patrick if we could take a photo together before we left the ranch. He graciously agreed, and as we hugged I thanked him again for all he had so freely given, knowing very well I might not ever see him again. Most of us may never know the heights of the great successes Patrick sailed in, but in this brief and fleeting life, I am grateful I got a glimpse of a star that shined so bright even before his dreams came true, and managed to shine even brighter long after they had passed. Sometimes, it"s not where we go that matters, it's who we make smile along the way that really counts, and I believe that the millions of people whom Patrick made smile will keep forever the memory of that beautiful heart he came to share, and his spirit will now ride like the wind...for eternity.
 
Jeff Rivera: Amsterdam Live! Top
Amstel Light wound down the Summer with their Exclusive Summer Event Series in New York, known as Amsterdam Live . Featuring Kanye West' s protege, Mr. Hudson , this high-velocity event had amazing break dancers, beautiful women and a packed house of fans all enjoying the one-of-kind nightlife and cultural exploration of Amsterdam.
 
Michael Moore: From Toronto to Pittsburgh to Jay Leno, "Capitalism" Marches On... Top
Friends, It hasn't quite hit me that "Capitalism: A Love Story," my new film, will be opening in theaters in New York and L.A. just one week from tomorrow. And everywhere else on October 2nd. Is it already the fall? Having spent the last year and a half living pretty much under the radar and quietly putting together this movie for you, it is heartening, to say the least, to read the early reviews where Time Magazine called it "Moore's magnum opus," the Los Angeles Times has declared it my "most controversial film yet," and Variety has said that "Capitalism: A Love Story" is "one of Moore's best films." Wow. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, considering this film is an all-out assault against the racket polite people like to call "Wall Street." My crew and I had one thought in mind while we were filming "Capitalism": What if the powers-that-be refuse to give us funding for the next movie after they see what we've put in this one?! And if that was the case, knowing that this documentary might be our last one for a while, what would we want to make sure we put in this film? That's a heavy thought, I know, but we did, indeed, set about making this movie and giving it everything we got, with an attitude that said loud and clear: "Take no prisoners!" The film is now completed and we left our world premiere at the Venice Film Festival with two of its prizes! "Capitalism: A Love Story" won the Leoncino d'Oro award, given to one film each year by a jury of young adults in Venice (they call it their "youth prize," meaning we were the top film among the young people at the festival). We were also awarded The Open Prize, given to the film that best honors the art of cinema (a group of Italian artists participating in the Venice Biennale hand out this cherished prize). Then, this past Sunday night, we landed in Canada for the North American premiere of "Capitalism: A Love Story" -- and again, the film was met with wide critical acclaim and thunderous applause at the screenings (no, it wasn't just the sound of Canadians trying to keep their hands warm). But it wasn't till last night, at the annual convention of the AFL-CIO in downtown Pittsburgh, PA, that a packed house of rank-and-file union members -- plumbers and nurses and steelworkers and 73 other trades -- watched the U.S. premiere of our film and, I kid you not, the roof practically came off the place as the credits rolled. I've never witnessed, in my 20 years as a filmmaker, such a response to one of my movies. I'm sure the theater management must have been thinking a riot was going to break out. After years of having the crap kicked out of working people of this country, the crowd in Pittsburgh was ready to rumble after watching two hours of cinema that laid it all out about how Corporate America has gotten away with murder. I was profoundly moved by this overwhelming and enthusiastic response. I simply can't wait to bring this movie to your town and for you to see it! I know you will be shocked and surprised by a lot of what you will see in it. Once again, I've set out to show you things the nightly news doesn't dare show you. There will be some very wealthy men who will not be happy about this film's release. So be it. It's a free country, but more importantly, it's OUR country. It doesn't belong to the richest 1% who now -- are you ready for this -- have more financial wealth than the entire bottom 95% of the country combined!! Last night Jay Leno premiered his new prime time show on NBC. His in-studio guest was Jerry Seinfeld. Tonight (Tuesday), for his second show, his guest is... me! I know -- that's crazy. My friends are taking bets on the exact hour today the executives at G.E. will call and pull the plug on this insanity. Or not. Assuming that doesn't happen, I invite you to tune in at 10pm ET/PT, 9pm CT/MT. I'll show, for the first time on national TV, a scene from the movie -- and I might have another surprise for you. Well, I've landed in L.A. and it's time to get ready for the big show tonight. Thanks for all your support of my work in these past 20 years. I hope, together, we can make change happen in the coming months. That's what the majority voted for. That's what we all deserve. AND NO BACKING DOWN ON UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE - THE INSURANCE COMPANIES MUST GO! That's all for now, my friends. Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com/ P.S. I'd like to invite any of you within driving distance to a very special premiere of my movie this Saturday, September 19th, in Bellaire, Michigan. It will be the first time the completed film will be shown in the state where I'm from and I'll be there to host it. It's a benefit for the local progressive Dems and you can get more info (and tickets!) by going to AntrimDems.org . I hope to see you there if you can make it to this very personal and special showing of the movie amongst the people who are my neighbors and friends. Join Mike's Mailing List | Follow Mike on Twitter | Join Mike's Facebook Group | Become Mike's MySpace Friend More on Jay Leno
 
Canada To Avoid Immediate Election Top
TORONTO — One of Canada's opposition parties said Tuesday it will prop up Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government in a no-confidence vote this week, averting an immediate election. Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said his party will vote for the government's key budget bill Friday because there is nothing inherently wrong with it. The news that Canada won't have an immediate election comes as Harper prepares to visit President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday. The development means Harper's Conservative government will survive at least until the first week of October, when the main opposition Liberals plan to introduce their own no-confidence motion. The opposition New Democrats are also expected to support Harper on Friday in order to push through government legislation on unemployment benefits, which they suggested this week they would support. Government failure to pass a budget motion Friday could have forced a fourth election in just over five years and the second in a year, if the Bloc Quebecois, New Democratic and Liberal parties had then voted to bring down the government. Harper's Conservative Party was re-elected last fall with a strengthened minority government, but still must rely on the opposition to pass legislation and to stay in power. The three opposition parties hold the majority of the seats in Parliament with 162, while the Conservatives have 143. There is also one independent MP. A vote on a budget matter is an automatic confidence vote and can trigger an election if it is defeated. The opposition can also introduce specific no-confidence votes. More on Canada
 
Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan Killing Shows Dramatic Shift In U.S. Policy Towards Somalia Top
Tristan McConnell | GlobalPost NAIROBI, Kenya -- A strike by six U.S. helicopter gunships on an Al Qaeda target in Somalia on Monday marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy to a direct hands-on approach to the failed state in the Horn of Africa. The American gunships attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying Al Qaeda militants and killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, an Al Qaeda leader wanted for the bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 and an Israeli-owned Kenyan hotel in 2002. The raid shows U.S. President Barack Obama's administration does not intend to allow Somalia to remain a safe haven for Al Qaeda and it is determined to thwart the drive by Islamic militant group Al Shabaab to control Somalia. Al Shabaab has direct links to Al Qaeda and uses foreign troops in its battles to control Somalia. Monday's successful strike also begins to exorcize the demons of "Black Hawk Down," the infamous 1993 incident in which 18 U.S. troops died in a failed attempt by U.S. forces to seize a warlord in the Somali capital Mogadishu. But the action also brings some risk. Already Al Shabaab is threatening retaliation. In recent years the U.S. has limited its actions in Somalia to attacks by long range missiles and drones. But this action was direct and put American troops, however briefly, on Somali soil. By successfully targetting Nabhan, the U.S. shows that it has precise strategic information. A further intelligence boon for the U.S. should come from the seizure of Nabhan's body, the two injured men traveling with him and whatever equipment or computers they might have. In Monday's raid, six U.S. helicopters swooped on a convoy of vehicles and strafed them with heavy gunfire. A Land Cruiser carrying Nabhan and at least four other senior militants was badly hit as were a number of "technicals," improvised battle wagons made from pick-up trucks loaded with heavy machine guns, according to eyewitnesses quoted by wire services. Then two U.S. helicopters landed and there was a brief firefight. Nabhan and other militants were killed. The U.S. troops jumped from the helicopters, went up to the vehicles and seized Nabhan's body and two other injured militants. They quickly flew off by helicopter to a U.S. navy warship waiting nearby. The attack took place close to the coastal town of Barawe, about 150 miles south of Mogadishu, deep inside territory controlled by Al Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group. Local elder Abdinasir Mohamed Adan said, "There was a military operation carried out by four foreign choppers in Erile village. A car was destroyed, we are also hearing that some of the vehicle's passengers were taken on the choppers." "There was only a burning vehicle and two dead bodies lying beside it," described Mohamed Ali Aden, a bus driver who passed the burnt out car soon after the attack. U.S. officials in Washington have confirmed that special forces were involved in the attack. The surgical attack, said analysts, is a departure for U.S. military intervention in Somalia. "This marks an evolution in U.S. operational and intelligence capabilities," said Peter Pham of Virginia's James Madison University. In the past air strikes on suspected terrorist targets in Somalia -- including an attempt to kill Nabhan with Tomahawk missiles in March last year -- have missed, killing civilians instead. Monday's attack was both more successful in achieving its aim and in avoiding the kind of civilian casualties that have dogged the fight against Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Somalia. It shows the U.S. intends to attack Al Qaeda wherever it finds operatives from Somalia to Afghanistan to Pakistan. Nabhan's killing will be welcomed in Washington. He was regarded as one of the most high profile Al Qaeda terrorists operating in Somalia and was considered to be a crucial link between Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab. "This is a setback for Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda in East Africa because Nabhan was the communication link with the wider Al Qaeda network in Arabia," Pham said. The Kenyan-born 30-year-old was wanted by the FBI for questioning in connection with the 2002 bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa and the near-simultaneous attempt to shoot down an Israeli airplane leaving from the airport there. Three Israelis and 10 Kenyans were killed when suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Paradise Hotel in November 2002 shortly after terrorists narrowly missed hitting a Tel Aviv-bound plane with their surface-to-air missiles. Nabhan was blamed for both attacks. Nabhan was also wanted by Kenyan police for alleged involvement in the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam that killed 229 and wounded thousands. Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for all of these deadly attacks. Since fleeing to Somalia, Nabhan has not played a leadership role in Al Shabaab but has managed terrorist training camps, analysts said. Al Shabaab commanders threatened reprisals."They will tast the bitterness of our response," an Al Shabaab commander told Associated Press. "Al Shabaab will continue targetting Western countries, especially America ... we are killing them and they are hunting us," said spokesman sheikh Bare mahamed Farah Khoje, to Reuters. U.S. troops and other Western forces in East Africa are bracing for retaliation. "A backlash in Somalia is bound to happen, but what is more worrying is what kind of retaliation we might see against Western targets in the Horn of Africa region," said Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group. Despite the presence of about 5,000 African Union peacekeepers, Al Shabaab and allied Islamist militias have besieged the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed raising fears among Western governments that Somalia may became an Afghanistan-like safe haven for Al Qaeda terrorists. In response the U.S. and other Western governments have bolstered their support to Ahmed's shaky government which controls only small pockets of the capital. In June the U.S. confirmed it sent 40 tons of arms and ammunition to Ahmed's forces. "Certainly if Al Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia which could then attract Al Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after meeting with Somalia's beleaguered leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed during her visit to Africa in August. More on Somalia
 
Wendell Potter: Public Option Essential, Baucus Plan An "Absolute Gift" To Health Care Industry (VIDEO) Top
Speaking before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, former health insurance industry executive-turned-whistleblower Wendell Potter warned that if Congress "fails to create a public insurance option to compete with private insurers, the bill it sends to the president might as well be called the Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act." Potter also struck back against one of the key arguments made against the public option: that it would have an unfair competitive advantage over private insurers. 'Contrary to the misinformation being disseminated by the health insurance industry and its allies, the public insurance option would not have a competitive advantage over private plans," Potter told the committee. "It would have to meet the same benefit requirements and comply with the same insurance market reforms as private plans. " Potter, who was previously a vice president of communication at Cigna, also sharply criticized Democratic Senator Max Baucus' health care reform bill in a conversation with reporters Monday, calling the plan an "absolute gift to the industry." More on Potter's statements on the Baucus plan, via Politico . Potter said the proposal would not provide affordable coverage. It gives the industry too much latitude to charge higher premiums based on age and geographic location, fails to mandate employer coverage, and pushes consumers into plans with limited benefits, Potter said. For more of Potter's thoughts on Baucus you can read the transcript below. Here is video of his opening statements. Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity to address the House Steering and Policy Committee. Madam Speaker and Members of the Committee, my name is Wendell Potter, and I am humbled to be here today to testify about the need for meaningful and comprehensive reform and about the efforts of an industry I worked in for many years to shape reform in ways that will benefit it at the expense of taxpayers and policyholders. In the weeks since my June 24 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, I have expressed hope at every opportunity that this indeed might be the year Congress will enact legislation to reform our health care system in ways that will truly benefit Americans for generations to come. But I have also expressed concern that if Congress goes along with the so-called "solutions" the insurance industry says it is bringing to the table and acquiesces to the demands it is making of lawmakers, and if it fails to create a public insurance option to compete with private insurers, the bill it sends to the president might as well be called the Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act. H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, encompasses a comprehensive set of reforms that address the critical need for expanded coverage, lower health care costs, and greater choice and quality. Other legislative proposals, including the "Baucus Framework" being considered by the Senate Finance Committee's "Bipartisan Six," would benefit health insurance companies far more than average Americans. The practices of the insurance industry over the past several years have contributed directly to the growing number of Americans who are uninsured and the even more rapidly growing number of people who are underinsured. H.R. 3200 would go a long way toward making many of the standard practices of the industry illegal while providing much-needed assistance to low and moderate income Americans who cannot afford the overpriced premiums being charged by the cartel of large for-profit insurance companies that now dominate the industry. H.R. 3200 would provide premium and cost-sharing assistance through the Health Insurance Exchange it would create. It would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a defined package of "essential health services" that all plans, public or private, would have to cover. It also would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage or basing premiums on pre-existing conditions, gender or occupation. It would eliminate deductibles or co-pays for preventive care as well as the lifetime limits currently common in health insurance policies. The bill also would set an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses that is more reasonable than in other proposals. As important if not more important than those market reforms, H.R. 3200 would also create a public insurance option to compete with private insurers. Contrary to the misinformation being disseminated by the health insurance industry and its allies, the public insurance option would not have a competitive advantage over private plans. It would have to meet the same benefit requirements and comply with the same insurance market reforms as private plans. As I told Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, insurance companies routinely dump policyholders who are less profitable or who get sick as part of their never-ending quest to meet Wall Street's relentless profit expectations. While the reforms proposed in various bills before Congress would seemingly restrict insurance companies' ability to put investors' needs over those of consumers, Members must realize that provisions of some proposals, including the Baucus Framework, would actually drive millions more Americans, including many who currently have access to comprehensive coverage, into the ranks of the underinsured. An estimated 25 million Americans are now underinsured for two principle reasons. First, the high-deductible plans many of them have been forced into by their employers require them to pay more out of their own pockets for medical care, whether they can afford it or note. Second, more and more Americans have fallen victim to deceptive marketing practices and bought what essentially is fake insurance. The insurance industry is insistent on being able to retain what it calls "benefit design flexibility." Those three words seem innocuous and reasonable, but if legislation that reaches the president grants insurers the flexibility they claim they must have, and requires all of us to buy coverage from them, millions more of us will have little alternative but to buy policies that appear to be affordable but which will be prove to be anything but affordable if we become seriously ill or injured. The big insurers have spent millions of dollars acquiring companies that specialize in what they call "limited-benefit" plans. Not only are the benefits extremely limited, the underwriting criteria established by the insurers essentially guarantee big profits. H.R. 3200 would ban the worst of these policies. Other proposals, by providing financial incentives for employers to offer barebones plans with lousy benefits and high deductibles, would actually encourage them. Unlike H.R. 3200, those proposals would not require employers to provide good benefits or even to meet minimum benefit standards. They also would permit employers to saddle their workers with the entire amount of the premiums in addition to the high out-of-pocket expenses, escalating the already rapid shift of the financial burden of health care from insurers and employers to working men and women. The Baucus plan also would allow insurers to charge older people and families up to 7.5 times as much and younger people, impose big fines on families that don't buy their lousy insurance, and would weaken state regulation of insurers. As a consequence, these proposals would do little to increase affordable coverage for those currently insured, or stop the rise in medical bankruptcy. They would, however, ensure that a huge new stream of revenue--much of it from taxpayers who would finance the needed subsidies for people too poor to buy coverage on their own--would flow--"gush" might be a more appropriate word--to insurance companies. And much of that new revenue would ultimately go right into the pockets of the Wall Street investors who own them. Over the past several weeks, I have repeatedly told audiences around the country that the public option should not just be an "option" to be bargained away at the behest of insurance companies who are pouring money into Congress to defeat substantial and essential reforms. A public option must be created to provide true choice to consumers or reform will fail to truly fix the root of the severe problems that have been caused in large part by the greedy demands of Wall Street. By creating a strong public option and restricting the insurance industry's ability to enrich executives and investors at the expense of taxpayers and consumers, H.R. 3200 will truly benefit average Americans. The Baucus plan, on the other hand, would create a government-subsidized monopoly for the purchase of bare-bones, high-deductible policies that would truly benefit Big Insurance. In other words, insurers would win; your constituents would lose. It's hard to imagine how insurance companies could write legislation that would benefit them more. Over the coming weeks, I implore each Member of Congress to put the interests of ordinary, extraordinary Americans--the people who hired you with their votes--above those of private health insurers and others who view reform as a way to make more money. Thank you for considering my views. More on Health Care
 
Mihal Freinquel: A Mascara Review: What to Do When Your Favorite Mascara is Discontinued... Top
As you may or may not know, my favorite mascara - Maybelline Lash Stylist -- was recently discontinued. It never clumped, it had a comb instead of a bristle brush, and it was the perfect size for getting every single lash. It has been my most reliable go-to mascara for the last 3 years, so you can imagine how devastated I was when I went to the store and it wasn't there. After going to a few more stores just to make sure, I got home, Googled it, and discovered that horror of horrors, it was no longer being produced! So, what to do now? Well luckily I got the hookup and got 3 free mascaras from Maybelline -- all relatively new on the market, and all quite distinct. As I tried them out I figured that there must be other Lash Stylist mourners out there looking for a new direction -- so this Mascara Review, my friends, is for you. (Oh and I'd like to preface this review by stating that I always use an eyelash curler -- as every woman should -- so all mascaras were tested on pre-curled eyelashes). Mascara #1 - The Colossal Volum' Express : What the brand boasts: Creates 9X the volume, instantly. Patented MegaBrush + Collagen Formula plump lashes one by one. Dramatic Volume with no clumps. The Reality: The brush is short and fat, as is the tube it comes in (so fat in fact that the word "Colossal" must be broken up into 2 lines - COLO on top and SSAL under it). Yes, this mascara creates volume and there are no clumps which I definitely appreciate. Also the tube is shiney and bright yellow, making it easy to find in your makeup bag! However the girth of the brush makes it kind of difficult to get in between the lashes, and coat and separate the ones on the outer corners. This one is a biggie for me, so a few points off there. Score out of 10: 8. Mascara #2 - Lash Stiletto : What the brand boasts: The only mascara that does for lashes what stilettos do for legs. The Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle. Elastic formula stretches lashes for provocative length. Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smoothes for black-patent shine. The Reality: Well this is a gimmick if I ever heard one. All women know that stilettos do wonders for legs, so this is a clear manipulation by association. This mascara didn't really add length, thickness or shine. If anything it just held in place the curl that my eyelash curler left behind. The packaging is definitely sleek -- quite the opposite of the Colossal -- with its long black tube, silver writing and even a red strip at the bottom (which I'm assuming is supposed to be a Christian Louboutin reference?). The brush was long and skinny, which did allow me to get to the smaller and corner lashes, but it didn't matter because once I got there you couldn't even tell I added a coat. Lame. Score out of 10: 4. Mascara #3 - Pulse Perfection : What the brand boasts: It's our first vibrating mascara. Transforms your lashes to perfection. Patent-pending elastomer brush vibrates 7,000 times per stroke. Provides clump-free definition, intense color, and shine. The Reality: Well, it vibrates. To some this might be a pro but to me it's simply odd. I didn't like the feel of my lashes/eyes vibrating and the noise got a little annoying. I'm assuming that the point of this vibration is to eliminate the zigzagging motion we must do manually with regular brushes - though I still found myself doing it with this one (old habits die hard I suppose). The brush is a decent size and does allow easy access to the smaller and corner lashes. The mascara itself is quite thick, making me think it might be prone to clumping as time went on - and I do think clumpy mascara is one of the tackiest things you could put on your face (second only to foundation that's the wrong color). When used without the vibrations it's decent I suppose -- but it's also like $15, which is several bucks higher than regular drug store mascara - so if you're gonna buy it, it should definitely be because the vibration does something special for you. Score out of 10: 5. So I guess The Colossal wins. I'm still on the hunt to find a 10 out of 10, but until then I guess my lashes will be coming from the fat yellow tube. Any recommendations?
 
Maria Rodale: The Power of an Organic Hot Dog Top
This weekend I grilled approximately 450 organic hot dogs in the rain. It wasn't easy, standing in the mud from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm (ow!) trying to keep a giant grill evenly hot (impossible), and catering to people's varying desires for burnt or unburntness. But I now know most people do prefer a bit of burn to their dog (or as one volunteer at the end of the day said, "a hot dog needs a bit of crunch to it.") The scene was the first annual Organic Apple Festival at the Rodale Institute. We decided to hold it in spite of constant rain and drizzle, but thank goodness we did because we all agreed we wouldn't have been prepared to handle the crowds if the weather had been nice. There is a pent-up desire for pick-your-own organic apples--even in the rain! And I have to say there was also a lot of curiosity about organic hot dogs. People in general now mostly understand what makes an apple organic--but a lot of people (young and old) weren't sure what made a hot dog organic. Fortunately, we had the best organic hot dogs ever, donated by Applegate Farms. These hot dogs are so good that my 12-year-old didn't even realize they were organic. What makes an Applegate Farms dog organic? I love their tag line: All of the meat, none of the mystery. Most other hot dogs contain meat that was removed from the bone mechanically--so often the hot dog contains mystery bits. The Applegate Farms beef comes from grass-fed, organically and humanely raised animals. Which means the animals' feed contains no chemicals, no growth hormones, no antibiotics and no crap--literally. Every ingredient on the label of the hot dogs is something you recognize (and the pink color comes from paprika). Most important, they taste yummiful. Why hot dogs? They are the great uniter. It's hard to find people who don't like hot dogs at all, or don't have some fond memory of eating one somewhere. And if you can convince someone that the organic version of his or her favorite food is not only great, but better, then I think that's success. My greatest moments on Saturday were when the old guys came out of the barn after eating my hot dogs and gave me a thumbs-up or a nod or word of approval. Where I come from, most of the old guys are what we call "Dutchies" (Pennsylvania Dutch), who are locally renowned for their stubborn clinging to tradition and resistance to new things. The fact that my organic hot dogs were "chust right" for some of them was, to me, a huge happy feeling. I was also proud of the moment when a beautiful lady pushing a stroller came up to me at the grill and said, "I have a request for next year: Could you also serve vegetarian hot dogs?" And I was able to say, "Why I have some right here." She was so happy and thankful that I couldn't bring myself to tell her that the veggie dogs weren't organic, and probably had GMO ingredients in them. Oh well, maybe next year I can find a good organic veggie dog. But this year, my experiment was a success. You can see some highlights from the festival, including me at the grill, on Rodale.com .
 
Andrea R. Vaucher: Along for the Ride: New York City and Quebec Top
I recently broke one of my travel rules -- don't go to NYC in the summer -- and, surprisingly, ended up having an amazing time and hardly thinking about the weather. The city was empty, which translated into sailing into Alain Ducasse's Benoit at dinner time and getting immediately seated -- and there were enough terrific exhibitions in air conditioned venues that, with a little bit of planning, I could walk everywhere, work up a sweat and an appetite, then cool off and get a culture (or culinary!) recharge. I stayed at a brand new hotel on Madison and 77th, The Mark , which was created by legendary French designer Jacques Grange, and provides a much-needed shot of cool to the relatively staid neighborhood. And, since The Mark is run by the ex-general manager of the famed Carlyle Hotel, which happens to be across the street, it's not a hipness that sacrifices anything in the way of service. Grange, whose high profile clientele includes the late Yves St. Laurent, Princess Caroline and Valentino, is all about drama (black and white striped marble floors in the lobby and bathrooms, cascading silk draperies) and convenience (huge walk in closets, refrigerated drawers rather than ugly old mini-bar fridges, towel warmers). The lobby elements were designed by Grange's coterie of friends -- top modern designers like Ron Arad and Mattia Bonnetti. The hotel is truly dog-friendly. Coco, the peripatetic poodle was treated like Eloise at The Plaza, oohed and aahed over as he sashayed back and forth between the hotel and Central Park just down the block. The Mark also features residential suites for sale and will have a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant off the lobby that will also provide room service. Lucky guests! During this "soft" opening, rates have been cut at least 30 percent. I saw three must-see exhibitions: a Richard Avedon retrospective spanning six decades of his incomparable fashion photographs at the International Center of Photography ; the Isabel Toledo retrospective at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology , where you can check out Michelle Obama's chartreuse lace inauguration dress and John Lennon: The NYC Years, curated by Yoko Ono with lots of personal video footage, at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Annex. The Avedon show ends on 9/21 and the Toledo exhibition on 9/26; the Lennon show is open ended. I also saw and loved an exhibit by Chinese conceptual artist Song Dong at MOMA, featuring years of - dare I say junk? Garbage? Recycling? -- collected by his mother during the "waste not" years of the Cultural Revolution. Unfortunately, that show closed September 7, but remember the name. My restaurant discovery this trip was Onda , on trendy Front Street adjacent to the South Street Seaport. The cuisine bills itself as contemporary Latin comfort food, which means that Raymond Mohan, the incredible Guyanese chef who trained in the Vong kitchen, does not want to be tied down by geography; he riffs on cuisine from everywhere Latin. I ate from the "small plates" menu and was definitely feeling a Spanish "tapas" vibe (Onda means "vibe" in Spanish), but one that was inventively deconstructed in dishes like wild sea bass ceviche with passion fruit sorbet and jalapenos, and crab and arepa (Spanish polenta) salad with a chili lime vinaigrette. The restaurant often organizes nights featuring cocktails, cuisine and music from a particular region in Latin or South America; Brazilian night, I'm told, sizzles. Onda is owned by Capri-born Alessandro Passante and three of his charming Europeans buddies; they make everyone feel like a VIP. There's a lively bar scene animated by a mix of attractive people (more interesting than your usual Wall Street types), good prices and, most importantly, tasty treats you won't find anywhere else in the city. I never thought I'd also find myself eating tapas at the bottom of the ski slope in Quebec's Mont-Tremblant. After a week in New York, I was ready for a change, so I hightailed it up to Quebec, which is its own country, one with very good bread and very good cheese, in fact, fine food on nearly every corner. I flew into Montreal but immediately headed up to the Laurentians, where a friend had shrewdly rented a cabin on Lac Marois, one of the lakes in Ste.-Anne-des-Lacs. We spent a week barbecuing and biking, savoring and strolling, just eating, really. In quaint, upscale St.-Sauveur, I stumbled upon the perfect cheese sticks at Page Bakery (and went back every day for more), a scrumptious six grain baguette ( incroyable with tomme de savoie cheese from Bourassa, the Laurentians answer to Costco) and meringues as light as air. How fortunate that the butcher next door, whom my friend had been flirting with all summer, made the best merguez sausages this side of Marrakesh. And, of course, this being Quebec, we had to sample frites in several recommended roadside joints. We ended our eating orgy at L'Avalanche , a quasi-French bistro at the bottom of the ski slope in Mont-Tremblant. Located in a 1930s ski chalet, the oldest structure on the mountain and once the home of Joe Ryan, the American who created the resort, L'Avalanche is owned by Cedric Damani, a half-French, half-Sicilian larger-than-life charmer who grew up on the Riviera. The food has a French foundation but is inventively infused with Asian and Mediterranean elements by a 25-year-old, Quebecois chef. As we could not face a full-on meal, we ordered off the tapas menu and were thrilled by items like scallop ceviche with spicy citrus and cilantro sauce and filet mignon sates infused with sake. Luckily, we saved room for dessert, which featured fois-gras creme brulee. Though it sounds terrible, it was amazing -- the kind of dish you'd swoon over at El Bulli or Bazaar. Though I'm not sure the locals are sophisticated enough for that particular end to a meal, the international ski set that descends on the resort in the winter will surely appreciate the irony and ingenuity that goes into dishes like that one.
 
Miles Mogulescu: Admit It--A Robust Public Option is Dead! So Regulate Premiums and Put a Trigger on Individual Mandates Instead Top
The hard truth is that a robust public option is already dead. Dedicated activists like Jane Hamsher and conscientious public servants like Rep. Anthony Weiner deserve props for continuing to fight the good fight for a robust public option (particularly since in their heart of hearts they really support Medicare-For-All), but their fight is largely Quixotic. With a robust public option dead, the real question is can a health care reform bill worth passing still be salvaged? As detailed below, if government regulation of insurance rates and a trigger on individual mandates are added, a bill which bans insurance companies from rejecting customers for pre-existing conditions might still be worth passing. Otherwise, it's little more than a massive government subsidy of the insurance and drug industries and it ought to to be defeated. The New York Times and the Associated Press made clear this weekend that the Obama White House and leading Congressional Democrats are hard at work on a political strategy to kill the public option outright by substituting toothless triggers or coops to satisfy Blue Dogs and one or two Republicans like Olympia Snow and keep the backroom promises the White House made to the insurance, pharmaceutical and health care industries in exchange for campaign contributions. But even in the unlikely event something called a "public option" somehow makes it into the final legislation, it might as well be dead--The versions of the "public option" that are still on the table in Congress have already been so compromised as to be all but meaningless. They are drastically watered down from the robust version that was presented by the likes of Jacob Hacker, Health Care for America Now and Move On as a "pragmatic" alternative justifying progressives negotiating away Medicare-For-All in advance. Their original public option plans were projected to cover over 125 million Americans, be the default option for all of the uninsured, be available to employers, require doctors who accept Medicare patients to accept patients from the public plan, and use negotiated Medicare rates to keep costs down. None of these requirements for a robust public option remain on the table in Congress. The public option, as passed by the Committees in the House and the HELP Committee in the Senate, don't require Medicare doctors to accept patients from the public plan, don't use Medicare pricing but require the plan to negotiate rates on a provider-by-provider basis, require consumers to opt in rather than opt out, and bar employers who currently provide health insurance from switching to the public option over private plans. Even before the House dropped Medicare pricing, the Congressional Budget Office projected that this type of public option would have at most 10 million customers 5 years from now under the House bill and 0 (that's right 0) customers under the Senate HELP bill, and wouldn't materially lower insurance costs. (For a brilliant critique of the watering down of the public option, see " Bait and Switch: How the 'Public Option' Was Sold " by Dr. Kip Sullivan.) With a robust public option dead, what we're left with is a massive Democratic-sponsored taxpayer bailout for the insurance and drug industries and a back-door tax on the uninsured middle class. The plan may ban insurance companies from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions (a good thing), but it places no limits on how much they can charge . Health insurance premiums have skyrocketed by 87% over the past 6 years and now average $6,000 for individuals and $14,000 for families. 94% of insurance markets are highly concentrated and monopoly/oligopoly pricing have enabled the largest insurance companies to increase their profits by 428% from 2000-2007 while paying their CEOs an average of $11.9 million apiece. If the government mandates that the nearly 50 million uninsured buy private insurance or be fined as much as $3800 a year by the IRS (while providing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded premium subsidies to the less well off), insurance companies are all but certain to jack up their rates even further, keeping health insurance unaffordable to the middle class and breaking the federal budget with ever-increasing subsidies. With enough arm-twisting from the White House, such a bill may squeak through Congress. But when it's fully implemented and the American people discover the burden it places on them as consumers and taxpayers, it could turn millions of people who elected Obama and a Democratic Congress against Democrats for a generation. Perhaps that's why Obama proposes to delay implementing many of these provisions until 2013, after the 2012 elections. Many Democrats, including Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and Congressional leaders seem to think passing any bill that's called "health care reform", no matter how flawed, is better than passing nothing. They fear, with some justification, that if, having taken control of the Presidency and both Houses of Congress, Democrats can't pass something called "health care reform", voters will conclude that Democrats are unable to solve serious national problems. On the other hand, passing a bad bill could have an even more negative long-term impact on Democratic prospects. So the question is, assuming the public option is dead, are there other alternatives--as Obama said in his Congressional speech that he's open to considering--that could make a health reform bill worth passing? As a long-time Medicare-For-All advocate, I'm tempted to say "no". But as a political pragmatist I've got some key suggestions: 1. REGULATE INSURANCE RATES : It's a bit amazing that while liberals have been fighting for the leftover crumbs of a feeble public option as the way to "keep insurance companies honest" and prevent them from overcharging, no one on the left has suggested the more vigorous solution of rate regulation. If the government is going to force citizens to buy a private product like heath insurance and taxpayers are going subsidize the premiums of lower income purchasers to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, then the government has to regulate the rates that insurance companies can charge. This is what virtually every state does when it mandates that every driver buy auto liability insurance, which is far less expensive than health insurance. Congress should require that health insurance premiums, and all increases thereto, be regulated by state insurance regulators. But since many state regulators have proven to be overly sympathetic to the insurance companies they regulate (a phenomenon social scientists call "regulatory capture") the federal government should place strict criteria on such state regulation. Among other things, at least 85%-90% of every premium dollar and income from investing premiums must go towards paying for health care with no more than 10-15% allowed for insurance company overhead, marketing, executive salaries, and profits. (Ideally, it would be even better to adopt the Swiss system where private insurance companies are banned from making a profit on a basic health insurance package and can only make a profit on supplementary policies for things like private rooms and cosmetic surgery, but that's not likely to happen.) In addition, if insurance companies are going to benefit from government subsidies, then insurance company executive should receive compensation of not more than $1 million a year. If the government is going to mandate that people buy private insurance and subsidize premiums with taxpayer money, then average CEO salaries of $11.9 million are unconscionable. 2. PUT A TRIGGER ON IMPLEMENTING INDIVIDUAL MANDATES UNTIL INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE AFFORDABLE : If we're going to discuss triggers for the public option, we should be discussing triggers for individual mandates, postponing their implementation until insurance is affordable to average Americans. Without a strong public option that can reduce insurance premiums on day one, mandates are nothing but a giant government subsidy for the insurance industry and a back-door tax on middle class consumers. Economist Dean Baker forcefully made this case in his Huffington Post article, "Are Mandates Mandatory?" "If we can't get a public plan in this round, why should progressives be pushing for a regressive tax that will go into the pockets of the insurance companies and the overpaid CEOs?" Postponing implementation of individual mandates is consistent with Obama's Presidential campaign where he campaigned against Hillary Clinton's support of individual mandates, arguing that there should be no mandates unless health insurance costs are first brought down to affordable levels. To quote directly from the health care plan Obama proposed during the Democratic Primaries: "KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OBAMA'S AND CLINTON'S PROPOSALS: NO INDIVIDUAL MANDATE ". Obama circulated a mailer which criticized Hillary for supporting individual mandates, showing a photo of a couple sitting at a kitchen table, stating "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it". The Obama campaign stated, "Barack Obama believes the reason people don't have health care is that they can't afford it, not that they need to be forced to buy it...Obama strongly believe that meaningful cost reduction measures must take effect before a federal individual health insurance mandate can be considered." This is one of the elements of Obama's campaign that helped him defeat Hillary with the support of liberals and progressives. He's now flip flopped. Since Obama made his campaign promises, insurance premiums have become less affordable, not more affordable, Without a robust public option and without vigorous government regulation of rates, an individual mandate requiring 50 million more Americans to buy private health insurance is all but certain to motivate insurance companies to raise rates even more. Supporting such a mandate is political suicide for Democrats. When the government gives a family making about $65,000 a year the choice of spending over $15,000 a year for a private health insurance policy or paying a fine of $3800, they're going to blame the Democrats. To prevent political disaster and implement simple fairness, Obama should keep his campaign promise that there will be no individual mandates unless and until health insurance is affordable. No American should be forced to buy insurance or pay a fine to the government unless good insurance policies with reasonable co-pays and deductibles are available for no more than 10% of their after tax income. 3. GIVE MEDICARE THE POWER TO NEGOTIATE FOR LOWER DRUG PRICES : Congress must reject the backroom deal that the White House made with big Pharma to continue to ban Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. This deal will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars and directly contradicts numerous Obama campaign promises. As Obama told cheering supporters during the campaign, "We'll tell the pharmaceutical companies, 'Thanks, but no thanks for overpriced drugs'. Drugs that cost twice as much here as they do in Europe and Canada and Mexico. We'll let Medicare negotiate for lower drug prices." The Obama campaign's health care plan promised that it would "Allow Medicare to negotiate cheaper drug prices...Barack Obama and Joe Biden will...use the resulting savings, which could be as high as $310 billion, to further invest in improving health care coverage and quality." The Obama's administration's flip flop on this campaign promise is perhaps the most egregious of all and will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in exchange for a promise by big Pharma to make campaign contributions to Democrats. It flies in the face of everything Obama campaigned on. Any reasonable health reform bill must allow Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. If Congress stands firm, Obama will just have to tell Bill Tauzin and big Pharma, "Nancy Pelosi made me do it". 4. ENSURE THAT DENNIS KUCINICH'S AMENDMENT ALLOWING INDIVIDUAL STATES TO EXPERIMENT WITH A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM STAYS IN THE FINAL LEGLISLATION : Canada's single payer system started in one province--Saskatchewan--and was so popular and successful that it spread to the entire country. If national single payer has been taken off the table, States should at least have the right to try it out, if they choose, and demonstrate whether or not it's better than reforming private insurance. On balance, if the final health reform legislation effectively regulates insurance premiums, puts a trigger on individual mandates until insurance is affordable, lets Medicare negotiate lower drug prices, and allows states to experiment with single payer system, then despite it's serious flaws, it's probably better for Democrats to pass it than do nothing. Without these changes, health care "reform" is little more than a huge government subsidy for the private insurance and drug companies and a back door tax on the middle class and should be defeated. If so, without a robuts public option and without these changes, let's hope at least 39 members of the House Progressive caucus have the courage to stand up to pressure from the Obama White House and keep their promise to block passage of this massive piece of corporate welfare masquerading under the name of "health care reform". More on Health Care
 
Ray Jasper, Soldier's Father, Wrongfully Told Son Killed In Afghanistan Top
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Military officials say they're investigating why an upstate New York man was told his son had been killed in Afghanistan when the soldier was alive and well. Ray Jasper of Niagara Falls says he was camping Sunday when he received a call on his cell phone from a woman who said she was a military liaison. He says the woman told him his son, Staff Sgt. Jesse Jasper, was killed in action Saturday. The father says he later called military officials to get details of his son's death and was told that his son is alive. Ray Jasper says the officials couldn't explain the earlier call. The father says his son called from Afghanistan and said he would talk to his commanding officers about the call reporting his death.
 
'Housewives' Kathryn Joosten's Cancer Returns Top
NEW YORK — Kathryn Joosten (JOO'-sten), who plays the crotchety Karen McCluskey on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," is battling a recurrence of lung cancer. Joosten's publicist, Thomas DeLorenzo, says a spot on the left lung was detected during a recent physical. He says the 69-year-old actress started smoking when she was 16 but quit after her first lung cancer diagnosis in 2001. Joosten wants to alter the perceptions that people with lung cancer did it to themselves. She says that stigma combined with denial that it kills as many as 450 people every day "creates an environment in which no diagnostics or treatments can be developed." Joosten also appeared on "The West Wing." ___ ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. ___ On the Net: http://abc.go.com/shows/desperate-housewives
 
Alvaro Fernandez: Why Is AAA Offering Brain Training to Older Drivers? Top
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a new elderly driver bill to improve driving safety, following a number of unfortunate accidents this year. You can expect a growing number of similar bills in the next few years, given our aging population, and also more focus on preventive measures to help older drivers drive safely as long as possible. An example? The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just started recommending a new "brain training" driver safety program called DriveSharp, developed by Posit Science. DriveSharp is a computerized cognitive assessment and training tool based on Karlene Ball's research on older adults' cognitive fitness and driving. In the press release for the agreement, Peter Kissinger, driver safety research and policy veteran and CEO of the AAA Foundation, says that "Part of making our nation's roads safer is helping mature drivers who wish to stay active -- a quickly growing population -- maintain or improve their driving safety." We have Peter Kissinger with us to discuss the context for this innovative initiative. Question: Peter, I appreciate your time. In order to set the context, would you introduce the role and priorities of the AAA Foundation? Answer: Sure. All your readers will know that AAA is the main driver association in North America, with over 50 million members. The AAA Foundation is focused on the research and policy required to improve driver safety and has 4 strategic priorities: - Introduce a culture of traffic safety. It is an outrage that there is a driving-related death every 13 minutes in the US, and yet, we seem to accept this as status quo. - Improve road safety, especially on rural roads, where almost 60% of the deaths occur. - Improve safety among teens, one of the highest risk groups. - Improve safety among seniors, another high-risk group. Q: In terms of driver-centered interventions, are your priorities teenage and older drivers? A: Yes. You have probably seen the U-shaped risk curve that shows how accident risks are very high among teenagers, then decrease and remain stable until our 60s, and then increase again. We have promoted initiatives such as DriverZED to help teenagers better identify and manage the typical sources of risk, so they advance faster through the learning curve. For older drivers we focus on how to balance the privilege of driving with the right of mobility -- we know that losing driving independence can bring a variety of negative consequences for the individual. Q: Given aging population trends, it is clear we need to introduce better systems to balance those two goals you just outlined -- safety and mobility. Do you think as a society we are prepared? A: I don't think we are, and I am pessimistic that we will be in the short term. This is a very important problem: official estimates say that the proportion of all drivers who are over 65 years of age will grow from 15% today to 25% in 2025. Let me give you some background: two years ago we put together a workshop to identify the state of the research and the state of the practice of driver safety among older adults. The main conclusion was that the current system of licensing is inadequate, inconsistent and does not reflect the research available. For example, age per se is not the most meaningful indicator of driver safety since different people inside the same age group may have different levels of cognitive ability that influence their driving fitness. The problem is that this is a very sensitive arena: the performance of agencies such as the DMV is often measured by how long people have to wait in line, how fast and easily they can renew their driving license, if the process works by mail, etc....so it is going to be tough for any politician to challenge this state of things and introduce serious initiatives based on better driving fitness screening and assessment tools. Some states like Maryland and California are leading innovation based on recent research; but it remains to be seen if their best practices will be adopted more widely. Q: Innovation will probably spread faster when presented as a preventive intervention to maintain driver fitness, such as what the AAA Foundation just announced with Posit Science. Can you explain the rationale for your initiative? A: Exactly. The main characteristics of the problem are obvious to anyone involved in driver safety research. The challenge is what we can do about it. At the Foundation we evaluated many potential interventions, from screening tools to getting the medical community more engaged, before deciding to promote a computerized cognitive screening and training program such as DriveSharp. We decided to recommend DriveSharp for two reasons. First, it is validated both as a screening tool of driver safety and as a training tool of cognitive functions (useful field of view, speed of processing) that are critical for driving especially among older adults. Second, the technology makes it highly scalable -- many drivers can easily access the benefits at an affordable cost. We really believe, based on the research we have seen, that this program can help reduce the crash rates among older drivers, but we of course need to analyze how many of AAA's 51 million members (and other drivers) end up using it and what benefits they will get. Past research has shown we should expect to see a 50% reduction in at-fault crash risk for those that complete the program. Q: Assuming the results are as good as you expect, what would be some logical next steps for policy makers and auto insurers? A: I think that insurance companies will start to see the value of these programs quickly and will offer them for free or at a deep discount to their members because they will understand the direct financial benefits from doing so -- the financial benefits of having safer drivers. It will take a while for policy-makers to catch up. But I do believe that in the longer term we will see this type of technology introduced as part of the mainstream licensing process. This interview was originally published in SharpBrains.com . Alvaro Fernandez is the Co-Author of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness (May 2009, $24.95), the first consumer guide that reviews the science behind brain training games. You can Order this brain fitness book at Amazon.com . Alvaro has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN and more. He holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University. More on Insurance Companies
 
Erica Abeel: Toronto's Celebration of Women Filmmakers Top
Besides offering a smackdown of corporate culture, this year's Toronto Film Festival also offers an impressive number of films by women. A partial list includes Bright Star by Jane Campion, An Education by Lone Scherfig, Vision by Margarethe von Trotta, The Vintner's Luck by Niki Caro, and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller. Already, there's Oscar buzz surrounding Campion's film, as well as Education star Carey Mulligan. My favorite from women filmmakers so far is Campion's Bright Star , a cinematic tone poem about the love between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and girl next door Fanny Brawne (Abby Cornish). The film's visuals and sensibility are so exquisite, they flirt with the sublime. And though a period piece, Star bears no trace of Merchant Ivory or Masterpiece Theater. Campion has conceived the film as a series of stanzas in a poem, separated by fades to black. There's little plot beyond the couple's escalating intimacy, though Fanny has more of an arc, evolving from flirtatious minx, as Keats calls her, to a woman whose passion for the poet embraces his work. To judge by all the figures bathed from the left in a light source, Campion has looked at a lot of Vermeer. In fact, the film is light-besotted, conveying a couple's longing through the whites of winter, the pales of morning, doomy dusks, the tender glow of spring. Campion has chosen a risky path here and largely succeeded, in a film that is decidedly feminine in its delicate power. As luck would have it, at the screening I attended the film unspooled upside down at the climactic moment, the actors speaking in what sounded like Icelandic. The folks behind the projector must have been texting or something and only the hoots from the audience halted the screening. I'll happily see the film again. I hear the ending is the loveliest part of all. At the start of Vision , a bio pic about a medieval German nun by feminist auteur Margarethe von Trotta, the guys sitting to either side of me dove into their BlackBerries. I myself was not too thrilled to spend two hours in the Dark Ages, but I was quickly grabbed by the remarkable story of Benedictine Hildegarde von Bingen (the great Barbara Sukowa), a scientist, healer, author and visionary who was a Renaissance woman before the Renaissance. Insisting she has a direct line to God, Hildegarde risks incurring the dangerous anger of church elders, who think of her as the tool of the devil and excellent tinder for the stake. The more her enemies attempt to thwart her plans to establish her own cloister, the more radical she becomes, Sukowa's sapphire eyes sparkling with mischief and defiance. Reversing the stereotype of the female disciple, Hildegarde's sidekick is a loyal monk. Though von Trotta focuses on a medieval cloister, her film speaks to communities of women everywhere. Another gift brought by this year's crop of women-centered films is the expanded notion of feminine beauty. Close-ups of the youthful perfection of Carey Mulligan in Education and Abby Cornish in Star contrast with the more seasoned beauty of Barbara Sukowa in Vision . I know, it's politically correct to say middle-aged Sukowa's face has more character. But in fact, she is also, quite simply, more radiantly beautiful than the others.
 
Keanu Reeves Recalls Swayze As 'A Beautiful Person' Top
When Patrick Swayze was given a task, not only did he deliver to the fullest but he had a blast in the process, recalls onetime costar Keanu Reeves about Swayze, who succumbed to cancer on Monday. "There was some sky diving sequences in this film we did together and as filming was going on it came to be that Patrick was jumping out of airplanes all the time," Reeves recalled of their 1991 movie Point Break. "I think he had over 30 jumps during the course of filming and so the production served him with a cease and desist which he listened to until they got to Hawaii."
 
Leslie Pratch, Ph.D.: Job Fit V: Applications of Stratified Systems Theory Top
Let's go back and see if this information can help make sense of the problems described at the beginning. Jim's case is an easy one. He was comfortable in a Stratum IV position because he had reached a cognitive level four. But he had not reached cognitive level five when he was promoted to a Stratum V role. He wasn't able to compare the systems of one factory with that of another and articulate problems and solutions at that multi-factory level. That's also why he couldn't make sense of all the information and advice that his staff provided; it was too disparate, requiring a Stratum V ability to make comparisons, see relations, and articulate the results. Could Jim have been better prepared for the job? No, because it wasn't a matter of increasing a skill or acquiring more information. It is possible he could grow into the role, depending on where he is on his lifelong mode of cognitive development and, therefore, what his potential is. If so, it would have been better not to promote him until he had reached Stratum V. What went wrong in the company that cut the fat? In cutting out middle managers, sometimes a manager was left supervising subordinates who were two cognitive levels below her own. That's why the subordinates couldn't carry out the projects she offered; Stratum III subordinates were being offered Stratum IV assignments by a Stratum V boss. There are two major areas in which one can use Stratified Systems Theory to manage more effectively. Diagnosing Problems . Jaques concepts provide a valuable method for diagnosing many problems, as the examples above show, and as will be shown by subsequent examples. Here are some of the problems that may involve the mismatch of individual cognitive power with work stratum: 1. Subordinates feel bored, overworked, burned out, or frustrated by organizational barriers. 2. Unacceptable employee turnover, especially of creative personnel. 3. Failure of previously successful managers in roles for which they were carefully selected. 4. Problems with delegation. 5. Subordinates who feel that their boss isn't really the boss and report instead to the boss's boss. 6. Proliferation of levels and roles and the problem of how to cut layers without killing the company. 7. Problems with reorganization, centralization, or decentralization. Remember that cognitive power is only one component of work capacity. The above problems can also arise from organizational causes or from the individual's character. But the role of cognitive power in job performance tends to be overlooked, so one needs to make special effort to take it into account. Selection and Development . These tasks are united by a common factor: the need to determine job fit. By now we know that cognitive power and work stratum are keys to job fit. For selection, this is obvious. For development, determining what mode a person's cognitive development is following helps to map out a realistic career path for the person. It is also important to identify the limits of a person's potential and help him find the position where he can make his best contribution. That may sound patronizing but the alternative is to give someone a promotion he can't handle. Below is an example of how Stratified Systems Theory was applied in a task involving selection for promotion. Succession Planning Application The CEO of a medium-sized manufacturing company was preparing for the retirement of his executive vice president. He assembled a group of executives in the company who were potential successors to the EVP. All had been successful up to that point; they had made money for the company and had shown competence in their roles. But how could the CEO tell who would be able, not only to do the EVP job, but also to succeed the CEO himself when he retired some five years down the road? The CEO was operating successfully at Stratum VI. Stratum VI involves leading a number of separate business units or divisions toward a corporate goal and interacting widely to keep in touch with and influence events that affect the organization. The CEO's concerns were for the company's adaptation to increasing competition and globalization, the need for more effective marketing and expertise (and depth) within the organization, the need for a more sophisticated and flexible technical staff, and top management's ability to recognize and support appropriate new technologies. These are goals with a 10-20-year time span. They are Stratum VI tasks. The EVP had to carry out long-term policies that the CEO and the board decided. In this organization, this was a Stratum V role. So the CEO had to figure out which of his candidates could operate at Stratum V. That wasn't the only criterion; the EVP had to have certain interpersonal skills and certain knowledge and experience. But those skills and knowledge would be to no avail without Level V cognitive power. None of the candidates was in a Stratum V role, so the CEO needed to discover if one of the candidates was at cognitive level five with a level six potential, and therefore ready to assume a Stratum V role now and subsequently a Stratum VI role. Stratum V work requires shaping or reshaping a whole business unit in response to threats and opportunities constantly impinging form the outside environment. So the CEO, during interviews, asked each of the candidates what threats and opportunities the candidate foresaw, and what he would do about them. One candidate was 47 years old and currently managing the company's largest product line. He had been very successful shifting marketing efforts from one line to another as demand shifted, so as to keep a good market share for whatever product was selling best. In answer to the CEO's question, this man foresaw new competitors, increasing costs of materials, and the continuation of a five-year decline in the industry. He also mentioned the public's resentment of pollution, since an outspoken environmentalist had just been elected governor. "What would he do about these threats?" Competing more effectively would mean heavy investment in new technology, although that would be hard with business shrinking. As for pollution, he would meet the appropriate heads of agencies and perhaps launch a public relations campaign. "What about opportunities?" the CEO asked again. The candidate replied that tough times were shakeout times in any industry. He intended to be a survivor by encouraging early attrition and if necessary by one major round of layoffs. What did this interview tell the CEO? This candidate's approach to problems is generally to discern trends and match responses to them, such as a marketing blitz or a layoff. He can come up with ways to do what needs to be done, but he does not think of entirely new things to do. He does not respond to events outside the company until they directly affect the company by changing its sales figures. This man is operating at level four. He can manage several activities at once, making the necessary trade-offs among resources. If put in a Stratum V role, he would deal well with the most immediate problems but he would eventually be overtaken by the major changes in his industry. The second candidate had made a name for himself early in his career by bringing about an impressive increase in productivity at a small factory. He was then moved from factory to factory, improving productivity at each. Finally, he proposed that a new role be created in which he could improve productivity throughout all the company's factories, rather than doing so one by one. This was the role he held now, at age 45. This man listed the same threats as the first candidate, but he summarized by saying that unless the industry became more innovative and creative it might in a few decades, render itself obsolete, like the old sawmill standing on a river near one of the company's plants. As for opportunities, he saw the environmentalist governor as a golden opportunity for the company to clean up its act and get a lot of good publicity for it without having to blow its own horn, because the press would be focusing on the issue anyway. Bringing the company out of a defensive position and into a heroic one would bring a large boost in morale, which could then be directed into the modernization needed to compete more effectively. He saw the industry-wide slump as a chance to talk other companies into co-marketing projects, whose time, he felt, had come. Perhaps cooperating on some environmental measures would help the top managements of a few companies develop the personal and organizational bonds that would then make co-marketing workable. This candidate's answers are just what the CEO should be looking for. This man sees threats to the company as part of a coherent pattern in a broader context. They needn't be attacked piecemeal, but by means of an overall concept or theory, embracing a number of technological, political, and financial efforts. He would, in effect, change the company's mission and the way it relates to its competition. Reshaping a whole business system in that fashion is what Stratum V work is all about. The third candidate was also a product manager and gave answers similar to the first man's indicating Stratum IV. But before passing him by for the job, let's look at developmental modes. The first candidate is 47. He is in Mode V. In about five years, he will move up from Stratum IV to Stratum V, but he will never move up to Stratum VI. So he could be EVP in five years, but could not go on to succeed the CEO, which is what the CEO wants the next EVP to do. The second candidate is 45; he is in Mode VI. He can handle the EVP role now and will be at level six in his early fifties, in time to succeed the present CEO according to plan. The third candidate is only 42. He too is in Mode VI. He will move up to Stratum V at around age 47 and up to Stratum VI at around 57. This man is therefore a potential successor to the next EVP and should be developed by top management as such. Despite the fact that all three candidates have comparable records of success, the second is ready to be EVP, the third will be ready in about five years if properly prepared, the first never will be.
 
Rep. Earl Blumenauer: Proudly Changing my Position on DOMA Top
On July 12, 1996 I cast the worst vote of my political career. Having served in public office since 1973, that says something. While I've made other mistakes, this was different: it was a deliberate vote that I knew to be poor public policy and was against my values. I've been a strong champion of civil rights and protections based on sexual orientation since I chaired the first legislative hearing on anti-discrimination legislation in 1973. Even worse, this vote was cast after careful consideration. Having given it much thought, I was convinced that by voting for this one federal statute against the recognition of same-sex marriage, it would somehow take the steam out of the Newt Gingrich-Tom Delay Congress, which was using the homophobic right-wing agenda to mobilize their base at the expense of millions of gay, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual Americans. My hope was to simply move on and get to more pressing business at hand, including smaller steps for equality based on sexual orientation, like legislation against employment discrimination. Since I was an outspoken supporter of anti-discrimination, I assumed that my calculations would be understood by my friends in the community and that we would lay this obnoxious political vendetta to rest. Wrong on all counts. It should have been obvious to me that we would not be able to quell this assault based on sexual orientation. Far from stopping it, this vote fed the bigotry. Once Congress had put its imprimatur on DOMA, it was a logical step for the homophobes and political cynics to intensify their efforts and make permanent a ban on gay marriage in both the U.S. and state constitutions - spawning many state initiatives and intensifying the assault. As for the expectation that my friends, allies, and supporters within the community would understand my vote, that too was fundamentally flawed. Friends gay and straight were perplexed, confused, and hurt. Logical political calculation - after all, I'm the "political expert" - made no sense. First of all, I was fundamentally wrong about how the politics would play out, but it was also flawed on a more basic level. Here I was making political calculations on the basis of other people's civil rights and identity as human beings. The ultimate arrogance in this - even had my calculations turned out right (which they weren't) - was just wrong. The good news is that out of this painful episode for me and our country, much progress has occurred. The right-wing's march to define "traditional marriage" has stalled and created its own backlash. The broader community was subjected to their vitriol and mean-spiritedness, and tides started to move the other way. It's been a non-issue for those under 35, but now more and more Americans support marriage for all. The issue that was not on the radar screen for the GLBT community is now at the top of the list. Rather than having states prohibit same-sex marriage, now - starting with Massachusetts - we have states like Iowa moving the other way. Many other states are moving aggressively with domestic partnerships, and it is merely a matter of time before all citizens are accorded the right to marry their partner and be accorded the legal protections and ceremony currently granted only to heterosexual couples. The politics are also working in the other direction, the most interesting example being the defeat of Marilyn Musgrave, the champion of a federal constitutional amendment that would have prohibited same-sex marriage. The debate has energized other aspects of the civil rights agenda: from hate crimes and employment practices to immigration and family law. There is growing momentum to repeal the odious and destructive "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that has actually weakened our military, denying it services of outstanding men and women while at the same time infringing on the rights of thousands of soldiers based on their sexual orientation. Now there is the opportunity to deal with DOMA itself. This week, Congressman Nadler has introduced legislation to repeal it, and I am proud to be a co-sponsor. I long ago recognized and acknowledged the mistake I made, and I have spent time understanding the problems in my thinking and analysis. It has resulted in frank and important conversations with many gay and lesbian friends, and if anything it has strengthened my commitment to the cause of banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and has made me a better lawmaker. I will work to make sure that my colleagues who once, for whatever reason, joined me in supporting this ill-advised measure take this opportunity to correct their record and eliminate an injustice.
 
Paul Szep: The Daily Szep -- The New Low or the New Standard Top
 
Jarvis Coffin: Michael Moore says "good riddance" to newspapers Top
For whatever reason, while at the Toronto International Film Festival Michael Moore departed briefly from promoting his new film, "Capitalism: A Love Story", to hold forth on the demise of newspapers in the U.S. Elsewhere in the world, he said, newspapers are supported first by the readers, then by advertising. Not in the U.S. Here, he complained, newspapers have allowed their greed for advertising revenue to trump quality journalism dedicated to a core audience willing to pay. The result: inflated newspaper enterprises with unsustainable distribution and too many customers that don't care. And, then, the death spiral that starts with chopping-off reporting arms and legs, which leads to newspapers that are less relevant and valuable, etc, etc. Says Michael Moore, "Anytime you say that the people who read your newspaper are secondary to the business community, you've lost." "Good riddance", he says. Well, minus the "Good riddance", I'd have to agree, at least with the proposition that newspapers lost track of their core customer. But don't stop with newspapers. It's true about most media, which have permitted the substitution of advertisers for consumers as the most important customer in their business model. It has led, in turn, to the steady erosion of relevancy in pursuit of lower common denominators in order to maximize reach. There is something about all businesses that compels them to want to grow and that almost always, eventually, leads them away from core competencies and over the edge. That's for another time and place. Media-wise, while I'm not in love with his stuff as a film maker, Michael Moore cuts close to the truth: fundamentally, newspapers (I'd say, all media) have lost track of their most important customer: the audience. Moore goes on about Republicans and the Department of Education and I glaze over. We all must recognize that illiteracy is a serious problem, but newspapers aren't suffering because of an illiterate population. There are still plenty of people to buy, read and comprehend newspapers. Newspapers and media are suffering from a habitual desire to stuff themselves. They are, simply, overweight - another greedy, cultural phenomenon of America to which Mr. Moore could have drawn parallels, but did not. Never mind. His point is well-taken. Please watch Mr. Moore's press conference and before his arguments fade please then point to TechCrunch.com to catch-up on the discussions that went on at the Tech Crunch 50 Conference (TC50) in San Francisco this week, specifically the panel called, "'Creating scarcity, value and brand protection as we face limitless ad inventory". Nearly a continent away, panelist Ross Levinsohn of 5 to 1 channels the thoughts of Michael Moore and connects the dots: "In many ways", he is quoted as saying on the panel, "I think the Internet has killed itself to a degree because there was a notion that I will just add another page without maximizing the premium spots." I think we've seen this movie . More on Newspapers
 
Hickenlooper Cuts $160 Million From Libraries, Cops, Other City Services Top
To close a $160 million budget gap, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper plans to slash library hours, privatize four recreation centers, use $40 million in reserves and will freeze salaries and institute furlough days for all city workers. "There isn't any department in the city that hasn't gone through gut-wrenching decisions," said Claude Pumilia, the mayor's chief financial officer.
 
President Obama Ties Reform To Rebuilding Middle Class Top
PITTSBURGH -- President Barack Obama delivered his most strongly worded speech in defense of organized labor since taking office - tying health care reform into his broader promise to rebuild the middle class and blue-collar America.
 
Lea Lane: Seven Tips on Traveling with Your Pet Top
Want to roam the world with Fido? (Kitty may be tougher; find a good sitter or cattery, as most cats don't enjoy moving around unless it's to a familiar second home, or such.). The Travel Industry Association (TIA) reports that about 15 percent of us travel with pets - around 40 million households. Size matters On the road a small pet can be more fun, with less effort. I place my cat Sweetie in front of my seat on a plane in a special soft carrier bag, twice a year. Most airlines allow several pets in a cabin for each flight, but they must remain in their bags, and you'll need to reserve and pay a fee of at least $50, one-way. Check rules, too. Many lodgings only allow pets less than 20 pounds. So if you travel lots and have a Yorkie or Maltese, you're in luck. If Hamlet, the Great Dane, is already a member of your family, to be is probably not to be - unless you're staying on the road. (You could go the RV or camping route with a big dog--but hey, this is your vacation. Is that what you really want to do?) One Fido is enough Many lodgings won't allow more than one pet, and can you blame them? And having to deal with eight-legs and two black noses can be a bit much even for seasoned travelers. Know your puppy's personality. Retrievers are gentle but rambunctious; chihuhuas are tiny but trembly. If your dog tends to act out, run away, shiver or bark a lot, think twice before booking a ticket. You expect a "time-out" from a terrier who's wired to run and yap. Learn transport info I once lost my poodle, Apricot, when Delta airlines said he had never been placed in cargpo on a flight from Miami to New York. Seems they overlooked him de-planing, and Apricot flew on to Hawaii! He was returned a day later, dazed, and seemed to have had enough of tropical paradises, thank you very much. To avoid my predicament, check the pet travel guidelines posted online by the Air Transport Association, www.airtransport.org . As for cars, use the same sorts of caution as you would with a child--lots of breaks, no leaving the pet in a closed car, water available. You know. Buses, trains and cruise ships don't encourage pets, although the Queen Mary 2 has luxury kennels. Choose pet-friendly accommodations Some of the world's ritziest lodgings cater to travelers with pets. Pet-friendly chains include Four Seasons, Starwood, Hilton, Loews, Sheraton, Marriott, Holiday Inn and Ramada. Many other hotels and B&Bs and inns will also welcome Fido, knowing how many of us bring pets along. Even if you find accommodations on a pet-friendly list, be sure to double check. And be prepared to stay on a pet floor or in a pet-designated room. Nowadays many places go all out to provide VIP doggy delights. Many offer bowls, treats and walking areas., and some go all out. The St. Regis hotel in LA offers Fido a customized mahogany bed with down pillows, and special poolside lounges. Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos Mexico offer special patios and doggy massages, a dog cabana and full-time chef for custom meals. Go know. Dine with doggy At cafes and restaurants with open-air dining areas, Fido may be a welcome guest, under the table. So if you want to dine with your pet, sit al fresco and enjoy. (Think Lincoln Road, where there seem to be as many dogs as humans.) Room service and picnicking are other options. Overseas, dining rules are sometimes more lax. Do bring your dog's favorite food and bowl, and consider bottled water, wherever you eat. Doggie tummies can get turista too. And on that note, prepare for pooper-scooping at all times, and think ahead for doggy relief areas. Prepare for pitfalls. Dogs can be great travel companions, who don't hog the sheets and insist on pay-per view, but they sometimes slobber, sniff, chew, and pass gas at the wrong place and time. (Then again, so do two-legged companions.) You do have to walk them, get someone to do it, or cross your fingers with newspaper spread on the floor. You may have to pay a lodging deposit for damages -- and you may lose it. Your entertainment, or lack thereof, may be subject to Fido's needs. Download info on pet quarantine, and health requirements: www.aphis.gov ; www.customs.gov ; and www.state.gov . All offer info about traveling with pets, when requested. And you can always google "pets/travel." In fact ... depending on the type of vacation you choose, and how much you adore your pet, you may decide a good kennel isn't all that bad. Or, a staycation with Fido. More on Cats
 
Francine Hardaway: The Truth About Medicare Top
Now that Obama has given his speech about health care, people are actively talking about their horrible experiences with Medicare and wondering if the "public option" will produce care for everybody that's as bad as what they've seen their own aging relatives  receive. These examples, however, show me there's a profound misunderstanding about what Medicare (or any public program) does. Here it is in simple terms: Medicare writes the checks. It doesn't operate on the wrong leg, over-radiate a cancer patient, miss a cancer, or give people too many prescriptions. That's the job of the provider, who is hamstrung by a larger problem, which is lack of continuity of care. And there's also a shortage of doctors. Here's what Medicare is designed to do: provide a safety net for catastrophic illness. That's all. It covers mainly hospitalization, although you can buy a supplement that takes care of co-pays, tests and doctor visits, and another supplement that covers prescription drugs. I have fancy Medicare and supplements by AARP; everything is covered, For this I pay $132 a month. I pay a premium for Medicare part D, the drug plan, of $47.74 a month. I can go to any doctor I want. At age 65, I had a hip replacement, no waiting, for which the bills totaled nearly $50,000. I paid only for the special physical therapy I wanted that was beyond what I really needed (I wanted to go back to athletics and yoga). I have no complaints about Medicare. It covers a lot more than the insurance I had just one year previously, when in the same good health I paid $600 a month with a $1000 deductible. And I have chosen my providers with care. I get good treatment from people who treat me well. But that's because I've taken the time to learn the system, evaluate doctors, and look up information. You see, folks, there are three players in any health care transaction–the payer, the provider, and the patient. All three have a responsibility. As the patient, your responsibility is to take care of yourself and to be informed and to be realistic. Waiting? That's the provider. How busy is he/she? Family practice, internists and pediatricians are very busy because there aren't enough of them.  And there aren't enough of them because they don't make enough money to pay off their medical school debts by going into primary care. Negligence? That's the provider, too. Medicare doesn't mark the wrong leg for surgery or fail to diagnose an illness. That's between the patient and the provider. Kicked out of the hospital before you think you are well? Private insurance kicks people out of the hospital just as quickly as Medicare does, and often more quickly. So when you have a beef with the health care system, which we all do, at least lay the blame in the right place. It doesn't matter who pays the bill. It's who does the job. When the government pays the bill, the entire "business" side of the issue gets taken care of more efficiently with less waste and expense. Glossary : Payer : Establishes coverage guidelines Juggles available funds to decide how much money is spent per patient per life Decides if it is a hospital treatment (Medicare) or an outpatient treatment that's paid for Gives money to provider for the treatment [Medicare pays more over the life of a patient and includes more treatments than almost anything else because it doesn't have to be profitable] Provider : Doctor or nurse or hospital or outpatient facility. That's who makes you wait, doesn't have automated records, makes you fill out forms over and over, and sometimes mis-diagnoses things because he/she is only a human being Patient : The person who receives the treatment and should know all this, but often doesn't. The person who likes to blame others for lifestyle choices that have to be corrected by the health care system at great cost to society
 
Marshall Auerback: Why Government Spending Is the Solution, Not the Problem Top
Hundreds of thousands of people marched to the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, carrying signs with slogans such as "Obamacare makes me sick" as they protested the president's health care plan and our so-called "out-of-control spending." The marchers were chanting "enough, enough" and "We the People." Others, channeling their inner Joe Wilson, screamed "You lie, you lie!" while waving U.S. flags and the now omnipresent images of Obama as Hitler, or Obama as the Joker, along with the usual placards decrying the "march to socialism." And the reaction against the expansion of the state is by no means restricted to America, nor to people concerned about health care. According to the London Sunday Times, voters are overwhelmingly in favor of public spending cuts rather than tax increases to close the budget "black hole." Sixty percent want to shrink the size of the state to curb the 175 billion pound deficit amid mounting government disarray over the public finances. Naturally, there is also growing support for this line of thinking in the financial community, despite having successfully received tens of trillions of dollars. Even deeply-insolvent institutions are on board. Beyond Deficit and Solvency Myths The large banks and brokers lobbied for special treatment and got it; they manipulated government legislation for their own ends. To the extent that government spending is being used to prop up these economic zombies, we sympathize with the prevailing orthodoxy. However, we believe that the principle opposition to increased government spending is predicated on the simplistic notion that the same government that has driven social security and Medicare to bankruptcy and national ruin is about to do the same with health care. Ultimately, objections to fiscal activism always come back to what we have been saying for a long time: namely, the need to get past the deficit myths and wrongheaded notions of "national solvency" so that we can move forward in other areas. In the words of economist Bill Mitchell of the University of Newcastle, Australia: Within a modern monetary economy, as a matter of national accounting, the sovereign government deficit (surplus) equals the non-government surplus (deficit)....In aggregate, there can be no net savings of financial assets of the non-government sector without cumulative government deficit spending. The sovereign government via net spending (deficits) is the only entity that can provide the non-government sector with financial assets (net savings) and thereby simultaneously accommodate any net desire to save and hence eliminate unemployment. A seemingly growing populist drive toward a return to fiscal orthodoxy follows a stream of similar pronouncements from Wall Street, the Fed, the European Central Bank and the OECD, all of whom are legitimizing a campaign against further public spending and mobilizing support for "exit strategies" as they confidently pronounce the end of the recession. Implicit is the view that somewhere along the line, ongoing government involvement in the "free market" reaches a tipping point where fiscal "intrusions" no longer act as a stabilizing force, but instead impede the natural tendency of the market to equilibrate to recovery. The major hypothesis is that any time the government is involved in the economy, eventually things go bad. But markets do not self-regulate in ways that avoid major financial upheavals and activist government is required as a counterbalancing force. Read the rest of the argument on NewDeal2.0 . More on Health Care
 
Play Doh Launches Terrifying Ad Campaign (PHOTOS) Top
Via Uggly Doggy comes Play Doh ads from Singapore that want to remind parents that no matter what your kids do with Play Dog, it's always safe. Of course, they are a little twisted.
 
Whoopi Goldberg Cries Over Patrick Swayze On "The View" Top
AP Text , Video from "The View" via UsMagazine.com LOS ANGELES — Whoopi Goldberg and her co-hosts on "The View" paid tribute to Patrick Swayze on Tuesday, with his "Ghost" co-star choking back tears as she remembered him fondly as a brave fighter and a gracious colleague. Swayze died Monday evening, surrounded by family at his Los Angeles ranch, after a 20-month fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. "This was a well-fought battle. Patrick fought like the dickens to survive it, or to get through it. He never thought of himself as someone who was dying," Goldberg said Tuesday on the ABC morning talk show. "He said, `You know, we're all dying.' And so his attitude was, `Until it kills me, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. ... "He worked, he did his show, he just was a cat that never gave up," she added. "I would like to be able to be that. I would like to have that bravery." WATCH: Goldberg also showed a clip of herself with Swayze in "Ghost," the 1990 film that earned her a supporting-actress Oscar. She played daffy psychic Oda Mae Brown, who helps Swayze's character communicate with his fiancee (Demi Moore) from the great beyond. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Because of Patrick Swayze, I got that movie, `Ghost,'" she said. "Because of Patrick Swayze, I have an Oscar." But she also revealed his playful side: "He would do stuff. He would be off to the side – you know, 'cause they'd have a camera on me – he'd moon me, it was the greatest." Co-host Barbara Walters shared her own anecdotes of her time with Swayze, whom she interviewed alongside his wife, Lisa, at their ranch in January. "I had the, I guess the honor – and it makes me very sad – of doing what was, what has become, the last interview with Patrick Swayze," Walters said. She recalled that he was working on his memoir with his wife, titled "The Time of My Life," in honor of the popular song from his film "Dirty Dancing." Swayze also continued shooting the A&E drama series "The Beast" toward the end of his life. In a clip she showed from the interview, Walters asked Swayze about whether he talked to his late father, to whom he was very close, which immediately choked up the actor. "You devil dog," he said, smiling and looking away. "Yeah, I talk to my dad. I like to believe that I've got a lot of guardian warriors sittin' on my shoulder including my dad. ... I'm trying to shut up and let my angels speak to me and tell me what I'm supposed to do." Among the other tributes that are piling up for Swayze: _ Fans were leaving flowers, candles and cards on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is on Hollywood Boulevard outside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. _ Larry King planned to do a tribute to Swayze on his CNN program, airing at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday. _ ABC planned to re-air Walters' interview with Swayze, along with new material, at 10 p.m. EDT Tuesday. _ Spike TV was scheduled to show the Swayze action flick "Road House" at 10 p.m. EDT Saturday. More on The View
 
John Knefel: The False Premise That Obama Wants A Public Option Top
This sentence, and this sentence alone, tells you what was the goal and end result of Obama's speech to Congress. The NY Times is reporting: "The day after the nationally televised address, in which Mr. Obama signaled that he could accept an alternative to a government-run insurance plan, influential Democrats who previously seemed wedded to the public insurance option hinted that they, too, might be flexible ."[emphasis added.] Success! What an awesome speech that was, about transcendence, and moral imperatives. Lose one for Teddy! The problem with the debate liberals are having over health care is simple, and yet that's what makes it so frustrating. Those who support a public option, but also give Obama the benefit of the doubt, are operating from a false premise. Namely, they assume that he actually wants a bill that contains a public option . Why is anybody (or, more correctly, virtually everybody) assuming this to be the case? Because he says he does? Since when did taking elected officials at their word become a hallmark of the left? As the great Izzy Stone said, " all governments lie ." Obama says he favors the public option, but what actions -- not rhetoric -- serve as evidence for this claim? There are none. And, in fact, there is ample evidence to lead one to believe the opposite is true, that Obama is in fact getting exactly the bill he wants. Obama kowtowed to insurance and pharmaceutical companies; Rahm "the trigger" Emmanuel told progressive that they're "fucking stupid" for criticizing Blue Dogs. There has been no pressure on sex escort Max Baucus to produce a better bill, or to use the Democratic majority in the Senate to craft something better than what the "Gang of 6" will be capable of. And, financially speaking, the Democrats have now signaled to insurance and pharmaceutical companies that they can be trusted to maintain the status quo, and, in fact, actually deliver more business to those companies through individual mandates without a public option, so there is no danger of those companies scaling back any of their massive campaign funding during the next election cycle. To assume that Obama wants the public option based only on rhetoric is the height of idiocy. Do we assume a husband loves his wife simply because he says he does, despite years of infidelity? No, we don't. We judge him or her by their actions, and any one who doesn't use that standard is rightly accused of being naive. We have to remember that just because a politician gives the appearance of supporting a certain policy, in no way does that prove anything about what he or she may actually desire. That is not new or unique to Obama, it's just the nature of public service, which is why someone like Kucinich deserves praise -- because he said he's in favor of single payer, and then introduced a bill that would allow states on an individual basis to adopt that system if they so choose. That's what actual advocacy looks like. If the last 8 years should have taught us anything, it's that placing trust in elected officials without sufficient evidence to do so is asking for catastrophe. If we as progressives truly want to understand what forces are driving the health care debate, then we must start by acknowledging the sad fact that, based on actions, not rhetoric, it appears that Obama may end up getting exactly what he wants. More on Health Care
 
Erica Heinz: Finding the Perfect Yoga for You Top
People are always asking me what kind of yoga they should do, which studios I like, and who's the best teacher in New York. I've wandered around NYC studios for about seven years, so I guess I know a few proper nouns. It can be hard to sort through the Sanskrit. Should you start Bikram to sweat out your toxins? Or Anusara to "open your heart"? Maybe Vinyasa, to get strong and flexible. Or Kundalini, to balance your glands! Iyengar, Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Sivananda -- what's right for you? Here's the secret: just go. A studio close to your office? Great, you'll go more often. A studio with amazing architecture? Great, you'll be uplifted while you're there. A studio with the best deals in town? Great, you'll have extra cash to spend on retreats. Any class will teach you something about yourself. You'll learn some poses you love, and some you hate. Maybe you'll figure out why you love or hate challenges or change. You'll find some strengths, and some weaknesses. If you're really paying attention you'll notice the mental ones, too. You'll add a few more sensations to your kinesthetic vocabulary. You'll take some nice, deep breaths (or quick, short, strong ones) and get a little vacation from your stress. And of course the movement -- the massage for your muscles and glands -- will do you good. When everything is socially networked, we sometimes forget to explore. If I'd waited for a friend to tell me which class to take, I'd have missed the relaxation class that brought tears to my eyes (Fish Pose) and got me into yoga. I'd have skipped the Pilates substitute who realigned my shoulders. I'd have walked past the open house at Atmananda, where I ended up doing my teacher training. Sometimes we don't know, or can't articulate, what we need. Random jumps can illuminate an area in shadow, and invigorate our regular practice. I've gone to belly dance classes, and found my hips. Salsa classes, and found my toes. Core classes moved me from center; AcroYoga broke down my walls. And Vinyasa keeps teaching me to stand on my own two hands. I didn't know I had some of these movements in me. Who knows what evil lurks inside of you? Yoga practice is like wine appreciation -- the best way to learn is to taste. Build a vocabulary of the adjectives and nouns you like, and gradually refine your palette. Tastes change, of course. My favorite teachers and styles have changed many times as I've changed cities, changed jobs, and aged. Studios change month to month, as teachers and students come and go. And there is a therapeutic aspect to yoga; you might eventually choose medicine over Montepulciano. But you'll only start learning once you start. If the price of a city class gives you pause, try to see it as a charitable donation. You're investing in a small business that's putting healthy options out there for you and your neighbors (and getting your daily endorphins to boot). Take a risk; reallocate your martini dollars into a local wellness fund. If the martini dollars are all dried up, look for one of the many free, work exchange, or community (discounted) classes around town. You'll reap heaps of health and social benefits. One last thing. Some of you/us are already hyperactive (I don't mean that in a bad way), and don't need encouragement to be impulsive or curious. Maybe you want to reflect, and focus your energy before you move again. Maybe you head to your local bookstore instead of class this time. The important thing is to express, not obstruct, that energy to act. If your gut is itching to do yoga, don't let your head get in the way. Just go! More on Yoga
 
Marissa Moss: HuffPost 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
Senator Jay Rockefeller, speaking Tuesday afternoon on a conference call co-sponsored with the Campaign for America's Future: "I have sat besides max baucus for 22 years on the Finance Committee. ... I'm probably one of his best friend among democrats. But I cannot agree with him on this bill. ... There is no way in present form I will vote for it. Therefore, I will not vote for it unless it changes during the amendment process by vast amounts."
 

CREATE MORE ALERTS:

Auctions - Find out when new auctions are posted

Horoscopes - Receive your daily horoscope

Music - Get the newest Album Releases, Playlists and more

News - Only the news you want, delivered!

Stocks - Stay connected to the market with price quotes and more

Weather - Get today's weather conditions




You received this email because you subscribed to Yahoo! Alerts. Use this link to unsubscribe from this alert. To change your communications preferences for other Yahoo! business lines, please visit your Marketing Preferences. To learn more about Yahoo!'s use of personal information, including the use of web beacons in HTML-based email, please read our Privacy Policy. Yahoo! is located at 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)