Sunday, September 13, 2009

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Martha Burk: Paying for Health Care -- Will Congress Have the Guts to Bust This Trust? Top
It's a sweet deal - real sweet if you're a big medical device manufacturer or hospital executive on the take. And it's been flying under the health care cost radar for years. What is it? Depends on whom you ask. If you ask the CEOs of the big Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) that have a virtual cartel when it comes to selling medical devices to U.S. hospitals, it's a way for those hospitals to save money. But if you ask small manufacturers who are left out of the process and may have cheaper and more efficient products the hospitals won't look at, it's a big-time kickback scheme that costs healthcare consumers over $100 billion a year. Here's how it works. The GPOs represent certain suppliers of products like neonatal heating pads, hypodermic needles, oxygen monitors, and other medical devices. They go to the hospitals and negotiate "sole source" contracts, so hospitals agree to buy such products only from the GPO-sanctioned suppliers. At the end of the year, the GPO returns a certain percentage of the of the contracts back to the hospital. It might easier to ignore the bald-faced kickbacks if the arrangement saved any money. But it doesn't. How does a company get in the GPO stable? Not by making the most medically sound or cost-effective product. It's easier than that. They just pay a big fat fee to the GPO. Then their product, and only their product, goes on the "approved" list. Hospitals buy it, and they don't much care what they pay, because insurance companies and Medicare and Medicaid (that's you and me, sister and brother taxpayers) reimburse the cost. And one other little thing - many of the hospital executives have very cozy setups with the GPOs and their trade groups and approved suppliers. These guys have interlocking board relationships, get wined and dined by manufacturers in a closed setting, and get paid up to $50,000 a year for giving "medical advice" while hobnobbing with company hucksters at conferences held at resorts and high-dollar playgrounds. It's a regular Augusta National of the health care world. And it's not just consumer and taxpayer dollars that are at stake. Patients are poorly served when they don't get the best devices because those devices are not on "the list." And healthcare workers are sometimes unnecessarily put at risk. In what is undoubtedly not an isolated case, Karen Daley, a Massachusetts nurse, got the AIDs virus from a needle-stick because the manufacturer of a safer hypodermic was shut out of the process for lack of payola. GPOs are exempt from Medicare anti-kickback statutes, but the reasoning behind allowing the creation of cartels with full-blown pay-to-play schemes as a way to save money is lost in the mist of the 1980s. Critics say it's a direct violation of anti-trust laws, and they're making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, urging Congress to bust up this little party. It remains to be seen whether they'll have the guts to do it, but there is a glimmer of hope. Two members of the Senate Finance Committee recently sent a letter to six GPOs asking for detail on how they conduct business. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, and Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, may smell a way out of the impasse on paying the health care reform tab ($880 billion over 10 years) by opening up competition. $100 billion a year ought to just about cover it, and bring along free-market Republicans who purport to bleed for small business and Blue Dog Democrats alike. And it would still be a pretty sweet deal -- only this time for the taxpayers. More on Health Care
 
Mark Blankenship: True Blood Sucker Punch: Episode 12 Top
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood . (Warning: Spoilers Ahead) --- Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that Miss Jeanette was lying dead in the back seat of Andy Bellefleur's car, and now Eggs is lying dead next to Andy Bellefleur's car. But hey... seasons can't go on forever, and "Beyond Here Lies' Nothin'" sends True Blood out in style. First, I tip my hat to Alexander Woo for writing such satisfying scenes for Queen Sophie-Anne. After her first appearance, I figured I'd be sending her No Thank You cards, but Woo really turned it around. In this episode, Sophie-Anne is actually invested in what's happening. She's commanding Eric to sell her blood to humans, and she's making a big show of her power over him. Combine that with her casual references to her disdain for every living thing, and she suddenly seems like someone whose immortality has made her a cruel and disinterested god. She's bored by her existence---hence all the board games---so she amuses herself by making the world her plaything. More to the point, Sophie-Anne is exactly what Godric chastised Lorena for being---a creature who has gotten more petulant with age. But since Sophie-Anne is so powerful, her childishness makes her dangerous, like a howler monkey with a handgun. I also appreciate that this week's episode suggests last week's Sophie-Anne was a put-on... that all the stuff she told Bill about Maryann was intentionally confusing. If that scene was convoluted on purpose, then it's a lot more interesting. Still, this episode has some head-scratchers. Like, when did Sam see a giant white ram? If he didn't, then how did he turn into one? I'm not saying I don't dig the scene where he kills Maryann by sticking his horn/arm into her black, dusty heart, but I wish it had been more logical. Also? I'm not sure I accept Maryann's sudden vulnerability. I mean, maybe a little, since she thought she was giving herself over to her god and all... but still. I guess any resolution to this interminable storyline was going to feel underwhelming. But while I do have reservations about Maryann's last moment, I've got nothing but kisses for the scenes leading up to it. When Maryann asks Sookie what she is, and Sookie says, "I'm a waitress, what the f*** are you?," I could die. Once again, Michelle Forbes' performance is superb. Take the moment when Sookie tries to do the ole' white-hand-lightning trick, but it doesn't work, so she pushes Maryann in frustration. Maryann responds by saying, "That's hitting me. You're not committing to this at all ," and Forbes chews that line so hard that juice runs down her chin. The fact that she can muster that kind of schoolmarmish disapproval, even on the night when Bacchus is coming, is hilarious, and it's one of the reasons I like this show. There's always time for a sassy little joke, no matter whose heart is getting cut out. Speaking of the white-magic scene, I've got to give it up to Anna Paquin, who does great work playing righteous indignation (at Maryann), self-doubting terror (after Bill proposes), and emotional release (when she decides to accept Bill's offer.) It's nice to see Sookie written and performed so vividly. It's also nice to see Bill have something to do. The plan he concocts with Sam is dramatic and compelling. It also delivers a Sucker Punch nominee. Watching Sam get gutted by that giant knife is awful. But it's not unexpected, so it can't win the prize. Ditto for the egg-licking scene. By now, we're so used to Maryann treating crazy rituals like common sense that her antics are as comfortable as old slippers. It's still campy-fabulous, however, when she glares at Sookie and says, "You're the maid of honor. You have to lick the egg." If you're getting married in the next few months, I double-dog dare you to say that to your maid of honor. While holding, like, an Egg McMuffin. Ultimately, the most scandalous and unexpected moment of this episode comes near the end, when Jason shoots Eggs in the head and Andy takes the blame. Jason tries be a hero, but his actions could haunt him forever, and Andy does a noble thing, but the consequences could be severe. Now these former enemies are united by blood. What will happen next? And what will become of Jessica now that she's a truckstop hooker-murderer? And who kidnapped Bill? And who are Sam's real parents? All good questions that will keep me anticipating season three. For now, though, let's say goodbye to season two. The writing got confusing sometimes, and there were a whole lot of stories that didn't go anywhere (how's it going, Steve and Sarah Newlin?), but on the whole, this was a stylish, sexy, and entertaining summer of fun. I'm glad I had the chance to discuss it with you!
 
Obama Heads To Wall Street To Urge Reform Top
President Obama will head to Wall Street on Monday to try to breathe new life into efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system, an undertaking he has said is essential to halting the abuses and failures that led to the current crisis. More on Banks
 
New Osama Bin Laden Tape: Obama Reportedly Called "Powerless" By Al-Qaida Leader Top
WASHINGTON — In a tape released Sunday by al-Qaida's media wing, terrorist leader Osama bin Laden said President Barack Obama is "powerless" to stop the war in Afghanistan. SITE Intelligence Group, a terrorist-monitoring firm that translated the address, said bin Laden, whose al-Qaida organization was behind the Sept. 11 attacks, blamed the war on the "pro-Israel lobby" and corporate interests. IntelCenter, another company that monitors terrorist propaganda, said the 11-minute video shows a still picture of bin Laden while audio of the address plays. Bin Laden's address to the American people comes two days after the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He typically addresses the United States in a message around the Sept. 11 anniversary. The purpose of his address Sunday, bin Laden said in the SITE translation, is "to remind you of the causes" of Sept. 11, chiefly "your support to your Israeli allies who occupy our land of Palestine." Bin Laden argued against the claims that the war is necessary for U.S. security, saying current White House officials are merely following the strategy of former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney to "promote the previous policies of fear to market the interests of big companies." When Obama became president and retained many of the Bush administration's military leaders, such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "reasonable people knew that Obama is a powerless man who will not be able to end the war as he promised," bin Laden said. "If you end the war, so to it," bin Laden said. "But if it is otherwise, all we will do is continue the war of attrition against you on all possible axes." ___ On the Net: SITE Intelligence Group: https://www.siteintelgroup.com/ IntelCenter: http://www.intelcenter.com/ More on Video
 
Steven Weber: Immediate Un-Gratification Top
It's characteristic of this generation of Americans to be either immediately gratified or just as immediately un-gratified. Those seemingly interminable moments between sound bytes actually used to provide opportunities to ponder information and parse the details therein in order to arrive at a considered conclusion. But even with the overwhelming responsibility heaped upon a president of a major world power, especially a president whose intelligence and ability contrast greatly with his lower level contemporaries---many of whom possess the social, political and moral authority of a common gerbil---we will accept nothing less than full satisfaction even before the inaugural bouquets have withered in their vases. Simply put, a nation which has had its system gutted by nefarious opportunists masquerading as patriotic Republicans or Christian crusaders can't heap unrealistic expectations upon Obama and treat his slow-by-today's-MTV-rapid-fire-style standards with the eye-rolling incredulity of a spoiled brat. Rome wasn't built in a 24 hour news cycle and mending the decimated post-Neo Con landscape won't be accomplished with the tap of an "enter" key. Speaking specifically to Democrats (as any attempt to conduct a sane conversation with a Republican would be as much a time waster as trying to get John Boehner to apply sun screen), is there any practical reason to pelt the duly elected president (a novelty in itself) with constant streams of smug derision when the task he is facing would be just as daunting to an entire battalion of similarly qualified statesmen/women? It says just as much about his supporters' intellectual laziness as his detractors', having both become victims of an insatiable need for immediate gratification, casualties of our commercial-sodden culture which has bred a citizenry with no reverence for process or history, nor the resultant rewards. This spells, if not doom, then a crippling impediment for any leader, no matter how progressive or able, and is just as ineffectual for modern society as religion or the hope that there will ever again be a decent sitcom. When America made the evolutionary leap to elect Obama to the highest office in the land after not so much rejecting the Bush Doctrine as letting it decompose into mulch, to then ensure dispappointment by setting impossible standards is a colossally self defeating act. It's the thrill of victory and the agony of shooting one's self in da feet. (That was a stretch, I know, trying to shoehorn "feet" and "defeat". Hey! "Shoehorn"! Lookit! I'm a humorist!) Forget the right wing psychos and tobacco juice dribbling heat-packing dickweeds. They are, despite the real danger they pose to the public welfare (which should at some point be dealt with as the roving gangs of unrepentant vandals they are), irrelevant to this country's future. Let the MSM continue to feature their nightly installments of "So You Think You Can Think?". The rest of the country needs a dose of reality and common sense and must understand the context in which Obama is attempting to effect profound and positive change. Good things come to those who wait. It just might take longer than 9 months to repair 8 years.
 
Dylan Ratigan: Americans Have Been Taken Hostage Top
The American people have been taken hostage to a broken system. It is a system that remains in place to this day. A system where bank lobbyists have been spending in record numbers to make sure it stays that way. A system that corrupts the most basic principles of competition and fair play, principles upon which this country was built. It is a system that so far has forced the taxpayer to provide the banks with the use of $14 trillion from the Federal Reserve, much of the $7 trillion outstanding at the US Treasury and $2.3 trillion at the FDIC. A system partially built by the very people who currently advise our President, run our Treasury Department and are charged with its reform. And most stunningly -- it is a system that no one in our government has yet made any effort to fundamentally change. Like health care, this is a referendum on our government's ability to function on behalf of the American people. Ask yourself how long you are willing to be held hostage? How long will you let our elected officials be the agents of those whose business it is to exploit our government and the American people at any cost? As hostages -- was there any sum of money we wouldn't have given AIG? Why did we pay Goldman Sachs and all the other banks 100 cents on the dollar for their contracts with AIG, using taxpayer money, while we forced GM and others to take massive payment cuts? Why hasn't any of the bonus money paid to the CEOs that built this financial nuclear bomb been clawed back? And more than anything else -- why does the US Congress refuse to outlaw the most anti-competitive structure known to our economy, one summed up as TOO BIG TOO FAIL? It has become startlingly clear that we as a country, and myself as a journalist, had made a grave error in affording those who built and ran those banks and insurance companies the honorable treatment of being called capitalists. When in fact the exact opposite was true, these people were more like vampires using the threat of Too Big Too Fail to hold us hostage and collect ongoing ransom from the US Government and the American taxpayer. This was no unlucky accident. The massive spike in unemployment, the utter destruction of retirement wealth, the collapse in the value of our homes, the worst recession since the Great Depression all resulted directly from these actions. Even with all that -- the only changes that have been made, have been made to prop up and hide the massive flaws on behalf of those who perpetuated them. Still utterly nothing has been done to disclose the flaws in this system, improve it or rebuild it. Last fall was an awakening for me, as it was for many in our country. And yet, our Congress has yet to open its eyes, much less do anything about it. In fact conditions have never been better for the banks or worse for the rest of us. Why is this? Who does our Government work for? How much longer will we as Americans tolerate it? And what, if anything, can we do about it? As we approach the anniversary of the bailouts for our banks and insurers -- and watch the multi-trillion taxpayer-funded programs at the Federal Reserve continue to support banks and subsidize their multibillion bonus pools, we must ask if our politicians represent the interests of America? Or those who would rob America of its money and its future? As a country, we must demand that our politicians stop serving those whose business models are based on systemic theft and start serving those who seek to create value for others -- the workers, innovators and investors who have made this country great. More on Bailout Bandits
 
Obama Wall Street Speech To Focus On Regulation Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to use the first anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse to talk about plans to wind down the government role in a financial sector that needed a Washington bailout last year, an administration official said Sunday. Obama's speech in New York on Monday will push Congress to take action on regulatory reform to prevent the kind of tailspin that the economy went through last year. Obama also plans to repeat his call for global partners to coordinate to prevent future crises. An administration official, who discussed details of the speech on the condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the president, said Obama will also discuss his team's efforts to repair the economy. As part of that effort, Obama has called on Congress to pass a sweeping overhaul of how financial institutions behave but has seen slower-than-sought action. An administration official said the president will again decry the hands-off approach from Washington that allowed Lehman Brothers and other firms to engage in irresponsible lending, which eventually led the nation's largest financial institutions to the brink of collapse. Obama will also tell the New York audience that the financial community must take responsibility, not just to support his proposed overhaul but also to police itself, the official said. More on Banks
 
David Wild: Bigmouth Strikes Again: A Post-VMA Playlist for Kanye West Top
I love Kanye West. Seriously, I think Kanye West is one of the great popular artists of our times. So does Kanye West. That sort of supreme self-confidence -- and a certain careless genius for self-promotion -- helps explain why Kanye manages to get himself in high-profile trouble at award shows. Other people come to award shows and bascially thank some people they know and claim to be somehow "humbled." Not Kanye West. I also really like Taylor Swift, so here's a playlist for Kanye to play while he works on his manner -- until the next award show. "BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN" - The Smiths "YOU TALK TOO MUCH" - Run-DMC "I WANNA TALK ABOUT ME" -- Toby Keith "SOMETHING STUPID" - Frank and Nancy Sinatra "TALK OF THE TOWN" - The Pretenders "RUDE MOOD" - Stevie Ray Vaughan "A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY, A LITTLE BIT ROCK & ROLL" - Donnie & Marie Osmond "TALK" - Coldplay "TALK TALK" - Talk Talk "SHUT UP" - Black Eyed Peas "SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT" - Bonnie Raitt "CARELESS WHISPER" - Wham "I MAY BE RUDE BUT I'M THE TRUTH" - Cobra Starship "SILENCE IS GOLDEN" - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons What would you play for Kanye?
 
The 'Jay Leno Show' Meets Mixed Reactions Art Creative Emmys Top
LOS ANGELES — Late-night grad Jay Leno's move to prime time is the most talked-about twist on the fall TV schedule. And that goes double for members of television's creative community. For them, feelings run deep about the impact of five weeknight hours of NBC's schedule given over to "The Jay Leno Show" (beginning Monday at 10 p.m. EDT) – at the expense of scripted episodic series and the people who might have been working on them. "Writers jobs, actors jobs, directors jobs will take a beating," predicted veteran actress Betty White, though she hastened to add, "I love Jay so much that you've got to hope it works for him, too." Like White, Katey Sagal was an attendee at Saturday's 2009 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, where she also copped to mixed feelings about the new venture of the longtime "Tonight Show" host. "I know a lot of people that lost their jobs," said Sagal, who played maniacal mama Peg Bundy for 10 seasons on the Fox sitcom "Married with Children," and now is a regular on the FX drama "Sons of Anarchy." Even so, she said, "I sort of understand the decision." For NBC, the decision is largely one of economics. Leno can fill five hours of prime-time real estate for roughly the cost of a single hour-long drama. And he'll be able to offer the audience a programming alternative to all those fictional lawyers, cops and doctors – with fresh comedy 46 weeks of the year. "Knowing that we all want to laugh, I think there's some upside to (Leno's show) right now," said actress Sharon Lawrence. "But I think we also need stories that allow us to dig deeper and connect in a way. And sometimes, 10 o'clock is the best place for those shows." Lawrence rose to fame on a 10 p.m. classic, "NYPD Blue." So did actor Christian Clemenson, who in 2006 earned an Emmy and is nominated again this year for his portrayal of Asperger's-afflicted lawyer Jerry Espenson on ABC's "Boston Legal." "If we don't have the . . . fiction shows to create all these celebrities," said Clemenson, "they're just not going to be able to go on shows like 'Leno' to publicize any work – because there won't be any other work." While wishing Leno well, Clemenson summed up, "I guess there's a part of me that hopes he fails." Not everyone surveyed at the Emmys ceremony was so gloomy. Oscar winner and former prime-time star Mary Steenburgen called Leno "a very special person that deserves everything he's gotten in this business, and I don't think people ever need to be afraid of talent, however it comes at you." And Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of Fox's summer smash "So You Think You Can Dance," said Leno's new show was just what ratings-challenged NBC has long needed. "Anything that brings people back to television, I think is great," Lythgoe said. With Monday's premiere, "The Jay Leno Show" can begin to demonstrate if it's a program that will get people back to television – and to NBC. ___ AP Television Writer Frazier Moore contributed to this story. ___ NBC is owned by General Electric Co. ___ On the Net: http://www.thejaylenoshow.com More on Jay Leno
 
Robert Kuttner: A Virtuous Tax Top
One prime cause of the financial collapse is that financial trading markets have become speculative worlds unto themselves. Instead of adding efficiency to the real economy, they mainly add risk that the rest of us now have to pay for. There are many ways to damp down financial speculation, but a very effective strategy is to tax it. Given the huge costs of the clean-up (now being borne mainly by taxpayers) it would make a lot more sense to require financial markets to pay for their own bailout. One very neat way of doing this is through a very small tax on all financial transactions. Ordinary retail sales are taxed, as are wages. But oddly enough, financial transactions are exempt from tax. This idea was first proposed in modern form by the Nobel Laureate James Tobin in 1972, after the collapse of fixed exchange rates led to massive increase in currency speculation. Tobin proposed a small tax on short term currency trades to make extreme speculation less profitable. Since them, short term speculation and the invention of exotic securities that lend themselves to speculation has become the dominant activity of Wall Street. So a Tobin-style tax on all financial transactions has three big things going for it. First, a very small tax in all kinds of financial transactions, say one tenth of one percent, would not be felt by legitimate long-term investors. But in the case of traders who get in and out of exotic derivatives minute by minute, making huge numbers of quickie trades, it would add up to a lot of money and would cut into both their profits and their entire socially destructive business strategy. So a universal financial transaction tax would discourage purely speculative activities and encourage investing for the long term. Second, such a tax could pull in hundreds of billions of dollars a year, at a time when large deficits are giving the political right (and center) an excuse to cut social spending, and no form of taxation is popular. But this tax would be the least unpopular. It would not just fall primarily on the very, very wealthy. It would fall on the least socially defensible part of Wall Street, the people who make their billions from speculative short term trades. And that raises the third benefit. What's missing from the entire debate about financial reform is a progressive brand of populism. Regular people know that they got done in by excesses on Wall Street, and they see a Democratic administration shoveling trillions of dollars to the same Wall Street banks that caused the mess. No wonder people are confused about whether government is on their side. What is overdue is a little bit of populist retribution against the people who brought down the system -- and will bring it down again if the hegemony of the traders is not constrained. Do we have a shot of injecting the case for a Tobin Tax into the debate? In the past few weeks, Adair Turner, the head of Britain's Financial Service Authority, c autiously expressed support for the general idea . Peer Steinbrueck, Germany's finance minister, explicitly called for such a tax last week , as did the AFL-CIO. In an unguarded moment early in his career, even Larry Summers, President Obama's market-friendly chief economic adviser, embraced the idea , as throwing some salutary sand in the gears when financial markets "worked too well." The Group of 20 meetings next week in Pittsburgh are not likely to produce very much in the way of real reform, because even after the disgrace of Wall Street, the usual suspects are still making policy in most nations. But a global campaign for a Tobin Tax should begin in earnest now. It could bear early fruit, as speculative excess continues and as government finds itself searching for defensible taxes. Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect, www.prospect.org, and a senior fellow at Demos, www.demos.org. His recent best-selling book is Obama's Challenge .
 
Steve Parker: GM's "60-day Buy Back" plan - more gimmicks or smart sales move? Top
Another "Hail Mary" from GM? Or the real thing? Starting today and running through November, General Motors is offering buyers of their Core Four brands, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC, a 60-day money-back guarantee on their new car and truck purchases. It's called the "60-day Satisfaction Guarantee." The campaign marks GM's efforts to rebound after a 39-day bankruptcy and a $50 billion federal bailout. GM, which is shedding half of its US brands (Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer) will try to boost their US market share that has fallen to 19.5% this year from a peak of 50.1% in 1962. It's the second radical marketing move in just a few weeks by GM to try and resurrect consumer confidence in the company since the bankruptcy ended. Could 60 days in a 2010 Buick LaCrosse convince import-buyers to make Detroit their car-maker of preference? The first was begun last month in conjunction with online buying service Ebay. In that program, which has had only modest success but will continue for the time being, some 250 GM dealers in California are posting their new-car inventories for California-only buyers, some cars and trucks up for bid in a traditional auction environment, some marked with a no-haggle "buy it now" price. Here are the details of the new money-back plan: • Covers Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models for the 2009 and 2010 model years. • Allows customers to return their cars after 31 days and before 4,000 miles. • Does not cover leased vehicles. It's thought this program is the first of its kind for any major car-maker, though it does bear some philosophical resemblance to Chrysler's, "If you can find a better car, buy it!" sales program headed by then-company chief Lee Iacocca in the early 1980s. This 1984 Chrysler K-car limousine was made during the time of the company's, "If you can find a better car, buy it!" campaign While the GM campaign will be fronted by the company's new chairman, Ed Whiteacre, former chief of AT&T appointed to the GM post by the Obama Administration, it's thought that Bob Lutz, GM's powerful and outspoken vice-president with strong influence in the corporation's styling, marketing, public relations and advertising, is the "man with the plan" in this case. We're at a happy stage in the automotive industry where, essentially, in the various price brackets, most things are equal between brands and makes and models. For instance, the average price of a new car in the US is right around $32,000; driving all the cars in that price bracket will yield a lot of good experiences and very few negatives. Objectively, cars and trucks in each major price bracket reflect most of the same positives and quite few negatives. Here's what we think of the new GM program: Apart from price, safety, performance, appearance and fuel mileage, the most important part of the car-buying decision comes from the test drive. Many shoppers make the mistake of being timid during this critical part of the process, often allowing themselves to be "muscled" into driving the car only on certain roads (which will show-off the car's strengths) and for a specific period of time "recommended" by the salesperson. But if buyers test-drove the new car in their own real-world situations, it would have a huge influence on which car they'd buy. In a very real sense, isn't this what GM is offering potential buyers with this new money-back scheme? Buick's 2010 LaCrosse could do a lot to convince US buyers that US cars are up to import quality and even in some cases beyond Even with objective things about the various cars being shopped very similar to most buyers, it's those subjective items --- how the switchgear feels, adjustability of the seats, rear seat room (which most buyers never check), how bright or dim the instrument panel can be made, if reflected sun makes the gauges hard to see in the daytime, if wide A-pillars make front/side vision difficult --- which can turn the buyer one way or another. I usually drive one or more new cars a week to stay familiar with each car-maker's offerings and be able to answer your questions and make recommendations. Recently, I spent a week in a 2010 Buick LaCrosse, and even though the early "pilot" model I drove was not off the actual assembly line (so some glitches are expected), this LaCrosse was more than a rival for its target: the Lexus entry-level luxury sedan, ES350. LaCrosse's fit-and-finish, performance, appearance inside and out and styling are all impressive and even outdo the Lexus on many accounts. GM used the Lexus ES350 as their target car for the 2010 LaCrosse; they've come close to hitting a bull's eye Could 60-days-or-less in a LaCrosse convince a die-hard Toyota/Lexus/Asian-only buyer to go with an American car for perhaps the first time in several generations of his or her family? In my opinion, absolutely. The only problem, as always, is getting those buyers into GM dealerships in the first place. If Ed Whiteacre, Bob Lutz and what is hopefully a newly-invigorated GM marketing team succeed in that undertaking, they might get that US market share up over 20% again ... at least for a start. More on Cars
 
Kanye West Storms Stage, Protests Taylor Swift's Victory Over Beyonce At MTV Awards (VIDEO) Top
UPDATE: When Beyonce won Video of the Year, she called Taylor out to the stage to give her interrupted speech instead (scroll all the way down to watch that). PREVIOUSLY: Taylor Swift got a surprise when she accepted the award for Best Female Video at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards. After Swift, looking shocked, beat out Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce for the honor, she took the stage and accepted the award. As she was thanking MTV, Kanye West ran up on stage, took her microphone, and said Beyonce had been robbed for her "Single Ladies" video. "Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" Swift stood silently holding her trophy, cameras cut to Beyonce looking stunned in the crowd, and MTV then cut to break. WATCH: MTV Shows WATCH BEYONCE WIN AND TAYLOR SPEAK: MTV Shows Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Video
 
Jim Carroll Dead: 'Basketball Diaries' Author, Poet And Punk Rocker Dies Top
Jim Carroll, the poet and punk rocker in the outlaw tradition of Rimbaud and Burroughs who chronicled his wild youth in "The Basketball Diaries," died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 60. More on Books
 
Mahasti Afshar: Twitter Is Now All I Have Top
On September 9, Roger Cohen wrote in "New Tweets Old Needs," ( New York Times /Opinion) "To be a journalist is to bear witness . . . No search engine gives you the smell of a crime, the tremor in the air, the eyes that smolder, or the cadence of a scream." I have no quarrel with that. But he also juxtaposed professional journalism with the "Here Comes Everybody" of social media and stated that in the absence of reporters, "Iran has gone opaque. Its crisis is seen through a glass darkly. Its cries are muffled, its anguish subdued." As someone who since June has been witnessing the events in Iran virtually, I do have a quarrel with that and can vouch that the crisis as reported on Twitter and Facebook, YouTube and Flikr and iReports is anything but opaque. Frenzied , maybe, but incoherent, muffled or subdued? On the contrary. In a country in crisis where foreign journalists are banned, local reporters are jailed, and state media only deliver tabloid news and propaganda -- but where 31% of the population has access to the Internet -- social media are a vital source of news, and then some. Ordinary people are self-training in reporting the facts at increasingly sophisticated levels. "Everybody" is sharing the spirit, the beat, the hopes, and links to substantive information in ways otherwise impossible. Their contribution is in fact so vital that the Green Movement has adopted the tagline, "YOU ARE THE MEDIA." For those who read Persian, the uncensored comments posted on YouTube videos, online newspapers and blogs -- even on the regime's "OpPressTV" -- give us a direct insight into the people's aspirations, many of them far more radical than the reformist leaders'. Add to this Twitter accounts such as @EANewsFeed, @Iran_Translator, and @TehranBureau that not only vet and report user-generated news coherently but also engage users in lively, interactive, real time, online debates. As one tweeter wrote, "Twitter is the global 'town hall' meeting for the pro-democracy movement." In aggregate, the content of social media is an oral history of a grassroots human rights movement in Iran; its form, the relation between the media and the message in the 21st century. Consider this: thirty years ago, Khomeini recorded a message into audio-cassettes in Paris and distributed it secretly in mosques and bazaars in Iran. In 2009, a message evolved in real time on social media by a mix of accidental leaders and masses of people and disseminated openly in cyberspace. In both, the medium was the message. In 1979, the dictated message was, 'I am The One; follow my orders; end of discussion; beginning of theocracy.' In 2009, the living message was, 'we want an open, friendly society; let's have a conversation; let's have some democracy.' If Socrates were alive today, he would be tweeting and interacting frantically with millions and millions of followers, not just telling them. There is no denying the vital contribution of journalists who initially put the ecstasy and the agony of Iran on the radar. But since June 16, I have had nowhere else to go for breaking news except for social media, or for clues to the fate of the men and women who have been arrested, murdered, raped or tortured by the Islamic Republic of Iran that to quote a tweeter, is neither Islamic nor a Republic. People as avatars have been bearing witness to a dream turned horror story, their cries anything but muffled and their anguish anything but subdued. The power of social media has bred a new consciousness in Iran. "Each person a people" is how Mousavi's latest statement, posted on Twitter and Facebook, describes it. Without social media, we would have no-one to turn to today but the professional journalists on the regime's payroll. No thanks. The government is blocking, filtering and slowing down the Internet, but the people are still reporting. Late in the evening on September 6, I tweeted one of my favorite sources in Iran to ask if Twitter was still alive and well over there. The next day he replied, "TEST" and posted a link. When I clicked there he was, alive and well and cheerful and smoking and testing a live video chat! Someone immediately posted a comment: "Don't smoke, it's bad for you." Another tweet read, "Twitter is now all I have, my home, my friends." More on Twitter
 
Annie Le: Body Found Inside Yale Lab Building: Police Top
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)-- Police in Connecticut say a body has been found in a building where a Yale University graduate student vanished. New Haven Assistant Police Chief Peter Reichard says the body has not been identified as doctoral student Annie Le, who has been the focus of a massive police search since she vanished in the building on Tuesday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Investigators sifted through garbage at an incinerator Sunday, looking for clues into the disappearance of a Yale University graduate student who was supposed to be celebrating her wedding day. FBI agent Bill Reiner said Sunday that investigators are "following the trash" that left the university laboratory in New Haven. He declined to comment further on the search at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority's trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. Annie Le, 24, was last seen Tuesday morning at the lab. More than 100 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies are looking for her but have not yet determined if Le's disappearance is a missing person's case or an act of foul play. Authorities say Le, a pharmacology doctoral student originally from Placerville, Calif., swiped her identification card to enter the lab. But there is no record of her leaving despite some 75 surveillance cameras around the complex. Her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her office. Investigators on Saturday said they recovered evidence from the building that houses Le's laboratory, but would not confirm reports by media outlets that the items included bloody clothing. Story continues below In a story published Saturday, the Yale Daily News quoted an unnamed New Haven Police Department official as saying the bloody clothes were found in a ceiling at the building. The official spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity so the official would be free to discuss an ongoing investigation. On Sunday morning, a state police Major Crimes Squad van drove down a ramp into the basement area of the building where the lab is located. Officials had no immediate comment. Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts. On Sunday, students prayed for Le's safe return at The University Church. "It has been a week that has tested many people in many different ways," the Rev. Ian Buckner Oliver said just before he gave the Sunday morning sermon. "It has brought up a lot of fears for people. It has brought up a lot of worry and concern for her and for all our safety." The student-dominated congregation offered a moment of silence and prayer, "for Annie, and her family, who have arrived here in New Haven, for her fiance, on this, what would have been their wedding day. Let's lift them up in our prayers," Oliver said. Le's family arrived in New Haven on Saturday, Oliver said after the service. He said the church doesn't have any other events or prayer services planned specifically for Le. "There is nothing else at this point because the university and police have said there is no criminal investigation, there is no proof of a crime. So at this point, we are just praying," Oliver said. Le, who's of Asian descent, stands 4 feet 11 inches and weighs 90 pounds. She was to marry Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky on Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y., on the north shore of Long Island. Police say Widawsky is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation.
 
Alex Geana: French Baller Kicks to Photog at Y-3 Top
At Y-3 the bags, clutches and purses were divine. The shorts were great, so were the tux inspired overcoats. The shear shirts - not so much. Yet there were some strong looks. In the end, five models came out and pulled the Italian Vogue photographer Bruno Rinaldi out of the gaggle. Both Zinedine Zidane the French soccer player and Yohji kicked balls into the net. To the elated joy of the sometimes-stilted fashionistas assembled. The Scene This is my first show at the Armory. Marc Jacobs will later take over this massive space that reminds me of an old football stadium. The inspiration for the collection is Adidas. Yohji Tamamoto loves the sometimes functional and creates some amazing clothing, that are both wearable and don't try to hard. Behind me people are bantering about the difference of living in New York or London. We're sitting on gray blocks, the dapper audience almost like statues. A fashion blogger called Tavi who writes the Style Rookie is sitting in the front row and all the photogs are swarming. She's 13 and dressed perfectly. The PR people are drooling over her, Russell Simmons is also here. Bill Cunningham is taking picture of random people in the front row and doing his thing, then he goes over to Tavi and snaps a pic. The pictures are below. Check out the rest of my Spring Fashion coverage .
 
KBR Contractor Shot Dead At Camp Speicher In Iraq; Soldier Detained Top
BAGHDAD (AP)-- A civilian contractor was shot and killed Sunday on an American military base in the Iraqi city of Tikrit and a U.S. soldier has been detained in connection with the incident, the military said. The contractor was shot at 8:30 a.m. at Camp Speicher, the military said in a statement. Houston-based KBR confirmed the man killed was one of its employees, 27-year-old Lucas Vinson from Louisiana. No hometown was available. "As the Army is leading the investigation of the incident, KBR is not providing further comment at this time," spokeswoman Heather Browne said in an e-mailed statement. "We are of course fully cooperating with the Army on its continued investigation." Maj. Derrick Cheng, a public affairs officer, said a soldier had been detained in connection with the incident, but that he could not divulge any more information while the investigation is ongoing. "We offer our sincere condolences to the family of the individual," he said. The U.S. military makes wide use of contractors in Iraq for security, technical support and supply functions. KBR is the primary support contractor in Iraq, providing troops with essential services, including housing, meals, mail delivery and laundry. As of June 30, 1,395 civilian employees of U.S. government contractors had been killed in Iraq, according to an AP count. More on Iraq
 
Tom Ricks And The Military's New Philosophical Embeds Top
Thomas E. Ricks has a photograph of a general--Ulysses S. Grant, looking haggard and defeated in Cold Harbor, Virginia--on the wall of his office. His shelves are filled with books about Dwight Eisenhower, William Westmoreland, and other generals. A husky, bearded, fifty-four-year-old with faded eyebrows, he looks a bit like a general himself, and sometimes talks like one. "I'd be wary of the media," he says, describing how a commander might feel if a journalist wanted to embed with his unit in Iraq. More on Pakistan
 
Serena Williams Fined $10,000 For US Open Tirade Top
NEW YORK — Serena Williams' profanity-laced, finger-pointing tirade at a U.S. Open linesperson drew a $10,000 fine Sunday, and more punishment could follow from a broader investigation into what the head of the tournament called her "threatening manner." The fine – not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals – is the maximum on-site penalty that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament. "The average individual would look at that and say, 'A $10,000 fine for what she did? What are you guys, crazy?' The answer is: the process isn't over," tournament director Jim Curley said in an interview with The Associated Press. Bill Babcock, the top administrator for Grand Slam tournaments, will review what happened Saturday night, when Williams yelled at a linesperson who called a foot fault with the defending champion two points away from losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals. If Babcock determines Williams committed a "major offense," she could be fined all of her prize money from the tournament. Williams also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of the match. Because she was issued a warning then, her later actions resulted in the loss of a point. The foot fault resulted in a double-fault, which moved Clijsters one point from victory. Williams then was penalized a point for her outburst; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5. Babcock did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Curley said the inquiry probably would include reviewing TV footage, checking additional audio feeds from courtside microphones and interviewing Williams, the linesperson, the chair umpire and possibly spectators. "What she did was unacceptable. It's unacceptable behavior under any circumstances. When you're on the court, and you are waving your racket toward a linesperson and using profanity, it's just simply unacceptable," Curley told the AP. "When you look at the tape, it's pretty clear that the way she approached the linesperson, with her racket and in that manner, it was a threatening manner. It certainly was." The names of linespersons are not disclosed as a matter of practice at the tournament. He also said the tournament considered – and decided against – preventing Williams and her older sister Venus from participating in the women's doubles final Monday. Venus put in some work on a U.S. Open practice court Sunday; Serena wasn't with her. Serena Williams released a statement through a public relations firm, acknowledging that "in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly." She did not apologize for the outburst, which made the "most viewed" page of YouTube with four different versions that totaled more than half a million clicks as of Sunday night. After what may be recalled as the most significant foot fault in tennis history, Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her. "If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat," Williams said, according to a tennis official who watched a replay Saturday night. The official also said Williams used the word "kill." The official declined to be identified because the tape was still being reviewed. Fans began booing and whistling, making it difficult to hear the entirety of what Williams said – and she refused to discuss specifics afterward at a news conference. An AP reporter – provided access to replays – could not verify Williams used the word "kill." When Williams turned her back, the line judge went over to the chair umpire to report what was going on. The line judge then returned to her seat, and Williams pointed and began walking toward her. The line judge then headed back to the chair umpire's stand. By now, tournament referee Brian Earley was on the court, too. Earley could be heard asking the linesperson what Williams said. That's when Williams walked over and said to the line judge: "Are you scared? Because I said I would hit you? I'm sorry, but there's a lot of people who've said way worse." Earley again asked the linesperson what Williams said. Whatever the linesperson said, her reply seemed to startle Williams, who said: "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? Are you serious? I didn't say that." The line judge then said, "Yes." The episode dominated conversation at the U.S. Open on Sunday, including whether the line judge should have made the call in the first place. Foot faults are rarely called at this level, particularly in possibly the final moments of such a significant match. "In my opinion, you can't call a foot fault there. Just out of question. Can't do it. It was so close. Not as if it was an obvious foot fault – it was minuscule," TV commentator John McEnroe said. "I've seen Serena come back from that position a dozen times against top-flight opponents. The match was not over." The chairman and CEO of the women's tennis tour, Stacey Allaster, issued a statement calling Williams' conduct "inappropriate and unprofessional." "No matter what the circumstances, no player should be allowed to engage in such behavior without suffering consequences," Allaster said. "I have spoken with the USTA about this matter and I agree with the action they have taken." More on Sports
 
Elizabeth Warren: Why Was Detroit Bailout Treated Differently Than Wall Street Bailout? Top
When poor lending practices brought the world's biggest banks and AIG to their knees, Washington delivered hundreds of billions in financial lifelines, with little to no restrictions. When car manufacturers in Detroit needed bailing out, Washington played hardball and made sweeping changes to the boards and management at both GM and Chrysler. Elizabeth Warren wants to know why two insolvent industries were treated so differently. Warren, chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, spoke with MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan about inequality in Washington's bailouts. Warren: I think the problem has been all the way throughout this crisis, that the banks have been treated gently and everyone else has been treated really pretty tough. Warren's interview with MSNBC is scheduled to air Monday morning, Sept. 14 at 9:30 a.m. EST. WATCH: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Merrill Lynch
 
Roger Federer Beats Novak Djokovic With Amazing Backwards Through The Legs Shot (VIDEO) Top
*****SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO***** NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Federer has moved one victory away from his sixth straight U.S. Open title with a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic. The world's top-ranked player punctuated the victory Sunday with a winner, hit backward between his legs, to set up match point. The top-seeded Federer won his 40th straight match at Flushing Meadows and will try to become the first player to win six straight titles at America's Grand Slam since Bill Tilden in the 1920s. Federer will play No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Rafael Nadal earlier in the day to make his first Grand Slam final. Federer has now reached the final of 17 of the last 18 Grand Slam tournaments.
 

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