Thursday, September 3, 2009

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Lorraine Forte: Headlines I'd Like to See About Chicago Public Schools Top
A lot of the general public believes the media live only to dig up scandal. Untrue. (Usually we don't have to go looking too far for it anyway.) Here are some good-news headlines I'd like to see, or write, in the coming school year: District scraps 'principal discretion' at elite high schools The scandal about clout in admissions to the district's high-performing, selective admissions high schools has died down, and it's far from clear that any law was broken. But the controversy has given the district a black eye it can ill afford, and giving principals the authority to hand-pick even a small percentage of students is just asking for trouble. The policy reinforces the notion that "The Chicago Way"--i.e., back-door deals--is acceptable, and that who you know matters more than who you are or what you've accomplished. On paper, the policy is supposed to foster more diversity by letting principals bring in promising students who don't quite make the admissions cutoff. But in fact, black and Latino enrollment in elite high schools and magnet elementary schools is on the decline. Why not get rid of any whiff of clout and swap principal's discretion for a 5 percent random (and supervised, to keep everything open and above-board) lottery for all those students who just missed the cutoff score for admissions? CPS launches 'Teacher for a Week' We all know there are teachers who shouldn't be in the classroom--and lawyers who shouldn't be in a courtroom, doctors who shouldn't be practicing medicine, politicians with no business holding public office and executives who shouldn't be running companies. But no one takes up teaching because it's easy and lucrative. And there's a reason why so many rookies quit within the first few years--it's a hard job and to a large degree, thankless. So instead of yet another round of the one-shot Principal for a Day, why not have business execs and civic honchos shadow a veteran teacher for a week--and no, I don't mean a teacher at a Northside College Prep or a Lenart Gifted. Have them show up at school when the teacher does, work with them in class and on after-hours lesson-planning and paper-grading, help them call parents and tutor youngsters who need extra help. It's guaranteed to be a reality check and give city leaders a far more substantive view of what's really needed to make schools, and communities, better. District, teachers union score deal to lengthen school day, year We're almost 10 years into the 21st Century and still operating on a school calendar from the 19th. Chicago has one of the shortest days and years in the country, and as a nation we lag behind other developed countries, where 200+ days of school per year is common. It's time to make this happen and give students more time for academics and for so-called 'extras' like art and music. CPS targets millions to hire 'student advocates' For all the talk in the education world about the need for innovative approaches to educating struggling students, it's always been puzzling to me why there isn't more emphasis on the need for support staff. Counselors and social workers can make a significant difference, particularly when students face difficult home lives because of family unemployment, a parent's imprisonment , homelessness and other issues. Yet Chicago schools have far fewer of these staff than is called for by national groups. I'd like to see every school in a poor neighborhood have at least two to three people charged with giving kids and families extra help so that students can focus on learning--not babysitting a younger sibling while Mom goes to work or worrying about losing friends because their family is being evicted. Chicago reports progress on national tests Chicago schools have made progress on state tests, but still lag behind other urban districts on the national test that allows for cross-city comparisons, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Given that the state made its test easier, higher scores on the NAEP would be one sure sign that Chicago kids are, in fact, learning more--or not. Chicago reins in mayoral control with new school board This is about as likely to happen as pigs are to fly. In fact, even less so. But if we elect people to the Water Reclamation District, surely there ought to be some sort of publicly-chosen representation for publicly-run schools. A new board of elected members as well as mayoral appointees would sweep some fresh air into this body, which discusses much of its operations behind closed doors. Sure, decision-making might get messier. But to those who champion mayoral control, I have one question: What happens when it's a mayor you don't like? A milestone to celebrate: A year with no CPS students murdered This headline speaks for itself.
 
Robert Amsterdam: Kazakhstan's Human Rights Drop Through the Floor Top
Just a few years back, a savagely offensive and popular comedy starring Sascha Baron Cohen caused extraordinary embarrassment in Kazakhstan , as outraged citizens rightfully protested the portrayal of their country as a backward and ignorant third world hole. Kazakhstan actually does have a lot going for it, with enormous energy deposits, a powerfully growing economy, and an intelligent innovative class, but thanks to the ongoing conduct by the government of the Nursultan Nazarbayev, they seem intent on making Borat a self-fulfilling prophecy. Today a court outside of Almaty sentenced the country's most well known human rights advocate, Yevgeny Zhovtis of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, to four years in prison on charges of manslaughter and traffic violations related to a July 26 accident. The court had not even been in session for three full days, only two of which defense lawyers were present for, while numerous procedural violations were racked up right before observers from several embassies and international human rights organizations. As Zhovtis himself said before being hauled off to a prison colony, the proceedings were a "political setup" by the state. Many longtime Central Asia watchers will tell you that Kazakhstan has been a fairly terrible place for human rights for many years now , but with the conduct of the government in the past six months, especially in relations with the Austrian prosecutors in the case of the former ambassador and Nazarbayev son-in-law, Rakhat Aliyev , things have really gone off the rails. With the hasty conviction of Zhovtis, which comes on top of scores of other false cases, Kazakhstan is entering deeper and deeper into a human rights black hole, just months before Nazarbayev is meant to take over the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). This judicial farce, aimed against one of the country's most important civil society activists, reeks of impunity, and the open and arrogant belief by the leadership that selling oil to the West means not having to observe the law. Zhovtis has a long history of prestigious advocacy work, which unfortunately was the cause of some embarrassment to the "Kazakhbashi." On May 12, 2009, Zhovtis spoke before the U.S. Congress Helsinki Commission on Kazakhstan's upcoming chairmanship of the OSCE, where he presented a long and detailed list of journalists and opposition politicians who had been jailed and persecuted on political grounds. Zhovtis, with typical restraint and measurement, remarked, " all the countries that have made this decision [Kazakhstan's Chairmanship of OSCE] to a certain degree are responsible for the democratization processes, the rule of law and human rights implementation. And I do hope that awareness of this responsibility will make it possible to positively influence the improvement of the current situation. " Working in close collaboration with George Soros's Open Society Institute, Zhovtis has been publishing similar defenses for human rights in Kazakhstan for many years. Ever since the recent authoritarian crackdowns by Nazarbayev's regime, especially following the constitutional changes in 2007 which now allow him to rule the country for life, civil society organizations have been squeezed from every side, leaving Zhovtis's groups one of the last practicing human rights advocacy. In fact, just days before the automobile accident, he had traveled to Vienna to give testimony on the situation. Regarding the accident itself, opinions are split over whether the government is just opportunistically prosecuting Zhovtis over a tragic accident, and others who suspect that the entire incident was a conspiracy - including the shocking sacrifice of a human life in order to jail a human rights leader (it should be noted here that neither Zhovtis nor his defense counsel have endorsed that theory). On the evening of July 26th, Zhovtis was returning home from a fishing trip driving along an isolated strip of highway, when two oncoming cars approached at a close distance, blinding him with the headlights. When Zhovtis could see again, immediately he saw a man in road, and unable to stop the car, the collision tragically claimed the life of the individual on the spot. I have spent the past two days speaking on the phone with one of Zhovtis's lawyers, Vera Tkachenko, to gather information for this article. Vera tells me that from the very first police reports, there were extraordinary irregularities and factual distortions. The indictment from the prosecutors attempted to suggest the presence of alcohol and/or impairment - the defense could prove that Zhovtis was sober as day. The auto-technical report, which included the speeds, distances, and other investigatory inventions which was the basis for the indictment, was almost pure fabrication - using "estimated data" provided by state prosecutors, rather than local witnesses. I asked Vera to explain to me the clearest signs that this was a biased, politically ordered trial, instead of an independent and fair judicial proceeding for a regular crime. First, there was the fact that the judge refused nearly every motion submitted by the defense (the only two motions admitted were to delay the trial until Sept. 2, and the addition of another lawyer). The defense counsel arranged to have two separate independent experts, one Kazakh and one Russian, examine the auto-technical expert testimony and provide corrections to all the distortions. The judge refused to admit these independent expert testimonies. Zhovtis prepared a 12-page motion denying the charges, and again, the judge refused to admit it. No exculpatory evidence was allowed into the court, and after a brief cross-examination, the judge announced that the trial would move into the final phase - which must have been a world record for speed in Kazakhstan justice. The shell shocked defense lawyers submitted a motion to recuse the judge, whose behavior they said obviously displayed that he did not have an impartial standing. The judge left the room for just a few minutes, only to return to say that the defense does not have this right. The defense then asked for just one more day to prepare for the closing arguments - the judge denied the request, and gave them only 40 minutes. Finally, after hearing the prosecutor's presentation, the judge spent no more than 25-30 minutes in deliberation, returning with a seven-page printed and stamped verdict - which is a procedural impossibility given the short amount of time. " It was incredible ," Vera told me. " There were representatives present from the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, as well as representatives from Human Rights Watch and the OSCE. I hope they are able to report to the world what happened in that court today. " This boldfaced attack on human rights will pose an interesting diplomatic test for Kazakhstan's partners and investors, but I fear that we might just see exactly how many barrels of oil a given dictator needs to export in order to flaunt the law. Given the extraordinarily high amount of grand corruption surrounding this administration, the only message they will understand will be the one to hit their pocketbooks. There are many competing theories as to why we are seeing so many opposition politicians, journalists, and activists facing an onslaught of cases from Nazarbayev. One rumor is that there is a serious behind-the-scenes power struggle to either remove the 17-year leader, or at least advance higher within his camp. These struggles often exacerbate the current corruption problems of the state, which most kindly could be described as hideous. But even veteran Kazakh analysts I have been talking to seem shocked by the severity of the sentence against Zhovtis, who unlike some, usually knew what was acceptable and unacceptable in order to keep working. The draconian sentencing clearly illustrates a high level of insecurity and panic in the leadership, which appears to be heightening as the OSCE chairmanship approaches. The supporters who crowded the courtroom are reported to have shouted " shame, shame " and the judge, and they're right. The people of Kazakhstan should be embarrassed by the conduct of their president, but for members of the OSCE, even more so. More on Barack Obama
 
Krugman: How Did Economists Get It So Wrong? Top
It's hard to believe now, but not long ago economists were congratulating themselves over the success of their field. Those successes -- or so they believed -- were both theoretical and practical, leading to a golden era for the profession. More on The Fed
 
Ian Gurvitz: The GOP Strategy: Operation Monkeyshit Top
The current debate over health care has nothing to do with health care, any more than the TARP debate was about the economy. This is about one thing and one thing only: the GOP's apoplexy over losing power, and their pathological desire to get it back. They despise Obama's popularity, they detest his intelligence, his compassion, even the smile on his face. This is 21st-century Clinton hatred with a side order of racial resentment. Thinking there was ever any chance at bi-partisanship was as reality-challenged as picking up a rattlesnake thinking you could tame it as a house pet. The GOP's goal from the second the president took office was to bring him down. Their strategy: Operation Monkeyshit. Just like a monkey in the zoo will wildly fling his shit at tourists, the GOP started flinging their shit with the sole intention of diminishing the president's popularity, tarnishing his image, and hurting his brand, all to lay the groundwork for the 2010 midterms and 2012 presidential elections. Tea parties. "Mortgaging our children's future." "The TARP didn't work." "Death panels." "Killing grandma." Birthers. "He's going to take your guns and house terrorists in your neighborhood." "He's weakening the country." "He's going to give Bin Laden the keys to your city where he will take your job and sleep with your daughter." Now it's the professional tailgaters in town halls holding Hitler signs, screaming about Fascism and Socialism -- as if they could either define those ideas, or spell them. It's Rove 101. Take your opponent's biggest strength and turn it into a weakness. John Kerry the veteran fabricated his injuries. Obama is Hitler. Of course it's insane, but getting out the hicks provides the sound bites for the party's media flacks and congressional representatives to hit the talk shows and smugly fob off these contrivances as spontaneous expressions of national outrage, as opposed to insurance- and drug company-created street theater. As if a few hundred illiterate screamers in a nation of several hundred million constituted a popular uprising. People with legitimate concerns don't reach for Hitler signs and mob chants as if the increased volume gave them some sort of collective higher intelligence. These are not outraged citizens. These are the great unwashed with too much free time on their hands, and access to their children's crayons. The GOP has no platform. They don't care about the economy, unemployment, jobs, the deficit, the wars, or their cost either in dollars or human life. Just witness their current leader -- Mr. Potato Head look-alike, Michael Steele -- and his reaction to a woman in a wheelchair talking about her medical horror story. His response was pure Republicanism: disdain in the face of human suffering. All these people care about is regaining power by diminishing the president's image, and defeating his every initiative. And to accomplish that they will throw all the shit they have to. The health care debate is just the latest venue. But unless the president calls them out and takes them down in his speech to Congress, the shit-flinging will continue. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out too many times, historically, Democrats just don't know how to fight. They think this is a dinner party discussion, faculty mixer, or a robust exchange at a debating society, where your opponent is the "loyal opposition." This is not a debate. It's not a salon. It's a street fight. Case in point: Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, recently replying to Palin's comment tying him in to "Obama's death panels" saying: "there's no basis for that claim either in any of my writings or the legislation. It has no grounds in reality. It's surreal and Orwellian, the idea that this legislation or my writings suggest that her son Trig shouldn't get health care." His comment was eloquent. Passionate. And filled with the appropriate moral outrage. But "surreal," and "Orwellian" are lost on the people who need to get the message. All Democrats, up to and including the President, have got to begin using the right words: these are lies. They're not "gross exaggerations," "myths," "fantasies," "fabrications," or "hyperbole." They're lies. Lies so sinister that they've got the very people who might benefit from universal health care carrying signs and screaming what is essentially: "Don't help us! Don't give us choices! Let us suffer and die the way we were meant to - poor, destitute, and being denied coverage from our insurance companies!" (As a side note the town hall screamers, heed the sage advice of Dean Wormer: "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life.") The glow of last November's victory faded before anyone could get too intoxicated over a Democratic mandate, or lost in the illusion that the GOP was going to roll over and die. Sure, they lost, but only because they were sunk by the weight of their own incompetence as the economy careened toward a meltdown and McCain took out his trusty revolver and repeatedly shot himself in the foot. He tried the flag-waving bullshit: "The state of our economy is strong." Didn't work. He tried the patriot game: "I'm suspending my campaign for the good of the country." Didn't work. He stunt-casted a GOP MILF and smirky, ambitious moron as his running mate. Worked for a second with a post-convention bump, then ran aground in the wake of her profound stupidity. Obama's victory was directly proportional to McCain's implosion. These people won't make the same mistake twice. To the blue dogs in the Senate and the progressives in the House: Start working on intra-party bi-partisanship. Get united, and start kicking the GOP in the teeth. Get mean. Get ruthless. Twist their arms or break their kneecaps for the good of the country. They want to slit their wrists, hand them the knife. Beat them senseless with the best bill you can get. Do it in the memory of Ted Kennedy, but with the balls of Lyndon Johnson. What's the point of gaining power if you don't know how to wield it? Not every Republican great white hopeful is going to get busted with an Argentinian mistress. Get it together, now. Unless anyone's in the mood for President Romney. Or President Bachman.
 
Norman Solomon: A Little Girl in Kabul Top
A few days ago, I met a little girl named Guljumma. She's seven years old, and she lives in Kabul at a place called Helmand Refugee Camp District 5. Guljumma talked about what happened one morning last year when she was sleeping at home in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Valley. At about 5 a.m., bombs exploded. Some people in her family died. She lost an arm. With a soft matter-of-fact voice, Guljumma described those events. Her father, Wakil Tawos Khan, sat next to her. He took out copies of official forms that he has sent to the Afghan government. Like the other parents who were gathered inside a crude tent in this squalid camp, Khan hasn't gotten anywhere through official channels. He's struggling to take care of his daughter. And he has additional duties because he's a representative for 100 of the families in the camp, which is little more than ditches, mud structures and ragged canvas. Khan pointed to a plastic bag containing a few pounds of rice. It was his responsibility to divide the rice for the 100 families. Basics like food arrive at the camp only sporadically, Khan said. Donations come from Afghan businessmen. The government of Afghanistan does very little. The United Nations doesn't help. Neither does the U.S. government. Khan emphasized his eagerness to work. We have the skills, he said -- give us some land and just dig a well, and we'll do the rest. From the sound of his voice, hope is fraying. You could say that the last time Guljumma and her father had meaningful contact with the U.S. government was when it bombed them. If rhetoric were reality, this would be a war that's about upholding humane values. But rhetoric is not reality. The destructiveness of this war is reality for Guljumma and her father. And for hundreds of families at Helmand Refugee Camp District 5. And, in fact, for millions of Afghan people. The violence of this war -- military, economic and social -- keeps destroying the future. Every day and night. Is the U.S. government willing to really help Guljumma, who now lives each day and night in the squalor of a refugee camp? Is the government willing to spend the equivalent of the cost of a single warhead to assist her? So far, the answer is obscenely clear. But maybe we can force a change by contacting representatives and senators in Washington and demanding action -- for Guljumma, for Wakil Tawos Khan, for all the other long-suffering residents of Helmand Refugee Camp District 5 and for all the victims of war in Afghanistan. Success for one girl or one refugee camp might be a helpful baby step toward reversing the priorities that now have the U.S. government spending about 90 percent of its budget for Afghanistan on military efforts. Official Washington could start a move toward decency now. Helmand Refugee Camp District 5 is easy to find. It's in the capital of Afghanistan, on Charahe Qambar Road. A government that uses satellite guidance systems to aim missiles should be able to find it. Norman Solomon is executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and the author of many books including War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. Readers who wish to assist residents of refugee camps in Kabul can make a tax-deductible donation to PARSA, a nongovernmental organization that provides vocational training and employment placement for displaced Afghans. The contributions can be made via the website www.afghanistan-parsa.org or by check to: PARSA, P.O. Box 31292, Seattle, WA 98103.
 
Jesse Connolly: Marriage Equality Is on the Ballot in Maine This Fall (Video) Top
The campaign for marriage equality in Maine is officially on. Yesterday, the Secretary of State certified that opponents had collected enough signatures to place their referendum to repeal the marriage equality law, which was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, on the ballot. Yesterday, the Governor who signed the law, John Baldacci, also signed the order setting our election for November 3rd. (In Maine, voting will actually start in early October. Our state has one of the most liberal absentee ballot laws - and we have same-day registration). And, I should note that the Governor also did a fundraiser for our campaign last night and is a strong ally in our effort. Now, the certification does not come as a surprise. We expected it. And, we've been gearing up for months to fight this battle. Today, the campaign launched our first series of TV ads, which you can see here: Also, be sure to check out the second TV ad , featuring Portland resident Bill Whitten talking about his gay daughter. It's a painful reality that same-sex couples have to ask the citizens of Maine to allow them the right to get married. But, as we know, our opponents are tenacious -- and well-funded. Led by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the Catholic Church, which have both made significant contributions, the anti-marriage campaign has hired Schubert-Flint Public Affairs as its consultant. Yes, it's the same company that ran the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign in California last year. Clearly, there are voters in Maine who are willing to take away the rights of our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, and our best friends. But, I believe there are many, many more voters in this state -- known for its independent spirit -- who will reject discrimination and vote No on 1. The greatest challenge we face between now and November 3, is to reach each and every one of those voters. We've already made great headway. The netroots, particularly the LGBT bloggers, have been a big help so far. Everyone can help us Protect Maine Equality. We have an ActBlue page here . Anyone, regardless of whether you live in Maine or not, can sign the Pledge to Protect Marriage Equality . We expect a lot more money to pour into our opponents' efforts. Protecting Maine Equality does not carry nearly the price tag it did in California. I like to say we're a "cheap date state." Also, Maine is beautiful this time of year, if you want to spend time volunteering. There's an old saying, " As Maine goes, so goes the nation ." When Maine speaks loudly for equality on November 3rd, our voices will be heard around the nation. More on Gay Marriage
 
Randall Soderquist: Time to Deliver on Duty-Free, Quota-Free Market Access for the World's Poorest Countries Top
Leaders of the world's richest nations have repeatedly pledged to offer the world's poorest countries duty-free, quota-free (DFQF) access to their markets. Such access is one of the most powerful tools that high-income countries have to help poor countries to help themselves. The upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh is an opportunity for the world's leaders to finally deliver on this promise. The promise is couched in diplomatic language but is nonetheless clear. The G-20 leaders reaffirmed this pledge most recently when they met in London last April. Their communiqué stated that they recognized "the current (global economic) crisis has a disproportionate impact on the vulnerable in the poorest countries and our collective responsibility to mitigate the social impact of the crisis to minimise long-lasting damage to global potential." To this end, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to both the Millennium Development Goals and the Gleneagles commitments to Sub-Saharan Africa. In referencing these documents, the G-20 leaders implicitly re-asserted the importance of preferential treatment as a mechanism for economic growth and poverty reduction. The Millennium Development Goals, for example, state that United Nations member states should "address the special needs of the least developed countries" and calls on all developed countries to adopt "a policy of duty- and quota-free access for essentially all exports from the least developed countries." The Gleneagles commitments went further, stating that developed countries "should improve the utilisation of our preference schemes by ensuring that rules (particularly rules of origin) are transparent and simple to follow and do not inadvertently preclude eligible developing countries from taking advantage of those schemes." In short, a tangible link was created by the leaders of the G-20 in London between what was promised in the past and what should be done in the future. So where are we on the question of duty-free, quota-free access and "transparent and simple" rules for trade preference programs? Unfortunately, not as far as we should be, especially in the United States. Although high-income countries (and others) reaffirmed their commitment to DFQF access at the WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong , U.S. insistence that market access be limited to 97 percent of products considerably diluted the impact, because the excluded 3 percent of products includes things like clothing and agricultural products - the very things that poor countries can competitively produce. And the United States is not the only country to create barriers to the poorest countries' exports. Japan and South Korea also have product exclusions that undermine their trade preference programs. And while the EU offers 100% DFQF access under its Everything But Arms (EBA) preference scheme, its rules of origin provisions make it hard for poor countries to take advantage of this opening. What is to be done? The Center has established a Global Trade Preference Reform Working Group - 20 prominent trade and development experts with a wide variety of backgrounds - to address the hard questions on trade preference programs. The group, which Kim Elliott and I co-chair, will offer practical policy recommendations on issues related to reform, coordination, and utilization before the end of the year. But members of the Working Group have decided that there is simply no longer any reason to delay on a recommendation of 100% DFQF market access with easy-to-follow and generous rules. Members of the group have written an open letter to the G-20 leaders ahead of the Pittsburgh Summit on September 25 requesting that high-income countries implement these provisions by the end of the year. Significantly, the letter also calls on developing countries in a position to do so to gradually but consistently move toward this same goal. This is critical given the increasing relevance of South-South trade and the market pull of emerging economies like China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. The letter states in part: "We, the undersigned, call on the rich-country leaders meeting at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh to assist least-developed countries by providing 100 percent duty-free, quota free market access, with easy to use and generous rules, by the end of the year. Developing countries in a position to do so should agree to gradually but consistently move toward this same goal. Evidence suggests that the global economic crisis continues to have severe impacts on least-developed countries. Sharp decreases in investment flows, export demand, export credits, and commodity prices have reduced export opportunities and pushed millions of men, women, and children back into poverty. Although this problem is their burden, it is not of their making, and the Leaders of the G-20 have a responsibility to implement policies that effectively address the concurrent issues of poverty reduction, economic growth, and political stability." The letter has been sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Chair of the G-20, and President Barack Obama, who is hosting the Summit in Pittsburgh, in anticipation of the final agenda-setting meetings in early September. With the Doha Round on life-support, and many of the LDCs sitting on an economic precipice, it is time for the leaders of the G-20 to follow up in a tangible way on their past commitments. More on Barack Obama
 
Broncos, Jets Fight Over Brandon Marshall Top
A little bit of the Jets-Patriots rivalry has traveled west. After two weeks of hearing about the Jets' reported interest in disgruntled Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, the Broncos apparently got fed up and dropped the "T" word - tampering.
 
Gates And Mullen Counter Afghanistan Frustration Top
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the U.S. forces must work to "turn around" the security situation in Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months. More on Afghanistan
 
Sotomayor Expected To Favor Campaign Finance Restrictions In Upcoming Case Top
The upcoming re-argument of the case of Citizens United v. FEC, challenging corporate contributions to the financing of Hillary: The Movie, is raising some serious questions about whether the Supreme Court might vote to overturn decades-old restrictions on corporate campaign spending. The vote of the Court's newest justice on that issue, however, may be more predictable. More on Sonia Sotomayor
 
Believing Is Seeing, Psychologists Find Top
An international team of psychologists from the United States, New Zealand and France has found that the way we initially think about the emotions of others biases our subsequent perception (and memory) of their facial expressions. So once we interpret an ambiguous or neutral look as angry or happy, we later remember and actually see it as such.
 
Robert Reich: What Obama Must Demand from Congress on Health Care Top
Congress returns next week to one of the fiercest and most important debates in recent memory -- whether and to what extent the nation will provide health care to all Americans, and how we will reign in the soaring costs of health care overall. But do not expect unusual courage from this Congress in standing up to demagogic lies and money-toting lobbyists. An unusually large portion is facing close races in 2010, both in primaries and in the general election. Republicans have many primary challenges from the right. A record number of Democrats, who took over Congress in 2006, hail from traditionally Republican or swing states and districts. In order to get anything meaningful through this session of Congress, then, the President will have to give congressional Democrats far more leadership and more cover. Doing so is harder now than before the recess, when he was still basking in the afterglow of a honeymoon and 60 percent favorabilities. Yet it's not too late. Addressing a joint session of Congress next Wednesday is a good idea but Obama can't rely solely on his exceptional rhetorical skills. He'll need to twist arms, cajole, force recalcitrant members to join him, and threaten retribution if they don't come along. Most importantly, he'll need to be specific about what he wants -- especially about three things. I hope he says the following next Wednesday, and makes clear to individual members that he means business. 1. I will not stand for a bill that leaves millions of Americans without health care. It's vitally important to cover all Americans, not only for their and their childrens' sakes and not only because it's a moral imperitive, but because doing so will be good for all of us. One out of three Americans will experience job loss and potential loss of health insurance for themselves and their families at some point. One out of four of us who have health insurance is underinsured --unable to afford the preventive care we and our kids need on an ongoing basis. And those of us who don't get preventive care can get walloped with diabetes, heart disease, and other major illnesses that wipe us out financially, or force us into emergency rooms that all of us end up paying for. 2. The only way to cover all Americans without causing deficits to rise is to require that the wealthiest Americans pay a bit extra. The wealthy can afford to make sure all Americans are healthy. The top 1 percent of earners now take home 23 percent of total national income, the highest percentage since 1928. Their tax burden is not excessive. Even as income and wealth have become more concentrated than at any time in the past 80 years, those at the top are now taxed at lower rates than rich Americans have been taxed since before the start of World War II. Indeed, many managers of hedge funds, private-equity partners, and investment bankers -- including those who have been bailed out by taxpayers over the last year -- are paying 15 percent of their income in taxes because their earnings are, absurdly, treated as capital gains. We should eliminate this loophole as well, and use it to guarantee the health of all. 3. Finally, I want a true public insurance option -- not a "cooperative," and not something that's triggered if certain goals aren't met. A public option is critical for lowering health-care costs. Today, private insurers don't face enough competition to guarantee low prices and high service. In 36 states, three or fewer insurers account for 65 percent of the insurance market. A public insurance option would also have the scale and authority needed to negotiate low drug prices and low prices from medical providers. Commercial insurers now pay about 30 higher rates to providers than the government pays through Medicare, because Medicare has the scale to get those lower rates. A nationwide public option could get similar savings. And those savings would mean lower premiums, deductibles and co-payments for Americans who can barely afford health insurance right now. We'll see. Cross-posted from Robert Reich's Blog . More on Health Care
 
Are "Gayngels" The Answer To All Your Problems? (VIDEO) Top
"It's a well-known fact that when you need help fast, a gay guy magically appears to make everything better." Or so says Bryan Safi, Current TV's arbiter of all things gay and hilarious . Apparently the latest cultural meme popping up all over television involves guardian gays (aka gayngels) that remove your worries and leave you more fabulous than ever. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Video
 
Sun-Times Group Closes Area Printing Plant As Cash Gets Tight Top
CHICAGO — The Chicago Sun-Times' parent company is closing a suburban printing plant, which is expected to cost 70 jobs. Sun-Times spokeswoman Tammy Chase confirms the Sun-Times Media Group plans to close its Pioneer Press printing plant in Northfield. Pioneer Press publishes dozens of Chicago-area community newspapers owned by the ailing conglomerate. Chase couldn't provide other details. And it isn't clear where the community papers might be printed in the future. The move comes amid waves of recent jobs cuts as the Sun-Times tries to reduce costs during its bankruptcy reorganization. Chase says Sun-Times executives are meeting with union leaders to discuss efforts to sell the parent company. She declined to provide details.
 
eSarcasm: iTunes Psychology: Your Playlist, Your Self Top
I'm a rebellious and artistic guy with mixed emotions and a limited sense of responsibility. That's what my iTunes playlist indicates, anyway -- at least, according to some newly released research . (The fact that it didn't include "irresistibly charming" in my profile, I assume, was a mere oversight.) Scientists at the University of Cambridge have been studying how our musical tastes affect people's perceptions of us. They've found certain musical preferences consistently lead people to the same conclusions -- and, especially in our connected culture, we're constantly sending out clues. "It is now common practice to list your favorite bands on sites like MySpace or Facebook," the study's lead researcher explains . "This research shows that in doing so, many of us are also making clear public statements of who we are and how we should be perceived, whether we are conscious of that or not." (That means you, Guy Who Thinks No One's Noticed "Womanizer" In His Pandora History.) So what persona is your choice of aural pleasure portraying? Here are some of the study's conclusions: Rock music : You're rebellious, artistic, and emotionally unstable. Jazz music : You're friendly, emotionally stable, and have a limited sense of responsibility. Rap music : You're energetic, athletic, and also rather hostile. Classical music : You're intellectual, unattractive, and whiter than John Hodgman. We conducted our own analysis to figure out what the presence of specific artists in your playlist tells outsiders. From the eSarcasm Smartass Lab: Songs by John Mayer : You're either (a) an overgrown frat-boy douche or (b) a horny teenage girl. Songs by Miley Cyrus : You're either (a) a preteen girl or (b) a middle-aged male sex offender. Songs by Shakira : You're a normal heterosexual male, as long as you're only a fan of watching her videos on mute; otherwise, you're a tone-deaf asshole. Songs by Katy Perry or Beyonce : See above. Songs by Uncle Kraker : You're a mullet-sportin' fella with a mouth full of chaw. Songs by Nickelback : You're the kind of guy who, five years ago, worshiped Creed. Songs by Lil Wayne : We won't be able to understand a word you say. Songs by Alanis Morrisette : You're the kind of girl we don't want to date. Songs by Flo Rida or any other rapper who blatantly promotes oral lovin' in his lyrics : You're the kind of girl we don't want to date (but will try to sleep with tonight). For more Geek Humor Gone Wild, visit eSarcasm . You'll be glad you did. More on Apple
 
Gang Of Six Back In Action: Giving Bipartisanship One More Try Top
Most top Democrats, including senior White House advisers, may no longer expect a health care deal out of the bipartisan "Group of Six," but the senators still plan to talk Friday for the first time as a group in more than two weeks.
 
Arianna Huffington: So We Can't Have Single Payer for Health Care, But How About Single Payer for Education? Top
Health care is rightly dominating the national debate, but with children all across the country heading back to school, education, currently seated in the back row of the national classroom, is raising its hand and asking to be called on. On Tuesday, President Obama will be giving a nationally televised speech on education to America's students, broadcast on C-SPAN and the White House website. On the same day, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is sponsoring a major conference in Los Angeles that will serve as the kick off of Get Schooled , a far-reaching initiative geared to developing solutions to the problems facing America's education system. (I'll be one of the speakers.) Remember when the Washington establishment passed No Child Left Behind, shook hands, patted each other on the back, and checked education reform off its To Do list? Well, George Bush's version of education reform (aided and abetted by Congressional Democrats) turned out to be reform in name only. This bipartisan breakdown is, of course, nothing new. Through the years, we've had presidents from both parties promising to improve our schools -- and failing to do so. In the process, we've grown accustomed to the system's chronic failure -- particularly when it comes to minority students, where we are facing nothing less than an educational catastrophe, with shockingly high numbers of poor and minority students unable to read at grade level by the fourth grade. In the face of this educational apartheid, we should have no illusions about what is at stake. As writer Mikel Holt puts it : "The old civil rights movement got us to the lunch counter. The new civil rights agenda is: can our kids read the menu?" It's time to acknowledge that over 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education we are witnessing a de facto resegregation of our schools, with blacks and Hispanics more separate from white students than at any time since the civil rights movement. In contrast, the last 30 years have been a boom time for America's jails, with new prisons popping up at a rate even McDonald's would envy, while the number of people living behind bars has quadrupled: "Over 2 million dissatisfied customers served." Particularly troubling is the fact that close to 150,000 children are in custody and that high school dropout rates are in lockstep with the rate of juvenile incarceration. As a result, many of America's schools have become preparatory facilities not for college but for jail. Time after time, when the choice has come down to books versus bars, our political leaders have chosen to build bigger prisons rather than figuring out how to have fewer kids in them. How is it that we are willing to spend so much on kids once they are found guilty of crimes but so little when they are still innocent? What kind of society spends more than 10 times as much to incarcerate a child as it does to educate him? It's time we start looking at education reform in bold and different ways, to stop protecting little parcels of partisan turf and start thinking outside the box. To consider the possibilities. To look past our own political backyards at what might lie on the other side of the mountain. What I see on the other side of the mountain is a single-payer education system. In a single-payer health care plan, the federal government provides coverage for all U.S. citizens and legal residents. Patients don't go to a government doctor -- they just have the government pay the bill. And that's how it would work with education. In a single-payer education plan, the federal government, in conjunction with the states, would provide an education allotment for every parent of a K-12 child. Parents would then be free to enroll their child in the school of their choice. In a single-payer health care plan, all citizens would be free to select the physician and hospital of their choice. And, unlike in our education system, no one backing single-payer health care ever suggested that patients can only see a doctor in their own district or can only be operated on at the hospital down the street. If we don't hold people's health hostage to the health of their property values, why do we do this with their children's education? The single-payer health plan would be financed by a payroll tax. In education, the annual cost per child -- equalized for urban and suburban school districts across each state -- would come from the current education funding sources. When it comes to quality control, in health care the guidelines incorporated by Medicare would be used to manage the quality of health-care services. In education, the government would be responsible for accrediting the schools among which parents could choose. It's simple, sensible and, above all, just. And maybe instead of calling for an exorcist any time the words "competition," "choice" or "freedom" are used in connection to education, we can start singing hosannas for an idea that preserves what is truly public in public education -- the government, i.e. the public, paying for it -- while allowing creativity, innovation and parental empowerment to flourish. What Abraham Lincoln said in his second annual address to Congress in 1862 applies powerfully to today's education crisis: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.... As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew." And when it comes to saving out children, there is not a moment to waste.
 
How To Survive An Emergency Top
Guest Post by Matthew Stein, P.E., Author of When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability and Surviving the Long Emergency In light of the recent fires raging in California, it's become clear: We need to prepare for emergencies. 72 HOUR GRAB AND RUN SURVIVAL KIT These short-term emergency kits should be readily accessible and cover the basic daily needs of your family for a period of at least 3 days. Please note that 3 days is a minimal time period and that you should have at least a 2-week supply of food stored in or around your home. You may purchase ready-made, 72-hour kits from various survival supply outlets, or you can put together your own. Large families should probably divide up the stores between several easily grabbed small backpacks or plastic containers. One advantage to building your own kits is that you get to choose foods that you like. Remember that all foods have some kind of shelf life. Rotate stores, and use them or lose them. Bug-infested, rancid, or rotten food doesn't do anyone any good. Consider placing all of the following items in your 72-hour survival kit: • Portable radio, preferably one that works with dead or no batteries, such as by a hand crank or combination powered with solar cells (available through survival and surplus outlets). • First aid kit with first aid and survival handbooks (this book covers both). • Water, water purification chemicals, and /or purifying filter. Enough to provide 1 gallon per person per day (see Chapter 5). Retort (foil) pouches can handle freezing in a car trunk, but most other water containers can't handle freezing without the potential for bursting. Three gallons per person is heavy (24 lb), so I strongly suggest that you include a water filter and water treatment chemicals. I suggest pump-type backcountry filters, such as those made by Katadyn or MSR, that are rated to filter out all bacteria and have a carbon core to remove toxic chemicals. Also, supplement your filter(s) with purifying iodine crystals (or other chemicals), such as a "Polar Pure" water purification kit, to kill all viruses. Pump filters that are rated for virus removal have tiny pore sizes and tend to clog quickly (a clogged filter is worthless). Sports bottle-type purifying water filters are simple, reliable, compact, and inexpensive, but clog easier and won't purify nearly as many gallons of water as the pump-type filters. • Waterproof and windproof matches in a waterproof container, and a utility-type butane (large, with extended tip) lighter. • Wool or pile blankets (avoid cotton) because they are warm when wet, or a sleeping bag. Also, a heat-reflective, waterproof "space blanket." Fiber-pile, mountaineering-quality sleeping bags are great, if you have the space (avoid down sleeping bags, because they are worthless if wet). • Flashlight with spare batteries, or a solar recharge flashlight. I highly recommend that you purchase a headlamp with LED bulbs. Headlamps leave your hands free to carry things, or work on things. LED bulbs use a fraction of the power, are far more shock resistant, and last far longer than traditional light bulbs, so your batteries last many times longer. • Candles (useful for lighting fires with damp wood) and light sticks (emergency light when nothing else works or explosive gases are present). • Toiletries, including toilet paper, toothbrush, soap, razor, shampoo, sanitary napkins (also good for severe bleeding wounds), a pack of dental floss (for sewing and tying things), sunscreen, extra eyeglasses, diapers, and so on. • Food for 3 days per person, minimum. Use foods you will eat and that store well, such as nuts, sport bars, canned vegetables, fruits, meats, dry cereals, and military-type preserved meals (available at surplus and survival stores). • A Swiss Army knife, Leatherman, or other stainless steel multitool knife with scissors, can opener, blades, and screwdrivers. • Map, compass, and whistle. When you are in a weakened state, or have a parched throat, a whistle may draw someone's attention and save your life. In smoke or fog, a compass may be the only thing pointing you in the right direction. The dial on the compass should glow in the dark. • Sewing kit with extra heavy-duty thread. Should be strong enough to stitch a torn strap onto your backpack (I never travel in the backcountry without a sewing kit). • Towel or dishcloth. • Knives, forks, spoons, and so on. A camping "mess kit" is a compact set of utensils. • Tent and/or 50-foot roll of plastic sheeting for shelter. • Extra clothing, such as long underwear, hat, jacket, waterproof mittens, leather work gloves, rain coat or poncho, sturdy boots, and so on. Remember that cotton is very cold when wet, but wool and specialty outdoor clothing (usually polyester) wick moisture and are warm when wet. • Entertainment for kids and other special needs (prescription medicines, diapers, extra glasses, etc.). • 25 kitchen-size garbage bags and lime or sewage treatment chemicals (powdered type preferred) for garbage and toilet sewage. A few large heavy-duty garbage bags can double for raincoats, ground cloths, and shelter. • 50 feet of heavy-duty nylon string or light rope. • Record of bank numbers and important telephone numbers. • Spare checks and cash. Many Katrina victims were caught without any cash. TIP: Use a bank that has widespread branch locations so their records won't disappear in a severe local disaster, leaving you with no bank account access. • OPTIONAL ITEMS: A compact stove with fuel, like one of the MSR multifuel stoves. FAMILY EMERGENCY CHECKLIST Place 72-hour emergency survival kits in your cars and convenient "grab kits" in your home. Determine a local meeting place with a large open area, such as a park or school, where your household can gather if you are separated and do not have access to your home during emergencies. Make sure that all capable members of your family know how and where to shut off the water, gas, and electricity for your home in the event of an emergency. Stash spare keys to your vehicles somewhere on the vehicle and an additional supply of keys somewhere outside of your home (securely hidden). Store at least one week's supply of food for your household. Store a combination of water, water treatment chemicals, and water-purifying filters to provide for your household for at least a week (see Chapter 5, "Water," for more information on filters and purification) Keep a survival manual in each car with your 72-hour kit. Get proper first aid and CPR training for all capable members of your family. See the American Red Cross for first aid training and assistance with local emergency planning. Arrange for an out-of-state emergency contact to reach for coordination and communication. After an emergency, it may be easier to call long distance than locally, or your family may be separated and need an outside contact to communicate through. Locate your nearest emergency shelter (call your local Red Cross for this information). Practice the route to the shelter, if it's not conveniently located. Make sure that you have smoke detectors in your home. Change their batteries at least once each year. Store your important papers in one easily accessible location, preferably in a waterproof and flameproof box. Discuss your emergency preparedness plans with all members of your household. Keep the discussion light and positive.
 
Lesley Stern: How To Live On $0 A Day: The Pros And Pros Of Declaring Bankruptcy Top
The idea of declaring bankruptcy has always seemed a bit shameful, something to be avoided at all costs. In these times, that attitude is archaic and foolish. Especially when you consider that some of our most prestigious companies have done it, not to mention luminaries like Donald Trump, Larry King, Francis Ford Coppola and any number of Jacksons. And not one of them had to sacrifice their lavish standard of living, status or credit rating for a minute. Clearly, it's time to get over the stigma. Bankruptcy is awesome. Once you know the specifics, you'll wish you did it sooner. I know I do. What makes bankruptcy particularly appealing right now is the fact that the courts are so clogged with cases (over 6,000 new ones a day), it'll take years for yours to be processed and set a hearing. That means after you file the preliminary papers, all your debts will be frozen and no further payment will be required until the court date (which should occur no sooner than 2014 at the current rate). In the meantime, nobody can take legal action against you, evict you or charge interest and penalties. Sure, it may screw up your credit rating for awhile, but let's get real; your credit rating is already shot. Bankruptcy allows you get to live exactly as you have been, without the annoying monthly payments. Let me compare the lifestyle of two people who have been unemployed for over a year. One has declared bankruptcy (we'll call him Prince )and the other hasn't (we'll call him Pauper). Pauper has been trying desperately to pay off credit card debt for years. Unable to deal with the threats of creditors and predators, he moved into his parents' laundry room so he wouldn't have the added expense of paying for a place to live. Since then he has staunched the financial bleeding, but has also acquired a nervous tic, a chipped tooth (from getting hit in the mouth by the zipper on his father's pants as they flew towards the dirty laundry bin) and stress induced eczema (diagnosed by Google). Despite no longer having to pay rent, he still struggles monthly to pay his minimum balance, which is mostly interest. Pauper hasn't been on vacation for years. His last clothing purchase was a pair of $2.00 flip flops on sale at Old Navy. He has no social life because it usually involves spending money on drinks and food and he doesn't want to blow his monthly food budget on a beer and buffalo wings. Meanwhile, Prince filed bankruptcy six months ago when the incessant calls from creditors were making it impossible to enjoy his new $500 Blackberry. Prince is still living in his lovely home, purchased for $300,000, borrowed on at $850,000 and now worth $600,000. Well, actually Prince is currently vacationing at a spa in Hawaii, which he can afford because he is no longer paying bills and isn't accruing one bit of interest or penalties while he waits for his case to make the court calendar. Now he can spend every cent he earns on necessities like food, clothing, vacations, premium cable, exfoliation and Cuban cigars. His skin is clear, his belly is full and he is up to date on the latest episode of Dexter . The old way of thinking would have labeled Prince an immoral cad. Today he probably qualifies for a top banking job. On the other hand, Pauper comes off as a naive douche with unattractive skin, bad teeth and a twitch. Before you rush off to declare bankruptcy, a few important tips. Think like a corporate executive. Maximizing the amount you'll be absolved from owing is just good business sense. Make sure you charge all your credit lines up to the limit before declaring. Get things you really need like a good haircut, pedicure and fancy espresso machine (think of the money you'll save on Starbucks). While Chapter 11 is the most famous kind of bankruptcy, you'll want a Chapter 7, which lets you keep your material possessions without necessitating a repayment plan. You'll probably lose your house if you have one, but all your other possessions like your flatscreen, Chanel jacket, margarita maker and sub-zero remain yours. You just don't have to continue paying them off. And now that your house is worth less than you're paying for it, squatting there for free is a welcome relief from the burden of ownership. Sound too good to be true? Well, there is a catch. It'll cost you. In order to declare bankruptcy, there's a fee and you'll probably need a lawyer, which usually costs $5,000 - $6,000 (which if you had it, you wouldn't need to declare bankruptcy). So before you enter into an arrangement with any lawyer, make sure he or she accepts credit. If you can't find a willing lawyer, try bartering. Sure, you may have to sacrifice your first born child, but you're doing it for your child's own good (bankruptcy law is booming--he/she shall not want). The other option is to file the initial claim yourself and go to law school. You'll earn your degree before the case comes to court. The sooner you file, the sooner you can begin your new stress-free life and start stimulating the economy again. Rumor has it Narcisco Rodriguez's fall line is to die for and Apple is coming out with a new iPod any day now. More on Satire
 
Sen. Bernie Sanders: A National Dialogue on Afghanistan (VIDEO) Top
I hope you'll watch and participate in my new show, Senator Sanders Unfiltered , produced by Brave New Films . Follow my show on Twitter at SandersShow , join my Facebook page, or subscribe to my YouTube page. This week's question via TwitVid comes from singer and activist Billy Bragg. I am deeply concerned that we appear to be getting pulled into another quagmire from which we don't know how to exit - this time, in Afghanistan. Without the kind of national debate this country needs, we are sending more and more troops into Afghanistan - about 60 percent of all the foreign troops in the country are now Americans and that percentage is going to go up. We have already spent several hundred billion dollars in Afghanistan, and that number too will go up. What I am not hearing is the national debate about what our exit strategy is going to be. We have been there now for eight years. How many more years will we be there? Originally we went in there to find Osama bin Laden; we have not accomplished that. What are our goals now? We need clarity about our relationship with the rest of the international community. How much of the burden is our country going to have to assume? What we do not want to see is, without a forthright national dialogue, tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of troops continue to pour into Afghanistan without knowing what we hope to accomplish. The time is now for a major national debate on Afghanistan. That hasn't happened. I think the scariest thing that can happen is that just, very quietly, we get sucked into a war that is a never-ending process. This is an issue about which we need a lot more clarity and a lot more debate. Stay up to date with the goings on in the Senate by signing up for my Bernie Buzz newsletter and joining my Facebook page today. More on Afghanistan
 
Rob Fishman: Human or Dancer: Killers Waver at Jones Beach Top
It's ironic, but for the first time all night, Brandon Flowers looks human. His band, the Killers, is midway through their set at Jones Beach on Tuesday night. The stage is desert themed⎯diminutive palm trees line the floor, beads of light hang overhead like a Sahara sky, long shots of blazing canyons pan the backing screens⎯a nod to the band's Las Vegas roots. That the Wantagh sky is starless and full-mooned renders the stage less arid than bogus. As a frontman, Flowers looks similarly false, robotic. He is a study in right angles, as rigid and symmetrical as a marionette. At one point, he encourages the arena (capacity: 15,000, and from the looks of it, full) to sway their hands; our arms are Gumby's next to his, a pair of windshield wipers on full speed. Flowers shrugs, and gives up. He's done this before. The Killers have been on tour since last July, when they played New York's Highline Ballroom. Since then, they've been all over the world, performing sometimes as many as five nights a week. They came back to New York in November, by way of Madrid and Toronto. In January, they played Ypsilanti. The next month, Auckland. The next, Glasgow. So by the time they returned to New York this week, the Killers should have been in good practice. And to a technical extent, they are. Backed by two studio musicians⎯who, even as they pick up saxophones, guitars and violins, toil in side-stage obscurity⎯the Killers showcase hits from their recent release, Day & Age , as well as old favorites from Sam's Town (2006) and Hot Fuss (2004), effortlessly. Only one number, "Smile Like You Mean It" ⎯reworked acoustically for piano and violin⎯noticeably differs from the record. When "Bling (Confession of a King)" starts up, the lights become amber necklaces. "Higher and higher," Flowers sings, and miniature fireworks detonate on cue. The bandleader calls out to the crowd, "You feel so far away from us." He repeats himself, not in any despair, but as a matter of fact. "Touch me," a generic rock star appeal that falls flat. It's a welcome surprise, then, when "Human," the third album's first single, begins. In part because the song is widely recognizable, it's an infusion of energy. The crowd gets involved. Flowers, in turn, loosens up. "You've gotta let me know," he chants the popular (and ungrammatical) chorus: "Are we human, or are we dancer?" It may be rhetorical, but here, laid bare before the audience, one can't help but heed the lyric⎯ "and I'm on my knees, looking for the answer"⎯and abide him. Like Flowers' other famous line, "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier," Rolling Stone calls the lyric "impenetrable." Still, the implication is pretty straightforward. "Human" is flat-footed, dull, a soldier sans soul. By contrast, "dancer" is an evolved state, ecstatic, a singular⎯and singularized⎯condition. The subject and verb disagree, but accede to some transcendental discothèque in the strange and desperate mind of Brandon Flowers. With that in mind, consider the case against Flowers and the Killers. Following the release of Sam's Town , the Times described them as "caught between two personas that might be described as high-school and sophomoric." Briant Hiatt at Rolling Stone found Flowers noncommittal, inarticulate. "I don't even know why people want to talk to me," the singer admitted to him. Flowers boasts that his band could become bigger than U2, but worships Springsteen. The Killers' albums are bricolages of these influences, and the singer more a persona than a personality. What's lacking on stage tonight is precisely that: a discernible humanity. Concertgoers⎯and the Killers', by the way, are twenty- and thirty-something white people, many with children in tow⎯want more from the band than a visual soundtrack. A performance that jolts the spine, a frisson of excellence. Spontaneity, innovation, the kind of extemporaneous flourish that Springsteen, Bono, or Chris Martin have mastered, and that grants those idols access to a stratosphere the Killers are yet to pierce. Flowers should take note. It's not the dancing monkey that pleases, but proof that he's only human. Concert Photos from Twitter: More on Photo Galleries
 
Nicole Williams: 10 Tunes to Rev Up Your Workday Top
From Dolly Parton to Donna Summers, numerous songwriters have written about the humorous (and sometimes horrifying) ups and downs of the work world. Although many of these songs were recorded decades ago, their lyrics still manage to strike a chord, with references to commuting, caffeine, and other timeless aspects of office life. Add this Workday Playlist to your iPod for musical inspiration (or commiseration) anytime. 1. 9 to 5 (Dolly Parton) - This catchy little ditty won Dolly Parton two Grammy awards. It also holds the distinction of being one of the few popular songs featuring typewriter noises (listen closely!). With commuting woes and cranky bosses, "9 to 5" gives workplace angst a voice. Also check out the movie by the same name. 2. Manic Monday (The Bangles) - We've all had those kinds of Mondays, and this 1986 single by the Bangles perfectly sums up the dread of dragging ourselves into the office after the weekend. It's the perfect pick-me-up whenever you're having a case of the Mondays (or the Tuesdays or Wednesdays). 3. Coffee Break (Frank Loesser's musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ) - Although written for a Broadway musical that opened in 1961, this song could just as easily apply to our Starbucks addiction circa 2009. Hum along when you need a laugh (or a latte). 4. She Works Hard for the Money (Donna Summer) - Sound familiar? This 1983 hit became an anthem for working women everywhere, but it was originally inspired by a waitress named Onetta. Crank up your iPod and cue up this song for an instant energy boost while you're working overtime. 5. Money, Money, Money (ABBA) - This 1976 song isn't so much about work as it is a fantasy about not having to work. Still, we dig the song's repetitive, driving rhythms and the vintage piano sound. You might recognize it from the musical and movie Mamma Mia! 6. Millworker (James Taylor) - If you thought your job had you singing the blues, then get a load of this ballad about a millworker in Lowell, Mass. The drudgery of the millworker's life is set against a simple, soulful melody. Listen to "Millworker" when you need a few minutes of calm and quiet to put things into perspective. 7. Whistle While You Work (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ) - Although Snow White's old-school optimism is a tad dated, we gotta admire the girl's work ethic and the way she motivates a team of animals to help her tidy up. If Ms. White were around today, she'd certainly be management material. 8. Happy Working Song (Disney's Enchanted ) - You'll hear obvious similarities to No. 7, but if you've ever wished you had a posse of animatronic animals to help you through the workday, this one is also worth a listen. 9. I Need a Holiday (Scouting for Girls) - The U.K.-based indie-pop band Scouting for Girls recorded this song for their debut album. The sentiment is one that many of us share, and it also doesn't hurt that the lead singer has a cute British accent, either. 10. Take This Job and Shove It (Johnny Paycheck) - Might we suggest using headphones for this one? This 1977 country hit is about an embittered factory worker, but many office workers can relate too. In fact, some people have actually quit over the airwaves by requesting this song on a local radio station. We recommend a more tactful approach.
 
Tara Lohan: Farm-Raised Salmon Are Turning Our Oceans Into Polluted Feedlots Top
The fish makes gourmets rejoice. Smoked-salmon quiche, grilled salmon with lime butter sauce, salmon sushi, poached salmon fillets with dill crème fraîche -- really the choices with salmon are endless and delicious. The omega-3-fatty-acid-rich fish is also coveted for its health benefits. And, if you're looking for protein, eating salmon seems a great alternative to industrial-produced meat in the U.S. But somehow this dream fish has become a nightmare. As it turns out, farmed salmon comes with its own set of environmental and health issues -- threatening wild salmon populations, becoming harbingers of disease, and contaminating the oceans with antibiotics and toxic chemicals. And if you're eating salmon in the U.S., the chances are very good that it's farm raised. Only about 10 percent of salmon on the market in the U.S. is actually wild these days Alex Trent, executive director of the industry group Salmon of the Americas, told the New York Times . If this were a few years ago, your farm-raised salmon would have come from Chile, but since a disease outbreak has crashed the industry there, the U.S. has looked elsewhere for imports. If you're on the West Coast your farmed salmon is most likely from British Columbia, and if you're elsewhere in the U.S. it's probably from either Norway, Ireland or Scotland. And that's actually a bad thing -- for more than just food miles. While salmon "farming" conjures an agrarian image, the industry is more akin to CAFOs -- the concentrated animal feeding operations -- used by the industrial meat industry that is responsible for most of the chicken, burgers and pork that Americans consume. They're also responsible for a lot of waste and pollution that comes with raising a whole bunch of creatures in a confined space. The farmed-salmon industry, which raises the fish in floating "pens," has some striking similarities to CAFOs. The industry was jump-started a few decades ago, and it was initially seen as a great boon for wild salmon, which have been decimated by dams, pollution and invasive species. If more people eat farmed salmon, the reasoning went, then that would help protect wild salmon populations. Unfortunately, that hasn't exactly panned out. Raising salmon in farms has meant that you can buy salmon (although not wild) at a much cheaper price, and that has helped to keep the popular fish on the dinner table -- but at what cost to the environment and human health? In my latest piece on AlterNet, I reported on the environmental pollution, the threat to wild fish populations, the economic turmoil, and the human health risks that have resulted from the farmed salmon industry. You can also read more about what's being done to change the industry and what consumers should know. More on Food
 
Dem Rep: God Isn't Talking to Bachmann Anymore, She's "Hearing Other Voices" Top
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's talk of stopping health care reform by fasting, praying and wrist-slitting has prompted not only lefty pundits but a top Democratic colleague to question what's going on between her ears. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, remarked Tuesday: "I don't think God's talking to her anymore. I think she's hearing other voices." More on Michele Bachmann
 
Katie Halper: Separated at Birth? Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Blanche Lincoln Top
Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be in the same political party, but they're in the same camp when it comes to opposing healthcare. What explains this bipartisan overlap? It's not surprising that the GOP's Governator used his veto power to "hasta la vista" child welfare programs, healthcare for the poor and AIDS prevention efforts. But why would a Democrat state , "I would not support a solely government-funded public option. We can't afford that." Some cynics point to the fact that Lincoln is the "2nd highest recipient of campaign contributions from the health industry among senators this year." But I posit a different theory. In the "face" of physical evidence, I propose that Lincoln and Schwarzenegger's similar stances can be traced back to biology, not politics, to nature, not nurture.Their ideological resemblance resembles their physical resemblance. Republicans and Democrats are often more related than we think.
 
Gary Stager: A Sneak Peek at Obama's Speech to Schoolchildren Top
On September 8th, President Obama will speak to American schoolchildren. I got a look at an early draft... "Dear children of America: Study hard. Take lots of tests. Obey your teachers. Don't watch television. Don't play video games. Education is your responsibility. Eat lots of vegetables. Be bipartisan. Always be bipartisan. The good thing about the endless assault of standardized language arts and arithmetic tests you endure is that you won't learn anything about history, civics or politics. That clears the way for my friends to use charter legislation to privatize public schools, suspend democracy via mayoral control, bust unions and have you spend each school day in a "race-to-the-top" competition designed to crush the hopes and dreams of schoolchildren in Finland. Before you know it, the sort of voters who attended public school won't give such schemes a second thought. Most Americans can't even spell, Afghanistan . [shake your head in disgust as if you were mumbling, lousy public schools] To California students, I say,... 'Sure, your state spends less on your education than most other states and California is broke. That means you'll just have to work harder in those fifty year-old trailers they call classrooms or bungalows . Bungalow - that's a terrific vocabulary word. Your teachers just don't love you enough to allow their paychecks to be dependent on how well you do bubbling in those silly tests. Everyone acts as if there are State laws or legal contracts to abide by. No excuses, I say! Also, two big thumbs up to the Los Angeles Unified School District for their ingenious plan to abandon 250 public schools!' Students of America, you can learn a lot about excellence in schooling by admiring the education my kids receive - from afar of course. Their school is run by Quakers. If you attend an American public school, particularly in urban settings, yours is run by the testing Taliban. Before you know it, every great American school district will be led by inexperienced political hacks. In America, unqualified is the new qualified! My education advisers are top notch. Coach Duncan likes to call them, 'the dream team.' You can't get any better than Newt Gingrich, Al Sharpton, a bunch of billionaires, an ex-director of AIG and and a former basketball player for the Launceston Ocelots! Ocelot , another great vocabulary word. The ocelot lived in a bungalow. By the way, Arne Duncan and I are going to connect jumper cables to your teacher's private parts if your test scores don't improve. You thought you were done with No Child Left Behind? Think again suckas!"
 
Michael Luongo: Baghdad's Gay Community: A Tale of Two Cities Top
Baghdad, Iraq -- This is my second time in Baghdad, and I have to admit, overall I have seen a lot of improvements. My first trip, in the summer of 2007 to do a large investigative report for New York's Gay City News was during the height of the Surge, the U.S. military effort to calm the insurgency. It looks like it worked. Baghdad in the summer of 2009 is much easier to get around. What were once unknowns, on the other side of barrier walls I was always warned not to cross, are wonderful, beautiful places. Baghdad looks like Los Angeles crossed with Havana and New Orleans. The increased safety has also meant that nightlife has returned to Baghdad, from bars and restaurants on Abu Nawaz Street along the Tigris, to even belly dancing hotspots. For gay men however, this increase in nightlife has created a tale of two cities. On the one hand, safety during the night meant that gay men, one part of reemerging cosmopolitan society, were throwing parties and becoming visible again. Unfortunately, that visibility created a backlash. Groups like the Mahdi Army seized on the resurgence earlier this year, killing gay men from the Sadr City area, a poor, deeply religious neighborhood in the eastern side of the city. I have interviewed a few men from the area, and they have told me about witnessing killings by members of the Mahdi Army, dressed in their famous black gear, strafing sidewalks with bullets in drive by shootings. Others told of midnight burnings of cafes popular with gay men. It's hard to hear these stories, even harder to watch some of the videos they've brought me of friends who have been killed. Another man I met, whom I tried to meet two years ago, but could not because it was simply too dangerous, helps runs some of the safehouses that Ali Hili of Iraqi LGBT is involved in. He was old enough to have a good perspective on the Saddam reign, and looked at me dreamily when talking about life then. He doesn't want to leave Iraq though, telling me, "I am Iraqi, where else can I go. This is my home." At the same time, life is different for some of the gay men I interviewed, who hang out in groups on Abu Nawaz or head to fashionable cafes. Even here though is some cognitive dissonance. One young man, a handsome bodybuilder, told me as I chatted with him and a group of friends, all as fashionable as men from West Hollywood or Chelsea, that "life is good for gays in Baghdad." But he lamented what happened to his effeminate friends, whom he called, "more like sissies," who risk their lives to be on the street. Some he said, had been forced to perform oral sex in the body search trailers with the guards meant to protect their neighborhoods. Other men he explained, wound up dead after being harassed at these checkpoints. My visit comes after the release of the Human Rights Watch report on the gay killings in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq which have gone on since 2004, but peaked in the spring of this year. The horrible mutilations included anal gluing, a disgusting method of death where a heavy glue is forced into the anus and the victim is given laxatives so that his insides rip apart. Some men have survived this, but can't return to their families once it's known the method of torture used on them. I was able to go past Al Kindi hospital in northern Baghdad where some of the men went for help, and near which some of the bodies of those who didn't survive were dumped. All this has to be put into perspective with the deaths that go on in Iraq on a daily basis, including the spectacular bombing of the Foreign Ministry on August 19th, the day I arrived into the city and which killed 100 people. And members of Baghdad's cosmopolitan society remain at risk, from women in the workforce, to musicians, to artists, to Christians and other religious minorities. Still, one official I spoke with at a foreign embassy who has dealt with a variety of persecuted Iraqis told me "it's the gruesomeness of the killings," that has prodded attention. I leave Baghdad soon, this beautiful, dangerous and ancient capital, wondering what to make of this tale of two cities for the gay men I have met who must walk a precarious balance in this still war-torn place. More on Iraq
 
James S. Marks: Replacing the Shouts of Recess with the Deliberations of Research Top
During the August congressional recess much of the coverage on health care reform has been spent showing us the cacophony of shouts and yells heard around the country during Town Hall meetings. But at the same time, with less fanfare and attention, a more measured and productive conversation has been occurring. One that actually has the potential to help make us a healthier country AND provide us with a more cost effective system of care. Since my August 5 post, "What If Benjamin Franklin Ran the Congressional Budget Office?," there has been growing interest and attention surrounding the methods of the Congressional Budget Office for scoring costs and savings in general and more specifically as it relates to health reform. The CBO is a valuable resource for elected officials for measuring the economic value of specific legislation. But what we are realizing is that doesn't mean that it automatically scores what we as Americans value, especially as it relates to our health. Americans want to live longer, healthier and happier lives. In order to do so they and we make investments in our health, education and well-being that are intended to pay dividends throughout our lives. However, the CBO scoring is limited to only measuring those that pay off in the short term, within 10 years. This means that while common sense tells us that investing in educating our children, staying healthy, getting checkups to find and treat disease early etc, are invaluable to us as individuals and to the country as a whole, the CBO finds no "economic value" because of its limitations in scoring. It's as if your car dealer came out and told you there is no value in keeping oil in your car, or getting regular oil changes - their mechanics are great and will do the repairs when the car breaks down. In the last month, many organizations have weighed in on the topic and are calling on our leaders to look beyond the narrow focus of the 10-year horizon. Members of organizations such as American Public Health Association, the American Cancer Society, American Association of Diabetes Educators, the YMCA, National Changing Diabetes Program, National Commission on Prevention Priorities, Trust for America's Health, Nurse-Family Partnership, Partnership for Prevention, U.S. Preventive Medicine, and others have voiced an interest in reevaluating CBO's current mandate as it relates to health and healthcare legislation. Now comes a new study from the University of Chicago that has just been published by Health Affairs (http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.28.5.w978/DC1) The research presents results that combine the economic approach with epidemiologically-based data to project federal costs for diabetes under alternative policies. The research's authors developed a model that incorporates critical findings from major clinical trials, illustrating that an investment in early, aggressive treatment for diabetes has payoffs in reduced complications that increase over time, with a significant amount of the health and hence economic value accruing after the usual 10-year CBO window. The model, based on published clinical trial data, captures the expenses of diabetes prevention and management along with cost reductions over 10-year and 25-year periods. This is critical information for Congress to have when considering Health Care Reform proposals. So why is this new research so valuable? • First, their paper shows that this kind of long-term analysis can be done and done well. The data exists and can be compiled in a meaningful, credible way. • Second that doing the analysis matters...a lot. Their analysis shows that a short-term view like CBO takes can make the net costs seem much greater than they actually are. And the good health outcomes seem much less than they really are. • Third and finally, their analysis uses one of the most serious, common and costly of diseases, diabetes, and shows us that hundreds of thousands of people could have serious disability like blindness, amputations and kidney failure needing lifelong dialysis prevented or delayed for many years if our medical care system was better designed. This is huge. It doesn't get better than this. Diabetes is one of those conditions where the science has progressed light years since the CBO was formed. And this paper shows us what the fruits of that science could be. But this same approach could be applied equally well to a growing number of preventative health investments where we have reliable data that shows us the effects of investment and the implications of disease progression. In this paper the authors show how we can combine epidemiologic science with economic analysis to better see the true costs and where we get the best value over the longer term. We need to do this more, not just in health and medical care, but for investments in our children as well. As Congress resumes its discussions around health care, I hope they are not unduly distracted by the loud catcalls given so much media attention during their recess. But rather I hope that they turn their ear to a more deliberate and fruitful dialogue among the medical and health community that is pointing the way towards improving the health and health care of all Americans. Dr. James Marks is currently the Senior Vice-President, Director of the Health Group at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is former Assistant Surgeon General, Director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. More on Health Care
 
Sailors' Sexual Abuse, Humiliation Kept Secret In Navy Canine Unit (VIDEO) Top
A Youth Radio investigation has found that between 2004 and 2006, sailors in the U.S. Navy's Bahrain Military Working Dogs Division, or "The Kennel," were subjected to an atmosphere of sexual harassment, psychological humiliation, and physical assaults.
 
Mary Ann West: If We Get This Wrong... Top
This is a video of Bishop Alvarez being heckled by the anti-health care reformers : Come one, come all to one of the wackiest public events in a venue near you, see adults behave badly, watch right wing puppets inhibit communication and listen to the hysteria generated by those who wish to sabotage the last of the summer Town Halls. Where others come to learn and hear what their Senators and Representatives have to say, what positions they are taking on one of the most important legislative issues of this young century, opposition comes disparage, belittle and to defeat political discourse, it's the new American way, and it isn't pretty. "If we get this wrong, the results will be catastrophic." Said Democrat Jim Himes (CT-4th) at his September 2nd Town Hall on Health Care Reform in Norwalk, CT that was attended by 1,100 with standing room only, attendees had an opportunity to ask questions, give suggestions or voice concerns about the aspects of the House Bill, HR3200. Due to large crowds expected the site was moved several times before ending up at the Norwalk High School Auditorium. In the last days before Congress returns to Washington, Town Halls took place in each district in Connecticut this week. The request was for constructive and useful dialog, the outcome was way less meaningful. Some came to listen to what the Congressman had to say while the not unexpected disruptive element showed that their first amendment rights are still strong even as they exhibited all that is ugly with the Tea Party platform of 'deny, defeat & denounce those of different opinions' with a voracious zeal. Two men sporting twisted black 44mm T-shirts (as in anti-Obama pro-gun 44 gauge shot) made sure they had front row seats in order to get the attention of the cameras. There was plenty of playing to the cameras by a few whose intent was to hijack the proceedings. One mention 'Public Option' and the noise level skyrocketed. So while Rep. Himes spoke about the economics of coverage of the 47 million who currently have no coverage, there were shouts of "Down with Himes." While he went through the costs and benefits, shouts of "Liar" could be heard. When physicians from the hospital spoke for the public option, some attendees stood in the aisles shouting over the speakers. To be fair, there was a large number from MoveOn.org, AARP and other more progressive groups that clapped over the shouting. What will be catastrophic is if we continue as we are, with only those who are healthy, wealthy, employed with a really great insurance plan or with Medicare coverage reaping the benefits while the insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms post record profits. Himes believes every American child should have access to medical care and House Bill HR3200 would also help those unable to get coverage along with closing the Medicare drug cost Part D Donut Hole while helping hospitals and physicians with uncompensated costs. Sitting next to an older man, clearly a conservative, each time Jim Himes would give an example of how Americans are effected by the lack of health insurance, he leaned over to his friend and said 'That's too high' or 'No it's not' until Himes mentioned the 18,000 or more Americans die each year because they had lacked access to affordable heath care. While he laughed at the impossibility, I let him know I had lost my 45 year old sister because she didn't have health insurance. What I didn't say was she waited until it was too late; entering the hospital in a coma from a Superbug and spent 5 weeks in ICU as they desperately tried every life saving measure until she passed away. The cost was more than the $500,000 in unreimbursed care the hospital bore; she left behind a family who unconditionally loved her. Or how I lost my mother when at age 64 she could not swallow, had surgery without insurance and died at 65 and ½, leaving her children and grandchildren without her love and guidance and her estate to pay the bills. Blatant racism showed its ugly face when Bishop Alvarez of a local church asked to speak to Representative Himes in Spanish and the right wingers went nuts shouting and screaming for him to speak English. Their inner Archie Bunker showed with another trigger; illegal immigrants. As Himes spoke of how each insured American is already paying for the uninsured care by hidden charges in their health care premiums and the costs are only going up, opposition gave opportune shout outs of Marxism and Socialism, whatever. There was a lack of civility and respect of others who shared their stories of surviving cancer and now unable to purchase any health insurance, for one man who spoke, high risk kept him from being hired. Or the newly graduated college student who has aged off her parents policy and can't find a job with benefits while she works for a non-profit without coverage. Or the small business owners who pay $27,000 a year for three employees. The male dominated white haired anti-everything contingent probably didn't really hear much of what was said, their mission was accomplished. Apparently pre-planned interruptions included shouts of 'Tort reform,' hissing spontaneously each time taxes were mentioned and of course 'Death Panels,' name calling, outright booing, especially by a few blowhards who appeared to enjoy the attention they received by the press like a blood sport. But funny thing, when I went to interview them no one wanted to tell me their name or where they were from except one man whom I've sparred with on the local blog, www.westportnow.com . Uniformed PD entered the auditorium and the level of intensity simmered down, for at least for a few minutes. Two hours later, I doubt anyone's mind was changed or swayed one way or the other, I do know in spite of almost verbally abusive dissenters, they failed to rattle Himes. Tea Party Express Another abhorrent Tea Party Express event takes place at the CT State Capital building in Hartford, CT on September 11th, on what should be a day of remembrance and honoring the heroes, they have callously planned on promoting their vile rhetoric. Maybe Joe the unlicensed plumber will show up, one can only hope! More on Health Care
 
Tim Ellis: Civility on Display at Massa Town Hall Top
Tim Ellis reported from Horseheads, NY, as part of HuffPost's Eyes & Ears Town Hall Watch . Horseheads, New York, August 31st - As I approached the latest town hall meeting in a divisive congressional recess, I expected to face another divided crowd of thoroughly made-up minds spoiling for a fight with the well-versed and independent-minded Congressman Massa -- complete with signs, shouts, sarcasm, and shaken faith in humanity. Consider my faith restored. Another packed high school auditorium was the venue for an insightful and sometimes impressive conversation about HR 3200 and health care reform in general. An intelligent and inquisitive audience plied Congressman Massa with informed questions and polite comments for several hours, a challenge to which the Congressman rose with his usual passion and depth of knowledge. It is a mark of the civility on display that I wasn't even able to make a general reading of "supporters vs opponents" based on applause, as I was in Victor . By and large, it seemed, people were there to get the facts. It is always easier to make a story out of the sensational, as we've seen time and again over the past - well, forever. But steady, solid yet passionate democracy in action - this, too, is a story worth telling. Questions about legislative process, single-payer nations and alternatives, medicaid expenses and medical bankruptcy, rationing of care and citizenship checks were asked and answered over the hours-long event. Not asked? Anything about death panels or ACORN - a refreshing change of pace. I can freely admit that I learned quite a bit about this bill and about government in general - and I was as shocked as everyone else to find that HR 3200 ties public option premium payments to the rates charged by private insurers. That's not competition, that's collusion - and it's as disappointing as it is frustrating. I'm not immune to the appeal of conflict, and I'll admit there's something satisfying about watching a man stand to toss out quotes from Ronald Reagan about government interference -- to strong applause -- only to have Massa respond with a Reagan quote of his own, to equal applause. And I know I walked in there firm in my beliefs, and worried for my country. But there is something truly and uniquely American to watching an audience full of people who live and work just down the street get together to talk things over with another neighbor who we are going to send to Washington to speak for us. It is reassuring to see a representative cite the Constitution as easily as a preacher cites the Bible. It is more than heartening to see that representative stand up and unashamedly say that when the only option we in this country provide our sick and elderly with is to drive them into poverty so they can finally get Medicaid to cover their health care, that isn't just a budgeting problem - that is morally and ethically wrong . When people are dying because insurance companies won't pay the bills their premiums are supposed to obligate them to pay, that's not neglect - that is murder . And in the face of that, it is genuinely restorative to have a congressman who I know will - as Reagan said we must - "have the moral courage to do what we know is right." That's democracy done right. Get HuffPost Eyes&Ears on Facebook and Twitter! More on Health Care
 
Lee Redmond, Longest Fingernails Record Holder, Discusses Drama Of Breaking Them Top
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City woman who held a Guinness World Record for her long fingernails before they broke off in a car crash says it was the most dramatic event of her life. But Lee Redmond, who lost the fingernails in February, says it's now much easier to do things and her hands seem to fly with the weight of the nails gone. The 68-year-old won't grow her nails out again, saying it took 30 years the first time and she may not live for another 30. Redmond hadn't cut her nails since 1979 and entered the Guinness World Records book in 2002 for longest fingernails on a woman. The Guinness Web site says her nails measured a total of more than 28 feet long in 2008, with the longest nail on her right thumb at 2 feet, 11 inches. ___ On the Net: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
 
Chris Brassington: Longing For a Paperless Existence Top
A few weeks ago, I returned home from a week's vacation to a stack of mail, or should I say, direct mail. Only about 10 of the 50 or so envelopes I received were actually correspondence that needed to be attended to. The others were all direct mail pieces, or what so many of us lovingly refer to as junk mail. My curiosity got the best of me so I did a little research to find out the effects of direct mail on the environment. The stats astounded me. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 4 million tons of direct mail is sent to the dump every year. The USDA Forest Service reports that even though all the trees that are cut down for the production of direct mail are replaced, there are still 100 million trees cut down for the production of bulk mail. This equals approximately one whole tree for every family in America. Recycling stats are just as frightening. Roughly 44 percent of junk mail goes to landfills unopened, according to the anti-waste service 41pounds.org. Only 36% of the mail sent to the dump is recycled, even though most of the bulk mail is recycle friendly. I applaud my bank, the electric company, water management service and gas provider for giving me the option to receive paperless statements via email. The others, however, like insurance companies, credit card providers, local pizza joints and grocery stores, I deplore for their continued use of an outdated and environmentally UN-friendly way of marketing. As marketers, there are a vast number of ways to effectively reach a targeted audience in an environmentally-friendly fashion. While the waste of time and money direct mail pieces that blanket the world over receive a measly 2% (if that) response rate, more targeted, opt-in options using the mobile phone can drive upwards of 25% response. Take National Geographic Channel, for example. They recently launched a creative SMS marketing program for the program 'Dog Whisperer' to help engage their viewers in what some would consider an environmentally-friendly way. Through on-air callouts and a promotional page on the NGC Web site, fans of the show were prompted to text the keyword "DOG" to 64288, a vanity short code that spells NGCTV, to sign up for weekly SMS alerts featuring dog training tips from the star of the show, Cesar Milan. National Geographic Channel secured more than 2,000 active subscribers to this mobile tips program. Popular retail pet store, PETCO, recognized the value of being associated with this program and joined as a sponsor of the campaign. Each weekly text message says "Sponsored by PETCO", and subscribers receive a monthly text message with a coupon code for 10% off at PETCO.com. Much more targeted -- and certainly greener -- than a direct mail piece. Opting for greener and more cost-effective marketing is the chic thing to do these days. Don't just think about the trees; think about your brand and the message you send (literally) every time someone gets that annoying piece of mail urging them to act now. I am certain that I am not the only one longing for a paperless existence. Chris Brassington +44 (0)161 874 4222 2ergo
 
Mark Kleiman: One-sentence health insurance reform Top
"Any health insurance provider must offer to any individual, on the same terms and rates, any policy of insurance that it offers to any other individual or group, and no such policy may exclude coverage of any pre-existing condition."  Period.  End of bill.  You might call this a "Most Favored Nation" clause, modeled after the WTO trade rules.  It sounds fair, and isn't a thousand pages long, so it offers minimum purchase for demagogy.   That provision, standing alone, resolves the problem of individuals being unable to find decent  health insurance at reasonable rates, and the related problem of people being bound to a job by their health coverage.    It doesn't resolve other problems that ought to be addressed:  cost containment and the fact that people with ordinary incomes can't afford even honestly-priced health insurance. It also worsens the adverse selection problem:  if you're young and healthy, your best bet is to "go naked" and buy insurance only when you actually get sick.  The result will be to somewhat increase the price of group health insurance (only partly offset by the virtual aboliton of the "unpaid care account" under which hospitals figure into the rates they charge insurers a portion of the cost of the care they deliver to the uninsured).  To a policy analyst, that looks like a tax on group health insurance to subsidize individual health insurance.  But to a voter, it doesn't look like a tax at all, and when insurance rates go up Democrats can hold hearings into insurance-executive pay. Now you could fix the adverse selection problem with an individual mandate.  But that would create a crushing burden on middle-income families whose employers don't pay for part of their insurance.  To fix that problem you'd need a subsidy.  To pay for a subsidy you'd need a tax increase.  To keep the cost of all that down to some reasonable level you'd need cost-containment measures.  And now you're back to a thousand-page bill, which the teabaggers can pretend includes "death panels." If the health insurance companies don't like what this does to their business model, or the employers who now provide health insurance don't like seeing their rates go up, all they have to do is muscle enough of their tame Republican senators to vote cloture on a more comprehensive bill.   If not, "Most Favored Nation" wouldn't be a terrible outcome, and would be a popular one.  "Any health insurance provider must offer to any individual, on the same terms and rates, any policy of insurance that it offers to any other individual or group, and no such policy may exclude coverage of any pre-existing condition."  Period.  End of bill.  You might call this a "Most Favored Nation" clause, modeled after the WTO trade rules.  It sounds fair, and isn't a thousand pages long, so it offers minimum purchase for demagogy.   That provision, standing alone, resolves the problem of individuals being unable to find decent  health insurance at reasonable rates, and the related problem of people being bound to a job by their health coverage.    It doesn't resolve other problems that ought to be addressed:  cost containment and the fact that people with ordinary incomes can't afford even honestly-priced health insurance. It also worsens the adverse selection problem:  if you're young and healthy, your best bet is to "go naked" and buy insurance only when you actually get sick.  The result will be to somewhat increase the price of group health insurance (only partly offset by the virtual aboliton of the "unpaid care account" under which hospitals figure into the rates they charge insurers a portion of the cost of the care they deliver to the uninsured).  To a policy analyst, that looks like a tax on group health insurance to subsidize individual health insurance.  But to a voter, it doesn't look like a tax at all, and when insurance rates go up Democrats can hold hearings into insurance-executive pay. Now, you could fix the adverse selection problem with an individual mandate.  But that would create a crushing burden on middle-income families whose employers don't pay for part of their insurance.  To fix that problem you'd need a subsidy.  To pay for a subsidy you'd need a tax increase.  To keep the cost of all that down to some reasonable level you'd need cost-containment measures.  And now you're back to a thousand-page bill, which the teabaggers can pretend includes "death panels." If the health insurance companies don't like what this does to their business model, or the employers who now provide health insurance don't like seeing their rates go up, all they have to do is muscle enough of their tame Republican senators to vote cloture on a more comprehensive bill.   If not, "Most Favored Nation" wouldn't be a terrible outcome, and would be a popular one.  More on Health Care
 
Ariel Leve: A Wardrobe An Agoraphobic Would Love Top
Last week I decided to clean out my closet. As in my actual closet, not the psychological one. My mental closet is still as cramped and messy as it's always been. Read more here
 
Doctors Believe They've Diagnosed Illness Of Boy Who Cries Tears Of Blood (VIDEO) Top
We introduced you on Tuesday to Calvino Inman, a young teen who has an illness which causes him to cry tears of blood for up to 15 minutes at a time. His condition has so far baffled doctors, but Calvino and his mother went on CBS's "The Early Show" and their medical correspondent reports that doctors not believe, but can't confirm, that Calvino is suffering from "Haemolacria." Wikipedia defines Haemolacria as a physical condition that causes a person to produce tears that are partially composed of blood. It can manifest as tears that are anything from merely red-tinged to appearing to be entirely made of blood." However, it is a symptom of other diseases, so more diagnostics need to be done. WATCH: Send us tips! Write us at tv@huffingtonpost.com if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team. More on Video
 
Diebold Sells US Voting Machine Unit Top
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Ohio-based ATM maker Diebold Inc. has sold its much-criticized U.S. voting-machine business to a competitor, Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb. Diebold, based in North Canton, announced the sale of its Allen, Texas-based subsidiary Premier Election Solutions Inc. on Thursday. Diebold will get $5 million plus payments representing 70 percent of collections of the unit's accounts receivable as of Aug. 31. Diebold expects to recognize a pretax loss on the deal in the range of $45 million to $55 million. Last year Premier generated 2.8 percent of Diebold's revenue. Diebold faced repeated criticism over the reliability and security of its touch-screen voting machines and began looking for a buyer for Premier more than two years ago. More on Voting Machines
 
Marcia G. Yerman: Can Womenomics Ease the Stress of Work/Life Balance? Top
With First Lady Michelle Obama leading the charge to put the struggle for work/life balance front and center, the issue is finally getting top-level attention. Although both men and women in American society are overstretched (working two weeks longer per year than their Japanese counterparts and several weeks more than Europeans), it is women who bear the greatest burden of trying to be all things to all people. Stress is prevalent as women strive to parcel out portions of time to the spouse, children, aging parents, their communities, and lastly...themselves. A whopping 87 percent of polled women would like more equilibrium between the competing areas of their lives. Two professionals, at the highest echelon of achievement, have entered the conversation with their new book Womenomics . Co-authors Katty Kay (BBC) and Claire Shipman ( Good Morning America ) have subtitled their insights, Write your own rules for success; How to stop juggling and struggling and finally start living and working the way you really want . The writers posit that "womenomics" will benefit the "entire working world," and that there is a "brewing workplace revolution." They point to the benefit of flexibility over promotions, the value of time as the "new currency," and espouse a phrase redefining the old "having it all" as "The New All." Kay, the Washington correspondent and anchor for BBC World News America , is the mother of four. Shipman, the senior national correspondent for ABC News' Good Morning America , is the mother of two. The women undertook the book in response to a confluence of factors. It was a reaction to The Harvard Business Review article "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success" by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce , "The Opt Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin , and their own career conflicts. The genesis of the book was explained to me when I spoke to Kay by telephone. We discussed if the book's pointers could be relevant to women who did not have college degrees and were not climbing the "corporate ladder." Kay maintained that all women are looking for more control over their schedules. For her and Shipman the "New All" took on the meaning of enough professional success balanced by time and freedom. Most of the statistics in the book reflect the demographic that Kay and Shipman set out to interview and study. Nationally, women hold 57 percent of the Bachelor's Degrees and 58 percent of all graduate degrees. 46 percent of management is comprised of women. As for the overall workforce, women are approaching the 50 percent mark. Women stepping up to the plate and asking for what they want, and getting employed on their terms is the ideal. A frequently quoted authority in the book is Dr. Kathleen E. Christensen of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation , which funds studies on families and the workplace. Christensen has given the modern women's role in family life a new nomenclature: "The meaning maker." She explains, "It's the women who basically cultivate and sustain the rituals in the family." This applies to women whether they are climbing a corporate ladder or working in lower paying service jobs. Christensen said, "Employed women increasingly feel more entitled to say, 'I need and I want to work in a certain way.'" She pointed to the fact that "the one-size-fits-all workplace doesn't work." Some employers are getting the picture. The Continental Airlines reservations department in Houston has allowed 600 agents to work form home. 25 percent of the staff gets an extra day off per week, on a rotating basis. Studies have shown that a majority of flextime workers have improved productivity and greater commitment to the job. Regardless of a women's level or field, the commonality lies in how to handle the stress that comes with juggling combined responsibilities. The Mayo Clinic's article, "Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress" includes many of the same pointers outlined in Womenomics . Following are some of the quandaries that Kay and Shipman believe are problematic, and their proposed remedies. • The inability to say no because of the need to please. Women should keep a list of top commitments, and let go of saying yes to avoid conflict. Buzz phrases such as, "My schedule won't let me take that on" or invoking the "family policy" clause (which includes the sanctity of date night, child's rehearsal, parent birthday) are simple ways to side step unwanted obligations. • Work Smarter Recognize that time is a critical commodity. Use it to zone in on top concerns. When you compile a list, it must reflect what is most essential. Focus on the top five, and accept that you can't get it all done. Set a big picture goal for the month, and even for the year. Make "assume control of your schedule" a mantra. • The Tyranny of "Professional and Domestic Perfection" Delegate, and be aware of when what you are achieving is "good enough." Set limits. That includes tech boundaries as well. Cutting back on constant e-mail perusal and Blackberry usage can free up time for relationships. During the election, candidate Obama frequently reflected on the strong females in his life. As Kay said to me, "You have a President whose wife gets it." Since taking up residence in the White House, Michelle Obama has publically advocated for sick leave for parents, flexible work hours, and on-site childcare. The "womenomics" theory of "writing our own rules for success" and getting past "internal obstacles" can give us a foothold on ratcheting down the pressure. In the meantime, let's hope the marketplace gets in step with the realization that productivity, loyalty, and retention goes up with family-friendly policies. This article originally appeared at Empowher . Technorati Profile More on Michelle Obama
 
Group Organizing Obama Workers For Ad Targeting President Top
Many progressives have expressed frustration with President Obama's refusal to commit to a government-run health insurance plan. If the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has their way, the president will soon hear from them directly. The PCCC is fundraising to put out an ad featuring former Obama campaign workers, volunteers, voters, donors and staffers telling the president to insist on a public option in health care reform. The group is circulating a petition among Obama supporters who are disappointed by recent news out of the White House. The petition says: "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in." The group has also set up an ActBlue page showing the amount donated so far, and what more money could do: "$20,000 can make a splash in a DC publication, $40,000 could buy cable news in DC, $100,000 could buy a New York Times ad." Founder Adam Green wrote in a blog post on The Huffington Post : We'll make sure the White House gets our message. In addition to delivering the signatures and personal notes from the petition page, we're planning an ad featuring the voices of those who sign. Obama's speech "is still being debated in the West Wing," reports Politico. That means there's still time -- we have one week to persuade Obama to do the right thing. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Joe Territo: Michael Jordan Bringing His Motorcycle Racing Team to New Jersey Labor Day Weekend Top
This Jersey Guy is not ashamed to say that since New Jersey is not New York, we get a little excited whenever a celebrity sets foot in our state. With that gawker mentality we report that former pro basketball legend Michael Jordan is expected to be in Millville, N.J., this weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park as owner of Jordan Suzuki (yes, you read that right, Jordan Suzuki), a team entered in an American Motorcycle Association race (yes, you read that right too). According to a report in the Daily Journal , Jordan is an active manager of the two-rider team - so he likely will be very visible at the event. However - sorry fans - he is not planning to sign autographs. Why is Air Jordan now hitting the pavement? "He looks at it the same way he did basketball," one of his riders told the Daily Journal. "He wants to win."
 

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