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Jesse Jenkins: Nation's Leading Universities Draw Bottom Line on Clean Energy R&D Funding in Senate Climate Bill Top
This is a guest post by Yael Borofsky The nation's leading research universities are calling on the Senate to ensure dramatically more funding for clean energy R&D in the Senate climate and energy bill, investments they described as necessary to achieve the bill's targeted deep cuts in emissions. In a letter delivered to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid earlier this month, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Universities (AAU) wrote: "As the Senate moves forward with climate change legislation, we strongly urge you to ensure the amount of R&D funding designated for clean energy technologies is more in line with the President's proposal of $15 billion." APLU and AAU collectively represent most of the nation's public and private research universities, and their letter imparts a pointed criticism of the House-passed ACES bill, calling for a frontloaded investment in research and development to kick-start critical clean energy innovation. The letter draws an apparent bottom line for the nation's top research universities, calling for dedicated R&D funding from the climate bill's cap and trade allowance revenues that totals at least one third of the $15 billion per year proposed by President Barack Obama. The letter ( pdf ) and the accompanying "Climate Change R&D Funding Discussion Paper,"( pdf ) warn that the U.S. is seriously under-investing in the kind of clean energy research and development that will allow the U.S. to realize a clean energy future, mitigate climate change, and maintain competitiveness with nations ramping up efforts to lead in clean technology innovation : Today our federal energy R&D expenditures are just one-fifth of their 1980 peak as a percentage of GDP. Indeed, since 1980 the U.S. federal investment in energy dropped from 10 percent of total government R&D investments to just two percent today. This underinvestment has left our current knowledge base and our available clean energy technologies inadequate to tackle the looming energy and climate challenges. The letter goes on to remind Senator Reid that both President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu have repeatedly expressed a vision of a clean energy future and called for significant investments in the research and development of clean technology despite the fact that House-passed ACES and the current Senate draft of the bill " are not sufficient to let the US meet its goals." In the associated fact sheet, AAU and APLU drill right down to the critical importance of these R&D investments (emphasis in original): The American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act calls for an 83% reduction in US carbon emissions by the year 2050. Without significant advances in science and technology, the incentives now provided in ACES and other laws are not sufficient to let the US meet its goals. Many studies have recommended major increases in both Federal and private sector energy R&D to do this; thus the President, in his FY10 Budget, calls for creating a "Clean Energy Technology Fund" of $15 billion per year for 10 years. We need a major effort to obtain the basic scientific knowledge to develop and implement the technologies needed to eliminate the projected growth in the use of fossil fuels, and then to displace five of every six barrels of oil and tons of coal with renewable and nuclear energy, and enhanced energy efficiency. The organizations proposes that at least $5 billion in revenue from emissions allowances "be allocated to conducting the research necessary to accelerate" clean energy innovation and that investment in "research and training must be frontloaded," due to the urgency with which the U.S. must research, develop, and deploy clean energy technology. The discussion paper outlines a proposal for the creation of an ACES Research Fund held by the Treasury and overseen by the Secretary of Energy, that will aggregate and then redistribute the proceeds from allowance sales to programs focused on basic or applied research in at least one of the following areas: new lower, or zero, carbon emission energy resources and technologies, including in energy efficiency improved methods for sequestering greenhouse gases climate change research, including its modeling, monitoring, and analysis the economic and social factors effecting consumer energy use The letter and discussion paper echo the Breakthrough Institute , as well as previous letters to Congress from energy and research experts on the need for energy investment in R&D, by calling attention to the egregious lack of funding that would be directed towards these efforts under ACES and pointing out that basic and applied research plays a critical role in bringing clean energy off the shelf and making it cheap and abundant. Although the proposal calls for a bottom line investment of $5 billion per year - significantly less than the levels called for by President Barack Obama, Breakthrough Institute, Third Way, Brookings Institution and others - this would still be considerably more than the $1 billion that would be allocated under ACES and the $1.2-2.2 billion allocated under the latest draft of the Kerry-Boxer climate bill. This direct outreach from the leadership of America's universities, major centers for clean energy research and development, comes at a critical time as the Senate version of the climate and energy bill continues to be developed and tweaked. As the letter makes clear, Reid and the Senate now have the responsibility to ensure that long-term clean energy R&D efforts are given the funding they desperately need to secure America's leadership in clean energy innovation, maintain our economic competitiveness and achieve our vision of a clean energy future. See also: " Kerry-Boxer "Clean Energy Jobs" Bill's Clean Energy Investments a Fraction of Expert Recommendations " More on Green Energy
 
Jonathan Weiler: Olympia Snowe Still Opposes Public Option Because it's Too Good Top
Among the major developments yesterday in the health care reform debate was Joe Lieberman's threat to filibuster health care legislation that contains a public option. As many folks have pointed out, Lieberman's arguments, including his claim that the public option will be a burden on taxpayers, simply do not wash . Among the people who understand this fact is Senator Olympia Snowe, the focus of a bizarre delusion that a single Republican vote for watered down health care reform constitutes a "bipartisan" solution to a problem that, if not tackled aggressively, threatens to swamp our economy in the next decade. Talking Points Memo 's Brian Beutler asked Senator Snowe whether she agreed with Lieberman that the public option would be a significant financial burden on the government. Her response: "no." In fact, and not for the first time, Snowe explained that she was opposed to the public option because it's too good. Really. Here's what she said: "[triggers] obviously can have a maximum impact...certainly, not as comparable to a full public option and what they want, but on the other hand what you're doing with the public option is basically crowding out the private sector, because of the government's, you know, inordinate advantage in the market place ." (Beutler's emphasis). Snowe later elaborated that the public option would "drive[] the industry out" and clarified that "I believe in, to the extent possible, to allow the private sector to provide a solution." This is not the first time (see item#3) Snowe has argued against the public option because it would be too good for ordinary Americans. But of all the bizarro-world aspects of the debate about health care reform, this may take the cake. A robust public option would save the government money while providing many more Americans with affordable health insurance and because this is bad for an oligopolistic industry whose profits have exploded in the past ten years at most Americans' expense, this is a bad outcome. Of course, Snowe is claiming to stand on principle in asserting that better is worse. She believes, she tells us, that it's better for the private sector to provide a solution even, apparently, if it's an inferior solution. This principle runs contrary to the founding texts of modern economics, including the writings of Adam Smith. For Smith, the division of labor, private exchange and self-interest were to be praised to the extent that they achieved ends worthy of praise - namely what Smith called "universal opulence." Private economic activity was not praiseworthy as an end in itself. In those instances where private economic interests were not likely to produce better outcomes than the government, and Smith enumerated plenty such instances , the government should certainly step in. Snowe, by contrast, is articulating a blindly ideological view, one that asserts, against common sense, that even when the outcome is likely to be inferior, we should prefer "private" solutions (whether large, privileged corporations are 'private' in the sense that is ordinarily meant is another question). Whether that sort of incoherence is better or worse than Lieberman simply lying about the public option, I cannot say. Of course, ascribing Snowe's views to blind ideology might be a charitable view of her motivations . Jonathan Weiler's second book, Authoritarianism and Polarization in Contemporary American Politics , co-authored with Marc Hetherington, is just out from Cambridge University Press. He blogs daily about politics and sports at www.jonathanweiler.com More on Health Care
 
Trevor Keezor, Florida Man, Says Home Depot Fired Him Over God Button Top
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been fired, he says because of the religious reference. The company claims that expressing such personal beliefs is simply not allowed. "I've worn it for well over a year and I support my country and God," Trevor Keezor said Tuesday. "I was just doing what I think every American should do, just love my country." The American flag button Keezer wore in the Florida store since March 2008 says "One nation under God, indivisible." Earlier this month, he began bringing a Bible to read during his lunch break at the store in the rural town of Okeechobee, about 140 miles north of Miami. That's when he says The Home Depot management told him he would have to remove the button. Keezer refused, and he was fired on Oct. 23, he said. "It feels kind of like a punishment, like I was punished for just loving my country," Keezer said. A Home Depot spokesman said Keezer was fired because he violated the company's dress code. "This associate chose to wear a button that expressed his religious beliefs. The issue is not whether or not we agree with the message on the button," Craig Fishel said. "That's not our place to say, which is exactly why we have a blanket policy, which is long-standing and well-communicated to our associates, that only company-provided pins and badges can be worn on our aprons." Fishel said Keezer was offered a company-approved pin that said, "United We Stand," but he declined. Keezer's lawyer, Kara Skorupa, said she planned to sue the Atlanta-based company. "There are federal and state laws that protect against religious discrimination," Skorupa said. "It's not like he was out in the aisles preaching to people." Keezer said he was working at the store to earn money for college, and wore the button to support his country and his 27-year-old brother, who is in the National Guard and is set to report in December for a second tour of duty in Iraq. Skorupa noted the slogan on Keezer's pin is straight from the Pledge of Allegiance. "These mottos and sayings that involve God, that's part of our country and historical fabric," Skorupa said. "In God we trust is on our money." Michael Masinter, a civil rights and employment law professor at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, said any lawsuit over religious discrimination might be a tough one to win. "Because it's a private business, not one that's owned and operated by the government, it doesn't have to operate under the free speech provisions of the First Amendment," Masinter said. "But we're not talking about religious displays here," he said. "This sounds more like a political message ... Wearing a button of that sort would not easily be described as a traditional form of religious expression like wearing a cross or wearing a yarmulke."
 
7 Inventions That Are Changing The World Top
Digging around for Impact stories can bring up a lot of bad news. Extreme poverty and widespread injustice can seem omnipresent. That's why, today, we're publishing a slideshow of positive stories. Here are seven inventions that are changing the world and have the potential to improve life for millions. Let us know which is your favorite! More on Cars
 
Publishers Clearing House Scam DETAILS Top
Reports are coming in of a Publishers Clearing House Scam in which victims receive phone calls claiming they've won the jackpot prize of $500,000 -- and all they have to do to collect it is pay a processing fee of $1000 dollars. However, ABC News reported that "Publisher's Clearing House doesn't call winners and they are currently not offering a $500,000 prize." The Herald Tribune describes a Sheriff's investigation into the case: A Manatee Sheriff's detective called a number provided to a local victim and, after several days, one of the scammers called back and said they were from the "Federal Gaming Commission in Washington D.C." When confronted on the telephone by the detective, the scammer hung up. Publishers Clearing House does not call winners of its lottery -- instead, they show up at your door -- and officials said no one should give out their banking information over the telephone. Publishers Clearing House never requires a fee to claim a prize. The case is still under investigation.
 
James Hoggan: Astroturf King Jack Bonner's Long History of Deceitful "Grassroots" Lobbying Top
As you'll recall, Bonner & Associates – the D.C. Astroturf shop busted for mailing at least a dozen forged letters to Congress this summer prior to the House vote on climate and energy legislation – has found itself under the media spotlight lately, struggling to defend its sullied brand. On Thursday morning, Rep. Edward Markey's Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will hold a hearing on the Bonner and Associates forged letter scandal and it can't come soon enough. But the forgery scandal is just one example in a long career of anti-democratic Astroturf jobs for which Jack Bonner’s firm is responsible. Public relations firms like to try to shape the news, not appear in the headlines themselves. Jack Bonner knows this as well as anyone in the business, and is rarely quoted in news stories, preferring to keep a low public profile. But when his firm was caught sending forged letters to Congress this summer while working on contract for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) and its parent company the Hawthorn Group, Jack Bonner ended up in the uncomfortable position of defending his own firm rather than the interests of his corporate clients. The gaffe appears to have cost Bonner a great deal of business, including the lucrative contract with Hawthorn. I've has learned from sources close to Bonner’s operation that the firm furloughed several key staffers in the wake of the ACCCE scandal, informing them that there is currently not enough business to keep them on staff. And Jack Bonner’s much-anticipated appearance before the Congressional committee to answer questions about his firm’s role in the forgery scandal will not likely help the Bonner firm’s portfolio either. Jack Bonner and his ‘Associates’ are well-known Astroturf specialists, working from the shadows to manufacture the appearance of grassroots support for the agenda of major corporate clients, who pay the firm large sums to generate such ‘citizen outrage.’ The firm doesn’t publicly disclose its current clientele, but several past clients have been identified in news stories and books. Author Sharon Beder revealed in her book Global Spin that past Bonner clients include tobacco giants Philip Morris and U.S. Tobacco Co.; the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association; the utility trade group Edison Electric Institute; military contractor McDonnell Douglas; nuclear industry and military services giant Westinghouse; chemical companies Monsanto and Dow Chemical; and the major Detroit auto companies Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (who hired Bonner to help derail Congressional efforts to raise fuel efficiency standards back in the 1990s).  Other past clients include the coal barons of the Western Fuels Association; the American Sugar Alliance; Northrup Grumman (makers of the B-2 bomber); and the defunct Electric Utility Shareholders Alliance (a front group for big utilities that fought against electricity deregulation); to name only a few. Operating out of a technologically sophisticated D.C. office, Bonner’s hired hands – mostly consisting of temporary employees and interns who are paid low hourly wages – crank out hundreds of phone calls and letters to Congress each day. Bonner reportedly refers to his own firm as a “white collar sweatshop.” The firm runs what is, essentially, a glorified telemarketing scheme, designed specifically to mimic genuine communications from citizens to their elected representatives in Congress. Big Business clients call on Bonner when they cannot drum up enough genuine support for their corporate agenda among regular working Americans. Then Bonner’s minions start robo-dialing individuals from target lists in key constituencies, and once they confirm a target is willing to contact their elected official on the issue, the Bonner temps coach the caller on how to voice ‘their’ opinion, reading from pre-written rap sheets, and immediately patch through the caller to the target Congressman’s office, or orchestrate the delivery of a pre-written letter, usual via fax or email, which will appear to come from the individual or group, rather than from Bonner’s office. "Some guy in a pinstripe suit telling a senator this bill is going to hurt Pennsylvania doesn't have the impact of someone in Pennsylvania saying it," Jack Bonner once told Newsweek, describing why his Astroturf campaigns work better for many corporate clients than the more conventional practice of hiring D.C. lobbyists to roam the halls of Congress. One such Bonner client is the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), a coal industry front group fighting vigorously against Congressional efforts to put a price on carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for man-made climate change. A recent poll sponsored by the Center for American Progress shows that, in swing states, 63 percent of voters support the climate and energy legislation currently being considered in the Senate, which will create much-needed green jobs and begin to foster American energy independence. Bonner was hired by ACCCE’s parent, the Hawthorn Group , to foment a fake "grassroots" campaign designed to make it look like the public opposes federal action on climate and clean energy, quite a contrary position to the real polling data. What happened next has been well coveredon the blogs and in the media, so I will just quickly summarize here. According to Bonner and his lawyer, veteran Akin Gump attorney Steven R. Ross, a rogue temporary employee sent at least 13 forged letters to at least three Democratic lawmakers on ACCCE’s target list of swing votes on the House climate bill.  The fraudulent letters – which appeared to come from veteran, minority and senior citizen organizations – went undetected by Bonner managers overseeing the multi-day scam who, due to “short staffing and an increased volume of other work,” could not “devote full attention to quality control until after the project was completed and the letters delivered to Congress.” At least that is the story Bonner and Ross supplied to Congressional investigators, who will press Bonner for more details tomorrow when the Committee holds their public hearing to look into the letter forgery scandal. Bonner’s decision to lawyer up by hiring D.C. powerhouse firm Akin Gump - a classic defensive posture often used to issue veiled threats of countersuits to dissuade investigators from looking deeper into the muck – may limit the investigator’s probing. Bonner will not be the only one on the hot seat in the House hearing tomorrow. Yesterday it was reported that the Committee decided to expand the investigation recently in order to probe whether ACCCE failed to accurately report its lobbying spending to Congress. After reviewing ACCCE’s lobbying forms, Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to ACCCE inquiring whether its lobbying disclosure for 2008 and the first half of 2009 should have included work conducted by the Hawthorn Group. The Committee will look at whether Hawthorn Group work funded by ACCCE should count as lobbying under the law. The answer is a no-brainer; of course this Astroturf campaign should count as lobbying. But expect to hear some impressive verbal gymnastics from ACCCE as they try to convince the Committee otherwise tomorrow. Last week, I wrote about the 20-year, multi-million dollar campaign the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has waged against clean energy and climate policy. While the Chamber’s advertising and lobbying activities certainly impede honest debate in Washington, the duplicity of Astroturf campaigns such as those run by Jack Bonner pose an even greater threat to participatory democracy in the United States. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow was correct when she called the Bonner/ACCCE forgery scandal the “most blatant fake grassroots corporate PR effort ever.” Maddow suggested that “political science textbooks across the country [ought] to be scrapped and re-written” to account for Bonner’s Astroturf scandal. That would be a good start, but there is something else U.S. taxpayers might want to pursue besides updated textbooks.  In order to guard against the repeat of Astroturf scandals like the Bonner forgery episode, the U.S. Congress must pass legislation to close loopholes in disclosure laws that allow public relations firms like Bonner & Associates to operate in secrecy and without any accountability to taxpayers. After all, environmentalists have to declare themselves when they knock on your door, and when they contact your political representatives to advocate on your behalf for better protection for the natural world (and for green jobs). Lobbyists also have to register - declaring the purpose for their political intervention and the identity of their clients. Why should PR firms like Bonner & Associates be allowed to push their way into the public conversation without meeting the same standard?  Especially when the opinions they represent favor their (usually anonymous) corporate sponsors and run contrary to the will of the people who sincerely represent America's "grassroots" – ordinary citizens pressing Washington to protect their jobs and the environment instead of the interests of Big Business. Astroturf shops like Bonner & Associates have been working under cover of darkness since 1995, when they won an exemption from new lobbyist disclosure requirements. A band of conservative groups, led by the Christian Coalition, had argued that forcing Astroturf organizations to acknowledge their funding would amount to an attack on free speech. But we’re not talking about “free” speech. We’re talking about paid speech. We’re talking about a concealed opportunity for corporations to pretend to have public support. Jack Bonner might be in the doghouse for now, but he and others in the Astroturf business will keep coming back for more until Congress puts an end to their shady secrecy. Astroturfing is wrong, plain and simple. Congress should make it illegal. James Hoggan is a 35 year veteran in public relations and the author of the new book Climate Cover Up. More on Climate Change
 
Taylor Mitchell, Singer-Songwriter, Killed By Coyotes On Hike In Canadian Park Top
TORONTO — Two coyotes attacked a promising young musician as she was hiking alone in a national park in eastern Canada, and authorities said she died Wednesday of her injuries. The victim was identified as Taylor Mitchell, 19, a singer-songwriter from Toronto who was touring her new album on the East Coast. She was hiking solo on a trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia on Tuesday when the attack occurred. She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital in critical condition and died Wednesday morning, authorities said. Coyotes, which also are known as prairie wolves, are found from Central America to the United States and Canada. Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft said coyote attacks are extremely rare because the animals are usually shy. Bancroft, a retired biologist with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources, said it's possible the coyotes thought Mitchell was a deer or other prey. "It's very unusual and is not likely to be repeated," Bancroft said. "We shouldn't assume that coyotes are suddenly going to become the big bad wolf." Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Brigdit Leger said other hikers heard Mitchell's screams for help on Tuesday and called emergency police dispatchers. Police who were in the area reached the scene quickly and shot one of the animals, apparently wounding it. But the wounded animal and a companion coyote managed to get away. Paul Maynard of Emergency Health Services said Mitchell already was in critical condition when paramedics arrived on the scene and had multiple bite wounds over her entire body. "She was losing a considerable amount of blood from the wounds," he said. An official with Parks Canada said they blocked the entrance to the trail where Mitchell was attacked and were trying to find the animals to determine what prompted such an unusual attack. "There's been some reports of aggressive animals, so it's not unknown," said Helene Robichaud, the park's superintendent. "But we certainly never have had anything so dramatic and tragic." Mitchell was an up-and-coming folk and country musician who was nominated for a 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the Young Performer of the Year category. "Words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman," Lisa Weitz, Mitchell's manager, said in an e-mail. "She just turned 19 two months ago, and was so excited about the future." ___ On the Net: Taylor Mitchell's Web site: http://www.taylormitchell.ca http://www.myspace.com/taylormitchellband
 
Carol Hoenig: Ghosts of Clinton County Top
Yes, it's that time of year where spooks and goblins, witches and Jack-o-lanterns are ever-present. In a couple of days, however, when youngsters go from door to door donned in the scariest costume they can conjure it will be in good fun; yet, once Halloween comes to an end, most of us will close our door, sneak in some leftover candy and go on about our business, while forgetting about those lame attempts to frighten us. However, there are some people who find that, Halloween or not, ghosts are not costumed children shouting "trick or treat," but very real spirits living in their homes. Just ask Gordie Little, author of Ghosts of Clinton County (North Country Books). Full disclosure: I happen to be friends with Gordie. We first met when he interviewed me for his weekly television show, "Our Little Corner" when Without Grace was first published, and we went on to become fast friends. Beside the fact that I know the author, I was looking forward to reading his collection of ghost stories because they take place in Upstate New York, a region where I grew up. I cannot say that I have had any first-hand, concrete experiences on the subject, but I do wonder what inspired Gordie, when I was having dinner with him and his beautiful wife, Kaye, to tell me that when someone hears a doorbell ring and no one is there, it can mean that a loved one has died. My mouth dropped open because my mother, who was alive then, just told me that day she'd been awakened two nights in a row by the ringing of the doorbell. She got up each night to find no one there. As it happens, we found out the following day that my father's cousin had died. I've also heard that clocks often stop at the time when someone dies. As it happens, a cuckoo clock that has been in my family for years, even surviving a serious home fire, stopped at 2:55 one Sunday afternoon without explanation--except for the fact that, sadly, my Mom died at 2:55 that very afternoon. Coincidence? Perhaps, but after reading Ghosts of Clinton County , there are just too many similar coincidences that leave the living to wonder if the spirit world doesn't want to be forgotten. There are those who think these ghost sightings are nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of the living wanting to stay connected with a loved one who has died. Without a doubt, Gordie has experienced loss that no parent should live through, but most of the stories in his book are from the point of view of many locals and most who would prefer to be left alone instead of having their television or stereo blast on in the middle of the night without explanation or seeing a spirit standing in their bedroom doorway. Gordie has been collecting ghost stories for years and even before his book was published he was invited to share them as a speaker at a number of venues. I suppose once people hear Gordie's stories, including many from personal experience, the flood gates open and they are less hesitant to give a voice to what they, too, experienced. Gordie recounts a memory from when he shared some stories at his local Borders Bookstore to charming detail where a large portion of the audience was children. That particular story shows that the younger set are not only open to the possibilities of the spirit world, but don't question the phenomenon to the degree that many adults do. Without a doubt, this is the season to buy books that deal with frightening topics, where we allow our imaginations to believe in ghosts, but for those who are featured in Ghosts of Clinton County , Halloween may feel like a welcoming reprieve. More on Death & Dying
 
Walmart Caskets For Sale Online, Starting At $999 Top
Never mind its typical merchandise, the world's largest retailer has a new item on the shelf. You can now purchase Walmart caskets , a development that could threaten funeral homes. Beginning at $999 for lower-end models, all 27 caskets in the Walmart online inventory cost less than $2,000, except the "Sienna Bronze Casket," which sells for $3,199. The caskets come from Star Legacy Funeral Network, Inc., of McHenry, Ill., and ship within 48 hours. Blogs are having fun with this one. Several noted it's just in time for Halloween . One pointed out that this gives people a chance to live eternally with low prices . The topic is popping up on forums too. Would you rest the soul of a loved one with a product purchased from Walmart? Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/wal-mart-caskets-urns-off_n_337366.html
 
Yoani Sanchez: The U.S. Embargo: A Convenient Excuse for Cuba's Own Failures Top
I wore a red and white uniform, I was ten years old, and the subject of the "blockade" was barely mentioned in the ideological books they gave me at school. Those were optimistic times and we believed that the F1 cows* would give enough milk to flood the streets of the whole country. The future had those golden hues that never showed themselves in our faded reality but we were a too colorblind to notice. We thought we had discovered the formula to be among the most prosperous people on the planet, so that our children would live in a country with opportunities for all. From the podium a bearded leader defiantly pointed to the North, because he counted on the pole of the Kremlin subsidy to vault over any obstacle to the construction of communism. "Despite the blockade..." we said, with the same conviction that in years past we'd talked about the ten million tons of sugar*, coffee growing all around the cities*, and a supposed industrialization of the country that never came. We had to cut short our dreams when the flow of oil and rubles abruptly stopped. The years came of beginning to explain the setbacks and comparing ourselves to the poorest nations in the region to make us feel, if not happy, at least satisfied. As I began my adolescence, the issue of trade restrictions was on nearly every billboard in the country. At the political rallies we no longer shouted, "Cuba yes, Yankees no" but a new hard-to-rhyme slogan: "Down with the blockade." I looked at my nearly empty plate and couldn't imagine how they had managed to blockade our malangas, orange juice, bananas and lemons. I grew up repudiating the blockade, not because I swallowed the line about the country we could be if the blockade weren't preventing it, but simply because they tried to explain that everything that wasn't working was a result of it. If my friends were leaving the country en masse, it was because of the United States policy of harassment; if the cockroaches were crawling all over the walls at the maternity hospital, it was the fault of the North Americans; even if a meeting at the university expelled a critical colleague, they explained to us that he had fallen under the ideological influence of the enemy. Today, everything begins and ends with the blockade. No one seems to remember the days when they promised us paradise, when they told us that nothing - not even the economic sanctions - would prevent us from leaving behind our underdevelopment. Translator's notes F1 cows : A breed that is a cross of Holstein and Zubu cattle. Fidel Castro believed these cattle would allow Cuba to export beef and dairy products. It didn't work out; both meat and milk are severely rationed in Cuba. Ten million tons of sugar : In 1970 Fidel Castro turned the resources of the entire country to a achieving a record ten-million ton sugar harvest, even "rescheduling" Christmas for July so as not to interfere with the work. The target was missed and Cuba's sugar crop has declined ever since; in 2009 the total was barely over one million tons. Coffee growing in the cities : Fidel Castro had a plan to grow coffee in Havana despite expert advice that the climate was unfavorable; it didn't work out. Yoani's blog, Generation Y , can be read here in English translation. More on Cuba
 
Alana B. Elias Kornfeld: TED MED 2009: Do You Want To Live Forever? Top
How would you like to die? This was precisely the question Aubrey de Grey, the chief science officer at the TED MED 2009 talk with. He gave us three options: cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer's. He seemed downright angry (yet tongue-in-cheek) that the elderly have lost the vigor and mental agility they had as young adults and while it's nice that they have more experience and wisdom, they don't have the strength to do much with it. "There the small cost of 200 billion dollars a year to keep the elderly going in a frail and decrepit state that for most increases their lifespan for a year or two." His SENS Foundation works on developing and promoting widespread access to regenerative medicine solutions to remedy the disabilities and diseases of aging. What is aging? De Grey defines it as metabolism, which continually causes damage and damage eventually causes pathology. Slowing down the progression of the pathology is one way about it (geriatrics), but there's only so much we can do and ultimately people go downhill anyway, he says. His preferred approach? The maintenance approach: constantly repairing damage and keeping it down to a level that doesn't allow pathologies to emerge (hence he's had the reputation that he's on a quest to create immortality, a claim he says might be a side benefit of improving quality of life through time, but not the point). "Human bodies are just a machine," he says. David Sinclair, co-founder of resforum.org for more information about resveratrol. Following the conversation around aging, Eric Dishman , co-founder of the Center for Aging Services, Intel fellow, Digital Health Group, and behavioral scientist who studies aging behavior said behavioral markers matter in early diagnosis of a medical issue in the elderly. At Intel he's working on collecting actual household patterns and behavioral markers (24/7) like changes in postural sway, voice recognition response time upon answering a phone, gait and stride-length through different rooms in the house in order to predict an incident before it happens. For example, if someone is being monitored through time and their voice is softer each time they answer the phone over the course of months, it might be a sign of Parkinson's 5 to 10 years before any obvious medical condition presents itself. He stressed the important of a shift from mainframe to personal health care. More to come later... keep checking back. Here's to your health! Full Coverage Of TED MED 2009: Why Your Doctors Need To Know Where You've Lived The Future Of Cancer Medicine More on Health
 
One Mother Dies Every Second Of Every Day: Learn The Facts Top
Can you imagine a world in which one mother goes missing every minute of every day? According to UNICEF , we're living in it. More than 500,000 women die unnecessarily every year, due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of those deaths occur in developing countries and could be prevented. It's hard to imagine what kind of impact this death on this scale has on babies, families and communities around the world. But with a recent video from Human Rights Watch , we can understand the effect that one mother's death had on her community in India: Global Voices Online has compiled a great series of short videos on what we can do to better understand this worldwide issue and how to address it. These videos, by different human rights organizations, go beyond numbers to tell us the stories of women and their families as they struggle to understand why it is that so many women are dying during childbirth and what needs to be done to stop this. One piece done by The White Ribbon Alliance -- an international coalition that promotes public awareness of safe pregnancy and childbirth -- has a great rundown of the most essential maternal mortality statistics. It also explains how providing women in developing countries access to medical facilities and trained medical professionals can reverse this deadly trend. (It's worth the 4 minutes just for the video's clever use of text): To learn more about how to prevent maternal mortality and see UNICEF's " 5 Steps " to diminishing this problem, check out the post at Global Voices Online .
 
Ginny Sloan: Swine Flu: A Danger to Your Rights as Well as Your Health? Top
Earlier today, the Constitution Project and the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security brought together a group of expert panelists at the National Press Club to discuss the civil liberties implications of the government's response to the H1N1 flu, more commonly known as swine flu. Moderator Sharon Bradford Franklin, Senior Policy Counsel at the Constitution Project, opened the event with a brief overview of recent news developments in the H1N1 outbreak. The panel featured Professor Michael Greenberger, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, Professor Wendy Mariner of the Boston University School of Public health, and Dr. Marita Mike, the Health Director at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. Dr. Mike began the conversation by offering a medical perspective on the unique health risks posed by the H1N1 flu, comparing the most recent outbreak with past public health crises in the United States. Professor Greenberger built on the doctor's introduction by outlining the remarkably broad executive powers that may be leveraged at the state and federal levels to combat the flu. Finally, Professor Mariner rejected the notion that emergency preparedness laws can prevent disease, and critiqued the post-9/11 focus on coercive public health tools that threaten individual civil liberties. Instead, she argued that the focus of the government's response to the H1N1 flu should be on creating a healthy, educated population that has plentiful access to information, vaccines, and other medical care. The discussion featured vigorous exchanges on the constitutional concerns raised by quarantines, mandatory vaccinations, and interstate travel restrictions. The panelists agreed that the federal government's response to the H1N1 flu has been timely and proportionate to the real dangers posed by the disease, but voiced concerns about how state and federal governments may employ existing executive powers if more virulent strands of the flu merge. The panelists encouraged members of the public to take appropriate health precautions, and urged a rational public dialogue on the tools state and federal governments need, or think they need, to effectively combat public health risks like the H1N1 flu. Today's event drew a diverse and engaged audience to the National Press Club's Murrow Room, including attendees from various print and radio news outlets, the Department of Homeland Security, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, congressional staff, as well as numerous other advocacy and health organizations. To see photos from this afternoon's event, please click here . A video of the discussion will be posted as soon as it's available. More on Swine Flu
 
Another House Democrat Backs Away From Loophole In Investor Protection Bill Top
A leading House Democrat backed away Wednesday from a sweeping proposal that would have watered down a post-Enron reform, permanently exempting small publicly-traded companies from a requirement that they obtain outside audits of their internal controls. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, of New York, originally proposed that firms with market capitalization less than $75 million be exempt from a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the 2002 law designed to increase investor confidence that was enacted after accounting scandals at Enron and WorldCom rocked investors. The loophole would have applied to about 55 percent of publicly-traded firms. Maloney's amendment, co-sponsored with Rep. Scott Garrett, a New Jersey Republican, was to be attached to the Investor Protection Act of 2009, a pending bill in the House Financial Services Committee. It was first reported by the Huffington Post. But after investor groups protested her amendment -- and after the bill's sponsor, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, (D-Penn.), reached out to Maloney -- the New York Congresswoman offered a new one, calling instead for a study of the costs of complying with the already-existing provision, and delaying its planned implementation by a year. Small firms are expected to comply with the provision by next June; Maloney's new amendment would delay that until 2011. A spokeswoman for Kanjorski said the Congressman thought Maloney's original amendment was "too big. The revised version is more focused." Investor groups and consumer advocates opposed Maloney's original amendment, arguing that it weakened investor protection and would have made financial fraud harder to detect. "The need for strong internal controls is particularly important for the generally riskier smaller public companies that would be the beneficiaries of any exemption," wrote Jeff Mahoney, general counsel for the Council of Institutional Investors, a nonprofit association of public, union and corporate pension funds, in a letter to members of the committee. Though these firms are required to obtain outside audits of their internal controls, the Securities and Exchange Commission has granted them annual deferrals from complying with the law for the last seven years. The latest deferral was granted earlier this month, though the SEC said that this was the last one. In an interview Wednesday, Maloney said she offered the new amendment because she got new information on smaller firms' costs of complying with the provision. "I did not know that the SEC has just come out with a huge report -- it's like 50 pages long, I haven't had a chance to read it -- but they are claiming that they have come out with ways that will reduce the burden by 30 percent -- the cost on small businesses," the nine-term Congresswoman said. "I don't know if that's true or not -- I haven't had a chance to read it. I'm going to ask for a public hearing on it...to see if in fact that is true." Regarding pressure from other lawmakers to dial back her original amendment, Maloney said, "I didn't talk to them until after I had decided what I was going to do." The committee passed Maloney's new amendment in a voice vote. More on Iceland
 
World Series Game 1: Yankees Vs. Phillies Top
NEW YORK — Chase Utley homered off CC Sabathia in the third inning, and the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies took a 1-0 lead over the New York Yankees in Wednesday night's World Series opener. Cliff Lee, matched up against his former Cleveland Indians teammate, limited New York to two hits over the first three innings and struck out four as the World Series returned to New York for the first time since 2003. Utley drove a 95 mph fastball about two rows into the seats in right field with two outs in the third. The home run, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, was the first Sabathia allowed at home to a left-handed hitter this year. It was Utley's third home run in a World Series. New York's ace entered 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in the postseason but struggled with his control. He started eight of his first 12 batters with balls and needed 58 pitches to get through three innings. Lee, 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in the playoffs, gave up only Jorge Posada's second-inning single and Derek Jeter's two-out double in the third. This was the latest World Series opener – one day behind Game 1 of the 2001 Series, which was delayed a week by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Major League Baseball was hoping to end a record streak of five straight series that ended either in sweeps or five games. The last six teams to win Game 1 – and 10 of the last 11 – all went on to win the Series. Philadelphia was trying to become the first team to win consecutive titles since the 1998-00 Yankees. The only NL team to accomplish the feat since 1922 was the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds. Old Yankee Stadium, surrounded by dark mesh across 161st Street and awaiting demolition, hosted a record 100 Series games. This was the first at the amenity-laden $1.5 billion ballpark. It was just the second time two former Cy Young Award winners started a World Series opener, the other in 1995 between Atlanta's Greg Maddux and Cleveland's Orel Hershiser. Lee and Sabathia also started the new Yankee Stadium opener, won 10-2 by Cleveland on April 16. Yogi Berra, first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, accompanied retired Capt. Tony Odierno, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Odierno, who works for the Yankees, was a Bronze Star recipient who lost his left arm during the Iraq war. Obama high-fived a fan on her way off the field. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, wearing a team jacket, watched a game at his new ballpark for the first time since its opener. The 79-year-old, who has been in diminished health, settled into a seat in the last row of his box on the suite level, just to the left of home plate. New York's grounds crew wore new shirts that read: "WIN IT FOR THE BOSS" on the front and 27 on the back. Rain, which had stopped just before batting practice, resumed for the second inning and stopped before the third. Philadelphia loaded the bases in a 25-pitch first inning as Sabathia walked two – one shy of his total during his first three postseason starts. Utley started the threat with a two-out walk – reaching via a hit or walk in his 26th straight postseason game, breaking a tie with Baltimore's Boog Powell for the record. Ryan Howard, just 2 for 11 against lefties during the first two rounds, pulled a double into the right-field corner. After a walk to Jason Werth, Raul Ibanez grounded to second when he tried to pull a high pitch that cut a little toward the outside of the plate. Sabathia retired the bottom of the order 1-2-3 on nine pitches in the second. Pedro Martinez, in his first appearance at new Yankee Stadium, starts Game 2 for the Phillies on Thursday night against A.J. Burnett. More on MLB
 
Chris Weigant: From The Pentagon To Monty Python: The Internet Turns 40 Top
Tomorrow is the internet's fortieth birthday. Its creators are even throwing it a birthday party at the University of California, Los Angeles, the origin of the first message ever transmitted over what we know today as "the internet," on October 29, 1969. If you're wondering what the first message ever transmitted was -- the digital age's "Come here, Watson," statement, as it were -- it consisted of two letters: "LO." It was actually supposed to be "LOG," as in "LOG IN," but the receiving computer crashed after receiving just the first two letters -- not a very auspicious beginning, it must be admitted. Still, for poetic reasons, "LO" seems pretty apt: "Lo! The Internet was created!" The project, the first linkage of two computers over a distance, was paid for by the Pentagon. Specifically, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. This was a Cold War agency created out of fear -- the fear that the Russians were ahead of us technologically. This fear was not unfounded at the time, since DARPA was a hasty response to the Russians launching the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. Americans could tune in their ham radios to a little "beep...beep...beep..." signal that crossed over our skies, and thus know that the Russians had done something we hadn't managed to do yet -- which was not only downright ominous in those days, but also downright inconceivable to many Americans. This was the dawn of the "space race" between the two countries, which culminated with the landing on the moon in 1969 of two Americans. But it also culminated in the same year with what was then called ARPANET. The internet's birth was in the depths of the Cold War, created for scientists to exchange some very hot data -- the design and testing of nuclear weapons, for instance. Its transformation from its militaristic beginnings to where it stands now should be seen as the greatest "swords into plowshares" story in the history of mankind. Because today, while its origins are at best dimly remembered, what it has morphed into has gone far, far beyond the original intent -- and changed our planet and our way of life as a result. Technology has grown by such leaps and bounds since 1969 that it's hard to conceive how things were before we all had access to computers. The 1970s saw the dawn of the "personal computer" -- a phrase unthinkable a mere decade earlier, when computers had shrunk from boxcar-sized to merely pickup-truck-sized... but were not expected to shrink much more. But the rapid progress of the microchip ushered in a revolution in such shrinkage. The first small computers were merely hobbyist machines for scientists and tinkerers, but Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak saw their true potential, and changed the world with the introduction of what became the Apple II. IBM, while much slower to accept such a radical idea, eventually introduced its own version, the "PC," or "Personal Computer." Since then, computers have gotten faster and data storage has gotten much, much better, so that today the machine you are likely reading this on is more powerful than the machines they were designing nuclear weapons on back in 1969. Indeed, the computer in your cell phone may even be more powerful. The concept of linking computers together grew by leaps and bounds as well. In 1983, DARPA in essence split the net into two parts, the military component (renamed MILNET), and what became the commercial, public internet. Also at this time, TCP/IP protocols were introduced, which also fed the eventual explosive growth. The non-military net was also at this time opened up to much wider use within the universities where it had originated. Networking was fast growing in the early 1980s on two other fronts -- the Local Area Network (LAN) and the first subscription service for online access. It was the era of TokenRing, Ethernet, and AppleTalk; of AOL and CompuServe. It may stun younger users today, but back then people paid ten bucks per hour to access online services -- which were laughably crude by today's standards. Heavy online users would often pay hundreds of dollars a month to access text-only, non-web data over their phone lines. It was also the era of the beginnings of information overload. This led to the introduction of "bulletin boards" and automated file searching. The real beginnings of what we call "the internet" today were a message-posting area of the net called UseNet; and the beginnings of the Google-type search engine were the humble "gopher" software of the time. But the real explosion came about in the early 1990s, with two cornerstone events -- opening up the internet to commerce, and the introduction of the World Wide Web. The internet, now being called "the Internet" (previously the term had not been used -- the inventor of the concept, in an early-1960s paper, called his dream an "Intergalactic Computer Network," which I always thought sounded way, way cooler...) was about to grow beyond all conception. The World Wide Web, still known to us today in that "www" prefix in web addresses, was dreamed up a Swiss laboratory for (once again) nuclear research -- the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire , or CERN. For the second time, nuclear researchers came up with an idea which quickly outgrew its original scientific data-sharing purposes. The combination of hypertext (clickable links) and a common file format which included graphics (the HyperText Markup Language, or HTML) were soon exploited by the world's first truly effective graphic "browser," Mosaic. From Mosaic, Netscape was born, and the rest is history. Of course it hasn't all been wine and roses along the way. The internet (the term is now used increasingly without benefit of capitalization, a mark of how common an idea it has become) also gave birth to online fraud and other forms of online crime. Back when the internet originated, the Pentagon was interested in its advanced researchers having the ability to easily talk to each other, to better share information. This information had a goal -- to always always stay one step ahead of our foes. At the time, this was mainly the Soviet Union and, to a lesser extent, China. These days, some of the most prevalent data attacks come from malware (Trojan horses, DDoS attacks, viruses, worms, botnets, and all the rest) which originate all over the world, with an unhealthy portion coming from (you guessed it) Russia and China. Which brings us, in a way, full circle. But for many of us, the internet will serve one very important function far, far into the future. I speak of the immortalization in digital history of Monty Python's Flying Circus . When contemporaneous comedy troupes will long have been forgotten, centuries hence, Monty Python will still live on in its anti-paean to a Hormel meats product -- the lowly "spiced ham" in a can known as Spam. Spam was widely consumed in Britain during World War II, due to it not being rationed as most meats were at the time (which alone says something). Spam became prevalent as a civilian wartime staple as a result. Which explains the origins of the Monty Python sketch, where a man and a woman argue over a cafe's breakfast selections which seem to contain far too much spam for the woman's liking (example from the menu: "Spam, egg, Spam, Spam, bacon, and Spam"). The idea that spam is prevalent and unwanted was first applied in the infancy of online gaming, and in the early 1990s was used specifically to describe an unwanted email solicitation for money. Knowing the makeup of online gamers back then, it's easy to see that a Monty Python reference would have caught on quickly, as one thing all geeks unanimously agree upon (both back then and today) is the sheer awesomeness of Monty Python. Because the term spam is now so universally accepted to describe unwanted email (even Hormel has largely given up on trying to stamp such usage out), it follows that the story of its origins -- complete with the original Monty Python "Spam sketch" -- will live forever in the digital world. For which we have the Pentagon to thank. But in any case, tomorrow when you're reading your email, or deleting spam (90 percent of all email is now spam; an astounding figure, when you think about it), or browsing the web, or checking stock quotes, or doing your banking online, or reading an online news article, or writing a blog post, or researching a topic, or using a search engine, or playing an online game, or playing online poker for money, or even just looking at some porn -- take a moment to stop and raise your glass in a toast. Because the internet you are using to do all of these things is having a birthday, and it's the big four-oh. Meaning we should all mark the occasion with a hearty: "Happy 40th birthday, internet!"   [ Historical Note: For those interested, the very first "web page" is still available online, just to show how far we've come in less than two decades. It's pretty basic by today's standards, but the concept of "links" was brand new back then, keep in mind. ]   Chris Weigant blogs at: ChrisWeigant.com   More on Monty Python
 
Sarah Palin, Republican Bigwigs Support Doug Hoffman Over Dierdre Scozzafava In Upstate Congressional Battle Top
CAZENOVIA, N.Y. — Prominent Republicans like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin are bucking the GOP to back a conservative candidate for a House seat in New York, opting to defend what they see as pure party ideology even if it means helping a Democrat win. Pawlenty, Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former Sen. Fred Thompson and others are supporting conservative nominee Doug Hoffman, not Republican nominee Dierdre Scozzafava, in Tuesday's special election in the rural, heavily Republican 23rd Congressional District in upstate New York. Republicans haven't lost here in more than a century, but the schism is opening the way for Democratic nominee Bill Owens. An Oct. 15 survey by Siena College, taken before all the high-profile endorsements, showed Owens with 33 percent, Scozzafava with 29 percent and Hoffman with 23 percent. The poll of 617 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. "I'm fighting for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," Hoffman told The Associated Press. "I believe the people in Washington, and the overwhelming response that I've been getting nationally from individuals, is showing that a lot of people feel like it's time for the Republican Party to go back to its base." Scozzafava spokesman Matt Burns said: "Everybody who has endorsed Doug Hoffman has something in common with him, and that is that none of them live in the district." The potential for Owens to win while Hoffman and Scozzafava split conservative votes worries former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who says a vote against Scozzafava and other liberal-leaning Republicans will ensure a Democratic majority for a long time. "If you seek to be a perfect minority, you'll remain a minority," Gingrich said in a written statement. "That's not how Reagan built his revolution or how we won back the House in 1994." Conservative voters argue that Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman, is too liberal because of her support of abortion rights and same-sex marriage and her votes for higher spending on New York's state budget. The backing of several possible 2012 presidential contenders has boosted Hoffman, and money from all over the country has been pouring into his campaign. By staking out support with the conservative candidate, presidential hopefuls like Palin and Pawlenty can send an early a message to voters about which direction they want to lead the GOP. "America's in trouble," Thompson, a presidential candidate last year, said in an ad with a decidedly Ronald Reagan appeal. "Big government. High taxes. Deficits. Broken promises. ... We can send Washington a message." Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who recently served as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, responsible for recruiting candidates to carry the GOP's flag, also has endorsed Hoffman. "Doug Hoffman is right on the critical issues facing America – and he is the only Republican who can win this special election," Cole said in a written statement. The divided high-profile Republicans reflect a competition for the allegiance of party activists, said John Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California and a former staffer for the House Republican Research Committee and the Republican National Committee. "This one race by itself isn't going to be decisive, but it's a way for some of the conservative figures in the party to reinforce their credentials," Pitney said. Big endorsements are what help candidates like Hoffman raise money, according to Pitney, but they are not hugely influential to voters walking into the polls on Election Day. "Endorsements don't mean nearly as much as the endorsers like to think," he said. More on GOP
 
Obama's Date Night Flap Only Moment That's Annoyed Him Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says only once since Jan. 20 has White House life annoyed him. It was the Saturday in May when, trying to be a good husband, he kept a campaign promise to take his wife, Michelle, to New York after the election for one of their "date nights" – dinner and a Broadway play. Conservative commentators and Republican officials criticized him for doing so. "People made it into a political issue," Obama told The New York Times Magazine for an article about the Obamas' marriage, appearing in the Nov. 1 issue. The article was posted on the Times' Web site on Wednesday. "If I weren't president, I would be happy to catch the shuttle with my wife to take her to a Broadway show, as I had promised her during the campaign, and there would be no fuss and no muss and no photographers," he said. "That would please me greatly." Presidents, however, don't travel by any means other than secure government aircraft or vehicles. Obama added: "The notion that I just couldn't take my wife out on a date without it being a political issue was not something I was happy with." The article explores the effects of the presidency on the couple's 17-year union, and revisits well-documented tension between them in earlier years as Obama pursued his political career in Illinois, leaving Mrs. Obama largely home alone in Chicago with their daughters. It also delves into her roles in the presidential campaign and in the White House. Mrs. Obama, who sat with her husband for the interview in the Oval Office, said marriage doesn't necessarily become easier just because a couple moves into a big white house with servants and security at every turn. "The strengths and challenges of our marriage don't change because we move to a different address," she said. Mrs. Obama said "the bumps" happen to everybody all the time "and they are continuous." "The last thing we want to project," she said, is the image of a flawless relationship. "It's unfair to the institution of marriage, and it's unfair for young people who are trying to build something, to project this perfection that doesn't exist," Mrs. Obama said. More on Barack Obama
 
Luqman Ameen Abdullah, Leader Of Radical Islam Group, Killed In Raid Top
DETROIT — A man described as a leader of a radical Sunni Islam group in the U.S. was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon while resisting arrest and exchanging gunfire with federal agents, authorities said. Agents at a warehouse in Dearborn were trying to arrest Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, on charges that included conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal possession and sale of firearms. Ten followers listed in a criminal complaint were also being rounded up in the area. Abdullah refused to surrender, fired a weapon and was killed by gunfire from agents, FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said. In a court filing, the FBI said Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was an imam, or prayer leader, of a radical group named Ummah whose primary mission is to establish an Islamic state within the United States. No one was charged with terrorism. But Abdullah was "advocating and encouraging his followers to commit violent acts against the United States," FBI agent Gary Leone said in an affidavit. "He regularly preaches anti-government and anti-law enforcement rhetoric," Leone said. "Abdullah and his followers have trained regularly in the use of firearms, and continue to train in martial arts and sword fighting." Leone said members of the national group mostly are black and some converted to Islam while in prisons across the United States. "Abdullah preaches that every Muslim should have a weapon, and should not be scared to use their weapon when needed," Leone wrote. It was not immediately clear how many of the other 10 suspects were in custody. The group believes that a separate Islamic state in the U.S. would be controlled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, who is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado for shooting two police officers in Georgia in 2000, Leone said. Al-Amin, a veteran of the black power movement, started the group after he converted to Islam in prison. "They're not taking their cues from overseas," said Jimmy Jones, a professor of world religions at Manhattanville College and a longtime Muslim prison chaplain. "This group is very much American born and bred." The movement at one time was believed to include a couple of dozen mosques around the country. Ummah is now dwarfed in numbers and influence by other African-American Muslim groups, particularly the mainstream Sunnis who were led by Imam W.D. Mohammed, who recently died. By evening, authorities still were working the scene near the Detroit-Dearborn border and the warehouse was surrounded by police tape. The U.S. attorney's office said an FBI dog was also killed during the shootout. Abdullah's mosque is in a brick duplex on a quiet, residential street in Detroit. A sign on the door in English and Arabic reads, in part, "There is no God but Allah." Several men congregated on the porch Wednesday night and subsequently attacked a photographer from The Detroit News who was taking pictures from across the street. Ricardo Thomas had his camera equipment smashed and had a bloody lip from the attack. Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Dearborn, said the FBI had briefed him about Wednesday's raids and told him they were the result of a two-year investigation. "We know that this is not something to be projected as something against Muslims," Hamad said. ___ Associated Press writers David Runk, Corey Williams, David N. Goodman and Rachel Zoll contributed to this story.
 
Rep. Earl Blumenauer: An Historic and Emotional Moment Top
One of the joys of serving in Congress is to experience moments when your hard work is actually enacted into law. You celebrate each little step along the way - a hearing, an amendment, positive floor action, the other chamber moving on your legislation, the conference committee coming to an agreement. Sometimes the dance of legislation can be long and frustrating. As a result, there's nothing like that feeling of finally passing a bill and having it signed by the president. No better feeling, perhaps, than being there to witness it. Today, after too many years of delay, President Obama signed into law a bill that makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation. A little while ago I hopped on my bike and made the ride up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House to celebrate the signing into law of the Hate Crimes legislation. I noticed on this ride that one of my colleagues, Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-5), also made the trek to executive mansion via bicycle. While I've experienced the thrill of being onstage next to the president when he signed my legislation, this is one of those rare occasions when I was happier to step back and watch President Obama put pen to paper surrounded by allies and people who have sacrificed so much to pass this vital bill. Seeing my good friend, great Oregonian, and co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign Terry Bean front and center gave me such satisfaction. He represents so many friends and allies who sacrificed so much, worked so hard, and who represented the people who had suffered so surrounding the President. Although Hate Crimes legislation is something I believe in and have worked strongly for, it seemed wrong to be sitting in the White House watching this historic and emotional moment without those at home who have worked so hard for this important measure. I wished they could have been there in my stead, but sitting back, taking this in, watching the spotlight shine where it belonged - on the people from the trenches of the GLBT community - was a profound reminder that in the dance of legislation, sometimes the harder, more controversial measures have as their champions not members of the House or Senate, but eloquent, determined, focused and ultimately victorious people from the community who refuse to give up. More on Civil Rights
 

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