Friday, October 2, 2009

Y! Alert: The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Yahoo! Alerts
My Alerts

The latest from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Cute/Ridiculous Animal Thing Of The Day: Kitten Does Weird Dance (VIDEO) Top
This may be the cutest kitten ever born, which is a hard title to win. While our friends at Buzzfeed warn that the "kitten will hypnotize you with a lethal dose of cute," we're pretty sure the only thing this video will make you want to do is buy a kitten. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Cute Animal Videos
 
Chris Evert And Greg Norman Split Top
Chris Evert and Greg Norman have separated after 15 months of marriage, the Associated Press reports. More on Celebrity Splits
 
Robert Joe Halderman, David Letterman's Alleged Extortionist, Was Deep In Debt Top
NEW YORK — A CBS newsman who prosecutors said was desperate and deep in debt was charged Friday with trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million in a plot that forced the late night comic to acknowledge having sex with some of the women who have worked for him. The bizarre case created a messy legal and professional problem for one of CBS' most valuable personalities. Commentators and bloggers quickly accused Letterman of hypocrisy because he has made a career of mocking politicians mercilessly, often for their sexual transgressions. From a strictly business perspective, Letterman's revelations on Thursday's show were an immediate success: His overnight ratings were up 38 percent over the same night a week ago, the Nielsen Co. said. It remains to be seen whether Letterman will suffer long-term damage just as his career appears to be peaking. Letterman has taken over as the king of late-night in the ratings this summer, and last week he beat NBC's Conan O'Brien for the first time among young viewers. Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer for the true-crime show "48 Hours Mystery," pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court as he was arraigned on one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years in prison. Bail was set at $200,000. Halderman's connection to Letterman was not immediately clear, but public records show that until August, he lived in Norwalk, Conn., with Stephanie Birkitt, a 34-year-old woman who works on the "Late Show" staff and used to work at "48 Hours." Birkitt was an assistant to Letterman on the "Late Show" and frequently appeared on camera with the host in comedy bits. Last month, Birkitt moved to Manhattan's upper West Side. There was no answer Friday at a phone listed in her name. It was unclear how many women were involved in relationships with Letterman, 62, who married longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003. All the affairs took place before Letterman's marriage, said Tom Keaney, spokesman for Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants. Keaney also said Letterman "is not in violation" of the company's harassment policy "and no one has ever raised a complaint against him." CBS issued a statement Friday: "We think it was appropriate for Dave to disclose the matter publicly as he has, and we are continuing to cooperate with authorities." CBS would not address questions about whether Letterman faced any disciplinary actions for relationships with subordinates. CBS News also declined to address questions about whether Halderman's alleged actions call into question any of the work he has done for the news division. David Lande, a New York City-based civil attorney whose cases have included sexual harassment, said Letterman presumably was in a position of power with a voice in hiring, firing and promotions. "So, to the extent that he had control over these factors with the women he was involved with, he could be subject to liability," he said. "I am sure CBS lawyers are reviewing the matter very carefully." Shanti Atkins, president of ELT, a firm that consults on ethics and sex in the workplace issues, said Letterman, his company and CBS could also be vulnerable to claims of sexual favoritism by others in the company if they believe people got ahead because they were sleeping with the boss. Assistant District Attorney Judy Salwen told the judge Halderman was in debt, but did not elaborate. "The evidence is compelling," she said. "It shows the defendant is desperate, and he is capable of doing anything." The prosecutor said Halderman gave the talk show host a package of materials that "contained clear, explicit and actual threats that indicate this defendant ... (wanted to) destroy the reputation of Mr. Letterman and to submit him and his family to humiliation and ridicule." Halderman, hands cuffed behind his back, stared at the floor during most of Friday's court hearing and said only "not guilty." His lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said Halderman worked at CBS for 27 years and had no prior criminal record. He described him as an involved father who coached soccer, baseball and football and has two children, ages 11 and 18. "This story is far more complicated than what you heard this afternoon," Shargel said outside court, but he would not elaborate. Halderman earned about $214,000 in 2007. He was ordered in 2007 to pay his ex-wife $6,800 per month in child and spousal support until May 2011, when the payments will be reduced to $5,966 until May 2014, according to papers filed in Stamford Superior Court. He had asked for a reduction to $2,039 per month because his ex-wife, Patty Montet, was sharing a house in New Canaan with a man. But Montet argued – and the judge agreed – that her living arrangement was for convenience and not romantic. Montet also claimed Halderman was getting $1,500 a month from Birkitt. "Mr. Halderman claims he is struggling financially, but it is difficult to see what, other than mismanagement and extravagant spending, is the reason for this," Montet's attorneys said in the court file. "His is a world of golf trips, vacations, increasing 401k assets, comprehensive benefits, security in employment, earnings as an award-winning producer for CBS, and home ownership." Halderman allegedly left an envelope in Letterman's car early Sept. 9. According to authorities, he wrote that he needed "to make a large chunk of money" and said that Letterman's world would "collapse around him" if damaging information about him were made public. Letterman acknowledged that the letter contained proof that the late-night host had sexual relationships with members of his staff. Three meetings between Letterman's lawyer and Halderman subsequently took place in Manhattan's Essex House hotel, the last two with the lawyer recording the conversations and prosecutors listening in, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said. At the last meeting, on Wednesday, the lawyer gave Halderman a phony check for $2 million, Morgenthau said. Halderman deposited the check Thursday in a Connecticut bank and was arrested later that day outside CBS News' Manhattan office, he said. Halderman has been described by colleagues as a talented and occasionally volatile producer. His boss, Susan Zirinsky, called "48 Hours" staff members into a meeting on Friday to discuss the case, calling it a personal tragedy. Marcy McGinnis, who was Halderman's boss when she was CBS' London bureau chief, said she had him work on many important stories, like Princess Diana's death and the war in Bosnia. She said she was shocked by the alleged extortion. "The idea of it is so unbelievable. This is a very smart guy. There must have been some sort of mental breakdown. I'm no expert, but it just seems like it was 100 percent out of character." It's the second set of embarrassing headlines for Letterman in four months. He apologized on the air earlier this summer for a crude joke involving Sarah Palin's family. But when the controversy continued to swirl, he came back after a weekend to offer a stronger mea culpa. Letterman's contract with CBS runs through next August, although the network has been in negotiations to continue that through 2012. Advertisers spent $145.2 million on the show from January through June this year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. They appear to be holding firm behind the late night host. "We haven't seen any clients nor do we anticipate any clients looking to move inventory out of the show," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis, an executive vice president and director at Starcom. "We believe that he handled it with full transparency. Consumers are looking for that authenticity and honesty." ___ Associated Press writers Emily Fredrix, Jake Coyle, John Christoffersen, Colleen Long, Mesfin Fekadu, Jennifer Peltz, Hillel Italie, Ryan Nakashima and news researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.
 
Joe The Failed Comedian: Wurzelbacher Performs Painful Routine At Stand-Up Contest (VIDEO) Top
The annual Funniest Celebrity in DC contest happened this week and while most of the people involved are not celebrities or funny, one contestant hit the trifecta this year as he's not from DC either. Samuel "Joe The Plumber" Wurzelbacher took the stage this year and performed a sweat-drenched and painful routine in which he took shots at President Obama and claimed to have concubines. He also pretended to be the secret brother of Karl Rove, Francis W. Rove, sent to middle America last year to thwart the Obama campaign. He kept it classy with a line at the end expressing his wishes for Keith Olbermann to die. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Video
 
Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [96] -- The Impressiveness Of Alan Grayson Top
First, let's get rid of the distractions this week. Chicago will not be getting the Olympics in 2016, even after President Obama went over to Copenhagen on a personal charm offensive. While I think Rio is a good choice, personally (come on -- it's not just Rio's first Olympics, or Brazil's first Olympics, it is South America's first Olympics -- this is supposed to be a worldwide event, and yet Africa and South America have never hosted), I also think the cheap shots will be flying from Republicans soon -- and that they're going to shoot themselves in the foot by doing so. Glorifying an Obama defeat is fine for the GOP when we're talking domestic affairs, but Obama was promoting an American city on the world's stage. Republicans will pay a price for gleefully rooting for America to fail in such a fashion. Polls showed overwhelming (84 percent) support of the American public for a Chicago Olympics. And Republicans are looking more and more like they just want Obama to fail -- no matter what he is attempting . This is not exactly the best way to rebuild the party's appeal among suburban moderate voters. And just think what those same Republicans would be saying if Democrats had cheered for a Republican president to fail in such an effort. My guess is the word "anti-American" would be used (if you'll forgive the irony) liberally. In the entertainment world, two sex scandals are raging. I never thought I'd see the day when a child rapist was actively defended by anyone, but here we are. And as for the television show host, isn't that pretty much the classic definition of "sexual harassment in the workplace"? Not the extortion bit, mind you, but the affair itself. Strangely, the man was applauded by a live audience for admitting essentially what was once the textbook definition of sexual harassment -- the Big Boss preying on a lowly assistant. Back then, the point was all about the power, not the sex. But the audience sat there and applauded him; so again, I have to say -- here we are. Sooner or later, the conservatives are going to dust off an old chestnut of theirs called "moral relativism." In these particular two cases, they're actually going to be right. Defending such behavior is moral relativism. "But he's such a talented guy" is simply not a defense, folks. In the financial world, it was announced that two banks have now qualified to buy all those "troubled assets" we hear about on Wall Street. Note that this crisis happened a year ago and we had to create seven hundred billion dollars out of thin air to fix the problem (it's right there in the title -- "Troubled Asset Relief Program"), after which we didn't actually use the money to buy the troubled assets... um... because... I have to admit I still don't understand this mind-boggling reversal by the geniuses who run the Treasury and the Fed. Now, one year later , two banks are finally cleared to buy some troubled assets. Maybe next time Congress should check the fine print when these guys demand a mountain of money by the close of business tomorrow. I'm just saying.... But the real news, to get back to the sex scandal theme here (admit it, TARP is just boring, no matter who you are), is that our fearless "executive pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg is actually admitting in public that he's getting screwed by Wall Street. At least that's how it sounded to me. This is the guy whose job it is to be a watchdog and tell Wall Street not to hand out billions in "bonuses" for driving the American economy over a cliff. Here is Feinberg talking to a bunch of lawyers, on the subject of limiting executive pay at companies that the American taxpayers now essentially own (read the whole article , and decide for yourself): "I'm hoping I won't be required to simply make a determination over company objections... It's been a very consensual process and I hope it will continue to be consensual." Now, maybe he used the word "consensual" because that's how lawyers talk. But in the vernacular, consensual is used pretty much for only one reason -- when it is followed by the word "sex." Must be because it's got the word "sensual" right there in it -- how titillating! [OK, I'm sorry, I'll stop this unseemly innuendizing.] For example, see any discussion of the two sex scandals mentioned above. The word "consensual" will appear at some point in the discussion, either in the negative ("not consensual") or the positive ("c'mon, it was consensual"). So it seemed to me to be a very odd word choice indeed. Metaphor-wise, this is a real stinker. Because what it is essentially saying is that even though Feinberg's in bed with Wall Street and all the hanky-panky is consensual, it's really OK because nobody's actually getting raped when CEOs pocket millions for destroying their companies and the economy. Except, perhaps, the taxpayers. But Democrats weren't the only ones twisting metaphors this week. In a stunning example of doublethink of the first order, Republicans are simultaneously arguing that (a) government bureaucrats should never get between you and your doctor, and (b) any healthcare reform must have a government ban on health insurers providing abortion services in their plans. Um, OK. The only time the government is supposed to get between you and your doctor is when the doctor says something which our party doesn't agree with . Is that it? Shades of Terry Schiavo, methinks. Our final distraction before we get to the awards is to note the passing of William Safire. Now, Safire was a pretty odious guy, which was outlined in some depth by David Bromwich at Huffington Post this week, so if you don't know why this guy deserves political scorn, you can brush up. His most notorious line of all time was in a speech he wrote for then-Vice President (before he resigned in disgrace, of course) Sprio Agnew, when he called political opponents "nattering nabobs of negativism." From his start in the Nixon White House (before Nixon resigned in disgrace, of course), Safire went on to become a conservative columnist. But I have to admit a guilty pleasure. When living abroad, the International Herald Tribune would print a weekly column from Safire which looked through the microscope at language itself, and how it was currently being used in politics and journalism. And the column was informative and interesting, on that level alone. So, in a burst of bipartisanship, I'd like to say that even though I disagreed with Safire on just about everything, I did enjoy the purist look his column took at the changing political linguistic landscape. I'm just a language wonk at heart, I guess.   Harry Reid has come oh-so-close to winning a coveted Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award two weeks in a row now. Whew! Give 'em Hell, Harry! Kidding aside, we do indeed have to hand Majority Leader Reid an Honorable Mention award, for two impressive acts this week. The first was virtually ignored by the media, but Harry Reid astonishingly cancelled a week of vacation for the Senate, in order to actually do some work , and the job Americans pay them to do. Rather than let everyone go home for Columbus Week (it used to be a Day, until Congress started handing out vacations to themselves), senators will instead stay in Washington and work on healthcare reform. This is in response to Republican obstructionism and foot-dragging, and is entirely deserved. Well done, Harry! The second thing Reid is to be commended for this week was the statement he made to the Nevada press: "We are going to have a public option before this bill goes to the president's desk." Pretty strong words! Then, of course, one of his staffers had to walk it back a bit , but it's certainly stronger than anything Harry's said before, so we'll take it at face value for now. If he actually delivers on this promise, he can look forward to a real MIDOTW award for doing so. Instead, we have two MIDOTW awards to hand out. The first goes to Washington, D.C. city Councilman David Catania. You may not have heard his name before (I certainly hadn't), but Catania could be pivotal in the gay rights movement. Because national Democrats have apparently decided that "now is not the time" to push repealing "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" (DADT) or the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) in Congress (or from the White House, I should add). Now is not the time, and next year (an election year) certainly won't be "the time" either. Democrats are content to sweep the issue under the rug for a while, for political expediency's sake. Catania is going to force their hand . Because he is introducing a measure to allow gay marriage in the District. The city council has 13 members. There are 10 co-sponsors of the measure. Meaning it is going to pass. But while normally a big city (or even a small state) would make news for legalizing gay marriage, it wouldn't be a huge national political story (at least, not these days). But D.C. is run by the federal government. Even though they have a city council and a mayor, they can be overridden at any time by Congress. On anything. Which means that Republicans are going to fight this in Congress. Which may force Democrats to actually take a stand on it . Now, while the gay marriage fight has been raging for a while, Congress hasn't weighed in on any of it for a relatively long time. Democrats have been comfortable to shy away from the issue, because they see it as a potential political minefield for them. So Councilman Catania has earned his MIDOTW award for refusing to play the "wait and see" game on the issue. And his actions may soon cause us all to see how House members and senators actually vote on it. But we here at Friday Talking Points have to admit to a little pride in our foresightedness, because only one week ago we gave an award to a relatively-obscure Democrat in the House, for pointing out the fact that by trying to punish ACORN, Congress may have accidentally de-funded the entire military-industrial complex. Whoops! In any case, for his bold and amusing stand, we awarded him his first-ever MIDOTW award. And, we are happy to report, in an unprecedented streak, Representative Alan Grayson has won his second Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week in a row. Maybe I haven't been paying attention (yeah, right), but I have not heard a better talking point on healthcare, Democrats, and Republicans yet. Grayson is being widely quoted for his two-part exposé of the Republican health care plan: (1.) Don't get sick. (2.) If you do get sick, die quickly. Now, you'd think that was a pretty succinct soundbite for the media, but you would be wrong. Their attention span is closer to three seconds, as they proved once again by cutting this even further to merely "die quickly." The Republican response was as amusing as it was predictable. They howled. Like most bullies, they can dish it out, but they sure can't take the same medicine leveled at them. They called for all sorts of condemnations of Grayson, until it was pointed out to them that (a) no rules were broken by Grayson, and (b) the Republicans have been saying worse things for the past four months . So they'd have to condemn all of the "death panel" comments they've been making as well. I looked for a transcript of Grayson's whole speech, but found only excerpts. So I am providing the full transcript in the Talking Points part of the program, as a public service. For -- finally! -- showing that Democrats can occasionally play offense instead of always weakly defending, Alan Grayson wins his second consecutive Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award. The most astonishing thing (for Democrat-watchers) was that Grayson, in the face of criticism from Republicans, actually refused to back down (although comparing 45,000 people dying each year because they don't have insurance to the Holocaust may have gone a wee bit too far, even I have to admit). He did get up in the House to apologize the next day -- to the people who died because they had no health insurance. And now, he is thanking "Republican hypocrites" for helping his fundraising efforts. [ Congratulate D.C. Councilman David Catania at dcatania@dccouncil.us , and Representative Alan Grayson at (202) 225-2176 (his House contact page seems to be for constituents only), to let them know you appreciate their efforts. ]   There were a few disappointments this week as well. A (Dis-)Honorable Mention goes out to all the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee who voted down two flavors of the public option, but that was entirely expected and one of the votes was closer than predicted, so I guess that's something. But our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award goes out this week to two Democratic senators. The first is a little personal, since Chuck Schumer seems to think that bloggers don't deserve to be called journalists, and is inserting language in a federal shield law specifically to exclude anyone who doesn't draw a full-fledged paycheck for writing. The blogosphere has been universally condemning Schumer's action, and for once, I am going along with the pack. How very disappointing, Chuck. And our second MDDOTW award goes to Senator Ben Nelson, for publicly stating that he won't vote with his own party on a cloture vote on healthcare reform -- meaning a Republican filibuster attempt may succeed. This isn't the first time Nelson's threatened to cross the aisle on a filibuster -- the last time he did so was on Obama's first Supreme Court nomination . With Democrats like these... sigh. [ Contact Senator Charles Schumer on his Senate contact page , and Senator Ben Nelson on his Senate contact page , to let them know what you think of their actions. ]   Volume
 
Sandip Roy: Guess Who's Not Coming to The Olympics Top
It's probably just as well that Barack Obama's magic touch didn't work on the International Olympic Committee. The election of Obama has certainly reduced the number of globetrotting Americans who try to pass for Canadian. But he can't just touch down for five hours and seal the deal. But the most interesting quote I read about Chicago's drubbing in the Olympic hosting race was a question from an I.O.C. member from Pakistan. Syed Shahid Ali asked how smooth it would be for foreigners to enter the United States for the Games because as he put it, coming to the US these days can be "a harrowing experience." I hope Obama noted that. This is a slap in the face reminder that the election of Obama has changed a certain style and the image but the levers of bureaucracy underneath have not necessarily changed course. It's not just Olympic athletes from countries like Pakistan or Iraq. Scientists, artists, students are all facing the same hurdles getting into the US. And many of them just don't want to come. Who wants the airport humiliation? A couple of years ago I remember the San Francisco International Film Festival complaining that many eminent filmmakers couldn't get visas. The Iranian contingent was especially hurt by the visa clampdown. Tragically, Iran has probably the most illustrious filmmaking industry in the region. The very renowned director Abbas Kiarostami was denied a visa when he was coming to the US to debut his film Ten. A couple of other directors from other parts of the world also decided not to come as an act of solidarity. In 2006, a group of Iranian academics and scientists coming for the Northern California reunion of the prestigious Sharif Institute of Technology found themselves turned away from US airports even after they got the visa. Behnam Kamrani who lives in Sweden and works for a US company got to spend nine hours in the airport before being turned back. But he considered himself one of the "lucky ones" because he was not handcuffed. In 2004 for the first time since 1971, the number of foreign students enrolled in US colleges and universities declined thanks to the "war on terror". Now the Census says for the first time in three decades the number of foreign-born Americans in this country tapered off slightly in 2008 . Nobody wants to be the visa officer that let in the terrorist. But instead of analyzing Chicago's downfall in the IOC as a litmus test of Obama's magic, it should be a wake up call for the US. The world didn't reject Obama. It's gotten the symbolism of his election. Now it's time to go beyond the symbols. It wants to see the promised change in action. And five hours of Obama isn't enough change. Rio, apparently was change the IOC could believe in. More on Barack Obama
 
Polanski Agreed To Pay $500,000 In Civil Suit Top
LOS ANGELES — Film director Roman Polanski agreed to pay his sexual assault victim $500,000 to settle a lawsuit 15 years after he fled the United States, according to court documents provided to media outlets Friday. Polanski and the victim, Samantha Geimer, reached the deal in October 1993. The terms of the settlement were confidential, but the amount was disclosed in court documents because of a two-year struggle to get Polanski to pay. Court records do not indicate if Polanski, now 76, ever paid. The last court filing in August 1996 shows Polanski owed Geimer $604,416.22, including interest. Polanski's attorney, David Finkle, said he couldn't remember details of the case and declined comment. "It's ancient," Finkle said. A phone message left for Geimer's attorney, Lawrence Silver, wasn't immediately returned. Geimer and her family also have not returned calls this week seeking comment. Polanski was accused of plying Geimer, then a 13-year-old girl, with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977 and raping her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse and a judge sent him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. However, he was released after 42 days by an evaluator who deemed him mentally sound and unlikely to offend again. The judge responded by saying he was going to send Polanski back to jail for the remainder of the 90 days and that afterward he would ask Polanski to agree to a "voluntary deportation." Polanski then fled the country the night before he was scheduled to be sentenced, Feb. 1, 1978. Polanski, who won an Academy Award for best director for "The Pianist," was arrested last weekend in Switzerland on a fugitive warrant in the case. Geimer, who long ago identified herself, sued Polanski in December 1988 when she was 25 years old, alleging sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and seduction. She has since joined in Polanski's bid for dismissal and has forgiven him. In a December 1995 filing, Silver said "defendant has failed to pay any part of the sum due or the interest due on the attached note." Silver added that he talked to Finkle, who agreed Polanski was in default. Silver then sought some of Polanski's earnings by canvassing Hollywood for his wages. Among those who were contacted about Polanski were the Directors Guild of America, International Creative Management, Warner Bros. Inc. and Sony Studios. ICM head and Polanski agent Jeff Berg declined comment. If Polanski hasn't paid over the past 14 years, it's unclear if he would have to pay interest. The court documents state he'd owe $128.42 per day, for a total of about $650,000. More on Roman Polanski
 
Mary Ann West: Death Toll Increases to Over 5,000 and Counting Top
Death Toll Increases to Over 5,000 and Counting Thanks to Operation Gatekeeper San Diego, CA- With numbing regularity news bulletins flash regarding groups or individuals suffering severe injuries, snake bites or dying in the remote deserts or mountains or drowning in the river along the 800 mile "Wall" as they attempt to cross the border between Mexico and the USA. In the 24/7 news cycle, this blip quickly fades from our collective memory and we move onto something more interesting, after all, we can't imagine ourselves in the same predicament. Left in the wake are those still living or their relatives, without organized systemic help to search and rescue or recover and claim bodies and try to make arrangements. This doesn't need to be this way and prior to October 1994, it wasn't. Fifteen years of failed immigration policy has not improved the numbers of undocumented aliens entering the country and has cost millions in dollars and human suffering. International Humanitarian Crisis: Migrant Deaths at the U.S.-Mexico Border A recent report issued jointly by ACLU and ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties and Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH). It outlines the disturbing findings in a straight forward manner, along with suggestions on how to reduce the death toll that is only increasing in scale. "The current policies in place on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border have created a humanitarian crisis that has led to the deaths of more than 5,000 people," said Kevin Keenan, Executive Director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. "Because of deadly practices and policies like Operation Gatekeeper, the death toll continues to rise unabated despite the decrease in unauthorized crossings due to economic factors." Humanitarian Crisis Report By Maria Jimenez Some of the highlights within this report: The deaths of unauthorized migrants have been a predictable and inhumane outcome of border security policies on the U.S.-Mexico border over the last fifteen years. Beginning in 1994, the U.S. government implemented a border enforcement policy known as "Operation Gatekeeper" that used a "prevention and deterrence" strategy. The strategy concentrated border agents and resources along populated areas, intentionally forcing undocumented immigrants to extreme environments and natural barriers that the government anticipated would increase the likelihood of injury and death. The stated goal was to deter migrants from crossing. Over the last fifteen years, national security concerns have reinforced the deterrence strategy without any improvements in the results. The mutual interest of intercepting national security threats on a shared border reshaped the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States, redefining priorities given to immigration and border policies. The national security lens favored the militarization of the border at the cost of migrant lives. In the last five years, the border enforcement budget expanded from $6 billion to $10.1 billion, the number of agents jumped to 20,000; 630 miles of new fencing was completed around urban areas; 300 miles of vehicle barriers were erected; a "virtual fence" of technological infrastructure was installed...and more migrants are dying now than ever before. Recommendations to reduce migrant deaths are listed in the report: October 1, 2009 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of Operation Gatekeeper and the ensuing border enforcement policies that have led to the deaths of more than 5,000 people. Prior to Operation Gatekeeper, migrant deaths were few and far between. In its conclusion, the report reflects on the findings and suggests courses of action that the U.S. and Mexican governments could take to protect and advance the human right to life of international migrants. Action on Day One: Recognize border crossing deaths as an international humanitarian crisis. Action within 100 days: Shift more U.S. Border Patrol resources to search and rescue. Direct government agencies to allow humanitarian organizations to do their work to save lives and recover remains. Establish a binational, one-stop resource for rescue and recovery calls. Convene all data collecting agencies to develop a uniform system. Commit to transparency. Elevate border deaths to a bilateral priority. Invite international involvement. Action within One Year: Adopt sensible, humane immigration and border policies. Support nongovernmental humanitarian efforts at the border to do what governments are unable or unwilling to do. These recommendations complement those made in 2002 by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to reduce deaths at the border. These included: 1. Demilitarize the border; 2. Establish a guest-worker program; 3. Increase the number of permanent resident visas available to Mexicans; 4. Legalize undocumented immigrants already in the United States; 5. Modify immigration laws that deport immigrants for minor criminal offenses; 6. Encourage cooperation with Mexico; 7. Protect the rights of asylum seekers; and 8. Recognize U.S. citizenship of the Tohono O'odham. Except for the growing cooperation between Mexico and the United States, the rest of the solutions have not been considered or adopted. Illegal Aliens Are Scapegoat for local Ills Migrant workers are the au-current whipping child of Conservatives, anti-immigration policy makers, any neo-group, Militia groups like the Minutemen or any other persons that feel the need to fly the colors of bias and bigotry. There are constant claims that undocumented workers are taking jobs from Americans, really? When was the last time you fought for a job of stooping in a field picking crops in 100 degree heat for 12-16 hours? Or standing for hours on a street corner with the hopes that you will get picked up, work a long day and hope that you don't get stiffed so that you can repeat another day in order to send a few dollars to your family that is living in extreme poverty. With Operation Gatekeeper and it's equivalents in other border regions, the only purpose is to push emigrating people further out from ports of entry and closer to the high risks of crossing in uncharted land against incredible odds. The mountain and arid desert regions each have their own micro-climates that bring extreme heat during the day and sub-freezing nights that exhausted travelers are unprepared for. These are not the drug dealers, cartels or even terrorists; they are way more sophisticated than those who desperate enough to use human coyotes to help transport them to what they believe will be a better life. Now, please don't get me wrong, the drug cartel's murder and mayhem with the negative side effects is huge, for both sides of the border it has affected the quality of life for millions and does need to be strongly addressed by both governments. Add to the mix of government agencies are the San Diego Minutemen http://www.sandiegominutemen.com/site/index.php and other groups, self appointed militia who claim to be American Patriots to help protect the border, confusing vigilantes for activistism, pushing the Birther argument tool of FreedomWorks that Obama was born in Kenya and is therefore ineligible be president, but didn't have a problem with John McCain's Panama birthplace. They will also let you know who to vote for, funding & spinning California measures they don't like and best yet, listing who their enemies and friends that support their cause, and heads up, they cross the line from activist to cult when they start dissing their own and excommunicating those who they no longer support when their riled up members start acting out. This Land was Their Land, Now It's Our Land From the Sierra Nevada's to Catalina Island This Land was stolen for you and me... California History 101: Before the Gold Rush of the 1840's, the area was an extension of Mexico, yes, the indigenous people occupying the land were Mexicans, Indian-Spanish and Native Americans with immigrants coming from the East. The formation of California into state was not without bloodshed is the equivalent of a land grab that divided East and West Germany with a wall, separating generations of families from each other. Back in California, pre-1994 before Operation Gatekeeper, there was the daily comings and goings of workers from both sides without the animosity and military intervention that has become the accepted norm in the region. Post NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement that went into effect in 1994, the same year Operation Gatekeeper went into effect opening the borders to trade but closing them to people, had hundreds of US companies setting up operations in Mexico to take advantage of the cheap labor force while promising it would save American jobs. Wall Street and major corporations had a huge stake in its success and lobbied vigorously for its passing but the paradox is the negative effect on the environment, food safety and US jobs they claimed would be created and the human costs associated with its implementation. Public Citizen, www.citizen.org/trade/nafta/ lists the broken promises of NAFTA and why we will continue to feel its effects for decades to come. I recently visited Tijuana as part of my listening and writing tour and although I have stopped there many times over the past 3 decades, this was the first time it appeared like a ghost town, gone were the hawkers, the crowds on the street, the donkey's painted in Zebra stripes and more then 60% of the store fronts shuttered. Before boarding the Mexicoach in San Ysidro, the gateway community that hosts the port of entry, a converted bus with Wackenhut on it's side pulled up and discharged two Border Patrol officers with a handcuffed man covered in dirt, in between as he was escorted into the building. Wackenhut is one of the large contractors supplying services to Homeland Security at the Border Region. Creepier still was the three Homeland Security agents boarding the bus on the US side by checking passports and asking questions, before the bus crossed into Mexico; I thought this was weird but frequent riders and the bus driver had never before experienced it, intimidating and eerie... Border region protection is a National and International public and private contractors' effort costing taxpayers millions each year with questionable gains in reducing crime, illegal incursions and apprehensions while there are fewer migrants crossing due to the economic downturn yet they are dying at a higher rate than ever before. This can no longer be acceptable. More on Death & Dying
 
Chris McGowan: Rio and the 2016 Summer Olympics: Reflections on Brazil and the Marvelous City Top
Today, Brazilians partied on Copacabana beach like it was 2016. The cariocas (natives of Rio de Janeiro) samba-ed on the sand, Brazilians across the nation celebrated deliriously, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) was overcome with tears at a televised press conference. The International Olympic Committee awarded Rio the Summer Games of 2016, which will be the first time a South American city has hosted the event. It will be a coming-of-age ceremony for Brazil, a budding superpower, much as the 2008 Beijing Games were for China. Brazil is no longer "the country of the future," as it has been described ad nauseam for decades; it has arrived in the present. It has a diversified economy, one of the top ten in the world, and it has emerged relatively unscathed from the global economic crisis. The land of soccer and samba is an agricultural giant, competing with the U.S. to be the world's bread basket. It is a biofuel dynamo and the world's leading exporter of ethanol; half its cars run on pure alcohol. Already self-sufficient in petroleum, Brazil recently discovered massive off-shore oil reserves. It is also a cultural superpower; its television novelas are popular internationally and its rich variety of music (samba, bossa nova, and other styles) has influenced global popular music for decades. Alas, Brazil is also near the top in the global corruption competition, a serious problem among all the BRICs (the growing powers of Brazil, Russia, India and China). Brazilians would be far better off, and the country a vastly different place, if its populace refused to tolerate the rogues' gallery that populates its federal, state, and city governments. The Congress in Brasília is known for a total lack of ethics, lavish benefits for senators and deputies; secret votes; shameless appointing of family members to federal jobs; and, ingenious diversions of money for personal or political ends. Lula's political allies have been tainted by one corruption scandal after another since he was first elected. Yet, nothing much sticks; charges are dismissed or never followed up; and, no guilty career politician gets more than a slap on the wrist, no matter how extreme the vote buying or money laundering. Lula embraces anyone as long as they serve his political ends. He has supported the senators José Sarney and Renan Calheiros, who have allegedly been embroiled in some of Brazil's worst corruption scandals, and he was photographed hugging his former enemy, the notorious senator Fernando Collor de Mello. The latter resigned as president of Brazil in 1992 just before he was to be impeached, accused of influence peddling. Brazil is still plagued by widespread poverty, high murder and crime rates, oppressive taxes, a gargantuan bureaucracy, an ineffective legal system, and serious environmental problems (the deforestation of the Amazon and devastation of the Cerrado savanna are two of the biggest). Yet things are getting better for most, thanks to a stable economy, the taming of inflation, and Lula's welfare program for the poorest families (the bolsa família ), which is labeled a progressive social program by his admirers and blatant patronage by his detractors. Rio's preparation for the Olympics could stimulate significant improvements in the city. The athletes will not suffer from smog as much as they did in Beijing, but Rio needs to improve its air quality, especially in terms of particulates, the worst form of air pollution. And participants and spectators will need to reach events on time, which will be a challenge given the city's growing gridlock. Expanding mass transit will help both with transportation and air problems. The existing subway system, which is a good one, needs to be extended, especially to the Barra da Tijuca area. Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes would be smart to begin replacing the thousands of city buses that spew sooty exhaust with clean-fuel vehicles. In addition, the industrial air pollution in the cities north of Rio is an urgent problem. Perhaps the Games will also spark much needed change in terms of providing full social services and police protection to the city's poor neighborhoods, and dismantling the drug gangs and police militias that now are de facto local governments of the favelas . That's a lot to hope for, but let's see what progress can be made over the next seven years. The whole world will be watching Rio de Janeiro during the Games; perhaps Brazil's politicians will stop lining their pockets long enough to give the "Marvelous City" the support it deserves. When Rio hosted the Pan-American Games in 2007, things went smoothly enough. However, the event cost several times more than the original budget, and the city failed to deliver on promises of infrastructure improvements made to secure the Pan-Am competition. Brazil will be under greater pressure to keep its promises for the 2016 Olympics, and even with expected graft taking place the city should see some long-term benefits. Despite its social problems, Rio is still one of the most popular cities in the world, with cariocas enjoying a well-deserved reputation for gregariousness and joie de vivre . Brazilians everywhere are proud and overjoyed to have been awarded the 2016 event. Beijing put on a brilliant show, but it was all choreographed, with zero spontaneity and heavy police-state supervision. In Rio, improvisation and interaction will be at the forefront. And nobody parties like the cariocas. The Rio Olympics may well be the most entertaining Games ever, taking place in a city that has spectacular natural scenery, is the home of Carnaval , and is the world capital of celebration. More on Brazil
 
Children's Books Reissued: Classics Get An Update Top
When the children's travelogue This Is Australia was first published in 1970, an illustration showing a desolate street and small stretch of stores was captioned, "Darwin is a frontier town." After years of being out of print, Universe Publishing, a division of Rizzoli International Publications, is reissuing a new edition.
 
Mort Gerberg: Out of Line: Forecast Top
 
Peter Diamandis: Launching Commercial Space Flight: Part Five -- Brian Binnie Makes History Top
Part 5: Brian Binnie Makes History One of the biggest concerns people have about space travel is whether or not it is safe. Yet, while I was launching into sub-orbit, the safety risk was the last thing on my mind. I was intimately involved in the rocket motor testing of the program and was comfortable with its capabilities and knew our air-launch approach gave us many more safety options than a ground launch of a conventional rocket. That final SpaceShipOne flight required high performance and fine precision to execute well. Because it demanded my full attention, I was just too busy to be concerned for my safety! I first learned about the X PRIZE while I was working for Rotary Rocket, testing a rocket that we designed and built, and were in the process of trying to fly. It was not until I joined Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites team, under contract for Paul Allen that I thought it was possible to win the prize. At that point, the X PRIZE was unfunded and had no deadline, and yet, despite this, the prize became our motivator; the carrot that pushed us forward. We had a very small team of 30, which enabled us to be agile and flexible. There were not a lot of approvals that had to happen, so we could sit around a coffee table with our notes and make quick decisions that would be rapidly put into motion. We were confident we had the right technology, but the time frame was a major concern. Rightly so, because the initial competition deadline came and went without us sending SpaceShipOne into space. We needed an extension if we were going to succeed, and fortunately, the Ansaris gave it to us when they extended the competition deadline by a year. We finally completed the test flights for SpaceShipOne with very little time before the second deadline expired. The rules of the competition stipulated that we had to send the vehicle 100 kilometers into space twice in a two week period. The first flight was manned by my teammate Mike Melville, and while the flight was successful, it had some technical issues that needed to be addressed. The deadline forced us to focus. If there had been no X PRIZE, the technical issues in the first flight could have gotten the better of us, but the clock was ticking, so to speak, and we had the prize in our sights. Safety issues with Mike's first X PRIZE flight were mostly a public misunderstanding and did not preoccupy us at Scaled. We certainly wanted to avoid a repeat performance of his "roll record" so that the follow-on effort for Virgin Galactic would have a better chance of being realized. When the day of my flight finally came, I was working with very little sleep. Prior to the release point, I had an excruciating hour in which I had little to do but sit, think, and come face to face with the demons that lurked into my thoughts as I waited. Would things go according to plan? Had SpaceShipOne revealed to us all its secrets? The flight test was under such a microscope that I couldn't even sneeze - without multiple cameras in the cockpit beaming the images back to the many people watching including the whole Scaled team, the X PRIZE Foundation, Paul Allen, Sir Richard Branson, NASA, and tons of media outlets. Considering that I hadn't flown the vehicle in some 10 months, I felt I was under a huge amount of pressure. Then, after the hour long wait, things shifted into fast forward and everything happened incredibly quickly. After release, I was under the impressive acceleration of the hybrid rocket and thundering toward space. The shuddering and shaking vibrations combined with the demonic screeching of that motor were most memorable. But, by far, the best part was the contrast provided when I shut off the rocket; Blessed peace and quiet and the instant karma of weightlessness. And then, my God, that view! Separating the black void that is space from the peaceful panorama below is a thin blue electric ribbon of light that is the atmosphere. For 4 minutes I got to soak it all in. I tell you, one cannot be unmoved by the experience! From Mojave, I could see the San Francisco Bay to the North, Baja Mexico to the south, the Sierra-Nevada Mountains and the Pacific. I captured some of the sights with a camera but it's definitively something you need to see for yourself. It was almost possible to forget that I was still driving this spaceship and would have the challenge of bringing it back down to earth. Thankfully, due to the brilliance of Burt's "feather" reentry configuration, that entire phase of flight, normally fraught with danger, was a non-event. There were some moderate G's to endure and lots of noise as the atmosphere welcomed my supersonic return to Earth, but the ride was otherwise syrupy smooth compared to the rumbling ride under the rocket. About 80 minutes after departure, I returned, landing in front of a most enthusiastic and supportive crowd to claim the $10 million X PRIZE with Scaled's distinguished and elated team. I can describe this incredible experience without the slightest fear of ruining it for you. It is not like a movie - it absolutely cannot be spoiled. Reflecting back on it, I am like many Astronauts I know, struck by one compelling thought - I can't wait to go back.
 
James Joyce Copyright Battle Lost: Estate Pays Author's Legal Costs Top
The estate of author James Joyce has agreed to pay $240,000 in legal costs incurred by a Stanford University scholar following a fair use legal battle over a book about Joyce's daughter.
 
Bob Lingvall: There Is a Beauty Within You #8: Where Neuroscience and Mystical Intuition Converge Top
Reflection: Our goal: To know our self as awareness, allowing us to live in greater freedom and peace. The ego will no longer be who we are. Instead it will become an expression of our true self -- compassionate, blissful awareness. But how are we to get there? We engage in two types of activities: 1. exercises where we can experience our self as awareness, 2. inquiry into the reality beneath the "I" we speak of when referring to our self. As awareness we enter a space of bliss and compassion. But how do we get to this place? Ancient spiritual traditions suggest meditating on the area in the center of the upper forehead known as the third eye or the inner eye. Research in neurobiology suggests the very same area may be the origin and location of our self awareness. Let's explore this area, focusing our attention on the place where neuroscience and mystical intuition converge. Exercise: In this exercise we will turn our attention to the area of your brain behind the center of your high forehead. Intention: The intention of this exercise is to gain insight and further experience into the nature and identity of you as a silent awareness in the eternity of the present moment. Silence: Once again, as in the previous exercise( see There Is a Beauty Within You #7: Where is this Self of Soap Opera and Love Song ), become conscious of the location of yourself in the middle of your head, filled with a brain, light streaming in through your two eyes. Take your time to establish this awareness. Once you have, maintain this focus for a few moments. Next, shift your attention to the area of your brain behind the center of your high forehead. Gently focus on this area. Continue breathing in and out smoothly and slowly while you rest here. Stay conscious of being a point a silent awareness in the center of your head. Continue to gently focus on the area of your brain just behind the center of your high forehead. Relax the muscles around your eyes and forehead. Now imagine yourself moving from the center of your brain into the area of your brain directly behind the center of your high forehead. Allow yourself to be here as awareness. Continue breathing in and out smoothly and gently. Stay conscious of being a point of silent awareness in this area of your brain. If you find yourself distracted return to this area of your brain just behind your high forehead while repeating, "I am silent awareness." Inquiry: You have done several exercises now focusing on consciously being a point of awareness. Is it beginning to become a part of your reality now? Is self-awareness starting to become the experience you refer to in your mind when you say "I"? Of course when you complete the sentence, "I want this . . ." or "I am that. . ." etc. then our desires and attributes come into focus, but keep some distance. Allow your identity to remain grounded in awareness. Whose desires are they? They are yours as a point of awareness. And whose attributes (big, small, good, bad, etc.) are they? They are yours as a point of awareness. By maintaining your sense of being a point of silent awareness first and foremost, you will find a new strength and resiliency. You won't dig your heels in as deeply when your ego is being challenged to change and grow. You'll be more able to change your self-image if it doesn't reflect accurately the beauty you are as compassionate awareness. You'll be less susceptible to the emotional and mental manipulations and abuses of others because you know yourself to be a point of awareness first and foremost. You are not the idea or image in your head others can try to distort with their criticisms and complaints. You are a point of silent awareness whose nature appears as peace, bliss, and compassion. Intention Renewal: Allow the intention of this exercise to continue. You are silent awareness in the eternity of the present moment. Service: Extend compassion and forgiveness to everyone. Recall your experiences of being a point of awareness. From this point of stability and strength, see the negative actions of others only as reflections of their ignorance of who they really are. Unaware of their perfection as awareness, their negative actions come out of need and want, insecurity and fear. Forgive them. Have compassion on them. Of course this doesn't mean become a punching bag. That isn't good for you or them. Instead, from a place of forgiveness and compassion, do the most loving thing for all concerned, including you. For example, reflecting back to an abuser your own sense of self-respect by leaving an abusive relationship is a very positive thing for all involved. It may be the first time the abuser has seen self-respect modeled. It could be the seed they need planted in their own heart. Background Reading: Quartz, Steven R. Ph.D., and Sejnowski, Terrence J., Ph.D., Liars, Lovers, and Heroes, What the New Brain Science Reveals About How We Become Who We Are , HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY, 2002.
 
Rinku Sen: ACORN is the New Dirty Word Top
Over the last 18 months, conservatives have launched a nationwide assault on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which is now peaking with widespread media coverage and Congressional action. This isn't the first time that the 37-year-old organization has been under attack. With chapters in more than half the 50 states, it is arguably the largest national network that consistently organizes truly poor people, the vast majority being immigrants and people of color. In that time, ACORN has helped communities organize for desperately needed changes, from living wage ordinances to policies that protect every child's right to a high quality education. In this time, ACORN has angered many a local politician and multinational corporation, and these folks would be perfectly happy not only to see ACORN go down, but also to deal a blow to poor people organizing for power. There are three major accusations against the group. First, that there is widespread financial corruption; second that they engage in massive voter fraud; and finally that they have too many different entities hiding their relationship to each other to get around legal limitations. As a natural outgrowth of its organizing, ACORN has provided critical services, including mortgage counseling, voter registration and tax preparation. These services were sometimes funded through federal government contracts, and it is those contracts that Congress is now threatening to end. The only hard fact is that there was embezzlement. Though problematic, it was addressed both within and outside of the organization. The rest is a mash-up of misinformation with a lot of red-baiting and race-baiting, as Peter Dreier, the Dr. E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, and director of the Urban & Environmental Policy Program at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and others have reported. These fabrications are designed to arouse distrust of collective action. The campaign against ACORN serves as an attack on organizing as a whole, which no community of color can afford not to do. We can see it from the denunciation of President Obama's background in community organizing to Glenn Beck's attacks on environmental leader Van Jones, cultural leader Yosi Sergeant and FCC Diversity Chief Mark Lloyd. This attack, like those, is a warning to anyone who adopts organizing as a social change strategy. Does ACORN need tighter internal controls? Certainly, and so do most community organizations, which are perpetually cash-strapped, in part because funders are never interested in funding "overhead" and "administration." If the search for "corruption" among community-based organizations gathers steam, I guarantee that any number of groups will be tied up in investigative hell for years. It's dangerous to imagine that once they're done with ACORN, the right won't come looking for that one mistake you made years ago that can be attached to a bunch of lies to discredit and take down your organization. Obviously, we should pay attention to our inner workings, whether someone is paying for that or not, but even the most rigorous internal scrutiny won't save us from a well-funded opposition that is willing to lie. The attack on ACORN isn't about fighting corruption. If it was, then dozens of corporations with federal contracts far larger than ACORN's would be under investigation now, or would already have been cut off. The anti-ACORN Senate bill implicates any government contractor that has fraudulent paperwork, or is accused of violating lobbying or campaign finance laws. That list includes Blackwater, the private security contractor that has been implicated in civilian deaths during the Iraq war. Florida Congressman Alan Grayson is collecting a list of such contractors. Of course, Congress could make ACORN obsolete by passing and enforcing laws that protect poor people from being pushed to the margins of society. Instead of paying ACORN to register voters, the federal government could actually punish voter suppression, which is largely directed at people of color and immigrants. It could adopt automatic voter registration systems that would be triggered by an 18th birthday or driver's license being issued. It could pass predatory lending laws that protect us from insane interest rates, and then ACORN wouldn't have to counsel its members about avoiding foreclosure. The assault on ACORN is an assault on community organizing. Organizing is essential to building the power of poor people, immigrants and people of color to protect their interests. This is the time to stand up for ACORN, not just to keep this vital part of our national infrastructure, but also to prevent the hate from tying up all of us. That's why we must demand that our election officials and media outlets stop this unwarranted campaign against the poor and people of color.
 
Writer Liu Xiaobo Release from China Demanded By Congress Top
New York City, October 2, 2009--Calling yesterday's near-unanimous vote approving a Congressional resolution demanding the immediate release of critic and writer Liu Xiaobo "a critical show of solidarity from the U.S. government at a critical time," PEN American Center urged the Obama administration to press for the prominent dissident's release in advance of the president's visit to Beijing on November. More on Press Freedom
 
Michael D. Brown: Blame it on Rio; Don't Blame it on Obama Top
I want my conservative and libertarian friends to put aside their dislike (and hatred) of President Obama for at least a minute or two. Forget momentarily the monumental waste of fuel, manpower and dollars sending First Lady Michelle Obama on a State Department 757 airplane only to have the President follow behind in Air Force One. Forget that duplicate 747 and numerous cargo planes carrying the motorcade and communications that travel with the President. Dismiss momentarily your argument that President Obama is President of the United States, not Mayor. Instead, ask why Rio de Janeiro won the bid for the 2016 Olympics. Brazil is a gorgeous country and Rio is a wonderful city. Rio will be the first in South America to host an Olympic event. Brazil can afford to incur the costs of hosting the Olympics. Brazil was among the last to enter into the current world recession, but is among the first to begin to emerge from the recession. And therein is why Chicago did not get the Olympics. We should not celebrate this defeat of Obama. Instead we should look at the reasons we failed to win the bid. The United States simply cannot afford the Olympics. While today's unemployment figures did not play into the IOC's decision (they had already eliminated Chicago) nonetheless our current economic crisis certainly did. Unemployment today hit 9.8%, the worst since 1983. More than 260,000 Americans lost jobs last month. When you add those unemployed Americans who have settled for part-time work or given up looking for new jobs, the U.S. unemployment rate soars to 17%. More than 15 million Americans are out of work. The U.S. budget deficit is expected to exceed $9 trillion over the next ten years. What are we doing in response to this crisis? The Congress is trying to exercise more control over health care. They're looking at a cap-and-trade (cap-and-tax) program at a time when doubts are beginning to be expressed about climate change. We're playing class warfare and trying to tax the rich, tax corporations, tax small business, tax, tax, tax. Compare our approach of taxing ourselves out of the recession to Brazil's approach of cutting taxes. The OECD recently applauded Brazil for granting "tax breaks to certain key industries to help boost spending and revive growth in the economy." Jose Mauricio Machado of Machado Associados commented on the report, saying: "The temporary reduction of industrialized products tax levied on motor vehicles, consumer durables and constructions items were specific and efficient to stimulate important sectors of the Brazilian economy that had suffered from a strong decrease in sales due to the crisis." So tax cuts in Brazil have started them moving out of the recession while we're still facing massive unemployment and more tax increases. While we're at it, let's remember that most of Western Europe also recognizes the value of cutting tax burdens to stimulate the economy. Just witness the recent reelection of Merkel in Germany. Add to this economic crisis the recent adverse publicity of gang killings in Chicago, it is no wonder the IOC opted for the novel location of Brazil. So let's not get mad at Obama for this failure. Instead, let's hope he realizes the path he's headed down is doomed to fail, too. Let's learn from Brazil. More on Barack Obama
 
Amazon 1984 Settlement: High School Student Awarded $150,000 Top
Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a Michigan high school student and an California academic whose electronic copies of George Orwell's novel, 1984 were deleted from their Kindle devices in mid-July.
 
James Zogby: Obama's Next Middle East Challenge Top
With the dust having settled following President Obama's New York meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a sober assessment of what actually happened, and what may happen next, is in order. In the days following the bilateral meetings, the trilateral session and President Obama's speech to the General Assembly, reactions were predictable. The Israeli side, taking their cue from Netanyahu, crowed, while much of the Arab media both criticized Obama for "caving in" in the face of Israeli intransigence, and decried the humiliation of Abbas -- who was seen as having been abandoned by the U.S. on the critical issue of settlements. In the U.S., reactions varied, ranging from supporters of the White House who keyed in on Obama's "impatience" and "sense of urgency", to critics who termed the president's performance weak and indecisive. Several observations must be made: - The notion that Netanyahu won and Abbas lost may be right, but only because this was a widely shared perception which will, no doubt, have political consequences, at least in the short term. The hard-line right in Israel feels emboldened, as is evidenced by some of Netanyahu's own comments and the provocative behavior of some of his supporters. Similarly, the Palestinian Authority's hard-line opponents have also felt emboldened, stepping up their criticism of Abbas' leadership. - The claim that Obama "blinked" because Israel refused to accept a settlement freeze, thereby frustrating the president's efforts to elicit parallel confidence-building gestures from the Arab states, creating the positive environment that would have "kick started" negotiations, may also be true. But only to a degree. It can also be argued that the United States president was attempting to make the best of a bad situation by pressing forward with his three-way meeting in which he expressed his impatience and declared his determination to move forward to permanent status negotiations. How much worse would it have been, one might reasonably ask, had the president done nothing and appeared to be surrendering to a troubled impasse. - In this context, it is important to recall that in his public and private remarks Obama made clear his intention not just to move to "negotiations without preconditions" (which is what Netanyahu may have wanted), but to move to negotiations that would address "all outstanding issues" and be based on "the historical record of past negotiations" dealing with "permanent status issues: security, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem" (which is what Netanyahu clearly did not want). And, Obama did not forsake his position that "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements". - This said, it appears that while Netanyahu can boast of emerging as "victor" from this round, it may be both short lived and "hollow". The negotiations he sought were to have been limited to security cooperation and economic peace. This is not what he will get. Instead, it was Obama who laid down firm markers for the content and direction of the next round. - The president's "impatience" and "sense of urgency" should also be noted, for two reasons. Time is not on the side of peacemaking. As long as Israel drags its feet and continues to establish "facts on the ground", a peace agreement becomes more difficult to achieve. And, given the continuing dangers posed by other regional concerns, delay makes moving toward a resolution of the conflict more necessary, and at the same time, more complicated. Because, as Obama continues to assert, a comprehensive regional peace is not just an Israeli and Arab concern, but a matter of U.S. national security interests, he insists that he is redoubling his efforts to push his team to get negotiations underway in the coming weeks. For now, Mitchell will continue with U.S.-Israel and U.S.-Palestinian bilateral talks. As the president made clear, these intensive consultations will continue for but a short time. By mid-October, Mitchell is to report to Secretary of State Clinton, who, in turn will give a progress report to the president. Should the impasse remain, and that is the likely scenario, many believe that Obama will need to step forward making a long-awaited intervention -- laying out a plan of his own. It is at this point that the mettle of the Obama administration will truly be tested. The bottom line to all of this is that, as unsettling and confusing as the New York events may have been, they are but a step in a longer process, setting the stage for a more substantial challenge and, possibly, another showdown in the weeks ahead, where another setback will not be an option. More on Obama's Mideast Trip
 
Guy T. Saperstein: Obama Blows the Olympics Top
Losing the Olympics to Rio de Janeiro just shows that Dick Cheney, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans have been right all along. Relying on reasoning, discussion and goodwill is just bullshit. What did the Obamas think the Olympic Committee was, the fucking United Nations General Assembly, or something? And what are we, some whiny little country like Brazil? Hell no! We're the Hegemon. Instead of sending Michelle and Barack to reason with those Socialist and Commie bastards on the Olympic Committee, we should have sent those 40,000 troops slated to go to Afghanistan to Copenhagen instead. You can bet that if the Olympic Committee members had needed to ask permission from our troops to get out of their hotel rooms or use the bathroom, they would have thought twice before rejecting Chicago as the 2016 Olympic site. And if our troops had just kicked down a few hotel room doors as examples of our nation's commitment to Olympic values, it would have been no contest. If we had sent our troops to Copenhagen, they'd already be halfway to Afghanistan. A twofer. Any country can be awarded the Olympics, but We Are the Hegemons. We don't need to rely on reason and goodwill, we could have taken the Olympics. The United States had a great opportunity to demonstrate our Dominance to the world. The chronically weak Democrats blew it. Dick Cheney in 2012. He'll take back the Olympics for all of us. More on United Nations
 
Marxist Teleprompters Attempt To Sabotage Glenn Beck Show Top
We'll leave you this Friday with this bit of video from our ace Media Monitoring friend Jon from News1News , which captures Glenn Beck reacting to a minor failure with his teleprompters. But why does Glenn Beck use these infernal devices, which were built to foment OLIGARHY! And why does Glenn Beck speak to his crew so snidely, saying in his best sarcastic dialect, "Prompter? Prompter please? Thank you! A little farther, prompter! There!" Probably because they're all in a union. Anyway, they get it fixed, so that Beck can clearly read where he's supposed to "PAUSE, GET TEARY" and "PAUSE, ACT INCREDULOUS" and "JUST GO AHEAD AND LOSE YOUR EVERLOVING MIND, ON THE TEEVEE." [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .] More on Glenn Beck
 
Beyonce's Dad To Father A Lovechild? Top
TMZ has learned a woman has filed a paternity case against Beyonce's dad, Mathew Knowles. We've learned Alexsandra Wright filed the case in L.A. County Superior Court.
 

CREATE MORE ALERTS:

Auctions - Find out when new auctions are posted

Horoscopes - Receive your daily horoscope

Music - Get the newest Album Releases, Playlists and more

News - Only the news you want, delivered!

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

Weather - Get today's weather conditions




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

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)