Saturday, August 29, 2009

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Sybil Adelman Sage: Barbra Streisand Has Reason to Sing the Blues Top
A former boyfriend of Barbra Streisand's has put three, 50-year-old tapes of her singing in his Greenwich Village apartment on the web site, MomentsInTime.com with bids starting at $1 million dollars. Barry Dennen met Streisand in 1959, having taken over for an actor who'd dropped out of an off-off-Broadway production of "The Insect Comedy," a play in which Barbra and Barry both appeared as butterflies. All the fluttering, not surprisingly, led to their becoming lovers, which makes me wonder whatever happened to the original butterfly who'd been replaced. Whom did he pollinate? Dennen claims he put Streisand on the road to stardom by exposing her to chanteuses and cabaret singers, which, without his assistance, would surely have escaped her notice with all the other distractions of New York City. Details of their relationship are available in a book he wrote in 1997, "My Life With Barbra: A Love Story." According to his web site, "He is currently very active doing voice-overs for vidoe (sic) games, including the voice of FatMan in the hugely successful video game Metal Gear Solid II, and Master Li in the recently-completed Jade Empire." He is planning a new book. My guess: "My Life With Barbra: The Law Suit." Were we all remiss not to have gotten pre-nups, pre-shtups or pre-artistic agreements before we shared our creativity, beds and bodies? This raises the issue of what moral and legal obligations we have to former lovers, particularly those who pre-dated the sexual revolution. Isn't there a statute of limitation on our personal lives? Am I in danger of an old boyfriend now writing, "My Life With Sybil: A Love Story?" Will someone claim to have noted that I was funny and allege to have introduced me to "Leave it to Beaver" and, thereby, have been responsible for my career as a television comedy writer? Will riddles, pissy letters, yearbook inscriptions and autograph books I signed that ended, "2 good, 2 B, 4 Gotten?" be auctioned off? Worse, will I face the embarrassment that the starting price will be considerably less than $1 million?
 
Times Of London: Lockerbie Bomber 'Set Free For Oil' Top
The British government decided it was "in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom" to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.
 
Single Molecule, Million Times Smaller Than A Grain Of Sand, Pictured For First Time Top
It may look like a piece of honeycomb, but this lattice-shaped image is the first ever close-up view of a single molecule. Scientists from IBM used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to reveal the chemical bonds within a molecule.
 
Jarvis Coffin: New media, same as old, old media. Top
Nic Brisbourne, a partner at venture firm, DFJ Esprit , has an article in paidContent talking about the future of news in a digital age. His view is that it will be, a) highly distributed, b) free, and c) forced into smaller packages. Says he: "In the digital world, the news industry, like many others, will be radically smaller. This contraction is partly a consequence of much reduced distribution costs, but is also a reflection of the fact that the monopoly rents Fleet Street enjoyed in the last century are a thing of the past." A similar argument about the need for news (specifically, newspapers) to think small was made in this space earlier this spring. In arguing that news will come (is coming) in well-distributed, niche packages Nic Brisbourne is setting-up his contention that a new sort of journalism will emerge to organize ongoing news and story-lines by curating the bits and pieces and providing insight and commentary on top. Huffington Post is mentioned as an example. So are TechCrunch and PerezHilton.com . Mark Cuban was recommending a similar deal to Rupert Murdoch recently , proposing that he aggregate News Corp content from around the world into custom packages if he really wants to try and charge for it. Nic Brisbourne isn't persuaded that charging for content will work. But, still, there is a sort of consensus between them that aggregating and curating information unlocks value. News has become abundant, Brisbourne says, at a cost of zero. Indeed, hasn't all information? Music has become abundant. So has art, sports, travel, cooking (question: can there possibly be as many recipes in the world as appear available online? Answer: Of course.), pet care advice, child care advice, media and advertising advice, etc. Information is abundant and free and Nic Brisbourne's argument is that collating the threads of its different parts becomes the scarce source of value. Excellent. It may interest us all to know, now, that this was the premise of Time Magazine when it was founded. From the Time.com web site: TIME, founded on the notion that a surplus of news existed which had to be licked into usable shape, felt no need to gather its own news until the 1930s. From The Story Of An Experiment Mar. 8, 1948 Aggregation was behind the great networks NBC and CBS when they got going thanks to the invention of radio. It is the premise of my favorite new magazine - one that actually seems to be working - The Week . This means Nic Brisbourne is definitely on to something, which is that the future of news and information is largely the same as it has been. New media will evolve (is evolving) around the specialized aggregation of information and content (e.g. Huffington Post: breaking news and opinion; PerezHilton: celebrity gossip; TechCrunch: new Internet companies and technology). This is different from the generalized aggregation of audience - as everyone with a portal model found out early into the Internet revolution. But don't blame them for missing the point; they were mimicking what seemed like the successful model that main stream media had become. Wrong. Not successful. Almost impossible to sustain at super-size levels. Per Nic Brisbourne : "The great tragedy of the newspaper industry in the late 20th Century was that, in the pursuit of profit, quality journalism became a dying art. Budgets were reduced, journalists were asked to write more stories per day and were given less time to check facts. At the same time, editors were instructed to avoid stories that might create controversy and the expense of lawsuits. The result was more and more bland articles recycled from paper to paper, more politically motivated editing and the collapse of public trust in the newspaper industry." When I think about media over the last 30 years I think about the gradual dumbing down of content in order to appeal to a lower and lower common denominator. Fundamentally, we may regard the Internet as a total re-boot to what it was when pamphleteers dotted the media landscape. Will history repeat? One hopes that the vastness of the new media landscape and its minimum barriers to entry for would-be publishers will postpone that possibility into the very, very distant future. More on CBS
 
Jim Garfield: Coming Home to Race in the Chicago Triathlon Top
The 2009 Chicago Triathlon promises to be not only an adventure in racing, but one in logistics as well for the over 9,500 veteran, newbie, pro and elite racers. We will do battle with the elements, the course and ourselves as we hurl into the chilly (expected 60 degree) waters of Lake Michigan beginning at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Mind you that transition opens at 4:45 am and closes at 5:45 a.m., meaning that if your wave of the swim start goes off at 10 a.m... you have quite a few hours of pondering the sunrise ( and dare I say sanity) over majestic Chicago skyline in the brisk morning air. I have come home, so to speak, to race in this year's triathlon. In over 10 years of professional Adventure Racing, at least 40 triathlons and untold numerous other endurance events, I have never raced my hometown triathlon. I still get strange looks and cautious comments from the home team..."You're doing what?" ..."How far?" ... "What do you do in a triathlon?" etc. Interesting to note though that my 101-year-old grandmother, who has never lived anywhere else but Chicago, seems to be able to keep track of it all and knows the course. I have often said "The joy is in the Journey" and I think that a truer statement could not be said in the case of this triathlon. Traveling with an enormous gear bag, hard bike case and backpack through the airport and EL system in Chicago makes it seem as if the competition has actually already started. Thank goodness for little wheels. After putting together the bike -- truly an exercise worthy of Rubix Cube-proportion -- and coordinating the transition bag, it was off to registration I went, fearing a throng of Type A triathletes aching to be body marked! What I found was a smooth operation. Getting your number, showing your ID, getting your swim cap, body marked and goodie bag literally took all of 15 minutes. I think a new record! It did feel a little weird walking around town with black numbers written all over me (number 5088, if anyone cares to follow on slowtwitch.com ), but kind of proud as well. People tend to look askance at that type of tattooing. Granted I had to meander through a virtual labyrinth of triathlon gear porn from every merchant and sponsor in Chicago (ok loved it !) but a record of in-and-out nonetheless. One thing about triathletes: once they have the fever, there is rarely a cure. Every new technology, fabric, aerodynamic ge-gaw has to be bought and debated about. A triathlon is truly a unique playing field, where you can compete (at least equipment-wise) with the pros in the same event. Think of not only wearing comparable football gear as the pros, but doing so in the Super Bowl... with them! The 2009 Chicago Triathlon is part of the prestigious Lifetime Fitness national series, so you get to hobnob with the pros as they chase the series big money purse. Hobnob is probably as close as I will come tomorrow to finishing with them, but no matter. My brother Craig will be racing with me (actually his wave is leaving an hour after me) and I get to race in my hometown... so matter what happens, I think I am a winner. Besides... now I have the best reason to dig into some serious Chicago pizza. I'm racing tomorrow!
 
AKMuckraker: After a Year of Sarah Palin, Alaska Wonders, "What the Hell Were We Thinking?" Top
What a difference a year makes. A year ago today, after being stunned by McCain's VP pick, I had finished writing a piece called " What Is McCain Thinking? One Alaskan's Perspective ." It's hard to imagine a time when the country was asking "Sarah Who?" but it was only one short year ago. One of the selling features of Sarah Palin was her astronomically high approval ratings in the state of Alaska. After all, how could a governor have positives in the high 80s or low 90s and be anything less than an ace in the hole? So, McCain must have thought. The answer became obvious, and embarrassing to those of us in the Last Frontier. We weren't paying attention. During the gubernatorial debates in Alaska in 2006, Palin said to her opponent, the infinitely smarter and more qualified Andrew Halcro, "Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers and yet when asked questions you spout off facts, figures and policies and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " That may have been her shrewdest political statement. To Alaskans at that moment in time, it didn't matter. She was cute, she was spunky, she was gonna take it to the man, she had a scrumptious family, she was an underdog, she was one of us, and she had....charisma! That's all we needed to know. Gone was the stale, old, corrupt crankiness of Frank Murkowski, our former senator turned governor turned most loathed politician in the state. The lure of the bright shiny object was irresistible. Palin clobbered Murkowski in the primary, with the incumbent garnering a humiliating 19% of the vote. The devastating blow added to her appeal, and the promise of a Cinderella story in Alaska's future. Who doesn't love Cinderella? And the rest is history. In many ways, it seems longer than a year. Much longer. Palin went back to Alaska, where her life turned into a nasty soap opera. There were revelations from McCain's staff about her behavior on the campaign trail; she was hit with a myriad of ethics charges (some of which, contrary to Palin's claims otherwise, stuck); she bailed on her relationship with the state's legislators and played politics with the federal stimulus plan; she got into a dog fight with Levi Johnston; she began a series of odd Twitterings, replete with a six-part ramble on Mommy Bear; she resigned amid chaos and deception, only to return as a diva on Facebook. The very democrats who served as a catalyst to the passage of Palin's grand ideas for a gas line were thrown under the bus. The Republicans who called Palin a "socialist" during her early governorship were already there. There's an old saying - "How do you get Nellie back on the farm once she's seen Par-ee?" It became obvious to everyone when she returned to Alaska that she was wearing a metaphorical "Hi My Name is Nellie" name tag on her designer lapel. We were the farm, and the glittering white marble world of Washington D.C. and the great "Outside" was most definitely Par-ee. As Geoffrey Dunn notes in his excellent piece today, another strange phenomenon became apparent - an obsession with Barack Obama. The moment Palin started slamming community organizers, and talked about "pallin' around with terrorists," and telling the swooning crowds that Obama didn't see America like "we" see America, it began. She had found her niche, but in her home state where Obama either trailed or lead McCain by a mere 3 percentage points before her nomination, it didn't play well. Neither did her bizarre habit of committing to events, and then cancelling at the last minute, denying she'd ever said she would attend. First it was the national GOP who bore the brunt of this passive-aggressive event coordinating. But this week she did it twice, right here in the state, ostensibly accusing the predominant mega-church, and the head of Alaska's pro-life movement of lying. From the moment of her nomination until the day of her resignation, her numbers sank. It was like watching a slow motion film clip of the Hindenburg. The week after her resignation, the dirigible hit the dirt, and her negative numbers topped her positive numbers for the first time in her home state. Alaska doesn't like a quitter, and the majority of Alaskans grew tired of having her speak for us. But some Alaskans stuck with her anyway. Acknowledging her unsuitability for public office meant to acknowledge the horrible mistake Alaskans had made. We're already "on the farm." We don't need to give all those folks in Par-ee another reason to look down their noses and ask, "What the Hell is the matter with you people?" But they asked anyway. And we really had no good answer, other than to look at the ground and scratch our toe in the dirt and say, "I guess we weren't paying attention. Sorry..." But, I won't allow Alaska to take all the blame. You'd like to think that anyone worth their salt, whose served in the senate for ____ administrations, would take a little time to find out about the person who would take the helm of the ship of state if you were to suddenly meet your maker. It's called "vetting," and it's a good idea. If the buck stops in the oval office and it is there that the responsibility lies, I wonder why nobody was asking Arizonans "What the Hell is wrong with you people?" Perhaps I'm a little bitter. Alaskans have been picked on an awful lot this year. The Blame Game has become the favorite pastime of the Palin camp. It's Barack Obama. It's the ethics complaints. It's miscommunication. It's the Republicans in the Legislature. It's the Democrats in the Legislature. It's her daughters ex-fiance. It's the damn "law". It's a misunderstanding. It's socialism. It's the media. It's haters. It's bloggers. It's a diabolical cabal of event coordinators across the nation telling lies. And the way that each of these entities (regardless of size) was dealt with, was with a big, fat sledgehammer. Barack Obama? Pals around with terrorists. Ethics complainers? Hope they get "backlash ." Legislators? Don't give them face time. Levi Johnston? Liar and money-grubber . The law? Ignore it . The media? Quit making stuff up! Haters? You're jealous. Bloggers? Threaten to sue them . Nuance is not the ex-governor's forte. And how did those strategies work out? Attacking the president with vitriol made her the Democrats' number one fundraising tool. Ethics complainers mentioned in press releases? Brought lots of attention to the ethics complaints. Freezing out the Legislators on both sides of the aisle meant nobody really felt like 'playing ball' any more. Levi Johnston is probably going to be writing a book, and I'm betting it will outsell the puff piece "Everything I Need to Know I Learned Playing High School Basketball." Shredding the media and then asking them to be nice to you is generally not a good PR strategy. And the bloggers? Well, every time she, or any of the pro-Palin websites or blogs acknowledge local Alaskan bloggers, it gives them more traffic, more attention, a more interesting story that people want to hear, and more credibility. Maybe I shouldn't let that little secret slip. But it has been a fascinating year. The Clinton years when people opened one eye and said, "Everything looks pretty good I guess," and then rolled over and went back to sleep are gone. America has awakened. The conservative movement did not believe that Barack Obama could get elected, and like a beast who is cornered and threatened with its own mortality, it is raging. Nobody could have imagined the conditions today last year when everyone was frantically Googling Sarah Palin; that she and McCain would have been roundly defeated, that the country would have elected Barack Obama, that she would not even last one term as governor, and that such ugliness would have awakened in American politics. What a long, strange trip it's been. Next year on "P-Day?" It's anyone's guess. [Cross-posted at The Mudflats] More on Barack Obama
 
David Horton: For the least Top
Just when I think the hypocrisy of fundamentalist christians can't get worse. When I read of support for the Iraq war, hatred of immigrants, the killing of doctors, the prayers for the death of a president, the church that encourages bringing guns to services, the anti-science crusades, the subjugation of women, the hatred of homosexuals, the screams of abuse at "liberals", the brain washing of children, the ultra wealthy churches and pastors, I wonder which bible these people are reading. I'm an atheist, so what would I know, but I suspect that if a man called Christ really existed, and said at least one or two of the things attributed to him, good things, that he would be horrified to see how his inheritance has played out in modern America. But just when I think I've heard it all, out comes another surprise. In an excellent HuffPo piece Linda Hirshman, talking about Teddy Kennedy and health care says - "As one demonstrator's sign said recently, 'Drop Dead. I Won't Pay for Your Health Care.'" Is it just me, or has a fundamental plank of the christian program been deleted from the health care debate? Me, I'm just a godless liberal, but I believe in helping the poor and the sick. Why don't the christians? More on Health Care
 
Karen Dalton-Beninato: Between Brad Pitt and a Pitfall: New Orleans 4 Years Later Top
"No more turf wars. All of us need to move forward together, because there is much more work to be done," President Barack Obama 8/29 Katrina Anniversary Radio Address I’m not worried about the music slipping away, I’m worried about the whole city slipping away. Look, if they don’t fix the wetlands, we won’t have a whole southern Louisiana in a few years. Even people from New Orleans don’t know how bad it is down south with the Army Corps of Engineers cutting canals everywhere . . . if they could just let the river roll the way it originally ran. But I know the city would hate that because it would cause shipping problems, so I’m trying to get the state government involved. Not that I trust them to do it right either. We’re trying to stomp over the tradition of Louisiana politics here, and that tradition is basically corruption. Dr. John to Jed Gottlieb in The Boston Herald http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1193147 These are the two tales of New Orleans recovery four years after Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi and New Orleans levees imploded. What has been done and what is still undone. Past the stories of return and recovery, thousands of New Orleanians are still trying to cut through the red tape and jurisdictional turf wars the President describes. Individuals have been sharing their Katrina stories through Twitter hashtag #whereIwas4yearsago. There's something healing about that. Back in New Orleans for the Katrina Anniversary, we reflected at a Lakeside Cemetery memorial with over a thousand flags bearing the name of every fatality from the flood. Along Canal Street, the new Charity Hospital Cemetery Memorial is a tribute to bodies that remained unclaimed. And across from the cemetery is The Herb, a shop that flies its Brad Pitt for Mayor banner by L. Steve Williams, Jr. - in part a tribute to Pitt's theoretical mayoral platform of legalized marijuana, no religion and gay marriage. Sacred and profane, sad and joyful - New Orleans has always married conflicting emotions artfully. Across the canal in the 9th Ward, Pitt's Make it Right homes for returning residents spring up. Not far from those are the home slabs that have become steps to nowhere. Someone changed the lettering on an abandoned church sign to "Who's Your Daddy?" A nearby stop Sign now reads Stop Trippin. All photos by Jeff Beninato. All taken today.     More on Barack Obama
 
Russ Feingold: A Flexible Timetable To Bring Troops Home From Afghanistan Top
After nearly eight long years, we seem to be no closer to the end of the war in Afghanistan. In fact, given the current buildup of U.S. troops and the possibility that even more may be deploying soon, many Americans, and many Afghans, wonder what we hope to achieve--and when our service members will start to come home. More on Afghanistan
 
DJ AM's Death: Crack Found By Groin Top
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ when they found the body of DJ AM, a bag of crack was found around his groin area.
 
Magnificent Mozah: Qatar's Sheikha Shows Off Bold Colors, Belts And A Strong Silhouette (PHOTOS) Top
Qatar's Sheikha Mozah shines on the sartorial stage, mixing modesty with high fashion amidst a cast of other elegant first ladies. She made this year's Vanity Fair best-dressed list , wears a lot of Jean Paul Gaultier, and beat Carla Bruni in a floor-length gown HuffPost poll . The Sheikha's garments combine a strong and shapely silhouette, bold colors, and buttons and buckles. She always tops things off with exquisite jewelry, but (usually) avoids looking over-the-top. Peruse these photos of magnificent Sheikha Mozah: Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook ! More on Photo Galleries
 
Intimates Recall DJ AM's Struggle With Drugs Top
While questions still remain unanswered concerning Friday's death of Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein amid reports that police found drug paraphernalia at the scene, the celebrity DJ made no secret of his past drug addiction and stints in rehab. Even so, say friends, he was usually quick to reach out and help others who also were suffering. And while one pal says Goldstein seemed troubled of late after surviving a fiery plane crash last year that claimed the lives of two crewmembers and two passengers, others recall someone who was always a "consummate professional."
 
Terrance Dejuan McCoy: Man Ditches Woman On First Date, Steals Her Car Top
FERNDALE, Mich. — Police in Michigan say a first date went from bad to worse when a Detroit man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date's car. Police say 23-year-old Terrance Dejuan McCoy had dinner with a woman April 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. The woman says the two met a week earlier at a Detroit casino and she knew McCoy only as "Chris." The woman told police that McCoy said he left his wallet in her car and asked for keys. He then sped away in the 2000 Chevrolet Impala. The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reports that police identified McCoy by a photo he'd sent to the woman's cell phone, and his phone number. McCoy is charged with unlawfully taking the car, a five-year felony. He waived a preliminary exam and was bound over for trial Thursday.
 
Kelly Preston Cancels Speech: 'Too Soon' To Talk About Jett's Death Top
LOS ANGELES — Kelly Preston is pulling out of the annual Women's Conference, where she was to break her silence about the death of her teenage son. The actress said in a statement Friday that she is "still deeply in the process of healing, and it's just too soon." Preston was set to participate in a panel on grief at the annual event hosted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver. Preston and her husband, John Travolta, have kept low profiles since their 16-year-old son, Jett, died following a seizure in January. The Women's Conference will be held Oct. 26-27 in Long Beach, Calif.
 
Noel Gallagher: I Quit Oasis Over "Verbal And Violent Intimidation" Top
LONDON — Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher claims "verbal and violent intimidation" led to his decision to leave the "Britpop" band. In a letter to fans posted to the band's Web site Saturday, Gallagher also apologizes for having to cancel European concerts. The posting says "the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable." Gallagher offers no details about what the intimidation was, and doesn't specify who was responsible. Gallagher also doesn't directly write about his brother Liam, the band's frontman, who he earlier said had forced his decision to quit. That statement said Gallagher couldn't work with Liam "a day longer." Oasis was a leading act in the "Britpop" explosion of the 1990s. ___ On the Net: http://www.oasisinet.com/
 
Sophia A. Nelson: What About Joan Kennedy: Doesn't She Deserve an Honorable Mention Too? Top
As I sat over the past 48hrs or so and watched the media coverage of the extraordinary life of Senator Edward M. Kennedy--something struck me as being unfair: What about the former Mrs. Edward Kennedy--Joan Bennett Kennedy? I don't mean any disrespect whatsoever toward the current Mrs. Ted Kennedy, but I was a bit put off today at the Memorial service in the Boston Church that no-one in their eulogy mentioned that Joan was there for the late Senator and her children through the "worst of times". The first wife usually is. The challenge for me in all of this is not that Vicky Reggie Kennedy did not deserve all of the kudos she got for "saving Ted's life' --she does, but that the first wife, Joan Bennett (who was quietly present at the Memorial services today) deserves a litte R-E-S-P-E-C-T too. Let us not forget that like Ethel and Jackie before her, she was there through the 1st Senate campaign, the airplane crash that landed her husband bed-ridden (as she campaigned for him all through Massachusetts and helped him win an impressive victor), the horrific death of JFK, the tragic death of RFK, the stroke of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., Chappaquidick, the womanizing, the drinking, the challenges to the health of their children, the 1980 campaign against Carter, and on and on. Joan is probably the most unfortunate of all the Kennedy wives, because at least Jackie and Ethel (for all they endured) are loved and revered in our political and social pop culture. The images of the two young grieving widows are indelibly etched in our American conscience forever. But what about Joan? Where does she fit into all of this? I think she deserves an encore--she was loyal--she was faithful--she endured--she supported--she loved--she gave--she suffered--she wept--she was humiliated at times--broken at times--yet, through it all she gets little of the credit for being the woman in the "arena" with the Lion of the Senate. In the final analysis--I admire Ted Kennedy's life story--for all of his flaws and weaknesses--failings--he understood well the concept of perseverence and of "moving forward" no matter what cards life may deal us. As for Joan, I just felt that someone today needed to say "thank you" Joan for being the wind beneath Ted's wings for the first part of his life's journey. Thank you for your brave battle with alcoholism and for your love of your children. Lastly, thank you for having the class and grace to sit through a Memorial Service today in honor of your late husband--a service that had to be hard for you as you once loved this man and gave him three (3) children. It could not have been easy to listen to another woman get all of the praise and kudos--and be called "the love of Ted's life" after you were so loyal and true. So I say thank you Joan Kennedy for all you did. May God grant you peace and joy in the twilight years of your life.
 
Kennedy laid to rest at Arlington beside brothers Top
WASHINGTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was laid to rest Saturday night alongside slain brothers John and Robert on hallowed ground at Arlington National Cemetery, celebrated for "the dream he kept alive" across the decades since their deaths. Crowds lined the streets of two cities on a day that marked the end of an American political era – outside Kennedy's funeral in rainy Boston where he was eulogized by President Barack Obama, and later in the day in humid, late-summer Washington. With flags over the Capitol flying at half-staff, his hearse stopped outside the Senate where he served for 47 years. His widow, Vicki, embraced former staff members in the crowd. Later, at a graveside enveloped in deepening darkness, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick offered sympathies to Kennedy relatives and "an extended family that must probably include most of America." A squad of seven riflemen fired three volleys in a traditional military funeral ritual, and a bugler sounded taps. Lightning flickered across the sky. Hours earlier, Obama delivered the eulogy in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Boston, packed with row upon row of mourners – including former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. "He was given a gift of time that his brothers were not. And he used that time to touch as many lives and right as many wrongs as the years would allow," Obama said in remarks that also gently made mention of Kennedy's "personal failings and setbacks." As a member of the Senate, Kennedy was a "veritable force of nature," the president said. But more than that, he was the "baby of the family who became its patriarch, the restless dreamer who became its rock." Those left behind to mourn "grieve his passing with the memories he gave, the good he did, the dream he kept alive" Obama said. One of Kennedy's sons, Patrick, wept quietly as another, Teddy Jr., spoke from the pulpit. Teddy Jr. recalled the day years ago, shortly after losing a leg to cancer, that he slipped walking up an icy driveway as he headed out to go sledding. "I started to cry and I said, `I'll never be able to climb up that hill.'" "And he lifted me up in his strong, gentle arms and said something I will never forget. He said, `I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do.'" Kennedy's freshly excavated gravesite was on a gently sloping Virginia hillside, flanked by a pair of maple trees. His brother Robert, killed in 1968 while running for president, lies 100 feet away. It is another 100 feet to the eternal flame that has burned since 1963 for John F. Kennedy, president when he was assassinated. The youngest brother died Tuesday at 77, more than a year after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. An oak cross, painted white, marked the head of his grave, and a flat marble footstone bore the simple inscription, "Edward Moore Kennedy 1932-2009." McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, read from a letter from Kennedy to Pope Benedict XVI, hand-delivered earlier this year by Obama. "I know that I have been an imperfect human being but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path," the dying senator wrote. He wrote the pontiff "with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines." The Vatican responded with a letter that said "his Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope." Morning rain beat down steadily as Kennedy's coffin was borne by a military honor guard into the Catholic church, and again when it was brought back out for the flight to Washington and the military cemetery just across the Potomac River from Washington. In life, the senator had visited the burial ground often to mourn his brothers, killed in their 40s, more than a generation ago, by assassins' bullets. Hundreds lined nearby sidewalks, ignoring the rain, as the funeral procession passed. "I said to myself this morning, 'No matter what the weather, I'm going, I don't care if I have to swim," said Lillian Bennett, 59, who added she was a longtime Kennedy supporter and determined to get as close as she could to the invitation-only funeral. "The Mass of Christian burial weaves together memory and hope," said the Rev. Mark R. Hession, parish priest at the church in a working class neighborhood of Boston. There was plenty of both in a two-hour service filled with references to Kennedy's political accomplishments and personal recollections of his private life. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and tenor Placido Domingo provided musical grace notes. Kennedy's widow, Vicki, his sole surviving sibling, Jean, and Robert Kennedy's widow, Ethel, carefully arranged the cloth funeral pall atop the coffin. Like others, Teddy Jr., touched on his father's legacy. "He answered Uncle Joe's call to patriotism, Uncle Jack's call to public service and Bobby's determination to seek a newer world. Unlike them, he lived to be a grandfather," he said. Joseph Kennedy Jr. died in World War II, John F. Kennedy was the nation's 35th president when he was assassinated in 1963 and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was killed five years later as he campaigned for the presidency. Saturday's events marked the end of four days of public and private mourning meant to emphasize Kennedy's 47 years in the Senate from Massachusetts, his standing as the foremost liberal Democrat of the late 20th century yet a legislator who courted compromise with Republicans, a family man and last heir to a dynasty that began in the years after World War II. Thousands of mourners filed past his flag-draped coffin earlier in the week when Kennedy lay in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. Republicans and Democrats alike recalled his political career in a bipartisan evening of laughter-filled speechmaking on Friday. Even the church had special meaning for the family. Kennedy prayed there daily several years ago during his daughter Kara's successful battle with lung cancer. ___ Glen Johnson reported from Boston. AP writer Karen Testa contributed from Boston.
 
Only 4% Of Israelis Say Obama Is "Pro-Israel" Top
Only 4 percent of Israelis believe President Barack Obama's Mideast policies are "pro-Israel," according to a Smith Research poll this week. The number was 6 percent two months ago. Thirty-five percent believe Obama's policies are balanced, while 51 percent say they are more pro-Palestine, according to the study. The figures come in the midst of Obama's attempt to broker peace between Israel and Palestine as well as his efforts to repair the fissure between Islam and the West by reaching out to Arab and Middle Eastern countries. Two months ago, 88 percent of Israelis said the policies of President George Bush, Obama's predecessor, were "pro-Israel." While Obama has hardly altered US policies toward Israel, he has broken from tradition by taking a strong stance against Israel's building of permanent settlements in the West Bank, a region recognized globally as part of the Palestinian territories. Obama has said that the settlements " have to be stopped " in order to achieve peace in the region. When the Israeli government refused to comply, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed that the Obama administration is "very clear" that settlement growth needs to be halted, "intends to press that point." Obama, who overwhelmingly won the votes of American Jews in 2008, has since come under criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and members of the Republican party, which are likely to have impacted Obama's popularity in Israel. Earlier this month, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Netanyahu called senior White House officials Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod "self-hating Jews," which Haaretz said was a sign of Netanyahu's "paranoia." This summer, lone Jewish GOP Congressman Eric Cantor labeled Obama's Mid-East policy "dangerous" and "misguided," and later echoed this criticism during a trip to Israel. More on Israel
 
Mobile Home Killing: 7 Found Slain In Georgia Top
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Seven people were found slain and two critically injured Saturday at a mobile home park built on the grounds of a historic plantation in southeastern Georgia, police said. Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering called it the worst mass slaying in his 25 years of police work in this coastal Georgia county. He wouldn't say how the victims died. "This is a record for us. We've never had such an incident with so many victims," Doering told reporters. "It's not a scene that I would want anybody to see." A family member called 911 at about 8 a.m. Saturday after discovering the bodies inside a dingy mobile home shaded by large, moss-draped oaks with an old boat in the front yard. At an afternoon news conference, Doering declined to say whether police believe the killer was among the dead or remained at large. No arrests had been made. Investigators were interviewing neighbors about whether they saw or heard anything unusual Saturday morning. The two injured victims were taken to a Savannah hospital 60 miles away and were in critical condition, Doering said. By early Saturday evening, four of the seven bodies had been removed from the crime scene. Some of the victims had been tentatively identified, but Doering would not release any names or ages. "I really don't know the ages," Doering said. "There were some older-aged victims and we believe there were some in their teens." Located a few miles north of the port city of Brunswick, the mobile home park consists of about 100 spaces and is nestled among centuries-old live oak trees near the center of New Hope Plantation, according to the plantation's Web site. The 1,100 acre tract is all that remains of a Crown grant made in 1763 to Henry Laurens, who later succeeded John Hancock as president of the Continental Congress in 1777. Laurens obtained control of the South Altamaha river lands and named it New Hope Plantation, according to the plantation's Web site. Lisa Vizcaino, who has lived at New Hope for three years, said the management works hard to keep troublemakers out of the mobile home park and that it tends to be quiet. "New Hope isn't rundown or trashy at all," Vizcaino said. "It's the kind of place where you can actually leave your keys in the car and not worry about anything." Vizcaino said she didn't know the victims and heard nothing unusual when she woke up at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. After word of the slayings spread, she said, the park was quieter than usual. "Everybody had pretty much stayed in their houses," Vizcaino said. "Normally you would see kids outside, but everybody's been pretty much on lockdown."
 
2morrowknight: No, Not My America, You Mean Our America Top
I must admit, I have intentionally stayed away from commenting on the shameful and criminally irresponsible attacks on President Obama since the inauguration. To call these attacks disheartening would be an understatement. One of the most incendiary and obvious attacks on the President has come from some recent town hall participants across the country: "I want my America back," they shout. My America ? Wow. This statement is utterly disgusting. No need to expound on it because it's become very clear what it all means. To all those mouthing this ridiculously coded crap, I offer an alternative view: America's racial and ethnic diversity is what has made this country rich, incandescent, and beautiful. Yes, there are different perspectives, different views, and different prescriptions for alleviating America's problems. Yes, many people, but one country . Not just my country, but our country . I am member of one of the oldest black families in North Carolina, dating back to a plantation from the mid 1700s. But why am I any more American than recent immigrants from Mexico, Vietnam, Iran, Uganda, or Poland? The notion is ridiculous. America is continuously evolving, and it's our responsibility to adjust and adapt to some of the changes...in our America . Barack Obama is the first in a long chorus to follow. What do I mean? I mean that in this half of the twenty-first century, a woman, an Asian-American and a Latino will sit in the Oval Office. Believe it. I see Arab-American and Native-American governors. And, I wouldn't be surprised if President Obama names an Asian-American to the Supreme Court - namely Gary Locke , who is America's only elected Asian-American Governor, and is currently Obama's Commerce Department Secretary. Additionally, there will be more white lawmakers (like U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen ) representing mostly non-white cities and/or congressional districts. These are just some of the sweeping changes that we'll be witnessing in our America . So rather than wage a losing fight against impending social and demographic changes, it is incumbent upon people to go beyond their communities, and to get to know the residents of other communities. I know that's easier said than done. But don't tell me it's not possible. Simply tolerating people is so my America . Moving forward, we need to value people more, which is a necessary ingredient to making our America work. America doesn't revolve around any one group of people, and no one racial or ethnic group exclusively defines what it means to be an American. I wholeheartedly believe that. We all contribute. I don't want to be misunderstood or misquoted though. I am not saying that racism, sexism, ethnic bigotry, and religious hatred will subside just because we reach out to each other. They won't subside. The idealist in me will still speak out against it, but I know its not going anywhere. We can't destroy any of that, but, we can make sure that none of it destroys our country. Yes, say it with me folks: our people , our country , our America . Got it? Embrace. Empower. Educate. Expand. Enlighten. Let's do it. This post was originally published at 2morrowknight.blogspot.com
 

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