Tuesday, September 1, 2009

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Alon Ben-Meir: Supporting Fayyad's Vision Top
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's unveiling of his government program to build the apparatus of a Palestinian state within two years is an admirable, bold and welcome imitative. For sixty years the Palestinians have been accused by Israel and the international community of being weak, fragmented, and harboring extremist ideologies. The plan of the thirteenth Palestinian National Authority government not only represents a blueprint for the government to address these inherent problems, but it is the first outline for a viable Palestinian state based on freedom, democracy, non-violence and international law. It should be supported by all those who seek a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as this commitment suggests that the culture of blame and violence must come to an end. The program further affirms that the Palestinians' nation-building must be founded by the Palestinian people, for the Palestinian people, and according to all international standards of human rights and law. Israel in particular should embrace this initiative as it would strengthen the efforts of Palestinian moderates, and set in motion a peaceful process leading to final negotiations and the two-state solution to which Netanyahu has agreed. Israeli detractors of this plan have condemned the PA for acting unilaterally and imposing a timeline, while Palestinian extremist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed the plan is far too accommodating to Israel. The irony here is that a feeble and dependent Palestinian government has gotten the Palestinian people nowhere in the past, just as ideologies of violent resistance have only resulted in more deaths, as the war in Gaza demonstrated. How can the Israelis justly accuse the Palestinians of being incapable and then rebuke the PA's plan to build a strong government? And how can Hamas reject a plan for a non-violent de-facto Palestinian state when violence has only exacerbated the Palestinians' plight? For Israelis to align themselves with Hamas in opposition to a moderate Palestinian plan for good governance is absurd. The PA's outline for statehood offers hope to the third generation of despondent Palestinians that there is a better and brighter future where they can develop vested interest in the creation of a state of their own. A commitment to build a future based on equality and restoration of self-dignity in a non-violent atmosphere changes in a fundamental way the mindset of nearly every individual in this conflict. The forward of the plan by Salam Fayyad states specifically that: Palestine will be a peace-loving state that rejects violence, commits to co-existence with its neighbors, and builds bridges of cooperation with the international community. It will be a symbol of peace, tolerance and prosperity in this troubled area of the world. By embodying all of these values, Palestine will be a source of pride to all of its citizens, and an anchor of stability in this region. The majority of Palestinians who will benefit from the Fayyad plan will oppose the resumption of any violence against Israelis. An overwhelming majority of the Palestinian public already approves of a two-state solution and peace with Israel. The mere fact that the Palestinians can now take matters into their hands to build their nation will place the burden of proof on their heads. Indeed, the development of democratic political, economic and social programs that the Fayyad plan calls for will empower the people and offer a stark choice between the prospect of better life or more bloodshed. Israel will commit a serious strategic error if it chooses to stifle this effort, as it will give munitions to Palestinian extremists that Israel has no intention of allowing the peaceful rise of a Palestinian state, giving credence to continued violent resistance. The PA's program is a fulfillment not only of the Palestinians' national aspirations, but Israel's as well. A commitment to building the infrastructure of a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza will foster acceptance of Israel as a recognized independent state. The plan emphasizes peaceful co-existence with all neighboring states and a policy against any form of religious or cultural discrimination. Is this not what Israelis have been wanting since the inception of their state? Those Israelis skeptical about the Palestinians' ultimate intentions should find some consol in a written government document confirming the Palestinian government's vision of peace and democracy. The Palestinians know only too well from past experiences that any challenge to Israel's national security will render their nation-building efforts obsolete. The consequences of the second Intifadah remain etched in the memory of the Palestinian people, and may well have contributed to the emergence of the current program of moderation. The concept of a democratic Arab state with an open market economy governed by the rule of law is no small feat. The United States has every reason to promote this goal in any way possible, and Israel should welcome the plan's premise of expanding and promoting regional trade. In addition, the Fayyad plan will also have serious implications for the Palestinian internal political struggle. Hamas operatives will have a hard time finding support for their opposition, as it will be interpreted as rejecting the principle of realizing the long-held goal-a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority is planning general elections in January of 2010, and Hamas will be hard pressed to resist joining a political process with agenda to provide goods and services to the Palestinian people. Finally, it is important to note that the Fayyad initiative does not call for the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state, but focuses on building the foundation for such a state, leaving all conflicting issues with Israel-including final borders, East Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees-to a negotiated agreement. What this plan states is that the Palestinian people do not need permission from anyone to prepare for such an eventuality, the principle parameters of which are recognized by the international community-including Israel. The plan's Foundation of Principles states that We are building a democratic system of government founded on political pluralism, guarantee of equality, and protection of all its citizens' rights and freedoms as safeguarded by the law and within its limits. This should be encouraged by Israel if it wants to have a strong partner with whom to negotiate. But if a state is declared before reaching a final agreement, it will have only provisional borders that will still have to be negotiated with Israel. What is important here is that the path chosen for Palestinian statehood is the path that of necessity precludes violence. Had the Palestinians started this process after Israel's evacuation of Gaza, there is no question that the last four years would have been dramatically different, preventing the rise of Hamas and the Israeli incursion into Gaza. As the American sponsored Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will likely resume soon, there is no better atmosphere under which to conduct these negotiations than the non-violent climate that the Fayyad plan will hopefully foster. It is this commitment to true nation-building that will at last put an end to the tragic Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discredit those who still advocate violent resistance. More on Israel
 
John Farr: Targeted Quality: The Advent Of On-Demand DVDs Top
As a movie lover and home viewing advocate, I've often complained at needing to wait six months to see a new Hollywood release. I've also lamented that certain classic DVD titles remain unavaillable, for reasons unknown. On the first point, the explanation is fairly straightforward: the industry wants us all to pay full freight to see their movies in theatres. As to the second issue, the thinking I'd always heard was dicier. I'll use an anecdote to illustrate: I recall several years back suggesting to a young hotshot Hollywood executive that the Cary Grant screwball classic "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) should be released on DVD. He gazed at me somewhat dismissively and replied, "Who cares about two dead actors and a leopard?" In other words, in his view the title did not have sufficiently broad appeal to justify the expense involved in making it available. (Thankfully, the little whipper-snapper was wrong, and within a year, the DVD was out.) This thinking is fast becoming prehistoric, is it not?  All the movie folks need do is glance over at their media brothers and sisters in TV and magazines to see that traditional, broadly targeted vehicles are declining, while more specialized, narrowly defined, vertical media is on the ascendancy. And recently, it appears this hopeful trend is finally hitting the DVD and home viewing arena. Several months ago, Warner Home Entertainment, which own the largest library of classic American movies, introduced their Archive Collection, a group of previously unavailable titles which you can buy on-demand, either downloading the specific film or having a customized DVD run off and sent to you. The Warner team, led by Senior Vice President George Feltenstein, devised a practical and (presumably) profitable way to target a smaller viewing universe, but also a highly desirable one: viewers willing to seek out quality without the  effort and expense of studio marketing, and importantly, cough up a tidy $20 for a film without extras- simply because they are starved for this type of movie. Admittedly, the Collection includes more chaff than wheat, but it's still a treasure trove for students of great American cinema. And more titles get added each and every month. Among the Warner Archive films slated for my site: "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939), starring Raymond Massey; the film bio of FDR's early days, "Sunrise at Campobello" (1960); "The Pride Of The Marines" (1945), a John Garfield classic; and most recently, what's purported to be Edward G. Robinson's favorite role, "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" (1940), a biopic about the German scientist who developed the cure for venereal disease. God bless him. (You can review all the titles in Warners' Archive Collection by visiting www.wbshop.com .) Not surprisingly, this exciting development is spreading fast. Just the other day, I decided to get Alain Resnais's classic documentary short about the Holocaust, 'Night and Fog" (1955). Visiting Amazon.com, I noticed that in addition to the older Criterion Collection release, there was now a Special Edition packed with bonus features, most notably two rare wartime documentaries filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. I quickly said to myself, "Sign me up!", and as I moved my cursor to place the order, I saw that Amazon was offering this as an on-demand product. Clearly all this is great news, and proof that technology will only offer more quality film choices as time goes by. The trick-and opportunity- for savvy consumers and movie fans will be to stay informed as to what's available, and of course, what's really good. For close to 2,000 outstanding movie titles, visit www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com . Also check out John's videos with weekly movie recommendations at www.reel13.org .    
 
Alex Pasternack: Could China Hold the World's Clean Technology Hostage? Top
China is famous for mining one of the yuckiest, costliest and deadliest natural resources . But it's also home to 93 percent of global production of so-called rare earth elements -- including two metals essential for a wide array of green technologies, from hybrid cars to wind turbines. Think of these as the Achilles' heels of clean tech . Now the Times reports that the Chinese government is preparing to further tighten its control over these minerals , forming in essence a unilateral OPEC for rare earth metals. Australia's rare earth miners aren't the only ones worried. Toyota, General Motors, and even the Defense Department are holding their breath too as we all take another vertiginous step away from fossil fuels towards a new kind of dependence on China. Today China produces over 99 percent of dysprosium and terbium and 95 percent of neodymium. How important is that? A utility scale wind turbine uses more than a ton of heavy-duty and lightweight magnets, 700 pounds of which is neodymium. Rare earth magnets are still crucial in the electric motors that control the guidance vanes on the sides of missiles. And they are essential in hybrid cars, the manufacturers of which are already reeling from issues with rare metal availability . John Hanson, a spokesperson for Toyota, told Treehugger this morning by email: "We cannot discuss the specific content or amount of rare earth metals in our advanced hybrid systems. However, it is true that various rare earth metals are used, and that new sources and new types will be needed as the auto industry continues to proliferate hybrid technology." China's New Controls As Matthew described earlier, rare earths are only known to exist in a few places in the world : Australia and North America, with much smaller reserves in India, Brazil, Malaysia and South Africa. But China's reserves are by far the largest, and the most easily accessed, given the country's lengthy and deep investment in extracting them. The Times points out that a single mine (well, really a mining zone) in Baotou , in China's Inner Mongolia, produces half of the world's rare earths. Of course, China's extensive mining has taken a heavy toll on the environment; it was the country's tolerance for quick and dirty extraction that made it the global leader. To get at the rare earth, powerful acid is pumped down bore holes, where it dissolves some of the earths. The slurry is then pumped into leaky artificial ponds with earthen dams. Much of this occurs at small, under-regulated or unlicensed mines. But the government's bid to clean up the mining industry's act has led in part to a tightening of controls. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has cut China's target output from rare earth mines by 8.1 percent this year -- alongside cooling measures for other commodities, including polysilicon -- and is forcing mergers of mining companies in order to improve technical standards. A scale model of China's Erbo Rare Earth Development Zone in Baotou, Inner Mongolia Want Rare Earth? Build in China But the impending export restrictions also speak volumes about China's growing domestic yen for these metals. Not only do they play a part in a slew of gadgets and machinery, but rare earths will continue to be essential for the country's growing green tech companies, like auto maker BYD. But as worldwide demand for rare earths is also expected to grow 10 percent a year, the prospect of strict Chinese control over them could mean a reorientation of how businesses around the world, especially those in green technology, operate. Jack Lifton, a consultant on these metals, spelled out the situation to OnEarth : "Sometime in 2011 to 2012, Chinese domestic demand will surpass Chinese domestic production. This means no more Chinese exports of rare earths, other than in finished goods made in China that they allow to be exported." Read the rest at TreeHugger More on China
 
County Sales Tax Hike Stays As Board Again Fails To Block Veto Top
Cook County commissioners today couldn't make their roll back of the county's controversial sales tax stick, failing by one vote to override Board President Todd Stroger's veto of their tax cut.
 
SaraKay Smullens: The Life and Death of Ted Kennedy: Continuing to Learn as We Mourn Top
When I heard that Ted Kennedy was dead I felt an ache in my upper chest with every breath. It went away but then reappeared the day after he was buried. Life has taught me that this inner wrench is mourning. For all of us whose teenage and adult years spanned the lives of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy, the hours of public celebration of Ted's life and his burial provided a backdrop montage of love, hope, loss, and persistence, the Kennedys' as well as our own. As we viewed decades moving toward change through photos, newsreels and shared memories, I imagined three distinct television screens: One devoted to the lives of the Kennedys, one that allowed us to view the lives of other famous people, and one focusing on own lives. At every twist and turn revisited, we could remember where we were and what we faced. For comic relief, we could even visit the way we dressed. How about the political rebellion of the female power suits (oh those shoulder pads, reminiscent of battle arms)! And the non-phallic ties and suit lapels! Dare we analyze what those male sideburns were all about? The footage and coverage seemed to scream out that despite enormous effort and seeming luck and fortune, life produces ironies and contradictions: Even those who win one moment can face horrific, brutal loss in the next. The rich and famous are no more spared than the rest of us. We saw Dan Rather and Roger Mudd, both young and famed contenders to replace Walter Cronkite. We revisited Mudd and Ted Kennedy, as Mudd, during the bitter 1980 Carter-Kennedy primary, asked Kennedy why he wanted to be President. Ted Kennedy did not know how to respond, which many see as a large factor in his defeat in many 1980 primaries. I have often wondered if this shocking Mudd-Kennedy interview had any effect on CBS's choice of Rather, rather than Mudd, to replace Cronkite. Rather, now embroiled in a lawsuit against CBS, was fired for the documentary claiming that there was good reason to believe that while a member of our Reserves Bush '43 cheated on his attendance record. We also visited the lovely Jessica Savitch, a pioneer NBC journalist and anchor, as she reported on Ted Kennedy. Who could have predicted that Savitch, whose private life became one of torment, would humiliate herself on screen with slurred and missed words? Who could have imagined that she would die in the autumn of 1983 in a way horrifyingly reminiscent of the way Mary Jo Kopecne's life ended in the summer of 1969? But we also saw that loss must be seen in perspective -- that losing can in truth be winning. Loss of an opportunity to become President freed Ted Kennedy from the burden of replacing his three dead brothers. It freed him from a job that he most likely did not want and was not suited for. Loss allowed him to find his destiny and become the most powerful and important Senator of our time, a man who relished his work, and helped countless people through his constant devotion. In his personal world, loss propelled Ted Kennedy to leave a dead marriage. After humiliation following the death of a devoted brother-in-law, loss propelled him to marry Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the warm, competent, strong and regal woman whom he and all who loved him recognized as not only the love of his life, but the woman who saved his life. Visiting the life and death of Ted Kennedy showed that facing loss and fear can strengthen. And bring compassion. Who will ever forget the words of Kara and Ted, Jr., who endured and triumphed over cancer, or of Patrick, who is triumphing over addiction? We saw Ethel Kennedy quietly, lovingly leave her seat to adjust the partially upturned cloth covering her brother-in-law's casket. We were reminded that with his brothers gone, Ted was ever-present for Jackie and Ethel and his nieces and nephews. We saw Ted's first wife, Joan, who has bravely faced her addictions, find the courage to attend the ceremonies honoring the father of her children, a man she had loved deeply but could not keep. We were reminded how Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in loving memory of her sister Rosemary, changed the lives of physically and mentally challenged children all over the world. Pivotal to the celebration and farewell was the grace and accessibility of Vicki, who, unlike her two sisters-in-law, received the gift of time to prepare emotionally (as well as it is humanly possible to do so) for her grave loss. We also saw that despite everything, even in the face of certain death, it is possible not to give up. The heart of Ted Kennedy's letter written to the Pope, a plea for Universal Health Care, was read to those present at Arlington, inspiring us all. And perhaps making us smile. What chutzpah! Through written word to the Pope himself, Ted Kennedy seemed even to outsmart death for a few precious moments and speak from the grave. The last days have confirmed that the Kennedys are no longer outside of those who have grown up during their generations of power. They have become part of us, lives intertwined with parallel joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Though we mourn, our chosen family members, now inside of us, will continue to inspire and teach. More on Death & Dying
 
Shirin Sadeghi: Iran Abuse Confirmations Abound: Mohsen and Saeedeh's Stories Top
The list grows. This week, two more official accounts come out of Iran, confirming the extent of violence that is taking place in Iran's detention centers and prisons, against members of the public who chose to publicly protest their grievances against the Iranian government. Mohsen Ruholamini, photo Mehr News Agency The first is the confirmation of a story which was reported out of Iran weeks ago: that the son of a close advisor to vetted presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai lost his life to abuse in a detention center after being picked up at a post-election protest. It seems a mistake was made, and the unregulated process by which Iranian protesters were being picked up and loaded into detention centers did not involve background searches on them to determine whether these 'enemies of the state' might in fact be related to the powerful individuals within the state itself. Thus 25-year-old Mohsen Ruholamini, the son of Rezai's senior campaign advisor Abdolhossein Ruholamini, died from "physical stress, numerous blows, and also a blow by a hard object" following his detention in Kahrizak prison and then Evin prison, according to an official medical report. The death was originally slated to an alleged prison-wide outbreak of meningitis. The Supreme Leader of Iran -- the single most powerful person in the country -- has now offered his condolences to the Ruholamini family, and stated that justice will be sought. He was the one who called for the closing of Kahrizak prison because of "its substandard conditions." Mohsen's death is not in vain and his powerful connections have ensured that the reality of prison abuse of political prisoners in Iran has not only been confirmed, but acknowledged by the head of the government itself. Saeedeh Pouraghayi, photo Parliament News The second story is that of Saeedeh Pouraghayi -- similar to the story of Taraneh Mousavi in which the only daughter of a family was arrested, taken into custody and later rashly buried as her family contemplated why her body had to be burned with acid. Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of two leading opposition presidential candidates, attended a ceremony in commemoration of Saeedeh, along with her mother and a handful of others. The actual burial had already taken place in secret after Saeedeh's mother was given a brief chance to see her daughter's burned corpse in a prison morgue. Saeedeh's story, too, has been reported by an official agency, Iran's Parliament News , as well as the BBC . She too is believed to have been gang raped prior to her death and acid-burning -- which conspicuosly was allegedly limited only to the area of her body from her knees to her chest. Unlike Taraneh, Saeedeh was not in a street demonstration but was participating in one of the late night rooftop chants of Allah-Akbar, when she was arrested. "Saeedeh's father, Abbas, was a victim of the chemical attacks on Iran by Saddam's forces...[who] died two years ago," says Potkin Azarmehr , an Iranian-British blogger, one member of the public-generated news machine that is breaking story after story out of Iran. After she went missing, her mother appealed to a family friend -- a war veteran who had fought alongside her husband during the Iran-Iraq war -- to help find her daughter. That's how she eventually came to witness her daughter's corpse in a sardkhaneh (literally: cold house). "Perhaps it is best that he did not live to see what these murderers did with his only beloved daughter," Azarmehr says. More on Iranian Election
 
John Fritchey Plans Run For Claypool's Cook County Board Seat Top
State Rep. John Fritchey announced Tuesday he intends to give up his seat in the state legislature to run to replace retiring Commissioner Forrest Claypool on the Cook County Board. Fritchey made the announcement alongside Claypool and Congressman Mike Quigley, a former County Commissioner and Claypool ally, and pledged to carry on their reform efforts on the Board. "Just like nature, reform abhors a vacuum," Fritchey stated in a press release announcing his plans. "Mike and Forrest have been groundbreaking reformers at the County level, and with the loss of their two key board votes, we need to make sure that taxpayers are getting responsible and effective government for their dollars. "Serving on the County Board will provide an opportunity to continue my past work and bring it closer to home. Whether it is property tax reform, increased transparency and accountability, or environmental initiatives, there will be no shortage of important issues to take on." Quigley, who defeated Fritchey in the Democratic primary to replace Rahm Emanuel in the Fifth Congressional District earlier this year, endorsed his former opponent's bid. "Now more than ever, we need a proven reformer with the common-sense, experience, and willingness to take on the big issues," Quigley said in a release. "The times demand and the voters deserve elected officials like John Fritchey who will challenge the status quo and fight for taxpayers." Fritchey, 45, currently serves as House Civil Judiciary Committee chairman and was a member of the Special Investigative Committee that drafted the impeachment resolution against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He was formerly an assistant attorney general for Illinois. Fritchey took some heat during the Congressional campaign for his family and political ties to powerful Democratic ward bosses , but Claypool and Quigley seem convinced of his reform credentials. "When it's time to dissent, you dissent, and when it's time to work together, you work together," Quigley told the Tribune , in reference to the need for practicality in politics. Considered the strongest candidate to challenge Todd Stroger for County Board President, Claypool surprised the political world in June by announcing he was leaving the Board altogether. On Tuesday he anointed Fritchey heir to his seat. "Even when the odds were against us, I'm proud to have been able to accomplish a great deal at the County," Claypool said in a press release. "John has had a similar experience at the State, and so he is ideally-suited to not just carry on, but build upon, the work Mike and I have done on the County Board. When it comes to fighting for taxpayers and cleaning up Cook County, John Fritchey is the clear choice to become the next Commissioner for the 12th District." The primary election is in February. Read the full release: Fritchey Announces Run For Cook County Commissioner -
 
Jeanette Aileen Fuller: The Truth About End of Life Care Top
So far I have chosen not to directly address the repeated accusations of right wing, conservatives that President Obama and Progressive Democrats support "death care", "death panels", euthanasia or any number of other words and phrases meant to arouse fear in citizens. What comment by whom has finally drawn me out? Mr. Mike Huckabee has chosen to join Sarah Palin and others in attacking "End of Life Counseling" and twisted it into some sick form of "death panels." These accusations, ridiculous and without merit, threaten to place an undeserved black mark on a program that has provided comfort to and assuaged the fears of thousands of Americans who have had the misfortune of losing a loved one to a terminal illness. The infamous page 425. What does it mean? What does it propose to do? First here is the link to H.R. 3200. This is the house version of what has now been titled the "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009." A similar version of this bill has been introduced in the Senate. The section of H.R. 3200, much maligned by some right wingers, SEC. 1233., is Titled "ADVANCE CARE PLANNING CONSULTATION." So much has been said by those who claim to understand what "end of life care" means, and all of it has little if any root in truth. I will give you my personal experience with "end of life counseling." I hope it helps to clarify the importance of such counseling, and dispels the myths and fears surrounding this section of the bill. My father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on October 14th. For many months, my brothers and I hoped with all our might that my father would have the edge on this disease. As many of you know, my partner and I joined my father in Lynchburg,and even as we celebrated the inauguration of our 44th President, we clung to the belief that my father would beat the cancer. He was so strong, so viking, so seemingly indestructable. Cancer does not respect genealogy. It cares not for the form and function of DNA and RNA as it was intended to exist at conception. It invades the cell, manipulates the RNA, reorganizes the organic factory, and reforms it to serve its own needs. Organs that were intended to live for decades, succumb to a lesser life span. The affected cells grow and multiply destroying the delicate homeostatic balance of life. Chemotherapy, radiation, proper diet and other treatments are all attempts to counteract the growth of cancer, but sometimes, no matter how hard science tries to intervene, cancer wins, vital organs are crowded out. The body tries to protect itself by accumulating fluid putting further pressure on the organs. Eventually the body cannot maintain the balance of life. The heart, the lungs, kidneys all begin to wear themselves out in an attempt to adjust. My father called me on a frosty day in early February. I sat in my office as he told me that his doctor had informed him his cancer had gone terminal. His body could not cope. The chemo could no longer stop the cancer. He was dying. I collapsed in a heap, and I wept. I allowed myself to grieve. Then, as my father lived, so went I and every moment thereafter was dedicated to his wishes. My father drew up a living will. My step brother served as his executor. All of his children were given copies of his will. In this will he stated that he did not wish to be revived should his heart fail him. He inserted in his will a DNR (do not resuscitate) clause. He did not want to be kept alive through artificial means after his brain had ceased to function. Nor did he wish to have his body sustained artificially after it had lost its capacity for self sustenance: no feeding tubes, no I.V. drips. Cancer is a nasty condition. As it progresses, its growth begins to redirect precious resources away from normal body functions to feed the growth of the tumor(s). As the cancer grew in my father's body, he grew thin. What nutrients he was able to take in were immediately absorbed my the cancer. Because the tumor pressed against the other organs of the body, fluids began to collect around his vital organs in an effort to protect them from the pressure much as a blister forms on a foot to protect it from damage. I watched my father deteriorate. For those who have witnessed this, I apologize with all my soul if I revive painful memories. I do so only because I do not wish to see future generations deprived of end of life counseling. End of life counseling for our family consisted of several key parts. 1st - My father paid a lawyer to draw up a will laying out specific instructions to his executor and designated "caregivers" as to his final wishes. Having determined that his cancer was terminal, he did not wish to be resuscitated should his heart fail. A copy of this directive was kept on his person at all times. A copy was also registered at his hospital. End of life counseling would give people access to such wills. 2nd - My father elected to enroll in local Hospice care. His wish was to die at home under the care of a hospice nurse. Hospice provided him access to twenty four hour own call care, support for his caregivers, and would act as an intermediary with the funeral home at his death. H.R. 3200 would afford people the option of participating his hospice care. 3rd - My father arranged for his designated caregivers to participate in end of life counseling with hospice. The counselling was intended to prepare his family for his death. End of life counseling. This phrase can raise fear in the hearts of those who have no experience with it, and comfort in the hearts of those who have benefited from its care. My father chose the care of hospice. He wanted to die in his own home on his own terms. It was his wish, and he had discussed his intentions with his family. He was lucky enough to have the financial resources to draw up a living will, and a family willing and able to be with him as he prepared to die. It is one thing to say you are prepared to face the death of a loved one and quite another to face it. End of life counselling helped to prepare me for what I was about to face. During the first day of counseling, my brothers and I met our hospice counselor. She explained to us the function of hospice, which was to provide the in home medical support my father would need to cope with the many symptoms and complications of end stage cancer. She explained in detail the various stages that might be expected at the end of my father's battle with cancer. We were given my father's emergency medications to be used only when his pain became unbearable. We were instructed in pain management. We were given a 24 hour number with which to reach on call nurses who would answer our questions. We were given literature to read to help us transition as our father transitioned from life to death. Imagine if you will, a man capable of running 5 to 8 miles day, reduced to struggling for breath as he made his way to the bathroom. Imagine your brother, all five foot ten of his massive frame, trying to help his father off the toilet without breaking ribs. The literature we were given helped us overcome those obstacles. Everyday presented a new set of obstacles. Our counselor and nurses from hospice helped us through every step. This is end of life counseling. This is reality. No one told us to cut cords, disconnect respirators, refuse my father food. When my father's body could no longer take food, the counseling helped us understand the biological mechanisms involved as his digestive system shut down. When my father could no longer take fluids, they showed us how to prepare little sponges dipped in ice water to wet his lips. The nurses helped ease the awful fear in my chest that I was not trying hard enough to ease his pain. When his pain became unbearable, they reassured us as we administered the painkillers, because there is no more nerve wracking worry than that you might give someone too much painkiller. And, during those final hours, the counseling helped me recognize the signs that my father was letting go. I understood the breathing patterns, the way my father appeared to speak with loved ones no longer with us, that he could hear us even if he could no longer respond outwardly to our words. We read from the Bible, played Frank Sinatra, talked to our father, and told him he could let go. Hospice volunteers called us frequently to ask if we needed help washing dishes, preparing a meal, all the little things you take for granted when all your time and attention is centered on your loved one. Please forgive any pain I may inadvertantly caused to those who have suffered the death of someone close from a terminal illness, but I feel compelled to talk about my experiences because the comments of Mr. Huckabee, Mrs. Palin and others who threaten the future of what I consider to be a very important program. I cannot imagine facing my father's death without the help offered by hospice, and the end of life counseling it provided. Because my father planned for his death, because he had the finances to do so, my brothers and I were able to be with my father in his final hours. He enjoyed a peaceful passage from life to death on his terms, but I know that many in this country do not receive this gift. I had the unbelievable privilege of holding my father's hand as he drew his final breath. He was able to die in the house that he loved surrounded by the memories of his departed wife and the family he loved. I want people to have access to this program who do not have the financial resources my father enjoyed. He would have wanted that for them. That H.R. 3200 provides others access to end of life counseling is amazing. That the political posturing surrounding this bill threatens to sour people's view of this program is appalling. Emotions should compel us to rise above our stations in life to make life better for others. They should not drive us to deprive others of better care, and access to a better quality of life or even death. Cross-posted from Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis . More on Health Care
 
Benjamin R. Barber: The "Public" Means "We The People" not Communism, Fascism or Socialism! Top
Some commentators think Ted Kennedy's passing can reignite President Obama's health care bill. But I think it is likely to fail unless the President begins to defend the democratic principles undergirding the term " public option."What he and the Democrats need to do now, in Kennedy's honor, is tell the American public what it means to speak about them. About the public - whether in the term "the public good" or "the public square" or the "American re-public" or, yes, in the phrase a " public option" in health care. With little resistance, the American public and the American President have allowed the term public to be hijacked and turned into a dirty word. In the hands of the hijackers, public is about "them" or "it." It's about bureaucratic bullies trying to do in granny, or about fascist thugs trying to take away our freedom of choice. It's about socialism - a command economy corporatist state taking health care decisions away from doctors and patients. It's about closet communists who want to put Stalin in charge of emergency room triage. Well it isn't, and I wish President Obama was out front saying so. Because the public , folks, isn't them , it's us . It's "we the people," it's neighbors united to take care of one another, it's citizens doing together that they can't do alone. The public square is our common ground. That's why in England they call it "the commons," the shared turf where in a democracy we stand together to overcome what keeps us apart and do together those public things ( res-publica ) that make us a republic. Once we allow the word public to be vilified, however, then everything associated with it becomes pejorative. Like paying taxes. See, taxes is how we pool our money to do things in common that can't be done alone. Like building roads or educating the young or fighting wars or taking care of the poor and the sick and those with handicaps. Taxes are the common allowance we give ourselves as a national family so we can pay for the things that make us a family and keep us a family. The attack on the term public is really an attack on democracy, on citizenship, on our efforts to come together under the banner of we the people to protect our liberties and secure our property and ensure our safety. Because centuries ago we figured out you can't do those things alone, one by one, even if you are strong. Behind the abstract term public stand your neighbors, your fellow citizens, your partners in common pursuits across the land. Those who attack the public then are attacking you and me insofar as we want to think of ourselves as us . And in health care, us is critical, since the public health is at stake and only a public element can assure us a fair, efficient and cost-effective system. It's really quite simple: the public option in health care is the public good in health care; and health care constitutes the core meaning of the public good. So let's out those who assail the term public: they are not protecting liberty, they are undermining the common goods and democratic institutions by which liberty is established and preserved. More on Health Care
 
US Embassy Guards Gone Wild In Kabul: Prostitution, Brawls, And Vodka Butt Shots Top
Drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks-- no, the perpetrators of these Animal House-like antics aren't some depraved frat brothers. They are the private security contractors guarding Camp Sullivan, otherwise known as the US Embassy in Kabul. These allegations, and many more, are contained in a letter sent to Secretary of State of Hillary Clinton on Tuesday by the Project on Government Oversight, which has been investigating the embassy security contract held by ArmorGroup North America (a subsidiary of Wackenhut, which is in turn owned by the security behemoth G4S). More on Afghanistan
 
Alex Leo: Chyron Of The Day: Blah, Blah, Blah Top
Wow, CNBC, who knew you had it in you to be so bitchy? If Jon Stewart weren't on vacation he might have something kind to say about the network for once...or maybe he would just eviscerate them for caring more about porn that the economic crisis. ( ) More on CNBC
 
Rick Horowitz: Sound and Fury: The Cheney Show Top
If I were Dick Cheney -- not to worry; the Lord works in mysterious ways, but there are limits -- I'd be kicking up a fuss, too. A really good fuss. I'd be scowling for whatever sympathetic cameras I could still find. I'd be flinging accusations of political payback, or institutional ingratitude, or diplomatic naiveté at the people who succeeded me. I'd even let the occasional curse word fly, just to prove to one and all how ticked off I am. If I were Dick Cheney, in other words, I'd probably be doing exactly what Dick Cheney is doing. It beats going to prison. * * * Maybe it's true: Maybe the best defense really is being offensive -- in which case, Dick Cheney is doing an absolutely top-notch job of guarding his perimeter. There isn't the slightest hint of apology in his voice, or in his manner, when it comes to the Bush administration's treatment of suspected terrorists in American custody. When it comes to Attorney General Eric Holder's recent decision to take another, closer look at who did what to whom, and on just what authority. Disdain instead -- and barely restrained fury. And, of course, generosity of spirit to those poor souls farther down the chain of command. Because this isn't about Dick Cheney, not at all. This is about the courageous men and women who did what was necessary to safeguard their country -- our country! -- from evil-doers. End of discussion. And anyway, it was legal. Dick Cheney's lawyers said it was legal. And anyway, it worked. Dick Cheney insists it worked. Dick Cheney insists a lot of things when he's got a sympathetic camera, and nothing's going to stop him, or even challenge him -- certainly not Chris Wallace's entranced interrogation techniques. He's free to cross the fact-fantasy frontier whenever he chooses, free to make whatever claims suit his twin purposes: Protecting his country. Protecting his butt. Am I the only cynic out there? Am I the only one who suspects that Cheney is borderline apoplectic about Holder's investigation because he knows only too well that these inquiries, as narrowly focused as they might be initially, tend to acquire a momentum of their own? And because Cheney knows exactly where that momentum could lead? Am I the only one who hears Cheney's strong defense of those CIA interrogators as an insurance policy? There's nothing a prosecutor likes better than a little fish willing to give up a bigger fish. Dick Cheney is one very big fish ; he can't afford to have one of those small fry decide that the former veep hasn't been sufficiently supportive, and that the only way to save his own neck is to -- You get the picture. And one more picture, because Dick Cheney, after all, is only half of the Cheney Family Media Blitz. We can't forget about Liz Cheney. Try as we might. Now, a daughter's love -- for her father, for the spotlight -- is a wonderful thing to behold. Would Liz Cheney prefer that Dick Cheney not have to worry about being treated as a war criminal? Absolutely. Would she prefer that he go into the history books as a fine fellow rather than a felon? You bet. All of which might excuse her sudden eagerness to sit for the cameras, if not her insistence on getting the first word, the last word, and most of the words in between. She goes on, and on -- oblivious to data (and courtesy) -- no matter how many others might be gathered around the table trying to inject an actual fact or two into the conversation. Liz Cheney has a message to deliver. And Liz Cheney apparently believes that speaking at high speed and high volume can turn tripe into treasure. Hey -- her father thought we'd be greeted as liberators. A family needs its dreams. Rick Horowitz is a syndicated columnist. You can write to him at rickhoro@execpc.com. More on Eric Holder
 
Derrick K. Baker: Michael Vick's Dog-Free Second Act Top
Dear Michael Vick: As a lifelong dog lover and a pro football fanatic, I gave you a few weeks of freedom before chiming in with my opinions about your predicament, although just about anyone who can spell dog and spell football already has had something to say. Off top, Mike, know that I love dogs. Scrambles, Brittany and Trixie are the creative names of the Standard Poodle, Cocker Spaniel and mutt, respectively, that at different time was a family member at our house when I was a kid. I cried real tears when we had to put deaf Brittany down because physical ailments had ravaged her body. These days, when the hyperactive Maltese Jake and sneaky Jasper the Pomeranian are on the scene, they get as much attention as they demand, and that's usually loads. However, as a devotee of dog trainer extraordinaire Cesar Millan, I know the difference. I know that dogs, no matter how lovable and obedient, are animals. But I'm a (usually) rational, educated man who can drive, walk on two legs all day and prepare my own food. Show me a dog that can match my ability and I'll show you a grown man wearing a dog suit. I also am a football junkie. Love it; watch it; follow the games, and enjoy debating the prospects of players and teams in the preseason, regular season and off season. I'll argue with anyone who has lips over my favorite and most disliked players. Come to think of it, the NFL Network in high definition gives me reason to even own a television, let alone actually turn it on. Those baselines set, I'm comfortable "talking" to you, man to man, dog lover to dog abuser, and football fan to football player. You don't know me from Adam and while you might contend that I don't know the you that makes you you, I'm well aware of the dreaded decisions you made that sent your personal and professional lives reeling like a kite in a tornado. You should've served jail time and lost your burgeoning iconic status as a quarterback once you were convicted of bankrolling a dog fighting ring. You can't be surprised that the Atlanta Falcons kicked you to the curb once your ass ended up in hot water. What you did to those dogs was appalling and abhorrent. Dog lovers and organizations like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were warranted in their disgust. You also dotted the NFL with yet another unneeded black eye. America's game has enough problems, what with too many stories of players driving drunk (and running over pedestrians), using banned substances to gain a competitive advantage, smoking weed to stay connected to their homeboys, shooting themselves in the thigh and fathering more kids than the aforementioned Cesar Millan has dogs in his stable (that's over the top but the point needed to be made). However, those realities notwithstanding, if America was not a place where second acts are possible, then the dog pile - pun intended - of corporate executives, cops, judges, teachers, janitors, baseball players, editors, doctors and so on would be littered with the disposed carcasses of people across the spectrum who have committed a range of crimes and t ransgressions and never received a chance to right the wrong, make moral amends and financial restitution, and get a shot at becoming a (re-)valued member of society, their family and profession. In short, you should have received qualified clearance to play football again. Your debt to society - in the form of incarceration - is paid. If you didn't get a chance to play football again, then elected officials who engage in sexual activities with their pages and members of their staff shouldn't get a chance d to run for office again - and their constituents should be banned from casting a vote for that sex freak. Then a man convicted of one non-lethal DUI should never be permitted to work again. And, while we're at it, philanderers should be sterilized. Mike, whether you demonstrate remorse and show a capacity to change for the better is totally up to you (and apparently having a mixed drink in public so soon after your release isn't an ideal way to dem onstrate rehabilitation). This second act is yours to excel in or screw up. The nation's dog lovers will never forgive nor forget you for drowning and electrocuting dogs that didn't perform to your expectations. As a dog lover, I'll forgive you but won't forget what you did. But you deserve a chance at a second act. What you do with that chance is totally up to you. A final piece of advice: Stop memorizing your handlers' talking points and speak, as best you can, from the heart. Those dead dogs deserve that level of contrition. More on Dogs
 
Sarah Jessica Parker Starts 'Sex And The City' Sequel Top
Yesterday, Sarah Jessica Parker looked stunning in white while filming an outdoor scene for the much-anticipated SATC sequel. More on Sex and the City
 
Anthony Papa: Blind, Diabetic, Double-Amputee Dies After Being Evicted for Medical Marijuana Use Top
When we talk about who has the best slum landlord stories we now have to mention this tragic case. Marilyn Holsten was 49 years old and in frail health, suffering from diabetes. She'd had both legs amputated, was almost blind, and received dialysis six hours a day. She lived for eight years at Anavets Senior Citizens Housing Society building at 951 8th Ave E, Vancouver Canada. Marilyn's landlord did not like the smell of marijuana, so he gave her an eviction notice. She became very distraught and as a result her health deteriorated rapidly. Eventually, she died of a heart attack this August. Her sister, Moira O'Neil, said Marilyn's last days on Earth were a living hell. To cope with her dreadful pain, Marilyn used marijuana. Her only mistake was that she didn't have the authorization to possess pot. She said that she was overwhelmed by the paperwork to get permission from the government. But she did have a letter from her doctor, Dr. Fraser Norrie, stating that he recommended marijuana use as part of her medical treatment. Dr. Norrie asked Marilyn's landlord to accept her need to smoke marijuana. In response, Mary McLeod, the administrator of Anavets, said, "While your doctor supports your decision to use marijuana, he has not prescribed it for medicinal purposes," and that "Marijuana use is still against the law and ... as part of your tenancy agreement, you agreed you would not participate in illegal activities." Numerous organizations support allowing patients legal access to medical marijuana, including the AIDS Action Council, American Bar Association, American Public Health Association, California Medical Association, National Association of Attorneys General, and several state nurses associations. Public opinion also supports ending the prohibition of medical marijuana. According to a Gallup poll, 73% of Americans are in favor of "making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering." Marijuana is an indispensable medicine that helps mitigate chronic pain and stimulates appetite. Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other forms of disease greatly benefit from access to marijuana. While the debate over marijuana use for medical purposes has come a long way over the past decade, even in places with medical marijuana laws patients still often face life-threatening discrimination. A protest memorial is planned on September 2nd in front of the apartment building Marilyn lived in . Hopefully the death of Marilyn Holsten will not be in vain and can be used to help others legitimize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Anthony Papa is the author of 15 To Life and a communications specialist for Drug Policy Alliance .
 
Sara Dehghan: Iran: Male Clerics Call for Justice While Female Parliamentarians Advocate for Discriminatory Laws Against Women Top
Iranian women have been expressing their opposition to discriminatory laws and calling for equality and justice. Through campaigns such as the One Million Signatures Campaign, they have approached Iran's judiciary officials and legislature to ask for the revision and reform of current discriminatory laws against women. These reforms include equal rights in marriage, equal rights to divorce; an end to polygamy and temporary marriage for men; equal inheritance rights; reform of laws that reduce punishment for offenders in cases of honor killings; and elimination of laws such as stoning as a form of punishment. In the month before the 2009 Presidential election in Iran, the women's movement formed a coalition with other activists to inform the presidential candidates of their main demands. These demands were to eliminate discriminatory laws against women including not being certified to run for president, and to revise the constitution. After a massive fraud in the election and re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's misogynist government, women raised their expectations and became the frontline of the Green Movement. They bravely confronted the Basij militia, Revolutionary Guards, and plain-cloth forces and protected their brothers. They became the emerging voices of democracy and liberty in Iran. They put their lives at risk, and were subject to arrests , insults, rapes, and killings to call for justice. Neda Agha Soltan, the 27-year old student who was shot in Tehran's streets, became the symbol of the freedom movement. Taraneh Mousavi -- another young girl -- was abducted , tortured and raped for 22 days before she was killed and burnt with a strong acid to hide the evidence of her brutal ordeal. Her story caused a lot of controversy . While there were reports of her rape and murder in Iranian blogs, IRINN -- the Islamic Republic of Iran News Networks -- claimed to have found Taraneh Mousavi's family, who they then interviewed. In response , Mehdi Karroubi, who was continuously speaking out against rape in prisons, explicitly condemned these "false" calims by the Iranian authorities. In the most recent incident, Saideh Pour-Aghaei, another young girl -was reportedly raped, killed and her body was burnt. Her story emerged Online on Monday, August 31th . According to a letter sent to the pro-reform Majlis Followers of the Line of the Imam , that was published on Parliman News -- a Website affiliated to this Parliament's fraction- Saideh's father , who was an injured veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, passed away two years ago after years of struggling with the effects of chemical exposures. There are many more victims we don't hear about. Victims of tyrannical brutality not only in the past two months, but in the past 30 years since the Islamic Revolution won power in Iran in 1979. For 30 years, Iranian women in particular, have suffered from discrimination , oppression, social injustice , as well as religious and traditional restrictions. The only change in Iran now is that even some influential clerics have been speaking out against rape and torture in Iran's prisons. Mehdi Karroubi, one of the defeated candidates in Iran's disputed election is one of the major voices in that cause. Mr.Karroubi alleged that the abuses took place at Tehran's Kahrizak prison, which was later closed down by the order of Ayatollah Khamenei. Karroubi kept insisting that he would not remain silent over the "medieval torture and corruption" in Iran's prisons. More victims of rape who previously refused to talk about what happened to have been bravely speaking out and telling their stories. Even though it's considered a social taboo and shame in the Iranian society. While the Iranian women continue their quest for freedom and equality , Mr.Ahmadinejad, who didn't show any desire to consider women for his cabinet during the presidential campaign, has now nominated three women to his cabinet. He has proposed Fatemeh Ajorlou for the Welfare and Social Justice Ministry , Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi for the Health Ministry, and Susan Keshavarz for the Ministry of Education. Many foreign analysts considered this move as an attempt by Ahmadinejad to soften his hard-line image especially in the eyes of the world. Only a few analysts mentioned that none of these hard-line conservative appointees -- who are yet to be approved by the parliament -- believe in women's rights and freedom as perceived by the international community. Could Ahmadinejad, who has ignored the tortures,rapes,killings ,and arrests of civilians and activists be equipped to appoint a cabinet able to advocate human rights? Do these female appointees really believe in women's rights and equality? As a member of Iran's parliament, Fatemeh Ajorlou has been advocating for discriminatory laws against women and placing more obstacles to women's progress. She has opposed the bill that could have led to Iran joining the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. She has nullifyed the efforts of reformist parliamentarians to respond to women's demands. She is fully devoted to Islamic laws including severe penalties including stoning and execution for prostitution and adultery yet believing in temporary marriage to prevent what they consider "social corruption". Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi represented Tehran in the fourth and fifth parliament. As the chairwoman of the Majlis Committee on Women, Family and Youth, she proposed for gender segregation in hospitals and medical institutions and opposed Iran joining the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Hard-line female parliamentarians do everything in their power to remove women from society and drag them home for their full devotion to their husbands and children. In order to obtain higher positions in Ahmadinejad's cabinet, these women should be able to harm the women's rights movement in sync with Ahmadinejad's misogynistic policies more than they can promote it. Although women who are less educated and have stronger religious beliefs might look up to conservative women who have climbed up the political ladder in the Islamic Republic , neither of these appointees represent today's women in Iran and they cannot be the voice of Iranian women in the parliament. The appointees would become the first female ministers since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 if they are approved by the parliament. This is an unprecedented move by the hard-line President, but the world should not be fooled. Meanwhile, no matter how conservative these women are, many hardliners within Ahmadinejad's conservative camp including the majority of Imam fraction in the Parliament- Majlis Followers of the Line of the Imam -- along with several top clerics have criticized Ahmadinejad for the appointment of these women to the new cabinet. Clerics have opposed this because it is"counter to Islamic beliefs". Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabaeinejad, said during Friday prayers that "if a woman becomes minister, then she must constantly stay in contact with men and she won't be able to carry out her religious duties to the full". Whether these women are approved by the Parliament or not -- in Iran's disputed politics today -- appointing loyal hard-line females to ministries does not translate into women's equal rights. This is another cunning strategy by Ahmadinejad's government to fool the world.
 
Dan Cantor: Stopping Swine Flu: Paid Sick Days for All New Yorkers Top
When the Swine Flu outbreak hit New York City, public health officials and even President Obama told us to stay home if we felt sick. It’s sound advice for preventing the spread of germs, but for the more than one million New Yorkers who do not have a single day of paid sick leave where they work, staying home may not be an option. Today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg briefed city officials on important Swine Flu prevention measures.  Here’s another: making paid sick days a basic workplace standard for all New Yorkers. It’s simple: if you can’t afford to go to stay home when you get sick, you end up putting yourself and others at risk. As Victor W. Sidel, MD, a distinguished public health expert put it in a statement today: “Going to work sick is not good for you, your co-workers, or anyone else you come into contact with during the workday.  Unfortunately, more than one million people in New York City do not have paid sick days where they work. As we prepare for a return of H1N1, making sure people who are sick can stay home and rest when they need to should be a top priority.” New York City would not be the first to guarantee paid sick days for everyone in its borders (San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Washington, DC have already passed paid sick days laws), but it might be the city with the most to gain. Nearly two-thirds of low-wage workers in New York City have no paid sick days - and many of them work in the places where disease is most likely to spread. A survey of restaurant workers by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York found that 84% don't have paid sick days, and a majority report coming to work sick. Everyday, all around us - in the subway, in fast food restaurants, in beauty shops and grocery stores - residents of the Big Apple interact with people who simply can't afford to stay home when they're sick. As a global center of commerce and travel, New York City is bound to catch whatever colds are traveling the world.  It’s not a cause for panic, but it means our healthcare system and our public policy need to be ready. The Working Families Party and a broad coalition led by New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition, Make the Road New York, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, and A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center are working to pass a universal paid sick days law for New York City.  Last month, our paid sick days bill was introduced in the City Council by Councilmember Gale Brewer and 35 other co-sponsors.  But to make sure City Hall acts fast, we need regular New Yorkers to speak up.  Yesterday, we launched an online petition in support of the paid sick days bill – and there’s already over 1,300 signers in less than 24 hours. Add your name, and join our campaign.
 
Ramon Resa, MD: Words: Words Parents Use Can Make a Difference for Life. Words Can Send You into Space or Tear You to Pieces Top
NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez remembers his days in the migrant fields as dirty, dusty, and sweaty. How well I remember those same feelings, having also worked in the fields throughout childhood. As Jose mentions, summer vacation was not a time to rejoice. We knew our time off from school meant twelve-hour days seven days a week, getting up at 4:30AM and coming home so exhausted that we barely had the energy to take a shower. Jose's father did something my parents never did. After a hard day of work, he said to them, "Remember this feeling because if you guys don't do well in school, this is your future." Jose and all of his siblings graduated from college. My brothers and sisters were never encouraged, and I am the only one out of fifteen to graduate from college. My brother had this story to tell about when he was twelve: He was a sickly child, in an out of the hospital frequently. One year he remained in the children's hospital for over a month. When he finally came home, he was happy and excited to be with his family. On his first morning back, he overheard these words from the kitchen: "Why did you bring him back? He is useless to me if he can't work in the fields." I never knew my father, and my mother abandoned me to my grandparents at birth. All my life, I felt that the only reason I was taken in was to be another worker. I felt that I had to work for my keep. My brother went on to state that from that moment he heard those fateful words, he strived to be worthy and pull his own weight. Now, he is almost 58 years old, yet when he told me about this memory, he had tears in his eyes. It is so hard to take back words once they are uttered. It is even harder when you don't even realize that your words were overheard. Words are powerful weapons, both for good and for bad. They can make someone feel like they can conquer space, or they can make one feel less worthy than a cockroach. A parent's single comment can resonate for years with unimagined consequences. Too many times parents or relatives will say something demeaning to a child without giving thought to the whole message being delivered. I have heard parents tell a child, "Get out of the sight; you are nothing but a headache to me." And when this kid ends up on drugs or in a gang, they wonder where the kid went wrong, after all, they raised him well and gave him everything that he needed. Little do these parents understand, their children only want time with mom and dad. I once heard a thirteen-year-old boy tell his grandmother, "I know dad loves me but I don't think he likes me." What a powerful statement to make and to feel. You can say all day long that you love someone, but if you don't make them feel as if you really care, all the gifts and statements of "I love you" mean absolutely nothing. Kids need to feel that you care and they need to know that you really mean it. The acts and comments you make are remembered for life. One careless phase or word can destroy a child and affect their self-esteem for years. Don't tear down your child. Lift your child into space! Think before you speak to your child in anger. Give yourself time to cool off; count to ten or leave the room. Vent your frustration at objects, not people. Most importantly, remember how you felt at a young age and say what you would have wanted to hear. Say positive things about your children. Tell them you believe in them. If you let them know that they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it, they will.
 
Paul Szep: The Daily Szep -- The No reformers Top
 
Madonna's 'Celebration' Video Costarring Jesus And Lourdes (VIDEO, POLL) Top
Here's the video of Madonna's new single 'Celebration,' the title track of her upcoming greatest hits album. The material girl shows off her dance moves in thigh-high Louboutin boots and a dress short enough to allow for plenty of gyration and crotch-touching shots. Around 2:20, Madonna's boy toy Jesus Luz enters. He is playing a DJ, which is his real-life dream . Madge touches herself some more, realizes she must remove Jesus' clothes to recognize him, then makes out with him. Lourdes, Madonna's 12-year-old daughter, also makes a cameo as a dancer towards the end of the video. Madonna is currently on her 'Sticky & Sweet' tour in Europe, and has made time for visiting Jewish Holy sites with Jesus and speaking out on behalf of the Gypsies . You can download the 'Celebration' video free on iTunes until September 3. WATCH: Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Madonna
 
Mad Men Renewed For Season Four Top
AMC announced that Mad Men, now three episodes into Season 3, has been renewed for a fourth season. The critically acclaimed show is up in the ratings from Season 2, but has still failed to attract the big numbers. It airs Sundays at 10 pm. The press release: New York, NY - September 1, 2009 - AMC announced today it has renewed "Mad Men" for a fourth season. The news comes on the heels of the premiere of the series' third season, which debuted Sunday, August 16 to unprecedented critical acclaim and attention, and garnered a record 4.5 million viewers. The series has also recently received 16 Emmy nominations - the most for any drama series - including Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama (Jon Hamm), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama (John Slattery), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama (Elisabeth Moss). Creator, writer and executive producer Matthew Weiner has received four out of the five nominations in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama series category. Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, produces the series in association with AMC. "We always saw the potential for 'Mad Men', and believed in and supported the series because of our strategy of developing cinematic television that complements our library of the most entertaining movies, from every genre, on television. It's been extremely gratifying to see the show develop in to such a pop-cultural phenomenon with such a passionate fan base," said Charlie Collier, president and general manager of AMC. "With this early fourth season renewal, we're excited to let our audience know the captivating world of Sterling Cooper will be back on AMC again next year." Last season, over 30 million viewers watched 'Mad Men' on-air, on video-on-demand as well as on iTunes. The series continues to deliver the strongest concentration of upscale adults 25-54, more than any other original drama series on basic cable. "Mad Men" has consistently ranked at the top of the iTunes TV charts, and now in its third season it continues to hold the number one spot with its premiere episode. "'Mad Men' continues to surpass all expectations with each new season and the series has become a signature show for Lionsgate around the world," said Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate's president of television programming and production. "We're gratified by this early fourth season pick-up and salute the brilliant work of Matt Weiner, the cast, the entire creative team and our partners at AMC, who share our commitment to bringing viewers distinctive original programming of the highest quality." "Mad Men" burst onto the scene when it debuted on AMC in July 2007 and quickly became one of the most talked about series on television. Set in 1960s New York, "Mad Men" is a sexy and provocative original drama that follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising. The series has made history as the first basic cable series ever to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, and back-to-back Golden Globes® for Best Television Series - Drama. The award-winning ensemble includes: Golden Globe-winner Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, and John Slattery and guest stars legendary stage and screen actor Robert Morse. About AMC AMC - the most Emmy®-winning basic cable network of 2008 - reigns as the only basic cable network to win back-to-back Golden Globes® for Best Television Series - Drama and boasts a comprehensive library of the most entertaining movies of all time. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC's original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, the upcoming miniseries The Prisoner and insightful non-scripted programming such as AMC Storymakers and AMC News. AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection. Available in over 95 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters HereSM. About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multiplatform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC (The Independent Film Channel), WE tv, Sundance Channel, IFC Entertainment and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading U.S. distributor of independent and foreign film with a unique day and date distribution model, "IFC In Theaters," that makes films available to a national audience by releasing them simultaneously in theaters as well as on cable's On Demand platform; IFC Festival Direct features titles acquired from major international film festivals and initially offers them exclusively through On Demand; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Center, a state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of NYC's Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, an advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, a full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media's NYC studios and post-production facilities. About Lionsgate Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury, reality programming through its joint venture with ISH Entertainment and an array of channel platform assets. Lionsgate has nearly 20 television series airing on 11 different networks from its in-house production operations, through distribution by Debmar-Mercury or as part of its ISH Entertainment joint venture. Its programming roster is headed by such critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking shows as "Mad Men," "Weeds," "Nurse Jackie," "Crash" "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," "Meet The Browns," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Paris Hilton's My New BFF." Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
 
Norm Stamper: "This Comment Has Been Removed" Top
Those five words are showing up with increasing frequency in blogs and e-letters to editors from Chula Vista to Bangor. Comments worthy of censorship? Unless you caught them before the offending entry was expunged you'll never know. Still, scores of problematic remarks survive the cyber-censors, and some of them are enough to sour the stomachs of those who long for civility in our discourse. Think back over just the past few months. We've witnessed fever-pitched nastiness in our national chat on the Sotomayor supreme court nomination, a legal abortionist's murder, our ( black ) president's health care plan, Barney Frank's public smackdown of that Nazi-baiting town-hall interlocutor, the professor-police hullabaloo, even Senator Kennedy's death. Instead of tough, respectful exchanges of viewpoints we get sewage-slinging epithets on topics of critical importance to the health and welfare of our people, and of our democratic institutions. Over the years I've trafficked in controversial issues: the drug war (end it), capital punishment (abolish it), gun control (embrace it), white (and male) privilege (eradicate it), racism, sexism, homophobia (ditto, ditto, ditto). Each is a stance guaranteed to inflame the passions of people on the other side, and to trigger truckloads of hate mail--much of it from former colleagues in law enforcement. Poor me. Are my sensibilities so delicate I can't handle these attacks? I can handle them; in fact, I'm often, perversely, I guess, entertained by them. No, the real issue here, the one we too often ignore in our proper defense of the First Amendment, is that inflammatory words tend to, well, inflame. They can and do activate violent tendencies among some. Is there any doubt that an innocent man, "Tiller the Baby Killer," may have been killed, at least in part, because of that cruel label attached to him by certain pundits and bloggers? How long will it be before one of those pistol-packing town-hallers, driven to the brink by publicly aired hate-talk pulls his gun, and then its trigger? I wonder, is it even possible to restore some sense of decency to our public speech? I'm not advocating a diet of conversational pablum, the withholding of criticism of people and policies, much less anything resembling prior restraint. That would be un-American. But what harm would come if we were to adopt a philosophy attributed variously to Socrates, the 19th Century guru Sai Baba, and others: "Before you speak, ask yourself, is it true; is it kind; is it necessary?" In other words, "Does it improve upon the silence?" More on Health Care
 
Holly Robinson: The Bride Wore Red Top
While my friend Judith tried on dresses, I watched the brides. There were six of them in the tiny wedding boutique. The brides had brought mothers and friends to help sort through the racks of silk and chiffon. The gowns billowed as the brides carried them to the dressing rooms, yards of promise held aloft by young arms and hope. We friends and mothers gathered on the floral armchairs and watched as, one by one, the brides climbed to the single stool in the middle of the room like awkward birds of paradise taking turns on a mirrored perch. My friend Judith was the reason I was sitting here instead of hanging out on the playground with Dan and our four children on this bright September Saturday afternoon. "This is the place where you and I will both find perfect wedding dresses," she had crowed as we pulled up to the shop. "I feel it in my bones!" Amazingly, Judith's determined use of online dating services had led her into the arms of a man she wanted to marry. I was getting married to Dan in four weeks. The fact that we were both, as she loved to say, "betrothed," should have brought us together. But I was feeling increasingly isolated. This was Judith's first wedding and my second. Plus, my backyard ceremony would include our four children -- Maya, Taylor, Blaise and Drew were 5, 6, 7 and 8 years old -- so Dan and I had invited their friends as well as ours to celebrate the creation of our new family. Of our 96 guests, half were going to be children. Our crowd ranged in age from three months to 91 years old. I hung back as Judith plunged into the racks and started trying on dresses -- all of them white and strapless to show off her toned arms and slim waist. She giggled along with the other brides as the sales clerks pinned dresses here and lifted hems there to give every bride the perfect princess fit. I'd never felt so old. I was 39, old enough to be the mother of some of these brides. In fact, I was a mother. I didn't belong here. Judith made me try on four gowns, each dress worse than the last. "I can't wear a dress that I can't zip up by myself," I declared. "And I don't want to wear something that I'll trip on when I have to go upstairs to help the kids get dressed." "What's the matter with you?" she grumped on our way back to the car. "You're not even excited about trying on dresses! You act like you don't even want to get married." Was that true? I loved Dan with all my heart. Yet, the reality of my approaching marriage was getting on my nerves. I kept wiggling it like a sore tooth, poking at it in places that I knew would hurt. Getting married with children meant that the details of domestic life -- the school lunches, the laundry, the mortgage, the car repairs, the holidays -- would swell around us like a river of responsibility with unseen rapids. We would surely be swept away from each other. "Well?" Judith demanded. "Do you want to get married or not?" "I do," I said, taking a deep breath, but I couldn't say any more. Just practicing those two words aloud had sapped the last of my courage. A week before the wedding, I finally bought a wedding dress. It was red. Not fire engine red, but a deep red lace the color of a pricey claret draped over an even deeper red satin. The neckline was low but not too slutty for a mother to wear, and the skirt moved so easily with me that I could imagine grocery shopping in it -- a possibility that I did not exclude from my imaginings of what might really happen on my wedding day. (With four children, you never knew when you might run out of milk.) As an added plus, the dress was on sale; I paid less than $50 for it. Our daughters, both fashionistas who changed their outfits three or four times daily at the ripe ages of 5 and 6, were horrified by the sight of my dress swaying brazenly on its hanger. "But it's red," my daughter Taylor wailed. "Brides should wear white!" "It's true. You don't look like you're getting married," Dan's daughter, Maya, agreed mournfully. It was such a rare thing, having these two girls agree -- our daughters sometimes played well together, but couldn't seem to get past the idea that neither was the only girl in her family any more -- that I momentarily thought of returning the dress and getting a white one to make them happy. I still had a whole week left to shop! But no. Our wedding was the start of a different sort of life for both Dan and me, I reminded myself. We wanted to be in a marriage where we could be truer to ourselves than we had been in our previous relationships. I finally hit on the perfect solution. "How would you two like to wear the white dresses?" I offered. The girls were ecstatic. By some miracle, the week before the wedding I found two matching white dresses with full skirts and lacy underskirts. We bought matching white Mary Janes, too. Oh, and veils. The girls wanted headbands with veils, and I found them in a costume shop for less than $10 each. As the girls dressed for the wedding, they asked if they could use their dresses to play in afterward. I said yes, why not, and they immediately started arguing. "I should be the princess bride when we play, because I'm older," Taylor asserted. "Besides, you're just the stepsister." "You're a stepsister, too," Maya reminded her. "Besides, in stories the real princess bride is always the youngest." I left them to it and went to put on my red dress, worrying about how it would turn out for our daughters. Would they grow up to tell their friends about the special day when they first became sisters and each gained a new brother? Or would the arguments escalate, until by their teens they scarcely spoke, and in the end they wouldn't even attend each other's weddings? I shuddered. There are so many unknowns when you marry. But, when you marry with children, these unknowns spool out into infinity. It had started to rain early that morning, a light drizzle from a pewter sky. Luckily, we had ordered tents for the backyard. The rain added to the beauty of it, as the tents caught a kaleidoscope of falling leaves, like handmade Japanese paper in a complex geometric pattern of reds, oranges, and yellows. At any wedding, being the bride means that you're in a fugue state of anxiety. You know less about what's going on than anyone else there. I do know there were the usual last-minute crises. Our boys refused to put on their neckties and scratchy jackets; they wanted to wear their black Ninja Turtle t-shirts. "We want a Ninja wedding!" they cried, karate chopping each other. Dan finally coerced them into their suits by bribing them with $5 each. Twenty minutes later, Dan insulted my mother when he banished her from our bedroom as we were getting dressed. "But she's the bride," Mom said. "You're not supposed to see her before the ceremony. It's bad luck!" "Yes," Dan said, not unkindly. "But this is my bedroom, and I need to get dressed." I kissed him, impressed that he would have the courage to stand up to my mother -- few men did -- but I worried about bad luck just the same. As we stood in front of the minister beneath the tents, I tensed my shoulders as we got to the part where we had to read the vows we'd written for each other. My vows seemed lame in front of this crowd of well-wishers. My children, the people dearest to my heart, stood next to me, and Dan's children, their faces pale and expectant, stood next to him. What were we doing, bringing these children together when they really had no say in the matter? What right did we have to turn their young lives upside down forever? Just then, our dog - a white American Eskimo named Ben, who the girls had adorned with a deep red bow to match my dress - wandered up the aisle to stand with us. Everyone, even the minister, started to laugh as Ben wagged his tail and tipped his snout up in the air - sniffing the lamb kabobs the caterers were grilling, no doubt - and I suddenly felt an overwhelming love for everyone there: Dan and our children, our family who had traveled so far to be with us, and the furry, benevolent presence of this white dog. I said my vows. During the reception, our sons, having kept up their end of the bargain and earned their $5, tore off their ties and suit jackets and wore their t-shirts. My grandmother and her two sisters, all three of them in their eighties, sang, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart!" And our children danced together with their friends -- the chicken dance, the hamster dance, and the Macarena -- between nibbling on treats in the separate children's tent. Dan and I danced with our daughters on our wedding day, too, holding their hands as their white skirts billowed around them, our girls like two tiny, giggling brides just beginning to learn about love. More on Marriage
 
Eric Margolis: Muammar Qadaffi - The Great Survivor Top
It's happy ruler-day time for Muammar Qaddafi. Libya's "Leader," has been in power for 40 years. This is a remarkable feat considering that President Ronald Reagan branded Qaddafi "the mad dog of the Mideast" and sent warplanes to kill him. Britain, France and some of Qaddafi's Arab "brothers" also tried to do him in. Rather than a "mad dog," Qaddafi is far better described as a cross between a cat with nine lives and a sly fox. I was invited to interview Qaddafi in 1987. We spent an evening together in his Bedouin tent. He led me by the hand through the ruins of his personal quarters, bombed a year earlier by the US in an attempt to assassinate him. Qaddafi showed me where his 2-year old adopted daughter had been killed by a 1,000 lb. bomb. "Why are the Americans trying to kill me, Mister Eric?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. I told him because Libya was harboring all sorts of violent anti-western revolutionary groups, from Palestinian aircraft hijackers to IRA bombers and Nelson Mandela's ANC. To the naïve Libyans, they were all legitimate "freedom fighters." Two weeks ago a Libyan intelligence agent, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who was serving a life term in Scotland for the destruction of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, was released on compassionate grounds by Scotland's justice minister. Megrahi was dying of cancer. "Devolved" Scotland enjoys considerable autonomy from London in legal matters. A huge international furor erupted that was rich in hypocrisy and double standards. The US and the British governments flamed with moral indignation and blasted Scotland for releasing the dying Megrahi. His joyous reception on arriving home in Tripoli poured fuel on the fires of western outrage. Then came embarrassing revelations that the British government may have been applying subtle pressure on Scotland to release Megrahi in exchange for lucrative oil and arms deals with Libya. Worse, the Pan Am 103 crime was part of a bigger, even more sordid story. What goes around, comes around. 1986: Libya is accusing of bombing a Berlin disco, killing two US servicemen. A defector from Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, named Viktor Ostrovsky claimed Israel framed Libya and gulled the US into believing Qaddafi was the culprit. Israel denied the accusation. Then, Qaddafi committed a supreme offense. He accused the Arab oil monarchs of being American stooges and demanded they raise the price of oil. Washington was incensed and moved Qadaffi to the top of its black list. 1987: The US tries to kill Qaddafi, fails. Eighty-eight Libyan civilians die in the US bombing of Tripoli. 1988: France fights a secret desert war with Libya over Chad's uranium-rich Aouzou Strip. French Foreign Legionnaires disguised as Tuareg tribesmen drove Libya's rag-tag army out of the strip. France's very rough secret service, SDECE, was ordered to kill Qaddafi. Its late director, Count Alexandre de Marenches, told me his agents secreted a bomb aboard Qaddafi's private jet. But after Franco-Libyan relations abruptly improved, SDECE was ordered to remove the bomb. Luckily for Qaddafi, he chose to stay in his tent rather than fly. 1988: The US intervenes on Iraq's side in the eight-year war it helped start against Iran. A US Navy Aegis cruiser, `Vincennes,' violates Iranian waters and `mistakenly' shoots down an Iranian civilian Airbus airliner in Iran's air space. All 288 civilians aboard die. "Vincennes" is known in the US Navy as "robocruiser" for its extremely aggressive actions against Iran. Then Vice President George H. Bush vows, "I'll never apologize...I don't care what the facts are." This obdurate trait seems to run in the Bush family. The "Vincennes" trigger-happy captain was subsequently decorated with the Legion of Merit medal for this crime by President Bush Senior. Washington quietly paid the families of the Iranian victims US$131.8 million in damages. Five months later, Pan Am 103 with 270 aboard is destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland. The US and Britain pressure Scotland to convict Megrhai, who insists he is innocent. His co-defendant, another Libyan security agent, was acquitted. Serious questions about the evidence were raised during and after the trial. Some critics accused CIA of faking evidence to blame Libya. A good number of intelligence experts believe the attack was Tehran's revenge for the downing of the Iranian airliner, carried out by Mideast contract killers paid by Iran. In recent years, Scotland's legal authorities raised serious doubts about Meghrahi's conviction. An appeal was under way. Libyans believed he was a sacrificial lamb handed over to save Libya from a crushing US-British-led oil export boycott that would have crushed their nation's fragile economy. 1989: A French UTA-airliner with 180 aboard is blown up over Chad. A Congolese and Libyan agents are accused. In a very curious twist of events, Qadaffi allows French investigators to go through the top secret files of Libya's intelligence service. French investigators indict Qadaffi's brother-in-law, Abdullah Senoussi, head of Libyan intelligence, with whom I dined in Tripoli. Libya blames the attack on rogue mid-level agents but pays French families $170 million. We will never have all the answers to these mysteries. But my sense is that Megrahi was probably innocent and framed, as he claimed. Scotland was right to release him. But Libya was guilty as hell of the UTA crime, which was most likely revenge for France's attempt to kill Qaddafi. Libya's `Leader' threw his underlings to the dogs to escape censure. The dastardly bombing of Pan Am 103 was probably revenge for America's destruction of the Iranian Airbus. People will of course say the Pan Am case was a premeditated crime while the Iranian airliner downing was an accident. But try telling that to Iran. Imagine if an Iranian warship stood off Miami and shot down a American Airlines airliner by "accident." Not to be outdone in the "Get Qaddafi" business, Britain's MI6 intelligence agency tried in 1998 to kill Qaddafi with a car bomb in Benghazi. The plot failed, like so many others. North African would say that Qaddafi has "baraka," a good fortune that protects him from evil. In the end, the western powers concluded they needed Libya's high grade oil and business. So Libya bought its way out of sanctions with $2.7 billion total in damages paid to the US, Britain and France. Old sly fox Qaddafi also bought a few containers of useless nuclear junk from the Dubai black market and turned it over to Washington, which then gleefully claimed it had "halted Libya's nuclear program." The US, Britain, France and Italy then invested $8 billion in Libya's oil industry and proclaimed Qaddafi an ally and new best friend. Libya signed contracts for new western arms and nuclear reactors. No wonder Muammar is looking so cheerful.
 
Glenn Hurowitz: Obama's Best Frenemy Top
Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks’s article this morning presents himself as Obama’s wannabe political consigliere, dispensing advice on how he can emerge from the malaise and growing unpopularity that has beset his administration. Brooks’s advice now is basically the same that it’s always been: if you want to be popular, move to the right. Oh, and let Republicans stymie your agenda. Citing declining poll support for Obama’s health care plan (whatever that may be), Brooks writes:
Amazingly, some liberals are now lashing out at Obama because the entire country doesn’t agree with The Huffington Post. Some now argue that the administration should just ignore the ignorant masses and ram health care through using reconciliation, the legislative maneuver that would reduce the need for moderate votes. This would be suicidal. You can’t pass the most important domestic reform in a generation when the majority of voters think you are on the wrong path. To do so would be a sign of unmitigated arrogance. If Obama agrees to use reconciliation, he will permanently affix himself to the liberal wing of his party and permanently alienate independents. He will be president of 35 percent of the country — and good luck getting anything done after that.
Brooks is setting himself up as a one-man Democratic Leadership Council, the centrist organization that has been committed from its founding to moving the Democratic Party to the right. As I discuss in my book, Fear and Courage in the Democratic Party, the DLC realized in the mid-1980’s that it couldn’t win a policy debate on the merits: people just didn’t support its centrist or right-leaning policies. So instead of engaging in that debate, they did something very clever and reframed the question. Instead of arguing that Democrats should deregulate Wall Street, cut back on environmental protections, or weaken their support for reproductive freedom because it was the right thing to do, they instead argued that politicians should shift to the center because that was where the American people were. Suddenly they were speaking politicians’ language. In a contest between doing what was right and doing what will help you get elected, political expedience will win almost every time. Unfortunately for Democrats (and for the country that had to deal with consequences of DLC ideology becoming the organizing philosophy of the party), the idea that moving to the right can help Democrats win was then and is now spectacularly and obviously wrong. First off, as political scientists have known for decades, shifting policy positions is a recipe for electoral disaster because people don’t vote on the issues . In fact, only about six percent of the average voter’s decision is based on agreement with a candidate’s issue position (in many cases, voters don’t even know the candidates’ issue positions on even the highest profile issues – if you doubt that, ask your friends to explain the differences between the Democrats’ and the Republicans’ health care plans). But shifting positions for political reasons is also dangerous because it threatens voters’ perceptions of politicians’ leadership and integrity, which are very important factors in deciding the vote. In this case, accommodation of Republicans also threatens Obama’s political fortunes in two other ways: adopting failed Republican health care policies would increase costs and reduce care, putting an additional burden on the economy – imperiling Obama’s 2012 reelection. Second, failure to pass major elements of his agenda will be perceived as a political defeat that will put in doubt Democrats’ ability to deliver. Nevertheless, decline in support for Obama’s policies (whatever those may be) can’t be ignored, if only because congressional Democrats do blow with the winds of public opinion, regardless of whether or not they should. Brooks, of course, is ignoring the real reason for the decline in Obama’s support on health care: this debate has been very one sided. While Republicans have marshaled clear (though often dishonest) and passionate arguments to maintain the status quo, Obama put his persuasive power on hold while he got sucked into an insider negotiation with Congressional centrists and Republicans – and has been entirely unable to make a coherent or morally compelling case for his agenda, to effectively rally his movement behind him, or to put pressure on Democrats. Obama could do those things, he just hasn’t – throughout his career he’s waited until his back is against the wall until he’s willing to soil his hands with the kind of hardball politics that actually delivers victories. So now Brooks is arguing that Obama shouldn’t articulate the progressive agenda he ran on – and should let Republican attack campaigns determine his policies.  I hope Obama can tell the difference between clever DLC-style frenemies like David Brooks and the strategists who actually want him and his agenda to succeed. More on Health Care
 
American Diplomats Advocated "Nuremberg Defense" Top
By Scott Horton Special to the Huffington Post Two newly-obtained documents show how American diplomats during the Bush administration worked tenaciously to incorporate what is commonly known as the Nuremberg Defense into a new international convention addressing enforced disappearances. The rejection of the notion that government agents could avoid liability for crimes by arguing that they were simply following orders had been a bedrock principle of the American government ever since shortly after the end of World War II, when that defense was employed during the Nuremberg war-crimes trials. But the new documents, obtained by the ACLU through Freedom of Information Act litigation, show how State Department officials tried to establish what they called "the good soldier defense" -- in this case, the right of government agents charged with seizing and holding people in violation of international law to claim as a defense that they acted in good faith based on representations as to the legality of the conduct they were undertaking. American officials found themselves "virtually alone" at the negotiating table with this position, facing criticism from long-established allies, the documents show. The efforts occurred in the context of a proposed "Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances" in 2004 and 2006. The documents are available here and here . Previously released documents show how Bush administration lawyers in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel gave government agents legal cover to conduct a variety of actions, including torture, that critics say were flatly contrary to domestic law. "What the OLC memos did on a domestic basis, these documents show American diplomats attempting to do on the international stage," said Joanne Mariner, an analyst at Human Rights Watch with expertise on the U.S. extraordinary renditions program. The documents show that the diplomats struggled against the prohibition on "disappearings" in other ways as well. They sought an exception from the requirement that it be incorporated in specific criminal legislation, arguing that this was difficult for a federal state to do since criminal law was largely the responsibility of the states. They also opposed the idea that a state be required to disclose basic information about prisoners it holds. In a 2006 document, American diplomats argue that the new convention should not be a part of the law of armed conflict. This appears designed to lay the foundation for an argument that the prohibition of "disappearings" did not apply during war time, such as the "war on terror." The effort to ban "disappearings" was of obvious concern to United States diplomats because of the CIA's extraordinary renditions program, under which individuals were seized through extralegal processes around the world and then held in secret prisoners known as "black sites" which the CIA set up in a number of cooperating nations. Indeed, the program as the Bush Administration operated it appears to be precisely what the draft convention was designed to outlaw. Black sites have previously been identified in Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Thailand. The prisoners held in this system, were initially known as "ghost detainees" because they were held without disclosing their identity to the International Committee of the Red Cross. They were not held on criminal charges or in connection with any legal proceedings whatsoever. This brings their detention within the parameters of "enforced disappearances" covered by the proposed convention. Before the Bush Administration, the United States viewed "enforced disappearances" as a crime--bringing criminal charges as early as 1946 against German military and government officials who implemented a program under which people were secretly seized and held outside of recourse to any legal process. In his second day in office, President Barack Obama shut down the system of black sites and torture practices associated with them. He did not end the renditions program altogether, and the http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/target-of-obama-era-rendi_n_256499.html Huffington Post recently reported on the first Obama-era rendition. However, Obama and other leading policy-makers have indicated that renditions in the future would be for purposes of holding an individual to account under law, usually through criminal charges. A rendition undertaken for purposes of bringing the prisoner to account under legal charges would not violate the proposed convention on disappearances. Domestically, the Bush Administration successfully resurrected the "good soldier" or Nuremberg Defense with respect to possible prosecutions relating to the mistreatment of detainees. Administration lawyers incorporated such provisions in the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005; and those provisions were also incorporated in the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The Bush proposals were enacted by Republican-dominated Congresses. Although President Obama has suggested that the Military Commissions Act should be repealed, he has not yet taken efforts to do so. The U.S. legislation creates a defense in U.S. courts that would not be permitted under the proposed Convention, nor would it likely be recognized in courts outside of the United States. Under this defense, persons who participated in the extraordinary renditions program would be entitled to defend themselves by stating that they were informed that the program was legal. A series of once-secret memoranda prepared by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel approving the extraordinary renditions program have recently been made public. Most of these memos have since been rescinded. The documents reveal that the State Department opposed efforts to bar the Nuremberg Defense, as a matter of "procedural due process"--arguing that it would be unfair to potential government agents if they could not argue that they were simply following orders which they understood were lawful. Gabor Rona, international legal director at Human Rights First, and a former Red Cross lawyer in Geneva, said he was "not surprised that the U.S. found no allies on this issue. It's clear that the American diplomats were doing what they could to protect the Bush Administration's extraordinary renditions program--and what other nations would simply have called 'enforced disappearance,' just what this convention is designed to outlaw." Rona also didn't think much of the justification that was advanced. "The Bush Administration's extraordinary renditions program involved kidnapping people and then engaging in wholesale violation of their procedural rights. Defending their negotiating position on procedural due process grounds lacks credibility." Mariner stated "this was a landmark effort to create a treaty requiring that enforced 'disappearances' be prosecuted. But the Bush Administration took positions designed to defend a program of enforced 'disappearances' from prosecution. This shows how isolated United States had become and how it had come to be motivated by defending an illegitimate policy, rather than making good international law." Former State Department Legal Advisor John Bellinger declined a request for comment. About Scott Horton Scott Horton is a contributing editor at Harper's Magazine, where he writes on law and national security issues, and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, where he teaches international private law and the law of armed conflict. A life-long human rights advocate, Scott served as counsel to Andrei Sakharov and Elena Bonner, among other activists in the former Soviet Union. He is a co-founder of the American University in Central Asia, where he currently serves as a trustee. Scott recently led a number of studies of issues associated with the conduct of the war on terror, including the introduction of highly coercive interrogation techniques and the program of extraordinary renditions for the New York City Bar Association, where he has chaired several committees, including, most recently, the Committee on International Law. He is also an associate of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University, a member of the board of the National Institute of Military Justice, Center on Law and Security of NYU Law School, the EurasiaGroup and the American Branch of the International Law Association and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He co-authored a recent study on legal accountability for private military contractors, Private Security Contractors at War. He appeared at an expert witness for the House Judiciary Committee three times in the past two years testifying on the legal status of private military contractors and the program of extraordinary renditions and also testified as an expert on renditions issue before an investigatory commission of the European Parliament. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Jay-Z Designs Arthur Ashe T-Shirt For Charity Top
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jay-Z has designed a T-shirt with an image of Arthur Ashe that will be sold during the U.S. Open to benefit charity. The shirt is part of the rap mogul's Rocawear clothing line and commemorates the USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning network's 40th anniversary. Ashe co-founded the NJTL network in 1969. Proceeds will benefit the NJTL and the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS. Ashe's widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, says she is "thrilled that someone of Jay-Z's stature would take part in this project." Ashe will be inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions on Sept. 10.
 
Rex Rammell: Joking About Hunting Obama Has Been Good For My Campaign Top
REXBURG, Idaho — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell says his remarks about buying hunting tags for President Barack Obama have been a boon to his campaign. The former elk rancher also blames Democrats and the media for overblowing his comment and being too defensive. Rammell tells the Rexburg Standard Journal that the problem with Democrats is they can't take a joke. But neither can some of Idaho's top Republicans. Last week, Idaho's Republican governor and congressional leaders condemned Rammell for his response at a political rally when someone shouted a question about "Obama tags" during a discussion about Idaho's wolf hunt. Rammell responded: "The Obama tags? We'd buy some of those." Rammell, who is seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination for 2010, has refused to apologize and says he was only joking.
 
Daley Defends Closing Public Streets For Oprah Top
Mayor Daley this morning defended the city's decision to close down a congested choke of North Michigan Avenue next week to let talk show diva Oprah Winfrey kick off her 24th season in style. More on Oprah
 
Dan Gould: Hyper-Efficient Refrigerator Uses Less Electricity than a Light Bulb Top
In a striking example of ingenuity, Australian inventor Tom Chalko has converted a deep freezer into an incredibly efficient refrigerator. Most fridges waste at least 30 kwh of energy a month - this usually occurs when the door is opened. Cold air trapped inside is heavier, and falls to the floor as the door is opened, leading to the empty space being filled with warm air. With Chalko's top-loading device, gravity keeps the cold air inside the fridge, even when the door is kept open. Compounding these incredible facts, the chest fridge only needs to run for about 90 seconds a day (using 100 watts of power) to maintain normal temperatures. That's as much power that a 100 w light bulb burns in one hour. This article originally appeared in PSFK . More on Energy
 
Sarah Newman: Time's Up for Dolphins in Taiji Top
There's a little town in Japan called Taiji which used to seem like an unremarkable place with Buddhist temples, a whale museum, fisherman and a verdant national park nestled around a small cove. It used to have a big secret too. Through the award-winning documentary, the Cove , the bloody secret of this town has been exposed to the world. Beginning September 1st through March 23,000 dolphins and porpoises are slaughtered. With the world watching,Taiji is now at the epicenter of an ongoing battle to and stop this horrible practice. The thousands of dolphins are routinely rounded up by fisherman and driven into the cove. There, they are chosen by dolphin trainers for a destitute life in a tank somewhere around the globe or a swim-with dolphin program. The so-called less appealing ones are chopped up and found neatly stacked in styrofoam trays in Japanese supermarkets (often mislabeled as whale meat). Most Japanese people are completely unaware of what is happening in Taiji. While Taiji might be thousands of miles away, there's much you can do right now to help stop this slaughter. 1. Send a letter to Obama Administration officials and the Japanese Ambassador to the US 2. Ask others to get involved. 3. As a tourist, think twice before you participate in a swim-with-dolphin program or visit a captive dolphin. There's a good chance such an animal could be from Taiji. 4. See the Cove! It's a beautiful, engaging, enthralling and fascinating film that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The secret is out. The slaughter has begun in Taiji. We can all take action now to shut the cove down. Sarah's Social Action Snapshot originally appeared on Takepart.com More on Japan
 
DePaul Journalism School Adds Twitter 101 Top
DePaul University will offer a journalism class this fall focused on Twitter. More on Twitter
 
Pavel Somov, Ph.D.: Reinvigorate Your Relationship With Mindful Eating Top
Mindfulness is being in the moment. As such, mindfulness is intimacy with what is. Intimacy - by definition - connects. After all, whatever our differences may be, we all share the same "now" - that is, if we are fully in it. If you and I sit down at a table, across from each other, with the same food in front of us, and you think about what happened yesterday while I plan my tomorrow, we are - for all intents and purposes - in different psychological places. But, if you and I put our respective preoccupations aside and focus on what's going on right in front of us - at the surface of the table, on the surface of our tongues - we are, in a manner of speaking, coordinating and aligning our minds to one and the same plane of existence. We are connecting. Whatever the status of your relationship, mindful eating can help you reconnect with each other or to deepen your connection. Mindful eating is an opportunity for the two of you to get out of your heads (where your differences ferment and smolder) and back into your bodies. Wherever you are in the history of your relationship, chances are this history began with shared sensory pastimes. There is a good chance that going out to eat, liking the same foods, and experimenting with exotic foods was part of your original romantic chemistry. So, before your break-up reaches a point of no return, why not sit down and reminisce on how you first broke bread? Sure, you've got issues. But you also have solutions. And some might be as simple as going back to some basic sensory pastimes the two of you had shared in common. Eating together takes you back to your original chemistry, to one of the pillars of your romance, to a time when you were in love... with everything! No need to light that candle or pour a glass of wine yet (unless, of course, you are at a place where your relational problems don't yet stand in the way of physical intimacy). Just sit down together, in a kind of gustatory zazen, share the basic intimacy of eating together. Eat mindfully. Fill your mind, not stomach. And, perhaps, re-fill your heart. Pavel Somov, Ph.D. is the author of Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time (New Harbinger, 2008) and of "Present Perfect: From Mindless Pursuit of What Should Be to Mindful Acceptance of What Is" (in press, New Harbinger Publications, in stores in July 2010). He is in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information visit www.eatingthemoment.com and sign up for Pavel Somov's monthly "Mindful-not-Mouthful" Newsletter More on Relationships
 
John Zogby: Obama Losing Support Among Democrats Top
While all the attention has been paid to angry opponents of health care reform at Congressional town hall meetings, a bigger problem for President Obama and his party is brewing among Democrats. Our latest Zogby Interactive poll of 4,518 likely voters (conducted from Aug. 28-31) found 48% disapprove of Obama's job performance, and 42% approve. The big story lies behind those top-line percentages. In a similar interactive poll done six weeks ago, 88% of Democrats approved of Obama's job performance. That percentage is now down to 75%, a significant drop of 13 points. Meanwhile, there is only slight change among Republicans and Independents. Obama has lost even more support among 18-29-year-old voters, whose approval fell by 18 points over that time. The Democrats may be able to count on older, die hard party members to come out and vote, even when they may be disappointed. But those young voters could very easily sour on the Democrats and politics itself if Obama does not deliver on his message of change. Health care isn't the only issue that is hurting Obama with his Democratic base. The war in Afghanistan is losing popularity, and his handling of detainees and the bank bailout may not be what many Democrats voted for. Obama still retains most of his personal popularity with Democrats, with 85% rating him favorably. However, partisans are less likely to continue to separate their opinions of the man from those of his policies than are less issue-oriented voters. Obama is now firmly between a rock and a hard place. Liberal Democrats want a strong health care reform bill with a public option. Republicans and more conservative Democrats disagree. Obama needs to enter the fray in a very public way, which may mean knocking heads with both wings of his own party. More on Afghanistan
 
Leydi Mendoza, Soldier Deployed To Iraq, Now Fights To Regain Custody Of Daughter Top
PATERSON, N.J. — A New Jersey National Guard soldier is trying to get custody of the daughter she left behind when she was deployed to Iraq for 10 months. Spc. Leydi (ly-DEE') Mendoza and the child's father, Daniel Llares, tried unsuccessfully to reach an agreement through mediation Tuesday. They're waiting to appear before a judge in Paterson. Both are seeking full custody of 2-year-old Elizabeth. Mendoza tells The New York Times she did everything she could think of to ease her longing for her daughter during the 10 months she was stationed in Iraq. Mendoza says Llares has only allowed her a few brief visits since she returned in May. His lawyer, Amy Lefkowitz, says Llares believes it is too disruptive for the baby to spend too much time with a mother she hardly knows.
 
Trish Kinney: The Marks on Us Top
It is a port wine stain, the mark that covers my right hand, arm, part of my chest and back. The trouble begins right away when they name your most prominent physical characteristic after a stain, the one commonly known as the most difficult to get out. It wasn't until I was sitting in a treatment room discussing my dreadful cancer diagnosis at age 42 that it was referred to as hemangioma, which doesn't sound like something you want any more than a stain. But it's what I got. When asked about it, I just say "it's a birthmark", usually explaining that it doesn't hurt as children so often fear. Children are the ones who usually have the nerve to ask. And when you are a child, fellow children can be the most cruel. My parents were really cool about it. They never tried to hide it, took me to Duke University to see if it was something we could get rid of, and when the Duke doctor advised against even trying, my parents accepted it and expected me to do the same. My Southern grandmother, Mammy, always said that it was God's mark on me, a result of my mother getting shocked by lightning while turning on a lamp during a terrible electrical storm when she was seven months pregnant with me, right there in Mammy's living room. That must be why I connected the stain to God. When I was just five years old, I stayed awake all night long in my bed, begging God to remove the stain before morning. If He gave it to me, He could certainly make it go away. After finally drifting off, I was crushed to wake up and find that it was still there. No miracle for me. But I wasn't mad at God. Just disappointed. I had made the effort, He decided against answering my prayer. I figured He knew what He was doing. My first experience with faith, but not the last. My father told me, as I struggled to understand why God had given me the stain, that He had a reason. He just never told me what that reason was, leaving me, over time, to figure it out for myself. To be honest, I'm not sure my father even had a theory for God's decision to stain me. I think he just couldn't come up with any other answer. I eventually did. Blessed with a dancer's body, and lucky enough to become a dancer, without my stain, my body would have attracted a different kind of attention. I would have chosen different clothing, more provocative most likely (although my husband tells me that when he first met me in college, my clothing was plenty provocative). But there was always the stain. It gave people a start, prevented them from seeing me as having the ideal body. It prevented me from treating my body as a sexual instrument and displaying it that way, which was the culture in my family. This difficult subject matter is the port wine stain of my book, Silver Platter Girl . Instead of being a proud first time published author, I have been sick with worry over what it would do to a handful of other people whose very personal stories are intertwined with my own, how my children would feel knowing certain things about their parents that no child should have to know, how it would affect my business, and whether it was the right thing to do. No, there has been no celebrating. But I figure that if someone has the nerve to tell, tell it all, every painful detail, then maybe we can desensitize our culture and we will no longer feel stained by what happened to us and by telling what happened to us. When I feel like I simply don't have the courage to go through with this, I remind myself that 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused and that a child is sexually abused every 2 minutes. 95% of those children know and trust their abuser. Only 25% of the cases are reported and 50% of the time, the child is returned to the alleged abuser's care. 1 in 10 homes are involved with some type of sexual abuse and it is a leading cause of teen prostitution and suicide. These statistics make my personal sacrifice seem small. And besides, I now know why God gave me the port wine stain. Just as I have claimed my birthmark by openly writing about it in my book and displaying it prominently on its cover, I have stopped being its victim. I have made it my own and wear it as my badge of honor, no longer hiding it. What used to be my stain is now my battle scar, proudly worn as a survivor. The marks on us are not always as prominent, symbolic and external as my birthmark. But we still have to claim them, use them to help us understand ourselves, and avoid allowing them to control us. After all, they are what make us who we are, remind us of where we have been, and become signs on the roadmap of where we want to go. This is what I am working on with my port wine stain. Hopefully one day, it may be cool to display your birthmark, like God's tattoo, just like that woman did who wrote a book about a silver platter.
 
Fortune 's Stanley Bing: While Rome burns... Top
I'm in LA today. Uh-huh. That's right. The air is a quiet, eerie yellow, and our entire office smells like nicely roasted marshmallows. Plumes of creepy smoke tower into the sky just a few miles from where I'm writing this right now. I have a meeting in about an hour. I plan to make it. That's how we function in this particular cornice of the world we call Business. On 9/11, I was with thousands of people in the streets as the world rearranged itself, and I watched the Twin Towers fall on the television in my office, surrounded by colleagues. Then we all went home for the day. And were back on 9/12, because, you know, we had meetings. I was here for the riots, too. We were sitting in a ground-floor conference room at the Four Seasons Hotel on Doheny. A guy came in and whispered in our CEO's ear. "We've got to clear out of here," he announced shortly thereafter. "There are riots downtown, and they're getting close." We could already smell the burning rubber. "Hey," said the President of Sales to me as I was collecting my stuff and preparing to head upstairs to relative safety. "A couple of us figure we can get nine holes in at Belair if we really hoof it. Wanna join us?" I declined, with thanks. I don't play much golf even in the best of conditions. I went up to the roof instead and watched the city burn alongside Harvey Keitel. We didn't speak. There was nothing much to say. The next day I flew out pretty much on schedule. There were citizens firing guns at departing aircraft, but I had to risk it. I had meetings in New York the following day. Today kind of feels like that. I could get out of town, I suppose, but I have things to do here and there are no explicit instructions to abandon this area of Los Angeles. True, I'm having a little trouble breathing, and my eyes are smarting. But sometimes you have to suck it up to get the job done. And if I take off now, what next? Am I going to get out of Dodge every time there's an earthquake, mudslide, flood, fire or man-made disaster? Follow Stanley Bing on Twitter at twitter.com/thebingblog.
 
The Real District 9: Cape Town's District Six Top
Science fiction has always provided the best metaphors for isolation and anomie, and District 9--the two-week-old box-office hit from South African director Neill Blomkamp about a population of alien "workers" from another planet whose ship crash-lands in Johannesburg--is no exception. The government confines the aliens to a quarantined neighborhood called District 9 for several years until, one day, there are too many of them and too little space; they have to be moved. Most of all, though, the film is a morality play: segregation hurts its architects as well as its victims. And, without giving anything away, the most salient fact about aliens isn't their difference, but their likeness. Yet District 9 isn't necessarily the metaphor everyone thinks it is. Of course it's about apartheid and segregation, but to South Africans it's also about Cape Town's now-defunct District Six, and the real-life slums that rose up when it was dismantled. More on South Africa
 
IRS Could Mine Mortgage To Catch Tax Cheats Top
WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service will expand a program designed to catch tax cheats that searches for inconsistencies between mortgage payments and income. More on Taxes
 
Miles J. Zaremski: Schakowsky Conducts Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Top
With grace and style, United States House of Representatives Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D-9th) conducted her town hall meeting in a Skokie, Illinois high school on August 31 (a northern suburb of Chicago). Perhaps the largest such gathering of its kind in the Chicagoland area held during the August recess, a packed audience of 1300 listened and then debated through their questions whether, and to what extent, health care reform, should come about. Another 600 or so remained outside because no more room was left to seat them. There were more cheers than jeers for her remarks that health care reform with a public option will be accomplished by year's end. She clearly recognized the need for reform, the need for all Americans to have access and be afforded health care together with health care insurance, and, in particular, that the public option cannot be a tool of compromise in order to obtain more regulation on the insurance industry that offers health care coverage. She clearly knew that eliminating the public option cannot be done in order to mandate that pre-existing conditions be eliminated; that there be no more caps on coverage; that there be a limit on out of pocket expenses; and that an insurer cannot rescind coverage after treatment is given. All such regulations place added exposure on the insurance industry and the only effective means to combat this is through higher insurance premiums. Without the public option there will be no check on such premium increases. She also was aware that bureaucrats get in the way of the doctor-patient relationship today . The Congresswoman was not "at the ready" when asked a question about a provision in the House bill about reporting requirements to the I.R.S. But she did show sincerity by trying to get at the page in the bill (she had all 1,000 pages+ at her side) that disputed what the questioner raised. As with all town hall meetings on health care reform throughout the nation last month, there was considerable passion and emotion shown through the questions asked, and the crowd's responses, both pro and con. There was much applauding of points, some booing, including when invoking the name of the late Senator Kennedy, heckling, and even standing ovations for items raised. Outside the hall, there were also advocates strongly supporting reform, but so, too, signs by opponents, including those depicting "Obamacare" with a Hitler-type mustache painted on a photo of our President - - - which comes about as close to breaching what the First Amendment is all about and what it is intended for as one could imagine. In the end, the balance for this debate stood on two competing notions: the ethical and moral obligation to ensure health care for every single American (one questioner declared it should be a right) with whether there remains trust in the federal government to craft a bill worthy of providing such relief in a believable way. Rep. Schakowski was quite articulate in trying to assure her audience that what she said will do no harm to Americans in her Congressional district and elsewhere, but emphasizing that the lies spewed forth about the reform bill by opponents and their supporters must stop. It was quite an evening, but one handled well by this Member of the Congress.
 
Alderman, Daley Pitch Conflicting Olympics Oversight Plans Top
With little more than a month until the International Olympics Committee decides whether Chicago will get the 2016 Summer Games, aldermen are unveiling new ordinances that they say would provide greater oversight should the city's bid prevail. More on Olympics
 
Thompson Lets A Supporter's Criticism Of Paterson Speak For Itself Top
Bill Thompson supporter and labor leader Stuart Appelbaum complained loudly that the governor and state Democratic Party weren't doing more to help out in this year's mayor's race. Appelbaum went as far as saying Paterson could lose (even more!) support because of his inaction.
 
Madonna Performs In Israel After 16 Years, Dines With Opposition Leader Top
TEL AVIV, Israel — Madonna was bringing her mix of provocative music and spirituality to the Holy Land with a concert Tuesday in front of 50,000 fans who have endured a 16-year wait since the pop icon's last gig in Israel. Madonna wraps up her worldwide "Sticky & Sweet" tour with two concerts this week in a country whose place at the heart of the Mideast conflict has made it more of a magnet for diplomats than big-name performers. The 51-year-old entertainer claims a special bond with the Jewish state. She's been dabbling in Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, for more than a decade and has taken on a Hebrew name, Esther. She's come on private pilgrimages in the past, and has visited the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall in Jerusalem since arriving in Israel on Sunday. Madonna will perform later Tuesday and again on Wednesday at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park, an outdoor site that holds about 50,000 people. Israeli radio stations played Madonna songs through the day Tuesday. On Israel's Army Radio, a DJ interrupted a song briefly to quip that "tonight, Aunt Esther is playing at Hayarkon Park." Late Monday, the pop diva dined with Israel's parliamentary opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, at Madonna's request, Livni spokesman Gil Messing said. Livni "was very impressed with Madonna and found her to be a very interesting person," said Messing, adding that the two decided to keep the content of their conversation private. Livni plans to attend one of Madonna's concerts, he said. Livni, who lost a bid for Israel's premiership in February, is a former peace negotiator and leading moderate. Her main political rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will receive Madonna at his Jerusalem residence on Friday. Madonna last performed in Israel in 1993 but came on private pilgrimages in 2004 and 2007 along with other Kabbalah devotees. Her previous two stops on the current tour, in Romania and Bulgaria, were marred by controversy. In Bulgaria, Orthodox Church officials accused the singer of showing disrespect for Christianity. In Romania, she was booed during her concert for criticizing widespread discrimination against eastern Europe's Gypsies, also known as Roma. In Israel, some rabbis have criticized her involvement in Kabbalah. Madonna was raised a Roman Catholic. She wrote in an article for an Israeli newspaper last month that the study of Kabbalah helped her understand life better. Jewish tradition holds that Kabbalah is so complicated and so easily misunderstood that students may only begin to approach it with a strong background in Jewish law and only after age 40. Still, Madonna's fans are happy she's in Israel. Her first show sold out quickly, and a second was added. After years of concerns over political tensions and violence, more world artists are performing to Israel. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney performed a year ago, but he drew criticism from Palestinians who said his concert amounted to support for Israel's occupation of the West Bank. David Brinn, a music critic for The Jerusalem Post, said Madonna's performances are a sign that Israel is becoming more attractive as a concert venue. The Pet Shop Boys played Israel in July, pop sensation Lady Gaga was here last month, the rock band Faith No More is playing Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, and the iconic songwriter Leonard Cohen is to perform later this month. "For a long time, it was security-related, and artists and managers didn't want to take a chance," he said of the dry spell in concerts. "They realized it is safe in comparison to other countries, and it is viable for artists to come here." (This version CORRECTS style of concert tour name Sticky & Sweet.) More on Israel
 
Josh Rosenblatt: It's Time for Barack Obama to Take a Lesson From Lyndon Johnson Top
My father died in December 2006. My only consolation is that it didn't happen two months earlier. Because by early November of that year, the Democrats had regained control of Congress, ending their six-year wandering in the wilderness and the country's six-year descent into madness and my Dad's six-year winter of discontent. Though no ideologue for the Left, my father hated the neo-conservative, evangelical wing of the Republican Party that took over Washington with George Bush in 2000 and flowered after 9/11. I used to spend hours on the phone listening to him grit his teeth while he tried to say the names Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, and Rove. He couldn't stand their arrogance, their superstitions, their jingoism, their doublespeak, or their disrespect for rational thought. On bad days, he was unable to tolerate their clothes or even their taste in music. But my father reserved his purest anger for the Democrats, who'd allowed themselves to get walked on for six years without raising so much as a peep to ask for mercy. Oh lord, how he would go on for hours over the phone or across a delicatessen table about the wobbly-kneed Left that had caved on the PATRIOT Act, the War in Iraq, and tax breaks on private jets for billionaires. So listening to him ramble joyously (and this was not a man given to doing anything joyously) that sweet election night in November was enough to bring tears to a son's eyes. By midnight the House had been called for the Democrats; by early the next afternoon, the Senate fell too. When the news came in, my Dad and I were delirious, as much from exhaustion as exaltation. Who could sleep on a night like that? It didn't hurt that my father's truest legacy, and the one he passed on to his son, was a desire and an ability to stay up later than anyone he knew. So, though I hated to see my father go, I'm glad he went when he did: right in that golden moment after the Democrats has regained power but before they started proving yet again that they have no idea what to do once they have it. Honestly, I don't know if my Dad could have handled the political season we've been living through this summer; this debacle, this slow death of American thought, rhetoric, and reason. The rise of Sarah Palin would have given him the shakes; the ascendancy of the Birthers and the Tea Baggers would have curled his toes and sent him into paroxysms of distemper; the asphyxiation of the Obama health care plan by ideologues carting around their lies about "death panels" and Nazi-ism from town hall to town hall would have laid him low. But in the end, Democratic capitulation would have been what did Joel Rosenblatt in, just as it's doing his son in. Somehow, to distort a phrase, our party always manages to snatch defeatism from the jaws of victory, and this time is no different. Even with right and reason on their side, even with a filibuster-proof majority on their side, the Democrats have again found a way to lay down and cower. Even as I type, Obama is considering taking the public insurance option off the table. This after ghoulish fear-mongering "forced" the Democrats to get rid of free end-of-life-counseling. This after Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley said, "We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma," yet remains the White House's point man in the Republican Party. Shouting "fire" in a movie theater will get you jail time; Grassley may just get an ambassadorship. So I ask you, as much for my father as myself: Where is Lyndon Johnson when you need him? Think of all that Johnson did to push forward a far more sweeping and complicated legislative agenda than health care in the mid-1960s, an agenda that would eventually bring the country the Civil Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, the NEA, PBS, the Kennedy Center, and the War on Poverty? Go here for an in-depth examination, but the short version is: Everything He Had To, from sweet-talking Congressmen to threatening legislative aides to cajoling religious leaders to playing on the decency of reporters (not an easy thing to do) to setting up task forces to doing interviews with any newspaper or TV station that would have him. Say what you will about LBJ, but he was incapable of being beaten around on an issue (except Vietnam, but who am I to nitpick?). We on the left could use a little of that spirit right now. We've got the majorities, so why not take them out for a spin? Where's that LBJ-like toughness we keep hearing our former Chicago-community-organizer-turned-president is possessed of? The problem is I worry that Obama would rather be liked than right, that he would rather win the approval of Congress than their votes. I hope I'm wrong about this, but over the last few weeks I've been feeling the presence of the old weak-kneed Ghost of the Democratic Party Recent Past. Just watch footage of Democratic Representatives trying to reason with constituents who think they're actually taking part in a political debate when they compare Obama to Stalin and Obamacare to the Final Solution. Johnson would have dressed these people down in public and then drank all the liquor in their cabinet. Today's Dems look like they're all searching for a back door they can slip out of. Thank God Barney Frank is alive and kicking, or I would have abandoned all hope already. I guess it's appropriate that it's Chuck Schumer (that tough Jew from the most Jewish of all cities who, as one of the architects of the Democrats' 2006 victory, decided that he was tired of getting kicked around by white Southern Gentiles claiming they alone were the possessors of true American values and patriotism. Jews had been hearing this forever - like blacks, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and women - and I imagine Schumer finally got fed up) coming once again to the rescue of the Democratic Party, saying on Meet the Press that when Congress reconvenes in September Democrats will consider pushing through a health care bill without the support or involvement of the Republicans. "We could get a public option that could be passed with the 60 Democratic votes we have," he said. "It's looking less and less likely that certainly the Republican leadership in the House and Senate will go for a bipartisan bill." This is the only reasonable approach to dealing with a party whose only goal is to stymie the president's agenda and who have gone so far off the intellectual deep-end in their quest that they may as well be speaking a different language. This way, not only do you get your law passed, but you regain the loyalty and respect of your constituents, most on whom spent the better part of the 2000s afraid to speak their party's name for fear of being kicked out of respectable establishments and who cheered the 2008 election as the end of their days of shame. Maybe, just maybe, Schumer will be the man to knock some sense into the party and its president and help it realize that when you've got power, the only person you have to blame if you fail to use it is yourself. Please, Chuck: Do it for my dear old Dad. I'm beggin' you. More on Health Care
 
New Amazing Female Beatboxer (VIDEO) Top
Check out this amazing youtube video of a young woman named Sophie beatboxing.
 
James M. Lynch: 1000 Journals and the Capacity for Hope Top
What can one person do to change the world? How about add inspiration, beauty and create a community at the same time? Not bad for "some guy," eh? A few years ago a friend handed me a partially finished journal and told me it was a collaborative journal being written by friends and strangers and, when completed, would be sent as a gift to a soldier in Iraq. My friend told me to add any image I'd like and then pass it back to him so he could get it to the next person, etc. until it was full of materials. Then the plan was that a journalist would sneak this book into Iraq and hand it over to the soldier. I loved the intrigue and am a part-time artist so I added a figure that I thought would be a positive image, a yellow "dancing man" figure with the words "live" and "dance" written over the top. I didn't know it at the time but I was becoming part of one of the biggest art projects I've ever seen. The real story behind the journal was that it was one of 1000 journals that an artist, known only as "Some Guy," had mailed, left or handed over in some form or another with the instructions: "Contribute something to the journal and then pass it on to someone else." One thousand journals made their way around the world, from hand to hand, sometimes randomly, sometimes, as in my case, friend to friend, and in at least one case, by mugging! One at a time in the summer of 2000 Some Guy distributed the journals, thinking if he sent enough of them that he was bound to get at least one back. Finally, in 2003, one journal was returned after a visit to 13 US states, Ireland and Brazil. By then the word had spread further than just the "underground" and people were asking friends for journals: Do you have one, have you seen one, where can I get my hands on one? The three people I know who'd contributed were contacted and scheduled to be interviewed by filmmaker Andrea Kreuzhage (we didn't make the final cut though in one montage you can see my contributed image), who was traveling the world to interview contributors to this project. The results, at least to date, are that 235 journals have been returned and the project isn't over yet. Articles have been written, new projects have grown from it and the movie has been released as a video, available at Amazon.com here . According to creator "Some Guy," the pages of the journals are filled with "amazing artwork, secret confessions, political rants and everything in between" and you can review the images on their home site: http://1000journals.com/ . So what do I love about it? Aside from the small footnote on my artist's resume that I'm in the project, I love the hope of it all. Here's a guy with a crazy idea, one that most people would say "that's crazy" to and yet he's done it and involved thousands, inspired millions and the project isn't over yet. The agenda was: here's a blank page, please fill it in, pass it on and return it to me. It's simple, straightforward, open and effective. Not to mention that I love ideas that change the world and create a greater connection and a deeper experience of this life we're living. I love the belief that each of us has in us a genius waiting for expression and a venue if we just look far enough within. I know that all the challenges we're facing right now are linked into this, what my wife and I were calling this "capacity for hope" that Some Guy exhibits when he dreams up a crazy project like this one and actually makes it happen! So, with no disrespect to the book of a similar title, I'm creating a project that, for now, is called The Capacity for Hope . It came about as my wife and I were taking a walk and discussing all of the crazy s@#t going on with our friends, neighbors and family lately: Divorces, foreclosures, bankruptcies and other issues, all in some way blamed on the economy or some other external force, but all of them creating real and, in many cases, frightening results. I'm offering a free ongoing seminar, starting in September, for a limited amount of people, to offer ideas on how to overcome the negative influences, to find and get support from others who are struggling and in general to take on creating a positive shift in the world around us. The seminar will be held in the Chicago area for now and we'll see how it grows organically before considering, like Some Guy, to release it virally throughout the world. It may seem crazy but it's no crazier than reading headlines, voicing an opinion and waiting for things to change because it's "been long enough." It's time to roll up our collective sleeves and get into action, not our elected representatives, not our business leaders, and the "others" we put expectations and hopes in when things are too big for us. It's time for US to do what we can and offer the skills that we have in the service of hope and I'm starting with this project, this capacity we all have to give, receive and live in hope (plus action). If you're in the Chicago area and are interested in attending this ongoing seminar, at no cost, contact me at James@Starofyourownlife.com with "Capacity Huffington Post" in the subject line. I'll have to limit the size of the class so don't wait too long, but I'll do my best to accommodate everyone who applies. "Some Guy" says on the back of the journal: "This is an experiment and you are part of it." This Guy says, "Ddon't wait for things to change when YOU can make them happen NOW."
 
Mike Nellis: VIDEO: Rep. Jenkins Laughs at Uninsured Single Mother, Son Top
Lynn Jenkins is really making a name for herself this past week. No, I'm not talking about her "great white hope" comments. I'm talking about her incredibly cold response to a 27-year-old single mother without health insurance. This polite woman, a full time waitress, falls just within the health insurance crack. Despite having a young son, she can't afford health insurance and doesn't qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP. As the AP wrote: "One was Elizabeth Smith, a 27-year-old Ottawa waitress who wanted to know what was wrong with a government-run plan for Americans who are currently uninsured. Smith's 2 1/2-year-old son, Jonah, sat on a nearby table, swinging his legs... ... Smith's son hasn't been to a doctor in 21 months , except for emergency room visits for ear infections, because she can't afford either insurance or a doctor's visit." Jenkins' response? A hardy laugh and the words "go be a grown up." This compassionless, bureaucratic exchange between Smith and Lynn Jenkins' was luckily caught on tape. The footage is incredible in its detachment from the dire situation that is our health insurance crisis. Here's the video: Here's the transcript: Elizabeth Smith : I'm a 27 year-old single mother. I work full-time. I do not have health insurance. My employer does not provide health insurance to me and I cannot afford it privately. Why shouldn't my government guarantee all of its citizens health care? Jenkins : Thank you. I'm sorry, maybe you missed my opening remarks, but absolutely. That's why we have Medicaid in the current system and that's why under the alternative proposal we have an option for low-to-modest-income people to be able to afford health care and then we've got the SCHIP program for children. I think we've got all of the bases covered. Audience member : She's not covered under SCHIP! Jenkins : OK, if you're not then you're the perfect example for why we need reform and why we need it now but we have to do it right and if we can do an alternative proposal, as I'm suggesting, give you the money to go buy it in a reformed marketplace where it is affordable, that's my preference rather than to saddle the nation with yet another government program when they can't afford the government run programs we have. Elizabeth Smith : I want an option that I can pay for. I work. I pay my bills. I'm not a burden on the state. I pay my taxes. So why can't I get an affordable option. Why are you against that? Jenkins : A government-run program (laugh) is going to subsidize not only yours (laugh) but everybody in this room. So I'm not sure what we're talking about here. Jenkins : I think it comes down to the whole discussion of... (The crowd erupts. At this point, it's safe to say even they aren't buying Jenkins position...) Lynn : OK folks. Let's be respectful. UH-OH (talking over crowd). We're gonna make time for everybody. We're gonna all listen to each other respectfully, even if we disagree. I think we can agree we need reforms, again it's just how we gonna do it. I believe people should be given the opportunity to take care of themselves with an advanceable tax credit to go be a grown-up and go buy the insurance. It's a shame that during this important debate Lynn Jenkins is so indifferent to the plight of those who need the most help. In fact, yesterday we also learned that Jenkins' hasn't even read the health reform bills being debated in Congress. The people of the Kansas Second Congressional deserve better. To be honest, Kansas deserves better. Help the KDP elect more Democrats and better elected officials! Make a donation today! More on Health Care
 
Christine Fee: 10 Natural Sleep Tips Top
We all want it. We all need it. But sleep can be hard to get--especially these days when high stress runs amok and there are more To Dos at the end of our day than time. No wonder the sleep-aid industry is so colossal. Despite the recession, prescriptions for major sleeping-pill brands rose 7% last year, and by next year, the pharmaceutical industry is predicted to reap at least $5 billion from annual sales of so-called hypnotics to help people sleep. Americans are an increasingly sleepless people; millions have trouble falling asleep, and many millions more have trouble staying asleep, especially women. The National Institute of Health says more than 70 million of us nationwide may be affected by sleep troubles. Sleep is the foundation and the most crucial component of overall good health. As a personal trainer and fitness instructor, I have had the privilege of helping people improve their lifestyle and get into shape with exercise, attention to diet, and having fun. In recent years, however, I have watched many clients--women especially--struggle with optimizing their health and wellness despite our efforts in these three areas. I have long believed that sleep plays a vital role in the maintenance of a strong, vibrant body, and realized while I was giving my clients overall wellness, I wasn't addressing the fourth and extremely important dimension of health: sleep. Sleep studies have proven that people who get less than four hours of sleep a night gain weight. Without proper sleep, the balance of the digestive hormones leptin and ghrelin is disturbed which causes an increase in overall appetite, increased hunger and a craving for calorie dense, high carb foods such as sweets and salty snacks. This is then compounded by a loss of energy and interest in exercising. The vicious cycle continues since lack of vigorous exercise leads to poor sleep quality. Without deep sleep your appearance will deteriorate in other ways (hello fine lines and dark under eye circles), your productivity level will decrease, and your sex drive will decline. You will be at risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke and depression. Many people turn to sleep medications instead of making behavioral changes. Sleep medications, even when approved and prescribed by a doctor are not meant to be taken more then four out of seven nights a week. Many individuals develop a dependency on pills, whether physical or psychological. That is the bad news. The good news is...you don't have to lose sleep over it! You CAN improve your "sleep hygiene." Better sleep hygiene leads to better sleep. Better sleep paves the way for weight loss, a more youthful appearance, renewed energy and even a better sex life! The 10 tips below are ALL NATURAL and require SIMPLE behavioral changes that anyone can do 1. Reduce Caffeine- Caffeine stays in your system for up to 12 hours, so if you like to go to bed at 10pm, have your cup of java before 10am. 2. Do NOT consume alcohol or nicotine before bed- Alcohol will put you to sleep, but wake you up several hours later after the alcohol has metabolized in your system. 3. Always finish vigorous exercise 5 hours before bed. Exercise raises your core body temperature. Its takes up to five hours for the temperature to drop in order to fall asleep. 4. Avoid heavy meals before bedtime. Heavy meals may cause heartburn and other digestive issues interfering with a good night's sleep. 5. Keep fluids to a minimum after 8PM. This prevents waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. 6. Avoid stress inducing activity prior to sleep- e.g. emails, voicemails, paying the bills or stress inducing television programs such as the news, etc. 7. Establish a bedtime routine- separate yourself from the activities of the day to allow your mind and body to prepare for sleep. A secure bedtime routine like you may have had as a child is conducive to sleep. 8. Write it down- Put worries, fears, and tomorrow's "To Do" list on paper and out of your head. Keep a notebook by your bed in case you wake up in the middle of the night with things on your mind. 9. Create a restful environment in your bedroom- keep your room cool, dark, quiet and clutter-free (no laptops, blackberries, cell phones, etc). If noise is an issue, use a "white" noise maker. 10. Utilize Relaxation techniques- light stretching, soothing music, aromatherapy oil, deep breathing, guided imagery, meditation. You can do any one or better yet a combination of these activities to release the stress of the day, relax your mind and prepare your body for sleep. Sleep experts highly recommend these stress relieving techniques because they work and because anyone can do them. In addition to the above must do tips, other sleep aiding activities include: taking a warm bath before bed, investing in a good mattress and pillow, cozy pajamas, and luxurious sheets. Give it a try! You owe it to yourself; you have nothing to lose, but pounds and wrinkles! Sweet Dreams. For information on my all inclusive Sleep Kit, Good Night Sleep Right ™ please visit www.christinefeewellness.com. More on Sleep
 
Reconciliation May Force A Public Option Too Liberal For Some Dems Top
As Senate leaders begin work on a Democrat-only health care bill, they're finding themselves confronted with an unexpected irony: Though the caucus has reached an uneasy consensus around a public option that's modeled in many ways after a private insurer, it may be necessary to make the public option more liberal, and thus, more politically radioactive, if it's to overcome a number of unique procedural hurdles.
 
Yoani Sanchez: The Bricklayer's Art And The Contours of Freedom Top
It is so easy to end up in prison, so short the road leading to a cell, we are all--potentially--convicts who pace the penitentiaries. A piece of beef bought in the black market, a couple sacks of cement purchased from an informal vendor, a piece of paper printed and distributed among a group of friends, or a furtive meeting to talk about the future, could lead us to these low-ceilinged prisons, concrete columns and photos of martyrs in the dining room. Freedom is usually considered an abstract concept, difficult to define or represent, a matter for philosophers; the prison, in contrast, is a thing of bricklayers, ironworkers and locksmiths. It is relatively easy to build a prison, what is hard is to outline the contours of freedom. Here are some photos of the walls surrounding the Canaleta prison, in Ciego de Avila. I have several friends there, mostly independent journalists imprisoned since the Black Spring of 2003. Some of them dictate by telephone to various bloggers--such as Claudia Cadelo , Ivan Garcia , Reinaldo Escobar and me--news that we post on the Internet. Which makes me think that there are no bars enclosing opinion and that cyberspace has the capability--also--to slip between the bricks and mortar of these dismal places. Yoani's blog, Generation Y , can be read here in English translation. More on Cuba
 
Jeff Antebi: The Afghanistan Election on the Ground Top
I left Afghanistan after the August 2009 presidential elections feeling like I had witnessed a sort of tribal theater of the absurd. The country was dominated by internal ethnic conflicts among the Pashtuns, Tajiks and Hazaras, to name a few. Every power in the region -- Pakistan, India, Iran, China and Russia -- greatly benefited from uncertainty in Afghanistan. So the thinly veiled chaos they created, usually by proxy, resulted in perfectly choreographed destabilization. Chaos was the only institution running efficiently in Afghanistan. An already charged landscape was tilted further towards the brink by a ubiquitous and brutal Taliban, a massive and unwieldy U.S. and NATO military presence, powerful drug cartels, and the warlords. Crippling paranoia was rampant for ordinary people in every Afghan province. Even before Afghans went to the polls, international observers voiced serious concerns that the elections had been rigged by the incumbent, President Hamid Karzai. It didn't help Karzai's credibility that the Brookings Institute and Transparency International had called his administration the fifth most corrupt government in the world (right up there with Somalia and Iraq). Many Afghans were uncomfortable with the fact that Karzai was in hoc with warlords, and equally as bad was the fact that his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, had himself come from one of the main warlord political parties. Given that the warlords were responsible for the murderous civil war that opened the door for the Taliban to sweep in and take control the country, this was not a small thing to be overlooked. For Afghans, just going to the polls was a daunting prospect, given the vicious and prevalent threats by the Taliban. Some who voted - despite threats of violence -- had their fingers cut off. In the tense days leading up to the election, I spent most of my time exploring neighborhoods in Kabul. Each day, fewer and fewer people were going outside their homes, until the city had become a ghost town. Each day, the Taliban's presence was felt more intensely than the previous day. Afghans are prone to extravagant rumors and conspiracy theories, which made it especially hard to get a clear read of things transpiring. My interpreter Haz (not his real name) mentioned that the Afghan National Army was desperately hunting down twenty suicide bombers that had reportedly made their way into Kabul and were in hiding until election day. That evening, someone from the UN, of all places, told me the same thing, but the number had become two hundred. The source of the rumor, as it turned out, was a Taliban boast. Conspiracies aside, there were suicide bombers in Kabul. Three days in a row, I arrived at scenes of bloody carnage within an hour of each happening. One was a standoff between counter-terrorism police and three Taliban insurgents inside a bank in the center of the city. It was such a non-event to Afghans so used to mayhem, my driver had asked me if I wanted to stop there or If I wanted to stick to my existing itinerary of candidate interviews. But once there, I realized his nonchalance was more of a face saving way to try and steer clear of the place. Every few minutes, he would walk over to me and move us farther from the scene or mention that it was going to go on for hours and we could come back later -- anything to convince me to leave. A cardinal rule with terrorist incidents is to avoid being near them during or after, because of the risk of another one occurring at the scene, a common tactic used to double the casualties. Someone in the crowd would have a bomb strapped to them, a passing car would explode, a sniper would be hiding nearby. In this instance, while waiting for a resolution, a small bomb went off nearby, most likely engineered to maim onlookers. Haz's fears were coming to life. After the siege ended, I went with police to a location where they displayed the bodies. One victim had set off a small explosive device that burned most of his face into a black, charred mask, the force of the blast also tearing his arm off at the fibula. Another of the three had a colorful orange shawl turned tourniquet tied around his leg at the femoral artery. I wondered if he had attempted to save his own life during the firefight or if the police had fruitlessly tried to keep him alive. The day before, I had been traveling on Jalabad Road. This stretch of highway is an important commercial roadway and because it's well traveled by Afghan and international forces, it's a popular location for Improvised Explosive Devices. Roadside bombings are commonplace and it is nerve wracking to be anywhere near military vehicles, as they are the usual targets. Virtually anyone -- in any vehicle -- traveling in Afghanistan on any given road or city may be an inadvertent collateral target. Armored military vehicles move quickly on these roads, frequently speeding up behind and next to civilian cars, putting those vehicles in the line of IED fire. Or, God forbid, you are caught in a traffic jam near a convoy of armored vehicles. You can only hold your breath. We drove off Jalabad Road to a nearby street soon after a serious suicide bombing had happened. Although things had calmed down from the initial turmoil, there was still mayhem underneath the surface. People milling about the wreckage. Several storefronts had been damaged. Completely destroyed cars clogged the small street, windows blown out, doors torn off, hoods missing, wires and hoses spilling out like organs. Some were positioned vertically on their sides. Some were being lifted away onto flatbed trucks. Some still had tatters of upholstery, but mostly the insides were obliterated metal wreckage. The street was littered with debris -- pieces of clothing, huge pools of water and oil, plastic bottles, orphaned car parts, scattered shards of glass, sandals, bumpers. Haz had a way of speaking that was less like giving me information and more like warnings and omens. "There's a box of body parts over there," he said in monotone, motioning to a wall. I walked over and watched as people pulled a cloth off the cardboard box. I was expecting to see distinct hands and feet, like parts of a disassembled mannequin. In reality, the contents were more reminiscent of an horrific Rorschach test of burned, swollen and discolored flesh, probably equal parts Afghan civilian, NATO soldier and Taliban insurgent. My interpreter usually immersed himself into crowds and listened for cues. While I didn't feel like the scene was an overtly dangerous one, Haz suddenly and very anxiously materialized next to me. He put his head close to mine and whispered faintly so no one would hear him speaking in English to me "Put your cameras in your bag. Follow me to the car right now please. Hide your cameras. Walk quickly." I knew I was conspicuous because of my cameras, but I didn't feel like all eyes were upon me. Some media were there with video cameras, which seemed to me made them bigger targets. As we picked up our pace towards the car, Haz continued to whisper, without looking at me "People in the crowd are talking about taking revenge on foreigners. It's going to be too dangerous here in a minute." We walked about 100 yards where our driver was waiting. As we pulled away, Haz finished his sentence. "Jeff. The crowd was talking about taking revenge and one of the men said 'I have a knife.'" The man had been staring at me. Photos at www.jeffantebi.com I can be followed at www.twitter.com/jeffantebi You can see my photos from the Afghanistan elections at www.jeffantebi.com More on Afghanistan
 
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Buys Koenig & Strey Real Estate Top
Billionaire investor Warren Buffet got a piece of Chicago this morning. Buffet's company, Berkshire Hathaway, today acquired Koenig & Strey Real Estate, which is based in Wilmette More on Warren Buffett
 
U.S. Tax Dollars Go To Diageo, Captain Morgan Rum Maker Top
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. With little fanfare, a deal is moving forward to direct billions in U.S. tax dollars to an unlikely beneficiary -- the giant British liquor producer that makes Captain Morgan rum.
 
Joan E. Dowlin: The Time Is Now for Kennedy Care Top
I was wrong. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog entitled, " Dr. Obama, Listen to Your Patient ," where I expressed my opinion that maybe now is not the time for health care reform. I felt that after two stimulus packages and a cap and trade bill that amounted to over two trillion dollars being added to the deficit , we, the American people, needed time to assess whether these new programs were going to work before tackling such a complicated issue as health care. I have since changed my mind. I have become convinced that our present inefficient medical care system has drained the economy and as President Obama has stated, is costing Americans far more than reforming health care will . Today the Philadelphia Inquirer stated: "Health-care costs account for 18 percent of GDP (gross domestic product), according to the president's Council of Economic Advisors, and are projected to rise to 34 percent by 2040." There have also been a lot of myths about Obama Care being perpetrated on the public as evidenced by comments at health care town hall meetings. The idea of "death panels" comprised of government bureaucrats deciding whether our elders or special needs children should live or die as espoused by former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin , the contention that Medicare will be denied to seniors , and the belief that citizens will not be able to keep their private insurance plan s are all untrue. The late Senator Edward M. Kennedy dedicated his life to the cause of quality health care for all. While he was receiving treatment for brain cancer, his strong presence was sorely missed in the Senate while the health care debate raged on this summer. He was a master negotiator who knew how to reach across the aisle to work out legislative deals. (Senator Kennedy authored at least 300 laws. ) I am hoping that Senator Ted Kennedy's recent death will create an impetus in Congress to finally pass health care reform. Watching Ted Kennedy's Memorial Service and Funeral I was quite moved by the touching tributes shared by his family, friends, and colleagues of all political persuasions. I had never realized what a caring and compassionate husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, and public servant he had been to so many people. I had the good fortune, along with my dad, of hearing him speak live at a local Democratic fund raiser in the spring of 2008. I was struck then by how down to earth he was; just a regular guy with no airs of self importance. My favorite tribute story was told by his son, Ted Jr . When at the age of twelve right after he had lost his leg to cancer and was adjusting to an artificial one, his father challenged him to go sledding. The hill was steep and icy and snowy. Teddy Jr. fell and cried, saying he couldn't do it. Ted Sr. lifted him in his arms and said: "I know you will do it. There's nothing you can't do. We are going to climb this hill together even if it takes all day." And they did and as young Teddy sled down on his father's back he knew that he had learned a valuable lesson. "Nothing is impossible." It's a lesson we need to learn about health care reform. Just as Bobby took on the cause of civil rights after his brother Jack (President John F. Kennedy) was slain , Teddy carried the torch of social justice passed on to him by both brothers after Bobby was shot. The youngest brother never gave up the fight. He turned countless family tragedies and personal failures into triumphs to become what President Obama has called "our greatest legislator." We must now move forward to pass Ted Kennedy's signature issue of his public life: universal health care. Tonight I opened a fortune cookie that read: "The smallest deed is better than the biggest intention." I thought of Teddy Kennedy when I read it. While his brothers gave us vision and hope, Ted's great accomplishments in the Senate brought us real and enduring change. Let us allow Ted Kennedy's indomitable, courageous, and passionate spirit to inspire us to reform an issue that affects every American. The time is now for Kennedy Universal Health Care! More on Civil Rights
 
Texting-While-Driving: Consumers Favor Texting-While-Driving Ban Top
About 80% of U.S. adults support laws banning text messaging while driving, according to a new survey from Nationwide Insurance. The survey, conducted in early August with 1,008 Americans, found solid majorities in favor of a texting ban even among drivers born between 1977 and 1988 (73%), the youngest demographic surveyed.
 
Chris Maloney: Tribune: Decline of a Media Giant Top
It was a warm and clear Tuesday morning on Jan. 9, 2001, in Scottsdale, Arizona as media executives and financial analysts poured into a conference room at the ultra-luxurious Fairmont Hotel. They were attending the 11th Annual Salomon Smith Barney Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference, a not-to-be-missed event for the industry's movers and shakers. The scheduled speaker was Tribune Vice President for Corporate Relations Ruthellyn Musil, who was happy to get away from the bitter cold of Chicago. Musil began her address by explaining how Tribune was well positioned for above average growth for years to come, thanks in large part to the company's recent $8.3 billion acquisition of Times Mirror. She highlighted Tribune's multimedia presence in markets across the country, the unlimited promise of its interactive media portfolio, and, most importantly, the company's strong balance sheet that included $6 billion in annual revenue, making Tribune the eighth-largest media company in the United States. After Musil's presentation, audience members were left with the impression that the future of the venerable Midwestern company was as bright as a desert sunrise. However, less than eight years later on Dec. 8, 2008, Tribune filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The 2001 "We're in great shape for the future!" Scottsdale speech could now be replaced with the 2009 "Do we even have a future?" speech. So, what happened? How did a healthy media giant that seemed poised to grow at the beginning of the decade, find itself on life support just a few years later? "The deterioration of Tribune is not unique," said Dave Novosel, an analyst with the Gimme Credit research firm in Chicago. "All newspaper publishers are struggling. There are two major reasons. One, the weak economy has caused advertising dollars to shrink. And two, there's a shift away from newsprint to Internet and other media." According to trade group Newspaper Association of America, the industry's advertising revenue was $38 billion in 2008 compared to $49.5 billion in 2007, a stunning 23 percent drop. To make matters worse, online ad sales - an area publishers expected to continue to grow - also declined from $3.2 billion in 2007 to $3 billion in 2008. Circulation numbers, which account for 15 percent to 30 percent of newspapers' revenue, dipped to 49 million in 2008, a 22 percent slide from 1990's peak of 63 million. And the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported that average daily circulation from October 2008 - March 2009 fell 7 percent from the same six-month period in 2007-2008. Global ratings agency Fitch expects there to be few if any two newspaper markets by the end of 2010 and anticipate more bankruptcies of entire companies in the coming quarters. But, unlike their competitors such as The New York Times Co., Gannet Co. and McClatchy Co., Tribune has an additional headache. "Not only is Tribune struggling operationally like everybody else, they also have the problem of being overleveraged. So, that combination caused the company to go into bankruptcy," Novosel said. Tribune has a crushing $13 billion debt load that is mainly the result of the company's $8.2 billion buyout in 2007 that was led by 67-year-old Chicago real estate billionaire Sam Zell. That deal took the company private and was financed primarily from high-interest borrowed money, which added to the $5 billion debt that was already on the books before the leveraged buyout. According to the bankruptcy filing, Tribune's assets total $7.6 billion and the company's revenue mix is 74 percent from publishing and 26 percent from broadcasting. Tribune's properties include 12 newspapers, with a total readership of about eight million people on weekdays and 11 million on Sundays; 23 TV stations that cover 35 percent of the U.S.; WGN America cable network that reaches 70 million U.S. households; WGN-AM Chicago radio station; Chicago magazine; 31 percent of the Food Network; 25 percent of Comcast Sports Network Chicago; the Chicago Cubs; and more than 50 Web sites that reach about 15 million unique monthly visitors. In theory, Tribune's vast multimedia holdings were supposed to act as a hedge against a downturn in any one area. However, this diverse portfolio strategy underestimated the power of the Internet and the potential for a "perfect storm" financial crisis that would affect all its business units. "Traditional media failed to realize the competitive challenge created by the Internet as it allows all media to compete directly and without any competitive advantage," said Lauren Rich Fine, a former media analyst at Merrill Lynch and now a Practitioner in Residence at Kent State University's College of Communication and Information. "Now there is excess supply of both news/entertainment content and ad space, which combined with slower demand, due to the economy, is spelling disaster." In the past, Tribune and several other media companies, simply cut costs to maintain their margins when they should have been more focused on how to preserve readership and promote growth in the midst of a digital media revolution. Fitch analyst Mike Simonton said Tribune not only should have been more active in buying or developing Internet media properties 10 years ago, but they also should have made more partnership deals with other newspapers, online aggregators and technology companies. "All newspapers did a poor job of partnering and investing in technology, not that the purchase prices were necessarily justified," Simonton said. "But the two management teams that seemed to be the most sophisticated about Web metrics and strategies were Dow Jones and The New York Times. Both had made major digital acquisitions - MarketWatch.com and About.com. Needing to explain these investments to investors helped them understand the business and its different nuances." So, what can Tribune do to get back on its feet? "I don't know if it's possible," said Gimme Credit analyst Novosel. "How do you turn around the operations? The most logical solution is to go to the Internet because that's where everything else has gone. But, the competition on the Web is so much more intense. And how do you monetize it? "Also, Tribune's opportunities are limited because they are in bankruptcy court," Novosel continued. "In contrast, Gannet, which is also suffering from the same problems - declining revenue, declining margins, and declining advertising - went into the downturn with a very strong balance sheet. And so Gannet has options right now, such as strategic acquisitions, that are not available to Tribune and other companies that overleveraged themselves." Although Tribune owner Zell said the goal of the bankruptcy proceeding is to maintain and preserve as much value as possible, another more drastic strategy for Tribune might be to shed some assets to lower its debt. "Tribune's thought process before the bankruptcy was selling assets would be a last resort," Novosel said. "However, it is a strong consideration now. The dilemma they have though is the market for those assets, such as the Food Network (worth $500 million - $1 billion for Tribune's 31 percent stake) and other non-core properties have declined along with their other media holdings. The market is not strong. So, do you want to be selling in a weak market?" Also, tighter credit has slowed all media transactions and was a major reason for the delay in Tribune's $845 million sale of the Cubs, Wrigley Field and its 25 percent stake in Comcast Sports Network Chicago to the Ricketts family. Even seen-it-all businessman Zell, worth an estimated $6 billion, admits he did not realize how bad things were at Tribune when he took over the company in December, 2007. "By definition, if you bought something and it's now worth a great deal less, you made a mistake," Zell said during an April interview with Bloomberg Television. "And I'm more than willing to say that I made a mistake. I was too optimistic in terms of the newspaper's ability to preserve its position." On May 28 the top executives of the major newspaper companies including The New York Times, Gannett, E. W. Scripps, Advance Publications, McClatchy, Hearst Newspapers and the Associated Press, held a "secret" meeting in Chicago to discuss the future of their industry. The conclave, which calls to mind the covert gathering of the five families in The Godfather, was centered on the theme "Models to Monetize Content." It's too early to tell what impact that meeting will have on the industry, but, ironically, on the same day more than 2,000 miles away in Carlsbad, Calif., News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch said during an interview with the Fox Business Network that the days of free news online were "going to stop" and that newspapers are going to have to start charging readers for content on the Web. "You're going to have to pay for your favorite newspaper on the Web," said Murdoch, whose media empire includes The Wall Street Journal , the New York Post and The Times of London . "I think it's two or three years away before they get introduced in a big way and then it will probably take 10 years or 15 years for the public to swing over." Murdoch reinforced his feelings during an earnings conference call on August 6. "Quality journalism is not cheap," Murdoch said. "The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free. We intend to charge for all our news websites." The transition to an online subscription model would be welcome news to Zell, who compared the current state of the newspaper business to a disease when asked about the possibility of a merger. "That's like asking someone in another business if they want to get vaccinated with a live virus," Zell said. "The answer is I don't think there's a long list of people who want to buy newspaper companies today, and for sure, it's not likely to be the case until we reach some kind of a new bottom as to what the newspaper's role is going to be in our society going forward." Currently, Tribune and its biggest creditors, which include JPMorgan Chase and Merrill Lynch, are trying to develop a workable plan to restructure Tribune's financial obligations. The negotiations could last until the end of 2009 and at that time, it's expected the lenders will gain control of the company in a debt-for-equity swap that could pave the way for Zell's exit. "The creditors are calling the shots," said Douglas Baird, a corporate reorganization specialist at the University of Chicago Law School. "If JPMorgan Chase feels the best way to maximize the value of the asset is to find new management, then that's the strategy it will pursue." When Tribune resurfaces from bankruptcy, probably around the spring of 2010, some analysts estimate the company's value will be around $4 billion, a mere 25 percent of what the company was worth at the beginning of the decade when its market capitalization peaked near $16 billion. Tribune's 2008 revenue was $4.3 billion, a staggering 25 percent drop from 2001. And its 2001 ranking as the eighth-largest media company has plummeted to 17. Fitch analyst Simonton believes Tribune and other major content providers need to maximize their strength in local markets if they are going to last. "Media companies that can create unique content franchises that consumers in their local markets will seek out are most likely to survive," Simonton said. "These media companies will need to develop and defend this content without incurring significant costs. In fact, they will need to be much leaner in order to survive and compete with online-only rivals." Assuming Tribune is still around in 10 years, what might the company look like? "Tribune may only operate newspaper properties in an online form," Simonton said. "They will likely only employ 10 percent to 30 percent of their current newspaper newsroom staff. Its broadcast stations may do better, but it's possible that the CW network, with which Tribune's stations are affiliated, could be defunct by then. In that case, they'd be running independent stations in major markets and be dependent on syndicated programming for much of their content. "We expect that the media business will continue to be very competitive in local markets and that certain players like Tribune could be squeezed out by healthier, more nimble rivals that either have lower cost structures - online only - or lower debt loads." So, after the ink dries on this turbulent period for the 162-year-old media giant, will it be remembered as a time when Tribune was like a T-Rex dinosaur desperately trying to survive after the asteroid hit the planet? Or will the era be remembered as a time when Tribune began to evolve into a fast-paced, innovative media company that combined creativity with technology to produce content that was a vital part of daily life? Only time will tell. More on The Recession
 
Lefty Groups Raise $60,000 -- In One Day -- For Ad Attacking Grassley Top
Here's the latest sign that the public option, and the specter of GOP obstructionism, remain powerful motivators of the liberal base: Two progressive groups have raised nearly $60,000 in less than 24 hours for a new ad attacking Chuck Grassley for opposing the public option.
 
Richard Walden: Swine Flu and Britain's "Socialized" Approach Top
Wanna have a good cry all you Blue Cross/BlueShield/Aetna/Metlife/Unihealth or medically uninsured people? Take a look at Britain's National Health Service website. Not only can you download 55 coherent pages on just Swine Flu symptoms and treatment, but the site itself is called "NHS Choices." It's full of simple, direct, taxpayer-funded ways to maintain good health and help you when you and yours fall ill, all at no charge beyond being a citizen and paying your fair share of taxes. My nonprofit employer pays $2700 a month for my family after shopping around the above-mentioned insurance companies before deciding that Blue Shield made the most sense -- but not cents. For just $33,000 a year from my employer, my wife, my 12 year old autistic son and my still-ticking 63 year-old body, "enjoy" the best of modern medicine for only an additional $20,000 out of pocket -- and that's without dental insurance! Blue Shield and all the rest are aping the banks and charging the maximum while paying out the minimum. Tamiflu is free from the National Health Service in the UK as is the doctor visit and, if need be, your hospitalization. Here, Blue Shield let's you have just 10 Tamiflu pills every 6 months with a $40 co-pay at Walgreen's. If you want more, you can pay $121 to Walgreen's and they will fill your prescription without troubling Blue Shield for an exception to their invented rules. Since Tamiflu is only effective within 48 hours of the onset of any flu, do try and not get sick on a holiday or your physician's golfing day! By the time Blue Shield makes an exception "just for you" [I get that all the time from them because I'm not only a health lawyer but California's former Commissioner of Hospitals and don't fart around when need be]. Need Speech therapy for your autistic kid? Well, you can use their "network" therapists if you dare or have the patience to look high and low for the right match -- or you can find out who in town is regarded as the best for your child's diagnosis and pay $175 an hour -- "Out of Network" -- that little rule means you pay 30% of what Blue Shield (and to be fair, the rest of them) considers a reasonable fee. For West Los Angeles, that means $73 per hour not $175, and they cheerfully send me a reimbursement check (I have to pay upon receipt of each out of network service). Somehow, the 30% co-payment by me of Blue Shield's "discounted fee" of $73 always manages to come out not at $21.90 but $36 (insurance has its own way of calculating!). So, many weeks after laying out $175, I get a check for $37. The Developmental Pediatrician skilled in autism charges over $200 a visit and the Blue Shield people do nearly an identical calculation as they do with the speech therapist. I get about $35 for that visit, weeks later. Have I mentioned the $500 outpatient care deductibles for each of us? Or, the $500 pharmacy deductibles for each of us? Or, the uncovered services which somehow always equal 2/3 of whatever billing codes our doctors provide us on our bill for having paid up front. Uncovered services for Autism are nearly All services unless you go to an inventive provider like UCLA Medical Center which has "Day Hospitalizations" for your autistic kid, at which he gets what most people would deem services he could get in a doctor's office, schoolroom or gym but, being under the hospital roof, "look" medical not behavioral in nature. We have a single payer: it's me! More on Health Care
 

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