Road to recovery Newsletter - May 30, 2009

“Global stocks rose again on Friday, capping their longest winning streak since the start of the financial crisis, as news from Japan and India raised hopes that the global recession might be nearing an end.” David Oakley in London, Mure Dickie in Tokyo and Amy Kazmin in New Delhi.

Recovery hopes lift global stocks - Longest winning streak since crisis By David Oakley in London, Mure Dickie in Tokyo and Amy Kazmin in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 19:45 | Last updated: May 29 2009 22:21 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9725adce-4c7c-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

US hopes of ‘green shoots’ lift confidence - House prices remain in free-fall By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 15:18 | Last updated: May 26 2009 15:18. US consumer confidence has surged to its highest level since September last year, giving stock markets a fillip on both sides of the Atlantic. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01e7bf52-49fe-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

India’s GDP grows faster than expected By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 06:49 | Last updated: May 29 2009 13:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5cbe61a2-4c14-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

Opec bets on recovery to boost price By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 08:31 | Last updated: May 28 2009 18:06. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries delivered on Thursday its most optimistic message about the global economy and the oil market since the start of the financial crisis last summer triggered a precipitous fall in prices from a record $150 a barrel to $30. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7c3b46ee-4b56-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Recovery not as easy as U, V, W - If I consult my shorthand notebook I find that the economic rebound will be ‘bank-shaped By Gillian Tett. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 20:09 | Last updated: May 28 2009 20:09. Are you expecting a “V” shaped recovery this summer? Or do you anticipate a scenario more like a “U” or a “W”? That is the question I have been asked repeatedly this month, as the debate about “green shoots” roars on. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/303ab4a8-4bb2-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone economic sentiment improves By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt and Bertrand Benoit in Berlin. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 11:02 | Last updated: May 28 2009 11:55. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7e58f14-4b6a-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html


International

N Korea stages nuclear test - Security Council to meet. By Christian Oliver in Seoul, Fiona Harvey in Copenhagen, and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 25 2009 04:13 | Last updated: May 25 2009 11:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e61fdbee-48d9-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial:The Test Ban Treaty. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. Nearly 17 years ago, after more than 1,000 explosions, the United States conducted its last underground nuclear test. President George H. W. Bush, following Russia and France, announced a voluntary moratorium and the other major nuclear powers — Britain and China — made the same pledge with more or less enthusiasm. Since then, 180 countries have signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25mon1.html?th&emc=th

Financial Times Editorial Comment: De-fang Pyongyang. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 19:57 | Last updated: May 26 2009 19:57. The nuclear club is getting less exclusive by the day. Admittedly, North Korea is not a fully paid-up member yet. In spite of its Hiroshima-sized blast this week, it has not yet demonstrated it can make a warhead sufficiently small to mount on a long-range missile. But that day cannot be far off. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a5b221f8-4a22-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

US weighs options to tackle N Korea - Obama expected to push for tough UN action By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 18:48 | Last updated: May 26 2009 18:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/16fb8932-4a1c-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

In Defiance, North Korea Is Said to Test More Missiles By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/world/asia/27korea.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

North Korea Threatens Military Strikes on South By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/world/asia/28korea.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

South Korea and U.S. Raise Military Alert Level By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/asia/29korea.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Gates signals tougher approach to N Korea - US will hold Pyongyang ‘fully accountable’ for nuclear programme By Demetri Sevastopulo in Singapore. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 30 2009 12:46 | Last updated: May 30 2009 12:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f2f170ba-4d0e-11de-b475-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone inflation falls to zero By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 11:16 | Last updated: May 29 2009 11:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f432a184-4c36-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html


China

China stuck in ‘dollar trap’ - Purchases of US bonds at record high By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 23:30 | Last updated: May 24 2009 23:30. China’s official foreign exchange manager is still buying record amounts of US government bonds, in spite of Beijing’s increasingly vocal fear of a dollar collapse, according to officials and analysts. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5b47c8f8-488c-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html


Mess-o-potamia

Iran blocks Facebook as election looms By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Isfahan. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 20:23 | Last updated: May 24 2009 20:23. Iran has blocked access to Facebook after thousands of young supporters of Mir- Hossein Moussavi, a leading presidential hopeful, began using the social networking internet site to promote his campaign. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d583c956-488b-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

Iran Said to Execute Three Over Mosque Bombing. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: May 30, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/05/30/world/news-us-iran-explosion.html?ref=global-home

US military chief hints at softer Iran stance - 3-year timeframe envisaged on bomb By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 20:23 | Last updated: May 24 2009 20:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6877b51a-4896-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

For Displaced Iraqis, 'No Life' - Camp Residents in Kurdish No Man's Land Are Left Without Aid By Nada Bakri. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/23/AR2009052301786.html?hpid=topnews

Fate of Iraqis Gone Missing Haunts Those Left Behind By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and SUADAD AL-SALHY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. During the worst of Iraq’s sectarian violence three years ago, Anam Diham’s 13-year-old son went out to buy vegetables one afternoon. He never returned. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/world/middleeast/25missing.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

U.S. Soldier and 11 Iraqis Die in Attacks By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/world/middleeast/30iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Fatal blast rocks Pakistan’s second city - Suicide attack in Lahore kills at least 35 By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 07:18 | Last updated: May 27 2009 12:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a059bf2-4a85-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Fresh bomb attacks strike Peshawar By Farhan Bokhari in Peshawar and news agencies. Published: May 28 2009 09:02 | Last updated: May 28 2009 16:31. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0f37a024-4b5b-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Israel clears outposts after US pressure By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem and Reuters in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 03:00 | Last updated: May 28 2009 08:15 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67890704-4b1f-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Israel defies US demand on settlements By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 19:17 | Last updated: May 29 2009 00:28. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/17086516-4bb2-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Pushes Israel On Settlement Issue - Palestinians Also Urged to Boost Security By Glenn Kessler. Copyright by The Washington Post
Friday, May 29, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803771.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

National

Sotomayor nominated for Supreme Court - Obama picks first Hispanic nominee By Andrew Ward and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 14:16 | Last updated: May 26 2009 17:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ac79c4a-49f6-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Hails Sotomayor as ‘Inspiring’ By PETER BAKER and JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/politics/27court.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

For Sotomayor, Humble Beginnings to High Court Pick By Keith B. Richburg. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 2:32 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052600914.html?hpid=topnews

New York Times Editorial: The New Justice. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. President Obama seems to have made an inspired choice in picking Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. She has an impressive judicial record, a stellar academic background and a compelling life story. Judge Sotomayor would also be a trailblazing figure in the mold of Thurgood Marshall, becoming the first member of the nation’s large and growing but still under-represented Hispanic population to serve on the court. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/opinion/27wed1.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: The President's Pick. Kudos, and some questions, for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009. THERE IS MUCH to admire in the achievements of Sonia Sotomayor, the New York judge tapped by President Obama to fill a Supreme Court vacancy created by the impending retirement of Justice David H. Souter. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602846.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obama sidesteps the culture wars. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 19:22 | Last updated: May 27 2009 19:22. The extent to which the US relies on its courts to settle the most contested questions – segregation, abortion and the rights of individuals against the state – means that Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination marks a defining moment for his presidency. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ab5858e-4ae7-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Sotomayor's life story matters. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 27, 2009. The extent to which the US relies on its courts to settle the most contested questions – segregation, abortion and the rights of individuals against the state – means that Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination marks a defining moment for his presidency. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1593299,CST-EDT-edit27b.article

Some Republicans rebuke Limbaugh, Gingrich on Sotomayor criticism - Accusations that the Latina Supreme Court nominee is racist can only hurt the party, say GOP members who advocate a more civil debate. By Janet Hook. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-sotomayor30-2009may30,0,442813.story

Right goes berserk over Judge Sonia By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009. Are they serious? It is hilarious to see how quickly the same folks who accuse liberals of shouting “racist” too much jump -- Leap! -- at any chance to return the disfavor. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/05/right-goes-berserk-over-judge-sonia.html

Sotomayor’s Focus on Race Issues May Be Hurdle By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/us/politics/30affirm.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Alito: Have to Consider Life Experiences when Ruling Cases http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNfyZWnQVnQ


GOP Bashing

Guantánamo Closing Hands Republicans a Wedge Issue By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. If there was one thing both presidential candidates agreed on last fall, it was the need to close the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. But almost as soon as President Obama took office and ordered the camp shuttered within a year, Congressional Republicans — including his former opponent, Senator John McCain of Arizona — saw a singular political opportunity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/us/politics/24gitmo.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Analysis: Powell flap gets GOP to ask 'What kind of party are we?' By John Helton. Copyright by CNN News. May 26, 2009. Colin Powell stirred up the Republican Party's very public internal debate about the direction of the party and asserted it's losing because it doesn't appeal to moderates like him. The Republican Party is losing "men, woman, white, blacks and Hispanics," says Colin Powell. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/25/colin.powell.moderate.voice/index.html

Still a Republican, Powell Urges Party to Become More Inclusive By Karen DeYoung. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009; 12:59 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052400863.html?hpid=topnews

How Is Cheney Wrong? Let Me Count the Ways By Ruth Marcus. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009; 5:52 PM. Some people think we're paying too much attention to former Vice President Dick Cheney. I think we may be paying too little. As bracing as last week's Obama-Cheney face-off was, the inevitable focus was on the current president, not the former vice. And for those of us who are relieved he's out of office, there's a tendency to treat Cheney with "there he goes again" ennui. Yet Cheney's speech at the American Enterprise Institute was so chockfull of faulty arguments and rank misrepresentations that it's worth taking the time to review them, in their multiple incarnations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/27/AR2009052702961.html

SNL's Dick Cheney: 'A legacy to protect' http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/snls_dick_cheney_a_legacy_to_p.html

New York Times Editorial: KBR Does It Again. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Far from suffering for its shoddy military contracting in Iraq, Congressional investigators have found that KBR Inc. was awarded $83 million in performance bonuses. Even worse, more than half came after Pentagon investigators linked faulty KBR wiring to the electrocution of four soldiers intent on relaxation. One soldier died taking a shower and another in a swimming pool. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/opinion/24sun3.html?ref=global

Chicagoland

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Why isn't Quinn fighting as ethics reforms die? Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 28, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1595902,CST-EDT-edit28a.article

I'm a reformer . . . get me out of here! BY CAROL MARIN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 24, 2009. Prime time producers at NBC are missing the boat. They should be camped out in Springfield next week, home of the Illinois Legislature, plotting their next pilot. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1588368,CST-EDT-carol24.article

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Sure, stick it to Blago, but pass reform first. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 26, 2009. Good to know our boys and girls in Springfield can spring into action when it counts. Look no further than the bill the state Legislature passed last week to go after any money disgraced former Gov. Blagojevich makes from his notoriety if he's convicted. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1590816,CST-EDT-edit26a.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial - No tax hike before reform. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 29, 2009. Chicago Democrats who run the Illinois legislature evidently know they're heading down a bad road. Their attempt to engineer a huge income tax increase, even as they fuss and fume over citizens' demands for a reformed political culture, has marooned them. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0529edit1may29,0,7102322.story

Kennedy ups the stakes in Senate race BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 25, 2009. The price of poker in the 2010 Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate primary just went up. Chris Kennedy's anticipated jump into the fray has seriously raised the ante. Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' $1.1 million piggy bank won't come close to covering the table stakes. Roland Burris, the current Senate seat holder, has stashed away $845, according to his most recent quarterly report. That won't even cover another line on his tombstone. Unfortunately for Burris, his ego dwarfs his bank account. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1589802,CST-EDT-laura25.article

Burris-Blagojevich Ties Come to Life in Transcript By MONICA DAVEY and KAREN ANN CULLOTTA. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. A transcript of a secretly recorded telephone call released on Tuesday revealed the degree to which Roland W. Burris aggressively and openly pursued an appointment to the United States Senate with those close to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, who went on to appoint Mr. Burris last year before he was removed from the job. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/politics/27burris.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Ending 'pay to play'. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 29, 2009. With so many important anti-corruption reforms faltering in Springfield, you may have missed one that didn't. That would be a sweeping overhaul of the state's purchasing system, the heart of corrupt pay-to-play politics. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0529edit2may29,0,7495539.story

Ald. Carothers, developer accused of corruption By Jeff Coen. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 3:17 PM. Isaac Carothers (29th), a staunch ally of Mayor Richard Daley, was indicted today on charges he accepted about $40,000 in improvements to his residence as well as meals and tickets to sporting events in exchange for backing a major project by a developer. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/us-indictment-of-elected-official-expected.html?track=email-alert-breakingnews

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Demand city end political hiring. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 26, 2009. For four years, a federal monitor has overseen the City of Chicago's hiring practices, dutifully reporting significant good news and far too much bad news. Her most recent report, in March, accused the city of backsliding in its efforts to reform its practices. Clout, she suggested, still influences a supposedly clout-free hiring process http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1590817,CST-EDT-edit26b.article

Chicago parking meltdown: Malfunctioning machines send drivers, ticket writers and lease firm officials scrambling - Parking box meltdown sends motorists, cops and leasing company into scramble mode By Dan Mihalopoulos and Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-parking-meters-broken-28may28,0,4070412.story

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Throw out U. of I.'s clout admission list. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 30, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1599184,CST-EDT-edit31.article

Feds investigate city pension investments in firm tied to Daley nephew By Dan Mihalopoulos and Steve Mills. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-daley-nephew-pension-30may30,0,5092601.story

Medical marijuana pilot gets OK from state Senate By Monique Garcia and Rick Pearson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-illinois-medical-marijuana-2may28,0,3378342.story


Your Lack of Money

Exploding debt threatens America - S&P’s sovereign rating outlook for the UK is also a wake-up call for a US government with spiralling borrowings By John Taylor. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 20:48 | Last updated: May 26 2009 20:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71520770-4a2c-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

US economy contracts by 5.7% - Corporate profits surge in first quarter By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 14:20 | Last updated: May 29 2009 14:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c50aaf66-4c48-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

GM and Magna reach deal on Opel - Germany to provide financial backing By Bertrand Benoit in Berlin and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 15:49 | Last updated: May 30 2009 10:34 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6efc6ae6-4c5d-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

New G.M. Plan Gets Support From Key Bondholders By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/business/29auto.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Toyota knocked as suppliers’ top customer - Car parts makers pressed to lower prices By Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 25 2009 03:38 | Last updated: May 25 2009 03:38. Toyota is no longer the darling of North American car parts makers, according to an annual survey of relations between vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/740b9064-4886-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

Visteon files for bankruptcy protection - Former Ford supplier goes into Chapter 11 By John Reed, Motor Industry Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 07:19 | Last updated: May 28 2009 07:19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd756ca0-4b4e-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Southwest to let small pets fly in cabin for $75 - Southwest also plans to outfit its airport terminals with areas where animals can relieve themselves. By Julie Johsson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:39 AM CDT, May 29, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-southwest-airlines-pets-fly-for-75-may29,0,5143062.story

UK rules help Virgin Atlantic profit By Kevin Done and Philip Stafford. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 09:19 | Last updated: May 26 2009 20:41. Virgin Atlantic, the UK long-haul airline controlled by Sir Richard Branson, said its pre-tax profits had almost doubled last year – but the results were helped by its status as a private company and the rules under which it reports its accounts. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c1d79142-49c8-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

U.S. Weighs Single Agency to Regulate Banking Industry - Plan Is Key Facet of Sweeping Overhaul By Binyamin Appelbaum and Zachary A. Goldfarb. Copyright by The Washington Post . Thursday, May 28, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/27/AR2009052703654.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Saudi minister sees oil demand rising - Naimi: world can cope with $75-$80 oil By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 09:02 | Last updated: May 27 2009 11:33. Global oil demand is picking up, supported by higher consumption in China, driving oil prices higher, Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, said on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Opec meeting in Vienna. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0327ac08-4a92-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Rise in taxes on US petrol ‘not feasible’ - US energy secretary alters stance on fuel policy By Carola Hoyos, Fiona Harvey and Clive Cookson in London. Published: May 27 2009 22:29 | Last updated: May 28 2009 00:44. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Steven Chu, US secretary of energy, on Wednesday said that it would not be politically feasible for the country to lower its reliance on oil by raising petrol prices to Europe’s levels through higher taxes or regulation. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f4df87e-4b02-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Oil prices hit six-month high - On course for biggest monthly gain in 10 years By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 11:35 | Last updated: May 29 2009 11:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/052adb00-4c37-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html



Housing

Job Losses Push Safer Mortgages to Foreclosure By PETER S. GOODMAN and JACK HEALY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. As job losses rise, growing numbers of American homeowners with once solid credit are falling behind on their mortgages, amplifying a wave of foreclosures. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/business/economy/25foreclose.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

New home sales and prices tick up in April - US jobless claims ease while durable goods orders rise By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 14:30 | Last updated: May 28 2009 16:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff5053f2-4b7f-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Mortgage rates spike on higher yields on Treasuries By Michael Oneal. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 9:47 AM CDT, May 28, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mortgage-rates-may28,0,148534.story

Amid Housing Bust, Phoenix Begins a New Frenzy By DAVID STREITFELD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Every weekday morning, Lou Jarvis drives the sun-baked suburban streets looking for investment gold: a family that will lose its house in a foreclosure auction within a few hours. If the property looks promising, Mr. Jarvis puts in a bid on behalf of any of his dozens of clients eager to become landlords. When he wins, he offers to let the family stay in the house and rent for much less than their mortgage payment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/business/24phoenix.html?th&emc=th


GLBT

La Cage aux Democrats By FRANK RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. THE most potent word in our new president’s lexicon — change — has been heard much less since his inspiring campaign gave way to the hard realities of governing. But on Tuesday night, the irresistible Obama brand made an unexpected and pointed cameo appearance on America’s most popular television show, “American Idol.” In the talent competition’s climactic faceoff, the song picked for one of the two finalists, Adam Lambert, was Sam Cooke’s soul classic, “A Change Is Gonna Come.” This is increasingly the live-and-let-live society we inhabit — particularly younger America. In a Times/CBS News poll in April, 57 percent of those under 40 supported same-sex marriage. The approval figure for all ages (42 percent) has nearly doubled in just five years. On Tuesday the California Supreme Court will render its opinion on that state’s pox on gay marriage, Proposition 8. Since Prop 8 passed last fall, four states have legalized gay marriage and New Hampshire is about to. This rapid change has been greeted not by a backlash, but by a national shrug — just as a seemingly gay “American Idol” victory most likely would have been. And yet the changes aren’t coming as fast as many gay Americans would like, and as our Bill of Rights would demand. Especially in Washington. Despite Barack Obama’s pledges as a candidate and president, there is no discernible movement on repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy or the Defense of Marriage Act. Both seem more cruelly discriminatory by the day. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/opinion/24rich.html?th&emc=th

California Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Same-Sex Marriage By JOHN SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/27marriage.html?ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: A Setback for Equality Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. The California Supreme Court got it terribly wrong Tuesday. It upheld Proposition 8, a state constitutional change on last fall’s ballot intended to prohibit marriage by couples of the same sex. In addition to denying basic fairness to gay people, the court’s 6-to-1 ruling sets an unfortunate legal precedent that could allow the existing rights of any targeted minority to be diminished using the Election Day initiative process. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/opinion/27wed2.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: Proposition 8 Stands. California's highest court rules that the voters have the right to be wrong. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009. THE JUDGES of the California Supreme Court ruled yesterday that they can be overruled by the people of their state. That's the import of their 6 to 1 decision upholding Proposition 8, which bars same-sex marriage. They're probably right on the law, but the outcome is wrong as a matter of fairness, and our guess is that the people of California will reconsider before too long. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602800.html

After California ruling, will more states favor same-sex marriage? By Ed Hornick. Copyright by CNN News. May 26, 2009. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While California's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a ban on same-sex marriages that voters voters passed in November, the fight will undoubtedly go forward. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/26/same.sex.states/index.html

Bush v. Gore Foes Join to Fight Gay Marriage Ban By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — The David and Ted show is back in business. Eight and a half years after their epic partisan battle over the fate of the 2000 presidential election, the lawyers David Boies and Theodore B. Olson appeared on the same team on Wednesday as co-counsel in a federal lawsuit that has nothing to do with hanging chads, butterfly ballots or Electoral College votes. Their mutual goal: overturning Proposition 8, California’s freshly affirmed ban on same-sex marriage. It is a fight that jolted many gay rights advocates — and irritated more than a few — but that Mr. Boies and Mr. Olson said was important enough to, temporarily at least, set aside their political differences. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/28marriage.html?th&emc=th

Diplomats’ Same-Sex Partners to Get Benefits By MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. WASHINGTON — The State Department will offer equal benefits and protections to same-sex partners of American diplomats, according to an internal memorandum Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent last week to an association of gay and lesbian Foreign Service officers. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/us/24benefit.html?th&emc=th

LGBTs upset over possible new alderman by Andrew Davis. Copyright by Windy City Times. 2009-05-27. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/05/lgbts-upset-over-possible-new-alderman.html




Law

Spain's Judges Cross Borders In Rights Cases - High-Ranking U.S. Officials Among Targets of Inquiries By Craig Whitlock. Copyright by The Washington Post Sunday, May 24, 2009. MADRID -- Spanish judges are boldly declaring their authority to prosecute high-ranking government officials in the United States, China and Israel, among other places, delighting human rights activists but enraging officials in the countries they target and triggering a political backlash in a nation uncomfortable acting as the world's conscience. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/23/AR2009052301795.html?hpid=topnews




Religion

Religious heritage no bar to civil unions BY MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 24, 2009. As the Illinois Legislature debates a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions, H.B. 2234, one anxiety often expressed is that the passage of this bill would insult our religious heritage -- signaling the triumph of secular thought, and the sexual revolution, over Judeo-Christian values. How should defenders of the bill respond to this argument? First, it's important to recognize that this is not an issue where religion is on one side, secular thought on another. Religions in America are deeply divided over same-sex unions. My own denomination, Reform Judaism, strongly supports same-sex marriage, as do Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism, Unitarian Universalism and a number of smaller denominations. http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1588531,CST-EDT-open24.article



Technical

New York Times Editorial: Protecting Electronic Data. Copyright by New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. In 2005, ChoicePoint, a data broker, gave access to personal information about more than 140,000 people to criminals posing as businesspeople. Since that widely publicized security breach, many states have passed laws protecting consumer information, but Congress still has not come through. Now, the House is considering a bill to require greater security for personal data. Consumers deserve this sort of protection. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25mon2.html?th&emc=th

Obama responds to cyber threat - New post to co-ordinate plans By Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 19:43 | Last updated: May 30 2009 00:12. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/510b7792-4c7c-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Revolutionbook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 19:11 | Last updated: May 27 2009 19:11. American schoolchildren still learn “Paul Revere’s Ride”: a piece of dramatic verse recounting the silversmith’s crucial mission at the start of the American War of Independence. Poets writing about future freedom fighters may need to find a word that rhymes with “Facebook”. Iran has reversed a ban, imposed last week, on the social networking site, now a rallying point for opposition supporters. The internet is starting to change politics, even in closed societies. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2352fa28-4ae7-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Facebook gets $200m from Russian group By David Gelles in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 18:01 | Last updated: May 26 2009 18:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e18721a0-4a14-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

Microsoft and Google face off over innovation - Battle for search engine market By Richard Waters in San Francisco and Joseph Menn in Carlsbad, California. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 21:41 | Last updated: May 28 2009 21:41 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9acf4ff2-4bc3-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Microsoft’s Search for a Name Ends With a Bing By MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/technology/internet/29bing.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Dell, Its Quarterly Earnings Down 63%, Predicts Recovery By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/technology/companies/29dell.html?th&emc=th

Time Warner to spin off AOL by year-end - Curtain falls on disastrous merger By Kenneth Li Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 13:44 | Last updated: May 28 2009 17:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/787039f2-4b83-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html


Medical

Where Life’s Start Is a Deadly Risk By DENISE GRADY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Death in Birth - Preventable Losses. More than half a million women a year die during pregnancy and in childbirth, largely from problems that can be treated or prevented. This is the first of three articles on efforts to lower the death rate in one African country, Tanzania. BEREGA, Tanzania — The young woman had already been in labor for two days by the time she reached the hospital here. Now two lives were at risk, and there was no choice but to operate and take the baby right away. LEFT BEHIND A father holds his baby after his wife died in childbirth in Moshi. “Too many die, too young,” said a doctor worried about maternal deaths. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/health/24birth.html?th&emc=th



Other

Prince Harry, in His Mother’s Footsteps By RALPH BLUMENTHAL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/nyregion/30prince.html?th&emc=th


Humor

Jay Leno says good night to late night - Last show monologue thanks all who made the last 17 years possible -- Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton ... By Greg Braxton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0530-jay-lenomay30,0,2972333.story

This Cat? Man, He Scratches A Powerful Itch By Garance Franke-Ruta. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009. Iman Crosson thought he had plenty of time. His spoof video of a rapping Barack Obama was all taped and he just needed to finish the editing, which he planned to wrap up on election night while the votes were being counted. There was just one little glitch. The TV networks called the election at 8 p.m. PST, catching Crosson unprepared. Watching in his Santa Barbara, Calif., apartment, the 27-year-old performer had to scramble. He wanted to post his video as soon as the election was called. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104709.html?hpid=topnews

T.I.- Whatever You Like SPOOF! (OBAMA- Whatever I Like) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0

T.I. Dead and Gone SPOOF- Barack Obama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVaiIvcav64

Beyoncé - Single Ladies SPOOF (Barack Obama) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqI12R8YNU

Jimmy Kimmel Live / Jimmy Plays a Clip of Jewish Jets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvY98WQ5n9g

HOLY FIRE http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/05/holy-fire.html


New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com  
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation

We tortured to justify war Newsletter - May 23, 2009

We tortured to justify war Newsletter - May 23, 2009

“The single most pertinent question that Dick Cheney is never asked -- at least not by the admiring interviewers he has encountered so far -- is whether he, Donald Rumsfeld, and George W. Bush used torture to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq. As he tours television studios, radio stations and conservative think tanks, the former vice-president hopes to persuade America that only waterboarding kept us safe for seven years.” Joe Conason

We tortured to justify war - Dick Cheney keeps saying "enhanced interrogation" was used to stop imminent attacks, but evidence is mounting that the real reason was to invent evidence linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida. Yet evidence is mounting that under Cheney’s direction, "enhanced interrogation" was not used exclusively to prevent imminent acts of terror or collect actionable intelligence -- the aims that he constantly emphasizes -- but to invent evidence that would link al-Qaida with Saddam Hussein and connect the late Iraqi dictator to the 9/11 attacks. By Joe Conason. Copyright by Salon.com. May 18, 2009 http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/05/14/cheney/

Cheney, Master of Pain By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 16, 2009. Dick Cheney has done many dastardly things. But presiding over policies so saturnine that they ended up putting the liberal speaker from San Francisco on the hot seat about torture may be one of his proudest achievements. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/opinion/17dowd.html?th&emc=th

22 Percent And Out Of Ideas By Harold Meyerson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009. The dizzying downward spiral of the Republican Party continues apace. Yesterday, the Pew Research Center released a survey showing that the percentage of Americans who answer to the name Republican is down to 22 percent -- about as low as a party can go in a two-party system. Also yesterday, former vice president Dick Cheney delivered a prolonged defense of "enhanced interrogation techniques" even as President Obama, speaking alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at the National Archives, repudiated torture and spelled out the toll that the torture tactics used by the Bush-Cheney administration inflicted on America's standing in the world. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052103759.html

Steele, but No Magnet By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 20, 2009. It's not yet clear how the one-armed-midget demographic is shaping up, but everybody else seems to be bailing on the GOP. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/19/AR2009051902839.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Obama vs Cheney: A (Polling) Mismatch from the Start By Chris Cillizza. Copyright by the Washington Post. May 21, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/white-house/obama-vs-cheney-a-polling-mism.html?hpid=topnews

Cheney Grabs a Third Term By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. Dick and Rummy are at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, holding court. The maître d’ fawns. Waiters hover. Tourists snap pics on their digital cameras. Cable chatterers stop by to ingratiate themselves. It isn’t so much that Dick and Rummy are back. It’s that they never left. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/opinion/20dowd.html?th&emc=th

Cheney Lost to Bush By DAVID BROOKS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22brooks.html?th&emc=th

Ridge disagrees with Cheney By Alexander Mooney. Copyright by CNN News. May 22, 2009 Posted: 03:52 PM ET http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/22/ridge-i-disagree-with-cheney/

Olbermann Calls Dick Cheney 'As Insane As Any Terrorists http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/05/22/olbermann-calls-cheney-insane-any-terrorist

Cheney Seeks Book Deal on Bush Years and More By JIM RUTENBERG and MOTOKO RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/politics/23cheney.html?th&emc=th


International

Russia and US restart nuclear arsenal talks - May provide breakthrough in effort to ‘reset’ relations By Charles Clover and Isabel Gorst in Moscow and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 11:39 | Last updated: May 19 2009 17:53 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/561d8f26-445d-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

German investor confidence at 3-year high By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 11:06 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c54e16c0-445a-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

BoJ upgrades economic prospects- Export hopes fuel upbeat tone By Mure Dickie in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 12:36 | Last updated: May 22 2009 16:24. The Bank of Japan upgraded its assessment of the world’s second largest economy for the first time in nearly three years on Friday, saying exports and production were beginning to bottom out and the effects of state stimulus spending should soon begin to kick in. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a62e50a-46c4-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Japan’s economy shrinks record 4% - Green shoots persist despite GDP slump By Mure Dickie in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 02:25 | Last updated: May 20 2009 04:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c98f367e-44dc-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

Rebels Routed in Sri Lanka After 25 Years of War By SOMINI SENGUPTA and SETH MYDANS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 17, 2009. The ethnic Tamil separatist rebels of Sri Lanka, one of the world’s most feared and enduring guerrilla movements, acknowledged Sunday that their war of more than a quarter-century for a homeland had “reached its bitter end.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/world/asia/18lanka.html?th&emc=th



China

The China Puzzle By DAVID LEONHARDT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009. On Timothy Geithner’s first day as a Dartmouth freshman, while he was walking across campus on his way to register for classes in the fall of 1979, he heard a man speaking Thai — swearing in Thai, to be precise — from a balcony. Geithner found this amusing, because only a couple of months before, he left his home in Thailand, where his father worked for the Ford Foundation, to move to Hanover, N.H. So he stopped to talk to the man, who turned out to be David Keenan, a Chinese teacher at Dartmouth. The two quickly realized that they had a lot in common; among other things they attended the same schools, about a decade apart, in Bangkok and Delhi. (The cause of Keenan’s swearing, alas, has been lost to history.) Having established a rapport, Keenan then decided to do a little salesmanship. He urged Geithner to take Chinese, the only Asian language that Dartmouth offered at the time. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/magazine/17china-t.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

China calls on rich countries to cut emissions By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 11:11 | Last updated: May 21 2009 11:11. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7a79142-45ee-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

China tempts consumers with discounts By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Patti Waldmeir in Shanghai. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 13:27 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:26. China is offering consumers a 10 per cent subsidy for buying new television sets, washing machines, air conditioners and computers, in a sign that Beijing remains wary over the prospects of an economic rebound. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28e1a20e-4462-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

Beijing Auto signals Opel interest - Chinese carmaker faces three rival bids By John Reed in London and Patti Waldmeir in Shanghai. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 11:42 | Last updated: May 22 2009 11:42. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6d918216-46ba-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html


Mess-o-potamia

World Watches for U.S. Shift on Mideast By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 16, 2009. Five weeks ago, President Obama stood before the Turkish legislature in Ankara and said many Americans had Muslims in their families or had lived in a Muslim-majority country. “I know,” he said, “because I am one of them.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/us/politics/17prexy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Obama Tells Netanyahu He Has an Iran Timetable By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/world/middleeast/19prexy.html?th&emc=th

Iran ‘launches advanced missile’ - 2,000km range likely to rouse more concern in west © Reuters Limited. May 20, 2009. TEHRAN, May 20 - Iran successfully launched a surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles) on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3fe7fd4e-451c-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Iraq Bombings Shatter Lull By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and ATHEER KAKAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html?ref=global-home


National

Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Obama's War? No. Like it or not, it's America's war. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051601844.html

Washington Post Editorial: The Bounds of War - President Obama sketches a legal framework that's been absent since the Sept. 11 attacks.. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052103483.html

New York Times Editorial: The Real Path to Security. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22fri1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Advocacy Groups Seek Disbarment of Ex-Bush Administration Lawyers By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/us/19detain.html?th&emc=th

Blow for Obama plan to close Guantánamo By Andrew Ward and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 00:40 | Last updated: May 21 2009 00:40 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f097f7e-4595-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Detainees May Go to U.S., Obama Says By DAVID STOUT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/us/politics/22obama.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Sting operation foils New York terror plot By Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 06:33 | Last updated: May 21 2009 06:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30eee4aa-45c7-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Police Say Suspects in N.Y. Bomb Plot Acted Alone By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ and SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/nyregion/22terror.html?ref=global-home

NY terror suspects to appear in court By Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 16:20 | Last updated: May 21 2009 16:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bcaa08a8-4617-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

New York times Editorial: Equal Pay for Women Denied, Again. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 20, 2009. The Supreme Court keeps finding ways to deny women equal pay and benefits. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/opinion/21thu3.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Obama Set to Approve New Rules for Credit Cards By Nancy Trejos and Debbi Wilgoren. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009; 10:10 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/22/AR2009052200430.html?hpid=topnews

California voters strike down tax measures - Defeat of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bid to curb deficit By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 20:19 | Last updated: May 20 2009 07:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/352d96b2-44a8-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html



Chicagoland

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Tell them, Governor. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 19, 2009. If only the governor of Illinois understood that he needs to stop letting himself be buffeted by the mighty power-turbines of Springfield that desperately want to survive this legislative session intact. When he ought to be setting this state's agenda by urging its people to talk with their legislators, Pat Quinn instead . . . reacts. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0519edit1may19,0,56311.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - State polls all talk, no action on reform. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 22, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1586269,CST-EDT-edit22a.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial - You call this reform? Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 22, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0522edit1may22,0,3468772.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial - How it works. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 22, 2009. It's crunch time in Springfield, that special season when good intentions fall by the wayside and late starters burst onto the scene and streak across the finish line. Anything can happen. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0522edit2may22,0,3861989.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Loving Stroger's tax. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 20, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0520edit1may20,0,1895904.story

Cook County sales tax hike to stay in place as commissioners fail to override Stroger's veto Posted by Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 19, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/05/stroger-tax-vote-today.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Stroger has failed to lead. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 20, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1581773,CST-EDT-edit20b.article

Veto Stands, but can Stroger? - Cook County doesn't kill tax hike, so issue lives for campaign By Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 20, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cook-county-tax-vote-20-may20,0,2075514.story

Time for Preckwinkle to finish off Stroger BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 18, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1578812,CST-EDT-laura18.article


Your Lack of Money

Wider Confidence Lifts Economy From Winter's Deep, Dark Freeze By Neil Irwin and David Cho. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, May 21, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052003816.html?hpid=topnews

Lowe’s optimistic on US economy By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 18 2009 14:03 | Last updated: May 18 2009 16:07 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfdfd1de-43aa-11de-a9be-00144feabdc0.html

Home Depot quarterly sales down 9.7% - Customers are ‘still under pressure’ By Jonathan Birchall and Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 13:19 | Last updated: May 19 2009 15:28 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/34d15472-446e-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

New US weekly jobless claims ease By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 14:31 | Last updated: May 21 2009 14:31 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f520eefe-4608-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Surprise profit launches Sears shares. Copyright by The Associated Press. 9:40 AM CDT, May 22, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sears-earnings-credit-line-may21,0,5227146.story

US banks scramble to repay bail-out cash - Five or six lenders to be allowed priority By Francesco Guerrera in New York and Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 18 2009 22:25 | Last updated: May 19 2009 00:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d8557f30-43ef-11de-a9be-00144feabdc0.html

Citigroup looks to slash tech costs - Integration could save more than $1bn By Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 22:53 | Last updated: May 21 2009 23:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24808782-462b-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Lloyds plans £4bn share placing By Lina Saigol, George Parker and Peter Thal Larsen. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 17 2009 12:50 | Last updated: May 18 2009 14:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a47aef4-42cf-11de-b793-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: So Far So Good. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009. Less than three weeks after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection, it looks as if the Obama administration will pull off its goal of completing the carmaker’s restructuring by June, allowing it to emerge as a smaller, more viable contender in the global auto market. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/opinion/18mon1.html?th&emc=th

G.M. and Union Reach Deal on Contract Changes By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/business/22auto.html?hp

BA plunges to record £401m loss - Airline scraps dividend By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 08:22 | Last updated: May 22 2009 15:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4abb7680-46a0-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Deere quarterly profits fall by 38% - Weak construction spending saps sales By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 13:39 | Last updated: May 20 2009 15:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cdc9519a-4539-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Private equity consortium wins BankUnited auction - Largest US bank failure this year By Henny Sender in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 23:16 | Last updated: May 22 2009 00:24 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d53fe756-4654-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Shell investors reject pay plans - 59.4% of shareholders vote against remuneration report By Michael Steen in The Hague. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 15:31 | Last updated: May 19 2009 15:31. Shareholders voted against approving the executive pay policies of Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday, giving the energy company a clear signal it had not done enough to address remuneration concerns that dominated proceedings at its annual meeting for a second year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/682182cc-4480-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

Dollar hits five-month low - Fears mount over US debt By Peter Garnham. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 10:56 | Last updated: May 22 2009 17:03 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cdecffaa-46b0-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Gold jewellery demand sinks as slump bites - Investment flows boost overall demand By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 11:36 | Last updated: May 20 2009 17:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b69a3bf4-4522-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html


Housing

US housing starts plunge to record low - New home construction falls by 12.8% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 14:07 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ec2895e-4474-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

COMING OUT A WINNER WHEN SELLING YOUR HOUSE by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. May 21-27, 2009 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml

Mortgage rates tick up; 30-year at 5.24% By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:54 AM CDT, May 21, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-mortgage-rates-may21,0,6666585.story


GLBT

Gay-Marriage Issue Awaits Court Pick - Same-Sex Unions Supplant Abortion As Social Priority for Conservatives By Shailagh Murray. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009. As President Obama prepares to name his first Supreme Court justice, conservatives in Washington are making clear that his nominee will face plenty of questions during the confirmation process on the legal underpinnings of same-sex marriage. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051602363.html?hpid=topnews

Gay marriage caught fire after NH House reversal By Norma Love. Copyright by The Associated Press. May 20, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3502

Gay Marriage Slow to Draw an Opposition in N.Y. By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. ALBANY — Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn was feeling distressed. The State Assembly had just voted to legalize same-sex marriage, after gay rights groups flooded the Legislature with visits, phone calls and e-mail messages. Where, he wanted to know, was the other side? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/nyregion/20marriage.html?th&emc=th

Views: Gay rights after Obama's first 100 days by Carlos T. Mock, M.D. Copyright by Windy City Times. 2009-05-20 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21224

May 20, 2009: Gay Marriage Is Bad for Small Business http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=228028&title=Gay-Marriage-Is-Bad-for-Small-Business

How 'Idol' invigorated dialogue on gay issues By Joe Garofoli. Copyright by The San Francisco Chronicle. May 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-0521-idol-lambertmay21,0,4703923.story

Midlife Crisis #263: St. Sukie the Anti-Christ By St. Sukie de la Croix. Copyright by Chicago Free Press. May 20, 2009. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3518

Outrage-Trailer Opening in a theater near you! http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=81773679505&h=3Zsow&u=xI7Db&ref=mf



Environment

New York Times Editorial: The Earth Wins One. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. The nationwide automobile mileage and emissions standards announced by President Obama on Tuesday represent a huge step forward in the effort to limit greenhouse gases and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. They also represent a departure from the Bush administration’s indifference on these issues and an important down payment on Mr. Obama’s pledge to fashion an aggressive and imaginative energy policy http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/opinion/20weds1.html?th&emc=th

Obama to Toughen Rules on Emissions and Mileage By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19emissions.html?th&emc=th



Religion

Who Is a Real Catholic? By David Gibson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009. All you need to know to diagnose the state of the Catholic Church in America today is that Pope Benedict XVI -- who has a knack for ticking off Muslims and Jews -- spent the past week wandering the Middle East, yet Catholics here barely noticed. They were too busy fighting over Barack Obama's appearance as commencement speaker at Notre Dame or arguing about the fate of a popular Miami priest known as "Father Oprah," who was caught on camera sharing a seaside embrace with his girlfriend. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051501390.html

At Notre Dame, Obama Calls for Civil Tone in Abortion Debate By PETER BAKER and SUSAN SAULNY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/us/politics/18obama.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

He Came, He Spoke, He Conquered - THIS CATHOLIC'S VIEW By Thomas J. Reese, S.J. Copyright by The Washington Post. MAY 17, 2009; 5:15 PM ET. President Obama's reception at Notre Dame showed once again that a new generation of Americans, including Catholics, is looking for a different kind of leader, not one who speaks down to his audience, demands strict loyalty and demonizes opponents, but one who addresses complexity with honesty, acknowledges disagreements and tries to bring people together for the common good. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/05/he_came_he_spoke_he_conquered.html?hpid=talkbox1

Report Details Abuses in Irish Church-Run Reformatories By SHARON OTTERMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 20, 2009. A commission investigating child abuse in Ireland’s Roman Catholic-run state orphanages, reformatories and schools released a scathing report on Wednesday, documenting widespread physical, sexual and emotional abuse of thousands of children over 60 years. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/world/europe/21ireland.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Dan Brown’s America By ROSS DOUTHAT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009. The movie treatment of his novel, “Angels and Demons,” is cleaning up at the box office this week. The sequel to “The DaVinci Code,” due out in November, might buoy the publishing industry through the recession. And if you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/opinion/19douthat.html?th&emc=th


Technical

A Book Grab by Google - A court could give the search-engine giant a frightening monopoly. By Brewster Kahle. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 19, 2009. A court in the Southern District of New York will soon make a decision that could determine our digital future. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/18/AR2009051802637.html

New Mood in Antitrust May Target Google By STEVE LOHR and MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/companies/18antitrust.html?th&emc=th

The Race to Provide Wi-Fi at 30,000 Feety By JOE SHARKEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19road.html?th&emc=th

Cellphone Makers Hope for a Blockbuster Summer By MATT RICHTEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/18phone.html?th&emc=th

Palm’s New Smartphone Goes on Sale on June 6. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: May 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/technology/companies/20palm.html?th&emc=th


Medical

Chicago Free Press Editorial: We’re all adults here. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. May 20, 2009. President Obama last week announced that Dr. Thomas Frieden will be leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frieden, who for seven years has headed up New York City’s health department for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has received both accolades and criticism for how he gets things done. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3510

US health reforms focus on cost control - Interview with budget chief Peter Orszag By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 00:05 | Last updated: May 22 2009 00:05. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7c5e714-4639-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Access to flu vaccine ‘will fall short’ - WHO warns of global shortage By Andrew Jack in London and Frances Williams in Geneva. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 14:11 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3a27003a-446d-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

First Death for Washington Assisted-Suicide Law By WILLIAM YARDLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/23suicide.html?_r=1&th&emc=th



Other

47 million years old and still dazzling - The most complete primate fossil ever found is unveiled with fanfare at a New York museum. Researchers say it could be a missing link in human evolution. By Thomas H. Maugh II and Tina Susman. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-sci-primate20-2009may20,0,6843535.story



Humor

On The View, Goldberg calls Beck "lying sack of dog mess" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2FK2vchoEo

Definitions by Gender http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/05/definitions-by-gender.html


New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com  
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation

Newsletter - May 16, 2009

International

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Talk to Russia, remember Georgia. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 10 2009 19:36 | Last updated: May 10 2009 19:36. When even Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s combative envoy to Nato, has something nice to say, it is fair to speak of improvements in relations between Moscow and the west. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50f701a4-3d90-11de-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Falling Gas Prices Deny Russia a Lever of Power By ANDREW E. KRAMER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 15, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/world/europe/16gazprom.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Downturn bottomed out, Trichet signals By Chris Giles and Daniel Pimlott in London and Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 14:35 | Last updated: May 11 2009 20:36 Jean-Claude Trichet signalled on Monday that the global downturn had bottomed out with some large economies already able to put the recession behind them and look forward to renewed growth. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03d19fd6-3e2d-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone industrial output plunges By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 11:50 | Last updated: May 13 2009 11:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc739514-3fa6-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

German economy shrinks 3.8% By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 08:15 | Last updated: May 15 2009 10:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/559213f8-411d-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

Congress alliance wins Indian election - Emphatic victory gives Singh second term By James Lamont in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 16 2009 05:56 | Last updated: May 16 2009 17:44. The Congress Party on Saturday claimed an emphatic victory in India’s parliamentary elections as voters backed secular leadership over communal politics and the continued premiership of Manmohan Singh. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b16c9c2-41d4-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html



China

Chinese exports fall sharply By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 05:31 | Last updated: May 12 2009 05:31. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/16a8da60-3eab-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

China Outpaces U.S. in Cleaner Coal-Fired Plants By KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11coal.html?th&emc=th

China’s factory output slows in April By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 05:51 | Last updated: May 13 2009 05:51 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4dad5db8-3f75-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Hong Kong suffers record contraction By Xi Chen and Reuters in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 14:40 | Last updated: May 15 2009 14:40 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3bff08c-4141-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

China’s Heart of Gold By VICTOR ZHIKAI GAO. Copyright By The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009... No one knows for sure when the tide started to turn, or the exact moment when American gold started its slow but seemingly irreversible loss of luster. But now, many shops in China no longer accept dollar-based credit cards issued by foreign banks (the customer pays in dollars, but the shopkeeper is paid in renminbi) and foreigners cannot convert American dollars into renminbi beyond a given quota...http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/opinion/14Gao.html?th&emc=th

Mess-o-potamia

A Single-Minded Focus on Dual Wars - Defense Secretary Is Reorienting the Military to Meet U.S. Troops' Needs Now By Greg Jaffe. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 15, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/14/AR2009051404450.html?hpid=topnews

US soldier in Iraq shoots dead five comrades © Reuters Limited. May 12, 2009. A US soldier shot dead five fellow soldiers at a military clinic in Baghdad on Monday in an incident that the top US military officer suggested may have been triggered by stress. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c10c3148-3e8b-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

US replaces Afghan conflict commander By James Blitz in London and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 21:12 | Last updated: May 12 2009 00:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce9c689e-3e65-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

US replaces Afghan conflict commander By James Blitz in London and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 21:12 | Last updated: May 12 2009 00:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce9c689e-3e65-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: To beat the Taliban. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 19:31 | Last updated: May 12 2009 19:31. The fighting in Pakistan’s Swat valley, where the army is violently displacing jihadi extremists with whom both the government and the military had only last month signed a treaty, does not yet amount to the firm and clear strategy needed to defeat the Taliban. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/34786118-3f1f-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Pakistan Says It Is Stepping Up Attack By SALMAN MASOOD and ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/world/asia/13pstan.html?ref=global-home

Pakistan allows civilians to flee Swat © Reuters Limited. May 15, 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e163b720-4117-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

In a First, U.S. Provides Pakistan With Drone Data By ERIC SCHMITT and MARK MAZZETTI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/world/asia/14drone.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Afghan villagers get payments for battle that killed civilians - A government commission concluded that 140 civilians died, more than twice the figure cited by the United States. By Laura King. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. 6:29 AM CDT, May 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-afghan-civilians13-2009may13,0,5733997.story

Taboo broken in US Middle East offensive By Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 10 2009 19:16 | Last updated: May 11 2009 09:42. A period of high-level diplomacy on the Middle East opens in New York on Monday, promising further insights into an emerging strategy from Barack Obama’s administration that is already raising concerns among Israel’s supporters. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/194f533a-3d8d-11de-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Parks Fortify Israel’s Claim to Jerusalem By ETHAN BRONNER and ISABEL KERSHNER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 9, 2009. Israel is quietly carrying out a $100 million, multiyear development plan in some of the most significant religious and national heritage sites just outside the walled Old City here as part of an effort to strengthen the status of Jerusalem as its capital. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/world/middleeast/10jerusalem.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

A Middle East peace plan puts Netanyahu on the spot By Philip Stephens. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 20:11 | Last updated: May 14 2009 20:11. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/055f56a2-40b9-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

Hizbollah confirms broad aid for Hamas By Anna Fifield in Beirut. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 13:50 | Last updated: May 12 2009 13:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ee8637e-3eee-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Iranian-American journalist freed By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 14:14 | Last updated: May 11 2009 15:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7035c1c-3e2b-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

Journalist’s Release Shows Divide Among Iran’s Leaders By NAZILA FATHI and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 12, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/world/middleeast/13iran.html?_r=1&ref=global-home


National

MEMO FROM CAIRO - Egypt to Be Center Stage in Obama’s Address to Arabs By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 11, 2009 http://www.nighties.com/2009/05/12/world/middleeast/12egypt.html?hpw

US backs new approach to Doha negotiations By Frances Williams in Geneva. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 23:41 | Last updated: May 13 2009 23:41 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8916980-3fce-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: US returns to its trust-busting roots. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 19:45 | Last updated: May 12 2009 19:45. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4132661a-3f1f-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

White House Plans to Reverse Bush Antitrust Rules By Cecilia Kang. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, May 11, 2009; 11:08 AM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101189.html?hpid=topnews

Obama Planning to Keep Tribunals for Detainees By PETER BAKER and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/politics/15gitmo.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Obama does U-turn on detainee abuse photos By Demetri Sevastopulo and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 19:04 | Last updated: May 13 2009 22:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/781afd0e-3fe7-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

The Nation's Embracing, and Embraceable, Arms By Sally Quinn. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 10, 2009. "May I change the subject," said a prominent Washington theologian at a recent dinner. The conversation had been high-minded -- religion, philosophy, the nature of evil. "I'd like to talk about Michelle Obama's arms," he said. He is a big fan of those arms. We then began a discussion about the significance of the first lady's arms. Actually, it turned out to be equally serious. Michelle Obama's arms, we determined, were transformational. Her arms are representative of a new kind of woman: young, strong, vigorous, intelligent, accomplished, sexual, powerful, embracing and, most of all, loving. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050704538.html?hpid=artslot

Utah Governor to Become Ambassador to China By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. May 16, 2009 http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/utah-governor-to-become-ambassador-to-china/?ref=global-home

Obama Taps NYC Health Commissioner to Head CDC By Debbi Wilgoren and Michael Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 15, 2009; 9:11 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051500295.html?hpid=topnews

Hispanics See Stars Aligned on High Court - For President, Diversity Is One Of Many Factors By Robert Barnes and Michael D. Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 12, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051103503.html?hpid=topnew

Despite rate rise, cost-cutting, Postal Service could run out of money by year's end. RANDOLPH E. SCHMID. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 10:04 AM CDT, May 11, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-postal-rates,0,2549494.story

Obama’s Notre Dame Visit Draws Catholic Backing By DALIA SUSSMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. May 15, 2009, 3:01 PM. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/obamas-notre-dame-visit-draws-catholic-backing/?scp=1&sq=notre%20dame%20obama&st=Search

May 12, 2009: Arizona State Snubs Obama http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=227327&title=Arizona-State-Snubs-Obama

Pelosi Acknowledges She Was Told of Waterboarding in 2003 By CARL HULSE AND BRIAN KNOWLTON. Copyright by The New York Times. May 14, 2009, 12:33 PM http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/pelosi-cia-misled-congress-over-waterboarding/?scp=2&sq=nancy%20pelosi&st=cse

C.I.A. Director Takes a Shot at Pelosi By KATE PHILLIPS. Copyright by The new York Times. May 15, 2009, 3:30 PM http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/cia-director-takes-a-shot-at-pelosi/?scp=6&sq=nancy%20pelosi&st=cse

May 12, 2009: Waffle House http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=227326&title=Waffle-House



GOP Whacking

Republican war of words highlights lack of fresh talent By Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 19:37 | Last updated: May 14 2009 19:37. It is a family feud so fierce that even the 97-year-old matriarch has become involved. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d253e3d6-40b3-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

Huckabee warns GOP could become 'irrelevant' - Huckabee says the GOP must not lose social conservatives. By Alexander Mooney. Copyright by CNN News. May 8, 2009. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/08/huckabee-warns-gop-could-become-irrelevant/#more-50980

Romney camp hits back at Steele for Mormonism comments By Peter Hamby. Copyright by CNN News. May 12, 2009. In an unusual move for the person tasked with being his party's top cheerleader, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is shining a light on the political vulnerabilities of one of the GOP's top figures and a likely frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination — former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Now Romney's team is hitting back. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/12/romney-camp-hits-back-at-steele-for-mormonism-comments-2/#more-51302

Gaps Appear in G.O.P. Solidarity By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 9, 2009. After being stingy with their support in the early days of the Obama administration, significant numbers of House Republicans have begun breaking from their party leaders and voting for legislation moving through the Democratic-led Congress. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/us/politics/10vote.html?th&emc=th

Is Rush Limbaugh the GOP's voice? - Does anybody take him seriously? Yes and no by Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 13, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0513pagemay13,0,5528249.column

Obama Delivers the Zingers at Journalists' Dinner By Richard Leiby. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 10, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/09/AR2009050902802.html?hpid=topnews

Wanda Sykes: 'Too much?' by Mark Silva. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. Posted May 11, 2009 8:15 AM http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/wanda_sykes_too_much.html

Why Is That Man Smiling? By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 13, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051202878.html

May 11, 2009: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=226621&title=Guess-Who%27s-Coming-to-Dinner; May 11, 2009: Wanda Sykes' Jokes http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=226621&title=Guess-Who%27s-Coming-to-Dinner http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=226622&title=Wanda-Sykes%27-Jokes

As Cheney Seizes Spotlight, Many Republicans Wince By Dan Balz. Copyright by The Washington Post. Do I think Sykes was a monument to hilarity? No, but she was funny much of the time. Do I think her now-infamous Rush Limbaugh jokes were over the top? Yeah. That's a comedian for you. Do I think her performance -- and Obama's apparent amusement -- marks the decline of civilization? This is hardly a new development. I do think we take ourselves far too seriously -- and literally. Thursday, May 14, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051303789.html?hpid=topnews

The Old Faithful of Nonsense By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Can't we send Dick Cheney back to Wyoming? Shouldn't we chip in and buy him a home where the buffalo roam and there's always room for one more crazy old coot down at the general store? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051102670.html

Chastise Cheney By CHARLES M. BLOW. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 16, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/opinion/16blow.html?th&emc=th

Simplicity of GOP: We are what we are By Garrison Keillor. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 13, 2009. Only one out of five Americans is willing to describe himself or herself as a Republican these days, and frankly I am tempted to become one of them. For the variety, and because they need me and because when I heard former Vice President Dick Cheney talk about the meaning of Republicanism the other day -- "We are what we are," he said -- I felt drawn to the simplicity and dignity of that. And I have never been a Republican, just as I've never been to South America, and that makes it tempting. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0513keillormay13,0,4676396.column

May 11, 2009: Excuse Me Your Dick Is Out http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=226623&title=Excuse-Me-Your-Dick-Is-Out

Former Official: Treatment of Terror Suspects a 'Collective Failure' By Carrie Johnson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 13, 2009; 11:33 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051301281.html?hpid=topnews


Chicagoland

Illinois after Blagojevich: Pat Quinn's first 100 days - Governor has made some gains, but honeymoon with lawmakers may be ending By Rick Pearson and Monique Garcia. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-100-days-10may10,0,7388361.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Stroger in denial. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 12, 2009. Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has vetoed a 12-3 vote of the County Board to repeal his beloved sales-tax increase. Deep down, he says, he supports killing the full tax increase. But not now, and not even on a set schedule. No, he wants to roll back the tax "as funds become available." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0512edit1may12,0,2551266.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Stroger and the IRS. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 14, 2009... A cynic would say Stroger wants to keep collecting your money for the government he refuses to reform at the very moment he allegedly hasn't paid taxes he owes.... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0514edit2may14,0,4517351.story

IRS slaps lien on Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's home for unpaid income taxes by Hal Dardick and Dan P. Blake. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 13, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/05/irs-slaps-lien-on-cook-county-board-president-todd-strogers-home-for-unpaid-income-taxes.html

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Poisoning public trust. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 10, 2009. When it comes to treating citizens as chumps, it's hard to top what has happened in south suburban Crestwood. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0510edit1may10,0,978398.story

Burglars are 'crossing the line' and breaking into homes in Berrien County, Michigan Posted: 6:31 PM May 11, 2009. Last Updated: 6:40 PM May 11, 2009. Reporter: Alana Greenfogel: Alana.Greenfogel@WNDU.com. Copyright by WNDU.com http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/44744607.html





Your Lack of Money

US trade gap widens in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 14:18 | Last updated: May 12 2009 14:18. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1571280-3e6a-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

US prices fall most since 1955 By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 14:15 | Last updated: May 15 2009 15:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/854d81ce-40c1-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

Prices Fall To Match A New Frugality - Retailers Respond To Shopping Habits Forged in Recession By Ylan Q. Mui. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 12, 2009. he nation's retailers have begun to embrace the new cost-conscious consumer, developing products they can sell at lower prices without driving themselves out of business in the post-splurge era. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051103607.html?hpid=topnews

Jump in Food Costs Drives Up Prices By JACK HEALY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/business/economy/15econ.html?hp

Unemployment claims report sours Wall St mood By Kiran Stacey in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 13:58 | Last updated: May 14 2009 13:58. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2610393c-3ffd-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

US retail sales 0.4% fall in April By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 14:24 | Last updated: May 13 2009 15:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3cc20202-3f38-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Wal-Mart earnings meet expectations By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 13:15 | Last updated: May 14 2009 13:15. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bc4d77cc-407d-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

Sony sees signs of recovery By Robin Harding in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 08:21 | Last updated: May 14 2009 08:21 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f767bd4-4051-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

US banks swamped as refi fever takes hold By Greg Farrell and Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 19:44 | Last updated: May 13 2009 19:44. The rush of US homeowners to refinance mortgages at lower rates is creating a boom in the home lending business, prompting banks to hire thousands of new employees and put them to work on extra shifts to process mountains of paper. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/285792b6-3fea-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Geithner says financial system healing By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 15:07 | Last updated: May 13 2009 15:07 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eac791ea-3fc5-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Banks raise $7.5bn to repay Tarp funds By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 14:16 | Last updated: May 11 2009 15:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/501b4b9a-3e2c-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

BofA raises $7.3bn from CCB stake By Sundeep Tucker in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 09:12 | Last updated: May 12 2009 11:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dfb8025e-3eca-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Money market rates fall to pre-Lehman levels By David Oakley, Capital Markets Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 12:16 | Last updated: May 13 2009 12:16. Key money market rates have fallen below levels seen before Lehman Brothers collapsed in September as confidence tentatively returns. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2ed1204-3fa2-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Shareholder duties. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 10 2009 19:33 | Last updated: May 10 2009 19:33. Shareholders do not hibernate; they aestivate. When things are hot, they go to sleep. It is when winter sets in that they wake up. The current economic chill has spurred shareholders into action. It would be a shame if spring, when it arrives, lulls them back into slumber. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4bdeb234-3d90-11de-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Temasek sells entire stake in BofA - Move brings end to unprofitable investment By John Burton in Singapore. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 04:47 | Last updated: May 15 2009 19:18. Temasek Holdings, the Singapore state investment company, has pulled out of its investment in Bank of America, selling its 3.8 per cent stake in the US group. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e8496f42-4100-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html

Banks Brace for Credit Card Write-Offs By ERIC DASH and ANDREW MARTIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/business/11credit.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: New Rules for Derivatives. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 14, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/opinion/15fri1.html?th&emc=th

Regulator expects bank chiefs to lose jobs By Francesco Guerrera and Nicole Bullock in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 16 2009 00:10 | Last updated: May 16 2009 00:10. A US regulator on Friday predicted that chief executives and directors of some of the banks that underwent the stress tests could lose their jobs, in another sign of the government’s desire to have a say in the running of bailed-out companies. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/87c87fce-419f-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

Citi directors face growing pressure to resign By  Francesco Guerrera  in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 22:30 | Last updated: May 12 2009 22:30. Citigroup came under growing pressure to overhaul its board on Tuesday after it revealed that two long-serving directors survived a shareholder vote largely thanks to a balloting rule that is due to be scrapped. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fa5d5752-3f39-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

In-house fraud cases surge By Robert Cookson in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 10 2009 23:30 | Last updated: May 10 2009 23:30. Fraud committed against companies by their own employees has surged this year, new data suggest, providing fresh evidence that the recession is fuelling a rise in crime. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5a0e284e-3da4-11de-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Chrysler Plans to Shut One Quarter of Its U.S. Dealers By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/business/15dealers.html?hp

No renewal for 1,100 GM dealers By Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 17:33 | Last updated: May 15 2009 17:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65b0890e-416d-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

BT cuts dividend and 15,000 jobs By Philip Stafford. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 14 2009 07:43 | Last updated: May 14 2009 14:15 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccc4e94e-404d-11de-8f18-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

Opec lifts output for first time since July By Carola Hoyos, Chief energy correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 13:49 | Last updated: May 13 2009 13:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9925cce-3fb5-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Oil surges to six month high above $60 By Chris Flood and Javier Blas. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 12:12 | Last updated: May 12 2009 14:17 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f257ac62-3edd-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

De Beers woos safe-haven investors - Diamond miner goes head to head with gold By Tom Burgis in Johannesburg. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 15 2009 22:23 | Last updated: May 15 2009 22:23. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1525262-4172-11de-bdb7-00144feabdc0.html

Russia Stockpiles Diamonds, Awaiting the Return of Demand By ANDREW E. KRAMER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 11, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/business/global/12diamonds.html?hpw

Dollar rebounds as equities falter By Peter Garnham. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 11:11 | Last updated: May 11 2009 11:11. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2cd9980-3e0b-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html


Housing

Slow Start to U.S. Plan for Modifying Mortgages By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009. The Obama administration’s plan to help millions of troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure by reducing the size of their mortgage payments is just getting off the ground. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/business/14mortgage.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Despite Housing Bust, Homeownership Among Immigrants Remains Steady By Alejandro Lazo. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 12, 2009; 11:05 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051201208.html?hpid=topnews


GLBT

New Hampshire Pact Near on Same-Sex Marriage By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Published: May 14, 2009. Copyright by The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/15marriage.html?scp=2&sq=new%20hampshire%20gay%20marriage&st=Search

N.Y. Assembly Passes Gay Marriage Bill By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/nyregion/13marriage.html?th&emc=th

Is My Marriage Gay? By JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 11, 2009. Deirdre Finney and I were wed in 1988 at the National Cathedral in Washington. In 2000, I started the long and complex process of changing from male to female. Deedie stood by me, deciding that her life was better with me than without me. Maybe she was crazy for doing so; lots of people have generously offered her this unsolicited opinion over the years. But what she would tell you, were you to ask, is that the things that she loved in me have mostly remained the same, and that our marriage, in the end, is about a lot more than what genders we are, or were. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/opinion/12boylan.html?ref=global

The Beauty of Chicken Cutlets By Tara Parker Pope. May 4, 2009, 11:27 AM. Copyright by The ssociated Press. Miss California Carrie Prejean, left, answering a question about same-sex marriage during the Miss USA pageant.
The controversy surrounding Miss California, Carrie Prejean, continues, with state pageant officials admitting that they paid for her surgical breast enhancement. And in an odd twist, pageant officials also offered a glimpse into other ways a pageant contestant might alter her body shape, including the use of “chicken cutlets.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/the-beauty-of-chicken-cutlets/?scp=4&sq=miss%20california%20nude%20photois&st=cse

Miss California USA pageant is rocked on its high heels - Miss California USA organizers say Carrie Prejean hijacked the event to spread her views on marriage. By Carla Hall. Copyright by The Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2009 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-misscalifornia12-2009may12,0,3322958.story

Trump says Miss California USA can keep her crown despite uproar By Carla Hall. Copyright by The Los Angeles Times. May 13, 2009 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-miss-california13-2009may13,0,1541974.story

May 12, 2009: The Pageant of the Christ http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=227325&title=The-Pageant-of-the-Christ

Keith Olbermann's WTF!?! Moment: Carrie Prejean [Miss California] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwkTAzcToic

Obama responds to lesbian soldier's letter by TRACY BAIM. Copyright by The Windy City Times. May 13, 2009. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21121

White House says 'don't ask' policy on gays in military is in early stages of review. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 10:48 AM CDT, May 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-us-military-gays,0,7584212.story

May 14, 2009: Moral Kombat;: Dan Choi Is Gay http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=227351&title=Moral-Kombat; http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=227352&title=Dan-Choi-Is-Gay

Roman Catholic archbishop who stepped down in disgrace reveals in memoir that he's gay By RACHEL ZOLL. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 6:12 AM CDT, May 12, 2009. A Roman Catholic archbishop who resigned in 2002 over a sex and financial scandal involving a man describes his struggles with being gay in an upcoming memoir about his decades serving the church. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-rel-gay-archbishop,0,1037554.story

Arrests at Moscow gay parade ahead of Eurovision Song Contest. Copyright by CNN News. May 16, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/05/16/russia.gay.march.eurovision/index.html

'Crack mayor?' Well, excu-u-use me! By Clarence Paige. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 13, 2009. Whoa! I just got off the phone with Marion Barry. He is royally ticked at my earlier blog post. You know, the one headlined "'Crack mayor' sniffs at gay marriage." He didn't like the headline. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/05/crack-mayor-well-excuuuse-me.html


Immigration

Mexican Data Say Migration to U.S. Has Plummeted By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 14, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/us/15immig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th


Technical

Facebook sets tone in Iran’s electoral contest By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 00:52 | Last updated: May 13 2009 00:52. As they struggle to compete against an Iranian president who enjoys the support of a powerful state apparatus, leading candidates in June’s election are resorting to Facebook to spread their messages. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da46ad4e-3f19-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Under Pressure, Craigslist to Remove ‘Erotic’ Ads By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/technology/companies/14craigslist.html?th&emc=th

Europe Fines Intel a Record $1.45 Billion in Antitrust Case By JAMES KANTER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/business/global/14compete.html?_r=1&hp

A Ruling Against Intel, Unlikely to Drag It Down By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009. European regulators have spent close to nine years investigating whether Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, illegally hampered competitors in its dealings with computer makers and retailers. And on Wednesday, they finally reached a conclusion, punishing Intel with a record fine of 1.06 billion euros ($1.45 billion) for abusing its dominant position in the computer chip market. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/technology/business-computing/14chip.html?th&emc=th

AirTran to have Wi-Fi on all flights this summer By Julie Johnsson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:42 AM CDT, May 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-air-tran-wireless-internet-may12,0,5545703.story

Data, Not Design, Is King in the Age of Google By MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 9, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/business/10ping.html?th&emc=th

The Twitter Guys By JAMIE DIAMOND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/fashion/10nite.html?th&emc=th


Medical

New York Times Editorial: Reminders on Health Reform. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 12, 2009. Lawmakers who were paying attention got two powerful reminders this week of the critical need for them to pass the strongest possible reforms to bring down health costs and cover the unconscionable number of Americans — more than 45 million — who remain uninsured. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/opinion/13wed1.html?th&emc=th

Obama hails plan to cut healthcare bill By Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 11 2009 18:08 | Last updated: May 11 2009 23:50. Barack Obama on Monday welcomed proposals by the US healthcare industry to reduce costs by $2,000bn during the next 10 years, as efforts to overhaul the health system gathered pace in Washington. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/27b0d234-3e4e-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

Obama says House eyes July healthcare bill. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 13 2009 15:52 | Last updated: May 13 2009 15:52 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/778340be-3fcd-11de-9ced-00144feabdc0.html

Recession Drains Social Security and Medicare By ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 12, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/us/politics/13health.html?th&emc=th

FDA warns Cheerios over health claims By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 23:52 | Last updated: May 12 2009 23:52 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cfec4710-3f45-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Birth control for guys. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0510edit2may10,0,1371615.story

Cancer Patients Challenge the Patenting of a Gene By JOHN SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13patent.html?th&emc=th


Other

Blackhawks beat Vancouver Canucks 7-5, advance to conference finals - Kane notches hat trick as Hawks whip Luongo, send Canucks on summer vacation By Chris Kuc. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-12-blackhawks-canucks-chicagmay12,0,828062.story

Geffen sets sights on New York Times By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles and Kenneth Li and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 12 2009 00:33 | Last updated: May 12 2009 00:33. David Geffen, the former record executive who made an offer for the Los Angeles Times two years ago, now wants to buy the New York Times, according to people close to the situation. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c35770aa-3e83-11de-9a6c-00144feabdc0.html

American Airlines revamps frequent-flier program - Finding flights, booking one-way or multicity travel, to be easier with new AAdvantage, officials say By Julie Johnsson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 11, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-frequent-flier-aa-0511-may11,0,4213971.story

Father Cutié's Indulgences BY DAVID WATERS. Copyright by The Washington Post. MAY 8, 2009; 3:24 PM ET. A few days before he was caught indulging himself with an attractive woman on a South Florida beach, the now-dismissed Rev. Albert Cutié told a TV interviewer that he thinks all Catholic priests should have the option to marry. "If they want to discipline me, let them discipline me, but I think the option would be better and healthier." A good point, Father, even in retrospect. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/05/father_curies_indulgences.html?hpid=talkbox1



Humor

Saturday Night Live - Digital Short: Motherlover - Video - NBC.com (R Rated) http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/digital-short-motherlover-uncensored/1103443/

The Bar Jar http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/05/bar-jar.html

Charlie Brooker on the American News Media. Funny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aEk864YrKw


New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com  
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation