Health Care Fit for Animals Newsletter - August 29, 2009

Health Care Fit for Animals Newsletter - August 29, 2009

“As a nation, we’re at a turning point. Universal health coverage has been proposed for nearly a century in the United States. It was in an early draft of Social Security. Yet each time, it has been defeated in part by fear-mongering industry lobbyists. That may happen this time as well — unless the Obama administration and Congress defeat these manipulative special interests. What’s un-American isn’t a greater government role in health care but an existing system in which Americans without insurance get health care, if at all, in livestock pens.” NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Health Care Fit for Animals By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 26, 2009. Opponents suggest that a “government takeover” of health care will be a milestone on the road to “socialized medicine,” and when he hears those terms, Wendell Potter cringes. He’s embarrassed that opponents are using a playbook that he helped devise. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/opinion/27kristof.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: World’s Best Health Care. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 25, 2009. Critics of President Obama’s push for health care reform have been whipping up fear that proposed changes will destroy our “world’s best” medical system and make it like supposedly inferior systems elsewhere. The emptiness of those claims became apparent recently when researchers from the Urban Institute released a report analyzing studies that have compared the clinical effectiveness and quality of care in the United States with the care dispensed in other advanced nations. They found a mixed bag, with the United States doing better in some areas, like cancer care, and worse in others, like preventing deaths from treatable and preventable conditions. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/opinion/26wed3.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: The Uninsured. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 22, 2009. So how many uninsured people are out there, facing those risks? The most frequently cited estimate, 45.7 million in 2007, comes from an annual census survey. That number was down slightly from the year before, but given the financial crisis, it is almost certainly rising again. Some or even many of those people may have only temporarily lost or given up coverage, but even that exposes them to medical and financial risk. And many millions go without insurance for extended periods. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/opinion/23sun1.html?th&emc=th

Dialysis treatment in USA: High costs, high death rates By Rita Rubin. Copyright by USA TODAY. August 24, 2009 http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-23-dialysis_N.htm

One aspect the current debate on health care has failed to address is: Infant mortality. By Carlos T Mock, MD, Life Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Copyright by Carlos T Mock, MD. August 27, 2009. Infant mortality is a true measure of health care well being of a nation, since it is not affected by accidents and homicides as life expectancy does. It is directly related to the ability of the country to provide good prenatal care. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/one-aspect-current-debate-on-health.html

Rep. Anthony Weiner Discusses Public Option Health Care Reform on Morning Joe - PT 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmlDZXCrWRE

Rep. Anthony Weiner Discusses Public Option Health Care Reform on Morning Joe - PT 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIF_dWwxAHE&feature=related

Proposed Health Care Bumper Stickers http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/proposed-health-care-bumper-stickers.html





International

‘N Korean arms for Iran’ seized by UAE - Interception comes at sensitive time By Simeon Kerr in Dubai and Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 28 2009 18:22 | Last updated: August 28 2009 23:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1cc52dcc-93f6-11de-9c57-00144feabdc0.html

N Korea invites US envoy to nuclear talks By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 25 2009 13:54 | Last updated: August 25 2009 13:54 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/73faaa38-915b-11de-879d-00144feabdc0.html

Officials of 2 Koreas Meet in the South By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by Reuters. Published: August 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/asia/23korea.html?th&emc=th

German business confidence surges - Rise in Ifo index beats expectations By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 26 2009 10:13 | Last updated: August 26 2009 12:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/55658e7c-921d-11de-b63b-00144feabdc0.html

Greek Firefighters Struggle to Tame Blazes By ANTHEE CARASSAVA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 24, 2009. ATHENS — Crews battling wildfires in Greece made progress overnight during a lull in high winds but were still struggling Monday afternoon to contain blazes that swept through the northern suburbs of Athens. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/world/europe/25greece.html?ref=global-home

U.S. Mulls Alternatives for Missile Shield By JUDY DEMPSEY and PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 28, 2009. BERLIN — The Obama administration has developed possible alternative plans for a missile defense shield that could drop hotly disputed sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move that would please Russia and Germany but sour relations with American allies in Eastern Europe. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/world/europe/29missile.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Japanese jobless rate hits record high By Mure Dickie and Robin Harding in Tokyo and Justine Lau in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 28 2009 19:16 | Last updated: August 28 2009 19:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fef1e438-93fb-11de-9c57-00144feabdc0.html

Argentina court ruling would allow personal use of pot By Arthur Brice. Copyright by CNN News. August 26, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/08/25/argentina.drug.decriminalization/index.html



China

China Racing Ahead of U.S. in the Drive to Go Solar By KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 24, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/business/energy-environment/25solar.html?th&emc=th

Asia’s Recovery Highlights China’s Ascendance By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 23, 2009. PARIS — In past global slowdowns, the United States invariably led the way out, followed by Europe and the rest of the world. But for the first time, the catalyst is coming from China and the rest of Asia, where resurgent economies are helping the still-shaky West recover from the deepest recession since World War II. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/business/global/24global.html?ref=global-home

Asia hits back on climate change By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Amy Kazmin in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 24 2009 16:38 | Last updated: August 24 2009 16:38. China and India have closed ranks on climate change, blaming developed countries for the lack of progress towards a deal. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3c14957e-90c1-11de-bc99-00144feabdc0.html

Apple to begin selling iPhones in China this year, giving it access to huge market By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 8:55 a.m. CDT, August 28, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-as-china-iphone,0,7112571.story





Mess-o-potamia

New York Times Editorial: Shame On Iran. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 27, 2009. Longer than many people might have predicted, Iran’s political opposition is continuing to challenge the ruling hard-line mullahs. The street protests that shook the country after the bogus June 12 presidential election have faded, but the courage to speak out against the regime’s mounting abuses has not. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/opinion/28fri2.html?th&emc=th

Ahmadinejad Urges Prosecution of Political Rivals By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/world/middleeast/29iran.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Iran slows down uranium enrichment - Stall in centrifuge numbers at nuclear site © Reuters Limited. August 25, 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0327a368-9167-11de-879d-00144feabdc0.html

U.S. Military Says Its Force in Afghanistan Is Insufficient By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 23, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24military.html?th&emc=th

US envoy confronts Karzai over Afghan poll By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 28 2009 00:17 | Last updated: August 28 2009 00:17. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, on Thursday met Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and “made very clear” the US position on elections that are attracting increasing allegations of ballot stuffing. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5851b68c-935e-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html

New Shiite Alliance Excludes Iraqi Prime Minister. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: August 24, 2009. Filed at 1:07 p.m. ET. BAGHDAD (AP) -- Major Iranian-backed Shiite groups announced a new alliance Monday but excluded the Iraqi prime minister in a rare display of disunity among the country's majority Islamic sect. The move puts pressure on Nouri al-Maliki to strike a deal with Sunni parties if he hopes to keep his job after January's parliamentary elections. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/24/world/AP-ML-Iraq.html?ref=global-home

Sunnis and Shiites See an Omen for Reconciliation in Iraq By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 22, 2009. BAGHDAD — On Saturday, the holy month of Ramadan began on the same day in Iraq for both Sunnis and Shiites, the first time that has happened in 10 years. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?th&emc=th

Running to stand still? The peace test for Netanyahu By Philip Stephens. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 27 2009 22:36 | Last updated: August 27 2009 22:36. Benjamin Netanyahu has what kindly observers might describe as a credibility problem. Traveling in Europe this week, the Israeli prime minister said he was straining every sinew to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. His interlocutors were unconvinced. Mr. Netanyahu looks too much like a politician running in the cause of standing still. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/091a1512-934c-11de-b146-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html


National

Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 26, 2009. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a son of one of the most storied families in American politics, a man who knew triumph and tragedy in near-equal measure and who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in the history of the Senate, died late Tuesday night. He was 77. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/us/politics/27kennedy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

More Crises Needed? - The Only Way to Start Reform By Fareed Zakaria. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, August 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/16/AR2009081601757.html

Obama’s Team Is Lacking Most of Its Top Players By PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 23, 2009. WASHINGTON — As President Obama tries to turn around a summer of setbacks, he finds himself still without most of his own team. Seven months into his presidency, fewer than half of his top appointees are in place advancing his agenda. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/us/politics/24confirm.html?th&emc=th

It's 3 a.m. Do You Know Where Hillary Clinton Is? - She's not answering those crisis calls at the White House. But she's quietly revolutionizing American foreign policy. By David Rothkopf. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, August 23, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101772.html

U.S. students behind in math, science, analysis says By Sally Holland. Copyright By CNN News. August 26, 2009. ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- American children aren't necessarily getting smarter or dumber, but that might not be good enough to compete globally, according to numbers cited Tuesday by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The National Center for Education Statistics found U.S. students placed below average in math and science. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/25/students.science.math/index.html

Kidnapped at 11, Woman Emerges After 18 Years By JESSE McKINLEY and CAROL POGASH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/us/28abduct.html?ref=global-home

Stanford’s finance chief pleads guilty - Sir Allen hospitalized before court hearing By Sheila McNulty in Houston and Stacy-Marie Ishmael in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 27 2009 16:25 | Last updated: August 27 2009 17:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01ddaaf6-9307-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html


Health Care

Washington Post Editorial: 'AIDS in the U.S.A. - How to give President Obama your advice on combating the epidemic here at home. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 25, 2009. WE CANNOT write often enough about the terrible toll that HIV/AIDS is exacting on the United States. More than 56,000 Americans become infected with HIV every year. In the District of Columbia, the epidemic rages on with more than 3 percent of the total population living with the disease that has no cure. The "generalized and severe epidemic" threshold is crossed when 1 percent of a local population is living with HIV/AIDS. And African Americans, just 12 percent of the population, account for 46 percent of those living with the disease. These are the statistics that motivate a White House push for a desperately needed national AIDS strategy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/24/AR2009082402780.html

Officials Weigh Circumcision to Fight H.I.V. Risk By RONI CARYN RABIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 23, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/health/policy/24circumcision.html?th&emc=th

Tax on pop could save lives, cut deficits BY LAURA WASHINGTON LauraSWashington@aol.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
August 24, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1730845,CST-EDT-Laura24.article

Calls to tax junk food gain ground. Copyright 2009, Los Angeles Times. August 24, 2009 | 10:31 am http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/08/calls-to-tax-junk-food-gain-ground.html




GOP Bashing


Dogboy, Mr. Dan & The Tree Of Liberty http://www.markfiore.com/

Republicans, religion and the triumph of unreason - How do they train themselves to be so impervious to reality? By Johann Hari. Wednesday, 19 August 2009. Copyright by The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-republicans-religion-and-the-triumph-of-unreason-1773994.html

New York Times Editorial: Who Wants to Yell Next? Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 23, 2009. The cacophony at town hall meetings on health care has startled too many members of Congress into passivity and pandering. But not Representative Barney Frank, who did not shrink last week from a woman loudly demanding to know why he supported President Obama’s “Nazi policy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/opinion/24mon3.html?th&emc=th

C.I.A. Abuse Cases Detailed in Report on Detainees By MARK MAZZETTI and SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 24, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/us/politics/25detain.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: The Torture Papers. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 25, 2009. The Obama administration has taken important steps toward repairing the grievous harm that President George W. Bush did to this nation with his lawless and morally repugnant detention policies. President Obama is committed to closing the Guantánamo Bay camp and creating legitimate courts to try detainees. He has rescinded the executive orders and the legal rulings that Mr. Bush used to excuse the abuse of prisoners. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/opinion/26wed1.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: 'Following the Torture Trail - As another report details abusive interrogations, the government faces tough choices on possible prosecutions. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 25, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/24/AR2009082402629.html

Rationalizing torture By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 27, 2009. Reagan undoubtedly knew what modern conservatives forget -- that once you rationalize torture, there is no logical place to stop. If threatening a prisoner with a power drill is permissible, why not drilling holes in him? If choking is OK, why not strangulation? If threatening to kill a detainee's children passes muster, why not actually killing them? If 30 wall slams don't do the job, why not 100? Many modern conservatives, unlike Reagan, are willing to incinerate every civilized principle to avert the possibility of harm -- and they think the public agrees. But if that's true, let's stop pretending America is the home of the brave. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0827chapmanaug27,0,3632398.column

Torture on homefront cries out for justice BY CAROL MARIN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 26, 2009. The feds can't -- just yet -- deport Michigan restaurateur Ibrahim Parlak to his native Turkey. But they are frighteningly closer. And the irony screams out. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1734591,CST-EDT-carol26.article

A note on the Bush fiscal legacy By Paul Krugman. Copyright by The New York Times. August 27, 2009, 11:01 AM. There were two big-ticket Bush policies. One was the tax cuts, which cost around $1.8 trillion in revenue; add in interest costs, and we’re presumably talking about more than $2 trillion in debt. The other was the Iraq War, which has cost at least $700 billion, and will cost more before we finally extract ourselves. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/a-note-on-the-bush-fiscal-legacy/


Chicagoland

Gov. Pat Quinn vetoes campaign-finance bill- Unusual ceremony to dump legislation takes on Alice-in-Wonderland feel By Rick Pearson and Monique Garcia. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-veto28aug28,0,7980554.story

Chicago inspector general quits to run for Senate - David Hoffman had been a thorn in the side of Mayor Daley BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. August 27, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1735441,inspector-general-hoffman-quits-senate-082609.article

A meter culpa from the mayor - Will admit tonight deal handled poorly, but city needs money BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter. fspielman@suntimes.com Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 25, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1733017,CST-NWS-daley25.article

Insert coins. Bang forehead. Repeat. By Rick Horowitz. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0827daleyaug27,0,4589986.story

Old Chicago post office sold for $40 million By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 2:34 p.m. CDT, August 27, 2009. The old Chicago post office, at 433 W. Van Buren St., has sold at auction for $40 million. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-old-chicago-post-office-40-million-aug27,0,6687261.story?track=email-alert-breakingnews




Economy

Peter Schiff Was Right 2006 - 2007 (2nd Edition) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-Fykpw

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Ben Bernanke’s next four years. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 25 2009 19:30 | Last updated: August 25 2009 19:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/76eb4548-91a3-11de-879d-00144feabdc0.htm

Obama Seeks Stability at Fed by Keeping Bernanke By JEFF ZELENY and EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 25, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/business/economy/26fed.html?_r=1&hp

Central bankers content to keep rates low - Fears of excess inflation dismissed By Krishna Guha in Jackson Hole. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 23 2009 19:16 | Last updated: August 23 2009 19:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/02b91d76-900e-11de-bc59-00144feabdc0.html

U.S. Raises Estimate for 10-Year Deficit to $9 Trillion By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 25, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/business/economy/26deficit.html?hp

Millions face smaller Social Security checks next year as rising drug costs diminish payments By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 9:46 a.m. CDT, August 24, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-us-social-security-smaller-checks,0,5121555.story

Where Have You Gone, Bell Labs? - How basic research can repair the broken U.S. business model. Copyright by Business Week. September 7, 2009. Name an industry that can produce 1 million new, high-paying jobs over the next three years. You can't, because there isn't one. And that's the problem. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_36/b4145036681619.htm

GDP Declines 1 Percent in 2Q, Better Than Expected By Neil Irwin and Annys Shin. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, August 27, 2009; 9:32 AM. The U.S. economy shrank by 1 percent in the April-through-June quarter, as was originally estimated, and the job market remained weak last week, with continued large numbers of people seeking unemployment insurance benefits. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082700594.html?hpid=topnews

Data point to US growth resuming By Krishna Guha in Washington and Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 27 2009 20:15 | Last updated: August 27 2009 23:38 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b784b744-933b-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html

Bank Insurance Fund Down 20 Percent in 2Q By Binyamin Appelbaum. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, August 27, 2009; 12:27 PM. The banking industry lost a total of $3.7 billion in the second quarter as the government required surviving banks to pay the bill for the cleanup of failed institutions. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/27/AR2009082701522.html?hpid=topnews

A.I.G. Rises, and Many Ask Why By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 27, 2009. It may have been written off as a hopeless case less than a year ago, but the stock of the American International Group shot up to $50 on Thursday, capping a fourfold gain in the last two months. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/business/28aig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Boeing Dreamliner to fly this year - Company to take $2.5bn charge By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 27 2009 15:33 | Last updated: August 27 2009 17:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b9c822a-9314-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html

Gallery owners feeling pinch of recession - Few owners have closed during the recession, but some are relocating, offering deals and re-evaluating their business By Mark Caro and Lauren Viera. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 23, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0823-galleriesaug23,0,2765377.story


Housing

New US home sales rise by 9.6% - US durable goods orders surge in July By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 Published: August 26 2009 14:19 | Last updated: August 26 2009 16:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dabd42f2-9238-11de-b63b-00144feabdc0.html

US home prices notch quarterly increase By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 25 2009 15:22 | Last updated: August 25 2009 15:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9183dd6-916d-11de-879d-00144feabdc0.html

US suburbs become face of foreclosure - Good economic news remote in small towns By Hal Weitzman in Kendall County. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 24 2009 13:33 | Last updated: August 24 2009 17:03 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/623ed7c8-9053-11de-bc59-00144feabdc0.html


Commodities

Without Prospects, They're Prospectors - Metal's High Price, Economy's Low Ebb Create New Gold Rush By Karl Vick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, August 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/23/AR2009082301806.html?hpid=topnews



GLBT


Will the Gay media suffer the extinction of the straight press? COPYRIGHT By Carlos T Mock. June 29th 2009. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/will-gay-media-suffer-extinction-of.html

More beatings, robberies occur in or near Boystown By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. August 27, 2009. Several more beatings and robberies have occurred in the heavily gay neighborhoods of Lakeview and Lincoln Park, causing much concern among local GLBTs who work, live and visit the area. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3835

Alderman Tom Tunney on attacks. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-08-26. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/alderman-tom-tunney-on-attacks_29.html

Gay haven shows how far we have to go By Don Terry. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 27, 2009. PROVINCETOWN, Mass -- When I told my friend Jane, a lesbian, activist and teacher, that I planned to write about the vicarious sense of freedom I experience in this gay oasis by the sea, she warned me to make sure to note high up that I come here with my wife and that we are a straight, square couple from the American Heartland. http://www.suntimes.com/news/terry/1737170,CST-EDT-terry27.article

Stroger’s HIV vaccine meeting breaks down By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. August 27, 2009. Tuesday’s community meeting organized by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger to rally support for his failed attempt to bring a therapeutic HIV vaccine trial to the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center was a lesson in communications breakdown. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3834


Technology


Time to Be Afraid of the Web? By EDUARDO PORTER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 27, 2009. Internet users used to comfort themselves by thinking that to become victims of the pirates of the Web, they had to frequent the online porn circuit or respond to an e-mail from the widowed wife of the former central bank governor of Nigeria. The idea was that one had to do something naughty to get caught in the wrongdoers’ net, or at least go for a late-night stroll in the rough end of town. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/opinion/28fri4.html?th&emc=th

Apple’s Sleek Upgrade By DAVID POGUE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 26, 2009. Apple’s release strategy is highly unorthodox: “Leopard, a k a Mac OS X 10.5, was already a great OS-virus-free, nag-free and not copy-protected. So instead of adding features for their own sake, let’s just make what we’ve got smaller, faster and more refined.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/technology/personaltech/27pogue.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Parallels Starts Its Own Apple Switch Campaign By Ashlee Vance. Copyright by The New York Times. August 28, 2009, 4:41 pm. This week, Parallels released a software package it’s calling Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/parallels-starts-its-own-apple-switch-campaign/?th&emc=th

App developers wary of Apple’s influence - Regulators eye partnership model By Joseph Menn in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 28 2009 19:28 | Last updated: August 28 2009 19:28 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ebc15b0-93f9-11de-9c57-00144feabdc0.html

Nokia pledges smartphone assault on Apple By Andrew Parker in London and Andrew Ward in Stockholm. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 Published: August 23 2009 23:30 | Last updated: August 23 2009 23:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b1204ea-9009-11de-bc59-00144feabdc0.html

TiVo extends legal action to AT&T and Verizon - Group claims operators infringe television patents By Richard Waters in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 27 2009 03:43 | Last updated: August 27 2009 03:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/024e6408-92a3-11de-b63b-00144feabdc0.html


Other

Airlines becoming a fee-for-all - Everything from shipping the family cat to using your miles has a price By Ellen Creager. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune August 25, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-airline-fees-webaug25,0,6838887.story

Study Demonstrates How We Support Our False Beliefs Copyright by The University of Buffalo. August 28, 2009. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In a study published in the most recent issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry, sociologists from four major research institutions focus on one of the most curious aspects of the 2004 presidential election: the strength and resilience of the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein was linked to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. http://www.buffalo.edu/research/article.html?id=103640009

Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People By NOAM COHEN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 24, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?th&emc=th



Humor

WEAKLY HUMERUS NEWS 08-29-09 AIMED AT YOUR FUNNY BONE—TOP QUOTES OF THE WEEK http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/weakly-humerus-news-08-29-09-aimed-at.html

Rules for Editing http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/rules-for-editing.html

Why Girls Stay Single... http://melodymaker.posterous.com/the-reason-some-girls-stay-single-very-funny

Old Barackee - Reach For The Beer That Lets Cooler Heads Prevail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yra48ygHNqQ


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

Hitler In August Newsletter - August 22, 2009

Hitler In August Newsletter - August 22, 2009

“There isn't much we can do about the convergence of technology and the persistent plague of narcissism, but there is something we can do about Hitler. The moment he shows up in any form, turn off the cameras. Consider it an act of nonviolent protest -- and self-respect.” Kathleen Parker

Hitler In August By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, August 23, 2009. Midway through the month's town hall meetings on health care, it seems the shark has jumped the shark -- and even Hitler must be sick of himself. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082102310.html

Barney Frank's Town Hall Snaps http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-19-2009/barney-frank-s-town-hall-snaps





International

In North Korea, Clinton Helped Unveil a Mystery By MARK LANDLER and MARK MAZZETTI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009. WASHINGTON — The visit was arranged under a veil of secrecy with the help of an unlikely broker: a high-level American intelligence officer who spent much of his career trying to unlock the mysteries of North Korea. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/asia/19korea.html?ref=global-home

N Korea strikes deal with South - Pyongyang eases border restrictions By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 17 2009 09:42 | Last updated: August 17 2009 09:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9425f70c-8b09-11de-9f50-00144feabdc0.html

Russia Says Ship and Crew Are Found Safe By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/world/europe/18ship.html?ref=global-home

20 Die in Suicide Bombing in Russia By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/world/europe/18russia.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Scotland Lets Lockerbie Convict Return to Libya By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/world/europe/21lockerbie.html?ref=global-home

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Justice and power. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 21 2009 19:21 | Last updated: August 21 2009 19:21. Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill used his 15 minutes of fame to full effect this week, explaining the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, in terms of “compassion and mercy”. A higher authority would now take over, he intoned, with a sentence “terminal, final and irrevocable”. Mr al-Megrahi is expected to die from cancer within three months. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7bd4de-8e7e-11de-87d0-00144feabdc0.html

Obama seeks house arrest for Megrahi - US condemns Scotland’s decision to release Lockerbie bomber By Andrew Bolger in Edinburgh, Daniel Dombey in Washington and Heba Saleh in Cairo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 20 2009 15:54 | Last updated: August 20 2009 23:53 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb5dac38-8d94-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html

Japan’s Economy Shows Signs of Improvement By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 16, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/business/global/17econ.html?th&emc=th

German data fuel deflation fears - July producer prices fall 7.8% By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 19 2009 11:32 | Last updated: August 19 2009 11:32 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9ad308c-8ca7-11de-a540-00144feabdc0.html

German economic recovery powers ahead - Service sector helps boost eurozone PMI By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 21 2009 10:12 | Last updated: August 21 2009 10:12 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab84cf5a-8e2d-11de-87d0-00144feabdc0.html



China

China jails four for Microsoft piracy - Windows XP offered for free By Justine Lau in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 21 2009 05:43 | Last updated: August 21 2009 09:55 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/37ecd29c-8e08-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html

China’s lending boom lifts ICBC - Profits rise at world’s biggest bank By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 20 2009 10:39 | Last updated: August 20 2009 13:13 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5d4f2f6c-8d6d-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html




Mess-o-potamia

Afghan Election Poses New Tests for Washington By HELENE COOPER and CARLOTTA GALL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/world/asia/22kabul.html?scp=1&sq=Afghan%20Election%20Poses%20New%20Tests%20for%20Washington&st=cse

Afghanistandecision '09 - Election Day" http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-20-2009/afghanistandecision--09---election-day

At Least 95 Killed in Series of Attacks in Baghdad By SAM DAGHER9. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/world/middleeast/20iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Clerics’ Call for Removal Challenges Iran Leader By ROBERT F. WORTH and NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 16, 2009. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A group of Iranian clerics has issued an anonymous letter calling Iran’s supreme leader a dictator and demanding his removal, the latest and perhaps strongest rhetorical attack on him yet in the country’s post-election turmoil. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/world/middleeast/17iran.html?th&emc=th

Ahmadinejad Nominee Is Wanted in ’94 Bombing By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009. CAIRO — The man nominated to serve as Iran’s defense minister is wanted by Interpol in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, confronting Iran with yet another challenge to its international reputation after an electoral dispute undermined its legitimacy at home and abroad. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/world/middleeast/22iran.html?th&emc=th

Cairo pushes Obama on Mideast By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Vita Bekker in Tel Aviv. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 19 2009 01:50 | Last updated: August 19 2009 01:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c53beb18-8c57-11de-b14f-00144feabdc0.html

National

Supreme Court to Hear Case on Executive Pay By ADAM LIPTAK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/us/18bar.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Under Agreement, UBS to Give Up Over 4,000 Names By LYNNLEY BROWNING. Copyright by Reuters. Published: August 19, 2009. The Swiss banking giant UBS on Wednesday reached a final deal with the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service in which it will ultimately disclose names and account details for more than 4,450 wealthy Americans suspected of tax evasion. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/business/global/20ubs.html?ref=global-home

U.S. Indicts Two in Switzerland on Tax Charges By LYNNLEY BROWNING. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/business/global/22tax.html?ref=global-home

Switzerland Selling Its Stake in UBS By MATTHEW SALTMARSH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/business/global/21iht-ubs.html?adxnnl=1&ref=global-home&adxnnlx=1250787731-oM05sXPXSOWTKJHbrdFV9g

3 Indicted in Theft of 130 Million Card Numbers By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/technology/18card.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Files Age Bias Suit Against AT&T. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: August 20, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/technology/companies/21phone.html?th&emc=th

Ailing Kennedy Asks for Speedy Replacement Process By Perry Bacon Jr. Copyright by The Washington Post. August 20, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/08/ailing_kennedy_asks_for_speedy.html



Health Care reform

Obama Calls Health Plan a ‘Moral Obligation’ By JEFF ZELENY and CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 19, 2009. WASHINGTON — President Obama sought Wednesday to reframe the health care debate as “a core ethical and moral obligation,” imploring a coalition of religious leaders to help promote the plan to lower costs and expand insurance coverage for all Americans. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/us/politics/20obama.html?th&emc=th

Democrats Seem Set to Go It Alone on a Health Bill By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/health/policy/19repubs.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Reform health care without GOP. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 20, 2009. Bipartisanship is overrated if it gets you nowhere. It's worth trying -- as the Obama administration has done in its push to reform the nation's health insurance system. But if bipartisanship produces nothing, if it leaves us with the broken health-care system we have, we say it's time to move on. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1725208,CST-EDT-edit20b.article

"Keep government out of Medicare?" Not easy By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 09, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/08/medicare-fantasies.html

Health Care’s Generation Gap By RICHARD DOOLING. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 16, 2009. IN the 1980s, I worked as a respiratory therapist in intensive-care units in the Midwest, taking care of elderly, dying patients on ventilators. I remember marveling, along with the young doctors and nurses I worked with, over how many millions of dollars were spent performing insanely expensive procedures, scans and tests on patients who would never regain consciousness or leave the hospital. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/opinion/17dooling.html?th&emc=th

It's Time to Legalize Drugs By Peter Moskos and Stanford "Neill" Franklin. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, August 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/16/AR2009081601758.html



GOP Bashing

Pentagon Shift Gives Names of Detainees to Red Cross By ERIC SCHMITT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 22, 2009. WASHINGTON — In a reversal of Pentagon policy, the military for the first time is notifying the International Committee of the Red Cross of the identities of militants who were being held in secret at a camp in Iraq and another in Afghanistan run by United States Special Operations forces, according to three military officials. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/middleeast/23detain.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

C.I.A. Said to Use Outsiders to Put Bombs on Drones By JAMES RISEN and MARK MAZZETTI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 20, 2009. WASHINGTON — From a secret division at its North Carolina headquarters, the company formerly known as Blackwater has assumed a role in Washington’s most important counterterrorism program: the use of remotely piloted drones to kill Al Qaeda’s leaders, according to government officials and current and former employees. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/us/21intel.html?th&emc=th

C.I.A. Sought Blackwater’s Help in Plan to Kill Jihadists By MARK MAZZETTI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/us/20intel.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

The Gun Show - Barrel Fever http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-18-2009/the-gun-show---barrel-fever

Fox News: The New Liberals http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-19-2009/fox-news--the-new-liberals


Chicagoland

City of Chicago offices will be closed Monday to save money. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 17, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-city-offices-brief-17-aug17,0,5772004.story

Chicago's parking-meter lease draws lawsuit - Group says deal with private company is 'illegal' By Kristen Mack. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-parking-meters-suit-20aug20,0,3226528.story

It's official: Chicago Cubs to sell to Ricketts family By Ameet Sachdev. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-chicago-cubs-sale-ricketts-aug21,0,2253874.story?track=email-alert-breakingnews

Lakeview crime and meeting: A closer look by John Fenoglio. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-08-19 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22121

Chicago feds indict Mexican drug cartel leaders By Jeff Coen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 20, 2009 11:09 AM. Calling it the most significant narcotics conspiracy case of its kind ever in Chicago, authorities today announced indictments against leaders of warring Mexican drug cartels blamed for increasing violence south of the border and for bringing up to four tons of cocaine to the city each month for national distribution. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/08/feds-to-announce-major-drug-investigation-here.html



Economy

World Bankers Suggest Rebound May Be Under Way By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009. JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Central bankers from around the world expressed growing confidence on Friday that the worst of the financial crisis was over and that a global economic recovery was beginning to take shape. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/business/economy/22fed.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Fed Chairman Says American Economy Is Poised to Grow By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/business/economy/22fed.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Bernanke, a Hero to His Own, Can’t Shake Critics By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/business/20bernanke.html?th&emc=th

Rise of the Super-Rich Hits a Sobering Wall By DAVID LEONHARDT and GERALDINE FABRIKANT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 20, 2009. But economists say — and data is beginning to show — that a significant change may in fact be under way. The rich, as a group, are no longer getting richer. Over the last two years, they have become poorer. And many may not return to their old levels of wealth and income anytime soon. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/business/economy/21inequality.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Maybe It’s Time to Change Credit Cards By RON LIEBER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009. If you’re like most credit card customers, you’ve gotten notes from your bank in recent weeks. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/22money.html?th&emc=th

Good News/Bad News - America's Recession http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-20-2009/good-news-bad-news---america-s-recession

Obama Admin. To End Cash for Clunkers on Monday. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: August 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/20/business/AP-US-Cash-for-Clunkers.html?emc=na

Seized Texas Bank Sold to Spanish Firm - Guaranty Deal Shows FDIC's Willingness to Broaden Search for Buyers By Binyamin Appelbaum. Copyright by The Washington Post Saturday, August 22, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082103414.html?hpid=topnews



Housing

Existing US home sales jump 7.2% in July - Biggest monthly rise on record By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 21 2009 16:15 | Last updated: August 21 2009 16:15 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8ed9fa0-8e63-11de-87d0-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago-area home sales improve in July, but median price drops - City doesn't follow trend; sales decline 11.3% By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 22, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/chi-sat-home-sales-0822-aug22,0,3098769.story

US homebuilder sentiment swells in August By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 17 2009 18:04 | Last updated: August 17 2009 18:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0f698990-8b48-11de-9f50-00144feabdc0.html

Real estate rebound? Existing-home sales inch upward in Chicago region. July's small year-over-year gain is the 1st in at least 2 years; housing prices still depressed By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 18, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/chi-tue-home-sales-0818aug18,0,6634318.story


Commodities

Oil dips ahead of US inventories data - Metals tarnished after China stocks tumble By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 19 2009 12:03 | Last updated: August 19 2009 12:03 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3c18934-8cae-11de-a540-00144feabdc0.html

The Greenback Effect By WARREN E. BUFFETT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/opinion/19buffett.html?ref=global

The Dollar: Soon to Swoon? - Bearish pronouncements on the greenback from Buffett and Pimco add to the market's unease. Here's what investors need to know By Ben Steverman. Copyright by Business Week. August 20, 2009 http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/aug2009/pi20090820_935348.htm?campaign_id=widget_topStories



GLBT

Gay & Lesbian According to Jim - An openly gay candidate makes a historic run. By Jason A. Heidemann. Copyright by Time Out Chicago. Issue 233 : Aug 13–19, 2009. Jim Madigan’s humble start suggests the opening scenes of a biopic. He was born and raised in the Rust Belt town of Niles, Ohio, to a father who owned a cigar shop (and later ran a local chapter of AMVETS) and a mom who baby-sat. With his campaign for state Senate in District 7, Madigan looks to complete that biopic trajectory: If successful, he would become the Illinois Senate’s first openly gay member. Recently, we met with Madigan to discuss his political ambitions over Chinese food in Uptown, where he maintains a modest campaign office above Crew Bar and Grill. On Tuesday 18, he holds a fund-raiser at Wilde Bar. http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/gay/77393/jim-madigan

Bill Clinton regrets DOMA and DADT by Rex Wockner and Bill Kelley. Copyright by The Windy City Times and Rex Wockner. 2009-08-19. Former President Bill Clinton said Aug. 13 that he regrets the way his Don't Ask, Don't Tell military gay ban was implemented, and that he doesn't "like" the Defense of Marriage Act he signed into law. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22118

Chicagoans part of nationwide kiss-in by TRACY BAIM. Copyright by The Windy City times. 2009-08-19. Thousands of people took to the streets in dozens of cities Sat., Aug. 15 as part of "The Great Nationwide Kiss-In" to protest recent harassment and arrests of same-sex couples for kissing in public. Two events were planned for the Chicago area, one in Oak Park and one downtown at Millennium Park's "Bean" sculpture. As hundreds of tourists streamed by the popular visitor's destination, including several straight wedding parties, kissers of all sexual orientations smooched for the cameras and public. There were no negative response, and many non-gays approached the literature table to find out more information. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22103

A Conservative’s Road to Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy By JO BECKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009. Theodore B. Olson’s office is a testament to his iconic status in the conservative legal movement. A framed photograph of Ronald Reagan, the first of two Republican presidents Mr. Olson served, is warmly inscribed with “heartfelt thanks.” Fifty-five white quills commemorate each of his appearances before the Supreme Court, where he most famously argued the 2000 election case that put George W. Bush in the White House. On the bookshelf sits a Defense Department medal honoring his legal defense of Mr. Bush’s counterterrorism policies after Sept. 11. But in a war room down the hall, where Mr. Olson is preparing for what he believes could be the most important case of his career, the binders stuffed with briefs, case law and notes offer a different take on a man many liberals love to hate. They are filled with arguments Mr. Olson hopes will lead to a Supreme Court decision with the potential to reshape the legal and social landscape along the lines of cases like Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade: the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19olson.html?th&emc=th

An odd silence on gay marriage By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0820chapmanaug20,0,5209849.column

An odd silence on gay marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. August 22, 2009. The case for allowing gays to marry begins with equality, pure and simple. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/08/odd-silence-on-gay-marriage_22.html

Obama Says Marriage Law Should Be Repealed - Justice Dept. Filing Distances Administration From Arguments That Angered Gays By Carrie Johnson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 18, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/17/AR2009081702722.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Lutheran Group Eases Limits on Gay Clergy By MICHAEL LUO and CHRISTINA CAPECCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/us/22lutherans.html?th&emc=th

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzbNkyXO50


Technology

AT&T can block cheap net calls on iPhone - Telecom giant has veto power over some applications By Joseph Menn in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 22 2009 01:43 | Last updated: August 22 2009 01:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c4ed0ea0-8eb2-11de-87d0-00144feabdc0.html

Apple Answers the FCC’s Questions. We are pleased to respond to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau’s inquiry dated July 31, 2009, requesting information regarding Apple’s App Store and its application approval process. In order to give the Bureau some context for our responses, we begin with some background information about the iPhone and the App Store. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/apple-answers-fcc-questions/

H.P. Tries to Keep the Ink Flowing By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009. You’ve heard about the fears of a jobless economic recovery. For Hewlett-Packard, there is an even darker threat looming as the world works its way out of a recession: an inkless recovery. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/technology/companies/19hewlett.html?th&emc=th

Google Rivals Will Oppose Book Settlement By MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/technology/internet/21google.html?th&emc=th

Dell joins stampede to launch smartphone - Unveils Android handset with China Mobile By Richard Waters in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 17 2009 19:11 | Last updated: August 17 2009 19:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c57709c4-8b57-11de-9f50-00144feabdc0.html

Tweets Will Soon Come With a Dateline By Claire Cain Miller. Copyright by The New York Times. August 20, 2009, 5:42 pm http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/tweets-will-soon-come-with-a-dateline/?th&emc=th


Other

The Paper That Doesn’t Want to Be Free By ERIC PFANNER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 16, 2009. Not long ago, when other media executives were convinced that the only way to succeed on the Web was to give away their content, The Financial Times played the eccentric. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/business/media/17ft.html?th&emc=th

Robert Novak, Conservative Columnist, Is Dead at 78 By DOUGLAS MARTIN and JACQUES STEINBERG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/business/media/19novak.html?_r=1&hp


Humor

sensodyne commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL1JtpRwu1g

CNN's Just Sayin' http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-18-2009/cnn-s-just-sayin-

"Poll Bearers" Videos http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-17-2009/poll-bearers

President Obama suffers of Bi-polar disease http://www.theonion.com/content/video/white_house_reveals_obama_is

.

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

End of life care Newsletter - August 15, 2009

End of life care Newsletter - August 15, 2009

“Confronting the prospect of death isn't easy for anyone. So perhaps it's no surprise that few people talk with their doctors, nurses or loved ones about their wishes for end-of-life care. Surveys show that only 13 percent of Americans have established a living will laying out their desires for treatment near death, and shared it with their medical teams. We discuss end-of-life care with patients to fulfill our commitment to them throughout the course of their care. When a disease cannot be cured, we can assure our patients that we can make them comfortable in their last days. When these conversations are done in advance and done well, everyone benefits -- patients, families and all members of our care teams. As practitioners, we know from experience that discussions with patients in the end stages of their cancers and with their family members may be long and emotional, but ultimately lead to end-of-life care centered on the patient's wishes. We have seen many patients who were well-cared-for by their families, with professional help, and were comfortable in their surroundings. We know, through research and through our own experience, that patients who have discussed end-of-life care make better-informed treatment decisions, experience less pain and depression, and fare better overall.” Douglas W. Blayney and Brenda Nevidjon - Douglas W. Blayney, MD, is president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan. He specializes in the treatment of breast cancer and lymphoma and was in private practice for 17 years in California. Brenda Nevidjon, RN, is president of the Oncology Nursing Society and clinical professor of nursing at Duke University School of Nursing. She was the first nurse and first woman to be chief operating officer of Duke University Hospital.

Commentary: 'Death panel' rumors are false By Douglas W. Blayney and Brenda Nevidjon. Copyright by CNN News. August 14, 2009. (CNN) -- The heated national debate on health care reform has taken an unusual turn, with many eyes focused on a minor provision regarding end-of-life care embedded in the House bill. The measure provides coverage for Medicare beneficiaries who elect to meet with their medical team once every five years to discuss options for treatment if they become seriously ill. It's called end-of-life care or advance care planning. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/14/blayney.death.discussions/index.html

In the embrace of her family By Carlos T. Mock. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2009. In my 20 years as a physician in the Chicago area, I never understood the fear of relatives to have their loved ones die at home. Instead, I saw mutilated corpses with more tubes and trinkets than a carnival attraction dying alone and in misery. With the advent of hospice for terminal diseases, there is no need to have your loved one in a hospital setting for his/her death. Not only it is extremely expensive: it is also extremely "sterile." http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/art/chi-perspec0809deathaug09,0,6165269.storyv

Losing mom: Sharing a life at the time of death By Don Sorsa. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2009. Editor's note: The author wrote this piece Aug. 4, the day his mother died. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-perspec0809momaug09,0,5047635.story

Broken tubes By Paul Krugtman. Copyright by The New York Times. August 10, 2009, 6:09 pm. Meanwhile, two quick links. Some wise words here, about the reality Obama needs to face — namely, that he faces truly crazy opponents, that it’s not just politics as usual. And just as an illustration: a number of people have pointed this out, but here’s the latest in the “Obama’s health reform will kill people” news: Investor’s Business Daily — which poses as a reputable source of financial information — opines that: “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.” That would be Stephen Hawking, British professor, who was born in the UK and has lived there for his whole life. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/broken-tubes/

Washington Post Editorial: 'Death Panel' Sideshow - Demagoguery obscures the value of end-of-life planning. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, August 14, 2009. THE DEBATE over health reform has veered into a peripheral and misleading discussion of whether it includes a scheme to pressure senior citizens into pulling the plug. The most extreme misrepresentation has "death panels," as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin colorfully put it, deciding who is too old or too disabled to merit treatment. This is a distorted interpretation, to say the least. The debate threatens sensible policy on end-of-life discussions and in the separate realm of reforming the health-care system. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/13/AR2009081303107.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: GOP scare tactics could hurt seniors. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 15, 2009. First, a faction of Republican politicians took a perfectly reasonable health-care benefit for senior citizens -- end-of-life counseling -- and turned it into the boogeyman. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1717889,CST-EDT-edit16.article

Healthcare paranoia is part of America’s culture war By Edward Luce. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 14 2009 18:39 | Last updated: August 14 2009 18:39. Barack Obama has been accused by his more constructive critics of mishandling America’s increasingly deranged debate over healthcare reform: The president should have spelt out his own plan, they say, rather than outsourcing the details to his colleagues on Capitol Hill. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3a627422-88f5-11de-b50f-00144feabdc0.html

Keith Olbermann Special Comment On Sarah Palin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5HgfwPtxLw

False ‘Death Panel’ Rumor Has Some Familiar Roots By JIM RUTENBERG and JACKIE CALMES. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 13, 2009. WASHINGTON — The stubborn yet false rumor that President Obama’s health care proposals would create government-sponsored “death panels” to decide which patients were worthy of living seemed to arise from nowhere in recent weeks. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health/policy/14panel.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

August 10, 2009: Healther Skelter - Obama Death Panel Debate http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-10-2009/healther-skelter---obama-death-panel-debate



International

Death Toll Rises as Typhoons Soak Asia By MICHAEL WINES. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/world/asia/11china.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

In Europe, Economic Signs Point to a Recovery By CARTER DOUGHERTY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/business/global/14euro.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Senator Wins Promise to Free American in Myanmar By SETH MYDANS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 15, 2009. BANGKOK — Senator Jim Webb of Virginia held a rare meeting on Saturday in Myanmar with the leader of the ruling junta, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, and emerged with a promise to free a detained American, officials said, at a time when the United States has said it is reassessing its hard line toward Myanmar’s repressive military government. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/world/asia/16myanmar.html?ref=global-home



China

W.T.O. Rules Against China’s Limits on Media Imports By KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/global/13trade.html?ref=global-home

An Online Market Flourishes in China By DAVID BARBOZA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/technology/start-ups/10taobao.html?th&emc=th

China Scales Back Software Filter Plan By MICHAEL WINES. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 13, 2009. BEIJING — Chinese officials retreated on Thursday from a plan to install so-called anti-pornography software on every computer sold here, saying instead that Internet cafes, schools and other public places must use the program, but that individual consumers will be spared. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/world/asia/14censor.html?th&emc=th

Beijing sets date for emissions cut - China unwilling to accept ceiling in short term By Kathrin Hille in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 14 2009 23:33 | Last updated: August 14 2009 23:33. China’s carbon emissions will start falling by 2050, its top climate change policymaker said, the first time the world’s largest emitter has given such a time-frame. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d11ae554-88fd-11de-b50f-00144feabdc0.html



Mess-o-potamia

Iranian Acknowledges Torture of Some Protesters By ROBERT F. WORTH and NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?th&emc=th

Rapes Are Alleged in Iranian Prison By ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 10, 2009. PARIS — As dispute swirls around events at a notorious prison used to incarcerate political opponents after Iran’s June 12 election, a leading reformist candidate in the vote said some inmates, both male and female, had been raped, according to news reports Monday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/world/middleeast/11iran.html?ref=global-home

Bomb Kills 7 Near NATO’s Afghan Headquarters By CARLOTTA GALL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 15, 2009. KABUL, Afghanistan — After a huge car bomb exploded in the center of the capital on Saturday morning, killing seven people and wounding 91, President Hamid Karzai said Afghans would not be deterred from voting in national elections in five days. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/world/asia/16afghan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Iraqis Take the Lead, With U.S. Trailing By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/world/middleeast/09diyala.html?th&emc=th

47 Are Killed in Bombings in Baghdad and Northern Iraq By SAM DAGHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/world/middleeast/11iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Iraq’s Shiites Show Restraint After Attacks By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 11, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/world/middleeast/12shiite.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Pakistan Says Feud Kills a Top Militant By ISMAIL KHAN and SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?th&emc=th


National

9 Dead After Copter and Plane Collide Over Hudson By ROBERT D. McFADDEN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/continuous/09crash.html?th&emc=th

Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/science/earth/09climate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th


Health Care reform

A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/health/policy/10facts.html?th&emc=th

The Massachusetts Model. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009. Massachusetts’s experiment in near universal health care coverage has become a favorite whipping boy for opponents of health care reform. They claim the program is a fiscal disaster and that the whole country will be plunged into a similar disaster if President Obama and Congress’s Democratic leaders have their way. That is an egregious misreading of what is happening in Massachusetts. The state’s experience so far suggests that it is more than possible to insure almost all citizens and stay within planned budgets — although it will take great creativity and political will to hold down rising costs so that the program is sustainable. Three years after the program began, 97 percent of Massachusetts residents have health insurance — by far the highest rate in the nation. That has been achieved without huge increases in state spending. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09sun1.html?th&emc=th

Getting aboard a health plan -- it's time to throw a lifeline to 60 million Americans By Eric Zorn. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. Friday, August 14, 2009 http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/08/getting-aboard-a-health-plan-its-time-to-throw-a-lifeline-to-60-million-americans.html

Thousands Line Up for Promise of Free Health Care By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009. INGLEWOOD, Calif. — They came for new teeth mostly, but also for blood pressure checks, mammograms, immunizations and acupuncture for pain. Neighboring South Los Angeles is a place where health care is scarce, and so when it was offered nearby, word got around. For the second day in a row, thousands of people lined up on Wednesday — starting after midnight and snaking into the early hours — for free dental, medical and vision services, courtesy of a nonprofit group that more typically provides mobile health care for the rural poor. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/health/13clinic.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: Health Reform and Small Business. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009. The impact on small businesses has become a flashpoint in the increasingly raucous debate over health care reform. Trade associations are charging that the pending bills — which would require all businesses to provide coverage to their employees or pay a penalty — would place a huge financial burden on their members. Republican leaders are doing their best to inflame the fears and opposition of small business owners. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13thu1.html?th&emc=th

The Gangs of D.C. - In the Senate, Small States Wield Outsize Power. Is This What the Founders Had in Mind? By Alec MacGillis. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, August 9, 2009. Wonder why President Obama is having a hard time enacting his agenda after sweeping to victory and with large congressional majorities on his side? Look to the Senate, the chamber designed to thwart popular will. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080702045.html

Health Care Fact Check http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/08/12/cb.fact.fiction.cnn

August 12, 2009: PR http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-12-2009/pr

British Leaders Defend Their Health Service By ROBERT MACKEY. Copyright by The New York Times. August 14, 2009, 12:38 PM. Updated | 6:46 p.m. Responding to attacks on Britain’s National Health Service by opponents of health insurance reform in the United States, British political leaders from the left and the right have taken to the airwaves, the blogwaves and the twitwaves to defend the government-run health care system known as the NHS. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/british-leaders-defend-their-health-service/

August 13, 2009: Glenn Beck's Operation http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-2009/glenn-beck-s-operation

August 11, 2009: Reform Madness http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-11-2009/reform-madness

August 10, 2009: Healther Skelter http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-10-2009/healther-skelter

Dear Republicans Copyright by DailyKos. August 10, 2009. Over the past week, we have seen your passionate protests and heard your concerns about Democratic proposals for health care reform. We have considered your insightful and well reasoned arguments, and on behalf of progressives everywhere, I am here to say: OK! We give up! We are willing to compromise on the proposals that concern you. You've won! Yay! http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/08/dear-republicans.html

And You Thought a Prescription Was Private By MILT FREUDENHEIM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/business/09privacy.html?th&emc=th

New Screening Could Lead to More Potent Cancer Drugs By NICHOLAS WADE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 13, 2009. Researchers have discovered a way to identify drugs that can specifically attack and kill cancer stem cells, a finding that could lead to a new generation of anticancer medicines and a new strategy of treatment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/health/research/14cancer.html?_r=1&ref=global-home





GOP Bashing

A race card from the right wing By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 16, 2009. I thought slavery reparations was a dead issue. Glenn Beck set me straight. The radio talk-show host and Fox News Channel star says President Barack Obama's proposed health-care overhaul is really "stealth reparations," a form of racial payback in Beck's words. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0816pageaug16,0,7822008.column

August 11, 2009: Reform Madness - White Minority http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-11-2009/reform-madness---white-minority

New York Times Editorial: More Evidence of a Scandal. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009. Documents released by Congress, including testimony from Karl Rove, offer powerful new evidence that the Bush administration fired top prosecutors who refused to use their offices to promote the electoral fortunes of Republicans. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13thu2.html?ref=opinion

E-Mail Reveals Rove’s Key Role in ’06 Dismissals By ERIC LICHTBLAU. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 11, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/us/politics/12firings.html?th&emc=th

August 13, 2009: Class of '43 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-2009/class-of—43

The feud between Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann keeps viewers tuning in. Their corporate bosses may have called for a cease-fire, but Fox's Bill O'Reilly and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann keep on sparring. By Matea Gold. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. August 15, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/la-et-cable15-2009aug15,0,2179965.story

August 13, 2009: Glenn-Harried Glenn-Lost http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/246560/august-13-2009/glenn-harried-glenn-lost

Governor’s Race Exposes Republican Rift in Texas By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 14, 2009. HOUSTON — Gov. Rick Perry looks as if he stepped out of a Marlboro billboard: square-jawed, weathered face, a shock of black hair, steely eyes. He even says “howdy” when he enters the room. His public persona is so folksy that many opponents have underestimated his political skills. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/us/15texas.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: More Quitters (R-Fla., R-Tex.) - And the governors of Texas and Florida, not the voters, will fill the resulting vacancies. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 11, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/10/AR2009081002602.html






Chicagoland

What's in Chicago aldermen's expense accounts - See how they spend the funds on car leases, a job for mom and more By Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 16, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-aldermen-spend-16-aug16,0,261211.story

Senate candidate is wise beyond his years BY DON TERRY. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 13, 2009. LeAlan Jones has never let youth or inexperience hold him back. That's why at 30 Jones is bold enough to join the race for the U.S. Senate seat recently held by his fellow South Sider, President Obama. Jones is running on the Green Party of Illinois ticket. http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1714483,CST-EDT-terry13.article

Madigan campaign kick off. Copyright by The Windy City times. 2009-08-12. Illinois State Senate candidate Jim Madigan officially kicked off his campaign to unseat incumbent Heather Steans Aug. 8 at his headquarters, 4802 N. Broadway. Talking with supporters, Madigan discussed his motivation for running: "For me, my values will guide my campaign—and my personal experiences will guide what kind of candidate I will be. My personal experience is to work hard; I have not had things handed to me. I want to do politics the way it should be done—working hard to meet people, to energize people [ and ] to inspire them to be involved....http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22066

Chicago's newest area code: 872 By Wailin Wong. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 10:54 AM CDT, August 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-area-code-aug10,0,5935115.story

August 13, 2009: Rod Blagojevich's Quest for Rock Bottom http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-2009/rod-blagojevich-s-quest-for-rock-bottom


Economy

Fed Views Recession as Near an End By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/economy/13fed.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Fed Holds Rate Steady and Moves to End Debt Buying By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/economy/13fed.html?hp

U.S. Imports Rose as Trade Deficit Widened in June By JACK HEALY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/13econ.html?ref=global-home

Productivity: Workers giving more at the office - Productivity soars as more companies push lean staffs and shore up bottom line By Tom Petruno. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tc-biz-economy-0811-0812-aug12,0,2150050.story

US retail sales fall unexpectedly By Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 13 2009 13:33 | Last updated: August 13 2009 19:26 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2761e976-87ff-11de-82e4-00144feabdc0.html

Banks make $38bn from overdraft fees By Saskia Scholtes and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 9 2009 22:52 | Last updated: August 9 2009 22:52 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/43d18c68-851d-11de-9a64-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

With Plastic, Beware and Be Informed By Michelle Singletary. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, August 16, 2009. I was giving a talk recently and asked everyone who had credit cards to give them to me. Then I issued a challenge: Can anyone tell me at least three of the new reforms under the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/15/AR2009081500043.html?hpid=topnews

Beware the money wasters By Erin Burt. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2009. Nearly everyone has spending holes -- leaks in your budget that drain money with you hardly noticing. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-090809moneywasters-story,0,6701131.story

BB&T Takes Over Failing Colonial BancGroup By ERIC DASH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 14, 2009. Wall Street’s biggest banks may be roaring back to life, but trouble still lurks in corners of the financial industry that remain plagued by a legacy of bad investments. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/business/15bank.html?th&emc=th




GLBT

Caution on Fighting Marriage Ban By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 12, 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — One of California’s leading gay rights groups, Equality California, said Wednesday that it would not seek to overturn the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage next year, even as another group advocating for same-sex marriage said 2010 was the right time to go back to the ballot. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/us/13gay.html?th&emc=th

Push for domestic partner benefits is personal for advocates By Becky Yerak. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2009. In 1996, 30-year-old Michael McRaith got a phone call that haunts him to this day. His partner of two years, he learned, had taken his own life. "He had lost his job and did not have access to health insurance, and he was suffering through the trauma that many people do when they're without employment and fighting depression," McRaith recalled. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sun-same-sex-benefits-aug09,0,393574.story

Talking with Equality Illinois' new CEO by Andrew Davis. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-08-12 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22052

Pucker up Baby, it's time for a Kiss-in By Michael Lehet. 08.11.09. Recently the news has been filled with a lot of LGBT harrassment. There was a gay couple arrested in Salt Lake City for kissing on a public way that's owned by the Mormon Church. In El Paso, Texas a gay couple was ejected from an eatery because they were kissing. Is kissing that bad? Apparently it is, I wish someone would have told me! http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/08/pucker-up-baby-its-time-for-kiss-in.html

BUTTOCKS ENHANCEMENT by Dr. Omeed Memar and Jamey Bell, R.N. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. July 30, 2009 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/health.shtml



Immigration

Obama Sets Immigration Changes for 2010 By GINGER THOMPSON and MARC LACEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/world/americas/11prexy.html?th&emc=th

Illegal immigrants face life-and-death decisions without health insurance - Trying to pay for organ transplants and follow-up medicine can be overwhelming By Antonio Olivo. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 11, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-immigrant-health-transplantaug11,0,3342811.story



Technology

GM Says New Electric Car Gets 230 Miles Per Gallon By Peter Whoriskey. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 11, 2009; 9:35 AM. General Motors announced today that its forthcoming electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, will achieve city fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon, under testing that used draft federal fuel economy methodology standards for plug-in cars. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081101090.html?hpid=topnews

GM puts vehicles on eBay - Test lets customers bid or 'buy it now' below sticker price By W.J. Hennigan. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 11, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tc-biz-swap-0810-0811aug11,0,4505839.story

Microsoft’s SharePoint Thrives in the Recession By Ashlee Vance. Copyright by The New York Times. August 7, 2009, 6:50 pm http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/microsofts-sharepoint-thrives-in-the-recession/?th&emc=th

In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History By TAMAR LEWIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/education/09textbook.html?th&emc=th

Fibonacci Sequence: Numbers of Life, Matrix of Universe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqTfBaqxGM&feature=related

Other

Seattle Paper Is Resurgent as a Solo Act By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/business/media/10seattle.html?th&emc=th

Airlines Set to Ask More of Passengers - Government Says Extra Information Will Prevent Watch-List Mismatches By Spencer S. Hsu. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, August 13, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081203000.html?hpid=topnews


Humor

WEAKLY HUMERUS NEWS 08-15-09 AIMED AT YOUR FUNNY BONE http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/08/weakly-humerus-news-08-15-09-aimed-at.html

Town Hall Meeting Casting Call http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/08/town-hall-mweeting-casting-call.html

Banned Commercials – Durex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bizJWtJ0xXo&NR=1

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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

Mini Newsletter: Practitioners Should Avoid Telling Clients They Can Change from Gay to Straight - August 8, 2009

Mini Newsletter: Practitioners Should Avoid Telling Clients They Can Change from Gay to Straight - August 8, 2009


“There's nothing like a dry research paper to help clear up the sexiest and most controversial of topics. With a 138-page report to back them up, the American Psychological Association this week declared that mental health professionals should not tell their gay clients that they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. The group's resolution, passed this week, was prompted by claims to the contrary by a small group of therapists, mostly religious conservatives.” Chicago Sun-Times Editorial

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Kudos to APA for stand vs. 'converting' gays. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1707035,CST-EDT-edit09a.article

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE THAT SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS WORK, SAYS APA Copyright by Christian Gasys.com and The American Psychological Association. Aug 5, 2009. Practitioners Should Avoid Telling Clients They Can Change from Gay to Straight. http://christiangays.com/articles/apa_release.shtml




International

German exports show unexpected surge By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 7 2009 08:41 | Last updated: August 7 2009 08:41 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/855b486a-8322-11de-a24e-00144feabdc0.html

Medvedev orders probe into state companies By Catherine Belton in Moscow. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 7 2009 15:44 | Last updated: August 7 2009 15:44. Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a probe into the activities of Russia’s state-owned companies as pressure mounts over the government’s handling of the economy that shrank 10 per cent in the first half of the year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/335d6fe4-8358-11de-a24e-00144feabdc0.html




China

Beijing orders state banks to slow loans - New loan volume triples in first half By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 7 2009 17:06 | Last updated: August 7 2009 17:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e06c271e-8369-11de-a24e-00144feabdc0.html

China hints at softer line in climate talks By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Fiona Harvey in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 5 2009 17:16 | Last updated: August 5 2009 17:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d0a173a8-81d8-11de-9c5e-00144feabdc0.html



Mess-o-potamia

Iran’s regime prevails – at the cost of its legitimacy By David Gardner. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 6 2009 19:24 | Last updated: August 6 2009 19:24. The body language will have been instantly comprehensible to any and every Iranian who watched it. At his religious confirmation as Iran’s president on Monday, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad made as if to embrace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader brushed him aside and the president ended up planting a kiss on his shoulder. It was as if this mercurial and messianic president, eight weeks after the regime convulsed Iran by imposing his re-election on a rebellious people, had been brought to heel. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/768a675a-82b2-11de-ab4a-00144feabdc0.html

August 6, 2009: Ahmadidn't Win http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-6-2009/ahmadidn-t-win

Washington Post Editorial: The Spectacle in Tehran - Show trials in the Stalinist tradition for those who would challenge the regime's legitimacy. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, August 4, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/03/AR2009080302558.html

Iran Resumes Mass Trial of Activists and Protesters. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: August 8, 2009. Filed at 9:35 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/08/world/AP-ML-Iran-Election.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

U.S. Weighs Iran Sanctions if Talks Are Rejected By DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 2, 2009. The Obama administration is talking with allies and Congress about the possibility of imposing an extreme economic sanction against Iran if it fails to respond to President Obama’s offer to negotiate on its nuclear program: cutting off the country’s imports of gasoline and other refined oil products. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/world/middleeast/03nuke.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Taliban Leader in Pakistan Is Reportedly Killed in Strike By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH, ISMAIL KHAN and SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: August 7, 2009. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Baitullah Mehsud, the main leader of Pakistan’s fearsome Taliban militia, was killed Wednesday in a C.I.A. missile strike, two Taliban fighters said Friday, but a spokesman for Pakistan’s military, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said he could not confirm reports of Mr. Mehsud’s death. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/world/asia/08pstan.html?hp

Saudis refuse to make concessions for Israel By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Andrew England in Abu Dhabi Vita Bekker in Tel Aviv. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 3 2009 01:24 | Last updated: August 3 2009 01:24. The US push for Middle East peace is coming under increasing strain on all sides, in spite of a flurry of diplomacy and a personal intervention by President Barack Obama. Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, capped off a week of top-level meetings by attacking an idea central to Washington’s drive – the call for Arab concessions to Israel. The US argues that, together with an Israeli freeze on settlements in occupied territories, Arab “confidence-building” measures would help pave the way to final negotiations. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8e24964-7fc1-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0.html


National

Bill Clinton and Journalists in Emotional Return to U.S. By MARK LANDLER and PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 5, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/world/asia/06korea.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Sotomayor Sworn In as Supreme Court Justice By CHARLIE SAVAGE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/us/politics/09sotomayor.html?ref=global-home

For Puerto Ricans, Sotomayor’s Success Stirs Pride By DAVID GONZALEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 6, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/nyregion/07puerto.html?th&emc=th

Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31 By CHARLIE SAVAGE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/us/politics/07confirm.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

August 6, 2009: White Men Can't Judge - Sotomayor Confirmation http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-6-2009/white-men-can-t-judge---sotomayor-confirmation


Health Care reform

The Republican healthcare paradox By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 2 2009 18:48 | Last updated: August 2 2009 18:48. Support for the administration of US president Barack Obama is fading, and the struggle over healthcare is a main reason. The Democratic party’s ambitions for health reform were only recently an electoral asset. No longer. A slim majority of voters – but a majority nonetheless – now says the plans emerging in Congress are unlikely to make them better off. Congressional action on the issue, once promised by the summer recess, has been delayed until the autumn, and some observers expect the whole endeavour to come to nothing. One striking aspect of the story is the role played by the Republican party – namely, no role at all. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8e920892-7f8a-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0.html

Rationing health care By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2009. "Rationing" is one of the scariest words in the health-care debate. It conjures up apocalyptic nightmare images from "Soylent Green," the sci-fi thriller about a future in which the old and weak are quietly lured into early extinction for the sake of future generations. What the scaremongers don't like to talk about is how much our private insurers ration now -- mostly for the sake of their own profits. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0809pageaug09,0,1132739.column

A myth that scares seniors to death By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 5, 2009. Is the White House losing the message war on health care? Like other presidents, President Barack Obama is pestered by myths and conspiracy theorists. He can easily ignore the "birthers," who refuse to let facts get in the way of their misguided belief that Obama's birth certificate is a fake. But if there is any rumor that he needs to squelch as soon as possible, it is the truly dangerous myth that he wants to kill seniors. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0805pageaug05,0,6249140.column

Getting health care healthy - Accepting death outside the hospital By Anne Moore. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 5, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0805dieaug05,0,7589601.story

“American Values” — A Smoke Screen in the Debate on Health Care Reform by Allan S. Brett, M.D. Copyright by The New England Journal of Medicine. July 29th, 2009. Amid all the rhetoric about health care reform, one claim has emerged as a trump card designed to preserve the current patchwork of private and public insurance and to stop discussion of a government-sponsored single-payer system in its tracks: the claim that single-payer health care — a Canadian-style Medicare-for-all system — is antithetical to “American values.” The idea that American values dictate a particular approach to health care reform is often stated explicitly, and it is implicit in the generalization that “Americans want” a particular system. The underlying premise is that an identifiable set of American values point incontrovertibly to a health care system anchored by the private insurance industry. Remarkably, this premise has received very little scrutiny. http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1245?query=TOC

GOP doesn't dare challenge this government health care - Nice poker play last week by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner. By Eric Zorn. Friday, August 07, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. As the House Energy and Commerce Committee was marking up health-care reform legislation, the New York Democrat offered up an amendment to abolish Medicare. His point? Not to get rid of the program that provides insurance for America's seniors on the 44th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Medicare Act of 1965, as he explained in his speech. But "to clarify one of the great, enduring mysteries." Where do "my Republican friends stand on the issue of government-run health-care?" http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/08/gop-doesnt-dare-challenge-this-government-health-care.html

Keith Olbermann on Health Care reform http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann#32277034



GOP Bashing

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: If they keep this up, the party will be over. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 4, 2009. In case you haven't heard, President Obama is a member of a secret Kenyan terrorist cell who is scheming to dispatch waves of government bureaucrats to tell grandmas and grandpas how to off themselves. Such is the intellectual weight of a segment of the Republican Party these days. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1699103,CST-EDT-edit04a.article

On birth (and the death of conservative movement) By Leonard Pitts. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 3, 2009. My daughter was born in Los Angeles County on Sept. 4, 1990. I know this because I was there. Should that not be proof enough, I also have her birth certificate. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0803pittsaug03,0,4908489.story

`Natural-born' -- The most un-American section of the Constitution By Eric Zorn. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 4, 2009. Two new polls suggest that the Grand Old Party is having a Grand Old Meltdown over where President Barack Obama was born. Last week, Survey 2000 reported that 28 percent of Republicans in a nationwide survey of 2,400 adults said they did not believe Obama was born in the United States; Tuesday, Public Policy Polling will release results from a survey of 579 voters of Virginia showing that 41 percent of Republicans there think Obama is foreign-born. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/08/natural-.html

Humans often deny science while trying to find meaning in patterns By Trine Tsouderos. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 4, 2009. Celebrities die in threes. The moon landing was a hoax. Climate change is a myth. And President Barack Obama? Not born on U.S. soil. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-talk-tsouderos-evolutionaug04,0,5818287.story

A Tip for The GOP: Look Away By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, August 5, 2009....Now, apparently, it's the Buckeye State's turn to poke back. In a fusillade of pique, Ohio Sen. George Voinovich charged that Southerners are what's wrong with the Republican Party. "We got too many Jim DeMints and Tom Coburns," he told an interviewer with the Columbus Dispatch, referring to GOP senators from South Carolina and Oklahoma. "It's the Southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, 'These people, they're Southerners. The party's being taken over by Southerners. What the hell they got to do with Ohio?' " http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080402424.html

NRSC paid son of woman in Ensign affair By JOHN BRESNAHAN. Copyright by Politico.com. 6/17/09 8:01 PM EDT. The son of the couple at the center of the sex scandal that has engulfed Sen. John Ensign was being paid by National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2008 at the same time his mother was having an affair with the Nevada Republican. Both Doug and Cynthia Hampton were already working in senior positions for Ensign when their son Brandon Hampton was hired to do “research policy consulting” for the NRSC in March 2008. The younger Hampton, 19, was paid $5,400 before he left the Ensign office in August last year, Federal Election Commission records show. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23844.html#ixzz0IiS31GuF&C

August 4, 2009: President Obama's Birthday Scam http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-4-2009/president-obama-s-birthday-scam

August 4, 2009: Obama Must Pass a Health Care Bill http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-4-2009/obama-must-pass-a-health-care-bill

August 4, 2009: Interim Presidents http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-4-2009/interim-presidents

August 4, 2009: Chuck Grassley's Debt and Deficit Dragon http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-4-2009/chuck-grassley-s-debt-and-deficit-dragon





Chicagoland

Another robbery reported in Lincoln Park. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 7, 2009. A 21-year-old man struggled with three attackers -- and possibly wrenched a t-shirt off one -- who stole his wallet during a mugging near his Lincoln Park neighborhood home early Friday. Six previous muggings have been reported, mostly in the early hours between July 30 and August 3, and police were investigating whether the early Friday incident is linked to them. http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1705606,lincoln-park-robbery-mugging-080709.article

Top cop: City's drop in murder rate 'encouraging' - But city's top cop says 'code of silence' hampers efforts to fight violent crime BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter/sesposito@suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1706732,CST-NWS-stats08.article Editorial Note: Really? Read above!!!

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Don't mess with bill on freedom of information Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. August 7, 2009. The law is supposed to be a legal crowbar that average citizens and journalists can use to pry information out of local officials -- information they often don't want you to have. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1705054,CST-EDT-edit07a.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Taken for a ride? Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 7, 2009. It is one of the most basic, least-known services the city provides: When someone dies in Chicago, his or her body needs to be picked up and transported, often to the morgue. Depending on the cause of death and other factors, that duty often falls to an Ohio-based company, GSSP Enterprise Inc. That's about 3,000 bodies a year. And until recently, that service cost the city an astonishingly high $915 a body. How expensive is that rate? Well, compare it to what Cook County pays a different company for similar service: about $250 a body. Or to what GSSP gets in Montgomery County, Ohio, its home base: $115. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0807edit2aug07,0,4415332.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Veto the campaign bill. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 6, 2009...Quinn, who once called it a "landmark" improvement, now suggests he may use his amendatory veto to improve the measure before sending it back to the legislature. But trying to fix this bill is like trying to teach a dog to talk. If you want a talking pet, it's a lot more sensible to get a parrot. If you want real campaign reform, it would make more sense to junk these phony reforms and start over.... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0806edit1aug06,0,3235681.story

U. of I. trustee board chairman resigns by Tara Malone and Stacy St. Clair. Copyright © 2009, The Chicago Tribune. August 3, 2009 11:48 AM http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/08/u-of-i-trustee-board-chairman-resigns-hold-check-copy.html






Economy

Financial Times Editorial Comment: The value of bank independence. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 2 2009 18:50 | Last updated: August 2 2009 18:50. The current fashion for attacking central banks is understandable but it risks going too far. Whatever mistakes were made before the global financial crisis, the principle of independence is a vital part of modern economic policy-making. To undermine it would be a serious step backwards. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e5e967c6-7f84-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html

Job Losses Slow in July, Signaling Shift in the Economy By JACK HEALY and LOUIS UCHITELLE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/business/economy/08jobs.html?_r=1&hp

US consumer spending up in June for 2nd straight month, personal incomes drop. CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 9:29 AM CDT, August 4, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-economy,0,7733390.story

US manufacturing decline slows By Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 3 2009 17:48 | Last updated: August 3 2009 17:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c30991e-8047-11de-bf04-00144feabdc0.html

Wall Street profits from trades with Fed - Returns soar on deals with central bank By Henny Sender in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 2 2009 23:04 | Last updated: August 2 2009 23:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e84383dc-7f8c-11de-85dc-00144feabdc0.html

'Cash-For-Clunkers' Program Gets $2B Refill. Copyright by By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: August 7, 2009. Filed at 9:19 p.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/07/us/politics/AP-US-Cash-for-Clunkers.html?scp=4&sq=obama%20signs%20cash%20for%20clunkers%20law&st=Searc

Ford sales rise in July after 19 consecutive declines - Ford reports a 2% rise in sales from June, its first monthly increase since November 2007. Ford says it was having a good month even before the government's 'cash for clunkers' program took effect. By Martin Zimmerman. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. 11:11 AM CDT, August 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-fi-auto-sales4-2009aug04,0,725532.story

Winners of Energy Grants Announced By Dana Hedgpeth. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, August 5, 2009; 1:12 PM. The Obama administration said Wednesday that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler will receive more than $400 million to help manufacture advanced hybrid and electric vehicles as part of an energy program meant to help create jobs and reduce the country's reliance on foreign oil. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080500905.html?hpid=topnews

Postal Service considers closings, consolidation By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID. Copyright by The Associated Press. Monday, August 3, 2009; 9:31 PM. The Postal Service may register a loss of nearly $7 billion this fiscal year in spite of a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, cuts in staff and removal of collection boxes. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/03/AR2009080301744.html

PRC list of candidates for closure: http://www.prc.gov/Docs/63/63990/SBOC%20Full%20Study%20July%20List.pdf



Commodities

European central banks agree to lower gold sales ceiling - Bullion price nears two-month high By Javier Blas in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 7 2009 12:10 | Last updated: August 7 2009 17:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5f5fbefa-8338-11de-a24e-00144feabdc0.html

White sugar breaks 25-year high - Oil prices hit 2009 peak at $73.50 By Javier Blas in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 3 2009 12:20 | Last updated: August 3 2009 17:29 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc8dba54-801d-11de-bf04-00144feabdc0.html



GLBT

Appellate Court installs first gay judge By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. August 6, 2009. On Monday, Sebastian Patti was installed as the first openly gay justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, the state’s second highest court. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3772

Minnesota Episcopal Diocese considering lesbian for bishop - Chicago rector's selection would be a test of a recent Episcopal rule change By Manya A. Brachear. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. August 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-gay-bishop-03-aug03,0,4651949.story

New York Times Editorial: Playing a Deadly Game With AIDS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 4, 2009. Nearly 600,000 Americans with AIDS have died since the beginning of the epidemic. Nearly a third of those cases can be traced to intravenous drug users who became infected with the virus that causes AIDS by sharing contaminated needles and who sometimes infect wives, lovers and unborn children. Many of the dead would never have been infected if Congress had allowed federal financing for programs that have been shown the world over to slow the spread of disease, without increasing drug use, by making clean needles available to addicts. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/opinion/05wed2.html

TAKE ACTION TO END THE HIV BAN http://www.immigrationequality.org/template3.php?pageid=1142


Immigration

Firm Stance on Illegal Immigrants Remains Policy By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/us/politics/04immig.html?th&emc=th

U.S. to Reform Policy on Detention for Immigrants By NINA BERNSTEIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 5, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/us/politics/06detain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th


Technology

Now on YouTube, Local News By BRIAN STELTER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/business/media/03youtube.html?th&emc=th

Save Net Neutrality: To find out about Net Neutrality, WATCH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5Ic5Ic0u4.

Tell Congress: Pass Net Neutrality Legislation Now http://www.savetheinternet.com/

Online Attack Silences Twitter for Much of Day By JENNA WORTHAM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: August 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/technology/internet/07twitter.html?th&emc=th

Cyber-attacks ‘aimed at Georgia blogger’ - Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal suffer in assault By Joseph Menn and David Gelles in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: August 7 2009 20:17 | Last updated: August 7 2009 23:21 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/203fbc78-8380-11de-a24e-00144feabdc0.html

Twitter Service Spotty as Attacks Continue By Riva Richmond AND Jenna Wortham. Copyright by The New York Times. August 7, 2009, 3:25 pm http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/twitter-apps-blocked-as-attacks-continue-friday/?th&emc=th



Humor

WEAKLY HUMERUS NEWS 08-01-09 AIMED AT YOUR FUNNY BONE http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/weakly-humerus-news-08-01-09-aimed-at.html

Security Alert http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/security-alert.html

Golf Outing http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/golf-outing.html

Driver's test http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/08/drivers-test.html


Ps. The new book is finally moving along. I can work on it now. First chater is on the computer (2000 words). Also reviewing a diary kept by something called “Care Pages” about her odyssey. I think I will use Isabel, as the title of the book.

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