How Torture Worked to Sell the Iraq War
by: Steve Weissman
Copyright by t r u t h o u t
Saturday 25 April 2009
http://www.truthout.org/042509A
Three cheers for Dick Cheney. The former vice president has urged, however rhetorically, that the Obama administration release more of the torture memos. "One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort," the former vice president told FoxNews.
"I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was."
News reports differ as to whether Mr. Cheney has formally made the request, but he is absolutely right that the American people need to see the complete record. He is wrong about what the record will show. From the material already released or ferreted out by journalists, it is clear that he and Mr. Bush succeeded in using torture, not primarily to secure needed intelligence, but to create the propaganda they used to sell their invasion of Iraq.
The evidence comes from a variety of sources, including the report on the military's treatment of detainees, which Sen. Carl Levin's Armed Services Committee has just released. The report revealed that Pentagon officials began preparing to use torture - or "abusive interrogation techniques" - as early as December 2001. This was less than two months after the start of the war in Afghanistan and eight months before the Department of Justice gave legal authorization in two memos dated August 1, 2002, and signed by Jay Bybee, then-assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel. The first memo redefined physical and mental torture and suggested that the president, acting pursuant to his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief, could override the federal anti-torture statute. The second analyzed and approved specific interrogation tactics, including isolation, prolonged sleep deprivation, stress positions and waterboarding, which makes the victim feel that he is drowning.
If not the Justice Department lawyers, who gave the earlier go-ahead? The Senate report puts the onus directly on the decider-in-chief, President George W. Bush. He issued a written determination on February 7, 2002, "that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which would have afforded minimum standards for humane treatment, did not apply to al-Qaeda or Taliban detainees."
Former White House terrorist adviser Richard Clarke has confirmed that Mr. Bush gave an informal go-ahead even earlier. According to Clarke's account in his book, "Against All Enemies," Bush addressed his national security advisers late on September 11, 2001. "We are at war and we will stay at war until this is done," Bush told them. "Any barriers in your way, they're gone." Later he added in a heated exchange with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, "I don't care what the international lawyers say, we are going to kick some ass."
The Senate report also pointed the finger at Mr. Cheney and other top officials of the Bush administration. "Members of the President's Cabinet and other senior officials participated in meetings inside the White House in 2002 and 2003 where specific interrogation techniques were discussed," the committee concluded. "National Security Council principals reviewed the CIA's interrogation program during that period."
Why so much attention from the top? McClatchy news has provided the obvious answer. According to a former senior US intelligence official and a former Army psychiatrist, the Bush administration wanted "to find evidence of cooperation between al-Qaeda and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime."
"There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used," said the former official. "The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al-Qaeda and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there."
In part to get that smoking gun, the CIA waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times and Abu Zubaydah 83 times. But neither man told the interrogators what Bush and Cheney wanted to hear about Iraq and al-Qaeda. That came from Ibn al Sheikh al Libi, whom the Bush administration sent to Egypt for what CIA Director George Tenet called "further debriefing." As PBS Frontline reported back in November 2007, al Libi "confessed" - after being beaten repeatedly and locked in a small box for some 17 hours - that Saddam Hussein had trained al-Qaeda in chemical weapons. Al Libi later retracted his statement and the CIA later rejected it as reliable intelligence. But the torture of al Libi worked to sell the war in Iraq, providing the "evidence" that Secretary of State Colin Powell used when he spoke before the United Nations Security Council in February 2003.
"I can trace the story of a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these [chemical and biological] weapons to al-Qaeda," Powell asserted. "Fortunately, this operative is now detained, and he has told his story."
Torture might not work as well as conventional interrogation to provide sound intelligence, but it certainly worked for Bush and Cheney in exactly the way they most wanted.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The America Tortures Newsletter - April 25, 2009
The America Tortures Newsletter - April 25, 2009
“This debate is about the limits that a democratic society sets so that it does not sink to the level of those who seek to destroy it.” April 22, 2009 Chicago Tribune Editorial
New York Times Editorial: The Torturers’ Manifesto. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 18, 2009. To read the four newly released memos on prisoner interrogation written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department is to take a journey into depravity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: Shocking the Conscience -The Bush administration made waterboarding almost routine. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 21, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/20/AR2009042003165.html
Washington Post Editorial: The Accountability Question - The right way to deal with torture's legacy. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303476.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - America needs to know truth on torture policy. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 23, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1539627,CST-EDT-edit23a.article
Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/20detain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Report Gives New Detail on Approval of Brutal Techniques By BRIAN KNOWLTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 21, 2009. WASHINGTON — A newly declassified Congressional report released Tuesday outlined the most detailed evidence yet that the military’s use of harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects was approved at high levels of the Bush administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/us/politics/22report.html?th&emc=th
Defense Secretary Gates Says He Approved of Release of CIA Memos By Ann Scott Tyson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 3:34 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042302446.html?hpid=topnews
New York Times Editorial: In the Spirit of Openness. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. When he was vice president, Dick Cheney never acknowledged the public’s right to know anything. Now, suddenly, he has the full disclosure bug. He told Fox News this week that President Obama’s decision to release memos written by the Bush Justice Department authorizing the abuse and torture of detainees inspired him to ask the Central Intelligence Agency to release transcripts of those interrogations. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23thu1.html?ref=global
Waking up to torture truths By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. When the Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote his epic, "The Gulag Archipelago," some Americans read it to measure the gulf between the brute savagery of communism and the principled standards of free, civilized nations. But apparently some Americans took it as a helpful how-to volume http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0423chapmanapr23,0,4882177.column
Where 'Those Methods' Lead By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009. The many roads of inquiry into the Bush administration's abusive "interrogation techniques" all lead to one stubborn, inconvenient fact: Torture is not just immoral but also illegal. This means that once we learn the whole truth, the law will oblige us to act on it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303717.html
Interrogations’ Effectiveness May Prove Elusive By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/politics/23detain.html?th&emc=th
Pentagon to release photos of abuse By Demetri Sevastopulo and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 23:38 | Last updated: April 24 2009 23:38 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/636805fa-311e-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
America's abuse of the law handed victory to terrorists By Philip Stephens. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 17:37 | Last updated: April 23 2009 17:37. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a08ee81a-3068-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
In 2002, Military Agency Warned Against 'Torture' - Extreme Duress Could Yield Unreliable Information, It Said By Peter Finn and Joby Warrick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403171.html?hpid=topnews
My Tortured Decision By ALI SOUFAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified. But the release last week of four Justice Department memos on interrogations allows me to shed light on the story, and on some of the lessons to be learned. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23soufan.html?ref=global
Amid Outcry on Memo, Signer's Private Regret - Friends Say Judge Wasn't Proud of Outcome By Karl Vick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009\ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403888.html?hpid=topnews
International
N Korea to put US journalists on trial By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 09:18. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/56d8e10a-30a7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Japan’s first annual trade deficit in 29 years By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 03:34 | Last updated: April 22 2009 16:43. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b60d942-2ee5-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Indonesia’s Voters Retreat From Radical Islam By NORIMITSU ONISHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/asia/25indonesia.html?th&emc=th
German business confidence rebounds By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 10:27 | Last updated: April 24 2009 10:27. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/97b97e7a-30af-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Britain’s Debt Deepens; Its Outlook Grows Gloomier By JULIA WERDIGIER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23pound.html?ref=global-home
Spanish jobless at record 4m By Victor Mallet in Madrid. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:41 | Last updated: April 24 2009 18:31. Spain’s army of unemployed swelled to a record 4m in the first quarter of this year as hundreds of thousands of workers in services and construction fell victim to economic recession and the collapse of the country’s housing market. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54cf94a6-30a9-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Zuma’s victory. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 19:38 | Last updated: April 23 2009 19:38. Jacob Zuma’s journey to the South African presidency has been bruising and divisive. At times, as he fought to overcome corruption charges, he has appeared ready to undermine the country’s institutions. His struggle for political ascendancy with Thabo Mbeki, the former president, split the ruling African National Congress. Yet Wednesday’s election has given him a huge popular mandate. South Africa’s next president has the opportunity to govern with magnanimity and repair the damage. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e97f436-3031-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Somali pirate arrives in NYC to face charges in hostage-taking of ship captain By VIRGINIA BYRNE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 1:47 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-piracy-suspect,0,1282380.story
Hemisphere’s Leaders Signal Fresh Start With U.S. By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/americas/20prexy.html?th&emc=th
Caracas dispatches envoy to US By Benedict Mander in Port of Spain and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 19:04 | Last updated: April 20 2009 01:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccd40d9e-2d0a-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
China
China reveals big rise in gold reserves By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:31 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:37. China has nearly doubled its gold reserves in the last five years as it diversified its enormous foreign exchange reserves away from US dollar assets, the head of the country’s secretive foreign exchange administration said in a rare disclosure on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d23f80c-30aa-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Mess-o-potamia
Obama invites Middle East leaders to White House By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 01:14 | Last updated: April 22 2009 01:14. President Barack Obama stepped up his bid to encourage Middle East peace on Tuesday when he invited the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to the White House in the coming weeks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2581e0ac-2ed1-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Secretary of State Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq - Stresses President Obama's Commitment to Its Sovereignty, Stability By Mary Beth Sheridan. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/25/AR2009042500409.html?hpid=topnews
Critic of Maliki Is Chosen to Lead Iraq’s Parliament By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/middleeast/20iraq.html?th&emc=th
80 Are Killed in 3 Suicide Bombings in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?th&emc=th
At Least 75 Are Killed in Two Attacks in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?ref=global-home
U.S. Questions Pakistan’s Will to Stop Taliban By CARLOTTA GALL and ERIC SCHMITT. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Pakistan threat forces militants to retreat By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:29 | Last updated: April 24 2009 22:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9e3604f4-30c7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Ahmadi-Nejad intervenes in Saberi case By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 18 2009 19:23 | Last updated: April 19 2009 15:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d57cc94c-2c45-11de-ae7a-00144feabdc0.html
Iran Judge Asks for Review Case of Jailed Journalist By NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/middleeast/21iran.html?ref=global-home
National
A Bravura Opening By David S. Broder. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009. As we approach the 100-day mark for the Obama administration, you will hear and see a wide variety of grades for the new president's performance. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042203090.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Wildfires Hit Myrtle Beach Area By ANAHAD O’CONNOR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/us/24blaze.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=myrtle%20beach%20fires&st=cse
Police arrest med student suspected in fatal attack on Boston hotel masseuse from Craigslist By RUSSELL CONTRERAS. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:04 PM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-craigslist-killer,0,2692140.story
Freddie Mac’s finance chief found dead By Tom Braithwaite in Reston, Virginia, and Saskia Scholtes and Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:19 | Last updated: April 23 2009 01:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/183e279c-2f36-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: Horrors! A Handshake!. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. Republicans have been predicting the decline of American power ever since President Obama was photographed at last week’s hemispheric summit shaking the hand of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and — gasp! — smiling. Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that that act of civility would be viewed as a sign of “weakness.” Newt Gingrich, who may be honing his attack skills for a presidential run, said Mr. Obama’s behavior was bolstering “enemies of America.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri2.html?th&emc=th
GOP Whacking
Republicans pushed to political margins By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 20:08 | Last updated: April 20 2009 20:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfb7a960-2dd5-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Republicans slide into disarray. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 17:17 | Last updated: April 22 2009 17:17. After a severe electoral defeat, any political party needs a period of resentful incapacity while the news sinks in. This is especially so of a party accustomed to success, as the US Republican party certainly was. But the hyperenergetic administration of Barack Obama is full of big transforming ideas and is moving at an extraordinary clip. The founders of the US were right: checks and balances make for better government. The country needs an effective opposition. None is in sight. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a307f86-2f54-11de-a8f6-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: Holding Up the Housing Recovery. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. We welcomed President Obama’s plan, unveiled in March, to head off foreclosures and keep more Americans in their homes, but we feared that it wouldn’t be enough. We were particularly concerned that without a reform of the bankruptcy code, lenders wouldn’t do enough to voluntarily modify troubled loans. Seven weeks later, bankruptcy reform legislation is stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition. Meanwhile, foreclosure filings — including notices of default, auctions and repossessions — rose again in the first three months of this year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri1.html?th&emc=th
Democrat Is Winner of a New York House Race By DAVID M. HALBFINGER. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. A 39-year-old Democrat in his first run for office emerged Friday as the winner of a hotly contested Congressional race in upstate New York, dashing Republican hopes for the start of a comeback after the party’s disastrous November losses. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/nyregion/25murphy.html?th&emc=th
Chicagoland
Maggie Daley: Mayor's wife undergoes biopsy - Maggie Daley treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002 By Deborah L. Shelton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. Mayor Richard Daley's wife, Maggie, who has been treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002, underwent a biopsy Wednesday after a routine test detected changes in a lesion, or tumor, on her spine. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-maggie-daley-cancer-23apr23,0,6686007.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial -Time for Todd Stroger to answer key questions. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 21, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1536277,CST-EDT-edit21a.article
See Chicago Tonight Carol Marin's interview: http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,1&vid=042009b
State police: background check sent months before Stroger alleged Posted by Hal Dardick. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009 10:50 a.m.; updated at 11:08 a.m. A criminal background check at the heart of a growing controversy surrounding Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was completed long before Stroger has suggested, according to the Illinois State Police. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/state-police-county-mailed-background-check-months-before-stroger-alleged.html
Dear Todd: A few words to the unwise By CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 25, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1543804,CST-EDT-Carol26.article
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Protecting Stroger. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 24, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0424edit1apr24,0,2813411.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Who taps TIFs? Put it online. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. April 22, 2009. Good government fans could score a small but important victory today if the Chicago City Council approves a modest measure to shine some light on a dark corner of Mayor Daley's spending. We're talking about a proposal by Aldermen Manny Flores (1st) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) to make information about the city's tax-increment financing districts accessible by putting all of it in one spot online. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1537935,CST-EDT-edit22b.article
Once high-flying Triple J is losing altitude BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. Triple J is in double trouble. Six months ago, everything was copacetic. Or at least it appeared to be. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a political big hitter and early backer of Barack Obama, was traversing the nation as a campaign co-chairman to tout his good friend, the presidential aspirant. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1534281,CST-EDT-laura20.article
Your Lack of Money
Men bear the brunt of US jobs lost By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 22:36 | Last updated: April 19 2009 22:36. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d28c79d6-2d11-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
Positive earnings lift Wall St By Kiran Stacey in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:53 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccc90590-304b-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Frank urges Obama to accept Tarp repayments By Edward Luce and Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 17:43 | Last updated: April 24 2009 17:43. The Obama administration should seize the political opportunity offered by Goldman Sachs’ and JPMorgan’s request to repay $45bn in troubled asset relief funds, says Barney Frank, the influential Democratic lawmaker. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54c51d8a-30ec-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Fed will seek bank capital increase By Krishna Guha in Washington and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:19 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:18. Some of the country’s biggest banks will be asked to raise more capital by US authorities following the completion of bank stress tests, senior Federal Reserve officials said on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cab07cf6-30fb-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Edgy Banks Start to Get Word Today on Stress Tests By ERIC DASH. Published: April 23, 2009. Copyright by The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/business/economy/24bank.html?th&emc=th
Morgan Stanley swings to $177m loss By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:57 | Last updated: April 22 2009 13:57 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7f6eb0-2f32-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Seeks Reform of Credit Card Firms' Practices By Michael D. Shear and Nancy Trejos. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 4:42 PM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042300348.html?hpid=topnews
Bank of America profit triples to $4.2bn By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 12:55 | Last updated: April 20 2009 18:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab639b8c-2d98-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0.html
Storm erupts over BofA’s Merrill takeover. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 01:13 | Last updated: April 24 2009 02:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da336e3e-305d-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Paulson and Bernanke pressed on BofA deal By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 20:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 20:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee1ca728-3100-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Chrysler creditors offer to slash debt By Nicole Bullock and Francesco Guerrera in New York and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 00:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 00:00. Chrysler senior creditors, led by JPMorgan and Citigroup, have offered to cut the debt they are owed nearly in half to $3.75bn, inching closer to the demands of the US Treasury to restructure the ailing carmarker, people familiar with the situation said. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b935476-3120-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Ford losses smaller than expected By John Reed in London and Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30ff7bea-3130-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Inflation is looming on America’s horizon By Martin Feldstein. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 18:54 | Last updated: April 19 2009 18:54 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae436dbc-2d09-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
Goldbugs undeterred by price volatility By Sophia Grene. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 11:42 | Last updated: April 12 2009 11:42. “Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owner a counterfeit pile of paper.” Although Ayn Rand’s views may be an extreme version, there are enough goldbugs of varying degrees of intensity to have pushed both the price of gold and the tide of money flowing into gold investment products to notable highs. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1efe70fe-25f0-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Housing
US home resales fall 3% in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 14:13 | Last updated: April 23 2009 16:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f023bc02-3004-11de-a2f8-00144feabdc0.html
US new home sales slip 0.6% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 14:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 16:02. Sales of new homes in the US dipped in March but a sharp upward revision to the February figure lifted hopes that the stricken housing market might be stabilising. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77af669a-30d1-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Illinois existing home sales show gains, but still down 26.7% from a year ago By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:30 AM CDT, April 23, 2009. Sales of previously owned homes in Illinois posted their second month-over- month gain in March, leading the home-selling industry to grow cautiously optimistic as the spring selling season really gets underway. Of note was the fact that for the first time since June 2008, the statewide median home price rose from the previous month. In March, the median selling price was $149,995, a 6.6 percent increase over February. The median sales price was $190,000 in March 2008. The median price means half the homes were sold for more than that and half for less. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-illinois-existing-home-sales-april23,0,6442517.story
Bargains belie lingering housing fears By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 22:57 | Last updated: April 21 2009 22:57. Andi Coval has been renting for three years. When she moved to San Francisco for work in 2006, she sold her house in Sacramento at a $200,000 profit and put the money in the bank. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28dd238c-2ebe-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Giving up pets: Animals' fortunes fall in tough economy - More owners blame finances for giving up animals to shelters By Sara Olkon. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
April 21, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-giving-up-pets-21-apr21,0,7594287.story
GLBT
IOWA GAY MARRIAGE COMES TO ILLINOIS by Jonathan Lewis. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. April 23-29, 2009. On Friday, April 24, Gay Chicago Magazine will offer early registration for gay marriage in Iowa from noon to 5p.m. Applications will be available starting on April 23, but Iowa requires a three-day waiting period before a marriage can be performed. So it will not be possible to drive over the border, go the county courthouse, get a license and tie the knot. Early registration is a must for out-of-state applicants. http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/coverstory/coverstory.shtml
The Sanctity of Marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. April 18, 2009 The Religious Right debate on gay marriage is actually about divorce, adultery, sodomy, and even masturbation. I'm not kidding. For the far-right and the folks running the Congress, gay marriage is wrapped up in all of those issues - and according to these folks, they're ALL bad things that the government needs to regulate. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/sanctity-of-marriage.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - N.Y. gov leading fight for same-sex marriages. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. The movement to give same-sex couples the right to marry is growing in powerful and unexpected ways. Just a few months ago, who could have imagined that the number of states formally ending discrimination against gay couples would double in a single week? http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1534292,CST-EDT-edit20a.article
Tying the knot without breaking the bank: Gay weddings on a budget By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3406
Chicago Free Press Editorial: Lobby Day. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 21, 2009. Though marriage equality is in the cards for two more states now, an equally interesting phenomenon is how relatively unmoved most Americans were by recent events. The court decision in Iowa and legislative victory in Vermont certainly were met with protests, but on a smaller scale than what we have been used to when the subject of gay marriage has come up. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3411
Puerto Rican GLBT leaders create fundraising group By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009. Several community leaders recently banded together and formed a group charged with promoting GLBT contributions in the Chicago Puerto Rican community. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3405
Miss California: Gay marriage answer cost me Miss USA crown BY ROBERT KAHN | robert.kahn@newsday.com. Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.. 7:18 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ny-etmiss2112675670apr20,0,2777847.story
Immigration
After Losing Freedom, Some Immigrants Face Loss of Custody of Their Children By GINGER THOMPSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/23children.html?th&emc=th
As Jobs Die, Europe’s Migrants Head Home By RACHEL DONADIO and NELSON D. SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/europe/25migrants.html?th&emc=th
Technical
Amazon Posts Profit Gains as Offline Rivals Struggle By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24amazon.html?th&emc=th
Apple Profit Rises 15%, Driven by iPhone Sales By JENNA WORTHAM and BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/technology/companies/23apple.html?th&emc=th
Microsoft Profit Falls for First Time in 23 Years By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24microsoft.html?th&emc=th
Oracle Agrees to Acquire Sun Microsystems By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/technology/companies/21sun.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Auctions for Troubled Property Loans Jump to the Web By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/business/economy/25debt.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Tribune Editorial - The perils of teen sext. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 20, 2009. Sure, you're savvy enough to know your kids aren't wearing out their thumbs text-messaging about homework assignments. But did you know one in five teenagers has e-mailed or texted a nude or semi-nude self-portrait to someone else? OMG. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0420edit2apr20,0,60892.story
Medical
Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico © Reuters Limited. April 24, 2009. MEXICO CITY, April 24 – A strain of flu never seen before has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and also appeared in the United States, where eight people were infected but recovered, health officials said Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67b9138c-311f-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer By GINA KOLATA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In 1971, flush with the nation’s success in putting a man on the Moon, President Richard M. Nixon announced a new goal. Cancer would be cured by 1976, the bicentennial. When 1976 came and went, the date for a cure, or at least substantial progress, kept being put off. It was going to happen by 2000, then by 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html?th&emc=th
New York Times Editorial: Morning-After Pills. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In a further break from the Bush administration’s ideologically driven policies on birth control, the Food and Drug Administration has agreed to let 17-year-olds get the morning-after emergency contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription. It is a wise move that complies with a recent order by a federal judge, based on voluminous evidence in F.D.A. files that girls that young can use the pills safely. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri3.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - At last: Science over politics. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 24, 2009. For years, Food and Drug Administration officials had concluded after extensive study that 17-year-old girls could use the morning-after pill safely without a prescription, which would lower the age limit by a year. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1541922,CST-EDT-edit24b.article
Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/us/20marijuana.html?th&emc=th
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obesity pill is no silver bullet. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:16 | Last updated: April 24 2009 19:16. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e39d4944-30f9-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Tactic Shields Health Care Bill From a Filibuster By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. WASHINGTON — At the prodding of the White House, Democratic Congressional leaders have agreed to pursue a plan that would protect major health care legislation from Republican opposition by shielding it from last-minute Senate filibusters. The aggressive approach reflects the big political claim that President Obama is staking on health care, and with it his willingness to face Republican wrath in order to guarantee that the Democrats, with their substantial majority in the Senate, could not be thwarted by minority tactics. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/us/politics/25budget.html?th&emc=th
Other
U.S. to clear way for offshore wind farms By Jim Tankersley. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2009. WASHINGTON— The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation's offshore energy goals from oil to wind power. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-windfarm_wedapr22,0,7616411.story
A flawed first draft of history By Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 20:17 | Last updated: April 21 2009 20:17. These are the best of times and the worst of times to be a financial journalist. The best, because we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to report and analyse the most serious financial crisis since the Great Crash of 1929. The worst, because the newspaper and television industries are suffering, not only from the shock of a recession but also from the structural shock of the internet revolution. Now comes a third shock. The financial media are accused of missing the global financial crisis. Asleep at the wheel. Head in the clouds. No cliché has been left unturned as reporters, commentators – yes, even editors – have been castigated for failing to warn an unsuspecting public of impending disaster. Do these charges add up? To paraphrase the killer question from the Watergate hearings: what did the press know and when did it know it? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95c4cf3e-2ea7-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
The wait is over: new Dan Brown novel, 'The Lost Symbol,' coming in September By HILLEL ITALIE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:16 AM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/
Sunday Morning Shootout By Howard Kurtz. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 20, 2009; 9:39 AM. David Gregory says he was acutely aware of "the legacy of the program" when he took over "Meet the Press" four months ago. "I realized I was succeeding Tim Russert, and that was a big deal," he says. "I'm trying to bring as much passion as I can, and I hope viewers are seeing it. My voice is still evolving in this. . . . Just like Tim did, I've got to go out there and earn it." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html?hpid=topnews
Humor
Conservative Campaign Organizers Have Sex On The Brain (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html
Best responses to the Gathering Storm Ads by NOM. It may have been out for a few weeks now, but the Internets can't get enough of the National Organization for Marriage's hilarious "Gathering Storm" ad. If the measure of an epic fail is how quickly and widely it's parodied on YouTube, then Maggie Gallagher and the tools at NOM may have won the prize. In a way, we're thankful to NOM for blatantly showing the nation how ludicrous the arguments against gay marriage are. Seriously, the ad may just greatest thing ever created for LGBT rights. And while the spot is one big can of stormy crazy, we're pretty impressed by how many of you have taken it upon yourselves to improve the ad. Here our are 10 favorite NOM responses. Put on your galoshes, folks, there's a storm coming. http://www.queerty.com/the-best-responses-to-the-gathering-storm-ad-20090420/
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
“This debate is about the limits that a democratic society sets so that it does not sink to the level of those who seek to destroy it.” April 22, 2009 Chicago Tribune Editorial
New York Times Editorial: The Torturers’ Manifesto. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 18, 2009. To read the four newly released memos on prisoner interrogation written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department is to take a journey into depravity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: Shocking the Conscience -The Bush administration made waterboarding almost routine. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 21, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/20/AR2009042003165.html
Washington Post Editorial: The Accountability Question - The right way to deal with torture's legacy. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303476.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - America needs to know truth on torture policy. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 23, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1539627,CST-EDT-edit23a.article
Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/20detain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Report Gives New Detail on Approval of Brutal Techniques By BRIAN KNOWLTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 21, 2009. WASHINGTON — A newly declassified Congressional report released Tuesday outlined the most detailed evidence yet that the military’s use of harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects was approved at high levels of the Bush administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/us/politics/22report.html?th&emc=th
Defense Secretary Gates Says He Approved of Release of CIA Memos By Ann Scott Tyson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 3:34 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042302446.html?hpid=topnews
New York Times Editorial: In the Spirit of Openness. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. When he was vice president, Dick Cheney never acknowledged the public’s right to know anything. Now, suddenly, he has the full disclosure bug. He told Fox News this week that President Obama’s decision to release memos written by the Bush Justice Department authorizing the abuse and torture of detainees inspired him to ask the Central Intelligence Agency to release transcripts of those interrogations. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23thu1.html?ref=global
Waking up to torture truths By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. When the Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote his epic, "The Gulag Archipelago," some Americans read it to measure the gulf between the brute savagery of communism and the principled standards of free, civilized nations. But apparently some Americans took it as a helpful how-to volume http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0423chapmanapr23,0,4882177.column
Where 'Those Methods' Lead By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009. The many roads of inquiry into the Bush administration's abusive "interrogation techniques" all lead to one stubborn, inconvenient fact: Torture is not just immoral but also illegal. This means that once we learn the whole truth, the law will oblige us to act on it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303717.html
Interrogations’ Effectiveness May Prove Elusive By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/politics/23detain.html?th&emc=th
Pentagon to release photos of abuse By Demetri Sevastopulo and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 23:38 | Last updated: April 24 2009 23:38 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/636805fa-311e-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
America's abuse of the law handed victory to terrorists By Philip Stephens. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 17:37 | Last updated: April 23 2009 17:37. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a08ee81a-3068-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
In 2002, Military Agency Warned Against 'Torture' - Extreme Duress Could Yield Unreliable Information, It Said By Peter Finn and Joby Warrick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403171.html?hpid=topnews
My Tortured Decision By ALI SOUFAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified. But the release last week of four Justice Department memos on interrogations allows me to shed light on the story, and on some of the lessons to be learned. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23soufan.html?ref=global
Amid Outcry on Memo, Signer's Private Regret - Friends Say Judge Wasn't Proud of Outcome By Karl Vick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009\ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403888.html?hpid=topnews
International
N Korea to put US journalists on trial By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 09:18. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/56d8e10a-30a7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Japan’s first annual trade deficit in 29 years By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 03:34 | Last updated: April 22 2009 16:43. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b60d942-2ee5-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Indonesia’s Voters Retreat From Radical Islam By NORIMITSU ONISHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/asia/25indonesia.html?th&emc=th
German business confidence rebounds By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 10:27 | Last updated: April 24 2009 10:27. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/97b97e7a-30af-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Britain’s Debt Deepens; Its Outlook Grows Gloomier By JULIA WERDIGIER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23pound.html?ref=global-home
Spanish jobless at record 4m By Victor Mallet in Madrid. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:41 | Last updated: April 24 2009 18:31. Spain’s army of unemployed swelled to a record 4m in the first quarter of this year as hundreds of thousands of workers in services and construction fell victim to economic recession and the collapse of the country’s housing market. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54cf94a6-30a9-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Zuma’s victory. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 19:38 | Last updated: April 23 2009 19:38. Jacob Zuma’s journey to the South African presidency has been bruising and divisive. At times, as he fought to overcome corruption charges, he has appeared ready to undermine the country’s institutions. His struggle for political ascendancy with Thabo Mbeki, the former president, split the ruling African National Congress. Yet Wednesday’s election has given him a huge popular mandate. South Africa’s next president has the opportunity to govern with magnanimity and repair the damage. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e97f436-3031-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Somali pirate arrives in NYC to face charges in hostage-taking of ship captain By VIRGINIA BYRNE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 1:47 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-piracy-suspect,0,1282380.story
Hemisphere’s Leaders Signal Fresh Start With U.S. By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/americas/20prexy.html?th&emc=th
Caracas dispatches envoy to US By Benedict Mander in Port of Spain and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 19:04 | Last updated: April 20 2009 01:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccd40d9e-2d0a-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
China
China reveals big rise in gold reserves By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:31 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:37. China has nearly doubled its gold reserves in the last five years as it diversified its enormous foreign exchange reserves away from US dollar assets, the head of the country’s secretive foreign exchange administration said in a rare disclosure on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d23f80c-30aa-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Mess-o-potamia
Obama invites Middle East leaders to White House By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 01:14 | Last updated: April 22 2009 01:14. President Barack Obama stepped up his bid to encourage Middle East peace on Tuesday when he invited the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to the White House in the coming weeks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2581e0ac-2ed1-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Secretary of State Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq - Stresses President Obama's Commitment to Its Sovereignty, Stability By Mary Beth Sheridan. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/25/AR2009042500409.html?hpid=topnews
Critic of Maliki Is Chosen to Lead Iraq’s Parliament By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/middleeast/20iraq.html?th&emc=th
80 Are Killed in 3 Suicide Bombings in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?th&emc=th
At Least 75 Are Killed in Two Attacks in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?ref=global-home
U.S. Questions Pakistan’s Will to Stop Taliban By CARLOTTA GALL and ERIC SCHMITT. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Pakistan threat forces militants to retreat By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:29 | Last updated: April 24 2009 22:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9e3604f4-30c7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Ahmadi-Nejad intervenes in Saberi case By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 18 2009 19:23 | Last updated: April 19 2009 15:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d57cc94c-2c45-11de-ae7a-00144feabdc0.html
Iran Judge Asks for Review Case of Jailed Journalist By NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/middleeast/21iran.html?ref=global-home
National
A Bravura Opening By David S. Broder. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009. As we approach the 100-day mark for the Obama administration, you will hear and see a wide variety of grades for the new president's performance. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042203090.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Wildfires Hit Myrtle Beach Area By ANAHAD O’CONNOR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/us/24blaze.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=myrtle%20beach%20fires&st=cse
Police arrest med student suspected in fatal attack on Boston hotel masseuse from Craigslist By RUSSELL CONTRERAS. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:04 PM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-craigslist-killer,0,2692140.story
Freddie Mac’s finance chief found dead By Tom Braithwaite in Reston, Virginia, and Saskia Scholtes and Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:19 | Last updated: April 23 2009 01:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/183e279c-2f36-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: Horrors! A Handshake!. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. Republicans have been predicting the decline of American power ever since President Obama was photographed at last week’s hemispheric summit shaking the hand of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and — gasp! — smiling. Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that that act of civility would be viewed as a sign of “weakness.” Newt Gingrich, who may be honing his attack skills for a presidential run, said Mr. Obama’s behavior was bolstering “enemies of America.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri2.html?th&emc=th
GOP Whacking
Republicans pushed to political margins By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 20:08 | Last updated: April 20 2009 20:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfb7a960-2dd5-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Republicans slide into disarray. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 17:17 | Last updated: April 22 2009 17:17. After a severe electoral defeat, any political party needs a period of resentful incapacity while the news sinks in. This is especially so of a party accustomed to success, as the US Republican party certainly was. But the hyperenergetic administration of Barack Obama is full of big transforming ideas and is moving at an extraordinary clip. The founders of the US were right: checks and balances make for better government. The country needs an effective opposition. None is in sight. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a307f86-2f54-11de-a8f6-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: Holding Up the Housing Recovery. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. We welcomed President Obama’s plan, unveiled in March, to head off foreclosures and keep more Americans in their homes, but we feared that it wouldn’t be enough. We were particularly concerned that without a reform of the bankruptcy code, lenders wouldn’t do enough to voluntarily modify troubled loans. Seven weeks later, bankruptcy reform legislation is stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition. Meanwhile, foreclosure filings — including notices of default, auctions and repossessions — rose again in the first three months of this year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri1.html?th&emc=th
Democrat Is Winner of a New York House Race By DAVID M. HALBFINGER. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. A 39-year-old Democrat in his first run for office emerged Friday as the winner of a hotly contested Congressional race in upstate New York, dashing Republican hopes for the start of a comeback after the party’s disastrous November losses. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/nyregion/25murphy.html?th&emc=th
Chicagoland
Maggie Daley: Mayor's wife undergoes biopsy - Maggie Daley treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002 By Deborah L. Shelton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. Mayor Richard Daley's wife, Maggie, who has been treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002, underwent a biopsy Wednesday after a routine test detected changes in a lesion, or tumor, on her spine. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-maggie-daley-cancer-23apr23,0,6686007.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial -Time for Todd Stroger to answer key questions. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 21, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1536277,CST-EDT-edit21a.article
See Chicago Tonight Carol Marin's interview: http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,1&vid=042009b
State police: background check sent months before Stroger alleged Posted by Hal Dardick. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009 10:50 a.m.; updated at 11:08 a.m. A criminal background check at the heart of a growing controversy surrounding Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was completed long before Stroger has suggested, according to the Illinois State Police. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/state-police-county-mailed-background-check-months-before-stroger-alleged.html
Dear Todd: A few words to the unwise By CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 25, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1543804,CST-EDT-Carol26.article
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Protecting Stroger. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 24, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0424edit1apr24,0,2813411.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Who taps TIFs? Put it online. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. April 22, 2009. Good government fans could score a small but important victory today if the Chicago City Council approves a modest measure to shine some light on a dark corner of Mayor Daley's spending. We're talking about a proposal by Aldermen Manny Flores (1st) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) to make information about the city's tax-increment financing districts accessible by putting all of it in one spot online. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1537935,CST-EDT-edit22b.article
Once high-flying Triple J is losing altitude BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. Triple J is in double trouble. Six months ago, everything was copacetic. Or at least it appeared to be. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a political big hitter and early backer of Barack Obama, was traversing the nation as a campaign co-chairman to tout his good friend, the presidential aspirant. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1534281,CST-EDT-laura20.article
Your Lack of Money
Men bear the brunt of US jobs lost By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 22:36 | Last updated: April 19 2009 22:36. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d28c79d6-2d11-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
Positive earnings lift Wall St By Kiran Stacey in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:53 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccc90590-304b-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Frank urges Obama to accept Tarp repayments By Edward Luce and Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 17:43 | Last updated: April 24 2009 17:43. The Obama administration should seize the political opportunity offered by Goldman Sachs’ and JPMorgan’s request to repay $45bn in troubled asset relief funds, says Barney Frank, the influential Democratic lawmaker. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54c51d8a-30ec-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Fed will seek bank capital increase By Krishna Guha in Washington and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:19 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:18. Some of the country’s biggest banks will be asked to raise more capital by US authorities following the completion of bank stress tests, senior Federal Reserve officials said on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cab07cf6-30fb-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Edgy Banks Start to Get Word Today on Stress Tests By ERIC DASH. Published: April 23, 2009. Copyright by The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/business/economy/24bank.html?th&emc=th
Morgan Stanley swings to $177m loss By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:57 | Last updated: April 22 2009 13:57 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7f6eb0-2f32-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Seeks Reform of Credit Card Firms' Practices By Michael D. Shear and Nancy Trejos. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 4:42 PM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042300348.html?hpid=topnews
Bank of America profit triples to $4.2bn By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 12:55 | Last updated: April 20 2009 18:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab639b8c-2d98-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0.html
Storm erupts over BofA’s Merrill takeover. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 01:13 | Last updated: April 24 2009 02:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da336e3e-305d-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html
Paulson and Bernanke pressed on BofA deal By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 20:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 20:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee1ca728-3100-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Chrysler creditors offer to slash debt By Nicole Bullock and Francesco Guerrera in New York and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 00:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 00:00. Chrysler senior creditors, led by JPMorgan and Citigroup, have offered to cut the debt they are owed nearly in half to $3.75bn, inching closer to the demands of the US Treasury to restructure the ailing carmarker, people familiar with the situation said. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b935476-3120-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Ford losses smaller than expected By John Reed in London and Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30ff7bea-3130-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Inflation is looming on America’s horizon By Martin Feldstein. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 18:54 | Last updated: April 19 2009 18:54 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae436dbc-2d09-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
Goldbugs undeterred by price volatility By Sophia Grene. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 11:42 | Last updated: April 12 2009 11:42. “Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owner a counterfeit pile of paper.” Although Ayn Rand’s views may be an extreme version, there are enough goldbugs of varying degrees of intensity to have pushed both the price of gold and the tide of money flowing into gold investment products to notable highs. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1efe70fe-25f0-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Housing
US home resales fall 3% in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 14:13 | Last updated: April 23 2009 16:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f023bc02-3004-11de-a2f8-00144feabdc0.html
US new home sales slip 0.6% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 14:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 16:02. Sales of new homes in the US dipped in March but a sharp upward revision to the February figure lifted hopes that the stricken housing market might be stabilising. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77af669a-30d1-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html
Illinois existing home sales show gains, but still down 26.7% from a year ago By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:30 AM CDT, April 23, 2009. Sales of previously owned homes in Illinois posted their second month-over- month gain in March, leading the home-selling industry to grow cautiously optimistic as the spring selling season really gets underway. Of note was the fact that for the first time since June 2008, the statewide median home price rose from the previous month. In March, the median selling price was $149,995, a 6.6 percent increase over February. The median sales price was $190,000 in March 2008. The median price means half the homes were sold for more than that and half for less. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-illinois-existing-home-sales-april23,0,6442517.story
Bargains belie lingering housing fears By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 22:57 | Last updated: April 21 2009 22:57. Andi Coval has been renting for three years. When she moved to San Francisco for work in 2006, she sold her house in Sacramento at a $200,000 profit and put the money in the bank. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28dd238c-2ebe-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
Giving up pets: Animals' fortunes fall in tough economy - More owners blame finances for giving up animals to shelters By Sara Olkon. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
April 21, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-giving-up-pets-21-apr21,0,7594287.story
GLBT
IOWA GAY MARRIAGE COMES TO ILLINOIS by Jonathan Lewis. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. April 23-29, 2009. On Friday, April 24, Gay Chicago Magazine will offer early registration for gay marriage in Iowa from noon to 5p.m. Applications will be available starting on April 23, but Iowa requires a three-day waiting period before a marriage can be performed. So it will not be possible to drive over the border, go the county courthouse, get a license and tie the knot. Early registration is a must for out-of-state applicants. http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/coverstory/coverstory.shtml
The Sanctity of Marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. April 18, 2009 The Religious Right debate on gay marriage is actually about divorce, adultery, sodomy, and even masturbation. I'm not kidding. For the far-right and the folks running the Congress, gay marriage is wrapped up in all of those issues - and according to these folks, they're ALL bad things that the government needs to regulate. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/sanctity-of-marriage.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - N.Y. gov leading fight for same-sex marriages. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. The movement to give same-sex couples the right to marry is growing in powerful and unexpected ways. Just a few months ago, who could have imagined that the number of states formally ending discrimination against gay couples would double in a single week? http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1534292,CST-EDT-edit20a.article
Tying the knot without breaking the bank: Gay weddings on a budget By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3406
Chicago Free Press Editorial: Lobby Day. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 21, 2009. Though marriage equality is in the cards for two more states now, an equally interesting phenomenon is how relatively unmoved most Americans were by recent events. The court decision in Iowa and legislative victory in Vermont certainly were met with protests, but on a smaller scale than what we have been used to when the subject of gay marriage has come up. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3411
Puerto Rican GLBT leaders create fundraising group By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009. Several community leaders recently banded together and formed a group charged with promoting GLBT contributions in the Chicago Puerto Rican community. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3405
Miss California: Gay marriage answer cost me Miss USA crown BY ROBERT KAHN | robert.kahn@newsday.com. Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.. 7:18 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ny-etmiss2112675670apr20,0,2777847.story
Immigration
After Losing Freedom, Some Immigrants Face Loss of Custody of Their Children By GINGER THOMPSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/23children.html?th&emc=th
As Jobs Die, Europe’s Migrants Head Home By RACHEL DONADIO and NELSON D. SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/europe/25migrants.html?th&emc=th
Technical
Amazon Posts Profit Gains as Offline Rivals Struggle By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24amazon.html?th&emc=th
Apple Profit Rises 15%, Driven by iPhone Sales By JENNA WORTHAM and BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/technology/companies/23apple.html?th&emc=th
Microsoft Profit Falls for First Time in 23 Years By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24microsoft.html?th&emc=th
Oracle Agrees to Acquire Sun Microsystems By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/technology/companies/21sun.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Auctions for Troubled Property Loans Jump to the Web By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/business/economy/25debt.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Tribune Editorial - The perils of teen sext. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 20, 2009. Sure, you're savvy enough to know your kids aren't wearing out their thumbs text-messaging about homework assignments. But did you know one in five teenagers has e-mailed or texted a nude or semi-nude self-portrait to someone else? OMG. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0420edit2apr20,0,60892.story
Medical
Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico © Reuters Limited. April 24, 2009. MEXICO CITY, April 24 – A strain of flu never seen before has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and also appeared in the United States, where eight people were infected but recovered, health officials said Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67b9138c-311f-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer By GINA KOLATA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In 1971, flush with the nation’s success in putting a man on the Moon, President Richard M. Nixon announced a new goal. Cancer would be cured by 1976, the bicentennial. When 1976 came and went, the date for a cure, or at least substantial progress, kept being put off. It was going to happen by 2000, then by 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html?th&emc=th
New York Times Editorial: Morning-After Pills. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In a further break from the Bush administration’s ideologically driven policies on birth control, the Food and Drug Administration has agreed to let 17-year-olds get the morning-after emergency contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription. It is a wise move that complies with a recent order by a federal judge, based on voluminous evidence in F.D.A. files that girls that young can use the pills safely. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri3.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - At last: Science over politics. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 24, 2009. For years, Food and Drug Administration officials had concluded after extensive study that 17-year-old girls could use the morning-after pill safely without a prescription, which would lower the age limit by a year. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1541922,CST-EDT-edit24b.article
Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/us/20marijuana.html?th&emc=th
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obesity pill is no silver bullet. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:16 | Last updated: April 24 2009 19:16. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e39d4944-30f9-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Tactic Shields Health Care Bill From a Filibuster By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. WASHINGTON — At the prodding of the White House, Democratic Congressional leaders have agreed to pursue a plan that would protect major health care legislation from Republican opposition by shielding it from last-minute Senate filibusters. The aggressive approach reflects the big political claim that President Obama is staking on health care, and with it his willingness to face Republican wrath in order to guarantee that the Democrats, with their substantial majority in the Senate, could not be thwarted by minority tactics. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/us/politics/25budget.html?th&emc=th
Other
U.S. to clear way for offshore wind farms By Jim Tankersley. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2009. WASHINGTON— The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation's offshore energy goals from oil to wind power. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-windfarm_wedapr22,0,7616411.story
A flawed first draft of history By Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 20:17 | Last updated: April 21 2009 20:17. These are the best of times and the worst of times to be a financial journalist. The best, because we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to report and analyse the most serious financial crisis since the Great Crash of 1929. The worst, because the newspaper and television industries are suffering, not only from the shock of a recession but also from the structural shock of the internet revolution. Now comes a third shock. The financial media are accused of missing the global financial crisis. Asleep at the wheel. Head in the clouds. No cliché has been left unturned as reporters, commentators – yes, even editors – have been castigated for failing to warn an unsuspecting public of impending disaster. Do these charges add up? To paraphrase the killer question from the Watergate hearings: what did the press know and when did it know it? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95c4cf3e-2ea7-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html
The wait is over: new Dan Brown novel, 'The Lost Symbol,' coming in September By HILLEL ITALIE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:16 AM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/
Sunday Morning Shootout By Howard Kurtz. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 20, 2009; 9:39 AM. David Gregory says he was acutely aware of "the legacy of the program" when he took over "Meet the Press" four months ago. "I realized I was succeeding Tim Russert, and that was a big deal," he says. "I'm trying to bring as much passion as I can, and I hope viewers are seeing it. My voice is still evolving in this. . . . Just like Tim did, I've got to go out there and earn it." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html?hpid=topnews
Humor
Conservative Campaign Organizers Have Sex On The Brain (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html
Best responses to the Gathering Storm Ads by NOM. It may have been out for a few weeks now, but the Internets can't get enough of the National Organization for Marriage's hilarious "Gathering Storm" ad. If the measure of an epic fail is how quickly and widely it's parodied on YouTube, then Maggie Gallagher and the tools at NOM may have won the prize. In a way, we're thankful to NOM for blatantly showing the nation how ludicrous the arguments against gay marriage are. Seriously, the ad may just greatest thing ever created for LGBT rights. And while the spot is one big can of stormy crazy, we're pretty impressed by how many of you have taken it upon yourselves to improve the ad. Here our are 10 favorite NOM responses. Put on your galoshes, folks, there's a storm coming. http://www.queerty.com/the-best-responses-to-the-gathering-storm-ad-20090420/
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
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Marriage Victory Newsletter - April 18, 2009
Marriage Victory Newsletter - April 18, 2009
“Some people involved in gay rights efforts tried to tell Taylor she was wasting her time. Iowa was, they told her, a conservative, religious state in America's rural heartland, and the effort was better concentrated on the more liberal coasts. "There were many people telling us we were crazy," she said, "that we were foolhardy even thinking of filing a case, and that we might create a backlash." But as she immersed herself in Iowa's politics and history, she learned about its progressive past, including how the Hawkeye State was a pioneer in school desegregation, the first to admit a woman to its bar, and among the earliest to allow interracial marriage.” Keith B. Richburg
How Gays Won a Marriage Victory - For 7 Years, Activists Eyed a Seemingly Unlikely Target: Iowa By Keith B. Richburg. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041403455.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
International
N Korea to restart nuclear arms plant By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 05:57 | Last updated: April 14 2009 12:14. North Korea on Tuesday vowed to expand its nuclear weapons work and restart a reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, retaliating more provocatively than expected against UN condemnation of its recent rocket launch. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6f24e02c-28ac-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Russia signals intent to borrow abroad By Catherine Belton in Moscow. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 12:36 | Last updated: April 14 2009 13:19. Russia could borrow on international markets for the first time in a decade next year, Alexei Kudrin, the Russian finance minister said, as the government seeks ways to fund looming budget deficits and help heavily indebted companies raise money. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09938aa2-28e7-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Thailand descends into chaos By Tim Johnston in Bangkok. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 09:42 | Last updated: April 13 2009 19:39 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f4c2454-273c-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
U.S. Captain Held by Pirates Is Freed By R.M. SCHNEIDERMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 12, 2009. Richard Phillips, the captain of an American cargo ship held hostage by armed Somali pirates for more than four days, was freed on Sunday after three of his captors were killed, government and shipping officials said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/world/africa/13pirates.html?_r=1&hp
An Early Military Victory for Obama By Michael D. Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; Page A09. It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president -- a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041203002.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
Pirates nervous as Obama vows to crack down By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent and Demetri Sevastopulo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: April 13 2009 19:14 | Last updated: April 13 2009 22:10 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/897b6006-2850-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
RPT-Q&A-Who are the Somali pirates? By Andrew Cawthorne. Copyright by Reuters. Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:02pm BST. NAIROBI, April 12 (Reuters) - It took the capture and rescue five days later of an American hostage to draw world attention back to the long-running phenomenon of Somali piracy. http://uk.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUKLC335689
Another U.S. Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack By Stephanie McCrummen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 15, 2009; 9:32 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041400194.html?hpid=topnews
Washington steps up Mexico drug war help By Andrew Ward and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 21:13 | Last updated: April 17 2009 01:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50c5399e-2ac1-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Obama to Push to Ratify Treaty on Gun Trafficking By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 16, 2009. MEXICO CITY — President Obama, seeking to send a strong signal that he is committed to stopping the rising tide of cross-border drug violence, will announce on Thursday that he is pressing the Senate to ratify a decade-old arms treaty intended to curb the flow of guns and ammunition to drug cartels, a senior administration official said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/world/americas/17prexy.html?ref=global-home
Obama Lifts Some Restrictions on Cuba By Michael D. Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 13, 2009. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/13/obama_to_lift_cuba_travel_rest.html?hpid=topnews
Clinton says US ready to speak to Cuba © Reuters Limited. April 17, 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f76101c-2ae1-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
China
Beijing struggles to prop up growth By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 03:34 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:12. China’s economy grew at an annual rate of 6.1 per cent in the first quarter – its slowest pace since quarterly gross domestic product data was first published in 1992 – as Beijing struggled to prop up activity in the face of the global crisis. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eedcd1c0-2a2e-11de-9d01-00144feabdc0.html
China property prices ‘likely to halve’ By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 13 2009 10:39 | Last updated: April 13 2009 18:19. Property prices in China are likely to halve over the next two years, a top government researcher has predicted in a powerful signal that the country’s economic downturn faces further challenges despite recent positive data. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a36b342-280e-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Mess-o-potamia
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Time for Turkey to try quiet diplomacy. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 18:57 | Last updated: April 12 2009 18:57. President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey last week – towards the end of his first big international trip – paid a handsome compliment to the country’s growing influence in international affairs. Under the administration of George W. Bush, relations between Washington and Ankara slipped badly, not least because Turkey refused to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. But Mr Obama’s state visit may have marked a turning point. The US president underlined Turkey’s importance as a bridge between the Islamic world and the west. He made clear that Turkey had a role as a negotiator between Israel and the Arab world. He voiced, too, the hope that Turkey would one day join the European Union. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc820982-2787-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results By C. J. CHIVERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/world/asia/17afghan.html?th&emc=th
Pakistan approves sharia law in Swat valley By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 08:50 | Last updated: April 14 2009 08:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/114dfbd2-28c5-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
National
The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash - Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog, Is All Over the Web Before His Official Debut By Manuel Roig-Franzia. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 12, 2009; Page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/11/AR2009041102484.html?hpid=artslot
Give-and-Take With Emanuel Advances President's Agenda - Lawmakers Respond to Improved Access to White House By Shailagh Murray. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; Page A01. As the House and Senate debated the budget earlier this month, Rahm Emanuel's spacious West Wing office took on the feel of a legislative bazaar. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041202629.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Mending America’s broken tax code. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 13 2009 19:16 | Last updated: April 13 2009 19:16. The approach of tax-filing day on April 15 invariably lowers spirits in the United States. Many taxpayers expect a refund when they have finished their calculations, but even this does little to improve the mood. The system’s surreal complexity is enough to defeat candidates for senior positions in the Treasury, let alone Joe the Plumber. Struggling with it arouses the suspicion that the income tax code is chiefly an instrument of political repression – a reminder of who is in charge. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3b3e2ba-2856-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Obama hints at hopes for recovery By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 13:55 | Last updated: April 15 2009 00:24. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that aggressive efforts to boost the US economy were starting to bear fruit, even though the recession would cause more pain this year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10f7fa3e-28f2-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
A criminally stupid war on drugs in the US By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 17:41 | Last updated: April 12 2009 17:41. How much misery can a policy cause before it is acknowledged as a failure and reversed? The US “war on drugs” suggests there is no upper limit. The country’s implacable blend of prohibition and punitive criminal justice is wrong-headed in every way: immoral in principle, since it prosecutes victimless crimes, and in practice a disaster of remarkable proportions. Yet for a US politician to suggest wholesale reform of this brainless regime is still seen as an act of reckless self-harm. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0234460-277d-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
Number of Black Americans in State Prisons for Drug Offenses Declines By Darryl Fears. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; 2:00 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401775.html?hpid=topnews
GOP Whacking
Parsing the Polls: Dick Cheney, Joe Biden and America's Safety. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 13, 2009. Expect new poll numbers out of CNN this afternoon to draw a huge amount of attention. Why? Because they provide strong empirical evidence that suggests most Americans do not agree with former vice president Dick Cheney's contention that the policies pursued by the Obama administration in its first 100 days "raise the risk to the American people of another attack." Asked whether Obama's policies had increased the chances of a terrorist attack or not, 26 percent said they had while 72 percent said they had not. Of that 26 percent who believe that the chances of a terrorist attack had increased under President Obama, 16 percent said it had increased "a lot" while ten percent said the chances had increased "a little http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/parsing-the-polls/parsing-the-polls-dick-cheney.html?hpid=topnews
Stewart rips Fox News ‘coverage’ of teabagging http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001188/
Colbert “recovering from a night of hard-core teabagging” http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001187/
Washington Post Editorial: Dealing With a Disgrace - President Obama strikes a wise balance in coming to terms with the torture of terrorism suspects. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041603911.html
Administration: No Charges Over CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques By Carrie Johnson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 16, 2009; 5:29 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041602768.html?hpid=topnews
Chicagoland
Cook County: Former Chicago City Hall official will succeed U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Quigley on Cook County Board. Quigley's chief of staff, Kimberly Walz, loses vote by North Side Democratic committeemen By Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quigley-replaced-12-apr12,0,4521065.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Sordid Dunnings debacle is another Stroger fiasco. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times . April 18, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1533019,CST-EDT-edit19a.articl
Your Lack of Money
US retail sales slide in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 14:23 | Last updated: April 14 2009 16:29. US retail sales fell in March, dashing recent hopes that consumer spending might finally be stabilising in the US as a savaged labour force continues to curb its spending. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24079c14-2867-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
US prices drop for first time since 1955 By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 15 2009 14:19 | Last updated: April 15 2009 14:47. Prices in the US declined in the year to March for the first time since 1955, the labour department said on Wednesday, easing fears that aggressive government stimulus measures could kick-start inflation. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85117d2e-2932-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Jobless put new slant on stress tests By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 22:00 | Last updated: April 17 2009 23:01. Rising unemployment is prompting US authorities to consider taking a tougher stance in judging the results of bank stress tests, a development that ultimately could force leading financial groups to hold more capital. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca1f86da-2b77-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Wall St fears grow over stress test results By Francesco Guerrera and Edward Luce. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 22:00 | Last updated: April 17 2009 22:00. With less than three weeks to go before Washington releases the results of its “stress tests” of the nation’s 19 largest banks, most of Wall Street appears to be in need of Prozac. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d780c91a-2b77-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Golden fetters. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 20:05 | Last updated: April 14 2009 20:05. In a touching display that its freedom is (almost) not for sale, Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, pleased markets this week with a plan to exit the US troubled asset relief programme. The government should take note, and be worried. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e3ebb64-2920-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Goldman Sachs Announces First Quarter Profits of $1.8 Billion By Tomoeh Murakami Tse. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; 5:40 PM. NEW YORK - Goldman Sachs announced first quarter earnings this afternoon that were far better than analysts expected and said it would raise $5 billion through a stock offering in order to repay taxpayer funds. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041301989.html?hpid=topnews
JPMorgan earns $2.1bn on record sales By Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 12:26 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3055ce46-2a6f-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Citi records first profit in six quarters By Adrian Cox, Investment Banking Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 12:37 | Last updated: April 17 2009 14:46. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfb1f8da-2b41-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Citi trade profitable but now tough to execute By Elinor Comlay and Dan Wilchins. Copyright by Reuters, 2009. Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:54pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-CreditCrisis/idUSTRE53G5Y420090417
Regulators shut American Sterling Bank in Missouri and Great Basin Bank of Nevada. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 10:48 PM CDT, April 17, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-bank-closures,0,296817.story
GE earns drop on continued finance unit woes, but results still top Wall St. expectations By STEPHEN MANNING. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 2:56 PM CDT, April 17, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-earns-general-electric,0,4460338.story
GE’s financial arm leads to earnings slide By Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 12:54 | Last updated: April 17 2009 16:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8a64b44-2b43-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
US housing starts fall 10.8% in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 15:43 | Last updated: April 16 2009 15:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/faa22722-2a91-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
General Growth files for Chapter 11 By Alan Rappeport and Nicole Bullock in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 11:45 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:51. General Growth Properties, the second-biggest US shopping mall owner, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday due to the collapse in commercial property prices. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/efac5866-2a72-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
China Slows Purchases of U.S. and Other Bonds By KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 12, 2009. HONG KONG — Reversing its role as the world’s fastest-growing buyer of U.S. Treasuries and other foreign bonds, the Chinese government actually sold bonds heavily in January and February before resuming purchases in March, according to data released this weekend by China’s central bank. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/business/global/13yuan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Housing
Selling a home will cost you a thumb(print) By Mary Umberger. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009. If you're going to be selling your house in Cook County this summer, be sure to bring at least one thumb to the closing table. A new Illinois law that takes effect June 1 will require notaries who witness signatures at Cook County real estate closings to fingerprint home sellers as a way of documenting that they are who they say they are. http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/advice/chi-0412-umberger-columnapr12,0,1800746.column
GLBT
New York Times Editorial: New York’s Missing Civil Right. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. New York State, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg observed on Thursday, is where Susan B. Anthony began her struggle for women’s suffrage. It is the state where the N.A.A.C.P. was founded. Now New York can finally honor its historic commitment to personal freedoms by becoming the next state to end discrimination against civil marriage for same-sex couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/opinion/17fri4.html?th&emc=th
Paterson Introduces a Same-Sex Marriage Bill By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, vowing to personally involve himself in the legislative debate at a level that is rare for a chief executive in New York. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/nyregion/17marriage.html?th&emc=th
Illinois gays not betting on marriage - State's political realities steer gays to push for civil unions By Rex W. Huppke and Monique Garcia. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 14, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-gay-marriage-14-apr14,0,5378660.story
The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/17/the-colbert-coalitions-an_n_188124.html
Wrong on Gays in the Military By Jonathan Capehart. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 15, 2009; 5:16 PM ET. Alright, I've had it! Had it with the antiquated arguments against gays serving openly in the military espoused today on The Post’s Op Ed page by James J. Lindsay, Jerome Johnson, E.G. "Buck" Shuler Jr., and Joseph Went. Gay men and lesbians should be allowed to serve. They should be allowed to serve openly. And they should be allowed to serve with the honor and dignity such service entails http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/04/wrong_on_gays_in_the_military.html
Peoria gays react to unwelcome sign By Erika Slife. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 17, 2009. In bright yellow capital letters, the sign on the karaoke bar in downtown Peoria was clear: "WE ARE NOT A GAY BAR!!" http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-peoria-gay-bar-17apr17,0,7371226.story
Gays and lesbians confronting poverty By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 15, 2009. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3378
Immigration
New York Times Editorial: Immigration Reform and Hard Times. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. The Obama administration said last week that it would begin a major push for immigration reform this year. The country’s two big labor federations just announced that they are joining forces to support that effort, which includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. That’s double good news. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/opinion/14tue1.html?ref=opinion
Immigration Accord by Labor Boosts Obama Effort By JULIA PRESTON and STEVEN GREENHOUSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. The nation’s two major labor federations have agreed for the first time to join forces to support an overhaul of the immigration system, leaders of both organizations said on Monday. The accord could give President Obama significant support among unions as he revisits the stormy issue in the midst of the recession. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/us/14immig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Number of Children Born to Illegal Immigrants Grows Rapidly By N.C. Aizenman. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; 1:42 PM. The number of U.S.-citizen children born to illegal immigrants has dramatically increased over the past five years from 2.7 million in 2003 to 4 million in 2008, according to a study released today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401433.html?hpid=topnews
Technical
Amazon Says Error Removed Listings By MOTOKO RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. In response to nearly two days of angry online commentary, particularly on Twitter, Amazon.com said on Monday that “an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error” had caused thousands of books on its site to lose their sales rankings and become harder to find in searches. A Twitter screen concerning Amazon. The subject was among the most popular on the site. Most of the company’s online critics complained that the problem appeared to have a disproportionate effect on gay and lesbian themed books, leading to cries of censorship. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html?th&emc=th
Google’s 11-year growth spurt ends By Richard Waters in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 23:33 | Last updated: April 17 2009 02:04. Google’s revenues in the first three months of this year fell below the preceding quarter for the first time in the company’s history as the global recession brought an end to its unprecedented 11-year growth spurt. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/45ff773c-2ad4-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Intel Says PC Sales Have Reached a Bottom and Forecasts Moderate Growth By MATT RICHTEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/technology/companies/15chip.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Medical
Limited Federal Funds for Stem Cell Work Using Donated Embryos By Ceci Connolly. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009; 12:51 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/17/AR2009041701880.html?hpid=topnews
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 17, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/18endanger.html?_r=1&hp
Washington Post Editorial: AIDS at Home - The Obama administration starts to combat complacency in the United States. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; Page A16 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302442.html
Obama initiates HIV policy by Bob Roehr. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-15. The Obama administration held a high-profile unveiling of a new HIV/AIDS public awareness campaign in part of the White House compound of buildings, on April 7. AIDS advocates were grateful for the symbolism of the event, which far outweighed the content of the program. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20909
A Policy Cocktail for Fighting HIV By Anthony S. Fauci. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 16, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041503040.html
Other
The Dream She Dreamed - Cheers for a Voice to Silence the Cynics By Jeanne McManus. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041602419.html
Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 (With Lyrics) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Much Ado About Nothing By Jon O'Brien, President, Catholics for a Free Choice. Copyright by Catholics for a Free Choice. April 17, 2009. As we approach the 100-day mark of Barack Obama’s presidency, we have seen several positive moves for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Conservatives, including the Catholic hierarchy and its right-wing allies, have been less impressed. They have, among other things, raised concerns about a number of issues, including: a yet-to-be-introduced bill that would help access to abortion; the easing of restrictions on stem-cell research and the advocacy activities of foreign NGOs; the proposed rescission of an unnecessarily restrictive refusal clause; several appointments to the new administration as well as President Obama’s invitation to speak at Notre Dame. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/about/message/default.asp
Humor
'Big Bang's' success: It's not rocket science By Maria Elena Fernandez. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009. LOS ANGELES—It makes absolute sense that the folks at the Apple store Genius Bar would freak out at the sight of the cast of "The Big Bang Theory." Or that thousands of fans would fill a room to spend time with them at the international comic book convention Comic-Con last summer in San Diego. But when the paparazzi of Mexico City went so berserk over the five actors during a promotional visit in December that they required an armed bodyguard, the young cast knew their little sitcom was turning into a sensation. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-tc-arts-big-bang-0408-0412apr12,0,2408707.story
Conservative Campaign Organizers Have sex on their Brains http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
“Some people involved in gay rights efforts tried to tell Taylor she was wasting her time. Iowa was, they told her, a conservative, religious state in America's rural heartland, and the effort was better concentrated on the more liberal coasts. "There were many people telling us we were crazy," she said, "that we were foolhardy even thinking of filing a case, and that we might create a backlash." But as she immersed herself in Iowa's politics and history, she learned about its progressive past, including how the Hawkeye State was a pioneer in school desegregation, the first to admit a woman to its bar, and among the earliest to allow interracial marriage.” Keith B. Richburg
How Gays Won a Marriage Victory - For 7 Years, Activists Eyed a Seemingly Unlikely Target: Iowa By Keith B. Richburg. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041403455.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
International
N Korea to restart nuclear arms plant By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 05:57 | Last updated: April 14 2009 12:14. North Korea on Tuesday vowed to expand its nuclear weapons work and restart a reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, retaliating more provocatively than expected against UN condemnation of its recent rocket launch. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6f24e02c-28ac-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Russia signals intent to borrow abroad By Catherine Belton in Moscow. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 12:36 | Last updated: April 14 2009 13:19. Russia could borrow on international markets for the first time in a decade next year, Alexei Kudrin, the Russian finance minister said, as the government seeks ways to fund looming budget deficits and help heavily indebted companies raise money. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09938aa2-28e7-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Thailand descends into chaos By Tim Johnston in Bangkok. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 09:42 | Last updated: April 13 2009 19:39 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f4c2454-273c-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
U.S. Captain Held by Pirates Is Freed By R.M. SCHNEIDERMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 12, 2009. Richard Phillips, the captain of an American cargo ship held hostage by armed Somali pirates for more than four days, was freed on Sunday after three of his captors were killed, government and shipping officials said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/world/africa/13pirates.html?_r=1&hp
An Early Military Victory for Obama By Michael D. Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; Page A09. It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president -- a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041203002.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
Pirates nervous as Obama vows to crack down By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent and Demetri Sevastopulo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: April 13 2009 19:14 | Last updated: April 13 2009 22:10 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/897b6006-2850-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
RPT-Q&A-Who are the Somali pirates? By Andrew Cawthorne. Copyright by Reuters. Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:02pm BST. NAIROBI, April 12 (Reuters) - It took the capture and rescue five days later of an American hostage to draw world attention back to the long-running phenomenon of Somali piracy. http://uk.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUKLC335689
Another U.S. Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack By Stephanie McCrummen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 15, 2009; 9:32 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041400194.html?hpid=topnews
Washington steps up Mexico drug war help By Andrew Ward and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 21:13 | Last updated: April 17 2009 01:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50c5399e-2ac1-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Obama to Push to Ratify Treaty on Gun Trafficking By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 16, 2009. MEXICO CITY — President Obama, seeking to send a strong signal that he is committed to stopping the rising tide of cross-border drug violence, will announce on Thursday that he is pressing the Senate to ratify a decade-old arms treaty intended to curb the flow of guns and ammunition to drug cartels, a senior administration official said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/world/americas/17prexy.html?ref=global-home
Obama Lifts Some Restrictions on Cuba By Michael D. Shear. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 13, 2009. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/13/obama_to_lift_cuba_travel_rest.html?hpid=topnews
Clinton says US ready to speak to Cuba © Reuters Limited. April 17, 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f76101c-2ae1-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
China
Beijing struggles to prop up growth By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 03:34 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:12. China’s economy grew at an annual rate of 6.1 per cent in the first quarter – its slowest pace since quarterly gross domestic product data was first published in 1992 – as Beijing struggled to prop up activity in the face of the global crisis. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eedcd1c0-2a2e-11de-9d01-00144feabdc0.html
China property prices ‘likely to halve’ By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 13 2009 10:39 | Last updated: April 13 2009 18:19. Property prices in China are likely to halve over the next two years, a top government researcher has predicted in a powerful signal that the country’s economic downturn faces further challenges despite recent positive data. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a36b342-280e-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Mess-o-potamia
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Time for Turkey to try quiet diplomacy. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 18:57 | Last updated: April 12 2009 18:57. President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey last week – towards the end of his first big international trip – paid a handsome compliment to the country’s growing influence in international affairs. Under the administration of George W. Bush, relations between Washington and Ankara slipped badly, not least because Turkey refused to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. But Mr Obama’s state visit may have marked a turning point. The US president underlined Turkey’s importance as a bridge between the Islamic world and the west. He made clear that Turkey had a role as a negotiator between Israel and the Arab world. He voiced, too, the hope that Turkey would one day join the European Union. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc820982-2787-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results By C. J. CHIVERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/world/asia/17afghan.html?th&emc=th
Pakistan approves sharia law in Swat valley By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 08:50 | Last updated: April 14 2009 08:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/114dfbd2-28c5-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
National
The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash - Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog, Is All Over the Web Before His Official Debut By Manuel Roig-Franzia. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 12, 2009; Page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/11/AR2009041102484.html?hpid=artslot
Give-and-Take With Emanuel Advances President's Agenda - Lawmakers Respond to Improved Access to White House By Shailagh Murray. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; Page A01. As the House and Senate debated the budget earlier this month, Rahm Emanuel's spacious West Wing office took on the feel of a legislative bazaar. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/12/AR2009041202629.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Mending America’s broken tax code. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 13 2009 19:16 | Last updated: April 13 2009 19:16. The approach of tax-filing day on April 15 invariably lowers spirits in the United States. Many taxpayers expect a refund when they have finished their calculations, but even this does little to improve the mood. The system’s surreal complexity is enough to defeat candidates for senior positions in the Treasury, let alone Joe the Plumber. Struggling with it arouses the suspicion that the income tax code is chiefly an instrument of political repression – a reminder of who is in charge. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3b3e2ba-2856-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
Obama hints at hopes for recovery By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 13:55 | Last updated: April 15 2009 00:24. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that aggressive efforts to boost the US economy were starting to bear fruit, even though the recession would cause more pain this year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10f7fa3e-28f2-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
A criminally stupid war on drugs in the US By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 17:41 | Last updated: April 12 2009 17:41. How much misery can a policy cause before it is acknowledged as a failure and reversed? The US “war on drugs” suggests there is no upper limit. The country’s implacable blend of prohibition and punitive criminal justice is wrong-headed in every way: immoral in principle, since it prosecutes victimless crimes, and in practice a disaster of remarkable proportions. Yet for a US politician to suggest wholesale reform of this brainless regime is still seen as an act of reckless self-harm. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e0234460-277d-11de-9b77-00144feabdc0.html
Number of Black Americans in State Prisons for Drug Offenses Declines By Darryl Fears. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; 2:00 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401775.html?hpid=topnews
GOP Whacking
Parsing the Polls: Dick Cheney, Joe Biden and America's Safety. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 13, 2009. Expect new poll numbers out of CNN this afternoon to draw a huge amount of attention. Why? Because they provide strong empirical evidence that suggests most Americans do not agree with former vice president Dick Cheney's contention that the policies pursued by the Obama administration in its first 100 days "raise the risk to the American people of another attack." Asked whether Obama's policies had increased the chances of a terrorist attack or not, 26 percent said they had while 72 percent said they had not. Of that 26 percent who believe that the chances of a terrorist attack had increased under President Obama, 16 percent said it had increased "a lot" while ten percent said the chances had increased "a little http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/parsing-the-polls/parsing-the-polls-dick-cheney.html?hpid=topnews
Stewart rips Fox News ‘coverage’ of teabagging http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001188/
Colbert “recovering from a night of hard-core teabagging” http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001187/
Washington Post Editorial: Dealing With a Disgrace - President Obama strikes a wise balance in coming to terms with the torture of terrorism suspects. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041603911.html
Administration: No Charges Over CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Techniques By Carrie Johnson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 16, 2009; 5:29 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041602768.html?hpid=topnews
Chicagoland
Cook County: Former Chicago City Hall official will succeed U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Quigley on Cook County Board. Quigley's chief of staff, Kimberly Walz, loses vote by North Side Democratic committeemen By Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quigley-replaced-12-apr12,0,4521065.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Sordid Dunnings debacle is another Stroger fiasco. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times . April 18, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1533019,CST-EDT-edit19a.articl
Your Lack of Money
US retail sales slide in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 14:23 | Last updated: April 14 2009 16:29. US retail sales fell in March, dashing recent hopes that consumer spending might finally be stabilising in the US as a savaged labour force continues to curb its spending. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24079c14-2867-11de-8dbf-00144feabdc0.html
US prices drop for first time since 1955 By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 15 2009 14:19 | Last updated: April 15 2009 14:47. Prices in the US declined in the year to March for the first time since 1955, the labour department said on Wednesday, easing fears that aggressive government stimulus measures could kick-start inflation. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85117d2e-2932-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Jobless put new slant on stress tests By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 22:00 | Last updated: April 17 2009 23:01. Rising unemployment is prompting US authorities to consider taking a tougher stance in judging the results of bank stress tests, a development that ultimately could force leading financial groups to hold more capital. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca1f86da-2b77-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Wall St fears grow over stress test results By Francesco Guerrera and Edward Luce. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 22:00 | Last updated: April 17 2009 22:00. With less than three weeks to go before Washington releases the results of its “stress tests” of the nation’s 19 largest banks, most of Wall Street appears to be in need of Prozac. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d780c91a-2b77-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Golden fetters. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 14 2009 20:05 | Last updated: April 14 2009 20:05. In a touching display that its freedom is (almost) not for sale, Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, pleased markets this week with a plan to exit the US troubled asset relief programme. The government should take note, and be worried. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e3ebb64-2920-11de-bc5e-00144feabdc0.html
Goldman Sachs Announces First Quarter Profits of $1.8 Billion By Tomoeh Murakami Tse. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 13, 2009; 5:40 PM. NEW YORK - Goldman Sachs announced first quarter earnings this afternoon that were far better than analysts expected and said it would raise $5 billion through a stock offering in order to repay taxpayer funds. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041301989.html?hpid=topnews
JPMorgan earns $2.1bn on record sales By Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 12:26 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3055ce46-2a6f-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Citi records first profit in six quarters By Adrian Cox, Investment Banking Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 12:37 | Last updated: April 17 2009 14:46. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfb1f8da-2b41-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
Citi trade profitable but now tough to execute By Elinor Comlay and Dan Wilchins. Copyright by Reuters, 2009. Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:54pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-CreditCrisis/idUSTRE53G5Y420090417
Regulators shut American Sterling Bank in Missouri and Great Basin Bank of Nevada. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 10:48 PM CDT, April 17, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-bank-closures,0,296817.story
GE earns drop on continued finance unit woes, but results still top Wall St. expectations By STEPHEN MANNING. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 2:56 PM CDT, April 17, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-earns-general-electric,0,4460338.story
GE’s financial arm leads to earnings slide By Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 17 2009 12:54 | Last updated: April 17 2009 16:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8a64b44-2b43-11de-b806-00144feabdc0.html
US housing starts fall 10.8% in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 15:43 | Last updated: April 16 2009 15:43 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/faa22722-2a91-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
General Growth files for Chapter 11 By Alan Rappeport and Nicole Bullock in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 11:45 | Last updated: April 16 2009 19:51. General Growth Properties, the second-biggest US shopping mall owner, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday due to the collapse in commercial property prices. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/efac5866-2a72-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
China Slows Purchases of U.S. and Other Bonds By KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 12, 2009. HONG KONG — Reversing its role as the world’s fastest-growing buyer of U.S. Treasuries and other foreign bonds, the Chinese government actually sold bonds heavily in January and February before resuming purchases in March, according to data released this weekend by China’s central bank. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/business/global/13yuan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Housing
Selling a home will cost you a thumb(print) By Mary Umberger. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009. If you're going to be selling your house in Cook County this summer, be sure to bring at least one thumb to the closing table. A new Illinois law that takes effect June 1 will require notaries who witness signatures at Cook County real estate closings to fingerprint home sellers as a way of documenting that they are who they say they are. http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/advice/chi-0412-umberger-columnapr12,0,1800746.column
GLBT
New York Times Editorial: New York’s Missing Civil Right. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. New York State, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg observed on Thursday, is where Susan B. Anthony began her struggle for women’s suffrage. It is the state where the N.A.A.C.P. was founded. Now New York can finally honor its historic commitment to personal freedoms by becoming the next state to end discrimination against civil marriage for same-sex couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/opinion/17fri4.html?th&emc=th
Paterson Introduces a Same-Sex Marriage Bill By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 16, 2009. Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, vowing to personally involve himself in the legislative debate at a level that is rare for a chief executive in New York. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/nyregion/17marriage.html?th&emc=th
Illinois gays not betting on marriage - State's political realities steer gays to push for civil unions By Rex W. Huppke and Monique Garcia. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 14, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-gay-marriage-14-apr14,0,5378660.story
The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/17/the-colbert-coalitions-an_n_188124.html
Wrong on Gays in the Military By Jonathan Capehart. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 15, 2009; 5:16 PM ET. Alright, I've had it! Had it with the antiquated arguments against gays serving openly in the military espoused today on The Post’s Op Ed page by James J. Lindsay, Jerome Johnson, E.G. "Buck" Shuler Jr., and Joseph Went. Gay men and lesbians should be allowed to serve. They should be allowed to serve openly. And they should be allowed to serve with the honor and dignity such service entails http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/04/wrong_on_gays_in_the_military.html
Peoria gays react to unwelcome sign By Erika Slife. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 17, 2009. In bright yellow capital letters, the sign on the karaoke bar in downtown Peoria was clear: "WE ARE NOT A GAY BAR!!" http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-peoria-gay-bar-17apr17,0,7371226.story
Gays and lesbians confronting poverty By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 15, 2009. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3378
Immigration
New York Times Editorial: Immigration Reform and Hard Times. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. The Obama administration said last week that it would begin a major push for immigration reform this year. The country’s two big labor federations just announced that they are joining forces to support that effort, which includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. That’s double good news. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/opinion/14tue1.html?ref=opinion
Immigration Accord by Labor Boosts Obama Effort By JULIA PRESTON and STEVEN GREENHOUSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. The nation’s two major labor federations have agreed for the first time to join forces to support an overhaul of the immigration system, leaders of both organizations said on Monday. The accord could give President Obama significant support among unions as he revisits the stormy issue in the midst of the recession. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/us/14immig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Number of Children Born to Illegal Immigrants Grows Rapidly By N.C. Aizenman. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; 1:42 PM. The number of U.S.-citizen children born to illegal immigrants has dramatically increased over the past five years from 2.7 million in 2003 to 4 million in 2008, according to a study released today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401433.html?hpid=topnews
Technical
Amazon Says Error Removed Listings By MOTOKO RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 13, 2009. In response to nearly two days of angry online commentary, particularly on Twitter, Amazon.com said on Monday that “an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error” had caused thousands of books on its site to lose their sales rankings and become harder to find in searches. A Twitter screen concerning Amazon. The subject was among the most popular on the site. Most of the company’s online critics complained that the problem appeared to have a disproportionate effect on gay and lesbian themed books, leading to cries of censorship. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/technology/internet/14amazon.html?th&emc=th
Google’s 11-year growth spurt ends By Richard Waters in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 16 2009 23:33 | Last updated: April 17 2009 02:04. Google’s revenues in the first three months of this year fell below the preceding quarter for the first time in the company’s history as the global recession brought an end to its unprecedented 11-year growth spurt. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/45ff773c-2ad4-11de-8415-00144feabdc0.html
Intel Says PC Sales Have Reached a Bottom and Forecasts Moderate Growth By MATT RICHTEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/technology/companies/15chip.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Medical
Limited Federal Funds for Stem Cell Work Using Donated Embryos By Ceci Connolly. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009; 12:51 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/17/AR2009041701880.html?hpid=topnews
E.P.A. to Clear the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 17, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/18endanger.html?_r=1&hp
Washington Post Editorial: AIDS at Home - The Obama administration starts to combat complacency in the United States. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 14, 2009; Page A16 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302442.html
Obama initiates HIV policy by Bob Roehr. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-15. The Obama administration held a high-profile unveiling of a new HIV/AIDS public awareness campaign in part of the White House compound of buildings, on April 7. AIDS advocates were grateful for the symbolism of the event, which far outweighed the content of the program. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20909
A Policy Cocktail for Fighting HIV By Anthony S. Fauci. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 16, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041503040.html
Other
The Dream She Dreamed - Cheers for a Voice to Silence the Cynics By Jeanne McManus. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 17, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/16/AR2009041602419.html
Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 (With Lyrics) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Much Ado About Nothing By Jon O'Brien, President, Catholics for a Free Choice. Copyright by Catholics for a Free Choice. April 17, 2009. As we approach the 100-day mark of Barack Obama’s presidency, we have seen several positive moves for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Conservatives, including the Catholic hierarchy and its right-wing allies, have been less impressed. They have, among other things, raised concerns about a number of issues, including: a yet-to-be-introduced bill that would help access to abortion; the easing of restrictions on stem-cell research and the advocacy activities of foreign NGOs; the proposed rescission of an unnecessarily restrictive refusal clause; several appointments to the new administration as well as President Obama’s invitation to speak at Notre Dame. http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/about/message/default.asp
Humor
'Big Bang's' success: It's not rocket science By Maria Elena Fernandez. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 12, 2009. LOS ANGELES—It makes absolute sense that the folks at the Apple store Genius Bar would freak out at the sight of the cast of "The Big Bang Theory." Or that thousands of fans would fill a room to spend time with them at the international comic book convention Comic-Con last summer in San Diego. But when the paparazzi of Mexico City went so berserk over the five actors during a promotional visit in December that they required an armed bodyguard, the young cast knew their little sitcom was turning into a sensation. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-tc-arts-big-bang-0408-0412apr12,0,2408707.story
Conservative Campaign Organizers Have sex on their Brains http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Glimmer of Hope Newsletter - April 11, 2009
Glimmer of Hope Newsletter - April 11, 2009
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde
Obama sees economic ‘glimmers of hope’ By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 10 2009 22:54 | Last updated: April 10 2009 22:54. President Barack Obama sees “glimmers of hope” in the US economy, citing a pick-up in lending to small businesses and lower mortgage rates as signs that the country is weathering the financial crisis. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1510d9c8-2619-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Summers sees end to ‘sense of free-fall’ By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 20:27 | Last updated: April 9 2009 20:27. Lawrence Summers, chief economic adviser to the White House, said the “sense of freefall” in the US economy would end in the next few months but cautioned that the risks of deflation and more job losses had not gone away. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4f1ac1c-2537-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US trade gap shrinks sharply as exports rise By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:15 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:15. The US trade gap plunged by 28.3 per cent in February to $26bn, the lowest level in nearly 10 years as Americans’ once voracious demand for the world’s goods continued to collapse. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85a785e2-24fc-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Wells Fargo to report record profits By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:08 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:57. Wells Fargo on Thursday lifted hopes for the stricken banking sector by announcing that it would report record first-quarter profits of $3bn later this month. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8cccae00-2516-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US retailers see glimmers of demand By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:23 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:23. March sales figures from leading US retailers provided some shimmers of light amid the prevailing gloom, with a number of store chains reporting signs of an increased readiness to spend by still-cautious consumers. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/18ef167a-2517-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US housing starts show surprise surge By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: March 17 2009 14:38 | Last updated: March 17 2009 15:57. US residential building showed renewed signs of life last month, as falling construction costs lured builders to break ground, offering a glimmer of hope that the real estate slump could be near a bottom. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b50c2ea2-12ee-11de-94bc-0000779fd2ac.html
Miami Car Dealer Is Upbeat, but Admits Something Has Changed By DAMIEN CAVE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08chevy.html?th&emc=th
International
Thousands Mourn Quake Victims at Funeral Mass By RACHEL DONADIO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 10, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/world/europe/11italy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
At least 207 dead in Italy quake. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 04:09 | Last updated: April 7 2009 08:32. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be074366-2257-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Strong earthquake hits central Italy Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 04:09 | Last updated: April 6 2009 14:55 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be074366-2257-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
North Korea fires rocket over Japan By Christian Oliver in Seoul, Jonathan Soble in Tokyo, Harvey Morris at the United Nations and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 03:50 | Last updated: April 5 2009 14:42. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68a5baae-218c-11de-8c4b-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Calls on Security Council to Punish North By HELENE COOPER and DAN BILEFSKY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 5, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/politics/06prexy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Obama Calls for World Without Nuclear Weapons By Michael D. Shear and Craig Whitlock. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; 12:29 PM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040500021.html?hpid=topnews
Financial Times Editorial: Obama gets less than he deserves. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 17:51 | Last updated: April 5 2009 17:51. Barack Obama’s European tour has confirmed that the new US president is admired as much abroad as at home. His diplomacy builds on this appeal. He came to listen not to lecture, he told Europe’s leaders last week, giving every sign he meant it. He is the kind of US president that Europe has longed for. Yet after the Group of 20 and Nato summits, what does this European model of a US president have to show for his efforts? Rave reviews and words of friendship – but of substance all too little. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13f088da-2200-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Japan unveils $154bn stimulus plan By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 03:46 | Last updated: April 9 2009 11:27. The Japanese government is to provide Y50,000bn in loan guarantees to government affiliated financial institutions to buy stocks in the market as part of a record stimulus plan that will cost the government Y15,400bn. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/776a14fa-24b0-11de-8bb2-00144feabdc0.html
Japan and Australia Take Steps to Revive Economy By HIROKO TABUCHI and BETTINA WASSENER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/business/global/07iht-rates.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Protesters Force Thailand to Cancel Asian Conference By THOMAS FULLER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 11, 2009. PATTAYA, Thailand — A summit meeting of Asian nations was abruptly canceled here on Saturday after hundreds of protesters forced their way past security forces into a convention center where leaders were preparing to discuss the global economic crisis. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/world/asia/12thai.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Hostage dies as French attack Somali pirates. Copyright by CNN News. April 10, 2009. (CNN) -- A French hostage and two pirates died Friday in a rescue operation off Somalia, the French president's office in Paris said Friday. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/10/somalia.france/index.html
The Embargo After the Castros By Marc A. Thiessen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 6, 2009; Page A15. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501726.html
Obama to Loosen Restrictions on Policy With Cuba By ERIC SCHMITT and DAMIEN CAVE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/world/americas/05cuba.html?ref=global-home
China
China car sales reach record high © Reuters Limited. April 9, 2009. Beijing/Shanghai, April 9 – Vehicle sales in China, the world’s largest car market, climbed to a record in March, extending gains from the previous month, helped by government policy measures to bolster demand in both urban and rural areas. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51b58dcc-2508-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Mess-o-potamia
Financial Times Editorial: Obama rebuilds bridges with Islam. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 19:34 | Last updated: April 6 2009 19:34. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f8a1d0c-22d8-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Obama makes Mideast peace pledge By Edward Luce and Delphine Strauss in Ankara. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 16:13 | Last updated: April 6 2009 17:50. Barack Obama on Monday offered his clearest pledge since taking office to pursue a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and urged the two sides not to “give in to pessimism and mistrust.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b0ecff2-22b8-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Obama to ask for $75bn for war spending By Andrew Ward and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 23:40 | Last updated: April 9 2009 23:40. President Barack Obama was poised on Thursday to request $83.4bn in fresh funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid to help Pakistan combat extremists. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a4cd0564-2556-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Afghan Law on Women Brings Societal Conflict Onto World Stage By Pamela Constable. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page A13 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/04/AR2009040402595.html?hpid=topnews
Merkel in surprise visit to Afghanistan By Chris Bryant in Berlin. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 11:06 | Last updated: April 6 2009 11:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/165a3044-228c-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
Obama Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq By STEVEN LEE MYERS and HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08obama.html?_r=1&hp
In Baghdad, Obama Presses Iraqi Leader to Unite Factions By STEVEN LEE MYERS and HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08obama.html?th&emc=th
Bomb in Mosul Kills Five U.S. Troops, 2 Iraqis By Ernesto Londoño. Copyright by The Washington Post . Friday, April 10, 2009; 10:44 AM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041000600.html?hpid=topnews
Six Car Bombs Kill at Least 33 in Iraq By STEVEN LEE MYERS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 6, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
US may cede to Iran’s nuclear ambition By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 3 2009 17:29 | Last updated: April 3 2009 17:29. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/87571cc6-206b-11de-b930-00144feabdc0.html
US moves on Iran nuclear trade By Joanna Chung in New York and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 19:17 | Last updated: April 7 2009 19:17. New York prosecutors joined with the Obama administration on Tuesday to shut down a China-based network that allegedly supplied Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes with the unwitting aid of some of Wall Street’s biggest banks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd57f0ca-239f-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html
U.S. to Join Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program. Direct Participation in Future Negotiations Would Be a Departure From Bush Administration Policy By Karen DeYoung. Copyright by The Washington Post . Thursday, April 9, 2009; Page A08 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802254.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Kidnapped UN official released in Pakistan By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 07:31 | Last updated: April 5 2009 07:31 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3bce3abe-21ab-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
National
Threat number 5, Robert Gates…http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/224126/april-09-2009/threatdown---robert-gates--dog-seders---obama
New York Times Editorial: Mr. Gates’s Budget. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made a credible effort to bring new discipline and focus to military spending after the unrestrained, inchoate years of the Bush administration. He has made tougher choices than his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, and shifted billions of dollars from complex systems of little use in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to weapons needed right now by troops fighting today’s wars. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/opinion/08wed1.html?th&emc=th
Gates unveils sweeping defence cuts By Sylvia Pfeifer in London and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 21:44 | Last updated: April 6 2009 23:19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/651b8cec-22e5-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Blacks at Odds Over Scrutiny of President By Krissah Thompson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 6, 2009; Page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501894.html?hpid=topnews
Storms and Fires Kill 8 in South and Southwest By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 10, 2009. SAN ANTONIO — High winds and thunderstorms that arrived late Thursday whipped up devastating wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas and spun off fatal tornadoes that ripped through towns in Arkansas and Tennessee. At least three people died in fires in Texas, and five in the tornadoes, and hundreds of homes in all were destroyed or damaged, the authorities said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/us/11storms.html?th&emc=th
Activists protest JPMorgan stance on Chrysler debt By Bernard Simon in Toronto and Julie MacIntosh and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 17:59 | Last updated: April 9 2009 17:59. US social activists have called for a boycott of JPMorgan Chase to protest the bank’s opposition to government demands it forgive a large portion of its Chrysler debt to keep the embattled Detroit carmaker afloat. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/37176738-251c-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Oil Giants Loath to Follow Obama’s Green Lead By JAD MOUAWAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. The Obama administration wants to reduce oil consumption, increase renewable energy supplies and cut carbon dioxide emissions in the most ambitious transformation of energy policy in a generation. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/energy-environment/08greenoil.html?th&emc=th
Supreme Court won't allow prolonged, secret questioning of crime suspects By David G. Savage. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-supreme-court-confessionsapr07,0,1820622.story
GOP Whacking
Faith The Nation... http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml videoId=223897&title=faith-the-nation
Crimes That Deserve Punishment By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A17. It's no longer possible to mince words, or pretend we didn't know. The International Committee of the Red Cross concluded in a secret report that the Bush administration's so-called "enhanced" interrogation methods, used on "high-value" terrorism suspects, plainly constituted torture. The time for euphemisms is over, and the time for accountability has arrived. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040903523.html
New York Times Editorial: Medically Assisted Torture. Copyright by The New York Times . Published: April 8, 2009. There was a great deal to be troubled by in a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross documenting the kinds of torture and abuse inflicted on terrorism suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency. One disturbing footnote is that medical personnel were deeply involved in facilitating the abuses, which were intended to coerce suspects into providing intelligence. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/opinion/09thu3.html?th&emc=th
CIA to shut detention ‘black sites’ © Reuters Limited. April 9, 2009. WASHINGTON, April 9 - The CIA will decommission the infamous ”black sites” where terrorism suspects were interrogated with harsh techniques that included waterboarding, agency director Leon Panetta said on Thursday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/33d024d2-25b4-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Political Pullback for the Christian Right? By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page A19. Is the Christian right finished as a political entity? Or, more to the point, are principled Christians finished with politics? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040303026.html
Thoughts on Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse By Roger Ebert. Copyright by Roger Ebert. April 10, 2009. To: Bill O'Reilly. From: Roger Ebert. Dear Bill: Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your "Hall of Shame." To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper. It would place us in the favor of a man who turns red and starts screaming when anyone disagrees with him. My grade-school teacher, wise Sister Nathan, would have called in your parents and recommended counseling with Father Hogben. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/thoughts-on-bill-oreilly-and-squeaky.html
Chicagoland
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Scared of the sunshine. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune . April 5, 2009. Today the Tribune offers the first of a series of recommendations to clean up the corruption and secrecy that has become pervasive in Illinois government and politics. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0405edit1apr05,0,1764833.story
Chicago Olympics: IOC commission tours potential sites - Few protesters show up on a cold, rainy Day 2 of evaluators' visit By Philip Hersh and David Heinzmann. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 6, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olympic-visit-06-apr06,0,4446283.story
Torched by the Olympics? By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 5:28 PM CDT, April 4, 2009. Representatives of the International Olympic Committee arrived last week to get a firsthand look at Chicago, one of four cities still in the running for the 2016 Summer Games. If locals are lucky, the IOC team will admire our architecture, stroll our lakefront, enjoy our restaurants, praise our plans—and then give the Games to someone else. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0405chapmanapr05,0,4620033.column
Chicago Olympics: Barack Obama seen as the closer to get 2016 Games - President's ties to Chicago used to bid's advantage, with the hope of clinching visit to Copenhagen By Philip Hersh . Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olympic-visit-07-apr07,0,4970573.story
Quigley claims victory in race to replace Rahm Emanuel by John McCormick. April 8, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/mike-quigley-election-results-rahm-emanuel-rosanna-pulido-matt-reichel-5th-congressional-district.html
Your Lack of Money
Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html
US prepared to oust bank chiefs By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 19:38 | Last updated: April 5 2009 19:38. Tim Geithner warned on Sunday that the US government would consider ousting board members at American banks as a condition for giving the institutions “exceptional” assistance in the future. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/172538d8-2210-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Double blow for US pensions as values crash By Deborah Brewster in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 19:56 | Last updated: April 7 2009 19:56. The collapse in value of US state and local government pension plans is a disastrous double blow for them: they are being forced to sell off assets at huge discounts to pay out pensions, and are at the same time seeing their funding levels plummet to dangerous new lows. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/350f5630-23a5-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: The Credit Card Trap. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 5, 2009. It’s only fair. The federal government is doing everything it can to restore the nation’s banks to health. In return, Congress should require those banks to give their credit card customers a better break. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/opinion/06mon3.html?ref=global
U.S. May Enlist Small Investors in Bank Bailout By GRAHAM BOWLEY and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/09fund.html?th&emc=th
Showdown Seen Between Banks and Regulators By STEPHEN LABATON and EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New Yortk Times. Published: April 10, 2009. WASHINGTON — As the Obama administration completes its examinations of the nation’s largest banks, industry executives are bracing for fights with the government over repayment of bailout money and forced sales of bad mortgages. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/business/economy/11bank.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Pulte acquires Centex for $1.3bn By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 8 2009 13:41 | Last updated: April 8 2009 15:03. Pulte Homes agreed to acquire Centex Corporation on Wednesday in a $1.3bn all-stock deal that would create the largest US homebuilding company. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e633ed8-2437-11de-9a01-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
Questions over the Fed’s Treasuries buy By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 22:47 | Last updated: April 7 2009 22:47. When the Federal Reserve announced plans to buy US government securities on March 18 it made a big splash in the markets – much bigger than many Fed officials expected. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1810caba-239f-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Fed lines up foreign currencies for US banks By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 15:34 | Last updated: April 6 2009 15:34. The Federal Reserve on Monday lined up hundreds of billions of dollars worth of euros, yen, pounds and swiss francs to lend to US banks as needed to meet their foreign currency needs. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb1f9268-22b6-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Housing
JPMorgan Chase opens Chicago center to deal with troubled mortgages By James P. Miller. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:10 AM CDT, April 8, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-jpmorgan-chase-mortgage-center-april8,0,5982655.story
With Advocates’ Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home By JOHN LELAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 9, 2009. MIAMI — When the woman who calls herself Queen Omega moved into a three-bedroom house here last December, she introduced herself to the neighbors, signed contracts for electricity and water and ordered an Internet connection. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/us/10squatter.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
SELLING YOUR HOME WITHOUT A REAL ESTATE AGENT by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. April 9-15, 2009. http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml
Mortgage scams targeting distressed homeowners on the rise - Cases of fraud against people struggling to stay in their homes have skyrocketed as the financial crisis has unfolded, By Michael Oneal. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 11:41 AM CDT, April 6, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-mortgage-scams-on-rise-april6,0,3676175.story
GLBT
“Harris' Illinois civil union bill has robust support and a decent chance of passage. We urge legislators on the fence to support the bill, which would put Illinois law in line with other states, such as New Jersey, New Hampshire and Oregon, that allow for civil unions or domestic partnerships. But it's just a start. Anything less than marriage tells our gay neighbors and friends they're second-class. Iowa opened the door in the Midwest. Illinois should walk through.” Chicago Sun-Times Editorial
Queer Eye for the Hawkeye http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=222798&title=Queer-Eye-for-the-Hawkeye&byDate=true
New York Times Editorial: Iowa Decency. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05sun3.html?ref=global
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Follow Iowa's lead on gay marriage. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. April 7, 2009. The power of the court ruling approving gay marriage in Iowa lies in its simplicity. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1514289,CST-EDT-edit07a.article
Iowa and Marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. April 7, 2009. Copyright by Carlos T Mock, MD. The Constitution set three different branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The Judicial has the duty to protect the rights of minorities from the majority. Iowa's Supreme Court unanimous ruling Friday, finding that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples is a perfect example of the purpose of the Judicial system set by our forefathers. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/iowa-and-marriage.html
The Iowa decision: Reflections by Sam Worley. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08. Though local activists are heartened by the Iowa Supreme Court's recent unanimous decision to extend marriage benefits to same-sex couples—a decision that will remain in effect until at least 2012, the earliest it could be overturned by constitutional measure—leaders behind the marriage equality movement in Illinois say that it will not change their overall strategy, which does not rely on the court system. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20862
Gay Rights Groups Celebrate Victories in Marriage Push By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009. MONTPELIER, Vt. — Gay-rights groups say that momentum from back-to-back victories on same-sex marriage in Vermont and Iowa could spill into other states, particularly since at least nine other legislatures are considering measures this year to allow marriage between gay couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08vermont.html?th&emc=th
Iowa’s Family Values By STEVEN W. THRASHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. IF it weren’t for Iowa, my family may never have existed, and this gay, biracial New Yorker might never have been born. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/opinion/09thrasher.html?th&emc=th
New York Times Editorial: Vermont Equality Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. http://www.google.com/finance
Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: April 7, 2009. MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage -- and the first to do so with a legislature's vote. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/07/us/AP-GayMarriage-Vermont.html?hp
Washington Post Editorial: Triumph for Equality - Common decency wins out in votes on gay marriage. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A16. THROUGH VERY different means and under very different circumstances, lawmakers in Vermont and the District yesterday came to the same conclusion: Common decency and the protections guaranteed to all citizens by the rule of law demand that the relationships of gay men and lesbians be respected and recognized. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703434.html
D.C. Council Votes To Recognize Gay Nuptials Elsewhere -Decision Comes as Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage By Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040702200.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
What's Next for Same-Sex Marriage? Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 7, 2009; 2:23 PM. The Post asked observers and activists for their take on Tuesday's legalization of gay marriage in Vermont and last week's legalization of gay marriage by the Iowa Supreme Court, as well as the D.C. Council's vote to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Below, Joe Mathews, Gary Busek, Samuel Rodriguez, Lea Brilmayer, Scott Keeter and Bruce Fein weigh in. Please let us know what you think in the comments section. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040702454.html
Civil unions law would be good first step - It's a shame, but legislators not yet ready for gay marriage BY MARK BROWN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1516239,CST-NWS-brown08.article
Civil unions advocates rally support By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 8, 2009. Equality Illinois attempted to fire up GLBTs and their allies about Illinois’ civil unions legislation during a Saturday “action day” at Center on Halsted. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3356
Barney Frank is all wrong on Scalia's dissent By Ann Althouse. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0407gayapr07,0,3951559.story
Frank need not explain calling Scalia homophobic by Rev. Irene Monroe. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20874
Faith Groups Increasingly Lose Gay Rights Fights By Jacqueline L. Salmon. Copyright by The Washington Post . Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A04 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040904063.html?hpid=topnews
Views: Special (lack of) recognition Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times by Derek Hartley. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08. Romaine and I accepted a GLAAD Award March 28, but you would never know it from the media coverage of the event, especially the coverage from gay media. For years, we have all railed against GLAAD for tripping over themselves to lavish attention and praise on whatever straight celebrity was willing to show up at their event to get an award ( Jennifer Aniston ... a nice lady and all, but really?! ) while ignoring worthy efforts done by LGBT people everywhere. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20877
Iraq’s Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and TAREQ MAHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. BAGHDAD — The relative freedom of a newly democratic Iraq and the recent improvement in security have allowed a gay subculture to flourish here. The response has been swift and deadly. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08gay.html?th&emc=th
Immigration
Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country’s immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal, a senior administration official said on Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09immig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
My Friends, the Illegal Immigrants By GUILLERMO ARRIAGA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 10, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/opinion/11iht-edarriaga.html?ref=global
Technical
How the Internet Got Its Rules By STEPHEN D. CROCKER. Copyright by The New York Time. Published: April 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html?ref=global
Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights By JONATHAN ADAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. TAIPEI — The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/technology/companies/09apple.html?th&emc=th
Medical
New York Times Editorial: A Public Plan for Health Insurance? Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 6, 2009. President Obama has rightly called for sweeping health care reform and charged Congress with coming up with a program. Expect a tough political fight. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07tue1.html?ref=global
Pregnant (Again) and Poor By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - For all the American and international efforts to fight global poverty, one thing is clear: Those efforts won’t get far as long as women like Nahomie Nercure continue to have 10 children. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05kristof.html?ref=global
Tuberculosis: Doctor-in-training may have exposed hundreds of children, infants to TB in 3 Chicago hospitals. Hundreds possibly exposed; hospitals call risk 'minimal' By Bruce Japsen and Joshua Boak. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 2:02 PM CDT, April 11, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-doctor-with-tuberculosis-infants-april10,0,3870468.story
Are hospitals passing off their low-profit patients? - Stroger pays for transfers from non-profit hospitals getting tax breaks By Jason Grotto and Bruce Japsen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-steering_friapr10,0,4247686.story?page=2
Other
North Carolina rolls past Michigan State 89-72 to win the NCAA tournament championship - Tar Heels finish season how they started—on top By Shannon Ryan. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-07-ncaa-title-game-chicagoapr07,0,6898850.story
Connecticut Women Win National Title By JONATHAN ABRAMS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08women.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Cardinal's criticism of Notre Dame unfortunate. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 6, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1512563,CST-EDT-edit06a.article
Humor
I was all excited when my doctor gave me a prescription for the medical marijuana, that sells under the name brand, "Reeferal." Then I found out he was a poor speller and was just sending me to another doctor...
Philly cable glitch switches Vatican service broadcast to 'Girls Gone Wild' ad. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:09 AM CDT, April 11, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-odd-religious-broadcast-gone-wild,0,2049291.story
The Great Flydini http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alD_tukE77Q
Baracknophobia – Obey: Jon Stewart's Message to Wingnuts: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=223862&title=baracknophobia-obey
THE PRIEST AND THE FROG http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/priest-and-frog.html
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde
Obama sees economic ‘glimmers of hope’ By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 10 2009 22:54 | Last updated: April 10 2009 22:54. President Barack Obama sees “glimmers of hope” in the US economy, citing a pick-up in lending to small businesses and lower mortgage rates as signs that the country is weathering the financial crisis. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1510d9c8-2619-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Summers sees end to ‘sense of free-fall’ By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 20:27 | Last updated: April 9 2009 20:27. Lawrence Summers, chief economic adviser to the White House, said the “sense of freefall” in the US economy would end in the next few months but cautioned that the risks of deflation and more job losses had not gone away. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4f1ac1c-2537-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US trade gap shrinks sharply as exports rise By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:15 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:15. The US trade gap plunged by 28.3 per cent in February to $26bn, the lowest level in nearly 10 years as Americans’ once voracious demand for the world’s goods continued to collapse. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85a785e2-24fc-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Wells Fargo to report record profits By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:08 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:57. Wells Fargo on Thursday lifted hopes for the stricken banking sector by announcing that it would report record first-quarter profits of $3bn later this month. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8cccae00-2516-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US retailers see glimmers of demand By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 16:23 | Last updated: April 9 2009 16:23. March sales figures from leading US retailers provided some shimmers of light amid the prevailing gloom, with a number of store chains reporting signs of an increased readiness to spend by still-cautious consumers. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/18ef167a-2517-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
US housing starts show surprise surge By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: March 17 2009 14:38 | Last updated: March 17 2009 15:57. US residential building showed renewed signs of life last month, as falling construction costs lured builders to break ground, offering a glimmer of hope that the real estate slump could be near a bottom. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b50c2ea2-12ee-11de-94bc-0000779fd2ac.html
Miami Car Dealer Is Upbeat, but Admits Something Has Changed By DAMIEN CAVE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08chevy.html?th&emc=th
International
Thousands Mourn Quake Victims at Funeral Mass By RACHEL DONADIO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 10, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/world/europe/11italy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
At least 207 dead in Italy quake. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 04:09 | Last updated: April 7 2009 08:32. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be074366-2257-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Strong earthquake hits central Italy Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 04:09 | Last updated: April 6 2009 14:55 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be074366-2257-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
North Korea fires rocket over Japan By Christian Oliver in Seoul, Jonathan Soble in Tokyo, Harvey Morris at the United Nations and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 03:50 | Last updated: April 5 2009 14:42. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68a5baae-218c-11de-8c4b-00144feabdc0.html
Obama Calls on Security Council to Punish North By HELENE COOPER and DAN BILEFSKY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 5, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/politics/06prexy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Obama Calls for World Without Nuclear Weapons By Michael D. Shear and Craig Whitlock. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; 12:29 PM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040500021.html?hpid=topnews
Financial Times Editorial: Obama gets less than he deserves. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 17:51 | Last updated: April 5 2009 17:51. Barack Obama’s European tour has confirmed that the new US president is admired as much abroad as at home. His diplomacy builds on this appeal. He came to listen not to lecture, he told Europe’s leaders last week, giving every sign he meant it. He is the kind of US president that Europe has longed for. Yet after the Group of 20 and Nato summits, what does this European model of a US president have to show for his efforts? Rave reviews and words of friendship – but of substance all too little. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/13f088da-2200-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Japan unveils $154bn stimulus plan By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 03:46 | Last updated: April 9 2009 11:27. The Japanese government is to provide Y50,000bn in loan guarantees to government affiliated financial institutions to buy stocks in the market as part of a record stimulus plan that will cost the government Y15,400bn. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/776a14fa-24b0-11de-8bb2-00144feabdc0.html
Japan and Australia Take Steps to Revive Economy By HIROKO TABUCHI and BETTINA WASSENER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/business/global/07iht-rates.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Protesters Force Thailand to Cancel Asian Conference By THOMAS FULLER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 11, 2009. PATTAYA, Thailand — A summit meeting of Asian nations was abruptly canceled here on Saturday after hundreds of protesters forced their way past security forces into a convention center where leaders were preparing to discuss the global economic crisis. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/world/asia/12thai.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Hostage dies as French attack Somali pirates. Copyright by CNN News. April 10, 2009. (CNN) -- A French hostage and two pirates died Friday in a rescue operation off Somalia, the French president's office in Paris said Friday. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/10/somalia.france/index.html
The Embargo After the Castros By Marc A. Thiessen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 6, 2009; Page A15. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501726.html
Obama to Loosen Restrictions on Policy With Cuba By ERIC SCHMITT and DAMIEN CAVE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/world/americas/05cuba.html?ref=global-home
China
China car sales reach record high © Reuters Limited. April 9, 2009. Beijing/Shanghai, April 9 – Vehicle sales in China, the world’s largest car market, climbed to a record in March, extending gains from the previous month, helped by government policy measures to bolster demand in both urban and rural areas. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/51b58dcc-2508-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Mess-o-potamia
Financial Times Editorial: Obama rebuilds bridges with Islam. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 19:34 | Last updated: April 6 2009 19:34. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f8a1d0c-22d8-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Obama makes Mideast peace pledge By Edward Luce and Delphine Strauss in Ankara. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 16:13 | Last updated: April 6 2009 17:50. Barack Obama on Monday offered his clearest pledge since taking office to pursue a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and urged the two sides not to “give in to pessimism and mistrust.” http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b0ecff2-22b8-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Obama to ask for $75bn for war spending By Andrew Ward and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 23:40 | Last updated: April 9 2009 23:40. President Barack Obama was poised on Thursday to request $83.4bn in fresh funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid to help Pakistan combat extremists. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a4cd0564-2556-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Afghan Law on Women Brings Societal Conflict Onto World Stage By Pamela Constable. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page A13 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/04/AR2009040402595.html?hpid=topnews
Merkel in surprise visit to Afghanistan By Chris Bryant in Berlin. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 11:06 | Last updated: April 6 2009 11:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/165a3044-228c-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html
Obama Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq By STEVEN LEE MYERS and HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08obama.html?_r=1&hp
In Baghdad, Obama Presses Iraqi Leader to Unite Factions By STEVEN LEE MYERS and HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08obama.html?th&emc=th
Bomb in Mosul Kills Five U.S. Troops, 2 Iraqis By Ernesto Londoño. Copyright by The Washington Post . Friday, April 10, 2009; 10:44 AM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041000600.html?hpid=topnews
Six Car Bombs Kill at Least 33 in Iraq By STEVEN LEE MYERS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 6, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
US may cede to Iran’s nuclear ambition By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 3 2009 17:29 | Last updated: April 3 2009 17:29. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/87571cc6-206b-11de-b930-00144feabdc0.html
US moves on Iran nuclear trade By Joanna Chung in New York and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 19:17 | Last updated: April 7 2009 19:17. New York prosecutors joined with the Obama administration on Tuesday to shut down a China-based network that allegedly supplied Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes with the unwitting aid of some of Wall Street’s biggest banks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd57f0ca-239f-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html
U.S. to Join Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program. Direct Participation in Future Negotiations Would Be a Departure From Bush Administration Policy By Karen DeYoung. Copyright by The Washington Post . Thursday, April 9, 2009; Page A08 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802254.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Kidnapped UN official released in Pakistan By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 07:31 | Last updated: April 5 2009 07:31 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3bce3abe-21ab-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
National
Threat number 5, Robert Gates…http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/224126/april-09-2009/threatdown---robert-gates--dog-seders---obama
New York Times Editorial: Mr. Gates’s Budget. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made a credible effort to bring new discipline and focus to military spending after the unrestrained, inchoate years of the Bush administration. He has made tougher choices than his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, and shifted billions of dollars from complex systems of little use in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to weapons needed right now by troops fighting today’s wars. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/opinion/08wed1.html?th&emc=th
Gates unveils sweeping defence cuts By Sylvia Pfeifer in London and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 21:44 | Last updated: April 6 2009 23:19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/651b8cec-22e5-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Blacks at Odds Over Scrutiny of President By Krissah Thompson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 6, 2009; Page A01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501894.html?hpid=topnews
Storms and Fires Kill 8 in South and Southwest By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 10, 2009. SAN ANTONIO — High winds and thunderstorms that arrived late Thursday whipped up devastating wildfires in Oklahoma and Texas and spun off fatal tornadoes that ripped through towns in Arkansas and Tennessee. At least three people died in fires in Texas, and five in the tornadoes, and hundreds of homes in all were destroyed or damaged, the authorities said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/us/11storms.html?th&emc=th
Activists protest JPMorgan stance on Chrysler debt By Bernard Simon in Toronto and Julie MacIntosh and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 9 2009 17:59 | Last updated: April 9 2009 17:59. US social activists have called for a boycott of JPMorgan Chase to protest the bank’s opposition to government demands it forgive a large portion of its Chrysler debt to keep the embattled Detroit carmaker afloat. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/37176738-251c-11de-8a66-00144feabdc0.html
Oil Giants Loath to Follow Obama’s Green Lead By JAD MOUAWAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. The Obama administration wants to reduce oil consumption, increase renewable energy supplies and cut carbon dioxide emissions in the most ambitious transformation of energy policy in a generation. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/energy-environment/08greenoil.html?th&emc=th
Supreme Court won't allow prolonged, secret questioning of crime suspects By David G. Savage. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-supreme-court-confessionsapr07,0,1820622.story
GOP Whacking
Faith The Nation... http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml videoId=223897&title=faith-the-nation
Crimes That Deserve Punishment By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A17. It's no longer possible to mince words, or pretend we didn't know. The International Committee of the Red Cross concluded in a secret report that the Bush administration's so-called "enhanced" interrogation methods, used on "high-value" terrorism suspects, plainly constituted torture. The time for euphemisms is over, and the time for accountability has arrived. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040903523.html
New York Times Editorial: Medically Assisted Torture. Copyright by The New York Times . Published: April 8, 2009. There was a great deal to be troubled by in a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross documenting the kinds of torture and abuse inflicted on terrorism suspects by the Central Intelligence Agency. One disturbing footnote is that medical personnel were deeply involved in facilitating the abuses, which were intended to coerce suspects into providing intelligence. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/opinion/09thu3.html?th&emc=th
CIA to shut detention ‘black sites’ © Reuters Limited. April 9, 2009. WASHINGTON, April 9 - The CIA will decommission the infamous ”black sites” where terrorism suspects were interrogated with harsh techniques that included waterboarding, agency director Leon Panetta said on Thursday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/33d024d2-25b4-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html
Political Pullback for the Christian Right? By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, April 5, 2009; Page A19. Is the Christian right finished as a political entity? Or, more to the point, are principled Christians finished with politics? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040303026.html
Thoughts on Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse By Roger Ebert. Copyright by Roger Ebert. April 10, 2009. To: Bill O'Reilly. From: Roger Ebert. Dear Bill: Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your "Hall of Shame." To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper. It would place us in the favor of a man who turns red and starts screaming when anyone disagrees with him. My grade-school teacher, wise Sister Nathan, would have called in your parents and recommended counseling with Father Hogben. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/thoughts-on-bill-oreilly-and-squeaky.html
Chicagoland
Chicago Tribune Editorial: Scared of the sunshine. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune . April 5, 2009. Today the Tribune offers the first of a series of recommendations to clean up the corruption and secrecy that has become pervasive in Illinois government and politics. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0405edit1apr05,0,1764833.story
Chicago Olympics: IOC commission tours potential sites - Few protesters show up on a cold, rainy Day 2 of evaluators' visit By Philip Hersh and David Heinzmann. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 6, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olympic-visit-06-apr06,0,4446283.story
Torched by the Olympics? By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 5:28 PM CDT, April 4, 2009. Representatives of the International Olympic Committee arrived last week to get a firsthand look at Chicago, one of four cities still in the running for the 2016 Summer Games. If locals are lucky, the IOC team will admire our architecture, stroll our lakefront, enjoy our restaurants, praise our plans—and then give the Games to someone else. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0405chapmanapr05,0,4620033.column
Chicago Olympics: Barack Obama seen as the closer to get 2016 Games - President's ties to Chicago used to bid's advantage, with the hope of clinching visit to Copenhagen By Philip Hersh . Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olympic-visit-07-apr07,0,4970573.story
Quigley claims victory in race to replace Rahm Emanuel by John McCormick. April 8, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/mike-quigley-election-results-rahm-emanuel-rosanna-pulido-matt-reichel-5th-congressional-district.html
Your Lack of Money
Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html
US prepared to oust bank chiefs By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 5 2009 19:38 | Last updated: April 5 2009 19:38. Tim Geithner warned on Sunday that the US government would consider ousting board members at American banks as a condition for giving the institutions “exceptional” assistance in the future. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/172538d8-2210-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Double blow for US pensions as values crash By Deborah Brewster in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 19:56 | Last updated: April 7 2009 19:56. The collapse in value of US state and local government pension plans is a disastrous double blow for them: they are being forced to sell off assets at huge discounts to pay out pensions, and are at the same time seeing their funding levels plummet to dangerous new lows. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/350f5630-23a5-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html
New York Times Editorial: The Credit Card Trap. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 5, 2009. It’s only fair. The federal government is doing everything it can to restore the nation’s banks to health. In return, Congress should require those banks to give their credit card customers a better break. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/opinion/06mon3.html?ref=global
U.S. May Enlist Small Investors in Bank Bailout By GRAHAM BOWLEY and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/09fund.html?th&emc=th
Showdown Seen Between Banks and Regulators By STEPHEN LABATON and EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New Yortk Times. Published: April 10, 2009. WASHINGTON — As the Obama administration completes its examinations of the nation’s largest banks, industry executives are bracing for fights with the government over repayment of bailout money and forced sales of bad mortgages. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/business/economy/11bank.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Pulte acquires Centex for $1.3bn By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 8 2009 13:41 | Last updated: April 8 2009 15:03. Pulte Homes agreed to acquire Centex Corporation on Wednesday in a $1.3bn all-stock deal that would create the largest US homebuilding company. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e633ed8-2437-11de-9a01-00144feabdc0.html
Commodities
Questions over the Fed’s Treasuries buy By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 7 2009 22:47 | Last updated: April 7 2009 22:47. When the Federal Reserve announced plans to buy US government securities on March 18 it made a big splash in the markets – much bigger than many Fed officials expected. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1810caba-239f-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Fed lines up foreign currencies for US banks By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 6 2009 15:34 | Last updated: April 6 2009 15:34. The Federal Reserve on Monday lined up hundreds of billions of dollars worth of euros, yen, pounds and swiss francs to lend to US banks as needed to meet their foreign currency needs. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb1f9268-22b6-11de-9c99-00144feabdc0.html
Housing
JPMorgan Chase opens Chicago center to deal with troubled mortgages By James P. Miller. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:10 AM CDT, April 8, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-jpmorgan-chase-mortgage-center-april8,0,5982655.story
With Advocates’ Help, Squatters Call Foreclosures Home By JOHN LELAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 9, 2009. MIAMI — When the woman who calls herself Queen Omega moved into a three-bedroom house here last December, she introduced herself to the neighbors, signed contracts for electricity and water and ordered an Internet connection. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/us/10squatter.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
SELLING YOUR HOME WITHOUT A REAL ESTATE AGENT by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. April 9-15, 2009. http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml
Mortgage scams targeting distressed homeowners on the rise - Cases of fraud against people struggling to stay in their homes have skyrocketed as the financial crisis has unfolded, By Michael Oneal. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 11:41 AM CDT, April 6, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-mortgage-scams-on-rise-april6,0,3676175.story
GLBT
“Harris' Illinois civil union bill has robust support and a decent chance of passage. We urge legislators on the fence to support the bill, which would put Illinois law in line with other states, such as New Jersey, New Hampshire and Oregon, that allow for civil unions or domestic partnerships. But it's just a start. Anything less than marriage tells our gay neighbors and friends they're second-class. Iowa opened the door in the Midwest. Illinois should walk through.” Chicago Sun-Times Editorial
Queer Eye for the Hawkeye http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=222798&title=Queer-Eye-for-the-Hawkeye&byDate=true
New York Times Editorial: Iowa Decency. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05sun3.html?ref=global
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Follow Iowa's lead on gay marriage. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. April 7, 2009. The power of the court ruling approving gay marriage in Iowa lies in its simplicity. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1514289,CST-EDT-edit07a.article
Iowa and Marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. April 7, 2009. Copyright by Carlos T Mock, MD. The Constitution set three different branches of government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The Judicial has the duty to protect the rights of minorities from the majority. Iowa's Supreme Court unanimous ruling Friday, finding that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples is a perfect example of the purpose of the Judicial system set by our forefathers. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/iowa-and-marriage.html
The Iowa decision: Reflections by Sam Worley. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08. Though local activists are heartened by the Iowa Supreme Court's recent unanimous decision to extend marriage benefits to same-sex couples—a decision that will remain in effect until at least 2012, the earliest it could be overturned by constitutional measure—leaders behind the marriage equality movement in Illinois say that it will not change their overall strategy, which does not rely on the court system. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20862
Gay Rights Groups Celebrate Victories in Marriage Push By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009. MONTPELIER, Vt. — Gay-rights groups say that momentum from back-to-back victories on same-sex marriage in Vermont and Iowa could spill into other states, particularly since at least nine other legislatures are considering measures this year to allow marriage between gay couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08vermont.html?th&emc=th
Iowa’s Family Values By STEVEN W. THRASHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. IF it weren’t for Iowa, my family may never have existed, and this gay, biracial New Yorker might never have been born. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/opinion/09thrasher.html?th&emc=th
New York Times Editorial: Vermont Equality Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. http://www.google.com/finance
Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: April 7, 2009. MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage -- and the first to do so with a legislature's vote. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/07/us/AP-GayMarriage-Vermont.html?hp
Washington Post Editorial: Triumph for Equality - Common decency wins out in votes on gay marriage. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A16. THROUGH VERY different means and under very different circumstances, lawmakers in Vermont and the District yesterday came to the same conclusion: Common decency and the protections guaranteed to all citizens by the rule of law demand that the relationships of gay men and lesbians be respected and recognized. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703434.html
D.C. Council Votes To Recognize Gay Nuptials Elsewhere -Decision Comes as Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage By Nikita Stewart and Tim Craig. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040702200.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
What's Next for Same-Sex Marriage? Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 7, 2009; 2:23 PM. The Post asked observers and activists for their take on Tuesday's legalization of gay marriage in Vermont and last week's legalization of gay marriage by the Iowa Supreme Court, as well as the D.C. Council's vote to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Below, Joe Mathews, Gary Busek, Samuel Rodriguez, Lea Brilmayer, Scott Keeter and Bruce Fein weigh in. Please let us know what you think in the comments section. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040702454.html
Civil unions law would be good first step - It's a shame, but legislators not yet ready for gay marriage BY MARK BROWN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1516239,CST-NWS-brown08.article
Civil unions advocates rally support By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 8, 2009. Equality Illinois attempted to fire up GLBTs and their allies about Illinois’ civil unions legislation during a Saturday “action day” at Center on Halsted. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3356
Barney Frank is all wrong on Scalia's dissent By Ann Althouse. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0407gayapr07,0,3951559.story
Frank need not explain calling Scalia homophobic by Rev. Irene Monroe. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20874
Faith Groups Increasingly Lose Gay Rights Fights By Jacqueline L. Salmon. Copyright by The Washington Post . Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A04 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040904063.html?hpid=topnews
Views: Special (lack of) recognition Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times by Derek Hartley. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-04-08. Romaine and I accepted a GLAAD Award March 28, but you would never know it from the media coverage of the event, especially the coverage from gay media. For years, we have all railed against GLAAD for tripping over themselves to lavish attention and praise on whatever straight celebrity was willing to show up at their event to get an award ( Jennifer Aniston ... a nice lady and all, but really?! ) while ignoring worthy efforts done by LGBT people everywhere. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20877
Iraq’s Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and TAREQ MAHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 7, 2009. BAGHDAD — The relative freedom of a newly democratic Iraq and the recent improvement in security have allowed a gay subculture to flourish here. The response has been swift and deadly. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/middleeast/08gay.html?th&emc=th
Immigration
Obama to Push Immigration Bill as One Priority By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country’s immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal, a senior administration official said on Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09immig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
My Friends, the Illegal Immigrants By GUILLERMO ARRIAGA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 10, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/opinion/11iht-edarriaga.html?ref=global
Technical
How the Internet Got Its Rules By STEPHEN D. CROCKER. Copyright by The New York Time. Published: April 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html?ref=global
Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights By JONATHAN ADAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 8, 2009. TAIPEI — The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/technology/companies/09apple.html?th&emc=th
Medical
New York Times Editorial: A Public Plan for Health Insurance? Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 6, 2009. President Obama has rightly called for sweeping health care reform and charged Congress with coming up with a program. Expect a tough political fight. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07tue1.html?ref=global
Pregnant (Again) and Poor By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 4, 2009. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - For all the American and international efforts to fight global poverty, one thing is clear: Those efforts won’t get far as long as women like Nahomie Nercure continue to have 10 children. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/opinion/05kristof.html?ref=global
Tuberculosis: Doctor-in-training may have exposed hundreds of children, infants to TB in 3 Chicago hospitals. Hundreds possibly exposed; hospitals call risk 'minimal' By Bruce Japsen and Joshua Boak. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 2:02 PM CDT, April 11, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-doctor-with-tuberculosis-infants-april10,0,3870468.story
Are hospitals passing off their low-profit patients? - Stroger pays for transfers from non-profit hospitals getting tax breaks By Jason Grotto and Bruce Japsen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 10, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-steering_friapr10,0,4247686.story?page=2
Other
North Carolina rolls past Michigan State 89-72 to win the NCAA tournament championship - Tar Heels finish season how they started—on top By Shannon Ryan. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-07-ncaa-title-game-chicagoapr07,0,6898850.story
Connecticut Women Win National Title By JONATHAN ABRAMS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 7, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08women.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Cardinal's criticism of Notre Dame unfortunate. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 6, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1512563,CST-EDT-edit06a.article
Humor
I was all excited when my doctor gave me a prescription for the medical marijuana, that sells under the name brand, "Reeferal." Then I found out he was a poor speller and was just sending me to another doctor...
Philly cable glitch switches Vatican service broadcast to 'Girls Gone Wild' ad. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:09 AM CDT, April 11, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-odd-religious-broadcast-gone-wild,0,2049291.story
The Great Flydini http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alD_tukE77Q
Baracknophobia – Obey: Jon Stewart's Message to Wingnuts: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=223862&title=baracknophobia-obey
THE PRIEST AND THE FROG http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/priest-and-frog.html
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos and have them signed and dedicated.http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
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