A New Beginning: Newsletter - June 6, 2009

“When George W. Bush made his last visit to the Middle East he was greeted with a volley of shoes, a mark of contempt that measured with lamentable accuracy the level to which America’s reputation had sunk in the region during his eight long years in power. Barack Obama, in his speech on Thursday to the Arab and Muslim worlds from Cairo University, arrived to a standing ovation and left to rapturous applause. He has started a new conversation. While all now depends on what the US does rather than what its president says, Mr. Obama has changed the tone of relations between the west and the world of Islam.” Financial Times Editorial Comment

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obama gets off to a new beginning. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 19:40 | Last updated: June 4 2009 19:40. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ac64d90-5136-11de-84c3-00144feabdc0.html

Obama cracks the code to reach Islam - Implementing coherent policies will be far more challenging, if not impossible By Roula Khalaf. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 18:37 | Last updated: June 4 2009 20:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e8e6b2c-512c-11de-84c3-00144feabdc0.html

Washington Post Editorial: The Cairo Appeal - Arab leaders will seek to narrow President Obama's broad agenda to one issue. Guess which. Copyright by The Washington Post . Friday, June 5, 2009. PRESIDENT OBAMA was the first to say yesterday that one speech cannot erase the accumulated hostility and mistrust between many of the world's Muslims and the United States. But his address in Cairo offered an eloquent case for American values and global objectives -- and it looked to be a skillful use of public diplomacy in a region where America's efforts to explain itself have often been weak. Mr. Obama uttered verses from the Koran, spoke about the success of U.S. Muslims, debunked extremists' claims and defended the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. He returned repeatedly to the theme that most of the differences between Muslims and the West can be eased by "a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another and to seek common ground." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/04/AR2009060403786.html

Merkel: Obama offers ‘unique opportunity’ for MidEast - President to visit Buchenwald concentration camp By Chris Bryant in Dresden. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 12:23 | Last updated: June 5 2009 13:23. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on Friday described Barack Obama’s presidency as a “unique opportunity” to revive the Middle East peace process as the US leader continued his international tour with a stop in the historic eastern city of Dresden. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d6e5affc-51bf-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html


The President’s Speech in Cairo: A New Beginning http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/NewBeginning/

Call to Arab states on Israel links - Obama condemns Holocaust deniers before Buchenwald visit By Chris Bryant in Dresden and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 20:17 | Last updated: June 5 2009 20:17 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1af10054-5204-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Israelis fear unravelling of US alliance - Settlement policy fuels differences By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 13:26 | Last updated: June 2 2009 13:26 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff9b7dde-4f6f-11de-a692-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Talks of Being ‘Honest’ With Israel By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/middleeast/02prexy.html?hpw

June 4, 2009: Looking for Comity in the Muslim World http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=229008&title=Looking-for-Comity-in-the-Muslim-World



International

Obama, With Eye on N. Korea, Hails D-Day Heroes By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 6, 2009. COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France — President Obama led a solemn tribute on Saturday to the valiant Allied soldiers who stormed the beaches here 65 years ago and achieved the triumph of a generation that charted a course for the end of World War II. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/world/europe/07prexy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

N Korea lines up successor for Kim - Dictator’s youngest son tipped as heir By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 04:23 | Last updated: June 2 2009 09:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a466c4d2-4f24-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

South and North Korea to talk - S Korea accepts North’s call after nuclear blast By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 11:16 | Last updated: June 5 2009 11:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/415f15a6-51b8-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Time runs out for Gordon Brown. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 19:14 | Last updated: June 5 2009 19:14. At the end of the worst week of his political life, Gordon Brown is still standing – just. The question is whether he can still govern. That must be answered because, with the challenges it is facing, Britain desperately needs a government. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da5ad8ea-51f8-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Brown defies critics: ‘I will not walk away’ = Reshuffle buys time for UK prime minister By Jean Eaglesham, George Parker and Jim Pickard in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 22:19 | Last updated: June 5 2009 18:47 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6cd31774-51d5-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone jobless rate hits 10-year high - Recession takes toll on labour market By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 11:33 | Last updated: June 2 2009 11:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/058c2a04-4f5c-11de-a692-00144feabdc0.html

ECB leaves interest rates on hold at 1% - Trichet downgrades growth forecasts By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt and David Oakley in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 12:45 | Last updated: June 4 2009 14:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a2fbd36-50f5-11de-8922-00144feabdc0.html

In Turnaround, Cuba Agrees to Talks With U.S. By Mary Beth Sheridan. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 31, 2009; 12:44 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053101078.html?hpid=topnews


China

Police swamp Tiananmen Square - Beijing denounces US ‘interference’ By Kathrin Hille and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 Published: June 4 2009 09:46 | Last updated: June 4 2009 09:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d316b736-50d9-11de-8922-00144feabdc0.html

Beijing steps up efforts to crush dissent By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Tom Mitchell and Justine Lau in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 Published: June 3 2009 16:23 | Last updated: June 3 2009 16:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96c78f34-504e-11de-9530-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Image shows how time has stopped in China. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. June 6, 2009. It's strange how a slight change in perspective can enrich what we know about history. Take the iconic photo of the lone protester, dubbed the "Tank Man," as he faced down a column of tanks during China's Tiananmen Square protests, whose 20th anniversary was marked last week. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1609747,CST-EDT-edit07a.article

Hong Kong Pays Tribute to Tiananmen Protesters While Beijing Stays Silent By SHARON LaFRANIERE and KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: June 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/world/asia/05beijing.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Geithner’s good start in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 20:06 | Last updated: June 1 2009 20:06. The US and China are locked in a teetering dance, each grudgingly matching one another’s first steps. This week, in a speech at the start of his visit to Beijing, Tim Geithner, US Treasury secretary, set out a plan for how this relationship can develop into a more graceful arrangement. Mending the world economy, however, must go beyond mere bilateral talks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10adcf3c-4ed5-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html



Mess-o-potamia

Taliban Stir Rising Anger of Pakistanis By SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 4, 2009. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A year ago, the Pakistani public was deeply divided over what to do about its spreading insurgency. Some saw the Taliban militants as fellow Muslims and native sons who simply wanted Islamic law, and many opposed direct military action against them. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/world/asia/05refugees.html?_r=1&hpw

Pakistan Fighting Militants on 2 Fronts By SABRINA TAVERNISE and ISMAIL KHAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/asia/02pstan.html?ref=global-home

Pakistan Army Claims Control of Main Swat Town By SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 30, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/world/asia/31pstan.html?th&emc=th

Devotion and Money Tie Iranians to Iraqi City By SAM DAGHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 30, 2009. KARBALA, Iraq — Over just two days, about 80 Iranian pilgrims were killed in April in suicide bombings in Iraq. But even though the pilgrims are clearly a favored target for Sunni extremists in Iraq, and though the threat continues, it seems nothing will keep the Iranians from coming here. Iraq allows up to 5,000 Iranian pilgrims to enter each day. The two countries have long had a complicated relationship. Karbala’s economy depends on money spent by Iranians. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/world/middleeast/31karbala.html?th&emc=th

Six Are Killed in West Bank as Fatah Moves Against Hamas By ETHAN BRONNER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 31, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?_r=1&ref=global-home


National

New York Times Editorial: Murder in Kansas. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 1, 2009. The murder of Dr. George Tiller, who was shot to death as he stood in the foyer of his church in Wichita, Kan., on Sunday morning, was a reprehensible act of domestic terrorism directed toward the dwindling cadre of physicians who risk their safety to perform legal medical procedures. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/opinion/02tue2.html?hpw

Washington Post Editorial: Clinics in the Cross Hairs - After an abortion provider's killing, a need for greater security. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, June 3, 2009. GEORGE TILLER knew the danger of providing late-term abortions. His home was picketed, his office was blown up and in 1993 he was shot in both arms by an anti-abortion zealot. He never considered stopping his work, because he knew there were women who needed his help. His murder is a tragedy for his family, his patients and his profession. It should serve as a wake-up call that more must be done to ensure that women have access to this legal procedure. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/02/AR2009060203275.html

Slaying Raises Fears on Both Sides of Abortion Debate By Peter Slevin. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, June 2, 2009. WICHITA, June 1 -- As the U.S. Marshals Service moved to protect abortion clinics and doctors nationwide, the fatal shooting of the country's most prominent provider of late-term abortions reignited a national debate about reproductive rights. Supporters of the right to legal abortion worried Monday that the killing of George Tiller in his Wichita church could foretell fresh protests and violence even as many abortion opponents fretted that his death could hurt their image and cause. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060100612.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Jim Jones's Team By David Ignatius. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, June 7, 2009. Defense Secretary Robert Gates doesn't give interviews all that often. So it was interesting that Gates reached out last week to talk about Gen. Jim Jones, the national security adviser, and how he is managing the foreign policy process in the Obama administration. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060502832.html

N.Y. Congressman Nominated for Army Secretary By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 2, 2009. WASHINGTON — President Obama announced on Tuesday that he will nominate Representative John M. McHugh of upstate New York, the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, to be the next secretary of the Army. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/us/politics/03army.html?hpw

Couple accused of spying for Cuba for 30 years - State Department charges 72-year-old and wife By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 6 2009 01:09 | Last updated: June 6 2009 01:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c84e56c-522c-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

U.S. Accidentally Releases List of Nuclear Sites By WILLIAM J. BROAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 2, 2009. The federal government mistakenly made public a 266-page report, its pages marked “highly confidential,” that gives detailed information about hundreds of the nation’s civilian nuclear sites and programs, including maps showing the precise locations of stockpiles of fuel for nuclear weapons. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/us/03nuke.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Deep Cuts Threaten to Reshape California By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 30, 2009. LOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not get the election results he sought. Now he seems determined to show California voters the consequences. In a special election on May 19, voters rejected a batch of measures on increasing taxes, borrowing funds and reapportioning state money that were designed to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap. The cuts Mr. Schwarzenegger has proposed to make up the difference, if enacted by the Legislature, would turn California into a place that in some ways would be unrecognizable in modern America: poor children would have no health insurance, prisoners would be released by the thousands and state parks would be closed. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/us/31calif.html?th&emc=th

Pawlenty To Retire With An Eye on 2012 By Chris Cillizza. Copyright by The Washington Post. June 2, 2009. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) will not seek a third term in 2010, clearing the way for an expected bid for the 2012 presidential nomination, according to sources close to the governor. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/pawlenty-to-retire.html?hpid=topnews


GOP Bashing

Why I Turned Down O'Reilly By Mary Alice Carr. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, June 4, 2009... O'Reilly is being incredibly disingenuous when he claims that he bears no responsibility for others' actions in the killing of Dr. George Tiller on Sunday. When you tell an audience of millions over and over again that someone is an executioner, you cannot feign surprise when someone executes that person....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/03/AR2009060303238.html

Rush Limbaugh critic Kevin Stevenson ousted as Marathon County Republican Party spokesman By Robert Mentzer. Copyright by The Wausau Daily Herald. June 2, 2009. The Republican Party of Marathon County has stripped its spokesman of his title less than three months after he wrote a column critical of conservative talk radio star Rush Limbaugh. http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090602/WDH0101/906020543/1981

Washington Post Editorial: Double Standard - Funny how the achievements on Sonia Sotomayor's resume suddenly count for so little. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, June 2, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060102786.html

Sotomayor a racist? Newt Gingrich takes it back - The former House speaker had joined Rush Limbaugh in calling Sonia Sotomayor a racist. Gingrich now says his words were 'perhaps too strong and too direct,' but Limbaugh defends the characterization. By Michael Muskal. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. 1:41 PM CDT, June 3, 2009. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has become a leading conservative critic, today backed away from his comments that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist but continued to question whether her philosophy qualified her to become the first Latina on the top court. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-sotomayor-gingrich4-2009jun04,0,4223310.story

Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack? Republicans in Congress have no plausible economic, health care or energy policies to counter the president’s. The only card left to play is 9/11. By FRANK RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 30, 2009. AFTER watching the farce surrounding Dick Cheney’s coming-out party this month, you have to wonder: Which will reach Washington first, change or the terrorists? If change doesn’t arrive soon, terrorists may well rush in where the capital’s fools now tread. The Beltway antics that greeted the great Cheney-Obama torture debate were an unsettling return to the post-9/11 dynamic that landed America in Iraq. Once again Cheney and his cohort were using lies and fear to try to gain political advantage — this time to rewrite history and escape accountability for the failed Bush presidency rather than to drum up a new war. Once again Democrats in Congress were cowed. And once again too much of the so-called liberal news media parroted the right’s scare tactics, putting America’s real security interests at risk by failing to challenge any Washington politician carrying a big stick. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/opinion/31rich.html?th&emc=th

Cheney Led Briefings of Lawmakers To Defend Interrogation Techniques - No Indication of Whether Waterboarding Was Discussed By Paul Kane and Joby Warrick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, June 3, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/02/AR2009060203999.html?hpid=topnews

The Trauma of 9/11 Is No Excuse By Richard A. Clarke. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 31, 2009. Top officials from the Bush administration have hit upon a revealing new theme as they retrospectively justify their national security policies. Call it the White House 9/11 trauma defense. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/29/AR2009052901560.html

Dick (Uncut): Jon Stewart Destroys Cheney (and the National Press Club for Good Measure) http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/140452


Chicagoland

Chicago Tribune Editorial - The state of corruption lives on. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2009. Your valiant lawmakers galloped off to Springfield in January, ousted a disastrous governor and promised to clean up your government. They headed back to their districts this week to brag about what a great job they did. Open government! Campaign finance reform! Huzzah for us! Don't believe it. Not for a minute. They failed you. They failed you and they protected themselves. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/arts/chi-edit-pageone-reformjun03,0,5960784.story

County board again fails to override Stroger sales tax veto by Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 2, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/06/county-board-again-fails-to-override-stroger-sales-tax-veto.html

More than 1,100 will start getting layoff notices this week. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. June 2, 2009. More than 1,100 city employees -- none sworn police officers or firefighters -- will start receiving layoff notices later this week after organized labor refused Mayor Daley's demand for 17 days off without pay and comp time instead of cash overtime. http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1602364,CST-NWS-layoff02web.article

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Meter is running on city's loss. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. June 3, 2009. Let's say you decide to rent out a few rooms in your home, but instead of figuring out what rents go for in your neighborhood, you just decide to see what people will pay. Or let's say you want to sell your business, but instead of figuring out what it's worth, you just put it out for bid and take the highest one -- not even knowing what a minimum bid should be. Goofy, right? That's essentially what the City of Chicago did when it leased out its parking meters for 75 years, according to an analysis by the city's inspector general, David Hoffman. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1604168,CST-EDT-edit03b.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Daley's meter debacle. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0603edit2jun03,0,3891050.story

Inspector not afraid to pry in City Hall - Inspector not afraid to bite mayoral hand that feeds him By Dan Mihalopoulos. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 7, 2009. At a City Hall that has seen two decades of one-man rule, an appointee of Mayor Richard Daley is emerging as the most prominent counterweight to the mayor's virtually absolute lock on power. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-hoffman-profile07jun07,0,7255215.story

Inspector general lambastes city meter lease - Chicago lost hundreds of millions in deal, he says By Dan Mihalopoulos. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-parking-inspector-03jun03,0,6922988.story


Your Lack of Money

Reagan Did It By PAUL KRUGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 31, 2009. “This bill is the most important legislation for financial institutions in the last 50 years. It provides a long-term solution for troubled thrift institutions. ... All in all, I think we hit the jackpot.” So declared Ronald Reagan in 1982, as he signed the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act. He was, as it happened, wrong about solving the problems of the thrifts. On the contrary, the bill turned the modest-sized troubles of savings-and-loan institutions into an utter catastrophe. But he was right about the legislation’s significance. And as for that jackpot — well, it finally came more than 25 years later, in the form of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/opinion/01krugman.html?_r=2

Traders keep anxious eye as key indicator offers 'buy' signal - The revered Coppock index has finally hinted at an upturn in a number of the biggest stock markets By Jennifer Hughes, Anuj Gangahar and Michael Mackenzie. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 19:51 | Last updated: June 5 2009 22:25. It was not even another green shoot; just a slight wiggle in a long downward line. But news that the revered Coppock indicator has finally hinted at a “buy” signal in a number of the biggest stock markets was a talking point in equity markets this week. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/edbb1356-51fc-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

US stocks rally on encouraging data - Cisco and Travelers surge on Dow addition By Anuj Gangahar in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 14:14 | Last updated: June 1 2009 17:54 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9078b782-4eac-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

US personal incomes show surprise rise - Savings rate hits 14-year high By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 14:05 | Last updated: June 1 2009 15:34 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3cac93f8-4eac-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

US retailers disappoint as consumers hold back - Wal-Mart offers hope with plan to create jobs By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 16:09 | Last updated: June 4 2009 16:09. US retailers suffered a disappointing month of sales in May as shoppers continued to spend conservatively and hunt for bargains. May was the first month that Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, opted not to report monthly comparable-store sales. But the company offered its own piece of good news on Thursday, announcing that it would create more than 22,000 new jobs this year in new or expanded US stores. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b0e0232-5118-11de-8922-00144feabdc0.html

US companies cut 532,000 jobs in May By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 3 2009 15:45 | Last updated: June 3 2009 15:45 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4ab8182-5049-11de-9530-00144feabdc0.html

US jobless claims ease for third week running- US worker productivity jumps during first quarter By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 14:31 | Last updated: June 4 2009 14:31 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a556f5a-50fc-11de-8922-00144feabdc0.html

Obama adviser urges reality check over jobs By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 19:22 | Last updated: June 5 2009 19:22. A wave of enthusiasm greeted Friday’s news that 345,000 jobs were cut in the US last month, far fewer than during the darkest days of this recession. But Austan Goolsbee, a senior economic adviser to Barack Obama, US president, was unmoved. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e46ddc28-51f9-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Bernanke calls for action on deficits - Warns of bond market alarm over debt By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 3 2009 15:50 | Last updated: June 3 2009 18:39 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e8aa33c6-504c-11de-9530-00144feabdc0.html

Ford Says May U.S. Sales Up 20% From April By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/business/03sales.html?hpw

GM sells Saturn to Penske - Deal comes in same week as sale of Hummer By John Reed, Motor Industry Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 16:24 | Last updated: June 5 2009 16:24 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/31cfdb74-51e1-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Chinese Company Said to Be Buyer of Hummer By KEITH BRADSHER and NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/business/03auto.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

BofA within sight of $34bn capital target - Morgan Stanley to sell $2.2bn in common equity By Greg Farrell and Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 13:20 | Last updated: June 2 2009 15:36 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b8b8ea42-4f6e-11de-a692-00144feabdc0.html

Republic Bank takes over Bank of Lincolnwood - 6th bank to fail in Illinois By Becky Yerak. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. June 6, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-bank-of-lincolnwood-republic-090605,0,83002.story

Abu Dhabi investor sells Barclays stake - Shares fall as Gulf vehicle takes profits By Kate Burgess, Peter Thal Larsen and Neil Hume. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 21:12 | Last updated: June 2 2009 14:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6dcdae88-4ee6-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html


Commodities

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Oil back to normal. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 20:01 | Last updated: June 1 2009 20:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/077833b2-4ed5-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

Oil prices rise as Goldman turns bullish - Four stage price rally expected By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 4 2009 11:50 | Last updated: June 4 2009 11:50 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e6364494-50f2-11de-8922-00144feabdc0.html

Energy and metal prices remain buoyant - Oil hits fresh seven-month high above $70 By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 10:54 | Last updated: June 5 2009 20:13. Commodity markets rallied strongly this week, helped by growing confidence in prospects for a rapid revival in the global economy following more evidence of improvement in leading indicators. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6a1f3e2c-51b2-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Russian Warns Against Relying on Dollar By ANDREW E. KRAMER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 5, 2009. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — President Dmitri A. Medvedev, who rarely misses a chance to accuse the United States of causing the global financial crisis, told an economic forum on Friday that wobbly American financial policy had made the dollar an undesirable currency for reserves held by central banks. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/06/business/global/06ruble.html?hpw

Housing

US pending home sales surge in April - Rise lifts hopes of housing recovery By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 15:03 | Last updated: June 2 2009 15:03 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9c5173e2-4ef1-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

Mortgage rates jump above 5% for first time in 3 months. 10:25 AM CDT, June 4, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Associated Press. Rates on 30-year home loans surged above 5 percent for the first time in nearly three months this week as investors pushed up rates on long-term government debt, which is closely tied to mortgage rates. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-mortgage-rates-jun4,0,2321671.story


GLBT

Same-Sex Marriage Is Legalized in New Hampshire. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: June 3, 2009. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- New Hampshire's governor has signed legislation making the state the sixth to allow gay marriage. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/03/us/AP-US-XGR-Gay-Marriage-New-Hampshire.html?hp

Civil unions bill in limbo By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. June 4, 2009. Because state lawmakers Sunday faced a fiscal crisis and a looming deadline, a bill that would have granted Illinois same-sex couples civil unions if passed never came up for a vote before the session ended. After rejecting Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to increase the state income tax in order to deal with a huge deficit, the Illinois House worked Sunday, the last day of the legislative session, to pass a temporary budget right before the midnight deadline. Openly gay state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) decided in the session’s final hours not to call his civil unions bill to a House vote, where he needed 60 votes for it to pass. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3566

New York Times Editorial: Vote on Gay Marriage. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 3, 2009. Six states have now made it legal for same-sex couples to marry. New York is not one of them. Gov. David Paterson wants the state to guarantee that right, and the protections that come with it, and the Assembly approved legislation legalizing same-sex marriage last month. Malcolm Smith, the leader of the State Senate, insists that he, too, favors marriage for gay couples, but he won’t let a bill go to the floor unless he’s privately lined up enough votes. It is time for Mr. Smith and his fellow senators to decide this important matter in public. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/opinion/04thu4.html?ref=opinion

Gay marriage opponents to rally in Calif. after hundreds march in support of same-sex couples By GARANCE BURKE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 6:26 AM CDT, May 31, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-ap-us-gay-marriage,0,5810976.story

Guns, Gays and Abortion By David Brooks and Gail Collins. Copyright by The New York Times. June 3, 2009, 12:56 pm. Gail Collins: David, can we talk hot-button social issues for a second? I know this is not really an area where you fly the conservative colors, but you’re the go-to guy on how America lives, and I’d like to hear your thoughts even if we can’t work up a fight. If you think of abortion, gay rights and gun control as the Big Three, it seems to me the nation is moving in very different directions. http://theconversation.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/guns-gays-and-abortion/?ref=opinion

Homophobic alderman? Possibility stirs rage BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. June 1, 2009. The City Council may soon have its first openly homophobic alderman. If Mayor Daley decides to appoint the Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus to replace 26th Ward Ald. Billy Ocasio, Chicago's GLBT activists might go ballistic. Then again, they might just punt. Ocasio, who has resigned his seat and has signed on as a top adviser to Gov. Quinn, has asked Daley to appoint De Jesus, senior pastor of New Life Covenant Ministries, to replace him in the Humboldt Park ward. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1600747,CST-EDT-laura01.article

Temporary alderman in 26th Ward. Copyright by The windy City Times. 2009-06-03. Hector Villagrana has been named as the temporary alderman of Chicago's 26th Ward, replacing Billy Ocasio, who has accepted a position with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, according to Chicagoist.com. Villagrana was Ocasio's chief of staff and will be the alderman until Mayor Richard Daley appoints a new one; Daley has 60 days to do so. Villagrana told WBEZ, “Residents won't feel a difference or see a difference. The day to day operations at the office will still function as before.” Windy City Times has reported on the brewing controversy involving Ocasio's personal recommendation as his successor—the Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús of New Life Covenant Church. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21342

Bill Proposes Immigration Rights for Gay Couples By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 2, 2009. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Democrat from Vermont who is the powerful chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is adding another controversial ingredient to the volatile mix of an immigration debate that President Obama has said he hopes to spur in Congress before the end of the year. Mr. Leahy has offered a bill that would allow American citizens and legal immigrants to seek residency in the United States for their same-sex partners, just as spouses now petition for foreign-born husbands and wives. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/us/politics/03immig.html?th&emc=th

Harvard to Endow Chair in Gay Studies By JACQUES STEINBERG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 3, 2009. Harvard University will endow a visiting professorship in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies, a position that, it believes, will be the first endowed, named chair in the subject at an American college. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/education/04harvard.html?_r=1&hpw


Technical

Microsoft accused over web browser figures By Nikki Tait in Brussels. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 21:35 | Last updated: June 5 2009 21:35. Microsoft has “substantially understated” its share of the browser market in its effort to combat charges by Europe’s antitrust watchdog that it illegally ties its Explorer browser to its Windows operating system, opponents of the US software company are alleging. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4286d3f6-5203-11de-b986-00144feabdc0.html

Acer to launch Google Android notebook By Robin Kwong in Taipei. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 14:59 | Last updated: June 2 2009 14:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c6f6df28-4f74-11de-a692-00144feabdc0.html

Preparing to Sell E-Books, Google Takes on Amazon By MOTOKO RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 31, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/technology/internet/01google.html?th&emc=th

Apple to launch cut-price version of iPhone - Move to win more web surfers By Joseph Menn in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 5 2009 00:26 | Last updated: June 5 2009 00:26. Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the company’s share of the market for web-surfing devices, people familiar with the initiative said on Thursday. Analysts said that the company wanted to show off either a $149 phone or a $99 phone, down from the current low end of $199 and still subsidised in exchange for an AT&T communications service contract. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9169840-5157-11de-84c3-00144feabdc0.html

Shooting to Software Stardom on the iPhone By RANDALL STROSS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 30, 2009. MITCHELL WAITE could think of only one reason that Apple’s legal department would leave a voice message last February asking him to call back: he was about to be sued. Mr. Waite has a tiny software company bearing his name — it has no full-time employees — whose principal product is a field guide to birds called iBird Explorer, which runs on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. He called back and discovered that his life was about to change no less than if the lottery authority had told him he’d won the big prize: Apple had decided to feature iBird in a television commercial. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/business/31digi.html?th&emc=th


Medical

Obama steps up fight for US health reform By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 2 2009 14:31 | Last updated: June 2 2009 14:31. The White House on Tuesday will step up the fight for health reform, releasing a report that says a lower rate of health cost inflation could make the average US family of four $2,560 a year better off by 2020. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/226f00e0-4eff-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

A Red State Booster Shot By Alec MacGillis. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 31, 2009. Those in the red states still smarting over Barack Obama's election victory can perhaps take solace in this: The Democrats' No. 1 domestic policy initiative, universal health care, is likely to help red America at the expense of blue. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/29/AR2009052901548.html

Slump Pushing Cost of Drugs Out of Reach By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 3, 2009. ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — A year or so ago, when customers buttonholed the pharmacists at Almand’s Drug Store here the questions were invariably about dosing or side effects. These days, they are almost always about cost. Can I get this as a generic? Is the co-pay really that high? Will you match Wal-Mart’s $4 price? “I’m out of Lexapro,” a woman pleaded one recent Tuesday, speaking of her antidepressant. “Can I just have four pills until payday on Friday?” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/04pharmacy.html?_r=1&hpw

The Deadly Toll of Abortion by Amateurs By DENISE GRADY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: June 1, 2009. BEREGA, Tanzania — A handwritten ledger at the hospital tells a grim story. For the month of January, 17 of the 31 minor surgical procedures here were done to repair the results of “incomplete abortions.” A few may have been miscarriages, but most were botched operations by untrained, clumsy hands. Abortion is illegal in Tanzania (except to save the mother’s life or health), so women and girls turn to amateurs, who may dose them with herbs or other concoctions, pummel their bellies or insert objects vaginally. Infections, bleeding and punctures of the uterus or bowel can result, and can be fatal. Doctors treating women after these bungled attempts sometimes have no choice but to remove the uterus. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/health/02abort.html?hpw


Other

Air France plane missing with 228 aboard - Flight en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro By Ben Hall in Paris, Kevin Done in London and agencies. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: June 1 2009 11:58 | Last updated: June 1 2009 16:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ed0588a4-4e98-11de-8c10-00144feabdc0.html

FDA approves first drug developed specifically to treat cancer in dogs By Erica Werner. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 12:36 PM CDT, June 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-090603-cancer-dogs-story,0,6251291.story


Humor

Colbert in Iraq: Mock pundit gets real performing for the troops in Baghdad JAKE COYLE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 10:03 AM CDT, June 5, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-us-tv-colbert-in-iraq,0,106258.story

Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkeKKszXTw

Managerial http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/06/managerial.html

Moses and Jesus Golf http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/05/moses-and-jesus-golf.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