We need a vacation Newsletter - February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
WE ARE LEAVING THE COUNTRY UNTIL MARCH 4TH, 2010. NEWSLETTER WILL RESUME AFTER WE RETURN!
“WHISTLER, British Columbia — Olympic officials treated the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luge athlete, less as a tragedy than as an inconvenience.” JERÉ LONGMAN
Quick to Blame in Luge By JERÉ LONGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/sports/olympics/14longman.html?ref=global-home
NBC feeling agony of winning Winter Olympics BY Phil Rosenthal. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 9:40 p.m. CST, February 12, 2010...NBC fell short of 2 million TripleCast subscribers, even as it dropped the price. The actual number wound up around 125,000. Reports at the time had NBC splitting a TripleCast loss of more than $100 million with partner Cablevision. That was a foggy mountain breakdown, without the foggy mountain, just the downhill plunge and the agony of defeat. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0214-phil--20100212,0,6411896.column
International
Growth in Europe Slows to a Crawl By MATTHEW SALTMARSH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 12, 2010. PARIS — Europe’s economic recovery almost ground to a halt in the last quarter of 2009, data showed Friday, capping a week of worries about the ability of some countries to deal with their threatening budget deficits. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/business/global/13euecon.html?hpw
Greece’s Woes May Give Pause to Euro Zone Candidates By ANDREW E. KRAMER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. RIGA, Latvia — The tiny Baltic states have pursued closer integration with Europe with enormous zeal. But the price of monetary union may be giving them pause. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/business/global/12euro.html?th&emc=th
Adviser to Detained Americans in Haiti Is Investigated By MARC LACEY and IAN URBINA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The police in El Salvador have begun an investigation into whether a man suspected of leading a trafficking ring involving Central American and Caribbean women and girls is also a legal adviser to the Americans charged with trying to take 33 children out of Haiti without permission. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/americas/12haiti.html?th&emc=th
China
China Alarmed by Security Threat From Internet By SHARON LaFRANIERE and JONATHAN ANSFIELD. COPYRIGHT BY The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. BEIJING — Deep inside a Chinese military engineering institute in September 2008, a researcher took a break from his duties and decided — against official policy — to check his private e-mail messages. Among the new arrivals was an electronic holiday greeting card that purported to be from a state defense office. The researcher clicked on the card to open it. Within minutes, secretly implanted computer code enabled an unnamed foreign intelligence agency to tap into the databases of the institute in the city of Luoyang in central China and spirit away top-secret information on Chinese submarines. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/world/asia/12cyberchina.html?th&emc=th
China Moves to Curb Inflation by Tightening Credit By KEITH BRADSHER. COPYRIGHT BY THE Associated Press. Published: February 12, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/business/global/13yuan.html?ref=global-home
China’s Project to Build Fast Trains Is Spurring Growth By KEITH BRADSHER. COPYRIGHT BY The New York Times. Published: February 12, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/business/global/13rail.html?ref=global-home
Mess-o-potamia
“While that was happening in the shadows, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on center stage announcing new advances in Iran’s nuclear program — a cynical effort to divert attention from his government’s repression and economic and political failures. More than three decades after Iranians overthrew the United States-backed shah, the country remains a living contradiction between its revolutionary ideals — justice, independence and self-sufficiency — and its shameful practice.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Cowardice and Courage. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12fri2.html?th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: It's time for U.S. to consider targeting Iran's gas imports. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, February 13, 2010... At a minimum, Mr. Obama should be prepared to welcome and sign into law legislation, now in a congressional conference committee, that would authorize U.S. sanctions against firms that sell gasoline to Iran or provide tankers and insurance. Secondary sanctions are a blunt instrument, especially when directed against companies from friendly countries. But the threat of them might be needed to prod the Security Council or an ad-hoc Western alliance into taking steps that will break the Iranian regime's dangerous gathering of momentum. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR2010021205085.html
Iran’s 31 year anniversary http://www.hulu.com/watch/127720/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-fallout-boy
Allied Troops Seize Taliban Posts; Fighting Is Sporadic By DEXTER FILKINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010. KABUL, Afghanistan — American, Afghan and British troops seized crucial positions across the Taliban stronghold of Marja on Saturday, encountering intense but sporadic fighting as they began the treacherous ordeal of house-to-house searches. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/world/asia/14afghan.html?ref=global-home
New Model for Afghan War: ‘Population Is the Prize’ By DEXTER FILKINS. COPYRIGHT BY THE Associated Press. Published: February 12, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/world/asia/13kabul.html?ref=global-home
Hard Mideast Truths By ROGER COHEN. COPYRIGHT BY The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010... If there are not two states there will be one state between the river and the sea and very soon there will be more Palestinian Arabs in it than Jews. What then will become of the Zionist dream? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12iht-edcohen.html?th&emc=th
Eight People Killed in Indian Bomb Attack. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: February 13, 2010. Filed at 12:34 p.m. ET. PUNE, India (Reuters) - A bomb ripped through a packed restaurant in the Indian city of Pune on Saturday, killing at least eight people including four foreign women in the country's first big attack since the 2008 Mumbai massacre. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/13/world/international-us-india-blast.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
National
U.S. Envoy Is to Be Link to Muslims By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010. WASHINGTON — President Obama has appointed Rashad Hussain, a deputy White House counsel, to be his representative to the Muslim world, White House officials said Saturday. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/us/politics/14muslim.html?th&emc=th
In Black Caucus, a Fund-Raising Powerhouse By ERIC LIPTON and ERIC LICHTBLAU. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/us/politics/14cbc.html?hpw
A Previous Shooting Death at the Hand of Alabama Suspect By SHAILA DEWAN and LIZ ROBBINS. Copyright by The Huntsville Times and The Associated Press. Published: February 13, 2010. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The neurobiologist accused of killing three colleagues at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, on Friday fatally shot her brother in 1986 in suburban Boston, and the police there are now questioning whether their department mishandled that case when it let her go without filing charges. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/us/14alabama.html?hpw
Bill Clinton Undergoes a New Heart Procedure By PETER BAKER. February 11, 2010, 4:54 pm. Copyright by The New York Times http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/bill-clinton-hospitalized-for-chest-pains/?emc=na
Former President Bill Clinton is home with Secretary Clinton after NYC heart procedure By JIM FITZGERALD. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. 3:07 p.m. CST, February 12, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-us-bill-clinton,0,7204875,full.story
Chicagoland
GOP lt. gov pick's family cashed in with lease to party - But state Republican boss backs Plummer, says deal for Downstate headquarters was no secret BY KARA SPAK. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 14, 2010. The head of the Illinois Republican Party said he is standing behind the party's young lieutenant governor candidate in the wake of revelations that the candidate's family benefitted financially from a lease at a Downstate party headquarters. Jason Plummer, 27, who won the GOP lieutenant governor nomination earlier this month, said the process by which the Madison County Republican Party leased space in a strip mall owned by a family business while he was the county party chairman was transparent. http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/2047492,CST-NWS-ltgov14s1.article
2 dead, others missing in Cicero fire BY Georgia Garvey, Randi Belisomo of WGN-TV, and Chuck Berman. February 14, 2010 12:01 PM Y. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/2-alarm-fire-breaks-out-in-cicero.html
Health Care
Having Chocolates Can Help Stroke Patients BY Amit Pathania. Copyright by Top News. 02/12/2010 - 14:34. A study has emerged as good news for chocolate lovers. It was found in this study, involving nearly 50,000 subjects, that people who have chocolates have 22% less probability of suffering from a stroke and that if people who already suffered the stroke start having chocolates, the chances of their deaths reduced 46%. http://topnews.us/content/211050-having-chocolates-can-help-stroke-patients
When Children Are Overweight, Changes for the Whole Family By LESLEY ALDERMAN. COPYRIGHT BY The New York Times. Published: February 12, 2010. AS Michelle Obama reminded us this week, the forces behind childhood obesity are insidious. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/health/13patient.html?hpw
Health Care Reform
“When Republican Congressional leaders come to the White House’s health care summit meeting on Feb. 25, don’t expect them to bring any big ideas with them. Instead, they will press President Obama to scrap his ambitious health care reforms and focus on modest proposals. That may make political sense. Americans have certainly been spooked by all of the Republican hype about government takeovers. But the small ideas the Republicans are championing would barely make a dent in the most critical problems threatening the health care system: the huge number of Americans without insurance and the ever-escalating costs of health care.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Small Ideas Won’t Fix It. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/opinion/14sun1.html?th&emc=th
Health insurers take heat for rise in profits - The five biggest companies covered 2.7 million fewer people last year but earned 56% more, says a report by Health Care for America Now. By Noam Levey. Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times. 8:00 p.m. CST, February 11, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-fi-health-profits12-2010feb12,0,4159866.story
The Legacy of Billy Tauzin: The White House-PhRMA Deal By Paul Blumenthal. COPYRIGHT BY SUNLIGHT FOUNDATION. 02/12/10 @ 12:51 pm... Over the following months, pharmaceutical industry lobbyists and executives met with top White House aides dozens of times to hammer out a deal that would secure industry support for the administration’s health care reform agenda in exchange for the White House abandoning key elements of the president’s promises to reform the pharmaceutical industry. They flooded Congress with campaign contributions, and hired dozens of former Capitol Hill insiders to push their case. How they did it—pieced together from news accounts, disclosure forms including lobbying reports and Federal Election Commission records, White House visitor logs and the schedule Sen. Max Baucus releases voluntarily—is a testament to how ingrained the grip of special interests remains in Washington http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/02/12/the-legacy-of-billy-tauzin-the-white-house-phrma-deal/
THE VIDEO: The Game: Anatomy of the White House - PhRMA Deal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta_FOY_9ZR8&feature=player_embedded
Daily Show’s John Oliver Explains Hawaii’s Health Care Mandate To Republicans - Once again, the Republicans create their own noose with their own words. This is the best they have to offer. http://www.oliverwillis.com/2010/02/12/daily-shows-john-oliver-explains-hawaiis-health-care-mandate-to-republicans/
GOP Bashing
Tim Pawlenty offers a stinging critique of GOP By Chris Cillizza. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. February 12, 2010; 1:46 PM ET. In the upcoming issue of Esquire magazine, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) offers a harsh rebuke of his own party's actions in recent years, arguing that the GOP "blew it" when they had the chance to govern the country. "The marketplace measurement in politics is something called an election," said Pawlenty in a lengthy interview appearing in the magazine's March issue. "And in 2006 and 2008, the marketplace was telling the Republicans 'We prefer the products and services of your competitors.'" Pawlenty, who is retiring this fall after his second term as governor of Minnesota to explore a run for president, ascribed the electoral defeats of Republicans in recent elections to "a whole bunch of corruption and personal scandals that weren't compatible with the principles it claimed to stand for." "We got fired for a reason," he added. (You can read the full transcript of Tpaw's interview with Esquire here.) http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/tim-pawlenty-offer-a-stinging.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Poll Finds Edge for Obama Over G.O.P. Among the Public By ADAM NAGOURNEY and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. WASHINGTON — At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/us/politics/12poll.html?th&emc=th
New York Times Editorial: How Not to Write a Jobs Bill. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. “The jobs bill emerging in the Senate is pathetic, both as a response to joblessness and as an example of legislation deemed capable of winning bipartisan support. An $85 billion proposal put forward Thursday morning by Max Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee, and by Charles Grassley, the committee’s top Republican, scarcely began to grapple with the $266 billion in provisions for jobs and stimulus that President Obama proposed in his budget. It was not even in the same league as the modest House-passed $154 billion jobs bill.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12fri1.html?th&emc=th
Republicans and Medicare By PAUL KRUGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. “Don’t cut Medicare. The reform bills passed by the House and Senate cut Medicare by approximately $500 billion. This is wrong.” So declared Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, in a recent op-ed article written with John Goodman, the president of the National Center for Policy Analysis. And irony died. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12krugman.html?th&emc=th
Battle Over the Bailout By ALAN FEUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. THE critical lawsuit challenging that mystery of finance known as the Bailout started, oddly enough, with a casual newsroom chat. Mark Pittman, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg News, had filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Federal Reserve Board, seeking the details of its unprecedented efforts to funnel money to the collapsing banks of Wall Street. Mr. Pittman, sometimes known as Bloomberg’s Yoda for his Jedi-like command of economic issues, had quietly surmised that the Fed was holding tightly to the secrets of the bailout. So he was hardly surprised when, after four months, it had failed to even answer his request. He was nonetheless annoyed. One day, even grumpier than usual, he approached his boss, Amanda Bennett, as she stood talking in the company’s East Side newsroom with an in-house lawyer named Charles Glasser. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/nyregion/14fed.html?th&emc=th
Sarah Palin should beware of exploiting her youngest child By Kathleen Parker. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. Sunday, February 14, 2010... Another political mother, Hillary Clinton, made good on her commitment to protect her child's privacy. Agree with her politics or not, most Americans would concede her wisdom in shielding Chelsea from media exposure until her daughter could fend for herself. In the spirit of which, speaking in second-person imperative -- mother to mother -- be careful, Sarah. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR2010021204006.html
Rahm Emanuel Views: 47,028The White House Chief of Staff offers his apology. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/rahm-emanuel/1199682/
The Sarah Palin Surge (and why it's overblown) By Chris Cillizza COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST February 11, 2010; 12:25 PM ET...In the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, 37 percent had a favorable impression of her while 55 percent regarded her unfavorably. Perhaps more troubling for Palin's future political prospects is that just one in four (26 percent) of those polled said she is qualified to be president while a whopping 71 percent said she wasn't up to the job. (Even among self identified Republicans, just 46 percent believe Palin is qualified to be president while 52 percent say she isn't.) http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/the-palin-boomlet-and-why-its.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Can Sarah Palin translate celebrity into real political power? By Dan Balz. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, February 14, 2010. Sarah Palin has proved that she can draw a crowd. What she has yet to demonstrate is that she can translate the appeal of a phenomenon into a political force that can attract or mobilize sizable numbers of voters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/13/AR2010021303762.html?hpid=topnews
It's Her Party: The Brilliance of Sarah Palin By Joe Klein Thursday. Feb. 11, 2010. Copyright by Time Magazine...I suppose we need a paragraph here about why all this simplicity is extremely dangerous. Most economists agree that if it hadn't been for the bank bailouts and the Obama stimulus package, the country would have slid into a deep recession that might have prevented a lot of Tea Partyers from buying their $549 tickets to ride. Then again, any sentence that begins with "Most economists" is a license to snore in tea party nation. And Palin will, quite often, veer from simplicity to duplicity. She was the inventor of the mythic, noxious "death panels." In Nashville, she retailed nonsense about stimulus funds going to nonexistent districts. (A spokesman for Vice President Joe Biden, who is monitoring the stimulus package, told me that all funds went to actual places — but recipients occasionally didn't write down their correct congressional districts.) And her support for bombing Iran was, no doubt, the work of her new Washington-insider neoconservative policy advisers, Randy Scheunemann and Michael Goldfarb, who had John McCain singing from the same warmongering songbook in 2008. http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1963564,00.html
February 9, 2010: Crisis America: America in Crisis: Day 5 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-9-2010/crisis-america--america-in-crisis--day-5
Harkin and Shaheen seek to change Senate filibuster rule; Reid dismisses effort By Paul Kane. COPYRIGHT BY THE Washington Post. Friday, February 12, 2010. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday dismissed the effort by some Democrats to limit filibusters, saying that the chamber's procedures were designed to prevent the majority party from unilaterally changing the rules. Minutes before two colleagues unveiled their proposal to weaken the tactic of delaying and blocking floor votes, Reid told reporters that he adhered to the Senate's long-standing rule that only a two-thirds majority could change the chamber's rules, including those on the filibuster. This high hurdle -- established decades ago in an effort to prevent one party from ruling the chamber with an iron fist based on a simple majority -- would require eight Republicans to join the 59 members of the Democratic caucus to alter the rules, something Reid said is not going to happen. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021104880.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Senate Confirms 2 Dozen Obama Nominees By KATE PHILLIPS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 11, 2010. WASHINGTON — Before leaving for the Presidents’ Day break, the Senate on Thursday night confirmed — by unanimous consent — more than two dozen of President Obama’s nominees to federal positions. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/us/politics/12confirm.html?th&emc=th
The Economy
US consumer indicators tell mixed story By James Politi and Simone Baribeau in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 12 2010 14:36 | Last updated: February 12 2010 20:23. US retail sales rose unexpectedly fast in January, the government said on Friday, but hopes that consumers will emerge as a driving force in the economic recovery remained muted after a separate survey showed an unexpected drop in consumer sentiment. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-consumer-indicators-tell-mixed-story.html
‘Volcker rule’ gives Goldman stark choice By Chrystia Freeland and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 12 2010 00:44 | Last updated: February 12 2010 00:44. Goldman Sachs and other banks should give up their bank status if they want to avoid the ban on proprietary trading proposed by the White House, Paul Volcker, head of President Barack Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, said. “The implication for Goldman Sachs or any other institution is, do you want to be a bank?” Mr Volcker said in a video interview with the Financial Times. “If you don’t want to follow those [banking] rules, you want to go out and do a lot of proprietary stuff, fine, but don’t do it with a banking licence.” Mr Volcker, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was thrust into the centre of the financial reform debate last month, when Mr Obama endorsed his proposal to separate proprietary trading from commercial banking, naming the policy the “Volcker Rule”. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/volcker-rule-gives-goldman-stark-choice.html
Your Money
Analyze this: Your cell phone bill - Chances are you're wasting money By Gregory Karp. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 14, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/sc-ym-0214-spending-karp-20100209,0,1514233.story
A Side-by-Side Look at Tax Software By TIM GRAY. Published: February 13, 2010. TAXES can make people do silly things, like investing in chinchilla and ostrich ranches or, over the last several years, buying a second home — which was a bad move just about anywhere in the United States. If you earned less than $57,000 in 2009, you can file free electronically, through the Free File program of the Internal Revenue Service. And if your taxes are complicated, you may be better off enlisting a professional’s help. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/yourtaxes/14review.html?hpw
Housing
Apartment deals aplenty as supply outstrips demand By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 12, 2010. A record 2,234 apartments will be added to downtown Chicago this year, increasing the supply of rental units at a time when inventory is already outstripping demand. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0212-apartments--20100211,0,2970898.story
Travel
Smaller jets gain bigger role at O'Hare By Julie Johnsson and Jon Hilkevitch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 11, 2010 . Smaller jets once reserved for short hops to cities like Des Moines, Iowa, are taking on a larger role at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, squeezing both passengers and city revenues. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0211-ohare--20100210,0,6593768,full.story
GLBT
2010 census will include question about same-sex marriages, relationships - Gay couples will have an option of marking 'husband or wife' or 'unmarried partners' in federal survey By Kristen Mack. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 13, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-census-gay-marriage-20100212,0,3499905.story
Post-ABC Poll: Views on gay marriage steady, more back civil unions By Jennifer Agiesta. Copyright by The Washington Post. February 12, 2010; 6:00 AM ET. With the nation's capital poised to begin allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, opinions nationwide remain closely divided, but two-thirds of all Americans now say gay and lesbian couples should be able to have the same rights as heterosexual couples through civil unions. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2010/02/post-abc_poll_views_on_gay_mar.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Why the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy is doomed By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. Saturday, February 13, 2010. When the Pentagon's top brass announced last week that they no longer believe military unit cohesion suffers from the presence of openly gay men or women in the ranks, they effectively transformed a policy question into a legal one, to which the answer is clear: Congress can no longer mandate discrimination in the armed forces on the basis of sexual orientation. In the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law criminalizing same-gender sexual relations, reasoning that such conduct was part of a constitutionally protected liberty interest. The court also suggested that the Texas statute was vulnerable to challenge as a denial of equal protection of the laws. And it is application of the equal protection doctrine to the military's professional assessment of the impact that openly gay service members have on combat effectiveness that is likely to be the end of "don't ask, don't tell." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/12/AR2010021203790.html
Same-Sex Couple Stir Fears of a ‘Gay Agenda’ By BARRY BEARAK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 13, 2010. BLANTYRE, Malawi — Tiwonge Chimbalanga looked like a man but said he was a woman. He helped with the cooking and dressed in feminine wraparound skirts. Steven Monjeza was a quiet, sullen man often intoxicated on sorghum beer. He said he had never been happy until he finally met the right companion. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/world/africa/14malawi.html?ref=global-home
Chinese Contestant Enters Worldwide Gay Pageant By EDWARD WONG. COPYRIGHT BY THE Associated Press. Published: February 12, 2010. BEIJING — He is 25, Muslim and comes from a part of China recently known for deadly ethnic rioting. This weekend, he is competing for the title of Worldwide Mr. Gay. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/world/asia/13pageant.html?hpw
Religion
How Christian Were the Founders? By RUSSELL SHORTO. Copyright by The New York Times Magazine. Published: February 11, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html
Bishops change feeding tube guidelines - Directive says food and water must be given to patients in persistent vegetative state By Judith Graham. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010. If ever Carol Gaetjens becomes unconscious with no hope of awakening, even if she could live for years in that state, she says she wants her loved ones to discontinue all forms of artificial life support... What happens, for example, if a patient's advance directive, which expresses that individual's end-of-life wishes, conflicts with a Catholic medical center's religious obligations? http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-catholic-hospitals-20100208,0,2859597,full.story
Technology
“Cellphones have long been a fixture of life, becoming more powerful and more “aware” of their locations every year. Phone companies and software developers jump on each advance to provide new services. But the law is behind the technology. On Friday, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia is scheduled to hear arguments on an important legal battle over how much protection to assign to the information that phones gather about where their users have been and when. The government wants relatively free access to this “locational” information, while civil liberties groups say it should be handed over only in response to a search warrant. The court should rule that a warrant is required.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Cellphones and Privacy. Copyright by The new York Times. Published: February 11, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12fri3.html?th&emc=th
Critics Say Google Invades Privacy With New Service By MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 12, 2010. SAN FRANCISCO — When Google introduced Buzz — its answer to Facebook and Twitter — it hoped to get the service off to a fast start. New users of Buzz, which was added to Gmail on Tuesday, found themselves with a ready-made network of friends automatically selected by the company based on the people that each user communicated with most frequently through Google’s e-mail and chat services. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/technology/internet/13google.html?hpw
Entertainment
DeGeneres Is a Rising Star in Daytime By BRIAN STELTER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 11, 2010. Executives at Warner Brothers have long believed that Ellen DeGeneres is the heir apparent to Oprah Winfrey in daytime TV. Still, they were startled by the news that a media research firm delivered to them last spring. The researchers from SmithGeiger, who had been hired to assess talk shows, convened to tell a group of six executives that “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was, for the first time, on par with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” (and, in some cases, exceeding “Oprah”) in the minds of viewers. They had ample reason to conclude that this was Ms. DeGeneres’s moment. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/business/media/12ellen.html?th&emc=th
Other
Caring for Pets Left Behind by the Rapture - For a fee, this service will place your dog or cat in the home of a caring atheist on Judgment Day By Mike Di Paola. COPYRIGHT BY BUSINESS WEEK. February 11, 2010, 5:00PM EST http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_08/b4167070046047.htm?campaign_id=widget_topStories
Humor
Dinner For One... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOhUKPcsg2E
Rahm Emanuel Views: 47,028The White House Chief of Staff offers his apology. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/rahm-emanuel/1199682/
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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
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” The book is out. you can buy it at: http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=a0b517e687814469f8153c5070d69f99
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Sunday, February 14, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Toyota Crisis III Newsletter - February 11, 2010
The Toyota Crisis III Newsletter - February 11, 2010
“Toyota Motor Corp. is a global company that symbolizes Japan’s manufacturing might. But now, consumer confidence in the safety of Toyota cars, the very foundation of the company’s international competitiveness, is being badly shaken. Problems with accelerator pedals in popular models in North American and European markets have forced the company to recall millions of vehicles worldwide and suspend production and sales of several models in the United States. These developments have begun to make customers feel less secure about the quality and safety of Toyota’s products. The rapid succession of recalls has tarnished the carmaker’s image, which was cultivated through years of steady effort. The blame for Toyota’s safety woes should fall on the company’s management.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Toyota's Recall Woes. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/opinion/09iht-edtoyota.html?ref=global
Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues By JAMES KANTER, MICHELINE MAYNARD and HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/business/global/07toyota.html?th&emc=th
In Move to Contain Crisis, Toyota Details Hybrid Recall By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10recall.html?ref=global-home
Toyota Is Expected to Add 2010 Prius to Recalls By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. TOKYO — Toyota plans to recall at least 311,000 of its 2010 Prius hybrid models after receiving a flurry of complaints about the vehicle’s brakes, a person briefed on the decision said late Sunday. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/business/global/08recall.html?th&emc=th
Toyota Prius, Lexus hybrid owners advised to monitor brakes - NHTSA also reviewing complaints about steering problems in some Corollas By Jerry Hirsch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sc-biz-0210-toyota--20100209,0,3651435.story
Toyota owners wonder what comes next as values drop - Kelley Blue Book has downgraded its assessments of recalled Toyotas and sellers are finding interest has dried up, even for cars not recalled By Julie Wernau and Kiah Haslett. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0211-toyota-value--20100210,0,7143375.story
Honda Adds 437, 000 Cars to Recall. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: February 9, 2010. TOKYO (AP) -- Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month old global recall for faulty airbags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker. The company will replace the driver's side air bag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver. Japan's No. 2 automaker originally announced the recall to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2008 and the total of number vehicles recalled since then is approaching 1 million. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/09/business/AP-AS-Japan-Honda-Recall.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
With Toyota in Trouble (and also Honda), Rivals Gain By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. ETROIT — With Toyota stumbling as it recalls more than eight million vehicles for problems, its rivals are seeing a rare opportunity to take back some market share. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/11toyota.html?ref=global-home
Safety Agency Scrutinized as Toyota Recall Grows By ERIC LICHTBLAU and BILL VLASIC. COPYRIGHT BY THE Associated Press. Published: February 9, 2010. In November, top auto safety officials made an unusual request of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. After reviewing complaints about Toyota vehicles, the regulators said they believed the automaker was stalling their inquiries and wanted to go to Japan to stress just how serious their concerns had become. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/10safety.html?th&emc=th
International
“The European Union does not handle every crisis well, but it has at times shown a remarkable ability to grit its teeth and stay on course. Reading the euro’s doom in the entrails of market jitters or hectic meetings over Greece’s fiscal woes is mistaken. The euro will survive, and the spectre of a Greek default may even reignite a long-stalled drive towards greater co-operation.” Financial Times Editorial Comment
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Europe decides what union means. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 20:06 | Last updated: February 10 2010 20:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64d6c0ba-167a-11df-bf44-00144feab49a.html
Europe Agrees to Aid Greece, but Is Unsure of How to Help By STEPHEN CASTLE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/global/11union.html?hpw
European Central Bank in a Squeeze By JACK EWING. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/business/global/08euroecon.html?th&emc=th
Stocks Rally on Hopes of Greek Bailout By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/10markets.html?ref=global-home
Greek Civil Servants Strike Over Austerity Measures By DAN BILEFSKY and NIKI KITSANTONIS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/world/europe/11greece.html?ref=global-home
Europeans Discuss Aid for Greek Debt By JACK EWING and DAVID JOLLY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10iht-portugal.html?hpwb
Financial Times Editorial Comment: A breakthrough in Northern Ireland. Copyright by The Financial Times. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 7 2010 17:48 | Last updated: February 7 2010 17:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5577d0dc-140e-11df-8847-00144feab49a.html
Japanese Split on Exposing Secret Pacts With U.S. By MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. TOKYO — They were Tokyo’s worst-kept diplomatic secrets: clandestine cold war era agreements with Washington that obligated Japan to shoulder the costs of United States bases and allow nuclear-armed American ships to sail into Japanese ports. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/world/asia/09japan.html?th&emc=th
China
U.S.-China growing pains By Fareed Zakaria. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, February 8, 2010. Despite the recent squall in U.S.-Chinese relations, both countries have powerful reasons to cooperate with one another. These have grown over the past two decades, a progression that both countries seem to recognize. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020701896.html
China Overtakes Germany as Top Exporter By JUDY DEMPSEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10export.html?hpw
After Buying Spree, China Owns Stakes in Top U.S. Firms By DAVID BARBOZA and KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. SHANGHAI — Flush with cash despite the global economic downturn, China’s sovereign wealth fund quietly snapped up more than $9 billion worth of shares last year in some of the biggest American corporations, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/business/global/09invest.html?hpw
Mess-o-potamia
“Over the last four years, the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly demanded that Iran stop producing nuclear fuel. Iran is still churning out enriched uranium and has now told United Nations inspectors that it is raising the level of enrichment — moving slightly closer to bomb-grade quality. President Obama was right to offer to negotiate with Tehran. Washington and its allies were right to look for possible compromises even after Tehran was caught — again — hiding an enrichment plant. Enough is enough. Iran needs to understand that its nuclear ambition comes with a very high cost.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Time’s Up. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed2.html?th&emc=th
Technical setbacks cause Iran to falter in push to enrich uranium, report says By Joby Warrick and Glenn Kessler. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 11, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021003988.html?hpid=topnews
Small Step in Iran’s Nuclear Effort Suggests Ambitions for a Weapon, Experts Say By WILLIAM J. BROAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10iran.html?th&emc=th
U.S. Eyes New Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program By HELENE COOPER and MARK LANDLER. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 9, 2010. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is working on a series of sanctions that would take aim at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran, publicly singling out the organization’s vast array of companies, banks and other entities in an effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10sanctions.html?th&emc=th
Iran Moving to Silence Dissent With Arrests, Analysts Say By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10arrests.html?ref=global-home
In Northern Iraq, a Vote Seems Likely to Split By STEVEN LEE MYERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. QARAQOSH, Iraq — There was a hope, not long ago, that democracy would mean peace and stability for Nineveh, a place where cultures and armies have clashed since biblical times. Instead, democracy is hardening divisions — of people, of resources, of land — in ways that threaten the future of Iraq itself. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/world/middleeast/09nineveh.html?th&emc=th
Avalanches Kill Dozens on Mountain Highway in Afghanistan By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/asia/10avalanche.html?hpw
National
“Two-thirds of Americans are "dissatisfied" or downright "angry" about the way the federal government is working, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. On average, the public estimates that 53 cents of every tax dollar they send to Washington is "wasted." Despite the disapproval of government, few Americans say they know much about the "tea party" movement, which emerged last year and attracted voters angry at a government they thought was spending recklessly and overstepping its constitutional powers. And the new poll shows that the political standing of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who was the keynote speaker last week at the first National Tea Party Convention, has deteriorated significantly.” Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker.
Poll finds most Americans are unhappy with government By Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 11, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021004708.html?hpid=topnews
How to Get Our Democracy Back - If You Want Change, You Have to Change Congress By Lawrence Lessig. Copyright by The Nation. February 22, 2010 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100222/lessig
What Obama could learn from Bush By Ezra Klein. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. February 10, 2010; 12:10 PM ET. Last night, Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board was approved, with 52 senators voting in favor of Becker and 33 voting against him. Wait, sorry, I got that wrong. It was rejected with 52 senators voting in favor of Becker and 33 voting against. How? Well, the filibuster, grasshopper. This led some lions of the Senate to take aim at the practice. "I think [the filibuster] will either fall of its own weight -- it should fall of its own weight -- or it will fall after some massive conflict on the floor," Carl Levin told the Huffington Post. "The reason the filibuster rule has been supported all these years is people have used it responsibly," Pat Leahy said. "This is unprecedented." But the big news is that Barack Obama is finally threatening some recess appointments. Unlike on legislation, the president is not powerless before obstruction of his nominees. He, like most every president before him, can invoke his constitutional right to appoint during a congressional recess. By this point in his term, George W. Bush had recess appointed 10 nominees, including one to the National Labor Relations Board in August of his first year. We're in February of Obama's second, he has more than twice as many nominees held up as Bush did, and he's only threatening his first recess appointment http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/what_obama_could_learn_from_bu.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Get to Work, Democrats By GARRISON KEILLOR. Copyright by Tribune Media Services. Published: February 10, 2010. It is a large moment for America’s Democrats, learning to stick with a good man through a rough period when the people who crave disillusionment have become disillusioned. It’s like a winter vacation in the Caribbean when it rains buckets and you eat some bad shellfish and a shrieky teenager says you’ve ruined her life forever. You smile, take a shower and organize a volleyball game. You have to work at it. It’s work. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/opinion/11iht-edkeillor.html?hpw
The Article That Has All Of Washington Buzzing! By David Mixner. Copyright by By David Mixner. Feb 9 2010 http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/the-article-that-has-all-of-washington-buzzing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29 Read the original article: A fearsome foursome at: http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/fearsome-foursome.html
Rep. John Murtha dies at 77. Monday, February 08, 2010 By Dennis Roddy and Daniel Malloy. Copyright by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mr. Murtha was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems in December. He had surgery Jan. 28 at the National Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He went home, but was hospitalized two days later when complications developed. According to a source close to Mr. Murtha -- confirming a report in Politico -- doctors inadvertently cut Mr. Murtha's intestine during the laparoscopic surgery, causing an infection. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10039/1034401-100.stm
New York Senate Expels Monserrate Over Assault By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. ALBANY — The State Senate on Tuesday expelled a senator convicted of domestic assault, the first time in nearly a century that the Legislature has forced a member from office. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/nyregion/10hiram.html?hpw
Doctor Is Charged in Death of Jackson By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. LOS ANGELES — Nearly eight months after Michael Jackson died, his personal physician was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter for providing him with a powerful anesthetic that was ruled a primary factor in his death. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/09jackson.html?th&emc=th
Desperate Search for Victims of Explosion in Connecticut By RAY RIVERA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/nyregion/08victims.html?th&emc=th
Chicagoland
Mild earthquake rattles Chicago area. February 10, 2010 11:20 AM. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. A mild earthquake shook northern Illinois this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.8-magnitude quake at 3:59:33 a.m. centered in a farm field on Plank Road in Elgin near Hampshire and 3.1 miles underground. Initially, it had reported the magnitude as 4.3 with an epicenter about 5.5 miles east of Sycamore. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/quake-like-tremors-reported-in-western-suburbs.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; County must reform property tax system. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 11, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2041610,CST-EDT-edit11a.article
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Beyond doomsday: End most of CTA's free rides. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 10, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2038735,CST-EDT-edit10a.article
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Common sense on Asian carp. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 10, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2038732,CST-EDT-edit10b.article
United, American threaten to call off O'Hare expansion talks By Julie Johnsson and John Hilkevitch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 10:22 a.m. CST, February 10, 2010. An elusive deal on funding the final new runways at O'Hare International Airport finally appeared to be close at hand after years of negotiations, until city officials undermined the agreement, airline officials said Tuesday. Representatives of United and American airlines said city aviation officials caught the carriers off-guard with demands that they consider unreasonable: They planned to hike O'Hare rents and landing fees by millions of dollars, despite the recession and a struggling airline industry. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-ohare-feb09,0,780656.story
Giannoulias lost 18 pounds in campaign, can gain credibility with jobs mantra BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 8, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2034938,CST-EDT-laura08.article
Cohen quits race for lieutenant governor - Mounting pressure over scandalous past forces him to drop out By Kristen Schorsch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010. Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Scott Lee Cohen, a Chicago pawnbroker whose surprise primary win last week was followed by scandalous revelations about his troubled past with a prostitute ex-girlfriend, said Sunday night he would quit as nominee. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/elections/ct-met-madigan-cohen-criticism-20100207,0,3284935,full.story
Chicago wins cemetery land for new O'Hare runway - Relocation of about 1,200 graves could begin within weeks By Art Barnum. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ct-met-0209-ohare-cemetery-20100208,0,7097406.story
Health Care
Revising Book on Disorders of the Mind By BENEDICT CAREY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. Far fewer children would get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. “Binge eating disorder” and “hypersexuality” might become part of the everyday language. And the way many mental disorders are diagnosed and treated would be sharply revised. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/10psych.html?th&emc=th
F.D.A. to Increase Oversight of Medical Radiation By WALT BOGDANICH and REBECCA R. RUIZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. The federal Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it would take steps to more stringently regulate three of the most potent forms of medical radiation, including increasingly popular CT scans, some of which deliver the radiation equivalent of 400 chest X-rays. The government is focusing on overradiation by CT scans. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/policy/10radiation.html?th&emc=th
Once a cesarean section, always a C-section? By Julie Deardroff. Copyright 2010 Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010. Once a woman has delivered three or more babies by cesarean section -- a surgical cut in the mother's abdominal wall and uterus -- doctors rarely encourage a subsequent vaginal birth. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/02/once-a-cesarean-section-always-a-csection-.html
First lady launches 'Let's Move' campaign aimed at childhood obesity By Katherine Skiba. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 1:05 p.m. CST, February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-lets-move-campaign-story,0,1711146.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Hospital-caused infections can, should be prevented. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 8, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2034930,CST-EDT-edit08b.article
Presurgical breast MRI increases mastectomy rate By Kate Madden Yee. Copyright by AuntMinnie.com. February 4, 2010 http://www.auntminnie.com/print/print.asp?sec=sup⊂=wom&pag=dis&ItemId=89345&printpage=true
Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. KERMIT, Tex. — It occurred to Anne Mitchell as she was writing the letter that she might lose her job, which is why she chose not to sign it. But it was beyond her conception that she would be indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for doing what she knew a nurse must: inform state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/us/07nurses.html
New York Times Editorial: Abstinence Education Done Right. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. The ongoing debate over sex education has been rekindled by a provocative new study suggesting that teaching abstinence can delay the start of sexual activity among inner-city youngsters — if it is freed from the moralistic overtones and ideological restrictions that were the hallmark of abstinence-only programs under the Bush administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08mon1.html?th&emc=th
Muffle that snore - How do you stop snoring if it's not related to sleep apnea? Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sc-health-0203-mayo-snoring-20100203,0,1614233.story
Health Care Reform
Americans still want health-care reform By Ezra Klein. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. February 10, 2010; 10:38 AM ET. So, 63 percent of Americans -- that's enough to break a filibuster, you know -- think Congress should keep on trying to pass a comprehensive health-care plan. It turns out that "even Republicans are critical of their congressional leadership, with 44 percent seeing them as doing too little to strike deals with Obama." Only 13 percent of Democrats say Obama has been too slow to strike deals with Republicans. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/americans_still_want_health-ca.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Ronnie Polaneczky: Parents suing to force insurance firm to cover their ailing son's therapy needs By Ronnie Polaneczky. COPYRIGHT BY THE Philadelphia Daily News. Feb. 9, 2010 http://www.philly.com/philly/business/personal_finance/20100209_Ronnie_Polaneczky__Parents_suing_to_force_insurance_firm_to_cover_their_ailing_son_s_therapy_needs.html
Obama Plans Bipartisan Summit on Health Care By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. WASHINGTON — President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?th&emc=th
On Health Bill, G.O.P.’s Road Is a New Map By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. WASHINGTON — When Republicans take President Obama up on his invitation to hash out their differences over health care this month, they will carry with them a fairly well-developed set of ideas intended to make health insurance more widely available and affordable, by emphasizing tax incentives and state innovations, with no new federal mandates and only a modest expansion of the federal safety net. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/policy/09health.html?th&emc=th
Bills Stalled, Hospitals Fear Rising Unpaid Care By REED ABELSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/policy/09hospital.html?th&emc=th
GOP Bashing
“It’s nonsense, of course, but effective. The be-very-afraid approach helped former President George W. Bush ram laws through Congress that chipped away at Americans’ rights. He used it to get re-elected in 2004. Now the Republicans are playing the fear card for the fall elections. The most recent target is the Obama administration’s handling of the failed Christmas Day bomber, particularly its decision (an absolutely correct one) to have the F.B.I. arrest and interrogate the suspect and file federal terrorism charges rather than throw him into a military prison where the Republicans seem to expect that he would be given no rights, questioned and held without charges. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, suggested — without any evidence — that vital intelligence was lost by that approach. Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, told Politico that he wants to block financing for civilian trials of terrorism suspects so Republicans can brag about it this fall. He said “the core question is whether the attorney general of the United States ought to be in charge of the war on terror.” As Mr. McConnell should know perfectly well, that is not the question at all, core or otherwise. The Obama administration has embraced the idea of using military tribunals for some terrorism suspects. The Christmas bombing suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was arrested in the United States. The American justice system does not allow people arrested in the United States for serious offenses to be detained and held without access to an attorney. It is good that the administration is pushing back.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: The Politics of Fear. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. An election is coming, so the Republicans are trying to scare Americans by making it appear as if the Democrats don’t care about catching or punishing terrorists. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed1.html?th&emc=th
US attacks UK court over torture claim case By Daniel Dombey in Washington and James Blitz in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 21:46 | Last updated: February 11 2010 00:35. The White House has criticised a British court decision to publish secret information about allegations of torture by US officials, stating that the move “will complicate the confidentiality of the intelligence sharing relationship between the UK and US”. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-attacks-uk-court-over-torture-claim.html
Republicans mail another 'Census' form By Ed O'Keefe. Copyright by The Washington Post. February 10, 2010; 11:55 AM ET. The National Republican Congressional Committee has sent supporters a mailer with the word "Census" featured prominently throughout the document. Democrats, senior citizen groups, public opinion researchers -- even a former Republican-appointed Census director -- recently criticized a similar mailing by the Republican National Committee, arguing it could confuse elderly Americans on the lookout for the government's decennial census questionnaires. The U.S. Census Bureau will mail the decennial forms next month. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/02/republicans_mail_another_censu.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Republicans and the politics of No By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. The change in the Republican party’s prospects has been astonishing. A year ago, analysts were talking of a new Democratic hegemony. Republicans, shut out of the White House and consigned to a minority in Congress, were in disarray. They looked helpless and on the edge of civil war. Published: February 7 2010 17:38 | Last updated: February 7 2010 17:38. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/republicans-and-politics-of-no.html
Let Them Filibuster by David Mixner. Copyright by David Mixner. Feb 5 2010. Brown Well, it is party time for Republicans in Washington, D.C as newly elected Senator Scott Brown takes his seat in the Senate. The GOP is thrilled to have who they call "Senator 41" to block progressive Democratic legislation. Evidently part of the celebration is that no longer do they believe being a majority is sufficient to pass legislation. They clearly have lost ability to count and should get some good math tutors. By using the age old tactic of bringing the business of the nation to a stand still by filibustering, they now can make a majority 60 votes out of 100 instead of 50 as intended by the Constitution of the United States. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/let-them-filibuster.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow: Hope for GOP good faith? '...like trying to teach your dog to drive...' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXZg2cS99b0
From Right of Radio Dial, a Challenge to McCain By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. PHOENIX — J. D. Hayworth is a large man, and to compensate for his indulgences, he hits the elliptical trainer every morning at 4, zipping along to an incongruous soundtrack of Elvis Costello, Frank Sinatra and old advertising jingles. Until recently, he would then repair to a local radio station, where he would spend the better part of the day denouncing, in no particular order, illegal immigrants, all things Barack Obama, those who are insufficiently patriotic and, his favorite mark, one John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona. Now, Mr. Hayworth, a former Republican congressman, is preparing to expand his political appetite for Mr. McCain by formally announcing next week what everyone in this state has known for months: his challenge to the senator in the Republican primary in August. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/politics/09arizona.html?th&emc=th
“For Republicans, the hope must be to absorb the movement and its energy – as Mrs Palin said the party should – without being carried too far to the right. At best, this might be difficult, especially if the movement starts to press for Republican candidates in its own image. Much worse will be if Mrs Palin co-opts the movement as a base of her own, in preparation for a presidential run. In that event, the Republicans will have more than Mr Obama to contend with this year.” Financial Times Editorial Comment
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Palin’s brewhaha. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 22:53 | Last updated: February 9 2010 22:53. The Republican establishment has mixed feelings about the Tea Party movement, and is right to. This populist insurgency is one of the least predictable factors in US politics. Is it a supporting faction of the Republican party or a third force? Will it drive Republicans to a strong showing in November’s mid-term elections or split the opposition to Mr Obama and come to the Democrats’ rescue? http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/financial-times-editorial-comment_10.html
Palin exposes the partyers By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010.... I'm glad it was she and not I who first used the word "absurd" in relation to a possible Palin bid for the White House. Because if her speech made anything clear, it's that the shallow, ill-informed, truth-twisting demagogue seen in the 2008 presidential campaign is all she is and all she wants to be. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-chapman-0211-20100210,0,5133546.story
Be not afraid of Palin By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 9, 2010. Sarah Palin's conservative fans ask me why "the liberal media" are "so afraid" of the former governor of Alaska. I, for one, am unafraid. And I am delighted that the former Republican vice presidential candidate refuses to rule out running for the presidency. I am also relieved that, so far, she does not appear to have a ghost's chance of winning. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0210-page-20100209,0,7042088.column
The folly of Palin's high-priced 'populism' By Katrina vanden Heuvel. COPYRIGHT BHY THE WASHINGTON POST. Tuesday, February 9, 2010; 10:34 AM. Ironically, this doesn't seem to bother Sarah Palin. Faced with a choice between subsidizing the banks and poor kids, she went with the banks, warning the Tea Party activists that the Obama administration is "taking over" everything, including "health care, student loans." With views like that, she won't have any trouble getting speaking gigs at $100,000 a shot. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020901227.html
Gibbs mocks Sarah Palin's palm-writing at briefing. Copyright by The Washington Post. February 9, 2010. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs flashed a left palm with notes written on it at the news briefing Tuesday, an apparent mocking reference to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's use of her hand as notepad during the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/robert-gibbs-mocks-sarah-palin.html?hpid=topnews
February 8, 2010: Sarah Palin Uses a Hand-O-Prompter http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/264042/february-08-2010/sarah-palin-uses-a-hand-o-prompter
February 8, 2010: AmeriGasm http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-8-2010/amerigasm
Rahm Emanuel Views: 47,028The White House Chief of Staff offers his apology. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/rahm-emanuel/1199682/
February 9, 2010: Crisis America: America in Crisis: Day 5 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-9-2010/crisis-america--america-in-crisis--day-5
Pawnbroker slammed, power broker skates BY John Kass. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010. While political Illinois lusts after every twist in the adventures of the Democratic Pawnbroker and the Hooker, a story surfaced about the Republican campaign for governor that is just as revealing. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-met-kass-0207_2-20100205,0,1416482,full.column
Brennan: GOP was briefed on Xmas bomber arrest By MIKE ALLEN & EAMON JAVERS. Copyright by Politico.com. Updated: 2/7/10 1:10 PM EST. White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan revealed Sunday that he briefed four Republican congressional leaders on Christmas night about the arrest and subsequent handling of the suspect in the attempted airplane bombing. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32632.html
New York Times Editorial: The Truth About the Deficit. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. When the White House released its new budget last week, including more spending to create desperately needed jobs, Republican leaders in Congress denounced President Obama for driving up the deficit and demanded that the Democrats halt their “reckless” ways. The deficit numbers — a projected $1.3 trillion in fiscal 2011 alone — are breathtaking. What is even more breathtaking is the Republicans’ cynical refusal to acknowledge that the country would never have gotten into so deep a hole if President George W. Bush and the Republican-led Congress had not spent years slashing taxes — mainly on the wealthy — and spending with far too little restraint. Unfortunately, the problem does not stop there. The Republican amnesia and posturing are playing well on the hustings, where Americans are deeply anxious about the economy and fearful of losing their jobs and homes. Far too many Democratic lawmakers are losing their nerve. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07sun1.html?th&emc=th
February 9, 2010: RNC Meeting in Hawaii http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-9-2010/rnc-meeting-in-hawaii
What Bill O'Reilly edited out of his interviews with Jon Stewart: Total evisceration! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FFRSzH0HVo
The Economy
US trade deficit widens in December By Simone Baribeau in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 15:42 | Last updated: February 10 2010 15:42. Oil demand drove the US trade deficit to its highest level in a year, the commerce department reported on Wednesday. The trade gap widened, by $3.8bn from November, to $40.2bn in December. Petroleum imports jumped by $2.6bn as oil imports rose by 9 per cent and prices rose by 1 per cent on the month. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-trade-deficit-widens-in-december.html
Bernanke’s How-To on Rate Increase Lacks a When By SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — “At some point.” “At the appropriate time.” “When the time comes.” On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, outlined a strategy — but not a timetable — for scaling back the extraordinary measures it began taking in 2007 to prop up the economy as financial markets teetered on collapse. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/economy/11fed.html?ref=global-home
BofA and Citi warned over credit ratings By Francesco Guerrera and Nicole Bullock in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 20:26 | Last updated: February 9 2010 20:26. The planned overhaul of US financial rules prompted Standard & Poor’s to warn on Tuesday it might downgrade the credit ratings of Citigroup and Bank of America on concerns that the shake-up would make it less likely that the banks would be bailed out by US taxpayers if they ran into trouble again. The move came in spite of S&P admitting that Citi and BofA, two of the world’s largest lenders, had bolstered their balance sheets with fresh capital and improved performance in recent months. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/bofa-and-citi-warned-over-credit.html
UBS cuts bonuses after missing profit targets By Haig Simonian in Zurich and Megan Murphy in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited. Published: February 10 2010 18:47. February 10 2010 18:47. UBS, one of the banks hardest hit by the financial crisis, will not award senior staff SFr300m ($281m) in cash bonuses after failing to hit internal profit targets – a stark sign of how pay reforms are hitting bankers’ wallets. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/ubs-cuts-bonuses-after-missing-profit.html
Your Money
“More Americans are going hungry in hard times and are increasingly dependent on private charity, according to a new study by Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The study found that 37 million people — roughly one in eight Americans — had sought emergency food assistance from the network last year, a 46 percent increase from 2006.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Hungry in America. Copyright by The new York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed4.html?th&emc=th
Living on the Edge By Barry Yeoman. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. February & March 2010. Millions of older Americans don't have enough money to put food on the table, but the government doesn't count them as "poor." How did this happen—and what's being done about it? http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/living-on-the-edge.html
Once Stigmatized, Food Stamps Find Acceptance By JASON DEPARLE and ROBERT GEBELOFF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11foodstamps.html?th&emc=th
Roth Mania! By Lynn Brenner. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. March & April 2010. Should you convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA? New tax breaks make this appealing—but only if you answer yes to our three key questions http://www.aarpmagazine.org/money/roth-mania.html
Housing
Washington Post Editorial: Mortgage giants GSEs in limbo: In housing, a dangerous policy vacuum grows. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, February 7, 2010. THERE IS NO END in sight to the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal said as much in a few phrases that promised nothing more definitive than continued "monitoring" of the two mortgage giants, which have been operating since mid-2008 in the legal and organizational limbo known as government "conservatorship." The administration had said its plans for definitive reform could be expected "at the time of the budget," not in the budget itself, so technically this doesn't count as a broken promise or a blown deadline. Still, as the two agencies' chief regulator, Edward J. DeMarco, gently reminded congressional leaders on Tuesday, conservatorship was intended as a "timeout" during which policymakers could reinvent the entities. With an election year upon us, that timeout is looking more and more like a cop-out. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/06/AR2010020602536.html
Lake Forest searching for affordable housing solution By Sharon Stangenes. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/advice/ct-mre-0131-lake-forest-affordable-restat20100203,0,5414664.story
Commodities
Government by Goldman Sachs http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/674.html
Travel
Don't let Euro taxis unload your money BY Rick Steves. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sc-trav-0202-steves-20100204,0,2587890.story
FAA eyes hefty fines for American. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. Published on February 10, 2010 12:35 PM. American Airlines could face a fine in the ballpark of $10 million for safety violations involving wiring in its large MD-80 fleet, according to a government official familiar with the nearly completed federal investigation. http://www.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/02/sources-faa-eyes-hefty-fines-for-american.html
When airlines offer to waive fees to rebook flights due to weather, know the rules By HARRY R. WEBER. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. 1:54 p.m. CST, February 10, 2010. ATLANTA (AP) — A snowstorm is heading for Washington, D.C., and you've got a flight scheduled to see the monuments, do some shopping in trendy Georgetown and visit relatives in the suburbs. Your departing airline tells you it will waive its fee if you choose to proactively rebook a flight that has yet to be canceled. You're all set. Right? Not necessarily.. http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-ap-us-travel-flight-plan-weather-waivers,0,7364719.story
American Airlines to begin charging $8 for pillow and blanket on some flights. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. 8:28 a.m. CST, February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-ap-travel-pillow-blanket-charge-story,0,3693527.story
American to start charging $50 for standby. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. Published on February 10, 2010 12:25 PM http://www.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/02/american-to-start-charging-50-for-standby.html
JAL stays in alliance with American By Julie Johnsson. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0208-american-airlines-jal--20100207,0,4969187.story
GLBT
Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet By FRANK RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark. John McCain, commandeering the spotlight as usual, did fulminate against the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But the press focus on McCain, the crazy man in Washington’s attic, was misleading. His yapping was an exception, not the rule. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07rich.html?th&emc=th
DADT: They Are Killing Us Softly With Their Song By David Mixner. Copyright By David Mixner. Feb 3 2010. One is tempted to cheer any progress on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) since the obscene policy has destroyed nearly 14,000 military careers over the last 17 years. Watching Defense Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen personally come out for allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military was moving and amazing. In fact, if you listen to their softly purred words of support and the resultant press, you would think DADT would be over any day now. Over and over again in a direct, concise manner they proclaimed their opposition to the policy. The press captured each sentence and repeated it like a song to all who would listen. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/dadt-they-are-killing-us-softly-with-their-song.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
More tolerance for gay troops as end of 'don't ask, don't tell' is debated - Soldiers gather before a midnight patrol in Baghdad last fall. One of the soldiers in the patrol is a gay specialist whose sexual orientation became known to most of his comrades during their yearlong deployment to Iraq. By Ernesto Londoño Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, February 10, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020903505.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Judge in Prop 8 trial outed. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update Feb. 7, 2010. The San Francisco Chronicle has outed Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is overseeing the Prop 8 same-sex marriage trial in California. Testimony has ended in the case, and final arguments from both sides are expected soon. According to the Chronicle, the fact that Walker, an Illinois native, is gay is actually an open secret and is widely considered to be a non-issue. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25023
Close The Gay ATM Machine To DNC! By David Mixner. Copyright by By David Mixner. Feb 4 2010. Party democrat As if we needed more reasons not to give to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Ben Smith of Politico.com gave us yet another one. Turns out the DNC recently gave Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) over $500,000 to pay for ads for his re-election. Nelson stands against the LGBT community at every opportunity. Not only that, but he was also a major reason we are in the current health care situation. We don't need to be financing Democrats who act like Republicans. Why in the world would we give money to the DNC so it frees up their funds to give to Blue Dog Democrats? Don't budge and continue to only give money directly to candidates who are for full equality including marriage equality. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/-close-the-gay-atm-machine-to-dnc.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
Dispute over gays boils over in Oak Park schools By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0207-gay-in-oak-park-20100205,0,1456599.story
GARCIA SAYS LGBTS “SCREWED” IF QUINN LOSES by Gary Barlow. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. February 11-17, 2010. CHICAGO – While Democrats went into this past weekend trying to sort out their Scott Lee Cohen problem, Republicans were still waiting to find out if their gubernatorial nominee is Bill Brady or Kirk Dillard. Either way, said the state’s top LGBT lobbyist, “We’re screwed.” http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/news/chicago.shtml
Hawaii nixes same-sex civil unions bill. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. Published: February 4, 2010 http://dev.chicagofreepress.com/2010/02/04/nation-world-report-hawaii-nixes-same-sex-civil-unions-bill/
Weather
Climate Fight Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — As millions of people along the East Coast hole up in their snowbound homes, the two sides in the climate-change debate are seizing on the mounting drifts to bolster their arguments. Skeptics of global warming are using the record-setting snows to mock those who warn of dangerous human-driven climate change — this looks more like global cooling, they taunt. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/science/earth/11climate.html?hpw
Mayors Grow Attuned to the Politics of Snow Removal By SEWELL CHAN and LIZ ROBBINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, whose city has been overwhelmed by record snowfall, knows the clock is ticking. While residents have been relatively understanding — so far — about delays in plowing roads and clearing sidewalks, he recognizes the perils for politicians who do not get their cities cleaned up quickly. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11district.html?hpw
Storm Batters East, Closing Schools and Halting Flights By JAMES BARRON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. The second blustery snowstorm to sweep across the Northeast in less than a week swaggered into the New York area on Wednesday morning, closing schools, courts and the United Nations and playing havoc with the rhythms and routines of everyone who did not simply stay home. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/nyregion/11snow.html?th&emc=th
Religion
Bishops change feeding tube guidelines - Directive says food and water must be given to patients in persistent vegetative state By Judith Graham. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010. If ever Carol Gaetjens becomes unconscious with no hope of awakening, even if she could live for years in that state, she says she wants her loved ones to discontinue all forms of artificial life support... What happens, for example, if a patient's advance directive, which expresses that individual's end-of-life wishes, conflicts with a Catholic medical center's religious obligations? http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-catholic-hospitals-20100208,0,2859597,full.story
Technology
Apple move to sell US TV shows for $1 By Kenneth Li in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 23:00 | Last updated: February 10 2010 23:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/14856f08-168e-11df-bf44-00144feab49a.html
Google to Offer Super-Fast Net Service By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. SAN FRANCISCO — Google says it plans to get into the Internet access business. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/technology/companies/11google.html?hpw
Google Broadband Does Not Compute By Matt Phillips. Copyright by The Wall Street Journal. February 10, 2010, 6:00 PM ET http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2010/02/10/google-broadband-does-not-compute/?mod=yahoo_hs
Google’s Buzz to take on Facebook By Richard Waters in Mountain View, California. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 20:42 | Last updated: February 9 2010 21:44. Google has mounted its most ambitious assault on the booming social networking business in an attempt to win back ground lost to fast-growing Facebook. The group said on Tuesday it hoped to use its core search engine technology to sift the flood of social media and filter out distracting or irrelevant information for users of Google Buzz, its latest service. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/googles-buzz-to-take-on-facebook.html
As Data Flows In, the Dollars Flow Out By JENNA WORTHAM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. John Anderson and Sharon Rapoport estimate they spend $400 a month, or close to $5,000 a year, keeping their family of four entertained at home. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/technology/09spend.html?th&emc=th
IPad likely to be popular among business travelers and the middle-age By John Boudreau. Copyright by Mercurynews.com. 02/06/2010 04:07:06 AM PST. Its iPods and iPhones wooed the young and tech savvy. But with its iPad, Apple may reach a new demographic: the middle-aged. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14336772?nclick_check=1
Entertainment
Should Super Bowl ads address morality? by Manya Brachear. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 04, 2010. With a team dubbed “Saints” playing in Super Bowl XLIV, should the messages we watch during the commercial breaks address issues of morality and saintliness? That’s the battle brewing on the sidelines of the National Football League’s championship this year after CBS sold 30 seconds to Focus on the Family for an ad opposing abortion rights; and denied air time to ManCrunch.com, a gay dating site. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2010/02/should-super-bowl-ads-address-morality.html#more
Saints 31, Colts 17 - Champs? The Saints, Dat’s Who By JUDY BATTISTA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New Orleans Saints almost left when their city flooded and their stadium had been turned into a shelter, a disaster seeming to provide the perfect escape route for a team in search of a better stadium and a bigger market. Displaced and disheartened, the Saints haltingly returned to a repaired Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. And a team so awful that its fans used to wear bags on their heads came to symbolize and be embraced by a battered but rebuilding community. On Sunday, with a quarterback who had hitched his career to resurrecting the Saints and with a team that played nearly flawlessly, the Saints gave New Orleans a reason to do what it does better than any other American city: celebrate. In the franchise’s first Super Bowl, the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, sending New Orleanians into the streets for a party. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/sports/football/08super.html?th&emc=th
Other
Where Conversation Goes From Here By David Dudley. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. March & April 2010. We tweet, we text, we e-mail. Everybody's chatting, but is anybody listening? Why America needs to revive the vanishing art of conversation. We need to talk. http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/where_conversation_goes.html
Humor
February 9, 2010: Alpha Dog of the Week - Markus Bestin http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/264058/february-09-2010/alpha-dog-of-the-week---markus-bestin
Clothing Drive http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1125919467?bctid=63259762001
Amazing X-box commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lej6MAmjU8w&feature=related
my cast is off. I’m wearing a bracer and continue with ultrasonic stimulation for bone regeneration and physical therapy.. feeling much better, although only have about 30^ of my left hand use. getting better every day. Thanks to all who prayed and helped take care of me.
Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.
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
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” The book is out. you can buy it at: http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=a0b517e687814469f8153c5070d69f99
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“Toyota Motor Corp. is a global company that symbolizes Japan’s manufacturing might. But now, consumer confidence in the safety of Toyota cars, the very foundation of the company’s international competitiveness, is being badly shaken. Problems with accelerator pedals in popular models in North American and European markets have forced the company to recall millions of vehicles worldwide and suspend production and sales of several models in the United States. These developments have begun to make customers feel less secure about the quality and safety of Toyota’s products. The rapid succession of recalls has tarnished the carmaker’s image, which was cultivated through years of steady effort. The blame for Toyota’s safety woes should fall on the company’s management.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Toyota's Recall Woes. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/opinion/09iht-edtoyota.html?ref=global
Toyota Has Pattern of Slow Response on Safety Issues By JAMES KANTER, MICHELINE MAYNARD and HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/business/global/07toyota.html?th&emc=th
In Move to Contain Crisis, Toyota Details Hybrid Recall By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10recall.html?ref=global-home
Toyota Is Expected to Add 2010 Prius to Recalls By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. TOKYO — Toyota plans to recall at least 311,000 of its 2010 Prius hybrid models after receiving a flurry of complaints about the vehicle’s brakes, a person briefed on the decision said late Sunday. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/business/global/08recall.html?th&emc=th
Toyota Prius, Lexus hybrid owners advised to monitor brakes - NHTSA also reviewing complaints about steering problems in some Corollas By Jerry Hirsch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sc-biz-0210-toyota--20100209,0,3651435.story
Toyota owners wonder what comes next as values drop - Kelley Blue Book has downgraded its assessments of recalled Toyotas and sellers are finding interest has dried up, even for cars not recalled By Julie Wernau and Kiah Haslett. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0211-toyota-value--20100210,0,7143375.story
Honda Adds 437, 000 Cars to Recall. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: February 9, 2010. TOKYO (AP) -- Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month old global recall for faulty airbags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker. The company will replace the driver's side air bag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver. Japan's No. 2 automaker originally announced the recall to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2008 and the total of number vehicles recalled since then is approaching 1 million. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/09/business/AP-AS-Japan-Honda-Recall.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
With Toyota in Trouble (and also Honda), Rivals Gain By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. ETROIT — With Toyota stumbling as it recalls more than eight million vehicles for problems, its rivals are seeing a rare opportunity to take back some market share. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/11toyota.html?ref=global-home
Safety Agency Scrutinized as Toyota Recall Grows By ERIC LICHTBLAU and BILL VLASIC. COPYRIGHT BY THE Associated Press. Published: February 9, 2010. In November, top auto safety officials made an unusual request of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. After reviewing complaints about Toyota vehicles, the regulators said they believed the automaker was stalling their inquiries and wanted to go to Japan to stress just how serious their concerns had become. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/10safety.html?th&emc=th
International
“The European Union does not handle every crisis well, but it has at times shown a remarkable ability to grit its teeth and stay on course. Reading the euro’s doom in the entrails of market jitters or hectic meetings over Greece’s fiscal woes is mistaken. The euro will survive, and the spectre of a Greek default may even reignite a long-stalled drive towards greater co-operation.” Financial Times Editorial Comment
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Europe decides what union means. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 20:06 | Last updated: February 10 2010 20:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64d6c0ba-167a-11df-bf44-00144feab49a.html
Europe Agrees to Aid Greece, but Is Unsure of How to Help By STEPHEN CASTLE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/global/11union.html?hpw
European Central Bank in a Squeeze By JACK EWING. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/business/global/08euroecon.html?th&emc=th
Stocks Rally on Hopes of Greek Bailout By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/10markets.html?ref=global-home
Greek Civil Servants Strike Over Austerity Measures By DAN BILEFSKY and NIKI KITSANTONIS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/world/europe/11greece.html?ref=global-home
Europeans Discuss Aid for Greek Debt By JACK EWING and DAVID JOLLY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10iht-portugal.html?hpwb
Financial Times Editorial Comment: A breakthrough in Northern Ireland. Copyright by The Financial Times. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 7 2010 17:48 | Last updated: February 7 2010 17:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5577d0dc-140e-11df-8847-00144feab49a.html
Japanese Split on Exposing Secret Pacts With U.S. By MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. TOKYO — They were Tokyo’s worst-kept diplomatic secrets: clandestine cold war era agreements with Washington that obligated Japan to shoulder the costs of United States bases and allow nuclear-armed American ships to sail into Japanese ports. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/world/asia/09japan.html?th&emc=th
China
U.S.-China growing pains By Fareed Zakaria. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, February 8, 2010. Despite the recent squall in U.S.-Chinese relations, both countries have powerful reasons to cooperate with one another. These have grown over the past two decades, a progression that both countries seem to recognize. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020701896.html
China Overtakes Germany as Top Exporter By JUDY DEMPSEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/business/global/10export.html?hpw
After Buying Spree, China Owns Stakes in Top U.S. Firms By DAVID BARBOZA and KEITH BRADSHER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. SHANGHAI — Flush with cash despite the global economic downturn, China’s sovereign wealth fund quietly snapped up more than $9 billion worth of shares last year in some of the biggest American corporations, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/business/global/09invest.html?hpw
Mess-o-potamia
“Over the last four years, the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly demanded that Iran stop producing nuclear fuel. Iran is still churning out enriched uranium and has now told United Nations inspectors that it is raising the level of enrichment — moving slightly closer to bomb-grade quality. President Obama was right to offer to negotiate with Tehran. Washington and its allies were right to look for possible compromises even after Tehran was caught — again — hiding an enrichment plant. Enough is enough. Iran needs to understand that its nuclear ambition comes with a very high cost.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Time’s Up. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed2.html?th&emc=th
Technical setbacks cause Iran to falter in push to enrich uranium, report says By Joby Warrick and Glenn Kessler. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 11, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021003988.html?hpid=topnews
Small Step in Iran’s Nuclear Effort Suggests Ambitions for a Weapon, Experts Say By WILLIAM J. BROAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10iran.html?th&emc=th
U.S. Eyes New Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program By HELENE COOPER and MARK LANDLER. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 9, 2010. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is working on a series of sanctions that would take aim at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran, publicly singling out the organization’s vast array of companies, banks and other entities in an effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10sanctions.html?th&emc=th
Iran Moving to Silence Dissent With Arrests, Analysts Say By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/middleeast/10arrests.html?ref=global-home
In Northern Iraq, a Vote Seems Likely to Split By STEVEN LEE MYERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. QARAQOSH, Iraq — There was a hope, not long ago, that democracy would mean peace and stability for Nineveh, a place where cultures and armies have clashed since biblical times. Instead, democracy is hardening divisions — of people, of resources, of land — in ways that threaten the future of Iraq itself. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/world/middleeast/09nineveh.html?th&emc=th
Avalanches Kill Dozens on Mountain Highway in Afghanistan By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/asia/10avalanche.html?hpw
National
“Two-thirds of Americans are "dissatisfied" or downright "angry" about the way the federal government is working, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. On average, the public estimates that 53 cents of every tax dollar they send to Washington is "wasted." Despite the disapproval of government, few Americans say they know much about the "tea party" movement, which emerged last year and attracted voters angry at a government they thought was spending recklessly and overstepping its constitutional powers. And the new poll shows that the political standing of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who was the keynote speaker last week at the first National Tea Party Convention, has deteriorated significantly.” Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker.
Poll finds most Americans are unhappy with government By Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 11, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021004708.html?hpid=topnews
How to Get Our Democracy Back - If You Want Change, You Have to Change Congress By Lawrence Lessig. Copyright by The Nation. February 22, 2010 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100222/lessig
What Obama could learn from Bush By Ezra Klein. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. February 10, 2010; 12:10 PM ET. Last night, Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board was approved, with 52 senators voting in favor of Becker and 33 voting against him. Wait, sorry, I got that wrong. It was rejected with 52 senators voting in favor of Becker and 33 voting against. How? Well, the filibuster, grasshopper. This led some lions of the Senate to take aim at the practice. "I think [the filibuster] will either fall of its own weight -- it should fall of its own weight -- or it will fall after some massive conflict on the floor," Carl Levin told the Huffington Post. "The reason the filibuster rule has been supported all these years is people have used it responsibly," Pat Leahy said. "This is unprecedented." But the big news is that Barack Obama is finally threatening some recess appointments. Unlike on legislation, the president is not powerless before obstruction of his nominees. He, like most every president before him, can invoke his constitutional right to appoint during a congressional recess. By this point in his term, George W. Bush had recess appointed 10 nominees, including one to the National Labor Relations Board in August of his first year. We're in February of Obama's second, he has more than twice as many nominees held up as Bush did, and he's only threatening his first recess appointment http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/what_obama_could_learn_from_bu.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Get to Work, Democrats By GARRISON KEILLOR. Copyright by Tribune Media Services. Published: February 10, 2010. It is a large moment for America’s Democrats, learning to stick with a good man through a rough period when the people who crave disillusionment have become disillusioned. It’s like a winter vacation in the Caribbean when it rains buckets and you eat some bad shellfish and a shrieky teenager says you’ve ruined her life forever. You smile, take a shower and organize a volleyball game. You have to work at it. It’s work. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/opinion/11iht-edkeillor.html?hpw
The Article That Has All Of Washington Buzzing! By David Mixner. Copyright by By David Mixner. Feb 9 2010 http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/the-article-that-has-all-of-washington-buzzing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29 Read the original article: A fearsome foursome at: http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/fearsome-foursome.html
Rep. John Murtha dies at 77. Monday, February 08, 2010 By Dennis Roddy and Daniel Malloy. Copyright by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mr. Murtha was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems in December. He had surgery Jan. 28 at the National Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He went home, but was hospitalized two days later when complications developed. According to a source close to Mr. Murtha -- confirming a report in Politico -- doctors inadvertently cut Mr. Murtha's intestine during the laparoscopic surgery, causing an infection. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10039/1034401-100.stm
New York Senate Expels Monserrate Over Assault By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. ALBANY — The State Senate on Tuesday expelled a senator convicted of domestic assault, the first time in nearly a century that the Legislature has forced a member from office. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/nyregion/10hiram.html?hpw
Doctor Is Charged in Death of Jackson By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. LOS ANGELES — Nearly eight months after Michael Jackson died, his personal physician was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter for providing him with a powerful anesthetic that was ruled a primary factor in his death. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/09jackson.html?th&emc=th
Desperate Search for Victims of Explosion in Connecticut By RAY RIVERA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/nyregion/08victims.html?th&emc=th
Chicagoland
Mild earthquake rattles Chicago area. February 10, 2010 11:20 AM. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. A mild earthquake shook northern Illinois this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.8-magnitude quake at 3:59:33 a.m. centered in a farm field on Plank Road in Elgin near Hampshire and 3.1 miles underground. Initially, it had reported the magnitude as 4.3 with an epicenter about 5.5 miles east of Sycamore. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/quake-like-tremors-reported-in-western-suburbs.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; County must reform property tax system. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 11, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2041610,CST-EDT-edit11a.article
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Beyond doomsday: End most of CTA's free rides. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 10, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2038735,CST-EDT-edit10a.article
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Common sense on Asian carp. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 10, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2038732,CST-EDT-edit10b.article
United, American threaten to call off O'Hare expansion talks By Julie Johnsson and John Hilkevitch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 10:22 a.m. CST, February 10, 2010. An elusive deal on funding the final new runways at O'Hare International Airport finally appeared to be close at hand after years of negotiations, until city officials undermined the agreement, airline officials said Tuesday. Representatives of United and American airlines said city aviation officials caught the carriers off-guard with demands that they consider unreasonable: They planned to hike O'Hare rents and landing fees by millions of dollars, despite the recession and a struggling airline industry. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-ohare-feb09,0,780656.story
Giannoulias lost 18 pounds in campaign, can gain credibility with jobs mantra BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 8, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2034938,CST-EDT-laura08.article
Cohen quits race for lieutenant governor - Mounting pressure over scandalous past forces him to drop out By Kristen Schorsch. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010. Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Scott Lee Cohen, a Chicago pawnbroker whose surprise primary win last week was followed by scandalous revelations about his troubled past with a prostitute ex-girlfriend, said Sunday night he would quit as nominee. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/elections/ct-met-madigan-cohen-criticism-20100207,0,3284935,full.story
Chicago wins cemetery land for new O'Hare runway - Relocation of about 1,200 graves could begin within weeks By Art Barnum. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/ct-met-0209-ohare-cemetery-20100208,0,7097406.story
Health Care
Revising Book on Disorders of the Mind By BENEDICT CAREY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. Far fewer children would get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. “Binge eating disorder” and “hypersexuality” might become part of the everyday language. And the way many mental disorders are diagnosed and treated would be sharply revised. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/10psych.html?th&emc=th
F.D.A. to Increase Oversight of Medical Radiation By WALT BOGDANICH and REBECCA R. RUIZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. The federal Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it would take steps to more stringently regulate three of the most potent forms of medical radiation, including increasingly popular CT scans, some of which deliver the radiation equivalent of 400 chest X-rays. The government is focusing on overradiation by CT scans. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/policy/10radiation.html?th&emc=th
Once a cesarean section, always a C-section? By Julie Deardroff. Copyright 2010 Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010. Once a woman has delivered three or more babies by cesarean section -- a surgical cut in the mother's abdominal wall and uterus -- doctors rarely encourage a subsequent vaginal birth. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/02/once-a-cesarean-section-always-a-csection-.html
First lady launches 'Let's Move' campaign aimed at childhood obesity By Katherine Skiba. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 1:05 p.m. CST, February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-lets-move-campaign-story,0,1711146.story
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial; Hospital-caused infections can, should be prevented. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 8, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2034930,CST-EDT-edit08b.article
Presurgical breast MRI increases mastectomy rate By Kate Madden Yee. Copyright by AuntMinnie.com. February 4, 2010 http://www.auntminnie.com/print/print.asp?sec=sup⊂=wom&pag=dis&ItemId=89345&printpage=true
Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. KERMIT, Tex. — It occurred to Anne Mitchell as she was writing the letter that she might lose her job, which is why she chose not to sign it. But it was beyond her conception that she would be indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for doing what she knew a nurse must: inform state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/us/07nurses.html
New York Times Editorial: Abstinence Education Done Right. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. The ongoing debate over sex education has been rekindled by a provocative new study suggesting that teaching abstinence can delay the start of sexual activity among inner-city youngsters — if it is freed from the moralistic overtones and ideological restrictions that were the hallmark of abstinence-only programs under the Bush administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08mon1.html?th&emc=th
Muffle that snore - How do you stop snoring if it's not related to sleep apnea? Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sc-health-0203-mayo-snoring-20100203,0,1614233.story
Health Care Reform
Americans still want health-care reform By Ezra Klein. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. February 10, 2010; 10:38 AM ET. So, 63 percent of Americans -- that's enough to break a filibuster, you know -- think Congress should keep on trying to pass a comprehensive health-care plan. It turns out that "even Republicans are critical of their congressional leadership, with 44 percent seeing them as doing too little to strike deals with Obama." Only 13 percent of Democrats say Obama has been too slow to strike deals with Republicans. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/americans_still_want_health-ca.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Ronnie Polaneczky: Parents suing to force insurance firm to cover their ailing son's therapy needs By Ronnie Polaneczky. COPYRIGHT BY THE Philadelphia Daily News. Feb. 9, 2010 http://www.philly.com/philly/business/personal_finance/20100209_Ronnie_Polaneczky__Parents_suing_to_force_insurance_firm_to_cover_their_ailing_son_s_therapy_needs.html
Obama Plans Bipartisan Summit on Health Care By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. WASHINGTON — President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?th&emc=th
On Health Bill, G.O.P.’s Road Is a New Map By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. WASHINGTON — When Republicans take President Obama up on his invitation to hash out their differences over health care this month, they will carry with them a fairly well-developed set of ideas intended to make health insurance more widely available and affordable, by emphasizing tax incentives and state innovations, with no new federal mandates and only a modest expansion of the federal safety net. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/policy/09health.html?th&emc=th
Bills Stalled, Hospitals Fear Rising Unpaid Care By REED ABELSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/policy/09hospital.html?th&emc=th
GOP Bashing
“It’s nonsense, of course, but effective. The be-very-afraid approach helped former President George W. Bush ram laws through Congress that chipped away at Americans’ rights. He used it to get re-elected in 2004. Now the Republicans are playing the fear card for the fall elections. The most recent target is the Obama administration’s handling of the failed Christmas Day bomber, particularly its decision (an absolutely correct one) to have the F.B.I. arrest and interrogate the suspect and file federal terrorism charges rather than throw him into a military prison where the Republicans seem to expect that he would be given no rights, questioned and held without charges. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, suggested — without any evidence — that vital intelligence was lost by that approach. Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, told Politico that he wants to block financing for civilian trials of terrorism suspects so Republicans can brag about it this fall. He said “the core question is whether the attorney general of the United States ought to be in charge of the war on terror.” As Mr. McConnell should know perfectly well, that is not the question at all, core or otherwise. The Obama administration has embraced the idea of using military tribunals for some terrorism suspects. The Christmas bombing suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was arrested in the United States. The American justice system does not allow people arrested in the United States for serious offenses to be detained and held without access to an attorney. It is good that the administration is pushing back.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: The Politics of Fear. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 9, 2010. An election is coming, so the Republicans are trying to scare Americans by making it appear as if the Democrats don’t care about catching or punishing terrorists. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed1.html?th&emc=th
US attacks UK court over torture claim case By Daniel Dombey in Washington and James Blitz in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 21:46 | Last updated: February 11 2010 00:35. The White House has criticised a British court decision to publish secret information about allegations of torture by US officials, stating that the move “will complicate the confidentiality of the intelligence sharing relationship between the UK and US”. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-attacks-uk-court-over-torture-claim.html
Republicans mail another 'Census' form By Ed O'Keefe. Copyright by The Washington Post. February 10, 2010; 11:55 AM ET. The National Republican Congressional Committee has sent supporters a mailer with the word "Census" featured prominently throughout the document. Democrats, senior citizen groups, public opinion researchers -- even a former Republican-appointed Census director -- recently criticized a similar mailing by the Republican National Committee, arguing it could confuse elderly Americans on the lookout for the government's decennial census questionnaires. The U.S. Census Bureau will mail the decennial forms next month. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/02/republicans_mail_another_censu.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Republicans and the politics of No By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. The change in the Republican party’s prospects has been astonishing. A year ago, analysts were talking of a new Democratic hegemony. Republicans, shut out of the White House and consigned to a minority in Congress, were in disarray. They looked helpless and on the edge of civil war. Published: February 7 2010 17:38 | Last updated: February 7 2010 17:38. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/republicans-and-politics-of-no.html
Let Them Filibuster by David Mixner. Copyright by David Mixner. Feb 5 2010. Brown Well, it is party time for Republicans in Washington, D.C as newly elected Senator Scott Brown takes his seat in the Senate. The GOP is thrilled to have who they call "Senator 41" to block progressive Democratic legislation. Evidently part of the celebration is that no longer do they believe being a majority is sufficient to pass legislation. They clearly have lost ability to count and should get some good math tutors. By using the age old tactic of bringing the business of the nation to a stand still by filibustering, they now can make a majority 60 votes out of 100 instead of 50 as intended by the Constitution of the United States. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/let-them-filibuster.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow: Hope for GOP good faith? '...like trying to teach your dog to drive...' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXZg2cS99b0
From Right of Radio Dial, a Challenge to McCain By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. PHOENIX — J. D. Hayworth is a large man, and to compensate for his indulgences, he hits the elliptical trainer every morning at 4, zipping along to an incongruous soundtrack of Elvis Costello, Frank Sinatra and old advertising jingles. Until recently, he would then repair to a local radio station, where he would spend the better part of the day denouncing, in no particular order, illegal immigrants, all things Barack Obama, those who are insufficiently patriotic and, his favorite mark, one John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona. Now, Mr. Hayworth, a former Republican congressman, is preparing to expand his political appetite for Mr. McCain by formally announcing next week what everyone in this state has known for months: his challenge to the senator in the Republican primary in August. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/politics/09arizona.html?th&emc=th
“For Republicans, the hope must be to absorb the movement and its energy – as Mrs Palin said the party should – without being carried too far to the right. At best, this might be difficult, especially if the movement starts to press for Republican candidates in its own image. Much worse will be if Mrs Palin co-opts the movement as a base of her own, in preparation for a presidential run. In that event, the Republicans will have more than Mr Obama to contend with this year.” Financial Times Editorial Comment
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Palin’s brewhaha. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 22:53 | Last updated: February 9 2010 22:53. The Republican establishment has mixed feelings about the Tea Party movement, and is right to. This populist insurgency is one of the least predictable factors in US politics. Is it a supporting faction of the Republican party or a third force? Will it drive Republicans to a strong showing in November’s mid-term elections or split the opposition to Mr Obama and come to the Democrats’ rescue? http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/financial-times-editorial-comment_10.html
Palin exposes the partyers By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 10, 2010.... I'm glad it was she and not I who first used the word "absurd" in relation to a possible Palin bid for the White House. Because if her speech made anything clear, it's that the shallow, ill-informed, truth-twisting demagogue seen in the 2008 presidential campaign is all she is and all she wants to be. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-chapman-0211-20100210,0,5133546.story
Be not afraid of Palin By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 9, 2010. Sarah Palin's conservative fans ask me why "the liberal media" are "so afraid" of the former governor of Alaska. I, for one, am unafraid. And I am delighted that the former Republican vice presidential candidate refuses to rule out running for the presidency. I am also relieved that, so far, she does not appear to have a ghost's chance of winning. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0210-page-20100209,0,7042088.column
The folly of Palin's high-priced 'populism' By Katrina vanden Heuvel. COPYRIGHT BHY THE WASHINGTON POST. Tuesday, February 9, 2010; 10:34 AM. Ironically, this doesn't seem to bother Sarah Palin. Faced with a choice between subsidizing the banks and poor kids, she went with the banks, warning the Tea Party activists that the Obama administration is "taking over" everything, including "health care, student loans." With views like that, she won't have any trouble getting speaking gigs at $100,000 a shot. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020901227.html
Gibbs mocks Sarah Palin's palm-writing at briefing. Copyright by The Washington Post. February 9, 2010. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs flashed a left palm with notes written on it at the news briefing Tuesday, an apparent mocking reference to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's use of her hand as notepad during the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/robert-gibbs-mocks-sarah-palin.html?hpid=topnews
February 8, 2010: Sarah Palin Uses a Hand-O-Prompter http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/264042/february-08-2010/sarah-palin-uses-a-hand-o-prompter
February 8, 2010: AmeriGasm http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-8-2010/amerigasm
Rahm Emanuel Views: 47,028The White House Chief of Staff offers his apology. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/rahm-emanuel/1199682/
February 9, 2010: Crisis America: America in Crisis: Day 5 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-9-2010/crisis-america--america-in-crisis--day-5
Pawnbroker slammed, power broker skates BY John Kass. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010. While political Illinois lusts after every twist in the adventures of the Democratic Pawnbroker and the Hooker, a story surfaced about the Republican campaign for governor that is just as revealing. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-met-kass-0207_2-20100205,0,1416482,full.column
Brennan: GOP was briefed on Xmas bomber arrest By MIKE ALLEN & EAMON JAVERS. Copyright by Politico.com. Updated: 2/7/10 1:10 PM EST. White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan revealed Sunday that he briefed four Republican congressional leaders on Christmas night about the arrest and subsequent handling of the suspect in the attempted airplane bombing. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32632.html
New York Times Editorial: The Truth About the Deficit. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. When the White House released its new budget last week, including more spending to create desperately needed jobs, Republican leaders in Congress denounced President Obama for driving up the deficit and demanded that the Democrats halt their “reckless” ways. The deficit numbers — a projected $1.3 trillion in fiscal 2011 alone — are breathtaking. What is even more breathtaking is the Republicans’ cynical refusal to acknowledge that the country would never have gotten into so deep a hole if President George W. Bush and the Republican-led Congress had not spent years slashing taxes — mainly on the wealthy — and spending with far too little restraint. Unfortunately, the problem does not stop there. The Republican amnesia and posturing are playing well on the hustings, where Americans are deeply anxious about the economy and fearful of losing their jobs and homes. Far too many Democratic lawmakers are losing their nerve. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07sun1.html?th&emc=th
February 9, 2010: RNC Meeting in Hawaii http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-9-2010/rnc-meeting-in-hawaii
What Bill O'Reilly edited out of his interviews with Jon Stewart: Total evisceration! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FFRSzH0HVo
The Economy
US trade deficit widens in December By Simone Baribeau in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 15:42 | Last updated: February 10 2010 15:42. Oil demand drove the US trade deficit to its highest level in a year, the commerce department reported on Wednesday. The trade gap widened, by $3.8bn from November, to $40.2bn in December. Petroleum imports jumped by $2.6bn as oil imports rose by 9 per cent and prices rose by 1 per cent on the month. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-trade-deficit-widens-in-december.html
Bernanke’s How-To on Rate Increase Lacks a When By SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — “At some point.” “At the appropriate time.” “When the time comes.” On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, outlined a strategy — but not a timetable — for scaling back the extraordinary measures it began taking in 2007 to prop up the economy as financial markets teetered on collapse. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/business/economy/11fed.html?ref=global-home
BofA and Citi warned over credit ratings By Francesco Guerrera and Nicole Bullock in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 20:26 | Last updated: February 9 2010 20:26. The planned overhaul of US financial rules prompted Standard & Poor’s to warn on Tuesday it might downgrade the credit ratings of Citigroup and Bank of America on concerns that the shake-up would make it less likely that the banks would be bailed out by US taxpayers if they ran into trouble again. The move came in spite of S&P admitting that Citi and BofA, two of the world’s largest lenders, had bolstered their balance sheets with fresh capital and improved performance in recent months. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/bofa-and-citi-warned-over-credit.html
UBS cuts bonuses after missing profit targets By Haig Simonian in Zurich and Megan Murphy in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited. Published: February 10 2010 18:47. February 10 2010 18:47. UBS, one of the banks hardest hit by the financial crisis, will not award senior staff SFr300m ($281m) in cash bonuses after failing to hit internal profit targets – a stark sign of how pay reforms are hitting bankers’ wallets. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/ubs-cuts-bonuses-after-missing-profit.html
Your Money
“More Americans are going hungry in hard times and are increasingly dependent on private charity, according to a new study by Feeding America, a national network of food banks. The study found that 37 million people — roughly one in eight Americans — had sought emergency food assistance from the network last year, a 46 percent increase from 2006.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Hungry in America. Copyright by The new York Times. Published: February 9, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/opinion/10wed4.html?th&emc=th
Living on the Edge By Barry Yeoman. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. February & March 2010. Millions of older Americans don't have enough money to put food on the table, but the government doesn't count them as "poor." How did this happen—and what's being done about it? http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/living-on-the-edge.html
Once Stigmatized, Food Stamps Find Acceptance By JASON DEPARLE and ROBERT GEBELOFF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11foodstamps.html?th&emc=th
Roth Mania! By Lynn Brenner. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. March & April 2010. Should you convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA? New tax breaks make this appealing—but only if you answer yes to our three key questions http://www.aarpmagazine.org/money/roth-mania.html
Housing
Washington Post Editorial: Mortgage giants GSEs in limbo: In housing, a dangerous policy vacuum grows. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, February 7, 2010. THERE IS NO END in sight to the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal said as much in a few phrases that promised nothing more definitive than continued "monitoring" of the two mortgage giants, which have been operating since mid-2008 in the legal and organizational limbo known as government "conservatorship." The administration had said its plans for definitive reform could be expected "at the time of the budget," not in the budget itself, so technically this doesn't count as a broken promise or a blown deadline. Still, as the two agencies' chief regulator, Edward J. DeMarco, gently reminded congressional leaders on Tuesday, conservatorship was intended as a "timeout" during which policymakers could reinvent the entities. With an election year upon us, that timeout is looking more and more like a cop-out. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/06/AR2010020602536.html
Lake Forest searching for affordable housing solution By Sharon Stangenes. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/advice/ct-mre-0131-lake-forest-affordable-restat20100203,0,5414664.story
Commodities
Government by Goldman Sachs http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/674.html
Travel
Don't let Euro taxis unload your money BY Rick Steves. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sc-trav-0202-steves-20100204,0,2587890.story
FAA eyes hefty fines for American. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. Published on February 10, 2010 12:35 PM. American Airlines could face a fine in the ballpark of $10 million for safety violations involving wiring in its large MD-80 fleet, according to a government official familiar with the nearly completed federal investigation. http://www.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/02/sources-faa-eyes-hefty-fines-for-american.html
When airlines offer to waive fees to rebook flights due to weather, know the rules By HARRY R. WEBER. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. 1:54 p.m. CST, February 10, 2010. ATLANTA (AP) — A snowstorm is heading for Washington, D.C., and you've got a flight scheduled to see the monuments, do some shopping in trendy Georgetown and visit relatives in the suburbs. Your departing airline tells you it will waive its fee if you choose to proactively rebook a flight that has yet to be canceled. You're all set. Right? Not necessarily.. http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-ap-us-travel-flight-plan-weather-waivers,0,7364719.story
American Airlines to begin charging $8 for pillow and blanket on some flights. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. 8:28 a.m. CST, February 9, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-ap-travel-pillow-blanket-charge-story,0,3693527.story
American to start charging $50 for standby. Copyright 2010 Associated Press. Published on February 10, 2010 12:25 PM http://www.chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/02/american-to-start-charging-50-for-standby.html
JAL stays in alliance with American By Julie Johnsson. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0208-american-airlines-jal--20100207,0,4969187.story
GLBT
Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet By FRANK RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010. A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark. John McCain, commandeering the spotlight as usual, did fulminate against the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But the press focus on McCain, the crazy man in Washington’s attic, was misleading. His yapping was an exception, not the rule. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07rich.html?th&emc=th
DADT: They Are Killing Us Softly With Their Song By David Mixner. Copyright By David Mixner. Feb 3 2010. One is tempted to cheer any progress on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) since the obscene policy has destroyed nearly 14,000 military careers over the last 17 years. Watching Defense Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen personally come out for allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military was moving and amazing. In fact, if you listen to their softly purred words of support and the resultant press, you would think DADT would be over any day now. Over and over again in a direct, concise manner they proclaimed their opposition to the policy. The press captured each sentence and repeated it like a song to all who would listen. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/dadt-they-are-killing-us-softly-with-their-song.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
More tolerance for gay troops as end of 'don't ask, don't tell' is debated - Soldiers gather before a midnight patrol in Baghdad last fall. One of the soldiers in the patrol is a gay specialist whose sexual orientation became known to most of his comrades during their yearlong deployment to Iraq. By Ernesto Londoño Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, February 10, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/09/AR2010020903505.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Judge in Prop 8 trial outed. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update Feb. 7, 2010. The San Francisco Chronicle has outed Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is overseeing the Prop 8 same-sex marriage trial in California. Testimony has ended in the case, and final arguments from both sides are expected soon. According to the Chronicle, the fact that Walker, an Illinois native, is gay is actually an open secret and is widely considered to be a non-issue. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25023
Close The Gay ATM Machine To DNC! By David Mixner. Copyright by By David Mixner. Feb 4 2010. Party democrat As if we needed more reasons not to give to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Ben Smith of Politico.com gave us yet another one. Turns out the DNC recently gave Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) over $500,000 to pay for ads for his re-election. Nelson stands against the LGBT community at every opportunity. Not only that, but he was also a major reason we are in the current health care situation. We don't need to be financing Democrats who act like Republicans. Why in the world would we give money to the DNC so it frees up their funds to give to Blue Dog Democrats? Don't budge and continue to only give money directly to candidates who are for full equality including marriage equality. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/-close-the-gay-atm-machine-to-dnc.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
Dispute over gays boils over in Oak Park schools By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-0207-gay-in-oak-park-20100205,0,1456599.story
GARCIA SAYS LGBTS “SCREWED” IF QUINN LOSES by Gary Barlow. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. February 11-17, 2010. CHICAGO – While Democrats went into this past weekend trying to sort out their Scott Lee Cohen problem, Republicans were still waiting to find out if their gubernatorial nominee is Bill Brady or Kirk Dillard. Either way, said the state’s top LGBT lobbyist, “We’re screwed.” http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/news/chicago.shtml
Hawaii nixes same-sex civil unions bill. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. Published: February 4, 2010 http://dev.chicagofreepress.com/2010/02/04/nation-world-report-hawaii-nixes-same-sex-civil-unions-bill/
Weather
Climate Fight Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — As millions of people along the East Coast hole up in their snowbound homes, the two sides in the climate-change debate are seizing on the mounting drifts to bolster their arguments. Skeptics of global warming are using the record-setting snows to mock those who warn of dangerous human-driven climate change — this looks more like global cooling, they taunt. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/science/earth/11climate.html?hpw
Mayors Grow Attuned to the Politics of Snow Removal By SEWELL CHAN and LIZ ROBBINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. WASHINGTON — Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, whose city has been overwhelmed by record snowfall, knows the clock is ticking. While residents have been relatively understanding — so far — about delays in plowing roads and clearing sidewalks, he recognizes the perils for politicians who do not get their cities cleaned up quickly. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11district.html?hpw
Storm Batters East, Closing Schools and Halting Flights By JAMES BARRON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. The second blustery snowstorm to sweep across the Northeast in less than a week swaggered into the New York area on Wednesday morning, closing schools, courts and the United Nations and playing havoc with the rhythms and routines of everyone who did not simply stay home. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/nyregion/11snow.html?th&emc=th
Religion
Bishops change feeding tube guidelines - Directive says food and water must be given to patients in persistent vegetative state By Judith Graham. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2010. If ever Carol Gaetjens becomes unconscious with no hope of awakening, even if she could live for years in that state, she says she wants her loved ones to discontinue all forms of artificial life support... What happens, for example, if a patient's advance directive, which expresses that individual's end-of-life wishes, conflicts with a Catholic medical center's religious obligations? http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-catholic-hospitals-20100208,0,2859597,full.story
Technology
Apple move to sell US TV shows for $1 By Kenneth Li in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 10 2010 23:00 | Last updated: February 10 2010 23:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/14856f08-168e-11df-bf44-00144feab49a.html
Google to Offer Super-Fast Net Service By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 10, 2010. SAN FRANCISCO — Google says it plans to get into the Internet access business. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/technology/companies/11google.html?hpw
Google Broadband Does Not Compute By Matt Phillips. Copyright by The Wall Street Journal. February 10, 2010, 6:00 PM ET http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2010/02/10/google-broadband-does-not-compute/?mod=yahoo_hs
Google’s Buzz to take on Facebook By Richard Waters in Mountain View, California. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 9 2010 20:42 | Last updated: February 9 2010 21:44. Google has mounted its most ambitious assault on the booming social networking business in an attempt to win back ground lost to fast-growing Facebook. The group said on Tuesday it hoped to use its core search engine technology to sift the flood of social media and filter out distracting or irrelevant information for users of Google Buzz, its latest service. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2010/02/googles-buzz-to-take-on-facebook.html
As Data Flows In, the Dollars Flow Out By JENNA WORTHAM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 8, 2010. John Anderson and Sharon Rapoport estimate they spend $400 a month, or close to $5,000 a year, keeping their family of four entertained at home. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/technology/09spend.html?th&emc=th
IPad likely to be popular among business travelers and the middle-age By John Boudreau. Copyright by Mercurynews.com. 02/06/2010 04:07:06 AM PST. Its iPods and iPhones wooed the young and tech savvy. But with its iPad, Apple may reach a new demographic: the middle-aged. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14336772?nclick_check=1
Entertainment
Should Super Bowl ads address morality? by Manya Brachear. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 04, 2010. With a team dubbed “Saints” playing in Super Bowl XLIV, should the messages we watch during the commercial breaks address issues of morality and saintliness? That’s the battle brewing on the sidelines of the National Football League’s championship this year after CBS sold 30 seconds to Focus on the Family for an ad opposing abortion rights; and denied air time to ManCrunch.com, a gay dating site. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2010/02/should-super-bowl-ads-address-morality.html#more
Saints 31, Colts 17 - Champs? The Saints, Dat’s Who By JUDY BATTISTA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The New Orleans Saints almost left when their city flooded and their stadium had been turned into a shelter, a disaster seeming to provide the perfect escape route for a team in search of a better stadium and a bigger market. Displaced and disheartened, the Saints haltingly returned to a repaired Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. And a team so awful that its fans used to wear bags on their heads came to symbolize and be embraced by a battered but rebuilding community. On Sunday, with a quarterback who had hitched his career to resurrecting the Saints and with a team that played nearly flawlessly, the Saints gave New Orleans a reason to do what it does better than any other American city: celebrate. In the franchise’s first Super Bowl, the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, sending New Orleanians into the streets for a party. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/sports/football/08super.html?th&emc=th
Other
Where Conversation Goes From Here By David Dudley. Copyright by The AARP Magazine. March & April 2010. We tweet, we text, we e-mail. Everybody's chatting, but is anybody listening? Why America needs to revive the vanishing art of conversation. We need to talk. http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/where_conversation_goes.html
Humor
February 9, 2010: Alpha Dog of the Week - Markus Bestin http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/264058/february-09-2010/alpha-dog-of-the-week---markus-bestin
Clothing Drive http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1125919467?bctid=63259762001
Amazing X-box commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lej6MAmjU8w&feature=related
my cast is off. I’m wearing a bracer and continue with ultrasonic stimulation for bone regeneration and physical therapy.. feeling much better, although only have about 30^ of my left hand use. getting better every day. Thanks to all who prayed and helped take care of me.
Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.
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
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” The book is out. you can buy it at: http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=a0b517e687814469f8153c5070d69f99
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Toyota Crisis II Newsletter - February 6, 2010
The Toyota Crisis II Newsletter - February 6, 2010
“Federal regulators uncovered stark evidence that some Toyota cars accelerated unexpectedly more than two years ago. But neither the government's safety agency nor the automaker apparently recognized at the time how broad the dangers would turn out to be. During a little-noticed 2007 inquiry, investigators found that at least three of every 100 Lexus ES 350 owners in Ohio reported experiencing unintended acceleration, an unacceptably high percentage given the potentially fatal consequences, industry experts said.” Peter Whoriskey
2007 federal probe of Toyota complaints resolved nothing By Peter Whoriskey. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304056.html?hpid=topnews
Toyota’s Blind Spot By MATTHEW DeBORD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. TOYOTA is in serious trouble. The Japanese juggernaut should be celebrating its recent ascension to the top spot among global automakers. Instead, it is slogging though a multistage recall of millions of its most popular vehicles, a situation that wasn’t much improved by Friday’s awkward, contentious press conference with Akio Toyoda, the company’s president (and the founder’s grandson). Managing spin, as is becoming glaringly apparent, is not something that Toyota does very well. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/opinion/06debord.html?th&emc=th
Prius Adds to Toyota’s Woes as Stock Drops in Tokyo By MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global/04toyota.html?th&emc=th
Lawsuit Over a Crash Adds to Toyota’s Difficulties By BILL VLASIC. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. FLINT, Mich. — The trip was one that Guadalupe Alberto had made many times before, just a few miles through her neighborhood to the small grocery store her family had owned for years. It was a Saturday afternoon, April 19, 2008, and Mrs. Alberto, a 77-year-old former autoworker, was driving her 2005 Toyota Camry. Within blocks of her home, witnesses told police, the car accelerated out of control, jumped a curb and flew through the air before crashing into a tree. Mrs. Alberto was killed instantly, leaving her family stunned at how such an accident could happen to someone who was in good health, never had a speeding ticket and so hated driving fast that she avoided taking the freeway. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05recall.html?th&emc=th
U.S. Starts Inquiry Into Brake Problems on Prius By MARTIN FACKLER , HIROKO TABUCHI and MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/global/05toyota.html?ref=global-home
In a Prius Preserve, Shaken Fans By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/04owners.html?th&emc=th
Stop Driving Recalled Toyotas, Says Agency Chief By MICHELINE MAYNARD. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 3, 2010. Ray LaHood, the Transportation secretary, said Wednesday morning during a House Appropriations panel hearing that owners of recalled Toyotas should stop driving them and take them to their dealers to be repaired. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global/04toyota.html?ref=global-home
LaHood Backtracks on ‘Stop Driving It’ By MARK LEIBOVICH and MATTHEW L. WALD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/04lahood.html?th&emc=th
Toyota Says It Will Start Fixing Recalled Cars This Week By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 1, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/business/global/02toyota.html?ref=global-home
Answers to Questions About Toyota’s Repair Plans By MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 1, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/business/02questions.html?th&emc=th
International
Haiti Charges Americans With Child Abduction By MARC LACEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05orphans.html?th&emc=th
American Charged in Haiti Had Some Troubles in Idaho By WILLIAM YARDLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05idaho.html?th&emc=th
Four British Lawmakers Charged Over Expenses By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. LONDON — In the latest twist of a saga that has stained the reputation of British parliamentarians with claims of widespread fraud on their expense accounts, the country’s chief prosecutor said Friday that criminal charges, including false accounting, would be brought against four legislators. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/world/europe/06britain.html?ref=global-home
Investors Fear Europe’s Woes May Extend Global Slump By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ and JACK EWING. Copyright by The New York Times
Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05markets.html?th&emc=th
Euro Debt Crisis Is Political Test for Bloc By STEVEN ERLANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/world/europe/06europe.html?th&emc=th
ECB leaves interest rates on hold at 1% By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 12:45 | Last updated: February 4 2010 12:45 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7054bdee-1183-11df-9195-00144feab49a.html
China
Washington Post Editorial: It's time for the Obama administration to burst Beijing's bubble. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010. IN ITS FIRST year, the Obama administration went out of its way to cater to China's communist leadership. It publicly put human rights concerns on a back burner, delayed a presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama and did not press Beijing hard about its currency manipulation. Now it appears that effort produced the opposite of the intended effect. Rather than respond with its own gestures of cooperation, Beijing is pressing hard for more American concessions. Bursting with hubris about its emergence as a global power, it is testing to see how far a new and inexperienced U.S. president can be pushed. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303534.html
Currency Dispute Likely to Further Fray U.S.-China Ties By MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04diplo.html?th&emc=th
China Shows Little Patience for U.S. Currency Pressure By EDWARD WONG and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/asia/05diplo.html?ref=global-home
China Renews Opposition to Iran Sanctions By ALAN COWELL. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?hpw
Mess-o-potamia
Soldier Deaths Draw Focus to U.S. in Pakistan By JANE PERLEZ. Copyright by The New York Times and Reuters. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04pstan.html?th&emc=th
Military Officials Say Afghan Fight Is Coming By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04taliban.html?th&emc=th
National
“Public financing for Congressional campaigns may ultimately be the only practical defense against corporate and union treasuries. For now, measures requiring transparency, shareholder participation and the like are a good start. Congress should swiftly approve them.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: What Price Politics? Copyright by New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. A binge of special interest money seems inevitable unless Congress acts quickly — before this year’s election — to repair the damage from the Supreme Court ruling that ended restraints on campaign spending by corporations and unions. In its overreach, the court’s majority hobbled lawmakers by giving what amounted to constitutional sanction to unlimited corporate and union campaign contributions. But legitimate antidotes are already in the works. Congress should focus on the most feasible proposals. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05fri3.html?th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: The case for clear standards on holding the worst of the detainees © 2010 The Washington Post Company. Saturday, February 6, 2010. NO LAWS specify the procedures and standards that should govern the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects. Now that an Obama administration task force has determined that some 50 detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are too dangerous to release but not eligible for prosecution or transfer, that legal vacuum needs to be filled. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020503729.html
Civil fraud charges filed against Bank of America By Zachary A. Goldfarb. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010; 12:15 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020402146.html?hpid=topnews
Settlement Plan Drafted for Sept. 11 Lawsuits By MIREYA NAVARRO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. With a firm trial date looming for thousands of lawsuits brought by workers at ground zero against the city, lawyers for both sides are engaged in intensive talks aimed at settling some or all the cases. The first 12 cases are scheduled for trial on May 16 in Manhattan. But Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who is overseeing the litigation, said at a recent hearing that a detailed settlement plan about 70 pages long had been drafted. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/nyregion/05zero.html?th&emc=th
National Prayer Breakfast Draws Controversy By LAURIE GOODSTEIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04prayer.html?th&emc=th
Obama Offers Pep Talk to Democrats By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04obama.html?th&emc=th
Republican lawmaker's budget plan gets Obama's attention By Perry Bacon Jr. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404238.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Chicagoland
Illinois Area Latest Primary Election Results http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/results/index.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: There are better ways to pick lieutenant gov. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 5, 2010. If Scott Lee Cohen, the guy once accused by his ex-girlfriend of holding a knife to her throat, refuses to step aside as the Democrats' nominee for lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn has only one option: Quit the Democratic ticket and run for governor as an independent. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2030642,CST-EDT-edit05.article
Illinois elections: Shock and awe by Andrew Davis. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News Update, Feb. 4, 2010 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24740
Today is last day of full CTA service By Tracy Swartz. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2010. Today is the last day of full CTA service before the service cuts go into effect on Sunday. CTA spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said the CTA today will have full Saturday service, and the cuts will begin with the start of the Sunday schedules, some of which begin early Sunday morning. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2010/02/today-is-last-day-of-full-cta-service.html
Health Care
“What was not known at the time was that Dr. Wakefield had filed for a patent on a single measles vaccine that would benefit if the triple vaccine failed and that he was receiving payments from a lawyer planning to sue manufacturers of the triple vaccine.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: A Welcome Retraction. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. For a decade, many parents have worried that vaccines might somehow be causing autism in children. Repeated assurances from respected experts that there is no link have failed to quiet those fears. Now The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal that published the paper that first gave wide credence to those fears, has retracted it, saying that the paper’s authors had made false claims about how the study was conducted. The journal acted after a British medical panel had found the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, guilty of dishonesty and flouting medical ethics. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/opinion/06sat3.html?th&emc=th
What's driving the rise in C-sections?. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 03, 2010. The rate of births by cesarean section--a major abdominal surgery--in Illinois hospitals reached an all-time high of 30.4 percent in 2007, up from 19.3 percent in 1997, according to a recent report by the Illinois Department of Public Health. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/02/whats-driving-the-rise-in-csections.html
Medical Group Urges New Rules on Radiation By WALT BOGDANICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. The leading professional organization dedicated to radiation oncology has called for enhanced safety measures in administering medical radiation, including the establishment of the nation’s first central database for the reporting of errors involving linear accelerators — machines that generate radiation — and CT scanners. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/health/05radiation-.html?th&emc=th
Quick Response to Study of Abstinence Education By TAMAR LEWIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010. A study of middle-school students that found for the first time that abstinence-only education helped to delay their sexual initiation is already beginning to shake up the longstanding debate over how best to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/education/03abstinence.html?hpw
Sex reassignment now tax deductible. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update, Feb. 3, 2010. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24875
Health Care Reform
Democrats Ask, Can Health Care Bill Be Saved? By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. WASHINGTON — For a moment, President Obama’s pledge to keep fighting for major health care legislation got personal on Thursday night as he told supporters at a fund-raiser about a former campaign worker in St. Louis without health insurance who had died of breast cancer. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/health/policy/06health.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Tribune Editorial: A disastrous decision. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 4, 2010. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a sound law passed by the General Assembly in 2005 to protect health care in this state. The court threw out a sound law that has worked. The court threw out a sound law and essentially told the state's lawmakers: Don't even bother to try this again. This is a disastrous decision. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-medmal-20100204,0,7053930,full.story
Illinois Court Overturns Malpractice Statute By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/us/05malpractice.html?th&emc=th
GOP BASHING
Of course, we now know what Shelby wants. Later in the day, his office released a statement indicating that the primary motivation for Shelby's hostage taking was his desire to see the Pentagon's aerial refueling tanker contract go to the European aerospace giant EADS instead of the American firm Boeing. Shelby wants EADS to get the contract because some of manufacturing work would be done in his home state of Alabama. It's stunning that a senator would be willing to shut down the process of confirming administration appointees simply to help a foreign firm win a military contract. But it's also amazing that Mitch McConnell, the GOP's leader in the Senate, carried Shelby's water without understanding what Shelby was up to or trying to accomplish. By blindly doing Shelby's bidding, McConnell placed political power above principle, abdicating any potential claim to the moral high ground on Senate procedure. He's given the Democratic Party a huge opening not just to put Republicans on defense, but to reform Senate rules. They must take advantage of it.
McConnell carries Shelby's water by Jed Lewison. Copyright by DailyKos.com. Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:50:32 AM PST. In a little over 30 seconds on the Senate floor yesterday, Republican leader Mitch McConnell demonstrated everything that's broken in the United States Senate. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/2/5/834168/-McConnell-carries-Shelbys-water
The Shelby Opening by Dylan Loewe. Copyright by The Huffington P{ost. Posted: February 5, 2010 01:19 AM. Last month, the Pew Research Center released a poll that found that only 26 percent of respondents know that 60 votes are required to break a filibuster. No wonder Democratic complaints about Republican obstructionists have thus far failed to catch fire. It's just not all that easy to have a national conversation on the topic when three fourths of the country is in the dark about the process. But all of that can change after today. Congress Daily reports that Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has placed a "blanket hold" on at least 70 of President Obama's nominations until he receives over $40 billion worth of earmarks for his state. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-loewe/the-shelby-opening_b_450484.html
Fiscal Scare Tactics By PAUL KRUGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. These days it’s hard to pick up a newspaper or turn on a news program without encountering stern warnings about the federal budget deficit. The deficit threatens economic recovery, we’re told; it puts American economic stability at risk; it will undermine our influence in the world. These claims generally aren’t stated as opinions, as views held by some analysts but disputed by others. Instead, they’re reported as if they were facts, plain and simple. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05krugman.html?th&emc=th
John McCain, no more the iconoclast By Dana Milbank. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010. I miss John McCain. I miss the McCain I sat with on a flight from San Diego to Phoenix back in 1999, when he defended his oft-ridiculed belief that campaign finance was the most important issue in America: because the corrupting influence of money in politics was preventing all other issues -- taxes, abortion, you name it -- from being solved. A couple of weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that gutted the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance legislation, essentially destroying the cause that had been so dear to McCain. His response: Whatever. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404307.html
CIA Man Retracts Claim on Waterboarding - A study in "enhanced reporting techniques." BY JEFF STEIN. Copyright by Foreign Policy Magazine. JANUARY 26, 2010. Well, it's official now: John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative who affirmed claims that waterboarding quickly unloosed the tongues of hard-core terrorists, says he didn't know what he was talking about. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/26/cia_man_retracts_claim_on_waterboarding
Palin, Visible and Vocal, Is Positioned for Variety of Roles By MARK LEIBOVICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010... Her growing cast of advisers and support system could be working in the service of any number of goals: a presidential run, a de facto role as the leader of the Tea Party movement, a lucrative career as a roving media entity — or all of the above. Ms. Palin represents a new breed of unelected public figures operating in an environment in which politics, news media and celebrity are fused as never before. Whether she ever runs for anything else, Ms. Palin has already achieved a status that has become an end in itself: access to an electronic bully pulpit, a staff to guide her, an enormous income and none of the bother or accountability of having to govern or campaign for office. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/us/politics/06palin.html?th&emc=th
Wedge issues threaten Tea Party unity By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 5 2010 19:23 | Last updated: February 5 2010 19:23 http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/wedge-issues-threaten-tea-party-unity.html
G.O.P. Group to Promote Conservative Ideas By JACKIE CALMES. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04conservative.html?th&emc=th
'Tea party' leaders to unveil national strategy for grass-roots organizing By Philip Rucker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010; 1:19 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020501694.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
The Economy
Labor Market Shows Signs of Rebirth in New Data By PETER S. GOODMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. The unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped to 9.7 percent in January, from 10 percent in December, the government reported Friday, buoying hopes that the worst job market in at least a quarter-century is finally improving. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/business/economy/06jobs.html?th&emc=th
US retailers boosted by stronger January By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 14:56 | Last updated: February 4 2010 14:56. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-retailers-boosted-by-stronger.html
Sovereign debt fears rattle investors By Robert Budden. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 08:55 | Last updated: February 4 2010 16:53 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a37ab63c-1166-11df-9195-00144feab49a.html
Blankfein to get $9m stock bonus By Justin Baer and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 5 2010 22:26 | Last updated: February 5 2010 23:49. Goldman Sachs on Friday took a dramatic step to stem the public backlash against its compensation practices, awarding chief executive Lloyd Blankfein a $9m stock bonus for 2009, far lower than his payouts during the boom years that preceded the financial crisis. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/blankfein-to-get-9m-stock-bonus.html
Your Money
Dodd Denounces Pace of Banking Overhaul - Christopher J. Dodd, head of the Senate Banking Committee, greeted Barry L. Zubrow of JPMorgan before he testified Thursday. By SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05regulate.html?hpw
Five myths about America's credit card debt By Robert D. Manning. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, January 31, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902504.html
Housing
Chicago foreclosures soar in 4th quarter - And more to come, data predict By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 5:00 a.m. CST, February 4, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-foreclosures-fourth-quarter-feb04,0,5719250.story
Energy
Washington Post Editorial: Interior Secretary should allow wind farm to proceed. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010. LAST MONTH, the Energy Department released a study concluding that wind turbines could power 20 percent of the eastern electric grid by 2024. But if the nearly decade-long fight over a relatively small wind farm off Cape Cod is any indication, a big obstacle will be extreme not-in-my-back-yard-ism. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404422.html
Is the $1,500 tax credit for each product? Each year? Each person? http://energystar.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/energystar.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=5595&p_created=1236876860
Travel
10 most-asked traveler questions -From rental damage to resort fees to bereavement fares, the Travel Troubleshooter has answers to travelers' most often asked questions. By Christopher Elliott. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 4, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-troubleshooter-questions-story,0,2351945,full.story
36 Hours in Istanbul By JENNIFER CONLIN. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/travel/07hours.html?hpw
GLBT
“History was made on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. More than 16 years after their predecessors helped impose the odious “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the nation’s two top defense officials called on Congress to repeal the law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The principled courage of the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a major step forward for civil rights.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Equality in the Military. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/opinion/03wed1.html?th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: Repeal the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, February 1, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/31/AR2010013101870.html
Gays in military: A question of integrity BY SIX FOOT SKINNY. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 6, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2032623,CST-EDT-open07a.article
Pentagon supports ending 'don't ask, don't tell' law for gays in military By Craig Whitlock and Greg Jaffe. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, February 3, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020200251.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
About face: Powell backs DADT repeal. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update, Feb. 3, 2010 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24815
February 3, 2010: A Few Gay Men & Women http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-3-2010/a-few-gay-men---women
Hermaphrodites Can't Be Gay http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/263284/february-04-2010/hermaphrodites-can-t-be-gay
How to change 'don't ask, don't tell' Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, February 7, 2010. The Post asked pollsters and others to explain the politics of changing the ban on gays serving openly. Below are responses from Scott Keeter, Ed Rogers, Dan Schnur, Michael Buonocore, Douglas E. Schoen and Sue Fulton. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020501926.html
Forces Pushing Obama on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ By ELISABETH BUMILLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: January 31, 2010. WASHINGTON — President Obama and top Pentagon officials met repeatedly over the past year about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the law that bans openly gay members of the military. But it was in Oval Office strategy sessions to review court cases challenging the ban — ones that could reach the Supreme Court — that Mr. Obama faced the fact that if he did not change the policy, his administration would be forced to defend publicly the constitutionality of a law he had long opposed. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/us/politics/01military.html?th&emc=th
It's time for taps for don't ask, don't tell By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 5, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0207-page-20100205,0,4612657.column
Shame on John McCain....Copyright by John Mixner. Feb 1 2010. John-McCain Just as the President is beginning to show serious leadership and courage on DADT, Senator John McCain of Arizona has announced he will lead the change against repeal. The senator knows better and we all know that he knows better. Most likely in the "Hanoi Hilton" there were gay prisoners of war being tortured with the senator. McCain most certainly has served with men and women he knew were gay and witnessed them serving with distinction. And there is no question in my mind that the senator really doesn't believe that the morale of the United States military is so low that allowing open members of the LGBT community to serve would make this nation weak. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/shame-on-john-mccain.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
Defending the Long Gay Line By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010...Before Admiral Mullen and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates even made their opening statements, John McCain went on the attack against overturning the policy. Noting that gays and lesbians had served “admirably” and even given their lives, he said: “I honor their sacrifice, and I honor them.” Just as long as they deny their identity and pretend to be something they’re not. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/opinion/03dowd.html?th&emc=th
'Marriage' benefits costly for gay couples - Heterosexuals are protected by $40 license, but wills and legal safeguards for same-sex couples cost thousands By Rex W. Huppke Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. January 18, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-gays-pay-more-18-jan18,0,2205178.story
Gay Marriage Puts Mexico City at Center of Debate By ELISABETH MALKIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?ref=global-home
LEGALLY SPEAKING - PROTECT YOUR LOVER BY MAKING YOUR WILL by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. February 4-10, 2010 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml
Weather
Capital Is Crippled as Blizzard Continues By LIZ ROBBINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/us/07storm.html?hpw
Technology
“Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator. Its products are lampooned, often unfairly but sometimes with good reason. Its image has never recovered from the antitrust prosecution of the 1990s. Its marketing has been inept for years; remember the 2008 ad in which Bill Gates was somehow persuaded to literally wiggle his behind at the camera?” DICK BRASS
Microsoft’s Creative Destruction By DICK BRASS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. AS they marvel at Apple’s new iPad tablet computer, the technorati seem to be focusing on where this leaves Amazon’s popular e-book business. But the much more important question is why Microsoft, America’s most famous and prosperous technology company, no longer brings us the future, whether it’s tablet computers like the iPad, e-books like Amazon’s Kindle, smartphones like the BlackBerry and iPhone, search engines like Google, digital music systems like iPod and iTunes or popular Web services like Facebook and Twitter. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/opinion/04brass.html?th&emc=th
Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks By Ellen Nakashima. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. Thursday, February 4, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304057.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Justice Dept. Criticizes Latest Google Book Deal By MIGUEL HELFT. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/technology/internet/05publish.html?hpw
AT&T's iPhone Mess - The iPhone has swamped AT&T's data network and sparked a consumer rebellion. What can Ma Bell do? By Roben Farzad. Copyright by Business World. February 3, 2010, 11:00PM EST http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_07/b4166034389519.htm?%20campaign_id=widget_topStories
AT&T Gives Green Light to Sling TV Over 3G By BRAD STONE. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. February 4, 2010, 8:00 AM. Remember the Great Sling Spat? A year ago, Sling Media, a subsidiary of EchoStar, introduced a nifty application for the Apple iPhone that allowed users with a Slingbox at home to watch and control their home television signal from their handsets. The only problem: AT&T said that such a bandwidth-intensive video service would overwhelm its network, so it limited the application to work only over an iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection. TV lovers and techies worldwide cried out in anguish. But all that is about to change. AT&T announced Thursday morning that it will now allow the SlingPlayer iPhone app to stream live over its 3G network. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/att-gives-green-light-to-sling-tv-over-3g/?hpw
The Pluses, and Oddities, of 3-D TV By JOHN BIGGS. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?hpw
Entertainment
The Ad....you won't be seeing... Sean James and Al Joyner respond to the Tebow Super Bowl ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utcxpuHF7jg
A Super Bowl ad too far? Straights can take it By Kevin Huffman. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, February 6, 2010. On Sunday, as I hunker down with family and friends for the Super Bowl, I can rest easy knowing that CBS is working hard to defend my heterosexual sensitivities. On the surface, heterosexuality doesn't seem like a particularly distinctive trait or one in need of broad institutional protections, but many seem to believe that we heterosexuals are delicate souls. The media, the government, the military -- all are ready to head off potential sightings of gay people. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020403562.html
Other
Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly go toe-to-toe on Fox News By Matea Gold. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 3, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-100203-jon-stewart-bill-oreilly-interview,0,4886818.story
Jon Stewart on Bill O’Reilly: Watch Jon Stewart O’Reilly Factor Interview (Video) http://tv.popcrunch.com/jon-stewart-on-bill-oreilly-watch-jon-stewart-oreilly-factor-interview-video/
February 4, 2010: The Blogs Must Be Crazy http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-february-4-2010/the-blogs-must-be-crazy
Humor
WEAKLY HUMERUS NEWS 02-06-10 AIMED AT YOUR FUNNY BONE http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/weakly-humerus-news-02-06-10-aimed-at.html
February 3, 2010: Male Inequality http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-3-2010/male-inequality
Are ya thursty? Best Guinness Commercial EVER! (THIS IS AN R RATED ADD, IT MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSSSfYE2dQ&feature=email
SCAM ALERT http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/scam-alert.html
I am on a cast and receiving ultrasonic stimulation for bone regeneration. My cast will come off February 8th, just in time for our trip to Paris February 15th. Thanks to all who prayed and helped take care of me.
Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.
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
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” The book is out. you can buy it at: http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=a0b517e687814469f8153c5070d69f99
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“Federal regulators uncovered stark evidence that some Toyota cars accelerated unexpectedly more than two years ago. But neither the government's safety agency nor the automaker apparently recognized at the time how broad the dangers would turn out to be. During a little-noticed 2007 inquiry, investigators found that at least three of every 100 Lexus ES 350 owners in Ohio reported experiencing unintended acceleration, an unacceptably high percentage given the potentially fatal consequences, industry experts said.” Peter Whoriskey
2007 federal probe of Toyota complaints resolved nothing By Peter Whoriskey. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304056.html?hpid=topnews
Toyota’s Blind Spot By MATTHEW DeBORD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. TOYOTA is in serious trouble. The Japanese juggernaut should be celebrating its recent ascension to the top spot among global automakers. Instead, it is slogging though a multistage recall of millions of its most popular vehicles, a situation that wasn’t much improved by Friday’s awkward, contentious press conference with Akio Toyoda, the company’s president (and the founder’s grandson). Managing spin, as is becoming glaringly apparent, is not something that Toyota does very well. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/opinion/06debord.html?th&emc=th
Prius Adds to Toyota’s Woes as Stock Drops in Tokyo By MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global/04toyota.html?th&emc=th
Lawsuit Over a Crash Adds to Toyota’s Difficulties By BILL VLASIC. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. FLINT, Mich. — The trip was one that Guadalupe Alberto had made many times before, just a few miles through her neighborhood to the small grocery store her family had owned for years. It was a Saturday afternoon, April 19, 2008, and Mrs. Alberto, a 77-year-old former autoworker, was driving her 2005 Toyota Camry. Within blocks of her home, witnesses told police, the car accelerated out of control, jumped a curb and flew through the air before crashing into a tree. Mrs. Alberto was killed instantly, leaving her family stunned at how such an accident could happen to someone who was in good health, never had a speeding ticket and so hated driving fast that she avoided taking the freeway. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05recall.html?th&emc=th
U.S. Starts Inquiry Into Brake Problems on Prius By MARTIN FACKLER , HIROKO TABUCHI and MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/global/05toyota.html?ref=global-home
In a Prius Preserve, Shaken Fans By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/04owners.html?th&emc=th
Stop Driving Recalled Toyotas, Says Agency Chief By MICHELINE MAYNARD. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 3, 2010. Ray LaHood, the Transportation secretary, said Wednesday morning during a House Appropriations panel hearing that owners of recalled Toyotas should stop driving them and take them to their dealers to be repaired. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global/04toyota.html?ref=global-home
LaHood Backtracks on ‘Stop Driving It’ By MARK LEIBOVICH and MATTHEW L. WALD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/04lahood.html?th&emc=th
Toyota Says It Will Start Fixing Recalled Cars This Week By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 1, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/business/global/02toyota.html?ref=global-home
Answers to Questions About Toyota’s Repair Plans By MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 1, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/business/02questions.html?th&emc=th
International
Haiti Charges Americans With Child Abduction By MARC LACEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05orphans.html?th&emc=th
American Charged in Haiti Had Some Troubles in Idaho By WILLIAM YARDLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05idaho.html?th&emc=th
Four British Lawmakers Charged Over Expenses By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. LONDON — In the latest twist of a saga that has stained the reputation of British parliamentarians with claims of widespread fraud on their expense accounts, the country’s chief prosecutor said Friday that criminal charges, including false accounting, would be brought against four legislators. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/world/europe/06britain.html?ref=global-home
Investors Fear Europe’s Woes May Extend Global Slump By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ and JACK EWING. Copyright by The New York Times
Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05markets.html?th&emc=th
Euro Debt Crisis Is Political Test for Bloc By STEVEN ERLANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/world/europe/06europe.html?th&emc=th
ECB leaves interest rates on hold at 1% By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 12:45 | Last updated: February 4 2010 12:45 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7054bdee-1183-11df-9195-00144feab49a.html
China
Washington Post Editorial: It's time for the Obama administration to burst Beijing's bubble. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010. IN ITS FIRST year, the Obama administration went out of its way to cater to China's communist leadership. It publicly put human rights concerns on a back burner, delayed a presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama and did not press Beijing hard about its currency manipulation. Now it appears that effort produced the opposite of the intended effect. Rather than respond with its own gestures of cooperation, Beijing is pressing hard for more American concessions. Bursting with hubris about its emergence as a global power, it is testing to see how far a new and inexperienced U.S. president can be pushed. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303534.html
Currency Dispute Likely to Further Fray U.S.-China Ties By MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04diplo.html?th&emc=th
China Shows Little Patience for U.S. Currency Pressure By EDWARD WONG and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/asia/05diplo.html?ref=global-home
China Renews Opposition to Iran Sanctions By ALAN COWELL. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?hpw
Mess-o-potamia
Soldier Deaths Draw Focus to U.S. in Pakistan By JANE PERLEZ. Copyright by The New York Times and Reuters. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04pstan.html?th&emc=th
Military Officials Say Afghan Fight Is Coming By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/world/asia/04taliban.html?th&emc=th
National
“Public financing for Congressional campaigns may ultimately be the only practical defense against corporate and union treasuries. For now, measures requiring transparency, shareholder participation and the like are a good start. Congress should swiftly approve them.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: What Price Politics? Copyright by New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. A binge of special interest money seems inevitable unless Congress acts quickly — before this year’s election — to repair the damage from the Supreme Court ruling that ended restraints on campaign spending by corporations and unions. In its overreach, the court’s majority hobbled lawmakers by giving what amounted to constitutional sanction to unlimited corporate and union campaign contributions. But legitimate antidotes are already in the works. Congress should focus on the most feasible proposals. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05fri3.html?th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: The case for clear standards on holding the worst of the detainees © 2010 The Washington Post Company. Saturday, February 6, 2010. NO LAWS specify the procedures and standards that should govern the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects. Now that an Obama administration task force has determined that some 50 detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are too dangerous to release but not eligible for prosecution or transfer, that legal vacuum needs to be filled. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020503729.html
Civil fraud charges filed against Bank of America By Zachary A. Goldfarb. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, February 4, 2010; 12:15 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020402146.html?hpid=topnews
Settlement Plan Drafted for Sept. 11 Lawsuits By MIREYA NAVARRO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. With a firm trial date looming for thousands of lawsuits brought by workers at ground zero against the city, lawyers for both sides are engaged in intensive talks aimed at settling some or all the cases. The first 12 cases are scheduled for trial on May 16 in Manhattan. But Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who is overseeing the litigation, said at a recent hearing that a detailed settlement plan about 70 pages long had been drafted. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/nyregion/05zero.html?th&emc=th
National Prayer Breakfast Draws Controversy By LAURIE GOODSTEIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04prayer.html?th&emc=th
Obama Offers Pep Talk to Democrats By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04obama.html?th&emc=th
Republican lawmaker's budget plan gets Obama's attention By Perry Bacon Jr. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404238.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Chicagoland
Illinois Area Latest Primary Election Results http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/results/index.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: There are better ways to pick lieutenant gov. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 5, 2010. If Scott Lee Cohen, the guy once accused by his ex-girlfriend of holding a knife to her throat, refuses to step aside as the Democrats' nominee for lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn has only one option: Quit the Democratic ticket and run for governor as an independent. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2030642,CST-EDT-edit05.article
Illinois elections: Shock and awe by Andrew Davis. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News Update, Feb. 4, 2010 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24740
Today is last day of full CTA service By Tracy Swartz. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 6, 2010. Today is the last day of full CTA service before the service cuts go into effect on Sunday. CTA spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said the CTA today will have full Saturday service, and the cuts will begin with the start of the Sunday schedules, some of which begin early Sunday morning. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2010/02/today-is-last-day-of-full-cta-service.html
Health Care
“What was not known at the time was that Dr. Wakefield had filed for a patent on a single measles vaccine that would benefit if the triple vaccine failed and that he was receiving payments from a lawyer planning to sue manufacturers of the triple vaccine.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: A Welcome Retraction. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. For a decade, many parents have worried that vaccines might somehow be causing autism in children. Repeated assurances from respected experts that there is no link have failed to quiet those fears. Now The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal that published the paper that first gave wide credence to those fears, has retracted it, saying that the paper’s authors had made false claims about how the study was conducted. The journal acted after a British medical panel had found the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, guilty of dishonesty and flouting medical ethics. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/opinion/06sat3.html?th&emc=th
What's driving the rise in C-sections?. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 03, 2010. The rate of births by cesarean section--a major abdominal surgery--in Illinois hospitals reached an all-time high of 30.4 percent in 2007, up from 19.3 percent in 1997, according to a recent report by the Illinois Department of Public Health. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/02/whats-driving-the-rise-in-csections.html
Medical Group Urges New Rules on Radiation By WALT BOGDANICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. The leading professional organization dedicated to radiation oncology has called for enhanced safety measures in administering medical radiation, including the establishment of the nation’s first central database for the reporting of errors involving linear accelerators — machines that generate radiation — and CT scanners. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/health/05radiation-.html?th&emc=th
Quick Response to Study of Abstinence Education By TAMAR LEWIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010. A study of middle-school students that found for the first time that abstinence-only education helped to delay their sexual initiation is already beginning to shake up the longstanding debate over how best to prevent teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/education/03abstinence.html?hpw
Sex reassignment now tax deductible. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update, Feb. 3, 2010. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24875
Health Care Reform
Democrats Ask, Can Health Care Bill Be Saved? By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. WASHINGTON — For a moment, President Obama’s pledge to keep fighting for major health care legislation got personal on Thursday night as he told supporters at a fund-raiser about a former campaign worker in St. Louis without health insurance who had died of breast cancer. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/health/policy/06health.html?th&emc=th
Chicago Tribune Editorial: A disastrous decision. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 4, 2010. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a sound law passed by the General Assembly in 2005 to protect health care in this state. The court threw out a sound law that has worked. The court threw out a sound law and essentially told the state's lawmakers: Don't even bother to try this again. This is a disastrous decision. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-medmal-20100204,0,7053930,full.story
Illinois Court Overturns Malpractice Statute By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/us/05malpractice.html?th&emc=th
GOP BASHING
Of course, we now know what Shelby wants. Later in the day, his office released a statement indicating that the primary motivation for Shelby's hostage taking was his desire to see the Pentagon's aerial refueling tanker contract go to the European aerospace giant EADS instead of the American firm Boeing. Shelby wants EADS to get the contract because some of manufacturing work would be done in his home state of Alabama. It's stunning that a senator would be willing to shut down the process of confirming administration appointees simply to help a foreign firm win a military contract. But it's also amazing that Mitch McConnell, the GOP's leader in the Senate, carried Shelby's water without understanding what Shelby was up to or trying to accomplish. By blindly doing Shelby's bidding, McConnell placed political power above principle, abdicating any potential claim to the moral high ground on Senate procedure. He's given the Democratic Party a huge opening not just to put Republicans on defense, but to reform Senate rules. They must take advantage of it.
McConnell carries Shelby's water by Jed Lewison. Copyright by DailyKos.com. Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:50:32 AM PST. In a little over 30 seconds on the Senate floor yesterday, Republican leader Mitch McConnell demonstrated everything that's broken in the United States Senate. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/2/5/834168/-McConnell-carries-Shelbys-water
The Shelby Opening by Dylan Loewe. Copyright by The Huffington P{ost. Posted: February 5, 2010 01:19 AM. Last month, the Pew Research Center released a poll that found that only 26 percent of respondents know that 60 votes are required to break a filibuster. No wonder Democratic complaints about Republican obstructionists have thus far failed to catch fire. It's just not all that easy to have a national conversation on the topic when three fourths of the country is in the dark about the process. But all of that can change after today. Congress Daily reports that Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has placed a "blanket hold" on at least 70 of President Obama's nominations until he receives over $40 billion worth of earmarks for his state. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-loewe/the-shelby-opening_b_450484.html
Fiscal Scare Tactics By PAUL KRUGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. These days it’s hard to pick up a newspaper or turn on a news program without encountering stern warnings about the federal budget deficit. The deficit threatens economic recovery, we’re told; it puts American economic stability at risk; it will undermine our influence in the world. These claims generally aren’t stated as opinions, as views held by some analysts but disputed by others. Instead, they’re reported as if they were facts, plain and simple. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05krugman.html?th&emc=th
John McCain, no more the iconoclast By Dana Milbank. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010. I miss John McCain. I miss the McCain I sat with on a flight from San Diego to Phoenix back in 1999, when he defended his oft-ridiculed belief that campaign finance was the most important issue in America: because the corrupting influence of money in politics was preventing all other issues -- taxes, abortion, you name it -- from being solved. A couple of weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that gutted the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance legislation, essentially destroying the cause that had been so dear to McCain. His response: Whatever. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404307.html
CIA Man Retracts Claim on Waterboarding - A study in "enhanced reporting techniques." BY JEFF STEIN. Copyright by Foreign Policy Magazine. JANUARY 26, 2010. Well, it's official now: John Kiriakou, the former CIA operative who affirmed claims that waterboarding quickly unloosed the tongues of hard-core terrorists, says he didn't know what he was talking about. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/26/cia_man_retracts_claim_on_waterboarding
Palin, Visible and Vocal, Is Positioned for Variety of Roles By MARK LEIBOVICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010... Her growing cast of advisers and support system could be working in the service of any number of goals: a presidential run, a de facto role as the leader of the Tea Party movement, a lucrative career as a roving media entity — or all of the above. Ms. Palin represents a new breed of unelected public figures operating in an environment in which politics, news media and celebrity are fused as never before. Whether she ever runs for anything else, Ms. Palin has already achieved a status that has become an end in itself: access to an electronic bully pulpit, a staff to guide her, an enormous income and none of the bother or accountability of having to govern or campaign for office. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/us/politics/06palin.html?th&emc=th
Wedge issues threaten Tea Party unity By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 5 2010 19:23 | Last updated: February 5 2010 19:23 http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/wedge-issues-threaten-tea-party-unity.html
G.O.P. Group to Promote Conservative Ideas By JACKIE CALMES. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/politics/04conservative.html?th&emc=th
'Tea party' leaders to unveil national strategy for grass-roots organizing By Philip Rucker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010; 1:19 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020501694.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
The Economy
Labor Market Shows Signs of Rebirth in New Data By PETER S. GOODMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 5, 2010. The unemployment rate unexpectedly dipped to 9.7 percent in January, from 10 percent in December, the government reported Friday, buoying hopes that the worst job market in at least a quarter-century is finally improving. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/business/economy/06jobs.html?th&emc=th
US retailers boosted by stronger January By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 14:56 | Last updated: February 4 2010 14:56. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-retailers-boosted-by-stronger.html
Sovereign debt fears rattle investors By Robert Budden. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 4 2010 08:55 | Last updated: February 4 2010 16:53 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a37ab63c-1166-11df-9195-00144feab49a.html
Blankfein to get $9m stock bonus By Justin Baer and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. Published: February 5 2010 22:26 | Last updated: February 5 2010 23:49. Goldman Sachs on Friday took a dramatic step to stem the public backlash against its compensation practices, awarding chief executive Lloyd Blankfein a $9m stock bonus for 2009, far lower than his payouts during the boom years that preceded the financial crisis. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/blankfein-to-get-9m-stock-bonus.html
Your Money
Dodd Denounces Pace of Banking Overhaul - Christopher J. Dodd, head of the Senate Banking Committee, greeted Barry L. Zubrow of JPMorgan before he testified Thursday. By SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/business/05regulate.html?hpw
Five myths about America's credit card debt By Robert D. Manning. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, January 31, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902504.html
Housing
Chicago foreclosures soar in 4th quarter - And more to come, data predict By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. 5:00 a.m. CST, February 4, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-chicago-foreclosures-fourth-quarter-feb04,0,5719250.story
Energy
Washington Post Editorial: Interior Secretary should allow wind farm to proceed. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, February 5, 2010. LAST MONTH, the Energy Department released a study concluding that wind turbines could power 20 percent of the eastern electric grid by 2024. But if the nearly decade-long fight over a relatively small wind farm off Cape Cod is any indication, a big obstacle will be extreme not-in-my-back-yard-ism. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404422.html
Is the $1,500 tax credit for each product? Each year? Each person? http://energystar.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/energystar.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=5595&p_created=1236876860
Travel
10 most-asked traveler questions -From rental damage to resort fees to bereavement fares, the Travel Troubleshooter has answers to travelers' most often asked questions. By Christopher Elliott. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 4, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-troubleshooter-questions-story,0,2351945,full.story
36 Hours in Istanbul By JENNIFER CONLIN. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: February 7, 2010 http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/travel/07hours.html?hpw
GLBT
“History was made on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. More than 16 years after their predecessors helped impose the odious “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the nation’s two top defense officials called on Congress to repeal the law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The principled courage of the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a major step forward for civil rights.” New York Times Editorial
New York Times Editorial: Equality in the Military. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/opinion/03wed1.html?th&emc=th
Washington Post Editorial: Repeal the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, February 1, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/31/AR2010013101870.html
Gays in military: A question of integrity BY SIX FOOT SKINNY. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. February 6, 2010 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2032623,CST-EDT-open07a.article
Pentagon supports ending 'don't ask, don't tell' law for gays in military By Craig Whitlock and Greg Jaffe. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, February 3, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020200251.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
About face: Powell backs DADT repeal. Copyright by The Windy City Times. News update, Feb. 3, 2010 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=24815
February 3, 2010: A Few Gay Men & Women http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-3-2010/a-few-gay-men---women
Hermaphrodites Can't Be Gay http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/263284/february-04-2010/hermaphrodites-can-t-be-gay
How to change 'don't ask, don't tell' Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, February 7, 2010. The Post asked pollsters and others to explain the politics of changing the ban on gays serving openly. Below are responses from Scott Keeter, Ed Rogers, Dan Schnur, Michael Buonocore, Douglas E. Schoen and Sue Fulton. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/05/AR2010020501926.html
Forces Pushing Obama on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ By ELISABETH BUMILLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: January 31, 2010. WASHINGTON — President Obama and top Pentagon officials met repeatedly over the past year about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the law that bans openly gay members of the military. But it was in Oval Office strategy sessions to review court cases challenging the ban — ones that could reach the Supreme Court — that Mr. Obama faced the fact that if he did not change the policy, his administration would be forced to defend publicly the constitutionality of a law he had long opposed. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/us/politics/01military.html?th&emc=th
It's time for taps for don't ask, don't tell By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 5, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0207-page-20100205,0,4612657.column
Shame on John McCain....Copyright by John Mixner. Feb 1 2010. John-McCain Just as the President is beginning to show serious leadership and courage on DADT, Senator John McCain of Arizona has announced he will lead the change against repeal. The senator knows better and we all know that he knows better. Most likely in the "Hanoi Hilton" there were gay prisoners of war being tortured with the senator. McCain most certainly has served with men and women he knew were gay and witnessed them serving with distinction. And there is no question in my mind that the senator really doesn't believe that the morale of the United States military is so low that allowing open members of the LGBT community to serve would make this nation weak. http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/02/shame-on-john-mccain.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29
Defending the Long Gay Line By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 2, 2010...Before Admiral Mullen and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates even made their opening statements, John McCain went on the attack against overturning the policy. Noting that gays and lesbians had served “admirably” and even given their lives, he said: “I honor their sacrifice, and I honor them.” Just as long as they deny their identity and pretend to be something they’re not. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/opinion/03dowd.html?th&emc=th
'Marriage' benefits costly for gay couples - Heterosexuals are protected by $40 license, but wills and legal safeguards for same-sex couples cost thousands By Rex W. Huppke Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. January 18, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-gays-pay-more-18-jan18,0,2205178.story
Gay Marriage Puts Mexico City at Center of Debate By ELISABETH MALKIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?ref=global-home
LEGALLY SPEAKING - PROTECT YOUR LOVER BY MAKING YOUR WILL by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. February 4-10, 2010 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml
Weather
Capital Is Crippled as Blizzard Continues By LIZ ROBBINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 6, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/us/07storm.html?hpw
Technology
“Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator. Its products are lampooned, often unfairly but sometimes with good reason. Its image has never recovered from the antitrust prosecution of the 1990s. Its marketing has been inept for years; remember the 2008 ad in which Bill Gates was somehow persuaded to literally wiggle his behind at the camera?” DICK BRASS
Microsoft’s Creative Destruction By DICK BRASS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: February 4, 2010. AS they marvel at Apple’s new iPad tablet computer, the technorati seem to be focusing on where this leaves Amazon’s popular e-book business. But the much more important question is why Microsoft, America’s most famous and prosperous technology company, no longer brings us the future, whether it’s tablet computers like the iPad, e-books like Amazon’s Kindle, smartphones like the BlackBerry and iPhone, search engines like Google, digital music systems like iPod and iTunes or popular Web services like Facebook and Twitter. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/opinion/04brass.html?th&emc=th
Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks By Ellen Nakashima. COPYRIGHT BY THE WASHINGTON POST. Thursday, February 4, 2010 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304057.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
Justice Dept. Criticizes Latest Google Book Deal By MIGUEL HELFT. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 4, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/technology/internet/05publish.html?hpw
AT&T's iPhone Mess - The iPhone has swamped AT&T's data network and sparked a consumer rebellion. What can Ma Bell do? By Roben Farzad. Copyright by Business World. February 3, 2010, 11:00PM EST http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_07/b4166034389519.htm?%20campaign_id=widget_topStories
AT&T Gives Green Light to Sling TV Over 3G By BRAD STONE. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. February 4, 2010, 8:00 AM. Remember the Great Sling Spat? A year ago, Sling Media, a subsidiary of EchoStar, introduced a nifty application for the Apple iPhone that allowed users with a Slingbox at home to watch and control their home television signal from their handsets. The only problem: AT&T said that such a bandwidth-intensive video service would overwhelm its network, so it limited the application to work only over an iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection. TV lovers and techies worldwide cried out in anguish. But all that is about to change. AT&T announced Thursday morning that it will now allow the SlingPlayer iPhone app to stream live over its 3G network. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/att-gives-green-light-to-sling-tv-over-3g/?hpw
The Pluses, and Oddities, of 3-D TV By JOHN BIGGS. COPYRIGHT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: February 3, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?hpw
Entertainment
The Ad....you won't be seeing... Sean James and Al Joyner respond to the Tebow Super Bowl ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utcxpuHF7jg
A Super Bowl ad too far? Straights can take it By Kevin Huffman. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, February 6, 2010. On Sunday, as I hunker down with family and friends for the Super Bowl, I can rest easy knowing that CBS is working hard to defend my heterosexual sensitivities. On the surface, heterosexuality doesn't seem like a particularly distinctive trait or one in need of broad institutional protections, but many seem to believe that we heterosexuals are delicate souls. The media, the government, the military -- all are ready to head off potential sightings of gay people. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020403562.html
Other
Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly go toe-to-toe on Fox News By Matea Gold. Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune. February 3, 2010 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-100203-jon-stewart-bill-oreilly-interview,0,4886818.story
Jon Stewart on Bill O’Reilly: Watch Jon Stewart O’Reilly Factor Interview (Video) http://tv.popcrunch.com/jon-stewart-on-bill-oreilly-watch-jon-stewart-oreilly-factor-interview-video/
February 4, 2010: The Blogs Must Be Crazy http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-february-4-2010/the-blogs-must-be-crazy
Humor
WEAKLY HUMERUS NEWS 02-06-10 AIMED AT YOUR FUNNY BONE http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/weakly-humerus-news-02-06-10-aimed-at.html
February 3, 2010: Male Inequality http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-3-2010/male-inequality
Are ya thursty? Best Guinness Commercial EVER! (THIS IS AN R RATED ADD, IT MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSSSfYE2dQ&feature=email
SCAM ALERT http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2010/02/scam-alert.html
I am on a cast and receiving ultrasonic stimulation for bone regeneration. My cast will come off February 8th, just in time for our trip to Paris February 15th. Thanks to all who prayed and helped take care of me.
Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.
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
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” The book is out. you can buy it at: http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=a0b517e687814469f8153c5070d69f99
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