World discovers it is still breathing Newsletter - May 9, 2009

World discovers it is still breathing Newsletter - May 9, 2009


“I don't want to go negative on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but he didn't pass an economic deal in the first 100 days. We have passed the largest Recovery Act in the history of the country.” Rahm Emanuel


Financial Times Editorial Comment: World discovers it is still breathing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 19:25 | Last updated: May 8 2009 19:25. The end of the world has been cancelled for now, if we are to believe recent market movements. Confidence is slowly returning to investors, who have discovered they are still alive after last http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a30c0260-3bfa-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Showing Hints of Improvement- In Poor Jobs Numbers, Hints of Improvement - Employment Losses Hit 6-Month Low By Neil Irwin and Annys Shin. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, May 9, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050800394.html?hpid=topnews

Fine Line for Obama on How to Convey Hope on Economy By DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/business/economy/09assess.html?th&emc=th

US retailers show signs of life- More than a dozen retailers raise earnings guidance By Jonathan Birchall and Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 15:38 | Last updated: May 7 2009 16:44 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96a9b01e-3b12-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

US services show signs of life By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 5 2009 16:23 | Last updated: May 5 2009 16:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad22b004-3985-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html

Hopes for end to inventory cuts grow By Richard Milne in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 22:39 | Last updated: May 4 2009 22:56. European companies are hailing a possible end of the vicious round of cuts in inventory levels as a sign that customer demand could be stabilising despite the ongoing global recession. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad5805b6-38d0-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Bright Spot in Downturn: New Hiring Is Robust By STEVEN GREENHOUSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 5, 2009. Everyone knows the grim news — unemployment in the United States has jumped to 8.5 percent, a 25-year high, and is racing toward double digits. Since November, the nation has lost more than three million jobs. But not everyone knows the brighter side to the equation: deep in the maw of the deepest recession since the Great Depression, millions are still being hired. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/business/economy/06hire.html?th&emc=th

Obama’s ‘apologies’ are a strength By Gideon Rachman. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 19:12 | Last updated: May 4 2009 21:07 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03f8b64a-38d6-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Obama’s secret: Muppets, motherhood and apple pie By Chrystia Freeland. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 16:02 | Last updated: May 8 2009 16:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9cab58f8-3bff-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Billionaire Warren Buffett says US government is taking the right steps to help economy JOSH FUNK. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 12:54 AM CDT, May 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-berkshire-shareholders,0,3576298.story





International

Czechs clear way for Lisbon treaty By Tony Barber in Prague. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 16:21 | Last updated: May 6 2009 16:21. The upper house of the Czech parliament on Wednesday approved the European Union’s Lisbon treaty by a convincing majority, increasing the chances that long-awaited institutional reforms in the 27-nation bloc will come into effect on January 1, 2010. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6ba9b0be-3a4d-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Data boost hope Germany out of ‘freefall’ By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 12:20 | Last updated: May 8 2009 18:06. Germany’s rapid economic contraction is coming to an end, industrial production and export data signalled on Friday, raising hopes that Europe’s largest economy is back on a more stable footing. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b27d5092-3bbd-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Berlin landmark KaDeWe store considers the unthinkable - The 102-year-old Kaufhaus des Westens department store has put itself up for sale. As if that weren't horrifying enough to some Germans, it also says it's open to foreign offers. By Henry Chu. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-germany-store3-2009may03,0,3257458.story

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Fighting recession in the eurozone. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 18:51 | Last updated: May 7 2009 18:51 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e14afb6-3b2e-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

ECB unveils measures to fight recession By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt and David Oakley in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 12:46 | Last updated: May 7 2009 14:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/287034fc-3aee-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Impairments rise at Barclays and Lloyds By Adam Jones. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 07:59 | Last updated: May 7 2009 15:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d2406566-3acf-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Icy winds threaten US-Russia thaw By Charles Clover and James Blitz. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 22:46 | Last updated: May 8 2009 22:46. A nagging question still bedevils Washington watchers in Moscow: was it really just an accidental mis translation? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f3edbc88-3c17-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Georgia accuses Russia of coup plot By Isabel Gorst in Moscow. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 5 2009 09:53 | Last updated: May 5 2009 11:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/75c532b4-3951-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html

European Union Signs a Pact on a Pipeline for Gas From the Caspian Sea By DAN BILEFSKY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/world/europe/09prague.html?ref=global-home

China

India and China data fuel rise in optimism By James Lamont in New Delhi, Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Kevin Brown in Hong Kong. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. India’s manufacturing sector grew in April for the first time in five months, spurring hopes of an end to falling growth estimates and contracting exports. Meanwhile, the purchasing managers’ index for Chinese manufacturing published by CLSA, the Hong Kong-based brokerage, rose to 50.1 in April from 44.8 a month earlier, signalling an expansion in factory output for the first time in nine months Published: May 4 2009 17:33 | Last updated: May 4 2009 17:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ea66a5a-38c6-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Antitrust in China. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 19:00 | Last updated: May 4 2009 19:00. China has given notice that it will not tolerate abuse of monopoly power, in industry if not in politics. Since it enacted an antitrust law last August, the Ministry of Commerce has made three important rulings. In the latest, it imposed restrictions on the $1.6bn takeover by Japan’s Mitsubishi Rayon of the UK’s Lucite International, forcing the latter to sell half of its production of one polymer at cost. In March, it rejected Coca-Cola’s planned $2.4bn takeover of Huiyuan, a Chinese juicemaker, in a ruling that surprised many lawyers. Before that, it had imposed restrictions on InBev’s $52bn acquisition of Anheuser-Busch even though, like Mitsubishi/Lucite, it was a global transaction with only secondary implications for China. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7236f86-38d4-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

China says 5,335 students died in last year's quake - The Communist government had resisted releasing the figure. Activists say it appears to be too little and too late. By Barbara Demick. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. 6:33 AM CDT, May 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-quake-china8-2009may08,0,3829974.story




Mess-o-potamia

Pope, Hope in Hand, Arrives in Mideast By RACHEL DONADIO. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 8, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/world/middleeast/09pope.html?hp

Civilian Deaths Imperil Support for Afghan War By CARLOTTA GALL and TAIMOOR SHAH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/world/asia/07afghan.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: Still Unfinished Business. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: May 3, 2009. President Obama has correctly refocused American attention on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the real front in the war on terror. But the recent surge in bombings is an alarming reminder of all of the unfinished business from President Bush’s unnecessary war in Iraq. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/opinion/04mon1.html?ref=global

Porous Border With Pakistan Could Hinder U.S. Troops By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/world/asia/05fighter.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Obama holds talks with Zardari and Karzai By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington and Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 09:22 | Last updated: May 7 2009 09:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/84b2f7c6-3a13-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Pakistan Pounds Taliban, Swelling the Tide of Refugees By DEXTER FILKINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Strife in Pakistan Raises U.S. Doubts Over Nuclear Arms By DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/world/asia/04nuke.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Israel Faces a Hard Sell in Bid to Shift Policy By ETHAN BRONNER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/world/middleeast/04israel.html?th&emc=th



National

Obama to Speak From Egypt in Address to Muslim World By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/world/middleeast/09prexy.html?scp=1&sq=obama%20to%20speak%20in%20cairo&st=cse

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Level the field for tax competition. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 5 2009 19:33 | Last updated: May 5 2009 19:33. I n moving to close some of the loopholes in the porous US tax code, President Barack Obama has taken on mightier forces than a retreating Republican party. Multinational companies, which will see their foreign earnings taxed more heavily, have dispatched a battalion of lobbyists to fight the plan. Mr Obama should not let this deter him: the proposals are a step in the right direction. They do little, however, to address the fundamental challenges of international taxation.... Mr Obama’s tax battle, if he is serious, has barely begun. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4541e17e-399b-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html

Washington Post Editorial: Corporate Tax Reform - The president's tax plan can be the start of an important discussion. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 5, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/04/AR2009050403256.html

New York times Editorial: Tax Salvos. Copyright by The New York times. Published: May 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/opinion/05tue1.html?ref=global

Obama takes aim at US multinationals By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 17:10 | Last updated: May 4 2009 17:10 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/412f2784-38b7-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Obama squares up to corporate America By Edward Luce and Tom Braithwaite in Washington and, Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 5 2009 03:00 | Last updated: May 5 2009 03:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/79255bee-390d-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.ht

Obama’s tax reforms anger “haven” countries By Vanessa Houlder in London and Michael Steen in Amsterdam. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 5 2009 21:35 | Last updated: May 5 2009 21:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ea9301ac-39b0-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html

Obama’s budget knife set to cut $17bn By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 01:32 | Last updated: May 7 2009 01:32 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/90dbf0d2-3a9c-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Firefighters Struggle to Contain Calif. Blaze By REBECCA CATHCART. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/us/09fire.html?hp

Statue of Liberty’s Crown Will Reopen July 4 By Sewell Chan. Copyright by The New York Times. May 8, 2009 http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/statue-of-libertys-crown-will-reopen-july-4/?hp




GOP Whacking


Republicans all at sea as party sinks By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 3 2009 19:29 | Last updated: May 3 2009 19:29. How much trouble is the Republican party in? Plenty. Compounding its recent miseries, too numerous to mention, Arlen Specter, the independent-minded senator for Pennsylvania, has gone over to the other side. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/deed710a-380e-11de-9211-00144feabdc0.html

How Character Corrodes By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 2, 2009. WASHINGTON. How quaint. The Republicans are concerned about checks and balances. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/opinion/03dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Interrogation Debate Sharply Divided Bush White House By MARK MAZZETTI and SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/us/politics/04detain.html?th&emc=th

4th-Grader Questions Rice on Waterboarding -Ex-Secretary of State Stresses Legality By Alec MacGillis. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, May 4, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/03/AR2009050301739.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

New York Times Editorial: The Torture Debate: The Missing Voices. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 6, 2009. Last month’s release of memos prepared by the Bush Justice Department and the disclosure of a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross on the brutal treatment of detainees expanded public knowledge of an ignominious chapter in the nation’s history. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/opinion/07thu1.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: The Torture Debate: The Lawyers. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 6, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/opinion/07thu2.html?th&emc=th

Torture video hits UAE nuclear deal By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Andrew England in Abu Dhabi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 20:05 | Last updated: May 4 2009 20:05. Torture allegations against a member the United Arab Emirates’ ruling family threaten to complicate a nuclear deal between the US and the Gulf state. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cede205a-38ce-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

The Patriot Act, At Work... http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/5050332/

Washington Post Editorial: Fairness in the Torture Probe - Why the Justice Department should embrace disclosure in its investigation of Bush administration legal advice. Saturday, May 9, 2009. Copyright by The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050803733.html

Colin Powell/Rush Limbaugh War Rages On By David Knowles. Copyright by Politicsdaily.com. Posted: 05/7/09. In the circular firing squad known as the Republican party, the two-man skirmish between former Secretary of State Colin Powell and GOP strategist Rush Limbaugh shows no signs of abating any time soon. Their rhetorical battle intensified yesterday, when an incensed Limbaugh told Powell he should just make it official, join "Benedict Arlen" and switch over to the Democratic Party: "http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/05/07/colin-powell-rush-limbaugh-war-rages-on/

Cheney: Mistake for GOP to 'moderate' - Cheney said the GOP needs to hold onto its principles By Alexander Mooney. Copyright by CNN News. Posted: 09:04 AM ET http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Subprime lobbyists in $370m battle By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 05:02 | Last updated: May 6 2009 05:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab5cf9aa-39b7-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html

Few escape blame over subprime explosion By Edward Luce. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 05:02 | Last updated: May 6 2009 05:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d2c749a-39d9-11de-b82d-00144feabdc0.html




Chicagoland

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Todd Stroger's decision. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 8, 2009. Imagine you're Todd Stroger and, as 2010 menacingly approaches, this is your life: Your erratic governing style as Cook County Board president, with no core message beyond bizarre personnel moves and chronic defensiveness, has left you all but alone. Many Democratic committeemen are murmuring to one another that voters in their wards and townships can't wait to hoist you out of office next year. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0508edit1may08,0,6352364.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Stroger should skip veto of sales tax repeal, manage better. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 7, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1562934,CST-EDT-edit07.article

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Deep deficit demands permanent tax courage. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1564187,CST-EDT-edit08a.article

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Despite Drew outrage, rule of law must be upheld. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 9, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1565584,CST-EDT-edit10.article

Giannoulias chief of staff gearing up to replace treasurer if he wins Senate nod BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 4, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1556478,CST-EDT-laura04.article



Your Lack of Money

Social Security Benefits Not Expected to Rise in ’10 By ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/us/politics/03benefits.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

US jobless rate reaches 8.9% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 14:11 | Last updated: May 8 2009 16:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8d75e86a-3b5c-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Testing times for Geithner’s plans. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 19:14 | Last updated: May 6 2009 19:14. Some US banks are walking wounded. Some are the living dead. A full 21 months into the credit crisis, investors are still unclear about which banks are which. The banking system cannot function without confidence. So, Tim Geithner, the US Treasury secretary, is fighting chronic uncertainty with transparency. The results of the “stress tests”, an exercise to identify undercapitalised banks so the government can make sure they have enough capital to recover, will be announced on Thursday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6d7580a2-3a67-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Billions required to bolster US banks - Shares jump as gaps appear manageable By Francesco Guerrera and Greg Farrell in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 19:28 | Last updated: May 7 2009 01:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b7c50d96-3a6a-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Bernanke: Stress tests could pave way for further intervention By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 17:01 | Last updated: May 7 2009 17:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e233f764-3b18-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.htm

How banks learnt to play the system By John Gapper. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 20:02 | Last updated: May 6 2009 20:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/960a15d0-3a6e-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Wells and M Stanley raise new capital. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. John Mack, Morgan Stanley’s chief executive, has said the bank would like to repay Tarp funds as soon as possible. Published: May 8 2009 16:18 | Last updated: May 8 2009 16:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/963b0ad2-3be0-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

JPMorgan faces SEC lawsuit By Aline van Duyn and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 23:52 | Last updated: May 8 2009 23:52 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c2e1fd2-3c1e-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Fannie Mae taps Treasury for further $19bn By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 15:04 | Last updated: May 8 2009 15:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e516384-3bd3-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: A Lazarus option. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 19:21 | Last updated: May 7 2009 19:21. Sergio Marchionne’s racy bid to take control of GM Europe and put it with Fiat Auto and Chrysler to create the world’s joint second biggest carmaker is the corporate equivalent of accelerating from 0-60mph in under five seconds. The history of putting car companies together is littered with models that did not work, but the sector has little choice but to consolidate. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5b3220d6-3b2e-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Judge rejects opposition to Chrysler sale By Nicole Bullock in New York and Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 07:34 | Last updated: May 6 2009 07:34 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b451539e-3a07-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Chrysler lenders end fight for better terms By Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 23:29 | Last updated: May 8 2009 23:29 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c051dfde-3c1d-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

GM posts $6bn loss as bankruptcy looms - Carmaker burns through $10.2bn in cash By Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 13:12 | Last updated: May 7 2009 17:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7053ff16-3afc-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Toyota falls to first annual loss in years By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 07:21 | Last updated: May 8 2009 12:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54e38034-3b93-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Porsche and VW agree merger By Daniel Schäfer in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 19:22 | Last updated: May 7 2009 00:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ddecbd20-3a65-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Filene's Basement files Ch. 11. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 8:16 AM CDT, May 4, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-filene-bankruptcy-may04,0,5753778.story



Commodities

Financial Times Editorial Comment: As good as gold. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 8 2009 19:30 | Last updated: May 8 2009 19:30. In Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film, the dastardly Auric Goldfinger planned to make the US government’s gold reserves worthlessly radioactive by detonating an atomic device in the vaults at Fort Knox. This was intended to make Goldfinger’s personal bullion stash 10 times more valuable. Frankly, his investment strategy was needlessly complex. This supervillain should have followed a more time-tested mantra: buy and hold. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/99c7813e-3bfa-11de-acbc-00144feabdc0.html

Gold sales cost Europe’s central banks $40bn - Swiss National Bank biggest loser By Javier Blas in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 23:31 | Last updated: May 7 2009 08:55 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/433a92b4-3a67-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Dollar and yen rally as havens are sought By Johanna Kassel. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 11:32 | Last updated: May 6 2009 11:32 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38cce0ca-3a26-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html




Housing

New report bolsters US housing hopes By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 4 2009 16:32 | Last updated: May 4 2009 16:32 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d73f4f0e-38be-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

US mortgage cuts offer spending boost By Saskia Scholtes and Chrystia Freeland in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 3 2009 22:36 | Last updated: May 3 2009 22:36 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d586a694-3828-11de-9211-00144feabdc0.html

Where Home Prices Crashed Early, Signs of a Rebound By DAVID STREITFELD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 4, 2009. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03f8b64a-38d6-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago-area home sales fall 26% in first quarter. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 10:12 AM CDT, May 8, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-chicago-home-sales-may8,0,1935339.story

Senate bill gives freer hand to mortgage market By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 01:28 | Last updated: May 7 2009 01:28 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7842914-3a93-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html


GLBT

Gay rights after the first one hundred days of the Obama Presidency. By Carlos T Mock, MD. May 7, 2009 http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/05/gay-rights-after-first-one-hundred-days.html

As Gay Issues Arise, Obama Is Pressed to Engage By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/us/politics/07obama.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Legalize civil unions here. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 8, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1564186,CST-EDT-edit08.article

Daily Herald Editorial: Civil unions, now, in Illinois. Copyright by The Daily Herald Editorial Board. Published: 5/8/2009 12:03 AM. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=292111&src=

ILLINOIS CLERGY URGE PASSAGE OF CIVIL UNION BILL SPRINGFIELD, IL - More than 150 clergy signed a letter urging the Illinois House of Representatives to pass a civil union bill which would give recognition and legal protections to same-sex couples. The clergy represent a variety of mainstream denominations throughout the State of Illinois and the letter was organized by Allied for Equality a joint project of Equality Illinois and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG). http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/05/illinois-clergy-urge-passage-of-civil.html

Maine Becomes 5th State to Allow Same-Sex Marriage By GLENN ADAMS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Wednesday, May 6, 2009; 1:04 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050601681.html?hpid=topnews

New York Times Editorial: ‘This Is a Question of Fairness’. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 7, 2009. It is by no means a fast and easy path, but the cause of same-sex marriage is moving forward — proof that justice can triumph over wedge politics and prejudice. It happened this week in Maine and New Hampshire, where both states’ legislatures voted to legalize same-sex marriage and promptly put the final say to their governors. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/opinion/08fri4.html?ref=opinion

Same-sex marriages gradually gain legal ground - Even in states that don't allow gay marriage, court decisions on child custody, divorce and other issues are giving incremental rights to same-sex couples. By Carol J. Williams. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 4, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-gay-marriage-law4-2009may04,0,4246217.story

Dems: Opportunity as gay marriage acceptance grows By Liz Sidoti. Copyright by The Associated Press. May 6, 2009. WASHINGTON—Gay marriage legalization in several states and the public’s growing acceptance of same-sex unions have Democrats sensing political opportunity and some Republicans re-evaluating their party’s hard-line opposition to an issue that long has rallied its base. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3458

New York times Editorial: Matthew Shepard Act. Copyright by The New York times. Published: May 5, 2009. After years of unconscionable delay, the House has approved legislation that would, for the first time, extend federal hate-crimes law to give substantive coverage to gay people. The act would be an important step forward in protecting all minorities from violence and a tribute to a young man whose life was cut short by bigotry. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/opinion/06wed3.html?th&emc=th

Hate and a Question of Rights By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 3, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050102827.html

Chicago Free Press Editorial: They can’t deny it any longer. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. May 6, 2009. A North Carolina Congresswoman had to take back her choice of words last week, after referring to Matthew Shepard’s murder as a hoax during debate on the hate crimes legislation that ultimately passed the House. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3461

Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Barry's Ugly Words - The D.C. Council member chose politics over principle in a vote against recognizing same-sex marriages. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, May 9, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050803544.html

Uproar in D.C. as Same-Sex Marriage Gains By Tim Craig. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 6, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050501618.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

‘Crack mayor’ sniffs at gay marriage By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. Originally posted: May 8, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/05/crack-mayor-sniffs-at-gay-marriage.html

REACHING A PROPERTY AGREEMENT: THE LGBT DIVORCE by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. May 7-13, 2009 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml

For Gay Couples, Obstacles to Health Insurance By WALECIA KONRAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009. “It’s not easy being gay,” said Mary Jo Hudson, director of the Ohio Department of Insurance. She wasn’t referring to political opposition and other obstacles, but the plight of same-sex couples who are trying to get and keep health insurance. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/health/09patient.html?_r=1&hp

Vernita Gray: Fighting for 40 years by Paul Marinkovich. 2009-05-06. Copyright by The Windy City Times http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21065

Midlife crisis #261: A Catholic Taste By St. Sukie de la Croix. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. May 6, 2009. This latest spat between differing factions within the Roman Catholic Church may prove to be the beginning of the end for this bizarre Mediterranean Christian cult lead by men in bad drag. The Vatican, aka “HQ of the Holy Church of Child-Rapists,” has ordered a probe into the doings of American nuns, claiming they are soft on homosexuality. The New Catholic Reporter writes that Cardinal Joseph Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has concluded that U.S. nuns are not teaching the church’s doctrine on homosexuality. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3469



Immigration

New York Times Editorial: A Shift on Immigration Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 2, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/opinion/03sun1.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Immigration laws get dose of sanity. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 6, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1559899,CST-EDT-edit06b.article

Buying Time on Immigration By E.J. Dionne Jr. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, May 4, 2009. On many questions, President Obama's approach is full speed ahead. On immigration reform, he prefers to take things one step at a time. There really is no alternative. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/03/AR2009050301848.html



Technical

Encyclopedic Knowledge, Then vs. Now By RANDALL STROSS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 2, 2009. THIS is the end of the line for Encarta, the encyclopedia that Microsoft introduced in 1993 and still describes boastfully on its Web site as “the No. 1 best-selling encyclopedia software brand for the past eight years.” Microsoft recently announced that sales would soon cease and that the Encarta Web site, supported by advertising, would be shut down later this year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/business/03digi.html?scp=1&sq=Encyclopedic%20Knowledge,%20Then%20vs.%20Now&st=cse

Apple’s Popular Electronic Playground By SETH SCHIESEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/arts/television/09phon.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Board Ties at Apple and Google Are Scrutinized By MIGUEL HELFT and BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/technology/companies/05apple.html?th&emc=th


Medical

WHO considers flu alert overhaul - Agency facing growing criticism for provoking alarm By Andrew Jack in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 7 2009 15:42 | Last updated: May 7 2009 15:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e89de9ea-3b11-11de-ba91-00144feabdc0.html

Flu? What Flu? By ELISABETH MALKIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 8, 2009. MEXICO CITY — If you are looking for a cheap travel destination, try Mexico. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/business/global/09peso.html?ref=global-home

Schumer Offers Middle Ground on Health Care By ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 5, 2009. WASHINGTON — In an effort to defuse the most explosive issue in the debate over comprehensive health care legislation, a top Senate Democrat has proposed that any new government-run insurance program comply with all the rules and standards that apply to private insurance. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/03f8b64a-38d6-11de-8cfe-00144feabdc0.html




Other

Judy Blume embroiled in Planned Parenthood controversy - Agency's fundraising push includes letter from famed author By Colleen Mastony. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 9, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-blumemay09,0,4908644.story

Boston Globe deal averts shutdown By Kenneth Li in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 6 2009 13:44 | Last updated: May 6 2009 13:44 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3c6ef30e-3a39-11de-8a2d-00144feabdc0.html

Supreme Court wants new look at 'wardrobe malfunction' By Bill Mears. Copyright by CNN News. updated 4:14 p.m. EDT, Mon May 4, 2009. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The case of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" on national television -- and subsequent fines against CBS -- will be re-examined at the order of the Supreme Court. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson perform at the Super Bowl just before the infamous "wardrobe malfunction." http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/04/us.scotus.jjackson/index.html




Humor

Harry Enfield - Women know your limits http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU


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



In Pride (orgullo),


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

The first 100 days Newsletter - May 2, 2009

The first 100 days Newsletter - May 2, 2009

“Obama was celebrating his first 100 days in office. George Bush was president for eight years and never spent close to 100 days in office.”  Jay Leno

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obama’s hundred days of ambition. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 29 2009 19:00 | Last updated: April 29 2009 19:00. Barack Obama’s presidency is off to an impressive start. Far from seeming daunted by the economic conditions he inherited from his predecessor, Mr Obama has maintained the posture, so familiar from his election campaign, of purposeful energy, steady calm and preternatural self-confidence. Polls say he continues to enjoy strong personal support. Although his policies are a little less widely admired, the country is behind him and wants him to succeed. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3c468b42-34e6-11de-940a-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: One Hundred. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 28, 2009. Crises, not days, is the first word that comes to mind when we think about the number 100 and Barack Obama’s presidency. The list of failed policies and urgent threats bequeathed to him by former President George W. Bush could easily be that long. In his first 14 weeks plus two days, President Obama has made a strong start at addressing many of the most critical ones. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/opinion/29wed1.html?_r=1&ref=global

Obama injects message of hope into 100-day speech. He uses a prime-time news conference to lay out the range of serious problems facing his administration and the nation, calling for patience and asserting again that 'America will see a better day.' By Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-obama-press30-2009apr30,0,7779358.story


International

“Over 100 countries agreed on a U. N. declaration to combat intolerance worldwide — unless it's aimed at Miss California.” Todd Long

North Korea threatens fresh nuclear tests By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 29 2009 09:36 | Last updated: April 29 2009 09:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2043629c-3498-11de-940a-00144feabdc0.html

Medvedev seen as potential spoiler to Putin By Charles Clover in Moscow. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 15:45 | Last updated: May 1 2009 17:12. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s growing political stature is increasing the possibility that he will stand for re-election in 2012 in spite of assumptions that those polls would see Vladimir Putin’s return, according to a top Kremlin adviser. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0e7c4672-363d-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone economic confidence rebounds By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 29 2009 11:04 | Last updated: April 29 2009 11:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/305f3ed8-349f-11de-940a-00144feabdc0.html

Deutsche Bank back in black By James Wilson in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 28 2009 07:51 | Last updated: April 28 2009 13:30. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a0a53386-33bf-11de-83af-00144feabdc0.html

Japan edges back into deflation By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 03:44 | Last updated: May 1 2009 08:38 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ba75d7c0-35f9-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

Japan predicts record fall in output By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 05:30 | Last updated: April 27 2009 19:24 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c4342f9c-32e2-11de-8116-00144feabdc0.html

May Day protests intensify in Europe By Peggy Hollinger and Esther Bintliff in Paris and Chris Bryant in Berlin. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 11:46 | Last updated: May 2 2009 00:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f852eec-363d-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html

Strong quake sways tall buildings, adds to swine flu anxiety in already-tense Mexico City By PAUL HAVEN. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 3:46 PM CDT, April 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-lt-mexico-earthquake,0,5205443.story



China

“The economy is bad. It's so bad, third graders in China are being forced to take second jobs.” Jay Leno

Chinese face rising cost of dying By Jamil Anderlini in Shanghai. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 18:37 | Last updated: April 27 2009 18:37. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cbc29a3c-3350-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html



Mess-o-potamia

“In a new interview, Iranian President Ahmadinejad complained Obama's not returning his messages. Hello — maybe he's just not that into you.”  Craig Ferguson

Second hardliner in Iran presidential race By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 15:43 | Last updated: April 30 2009 15:43. Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, has announced his intention to run for president, underlining the failure of Iran’s fundamentalists to reach a consensus candidate. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8e5cc668-3594-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

Pakistan Sends Troops Into District Taken by Taliban By CARLOTTA GALL. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/world/asia/29pstan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Baghdad Is Shaken by a Series of Bombs By SAM DAGHER and SUADAD AL-SALHY. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 29, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/world/middleeast/30iraq.html?_r=1&th&emc=th


National

“President Obama's budget was passed by the Democrats in Congress  Wednesday. It puts the country four trillion dollars in debt. It's hard to believe Nancy Reagan was nearly run out of the White House twenty-five years ago just for borrowing dresses.” Argus Hamilton

Congress approves $3,400bn budget By Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 03:06 | Last updated: April 30 2009 03:06. Congress on Wednesday passed a $3,400bn budget resolution that laid the foundation for healthcare reform and a series of other Democratic policy goals, handing President Barack Obama a key victory on his 100th day in office. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f7b025a-3524-11de-940a-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Prosecuting torture. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 20:28 | Last updated: April 27 2009 20:28. Hard though it is to believe, Barack Obama may be facing an issue with bigger consequences for the US than any already on his desk: whether officials from the previous administration – perhaps up to and including George W. Bush – should be prosecuted for violating domestic and international laws on torture. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8a2aa08-3360-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html

Washington Post Editorial: More Souters - The qualities President Obama should seek in filling the shoes of a fine justice. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, May 2, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050103445.html

Souter Reportedly Planning to Retire From High Court - Justice Might Stay Until Nominee Confirmed By Robert Barnes. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 1, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043004361.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

The FCC's F-word: Freedom By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 30, 2009. Anyone who has ever dealt with attorneys has come to the realization that the law does not always make perfect sense. Even so, it comes as at least a mild surprise to find the U.S. Supreme Court cheerfully authorizing the government to engage in censorship, as it did this week. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0430chapmanapr30,0,3178237.column



GOP Whacking

“This really is big, because Specter's move puts the Democrats within a hair's breath of a unfilibusterable 60-seat Senate majority. So now it appears the Senate's balance of power, in many respects, the future of our nation is in the hands of Al Franken.” Jon Stewart

G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One? By ADAM NAGOURNEY and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Published: April 29, 2009. WASHINGTON — A fundamental debate broke out among Republicans on Wednesday over how to rebuild the party in the wake of Senator Arlen Specter’s departure: Should it purge moderate voices like Mr. Specter and embrace its conservative roots or seek to broaden its appeal to regain a competitive position against Democrats? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/us/politics/30repubs.html?th&emc=th

Specter's Departure a Wake Up Call for GOP By Dan Balz. Copyright by The Washington Post. April 28, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/28/specters_departure_a_wake_up_c.html?hpid=topnews

We Didn’t Have to Lose Arlen Specter By SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE, R, MAINE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 28, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/opinion/29snowe.html?ref=global

Torture by any other description by Kathleen Parker. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0427parker_mdapr27,0,7262237.column

The real reason for torture By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. Originally posted: April 27, 2009 9:11 AM. The debate over the use of torture to interrogate suspected terrorists raises some difficult moral questions. Having written many times in opposition to it, though, I find little evidence that its supporters care about those issues. A sensible, humane person could say: "Torture is tragically necessary in some instances to save innocent lives, but it is a terrible thing for a government to engage in; it must be subject to strict safeguards, and it must be used only when the information needed is vital to avert disaster, time is of the essence or other methods have been exhausted." But its defenders, many of whom I have heard from, never sound like that. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/steve_chapman/2009/04/the-real-reason-for-torture.html

New York Times Editorial: When Israel Confronted and Rejected Torture. By SERGE SCHMEMANN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 30, 2009. Reading about the Bush administration’s convoluted attempts to justify torture takes me back to reporting I did 12 years ago on the anguished debate in Israel over its secret service’s use of violence in interrogations. That was two years before the Israeli Supreme Court banned the practice. “This is the destiny of democracy, as not all means are acceptable to it and not all practices employed by its enemies are open before it,” wrote the president of the court, Aharon Barak. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/opinion/01fri4.html?th&emc=th

CIA official: No proof harsh techniques stopped terror attacks on America Mark Seibel and Warren P. Strobel. Copyright by McClatchy Newspapers. April 27, 2009 http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/cia-official-no-proof-harsh-techniques.html

Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful. Copyright by CNN News. April 30, 2009. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/religion.torture/index.html

Cheney's tortured argument By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 29, 2009. What a difference an election makes. Our national position has now shifted from "we don't torture" to "we don't torture anymore." Let us, then, disabuse ourselves of former President George W. Bush's notion that waterboarding and the other so-called "harsh" or "enhanced" interrogation techniques are anything but torture. Euphemism is the first refuge of scoundrels -- and the desperate. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0429pageapr29,0,542921.column





Chicagoland

“A federal judge has refused to give former Gov. Rod Blagojevich permission to travel to Costa Rica to appear in a reality show. He pretty much told him, "You're Not a Celebrity and You're Not Getting Out of Here." Doug Austen

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Legalize civil unions. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0427edit1apr27,0,3301225.story

Whose liberty? A law that makes sense for altar-bound adults By Geoffrey R. Stone. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 26, 2009. The Illinois legislature will soon act on the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, which would legally recognize civil unions in our state. The legislation provides that "persons entering into a civil union" will have "the same obligations, responsibilities, protections and benefits" as married persons. Civil unions would be available to adults "of either the same or opposite sex." Traditional "marriage," however, would remain available only to persons of the opposite sex. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-perspec0426stoneapr26,0,7595570.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Time to stand up to end corruption - An occasional series on fixing our politics and government. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times
April 29, 2009. People of Illinois, are you tired of being the laughingstock of the nation when it comes to political corruption? http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1549335,CST-EDT-edit29a.article

Art Institute's new wing a modern test of the times -= Museum confident in success of $283 million new wing despite economy, admission fee increase By Mark Caro. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0427-artinstituteapr27,0,3713961.story



Your Lack of Money

“Americans are becoming more optimistic about the nation's economy, a new survey showed Wednesday. This explains why Fox News didn't carry the Obama news conference. No need to alarm Republicans.” Joe Hickman

Consumer confidence surges in April By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 28 2009 14:38 | Last updated: April 28 2009 15:57. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07b8662e-33ed-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html

Glimmers of hope on US economy By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 16:20 | Last updated: May 1 2009 16:20. The US manufacturing sector is still shrinking but at a much slower pace, a key survey showed on Friday, while battered US consumers started to feel more confident about the economy. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c6316d1e-3661-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html

Money market rates continue to fall By David Oakley, Capital Markets Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 28 2009 15:14 | Last updated: April 28 2009 17:05. Money market rates have fallen sharply since the start of April, amid increasing signs that banks are starting to lend to each other. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af0243c8-33fc-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html

US personal income and spending slide- New jobless claims eased last week By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 16:22 | Last updated: April 30 2009 16:22 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/afca7b6a-3599-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

US economy shrinks 6.1% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 29 2009 13:59 | Last updated: April 29 2009 15:04 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/06299c8e-3437-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: The Chrysler Bankruptcy. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 30, 2009. When President Obama outlined his plan to restructure Chrysler under bankruptcy-court protection, we shared his view that keeping a company “afloat on an endless supply of tax dollars” was no solution to the cratering of even iconic American companies. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/opinion/01fri1.html?th&emc=th

Obama Brings a Hands-On Style to Details, Big and Small By PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 30, 2009. AS he thrust Chrysler into bankruptcy on Thursday, President Obama stopped to make a commercial message to his national audience. The latest on President Obama, the new administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. “If you are considering buying a car,” he said as cameras carried his words live, “I hope it will be an American car.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/us/politics/01obama.html?th&emc=th

Obama plots path for Chrysler’s future By John Reed in London and Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 14:12 | Last updated: April 30 2009 18:19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/76ccd92c-3588-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

Chrysler files for Chapter 11 protection By Tom Braithwaite in Washington and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 14:12 | Last updated: April 30 2009 19:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/76ccd92c-3588-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

Chrysler filing sets up legal battle By Julie MacIntosh, Henny Sender and Nicole Bullock in New York and Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 19:05 | Last updated: May 1 2009 00:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ab3490e-35ae-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

GM bondholders launch counter-offer By John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 14:24 | Last updated: April 30 2009 16:25. General Motors’ bondholders on Thursday launched a counter-offer to the carmaker’s debt exchange proposal made earlier this week that would see them claim majority control of the company, but the US federal government hold no shares. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c0f4b0fc-3587-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

Bank objections delay stress tests By Francesco Guerrera in New York and Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 20:15 | Last updated: May 2 2009 02:44. US regulators will delay the release of stress test results for the country’s 19 biggest banks until next Thursday, after some lenders, including Citigroup and Bank of America, objected to government demands that they needed to raise billions in fresh capital. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca1da116-3681-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html

Citigroup scrambles to raise capital By Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 28 2009 19:20 | Last updated: April 29 2009 00:29. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1bcd8f0-341e-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html

Bank of America Chief Ousted as Chairman By LOUISE STORY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 29, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/30bank.html?th&emc=th

Buffett faces a grilling from investors By Francesco Guerrera and Justin Baer in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 30 2009 19:21 | Last updated: April 30 2009 19:21. Warren Buffett will be under pressure at Saturday’s annual gathering of faithful shareholders to explain his worst year ever, with the usually adoring crowd set to probe the legendary investor on his bargain-hunting strategy, succession plans and views of the crisis. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5cfe7cb2-35b0-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html

MasterCard hit by fall in credit card spending By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 1 2009 17:11 | Last updated: May 1 2009 17:11. MasterCard, the world’s second largest electronic payments processor, on Friday said first quarter profits fell 18 per cent on the back of a stronger US dollar and a sharp drop in US credit card spending. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/398328f6-3668-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

High-yield bonds feel thaw By Aline van Duyn and Nicole Bullock. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 19:24 | Last updated: April 27 2009 19:24. The US high-yield market is finally starting to show signs of thawing. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a86f45e4-3355-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html

Fed study puts ideal US interest rate at -5% By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 03:06 | Last updated: April 27 2009 03:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/37877644-32c9-11de-8116-00144feabdc0.html




Housing

Home sales in Chicago area start to show more signs of life - Optimism grows as sales increase slightly, median price up from previous month By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 26, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sun-housing-optimism-0426-apr26,0,3752998.story



GLBT

“Miss California Pageant officials admitted Thursday that they paid for breast implants for Miss California Carrie Prejean to help her win the Miss USA pageant. Their little plan backfired. Just her luck, she got a gay judge who only looked at her shoes.” Argus Hamilton

Chicago Free Press Editorial: Miss California and Mr. Obama? Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 29, 2009. It’s hard to imagine that Carrie Prejean—the current Miss California whose answer to Perez Hilton’s question about gay marriage riled up Hiton and many others in the media—and Barack Obama have that much in common. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3436

Pride 2009 - official video release http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEpqTIolLps

Quigley shows commitment to GLBT issues By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 29, 2009. Shortly after new Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) was sworn into office, the longtime GLBT ally put to action his promise to fight for equality. On April 22, Quigley co-sponsored his first bill, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3427

In Military, New Debate Over Policy Toward Gays By ELISABETH BUMILLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 30, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/us/politics/01military.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - The photo is not the problem. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 30, 2009. A photo of two women kissing, which ran on the front page of Tuesday's Sun-Times, offended many readers, perhaps including you. We received plenty of calls and e-mails. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1550990,CST-EDT-edit30b.article

Update: 260+ same-sex couples apply for marriage licenses; most in Polk Co. BY TONY LEYS, REID FORGRAVE AND GRANT SCHULTE • TLEYS@DMREG.COM. Copyright by The Des Moines Register. APRIL 27, 2009 http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090427/NEWS/90427003

A Quiet Day in Iowa as Same-Sex Couples Line Up to Marry By MONICA DAVEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 27, 2009. DES MOINES — In a way, life looked unexpectedly ordinary here on Monday as Iowa began allowing same-sex couples to marry. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/us/28marriage.html?th&emc=th

Gay marriage in Iowa: Court ruling gives hope that Illinois could follow - Many gays, lesbians willing to wait, rather than rushing to Iowa to wed By Rex W. Huppke. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 29, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-gay-marriage-illinois-29-apr29,0,7527686.story

Marriage Bill Poses a Test of Loyalties: Church vs. State By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 26, 2009. It was just three days after Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry, and the Rev. Floyd H. Flake had some thoughts for any lawmaker who wanted to change New York’s definition of marriage. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/nyregion/27smith.html?th&emc=th

Stacking the deck on gay marriage By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 26, 2009. The country used to be unanimous in rejecting gay marriage. But that consensus, like the polar ice sheets, is showing some cracks. Vermont recently became the fourth state to allow gays to wed, and New York may be next. Elsewhere, marriage remains as Miss California prefers -- solely between a man and a woman. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0426chapman_mdapr26,0,3675007.column

HANDLING THE AFFAIRS OF AN ESTATE WHEN SOMEONE DIES by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. April 30-May 5, 2009 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml



Technical

U.S. Steps Up Effort on Digital Defensesy By DAVID E. SANGER, JOHN MARKOFF and THOM SHANKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/us/28cyber.html?th&emc=th

Time Warner Is Moving Closer to AOL Spinoff By TIM ARANGO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/business/media/30warner.html?th&emc=th


Medical

“Doctors say that the swine flu can be treated with Tamiflu and Relenza. Awesome! Now, I have to find a way to cross to Mexico and buy them cheaper there.” Pedro Bartes

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Plan for pandemic but avoid panic Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 27 2009 20:16 | Last updated: April 27 2009 20:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d115adfe-335e-11de-8f1b-00144feabdc0.html

Tests show fewer swine flu deaths © Reuters Limited. May 2, 2009. MEXICO CITY, May 2 - New laboratory data showed fewer people have died in Mexico than first thought from a new influenza strain, a glint of good news for a world rattled by the threat of a flu pandemic. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c4b5e822-3718-11de-b1f7-00144feabdc0.html

WHO warns of ‘imminent’ flu pandemic By Harvey Morris in New York, James Boxell in London, Frances Williams in Geneva and agency. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 29 2009 11:40 | Last updated: April 30 2009 16:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95684290-349d-11de-940a-00144feabdc0.html

UCF Research Re-awakens Old Genes to Help in Fight Against HIV By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala. April 28, 2009. Copyright by UCF Newsroom. A new vaginal cream containing a re-awakened protein could someday prevent the transmission of HIV. http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=00240041339c48b30120a92dbf2f00726c

FDA announces recall of Hydroxycut, used by dieters and body builders, for health risks By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 9:44 AM CDT, May 2, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-ap-us-med-diet-pill-recall,0,5582325.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Patients deserve right to medical marijuana. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 28, 2009. In Illinois, people who suffer from cancer and smoke marijuana to stem their nausea, reduce their pain or improve their appetite -- well, those folks are criminals. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1546659,CST-EDT-edit28a.article

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work? By Maia Szalavitz. Copyright by Time Magazine. Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009. Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws? (Hint: It's not the Netherlands.) Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze–filled "coffee shops," Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch simply don't enforce their laws against the shops. The correct answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html




Other

“The Catholic Church is planning on boycotting the upcoming "Da Vinci Code" sequel "Angels & Demons." They plan to air their own movie that they say more accurately depicts Jesus — "He's Just Not That Into Jews." Jimmy Fallon

Obama Is Nudging Views on Race, a Survey Finds By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and MARJORIE CONNELLY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 27, 2009. Barack Obama’s presidency seems to be altering the public perception of race relations in the United States. Two-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good, and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July, according to the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/us/politics/28poll.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

End the University as We Know It By MARK C. TAYLOR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 26, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html?th&emc=th

More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops By LAURIE GOODSTEIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html?th&emc=th

Study Shows Americans Leave Religion Due to Drift, Not Rupture By Jacqueline L. Salmon. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 27, 2009; 12:11 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/27/AR2009042701460.html?hpid=topnews

Did You Know? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY





Humor

Study finds conservative viewers of Stephen Colbert's comedy show think he's on their side by Steve Johnson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 29, 2009. Do conservatives not understand that Stephen Colbert is joking? http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-talk-colbertapr29,0,1905472.column

SWINE FLU - key facts http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu-key-facts.html

Sister Myotis on Thongs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xv7REV2HEY&feature=related

Bea Arthur, TV Battle-Ax, Dies at 86 By BRUCE WEBER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 25, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/arts/television/26arthur.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bea%20arthur&st=cse

Sex and the City - Parody starring Bea Arthur http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMLITlAA0QM

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



In Pride (orgullo),


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

How Torture Worked to Sell the Iraq War

How Torture Worked to Sell the Iraq War
by: Steve Weissman
Copyright by t r u t h o u t
Saturday 25 April 2009
http://www.truthout.org/042509A


Three cheers for Dick Cheney. The former vice president has urged, however rhetorically, that the Obama administration release more of the torture memos. "One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort," the former vice president told FoxNews.

"I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was."

News reports differ as to whether Mr. Cheney has formally made the request, but he is absolutely right that the American people need to see the complete record. He is wrong about what the record will show. From the material already released or ferreted out by journalists, it is clear that he and Mr. Bush succeeded in using torture, not primarily to secure needed intelligence, but to create the propaganda they used to sell their invasion of Iraq.

The evidence comes from a variety of sources, including the report on the military's treatment of detainees, which Sen. Carl Levin's Armed Services Committee has just released. The report revealed that Pentagon officials began preparing to use torture - or "abusive interrogation techniques" - as early as December 2001. This was less than two months after the start of the war in Afghanistan and eight months before the Department of Justice gave legal authorization in two memos dated August 1, 2002, and signed by Jay Bybee, then-assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel. The first memo redefined physical and mental torture and suggested that the president, acting pursuant to his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief, could override the federal anti-torture statute. The second analyzed and approved specific interrogation tactics, including isolation, prolonged sleep deprivation, stress positions and waterboarding, which makes the victim feel that he is drowning.

If not the Justice Department lawyers, who gave the earlier go-ahead? The Senate report puts the onus directly on the decider-in-chief, President George W. Bush. He issued a written determination on February 7, 2002, "that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which would have afforded minimum standards for humane treatment, did not apply to al-Qaeda or Taliban detainees."

Former White House terrorist adviser Richard Clarke has confirmed that Mr. Bush gave an informal go-ahead even earlier. According to Clarke's account in his book, "Against All Enemies," Bush addressed his national security advisers late on September 11, 2001. "We are at war and we will stay at war until this is done," Bush told them. "Any barriers in your way, they're gone." Later he added in a heated exchange with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, "I don't care what the international lawyers say, we are going to kick some ass."

The Senate report also pointed the finger at Mr. Cheney and other top officials of the Bush administration. "Members of the President's Cabinet and other senior officials participated in meetings inside the White House in 2002 and 2003 where specific interrogation techniques were discussed," the committee concluded. "National Security Council principals reviewed the CIA's interrogation program during that period."

Why so much attention from the top? McClatchy news has provided the obvious answer. According to a former senior US intelligence official and a former Army psychiatrist, the Bush administration wanted "to find evidence of cooperation between al-Qaeda and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime."

"There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used," said the former official. "The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al-Qaeda and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there."

In part to get that smoking gun, the CIA waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times and Abu Zubaydah 83 times. But neither man told the interrogators what Bush and Cheney wanted to hear about Iraq and al-Qaeda. That came from Ibn al Sheikh al Libi, whom the Bush administration sent to Egypt for what CIA Director George Tenet called "further debriefing." As PBS Frontline reported back in November 2007, al Libi "confessed" - after being beaten repeatedly and locked in a small box for some 17 hours - that Saddam Hussein had trained al-Qaeda in chemical weapons. Al Libi later retracted his statement and the CIA later rejected it as reliable intelligence. But the torture of al Libi worked to sell the war in Iraq, providing the "evidence" that Secretary of State Colin Powell used when he spoke before the United Nations Security Council in February 2003.

"I can trace the story of a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these [chemical and biological] weapons to al-Qaeda," Powell asserted. "Fortunately, this operative is now detained, and he has told his story."

Torture might not work as well as conventional interrogation to provide sound intelligence, but it certainly worked for Bush and Cheney in exactly the way they most wanted.

The America Tortures Newsletter - April 25, 2009

The America Tortures Newsletter - April 25, 2009


“This debate is about the limits that a democratic society sets so that it does not sink to the level of those who seek to destroy it.” April 22, 2009 Chicago Tribune Editorial

New York Times Editorial: The Torturers’ Manifesto. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 18, 2009. To read the four newly released memos on prisoner interrogation written by George W. Bush’s Justice Department is to take a journey into depravity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19sun1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: Shocking the Conscience -The Bush administration made waterboarding almost routine. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, April 21, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/20/AR2009042003165.html

Washington Post Editorial: The Accountability Question - The right way to deal with torture's legacy. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303476.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - America needs to know truth on torture policy. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 23, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1539627,CST-EDT-edit23a.article

Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/20detain.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Report Gives New Detail on Approval of Brutal Techniques By BRIAN KNOWLTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 21, 2009. WASHINGTON — A newly declassified Congressional report released Tuesday outlined the most detailed evidence yet that the military’s use of harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects was approved at high levels of the Bush administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/us/politics/22report.html?th&emc=th

Defense Secretary Gates Says He Approved of Release of CIA Memos By Ann Scott Tyson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 3:34 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042302446.html?hpid=topnews

New York Times Editorial: In the Spirit of Openness. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. When he was vice president, Dick Cheney never acknowledged the public’s right to know anything. Now, suddenly, he has the full disclosure bug. He told Fox News this week that President Obama’s decision to release memos written by the Bush Justice Department authorizing the abuse and torture of detainees inspired him to ask the Central Intelligence Agency to release transcripts of those interrogations. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23thu1.html?ref=global

Waking up to torture truths By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. When the Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote his epic, "The Gulag Archipelago," some Americans read it to measure the gulf between the brute savagery of communism and the principled standards of free, civilized nations. But apparently some Americans took it as a helpful how-to volume http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0423chapmanapr23,0,4882177.column

Where 'Those Methods' Lead By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, April 24, 2009. The many roads of inquiry into the Bush administration's abusive "interrogation techniques" all lead to one stubborn, inconvenient fact: Torture is not just immoral but also illegal. This means that once we learn the whole truth, the law will oblige us to act on it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042303717.html

Interrogations’ Effectiveness May Prove Elusive By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/politics/23detain.html?th&emc=th

Pentagon to release photos of abuse By Demetri Sevastopulo and Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 23:38 | Last updated: April 24 2009 23:38 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/636805fa-311e-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

America's abuse of the law handed victory to terrorists By Philip Stephens. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 17:37 | Last updated: April 23 2009 17:37. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a08ee81a-3068-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html

In 2002, Military Agency Warned Against 'Torture' - Extreme Duress Could Yield Unreliable Information, It Said By Peter Finn and Joby Warrick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403171.html?hpid=topnews

My Tortured Decision By ALI SOUFAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009. FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified. But the release last week of four Justice Department memos on interrogations allows me to shed light on the story, and on some of the lessons to be learned. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23soufan.html?ref=global

Amid Outcry on Memo, Signer's Private Regret - Friends Say Judge Wasn't Proud of Outcome By Karl Vick. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009\ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403888.html?hpid=topnews


International

N Korea to put US journalists on trial By Christian Oliver in Seoul. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 09:18. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/56d8e10a-30a7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html

Japan’s first annual trade deficit in 29 years By Michiyo Nakamoto in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 03:34 | Last updated: April 22 2009 16:43. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b60d942-2ee5-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html

Indonesia’s Voters Retreat From Radical Islam By NORIMITSU ONISHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/asia/25indonesia.html?th&emc=th

German business confidence rebounds By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 10:27 | Last updated: April 24 2009 10:27. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/97b97e7a-30af-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html

Britain’s Debt Deepens; Its Outlook Grows Gloomier By JULIA WERDIGIER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23pound.html?ref=global-home

Spanish jobless at record 4m By Victor Mallet in Madrid. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:41 | Last updated: April 24 2009 18:31. Spain’s army of unemployed swelled to a record 4m in the first quarter of this year as hundreds of thousands of workers in services and construction fell victim to economic recession and the collapse of the country’s housing market. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54cf94a6-30a9-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Zuma’s victory. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 19:38 | Last updated: April 23 2009 19:38. Jacob Zuma’s journey to the South African presidency has been bruising and divisive. At times, as he fought to overcome corruption charges, he has appeared ready to undermine the country’s institutions. His struggle for political ascendancy with Thabo Mbeki, the former president, split the ruling African National Congress. Yet Wednesday’s election has given him a huge popular mandate. South Africa’s next president has the opportunity to govern with magnanimity and repair the damage. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e97f436-3031-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html

Somali pirate arrives in NYC to face charges in hostage-taking of ship captain By VIRGINIA BYRNE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 1:47 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-piracy-suspect,0,1282380.story

Hemisphere’s Leaders Signal Fresh Start With U.S. By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/americas/20prexy.html?th&emc=th

Caracas dispatches envoy to US By Benedict Mander in Port of Spain and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 19:04 | Last updated: April 20 2009 01:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccd40d9e-2d0a-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html



China

China reveals big rise in gold reserves By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 09:31 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:37. China has nearly doubled its gold reserves in the last five years as it diversified its enormous foreign exchange reserves away from US dollar assets, the head of the country’s secretive foreign exchange administration said in a rare disclosure on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d23f80c-30aa-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1


Mess-o-potamia

Obama invites Middle East leaders to White House By Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 01:14 | Last updated: April 22 2009 01:14. President Barack Obama stepped up his bid to encourage Middle East peace on Tuesday when he invited the leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to the White House in the coming weeks. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2581e0ac-2ed1-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html

Secretary of State Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq - Stresses President Obama's Commitment to Its Sovereignty, Stability By Mary Beth Sheridan. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, April 25, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/25/AR2009042500409.html?hpid=topnews

Critic of Maliki Is Chosen to Lead Iraq’s Parliament By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/middleeast/20iraq.html?th&emc=th

80 Are Killed in 3 Suicide Bombings in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?th&emc=th

At Least 75 Are Killed in Two Attacks in Iraq By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?ref=global-home

U.S. Questions Pakistan’s Will to Stop Taliban By CARLOTTA GALL and ERIC SCHMITT. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Pakistan threat forces militants to retreat By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:29 | Last updated: April 24 2009 22:59 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9e3604f4-30c7-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html

Ahmadi-Nejad intervenes in Saberi case By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 18 2009 19:23 | Last updated: April 19 2009 15:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d57cc94c-2c45-11de-ae7a-00144feabdc0.html

Iran Judge Asks for Review Case of Jailed Journalist By NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/middleeast/21iran.html?ref=global-home



National

A Bravura Opening By David S. Broder. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009. As we approach the 100-day mark for the Obama administration, you will hear and see a wide variety of grades for the new president's performance. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042203090.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Wildfires Hit Myrtle Beach Area By ANAHAD O’CONNOR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/us/24blaze.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=myrtle%20beach%20fires&st=cse

Police arrest med student suspected in fatal attack on Boston hotel masseuse from Craigslist By RUSSELL CONTRERAS. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:04 PM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-craigslist-killer,0,2692140.story

Freddie Mac’s finance chief found dead By Tom Braithwaite in Reston, Virginia, and Saskia Scholtes and Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:19 | Last updated: April 23 2009 01:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/183e279c-2f36-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: Horrors! A Handshake!. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. Republicans have been predicting the decline of American power ever since President Obama was photographed at last week’s hemispheric summit shaking the hand of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and — gasp! — smiling. Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that that act of civility would be viewed as a sign of “weakness.” Newt Gingrich, who may be honing his attack skills for a presidential run, said Mr. Obama’s behavior was bolstering “enemies of America.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri2.html?th&emc=th



GOP Whacking

Republicans pushed to political margins By Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 20:08 | Last updated: April 20 2009 20:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfb7a960-2dd5-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0,s01=1.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Republicans slide into disarray. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 17:17 | Last updated: April 22 2009 17:17. After a severe electoral defeat, any political party needs a period of resentful incapacity while the news sinks in. This is especially so of a party accustomed to success, as the US Republican party certainly was. But the hyperenergetic administration of Barack Obama is full of big transforming ideas and is moving at an extraordinary clip. The founders of the US were right: checks and balances make for better government. The country needs an effective opposition. None is in sight. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a307f86-2f54-11de-a8f6-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: Holding Up the Housing Recovery. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. We welcomed President Obama’s plan, unveiled in March, to head off foreclosures and keep more Americans in their homes, but we feared that it wouldn’t be enough. We were particularly concerned that without a reform of the bankruptcy code, lenders wouldn’t do enough to voluntarily modify troubled loans. Seven weeks later, bankruptcy reform legislation is stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition. Meanwhile, foreclosure filings — including notices of default, auctions and repossessions — rose again in the first three months of this year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri1.html?th&emc=th

Democrat Is Winner of a New York House Race By DAVID M. HALBFINGER. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. A 39-year-old Democrat in his first run for office emerged Friday as the winner of a hotly contested Congressional race in upstate New York, dashing Republican hopes for the start of a comeback after the party’s disastrous November losses. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/nyregion/25murphy.html?th&emc=th



Chicagoland

Maggie Daley: Mayor's wife undergoes biopsy - Maggie Daley treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002 By Deborah L. Shelton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009. Mayor Richard Daley's wife, Maggie, who has been treated for metastatic breast cancer since 2002, underwent a biopsy Wednesday after a routine test detected changes in a lesion, or tumor, on her spine. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-maggie-daley-cancer-23apr23,0,6686007.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial -Time for Todd Stroger to answer key questions. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 21, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1536277,CST-EDT-edit21a.article

See Chicago Tonight Carol Marin's interview: http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,1&vid=042009b

State police: background check sent months before Stroger alleged Posted by Hal Dardick. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. April 23, 2009 10:50 a.m.; updated at 11:08 a.m. A criminal background check at the heart of a growing controversy surrounding Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was completed long before Stroger has suggested, according to the Illinois State Police. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/04/state-police-county-mailed-background-check-months-before-stroger-alleged.html

Dear Todd: A few words to the unwise By CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 25, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1543804,CST-EDT-Carol26.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Protecting Stroger. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 24, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0424edit1apr24,0,2813411.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Who taps TIFs? Put it online. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. April 22, 2009. Good government fans could score a small but important victory today if the Chicago City Council approves a modest measure to shine some light on a dark corner of Mayor Daley's spending. We're talking about a proposal by Aldermen Manny Flores (1st) and Scott Waguespack (32nd) to make information about the city's tax-increment financing districts accessible by putting all of it in one spot online. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1537935,CST-EDT-edit22b.article

Once high-flying Triple J is losing altitude BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. Triple J is in double trouble. Six months ago, everything was copacetic. Or at least it appeared to be. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a political big hitter and early backer of Barack Obama, was traversing the nation as a campaign co-chairman to tout his good friend, the presidential aspirant. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1534281,CST-EDT-laura20.article



Your Lack of Money

Men bear the brunt of US jobs lost By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 22:36 | Last updated: April 19 2009 22:36. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d28c79d6-2d11-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html

Positive earnings lift Wall St By Kiran Stacey in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 13:53 | Last updated: April 24 2009 15:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ccc90590-304b-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html

Frank urges Obama to accept Tarp repayments By Edward Luce and Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 17:43 | Last updated: April 24 2009 17:43. The Obama administration should seize the political opportunity offered by Goldman Sachs’ and JPMorgan’s request to repay $45bn in troubled asset relief funds, says Barney Frank, the influential Democratic lawmaker. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54c51d8a-30ec-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Fed will seek bank capital increase By Krishna Guha in Washington and Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:19 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:18. Some of the country’s biggest banks will be asked to raise more capital by US authorities following the completion of bank stress tests, senior Federal Reserve officials said on Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cab07cf6-30fb-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Edgy Banks Start to Get Word Today on Stress Tests By ERIC DASH. Published: April 23, 2009. Copyright by The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/business/economy/24bank.html?th&emc=th

Morgan Stanley swings to $177m loss By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 22 2009 13:57 | Last updated: April 22 2009 13:57 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a7f6eb0-2f32-11de-b52f-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Seeks Reform of Credit Card Firms' Practices By Michael D. Shear and Nancy Trejos. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, April 23, 2009; 4:42 PM. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042300348.html?hpid=topnews

Bank of America profit triples to $4.2bn By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 20 2009 12:55 | Last updated: April 20 2009 18:05 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab639b8c-2d98-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0.html

Storm erupts over BofA’s Merrill takeover. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 01:13 | Last updated: April 24 2009 02:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/da336e3e-305d-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html

Paulson and Bernanke pressed on BofA deal By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 20:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 20:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee1ca728-3100-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Chrysler creditors offer to slash debt By Nicole Bullock and Francesco Guerrera in New York and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 00:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 00:00. Chrysler senior creditors, led by JPMorgan and Citigroup, have offered to cut the debt they are owed nearly in half to $3.75bn, inching closer to the demands of the US Treasury to restructure the ailing carmarker, people familiar with the situation said. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b935476-3120-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Ford losses smaller than expected By John Reed in London and Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 25 2009 03:00 | Last updated: April 25 2009 03:00 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30ff7bea-3130-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Inflation is looming on America’s horizon By Martin Feldstein. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 19 2009 18:54 | Last updated: April 19 2009 18:54 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae436dbc-2d09-11de-8710-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities


Goldbugs undeterred by price volatility By Sophia Grene. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 12 2009 11:42 | Last updated: April 12 2009 11:42. “Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold and leave to its owner a counterfeit pile of paper.” Although Ayn Rand’s views may be an extreme version, there are enough goldbugs of varying degrees of intensity to have pushed both the price of gold and the tide of money flowing into gold investment products to notable highs. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1efe70fe-25f0-11de-be57-00144feabdc0.html





Housing

US home resales fall 3% in March By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 23 2009 14:13 | Last updated: April 23 2009 16:08 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f023bc02-3004-11de-a2f8-00144feabdc0.html

US new home sales slip 0.6% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 14:18 | Last updated: April 24 2009 16:02. Sales of new homes in the US dipped in March but a sharp upward revision to the February figure lifted hopes that the stricken housing market might be stabilising. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77af669a-30d1-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html

Illinois existing home sales show gains, but still down 26.7% from a year ago By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:30 AM CDT, April 23, 2009. Sales of previously owned homes in Illinois posted their second month-over- month gain in March, leading the home-selling industry to grow cautiously optimistic as the spring selling season really gets underway. Of note was the fact that for the first time since June 2008, the statewide median home price rose from the previous month. In March, the median selling price was $149,995, a 6.6 percent increase over February. The median sales price was $190,000 in March 2008. The median price means half the homes were sold for more than that and half for less. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-illinois-existing-home-sales-april23,0,6442517.story

Bargains belie lingering housing fears By Saskia Scholtes in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 22:57 | Last updated: April 21 2009 22:57. Andi Coval has been renting for three years. When she moved to San Francisco for work in 2006, she sold her house in Sacramento at a $200,000 profit and put the money in the bank. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28dd238c-2ebe-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html

Giving up pets: Animals' fortunes fall in tough economy - More owners blame finances for giving up animals to shelters By Sara Olkon. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
April 21, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-giving-up-pets-21-apr21,0,7594287.story



GLBT

IOWA GAY MARRIAGE COMES TO ILLINOIS by Jonathan Lewis. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine. April 23-29, 2009. On Friday, April 24, Gay Chicago Magazine will offer early registration for gay marriage in Iowa from noon to 5p.m. Applications will be available starting on April 23, but Iowa requires a three-day waiting period before a marriage can be performed. So it will not be possible to drive over the border, go the county courthouse, get a license and tie the knot. Early registration is a must for out-of-state applicants. http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/coverstory/coverstory.shtml

The Sanctity of Marriage By Carlos T Mock, MD. April 18, 2009 The Religious Right debate on gay marriage is actually about divorce, adultery, sodomy, and even masturbation. I'm not kidding. For the far-right and the folks running the Congress, gay marriage is wrapped up in all of those issues - and according to these folks, they're ALL bad things that the government needs to regulate. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/04/sanctity-of-marriage.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - N.Y. gov leading fight for same-sex marriages. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 20, 2009. The movement to give same-sex couples the right to marry is growing in powerful and unexpected ways. Just a few months ago, who could have imagined that the number of states formally ending discrimination against gay couples would double in a single week? http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1534292,CST-EDT-edit20a.article

Tying the knot without breaking the bank: Gay weddings on a budget By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3406

Chicago Free Press Editorial: Lobby Day. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 21, 2009. Though marriage equality is in the cards for two more states now, an equally interesting phenomenon is how relatively unmoved most Americans were by recent events. The court decision in Iowa and legislative victory in Vermont certainly were met with protests, but on a smaller scale than what we have been used to when the subject of gay marriage has come up. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3411

Puerto Rican GLBT leaders create fundraising group By Amy Wooten. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 22, 2009. Several community leaders recently banded together and formed a group charged with promoting GLBT contributions in the Chicago Puerto Rican community. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3405

Miss California: Gay marriage answer cost me Miss USA crown BY ROBERT KAHN | robert.kahn@newsday.com. Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.. 7:18 AM CDT, April 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ny-etmiss2112675670apr20,0,2777847.story




Immigration

After Losing Freedom, Some Immigrants Face Loss of Custody of Their Children By GINGER THOMPSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/23children.html?th&emc=th

As Jobs Die, Europe’s Migrants Head Home By RACHEL DONADIO and NELSON D. SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/europe/25migrants.html?th&emc=th




Technical

Amazon Posts Profit Gains as Offline Rivals Struggle By BRAD STONE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24amazon.html?th&emc=th

Apple Profit Rises 15%, Driven by iPhone Sales By JENNA WORTHAM and BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/technology/companies/23apple.html?th&emc=th

Microsoft Profit Falls for First Time in 23 Years By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/technology/companies/24microsoft.html?th&emc=th

Oracle Agrees to Acquire Sun Microsystems By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/technology/companies/21sun.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Auctions for Troubled Property Loans Jump to the Web By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/business/economy/25debt.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Tribune Editorial - The perils of teen sext. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 20, 2009. Sure, you're savvy enough to know your kids aren't wearing out their thumbs text-messaging about homework assignments. But did you know one in five teenagers has e-mailed or texted a nude or semi-nude self-portrait to someone else? OMG. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0420edit2apr20,0,60892.story


Medical

Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico © Reuters Limited. April 24, 2009. MEXICO CITY, April 24 – A strain of flu never seen before has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and also appeared in the United States, where eight people were infected but recovered, health officials said Friday. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67b9138c-311f-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer By GINA KOLATA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In 1971, flush with the nation’s success in putting a man on the Moon, President Richard M. Nixon announced a new goal. Cancer would be cured by 1976, the bicentennial. When 1976 came and went, the date for a cure, or at least substantial progress, kept being put off. It was going to happen by 2000, then by 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: Morning-After Pills. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 23, 2009. In a further break from the Bush administration’s ideologically driven policies on birth control, the Food and Drug Administration has agreed to let 17-year-olds get the morning-after emergency contraceptive pills without a doctor’s prescription. It is a wise move that complies with a recent order by a federal judge, based on voluminous evidence in F.D.A. files that girls that young can use the pills safely. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24fri3.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - At last: Science over politics. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 24, 2009. For years, Food and Drug Administration officials had concluded after extensive study that 17-year-old girls could use the morning-after pill safely without a prescription, which would lower the age limit by a year. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1541922,CST-EDT-edit24b.article

Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/us/20marijuana.html?th&emc=th

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obesity pill is no silver bullet. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 24 2009 19:16 | Last updated: April 24 2009 19:16. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e39d4944-30f9-11de-8196-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Tactic Shields Health Care Bill From a Filibuster By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: April 24, 2009. WASHINGTON — At the prodding of the White House, Democratic Congressional leaders have agreed to pursue a plan that would protect major health care legislation from Republican opposition by shielding it from last-minute Senate filibusters. The aggressive approach reflects the big political claim that President Obama is staking on health care, and with it his willingness to face Republican wrath in order to guarantee that the Democrats, with their substantial majority in the Senate, could not be thwarted by minority tactics. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/us/politics/25budget.html?th&emc=th



Other

U.S. to clear way for offshore wind farms By Jim Tankersley. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2009. WASHINGTON— The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation's offshore energy goals from oil to wind power. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-windfarm_wedapr22,0,7616411.story

A flawed first draft of history By Lionel Barber. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: April 21 2009 20:17 | Last updated: April 21 2009 20:17. These are the best of times and the worst of times to be a financial journalist. The best, because we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to report and analyse the most serious financial crisis since the Great Crash of 1929. The worst, because the newspaper and television industries are suffering, not only from the shock of a recession but also from the structural shock of the internet revolution. Now comes a third shock. The financial media are accused of missing the global financial crisis. Asleep at the wheel. Head in the clouds. No cliché has been left unturned as reporters, commentators – yes, even editors – have been castigated for failing to warn an unsuspecting public of impending disaster. Do these charges add up? To paraphrase the killer question from the Watergate hearings: what did the press know and when did it know it? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/95c4cf3e-2ea7-11de-b7d3-00144feabdc0.html

The wait is over: new Dan Brown novel, 'The Lost Symbol,' coming in September By HILLEL ITALIE. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 11:16 AM CDT, April 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/

Sunday Morning Shootout By Howard Kurtz. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, April 20, 2009; 9:39 AM. David Gregory says he was acutely aware of "the legacy of the program" when he took over "Meet the Press" four months ago. "I realized I was succeeding Tim Russert, and that was a big deal," he says. "I'm trying to bring as much passion as I can, and I hope viewers are seeing it. My voice is still evolving in this. . . . Just like Tim did, I've got to go out there and earn it." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html?hpid=topnews





Humor

Conservative Campaign Organizers Have Sex On The Brain (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/2m4m-4ever_n_186575.html

Best responses to the Gathering Storm Ads by NOM. It may have been out for a few weeks now, but the Internets can't get enough of the National Organization for Marriage's hilarious "Gathering Storm" ad. If the measure of an epic fail is how quickly and widely it's parodied on YouTube, then Maggie Gallagher and the tools at NOM may have won the prize. In a way, we're thankful to NOM for blatantly showing the nation how ludicrous the arguments against gay marriage are. Seriously, the ad may just greatest thing ever created for LGBT rights. And while the spot is one big can of stormy crazy, we're pretty impressed by how many of you have taken it upon yourselves to improve the ad. Here our are 10 favorite NOM responses. Put on your galoshes, folks, there's a storm coming. http://www.queerty.com/the-best-responses-to-the-gathering-storm-ad-20090420/


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



In Pride (orgullo),


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