A New Beginning: Newsletter - June 6, 2009

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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



International

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


China

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

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

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

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

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



Mess-o-potamia

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

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

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

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

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


National

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


GOP Bashing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Chicagoland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Your Lack of Money

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Commodities

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

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

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

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

Housing

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

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


GLBT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Technical

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

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

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

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

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


Medical

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

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

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

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


Other

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

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


Humor

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

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

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

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

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



In Pride (orgullo),


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

Road to recovery Newsletter - May 30, 2009

“Global stocks rose again on Friday, capping their longest winning streak since the start of the financial crisis, as news from Japan and India raised hopes that the global recession might be nearing an end.” David Oakley in London, Mure Dickie in Tokyo and Amy Kazmin in New Delhi.

Recovery hopes lift global stocks - Longest winning streak since crisis By David Oakley in London, Mure Dickie in Tokyo and Amy Kazmin in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 19:45 | Last updated: May 29 2009 22:21 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9725adce-4c7c-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

US hopes of ‘green shoots’ lift confidence - House prices remain in free-fall By Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 15:18 | Last updated: May 26 2009 15:18. US consumer confidence has surged to its highest level since September last year, giving stock markets a fillip on both sides of the Atlantic. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01e7bf52-49fe-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

India’s GDP grows faster than expected By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 06:49 | Last updated: May 29 2009 13:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5cbe61a2-4c14-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

Opec bets on recovery to boost price By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 08:31 | Last updated: May 28 2009 18:06. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries delivered on Thursday its most optimistic message about the global economy and the oil market since the start of the financial crisis last summer triggered a precipitous fall in prices from a record $150 a barrel to $30. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7c3b46ee-4b56-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Recovery not as easy as U, V, W - If I consult my shorthand notebook I find that the economic rebound will be ‘bank-shaped By Gillian Tett. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 20:09 | Last updated: May 28 2009 20:09. Are you expecting a “V” shaped recovery this summer? Or do you anticipate a scenario more like a “U” or a “W”? That is the question I have been asked repeatedly this month, as the debate about “green shoots” roars on. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/303ab4a8-4bb2-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone economic sentiment improves By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt and Bertrand Benoit in Berlin. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 11:02 | Last updated: May 28 2009 11:55. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7e58f14-4b6a-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html


International

N Korea stages nuclear test - Security Council to meet. By Christian Oliver in Seoul, Fiona Harvey in Copenhagen, and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 25 2009 04:13 | Last updated: May 25 2009 11:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e61fdbee-48d9-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial:The Test Ban Treaty. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. Nearly 17 years ago, after more than 1,000 explosions, the United States conducted its last underground nuclear test. President George H. W. Bush, following Russia and France, announced a voluntary moratorium and the other major nuclear powers — Britain and China — made the same pledge with more or less enthusiasm. Since then, 180 countries have signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25mon1.html?th&emc=th

Financial Times Editorial Comment: De-fang Pyongyang. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 19:57 | Last updated: May 26 2009 19:57. The nuclear club is getting less exclusive by the day. Admittedly, North Korea is not a fully paid-up member yet. In spite of its Hiroshima-sized blast this week, it has not yet demonstrated it can make a warhead sufficiently small to mount on a long-range missile. But that day cannot be far off. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a5b221f8-4a22-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

US weighs options to tackle N Korea - Obama expected to push for tough UN action By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 18:48 | Last updated: May 26 2009 18:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/16fb8932-4a1c-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

In Defiance, North Korea Is Said to Test More Missiles By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/world/asia/27korea.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

North Korea Threatens Military Strikes on South By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/world/asia/28korea.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

South Korea and U.S. Raise Military Alert Level By CHOE SANG-HUN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/asia/29korea.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Gates signals tougher approach to N Korea - US will hold Pyongyang ‘fully accountable’ for nuclear programme By Demetri Sevastopulo in Singapore. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 30 2009 12:46 | Last updated: May 30 2009 12:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f2f170ba-4d0e-11de-b475-00144feabdc0.html

Eurozone inflation falls to zero By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 11:16 | Last updated: May 29 2009 11:16 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f432a184-4c36-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html


China

China stuck in ‘dollar trap’ - Purchases of US bonds at record high By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 23:30 | Last updated: May 24 2009 23:30. China’s official foreign exchange manager is still buying record amounts of US government bonds, in spite of Beijing’s increasingly vocal fear of a dollar collapse, according to officials and analysts. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5b47c8f8-488c-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html


Mess-o-potamia

Iran blocks Facebook as election looms By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Isfahan. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 20:23 | Last updated: May 24 2009 20:23. Iran has blocked access to Facebook after thousands of young supporters of Mir- Hossein Moussavi, a leading presidential hopeful, began using the social networking internet site to promote his campaign. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d583c956-488b-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

Iran Said to Execute Three Over Mosque Bombing. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: May 30, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/05/30/world/news-us-iran-explosion.html?ref=global-home

US military chief hints at softer Iran stance - 3-year timeframe envisaged on bomb By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 24 2009 20:23 | Last updated: May 24 2009 20:23 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6877b51a-4896-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

For Displaced Iraqis, 'No Life' - Camp Residents in Kurdish No Man's Land Are Left Without Aid By Nada Bakri. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/23/AR2009052301786.html?hpid=topnews

Fate of Iraqis Gone Missing Haunts Those Left Behind By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and SUADAD AL-SALHY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. During the worst of Iraq’s sectarian violence three years ago, Anam Diham’s 13-year-old son went out to buy vegetables one afternoon. He never returned. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/world/middleeast/25missing.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

U.S. Soldier and 11 Iraqis Die in Attacks By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/world/middleeast/30iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Fatal blast rocks Pakistan’s second city - Suicide attack in Lahore kills at least 35 By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 07:18 | Last updated: May 27 2009 12:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a059bf2-4a85-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Fresh bomb attacks strike Peshawar By Farhan Bokhari in Peshawar and news agencies. Published: May 28 2009 09:02 | Last updated: May 28 2009 16:31. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0f37a024-4b5b-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Israel clears outposts after US pressure By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem and Reuters in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 03:00 | Last updated: May 28 2009 08:15 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67890704-4b1f-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Israel defies US demand on settlements By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 19:17 | Last updated: May 29 2009 00:28. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/17086516-4bb2-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Pushes Israel On Settlement Issue - Palestinians Also Urged to Boost Security By Glenn Kessler. Copyright by The Washington Post
Friday, May 29, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803771.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

National

Sotomayor nominated for Supreme Court - Obama picks first Hispanic nominee By Andrew Ward and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 14:16 | Last updated: May 26 2009 17:18 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ac79c4a-49f6-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Hails Sotomayor as ‘Inspiring’ By PETER BAKER and JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/politics/27court.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

For Sotomayor, Humble Beginnings to High Court Pick By Keith B. Richburg. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 26, 2009; 2:32 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052600914.html?hpid=topnews

New York Times Editorial: The New Justice. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. President Obama seems to have made an inspired choice in picking Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. She has an impressive judicial record, a stellar academic background and a compelling life story. Judge Sotomayor would also be a trailblazing figure in the mold of Thurgood Marshall, becoming the first member of the nation’s large and growing but still under-represented Hispanic population to serve on the court. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/opinion/27wed1.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: The President's Pick. Kudos, and some questions, for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009. THERE IS MUCH to admire in the achievements of Sonia Sotomayor, the New York judge tapped by President Obama to fill a Supreme Court vacancy created by the impending retirement of Justice David H. Souter. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602846.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obama sidesteps the culture wars. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 19:22 | Last updated: May 27 2009 19:22. The extent to which the US relies on its courts to settle the most contested questions – segregation, abortion and the rights of individuals against the state – means that Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination marks a defining moment for his presidency. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ab5858e-4ae7-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Sotomayor's life story matters. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 27, 2009. The extent to which the US relies on its courts to settle the most contested questions – segregation, abortion and the rights of individuals against the state – means that Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination marks a defining moment for his presidency. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1593299,CST-EDT-edit27b.article

Some Republicans rebuke Limbaugh, Gingrich on Sotomayor criticism - Accusations that the Latina Supreme Court nominee is racist can only hurt the party, say GOP members who advocate a more civil debate. By Janet Hook. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-sotomayor30-2009may30,0,442813.story

Right goes berserk over Judge Sonia By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009. Are they serious? It is hilarious to see how quickly the same folks who accuse liberals of shouting “racist” too much jump -- Leap! -- at any chance to return the disfavor. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/05/right-goes-berserk-over-judge-sonia.html

Sotomayor’s Focus on Race Issues May Be Hurdle By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/us/politics/30affirm.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Alito: Have to Consider Life Experiences when Ruling Cases http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNfyZWnQVnQ


GOP Bashing

Guantánamo Closing Hands Republicans a Wedge Issue By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. If there was one thing both presidential candidates agreed on last fall, it was the need to close the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. But almost as soon as President Obama took office and ordered the camp shuttered within a year, Congressional Republicans — including his former opponent, Senator John McCain of Arizona — saw a singular political opportunity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/us/politics/24gitmo.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Analysis: Powell flap gets GOP to ask 'What kind of party are we?' By John Helton. Copyright by CNN News. May 26, 2009. Colin Powell stirred up the Republican Party's very public internal debate about the direction of the party and asserted it's losing because it doesn't appeal to moderates like him. The Republican Party is losing "men, woman, white, blacks and Hispanics," says Colin Powell. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/25/colin.powell.moderate.voice/index.html

Still a Republican, Powell Urges Party to Become More Inclusive By Karen DeYoung. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009; 12:59 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052400863.html?hpid=topnews

How Is Cheney Wrong? Let Me Count the Ways By Ruth Marcus. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009; 5:52 PM. Some people think we're paying too much attention to former Vice President Dick Cheney. I think we may be paying too little. As bracing as last week's Obama-Cheney face-off was, the inevitable focus was on the current president, not the former vice. And for those of us who are relieved he's out of office, there's a tendency to treat Cheney with "there he goes again" ennui. Yet Cheney's speech at the American Enterprise Institute was so chockfull of faulty arguments and rank misrepresentations that it's worth taking the time to review them, in their multiple incarnations. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/27/AR2009052702961.html

SNL's Dick Cheney: 'A legacy to protect' http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/snls_dick_cheney_a_legacy_to_p.html

New York Times Editorial: KBR Does It Again. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Far from suffering for its shoddy military contracting in Iraq, Congressional investigators have found that KBR Inc. was awarded $83 million in performance bonuses. Even worse, more than half came after Pentagon investigators linked faulty KBR wiring to the electrocution of four soldiers intent on relaxation. One soldier died taking a shower and another in a swimming pool. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/opinion/24sun3.html?ref=global

Chicagoland

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Why isn't Quinn fighting as ethics reforms die? Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 28, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1595902,CST-EDT-edit28a.article

I'm a reformer . . . get me out of here! BY CAROL MARIN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 24, 2009. Prime time producers at NBC are missing the boat. They should be camped out in Springfield next week, home of the Illinois Legislature, plotting their next pilot. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1588368,CST-EDT-carol24.article

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Sure, stick it to Blago, but pass reform first. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 26, 2009. Good to know our boys and girls in Springfield can spring into action when it counts. Look no further than the bill the state Legislature passed last week to go after any money disgraced former Gov. Blagojevich makes from his notoriety if he's convicted. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1590816,CST-EDT-edit26a.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial - No tax hike before reform. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 29, 2009. Chicago Democrats who run the Illinois legislature evidently know they're heading down a bad road. Their attempt to engineer a huge income tax increase, even as they fuss and fume over citizens' demands for a reformed political culture, has marooned them. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0529edit1may29,0,7102322.story

Kennedy ups the stakes in Senate race BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 25, 2009. The price of poker in the 2010 Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate primary just went up. Chris Kennedy's anticipated jump into the fray has seriously raised the ante. Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' $1.1 million piggy bank won't come close to covering the table stakes. Roland Burris, the current Senate seat holder, has stashed away $845, according to his most recent quarterly report. That won't even cover another line on his tombstone. Unfortunately for Burris, his ego dwarfs his bank account. http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1589802,CST-EDT-laura25.article

Burris-Blagojevich Ties Come to Life in Transcript By MONICA DAVEY and KAREN ANN CULLOTTA. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. A transcript of a secretly recorded telephone call released on Tuesday revealed the degree to which Roland W. Burris aggressively and openly pursued an appointment to the United States Senate with those close to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, who went on to appoint Mr. Burris last year before he was removed from the job. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/politics/27burris.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Ending 'pay to play'. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 29, 2009. With so many important anti-corruption reforms faltering in Springfield, you may have missed one that didn't. That would be a sweeping overhaul of the state's purchasing system, the heart of corrupt pay-to-play politics. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0529edit2may29,0,7495539.story

Ald. Carothers, developer accused of corruption By Jeff Coen. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 3:17 PM. Isaac Carothers (29th), a staunch ally of Mayor Richard Daley, was indicted today on charges he accepted about $40,000 in improvements to his residence as well as meals and tickets to sporting events in exchange for backing a major project by a developer. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/05/us-indictment-of-elected-official-expected.html?track=email-alert-breakingnews

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Demand city end political hiring. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 26, 2009. For four years, a federal monitor has overseen the City of Chicago's hiring practices, dutifully reporting significant good news and far too much bad news. Her most recent report, in March, accused the city of backsliding in its efforts to reform its practices. Clout, she suggested, still influences a supposedly clout-free hiring process http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1590817,CST-EDT-edit26b.article

Chicago parking meltdown: Malfunctioning machines send drivers, ticket writers and lease firm officials scrambling - Parking box meltdown sends motorists, cops and leasing company into scramble mode By Dan Mihalopoulos and Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-parking-meters-broken-28may28,0,4070412.story

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: Throw out U. of I.'s clout admission list. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. May 30, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1599184,CST-EDT-edit31.article

Feds investigate city pension investments in firm tied to Daley nephew By Dan Mihalopoulos and Steve Mills. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-daley-nephew-pension-30may30,0,5092601.story

Medical marijuana pilot gets OK from state Senate By Monique Garcia and Rick Pearson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-illinois-medical-marijuana-2may28,0,3378342.story


Your Lack of Money

Exploding debt threatens America - S&P’s sovereign rating outlook for the UK is also a wake-up call for a US government with spiralling borrowings By John Taylor. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 20:48 | Last updated: May 26 2009 20:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71520770-4a2c-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

US economy contracts by 5.7% - Corporate profits surge in first quarter By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 14:20 | Last updated: May 29 2009 14:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c50aaf66-4c48-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

GM and Magna reach deal on Opel - Germany to provide financial backing By Bertrand Benoit in Berlin and John Reed in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 15:49 | Last updated: May 30 2009 10:34 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6efc6ae6-4c5d-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

New G.M. Plan Gets Support From Key Bondholders By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/business/29auto.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Toyota knocked as suppliers’ top customer - Car parts makers pressed to lower prices By Bernard Simon in Toronto. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 25 2009 03:38 | Last updated: May 25 2009 03:38. Toyota is no longer the darling of North American car parts makers, according to an annual survey of relations between vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/740b9064-4886-11de-8870-00144feabdc0.html

Visteon files for bankruptcy protection - Former Ford supplier goes into Chapter 11 By John Reed, Motor Industry Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 07:19 | Last updated: May 28 2009 07:19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd756ca0-4b4e-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Southwest to let small pets fly in cabin for $75 - Southwest also plans to outfit its airport terminals with areas where animals can relieve themselves. By Julie Johsson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:39 AM CDT, May 29, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-southwest-airlines-pets-fly-for-75-may29,0,5143062.story

UK rules help Virgin Atlantic profit By Kevin Done and Philip Stafford. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 09:19 | Last updated: May 26 2009 20:41. Virgin Atlantic, the UK long-haul airline controlled by Sir Richard Branson, said its pre-tax profits had almost doubled last year – but the results were helped by its status as a private company and the rules under which it reports its accounts. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c1d79142-49c8-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

U.S. Weighs Single Agency to Regulate Banking Industry - Plan Is Key Facet of Sweeping Overhaul By Binyamin Appelbaum and Zachary A. Goldfarb. Copyright by The Washington Post . Thursday, May 28, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/27/AR2009052703654.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Saudi minister sees oil demand rising - Naimi: world can cope with $75-$80 oil By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 09:02 | Last updated: May 27 2009 11:33. Global oil demand is picking up, supported by higher consumption in China, driving oil prices higher, Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, said on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Opec meeting in Vienna. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0327ac08-4a92-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Rise in taxes on US petrol ‘not feasible’ - US energy secretary alters stance on fuel policy By Carola Hoyos, Fiona Harvey and Clive Cookson in London. Published: May 27 2009 22:29 | Last updated: May 28 2009 00:44. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Steven Chu, US secretary of energy, on Wednesday said that it would not be politically feasible for the country to lower its reliance on oil by raising petrol prices to Europe’s levels through higher taxes or regulation. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f4df87e-4b02-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Oil prices hit six-month high - On course for biggest monthly gain in 10 years By Javier Blas in Vienna. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 11:35 | Last updated: May 29 2009 11:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/052adb00-4c37-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html



Housing

Job Losses Push Safer Mortgages to Foreclosure By PETER S. GOODMAN and JACK HEALY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. As job losses rise, growing numbers of American homeowners with once solid credit are falling behind on their mortgages, amplifying a wave of foreclosures. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/business/economy/25foreclose.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

New home sales and prices tick up in April - US jobless claims ease while durable goods orders rise By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 14:30 | Last updated: May 28 2009 16:49 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff5053f2-4b7f-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Mortgage rates spike on higher yields on Treasuries By Michael Oneal. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 9:47 AM CDT, May 28, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mortgage-rates-may28,0,148534.story

Amid Housing Bust, Phoenix Begins a New Frenzy By DAVID STREITFELD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Every weekday morning, Lou Jarvis drives the sun-baked suburban streets looking for investment gold: a family that will lose its house in a foreclosure auction within a few hours. If the property looks promising, Mr. Jarvis puts in a bid on behalf of any of his dozens of clients eager to become landlords. When he wins, he offers to let the family stay in the house and rent for much less than their mortgage payment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/business/24phoenix.html?th&emc=th


GLBT

La Cage aux Democrats By FRANK RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. THE most potent word in our new president’s lexicon — change — has been heard much less since his inspiring campaign gave way to the hard realities of governing. But on Tuesday night, the irresistible Obama brand made an unexpected and pointed cameo appearance on America’s most popular television show, “American Idol.” In the talent competition’s climactic faceoff, the song picked for one of the two finalists, Adam Lambert, was Sam Cooke’s soul classic, “A Change Is Gonna Come.” This is increasingly the live-and-let-live society we inhabit — particularly younger America. In a Times/CBS News poll in April, 57 percent of those under 40 supported same-sex marriage. The approval figure for all ages (42 percent) has nearly doubled in just five years. On Tuesday the California Supreme Court will render its opinion on that state’s pox on gay marriage, Proposition 8. Since Prop 8 passed last fall, four states have legalized gay marriage and New Hampshire is about to. This rapid change has been greeted not by a backlash, but by a national shrug — just as a seemingly gay “American Idol” victory most likely would have been. And yet the changes aren’t coming as fast as many gay Americans would like, and as our Bill of Rights would demand. Especially in Washington. Despite Barack Obama’s pledges as a candidate and president, there is no discernible movement on repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy or the Defense of Marriage Act. Both seem more cruelly discriminatory by the day. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/opinion/24rich.html?th&emc=th

California Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Same-Sex Marriage By JOHN SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/27marriage.html?ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: A Setback for Equality Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 26, 2009. The California Supreme Court got it terribly wrong Tuesday. It upheld Proposition 8, a state constitutional change on last fall’s ballot intended to prohibit marriage by couples of the same sex. In addition to denying basic fairness to gay people, the court’s 6-to-1 ruling sets an unfortunate legal precedent that could allow the existing rights of any targeted minority to be diminished using the Election Day initiative process. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/opinion/27wed2.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: Proposition 8 Stands. California's highest court rules that the voters have the right to be wrong. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 27, 2009. THE JUDGES of the California Supreme Court ruled yesterday that they can be overruled by the people of their state. That's the import of their 6 to 1 decision upholding Proposition 8, which bars same-sex marriage. They're probably right on the law, but the outcome is wrong as a matter of fairness, and our guess is that the people of California will reconsider before too long. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602800.html

After California ruling, will more states favor same-sex marriage? By Ed Hornick. Copyright by CNN News. May 26, 2009. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While California's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a ban on same-sex marriages that voters voters passed in November, the fight will undoubtedly go forward. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/26/same.sex.states/index.html

Bush v. Gore Foes Join to Fight Gay Marriage Ban By JESSE McKINLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 27, 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — The David and Ted show is back in business. Eight and a half years after their epic partisan battle over the fate of the 2000 presidential election, the lawyers David Boies and Theodore B. Olson appeared on the same team on Wednesday as co-counsel in a federal lawsuit that has nothing to do with hanging chads, butterfly ballots or Electoral College votes. Their mutual goal: overturning Proposition 8, California’s freshly affirmed ban on same-sex marriage. It is a fight that jolted many gay rights advocates — and irritated more than a few — but that Mr. Boies and Mr. Olson said was important enough to, temporarily at least, set aside their political differences. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/28marriage.html?th&emc=th

Diplomats’ Same-Sex Partners to Get Benefits By MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. WASHINGTON — The State Department will offer equal benefits and protections to same-sex partners of American diplomats, according to an internal memorandum Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent last week to an association of gay and lesbian Foreign Service officers. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/us/24benefit.html?th&emc=th

LGBTs upset over possible new alderman by Andrew Davis. Copyright by Windy City Times. 2009-05-27. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/05/lgbts-upset-over-possible-new-alderman.html




Law

Spain's Judges Cross Borders In Rights Cases - High-Ranking U.S. Officials Among Targets of Inquiries By Craig Whitlock. Copyright by The Washington Post Sunday, May 24, 2009. MADRID -- Spanish judges are boldly declaring their authority to prosecute high-ranking government officials in the United States, China and Israel, among other places, delighting human rights activists but enraging officials in the countries they target and triggering a political backlash in a nation uncomfortable acting as the world's conscience. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/23/AR2009052301795.html?hpid=topnews




Religion

Religious heritage no bar to civil unions BY MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 24, 2009. As the Illinois Legislature debates a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions, H.B. 2234, one anxiety often expressed is that the passage of this bill would insult our religious heritage -- signaling the triumph of secular thought, and the sexual revolution, over Judeo-Christian values. How should defenders of the bill respond to this argument? First, it's important to recognize that this is not an issue where religion is on one side, secular thought on another. Religions in America are deeply divided over same-sex unions. My own denomination, Reform Judaism, strongly supports same-sex marriage, as do Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism, Unitarian Universalism and a number of smaller denominations. http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1588531,CST-EDT-open24.article



Technical

New York Times Editorial: Protecting Electronic Data. Copyright by New York Times. Published: May 24, 2009. In 2005, ChoicePoint, a data broker, gave access to personal information about more than 140,000 people to criminals posing as businesspeople. Since that widely publicized security breach, many states have passed laws protecting consumer information, but Congress still has not come through. Now, the House is considering a bill to require greater security for personal data. Consumers deserve this sort of protection. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/opinion/25mon2.html?th&emc=th

Obama responds to cyber threat - New post to co-ordinate plans By Joseph Menn in San Francisco and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 29 2009 19:43 | Last updated: May 30 2009 00:12. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/510b7792-4c7c-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.html

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Revolutionbook. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 27 2009 19:11 | Last updated: May 27 2009 19:11. American schoolchildren still learn “Paul Revere’s Ride”: a piece of dramatic verse recounting the silversmith’s crucial mission at the start of the American War of Independence. Poets writing about future freedom fighters may need to find a word that rhymes with “Facebook”. Iran has reversed a ban, imposed last week, on the social networking site, now a rallying point for opposition supporters. The internet is starting to change politics, even in closed societies. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2352fa28-4ae7-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html

Facebook gets $200m from Russian group By David Gelles in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 26 2009 18:01 | Last updated: May 26 2009 18:01 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e18721a0-4a14-11de-8e7e-00144feabdc0.html

Microsoft and Google face off over innovation - Battle for search engine market By Richard Waters in San Francisco and Joseph Menn in Carlsbad, California. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 21:41 | Last updated: May 28 2009 21:41 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9acf4ff2-4bc3-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html

Microsoft’s Search for a Name Ends With a Bing By MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/technology/internet/29bing.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Dell, Its Quarterly Earnings Down 63%, Predicts Recovery By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/technology/companies/29dell.html?th&emc=th

Time Warner to spin off AOL by year-end - Curtain falls on disastrous merger By Kenneth Li Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 28 2009 13:44 | Last updated: May 28 2009 17:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/787039f2-4b83-11de-b827-00144feabdc0.html


Medical

Where Life’s Start Is a Deadly Risk By DENISE GRADY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 23, 2009. Death in Birth - Preventable Losses. More than half a million women a year die during pregnancy and in childbirth, largely from problems that can be treated or prevented. This is the first of three articles on efforts to lower the death rate in one African country, Tanzania. BEREGA, Tanzania — The young woman had already been in labor for two days by the time she reached the hospital here. Now two lives were at risk, and there was no choice but to operate and take the baby right away. LEFT BEHIND A father holds his baby after his wife died in childbirth in Moshi. “Too many die, too young,” said a doctor worried about maternal deaths. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/health/24birth.html?th&emc=th



Other

Prince Harry, in His Mother’s Footsteps By RALPH BLUMENTHAL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/nyregion/30prince.html?th&emc=th


Humor

Jay Leno says good night to late night - Last show monologue thanks all who made the last 17 years possible -- Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton ... By Greg Braxton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 30, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0530-jay-lenomay30,0,2972333.story

This Cat? Man, He Scratches A Powerful Itch By Garance Franke-Ruta. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 24, 2009. Iman Crosson thought he had plenty of time. His spoof video of a rapping Barack Obama was all taped and he just needed to finish the editing, which he planned to wrap up on election night while the votes were being counted. There was just one little glitch. The TV networks called the election at 8 p.m. PST, catching Crosson unprepared. Watching in his Santa Barbara, Calif., apartment, the 27-year-old performer had to scramble. He wanted to post his video as soon as the election was called. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104709.html?hpid=topnews

T.I.- Whatever You Like SPOOF! (OBAMA- Whatever I Like) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0

T.I. Dead and Gone SPOOF- Barack Obama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVaiIvcav64

Beyoncé - Single Ladies SPOOF (Barack Obama) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqI12R8YNU

Jimmy Kimmel Live / Jimmy Plays a Clip of Jewish Jets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvY98WQ5n9g

HOLY FIRE http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/05/holy-fire.html


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



In Pride (orgullo),


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

We tortured to justify war Newsletter - May 23, 2009

We tortured to justify war Newsletter - May 23, 2009

“The single most pertinent question that Dick Cheney is never asked -- at least not by the admiring interviewers he has encountered so far -- is whether he, Donald Rumsfeld, and George W. Bush used torture to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq. As he tours television studios, radio stations and conservative think tanks, the former vice-president hopes to persuade America that only waterboarding kept us safe for seven years.” Joe Conason

We tortured to justify war - Dick Cheney keeps saying "enhanced interrogation" was used to stop imminent attacks, but evidence is mounting that the real reason was to invent evidence linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida. Yet evidence is mounting that under Cheney’s direction, "enhanced interrogation" was not used exclusively to prevent imminent acts of terror or collect actionable intelligence -- the aims that he constantly emphasizes -- but to invent evidence that would link al-Qaida with Saddam Hussein and connect the late Iraqi dictator to the 9/11 attacks. By Joe Conason. Copyright by Salon.com. May 18, 2009 http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/05/14/cheney/

Cheney, Master of Pain By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 16, 2009. Dick Cheney has done many dastardly things. But presiding over policies so saturnine that they ended up putting the liberal speaker from San Francisco on the hot seat about torture may be one of his proudest achievements. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/opinion/17dowd.html?th&emc=th

22 Percent And Out Of Ideas By Harold Meyerson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009. The dizzying downward spiral of the Republican Party continues apace. Yesterday, the Pew Research Center released a survey showing that the percentage of Americans who answer to the name Republican is down to 22 percent -- about as low as a party can go in a two-party system. Also yesterday, former vice president Dick Cheney delivered a prolonged defense of "enhanced interrogation techniques" even as President Obama, speaking alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at the National Archives, repudiated torture and spelled out the toll that the torture tactics used by the Bush-Cheney administration inflicted on America's standing in the world. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052103759.html

Steele, but No Magnet By Kathleen Parker. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, May 20, 2009. It's not yet clear how the one-armed-midget demographic is shaping up, but everybody else seems to be bailing on the GOP. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/19/AR2009051902839.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Obama vs Cheney: A (Polling) Mismatch from the Start By Chris Cillizza. Copyright by the Washington Post. May 21, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/white-house/obama-vs-cheney-a-polling-mism.html?hpid=topnews

Cheney Grabs a Third Term By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. Dick and Rummy are at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, holding court. The maître d’ fawns. Waiters hover. Tourists snap pics on their digital cameras. Cable chatterers stop by to ingratiate themselves. It isn’t so much that Dick and Rummy are back. It’s that they never left. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/opinion/20dowd.html?th&emc=th

Cheney Lost to Bush By DAVID BROOKS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22brooks.html?th&emc=th

Ridge disagrees with Cheney By Alexander Mooney. Copyright by CNN News. May 22, 2009 Posted: 03:52 PM ET http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/22/ridge-i-disagree-with-cheney/

Olbermann Calls Dick Cheney 'As Insane As Any Terrorists http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/05/22/olbermann-calls-cheney-insane-any-terrorist

Cheney Seeks Book Deal on Bush Years and More By JIM RUTENBERG and MOTOKO RICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/politics/23cheney.html?th&emc=th


International

Russia and US restart nuclear arsenal talks - May provide breakthrough in effort to ‘reset’ relations By Charles Clover and Isabel Gorst in Moscow and Daniel Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 11:39 | Last updated: May 19 2009 17:53 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/561d8f26-445d-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

German investor confidence at 3-year high By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 11:06 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c54e16c0-445a-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

BoJ upgrades economic prospects- Export hopes fuel upbeat tone By Mure Dickie in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 12:36 | Last updated: May 22 2009 16:24. The Bank of Japan upgraded its assessment of the world’s second largest economy for the first time in nearly three years on Friday, saying exports and production were beginning to bottom out and the effects of state stimulus spending should soon begin to kick in. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9a62e50a-46c4-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Japan’s economy shrinks record 4% - Green shoots persist despite GDP slump By Mure Dickie in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 02:25 | Last updated: May 20 2009 04:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c98f367e-44dc-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

Rebels Routed in Sri Lanka After 25 Years of War By SOMINI SENGUPTA and SETH MYDANS. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 17, 2009. The ethnic Tamil separatist rebels of Sri Lanka, one of the world’s most feared and enduring guerrilla movements, acknowledged Sunday that their war of more than a quarter-century for a homeland had “reached its bitter end.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/world/asia/18lanka.html?th&emc=th



China

The China Puzzle By DAVID LEONHARDT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 13, 2009. On Timothy Geithner’s first day as a Dartmouth freshman, while he was walking across campus on his way to register for classes in the fall of 1979, he heard a man speaking Thai — swearing in Thai, to be precise — from a balcony. Geithner found this amusing, because only a couple of months before, he left his home in Thailand, where his father worked for the Ford Foundation, to move to Hanover, N.H. So he stopped to talk to the man, who turned out to be David Keenan, a Chinese teacher at Dartmouth. The two quickly realized that they had a lot in common; among other things they attended the same schools, about a decade apart, in Bangkok and Delhi. (The cause of Keenan’s swearing, alas, has been lost to history.) Having established a rapport, Keenan then decided to do a little salesmanship. He urged Geithner to take Chinese, the only Asian language that Dartmouth offered at the time. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/magazine/17china-t.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

China calls on rich countries to cut emissions By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 11:11 | Last updated: May 21 2009 11:11. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7a79142-45ee-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

China tempts consumers with discounts By Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Patti Waldmeir in Shanghai. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 13:27 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:26. China is offering consumers a 10 per cent subsidy for buying new television sets, washing machines, air conditioners and computers, in a sign that Beijing remains wary over the prospects of an economic rebound. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/28e1a20e-4462-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

Beijing Auto signals Opel interest - Chinese carmaker faces three rival bids By John Reed in London and Patti Waldmeir in Shanghai. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 11:42 | Last updated: May 22 2009 11:42. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6d918216-46ba-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html


Mess-o-potamia

World Watches for U.S. Shift on Mideast By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 16, 2009. Five weeks ago, President Obama stood before the Turkish legislature in Ankara and said many Americans had Muslims in their families or had lived in a Muslim-majority country. “I know,” he said, “because I am one of them.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/us/politics/17prexy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Obama Tells Netanyahu He Has an Iran Timetable By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/world/middleeast/19prexy.html?th&emc=th

Iran ‘launches advanced missile’ - 2,000km range likely to rouse more concern in west © Reuters Limited. May 20, 2009. TEHRAN, May 20 - Iran successfully launched a surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles) on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3fe7fd4e-451c-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Iraq Bombings Shatter Lull By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and ATHEER KAKAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html?ref=global-home


National

Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Obama's War? No. Like it or not, it's America's war. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051601844.html

Washington Post Editorial: The Bounds of War - President Obama sketches a legal framework that's been absent since the Sept. 11 attacks.. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052103483.html

New York Times Editorial: The Real Path to Security. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/opinion/22fri1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Advocacy Groups Seek Disbarment of Ex-Bush Administration Lawyers By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/us/19detain.html?th&emc=th

Blow for Obama plan to close Guantánamo By Andrew Ward and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 00:40 | Last updated: May 21 2009 00:40 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f097f7e-4595-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Detainees May Go to U.S., Obama Says By DAVID STOUT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/us/politics/22obama.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Sting operation foils New York terror plot By Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 06:33 | Last updated: May 21 2009 06:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30eee4aa-45c7-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Police Say Suspects in N.Y. Bomb Plot Acted Alone By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ and SEWELL CHAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/nyregion/22terror.html?ref=global-home

NY terror suspects to appear in court By Harvey Morris in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 16:20 | Last updated: May 21 2009 16:20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bcaa08a8-4617-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

New York times Editorial: Equal Pay for Women Denied, Again. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 20, 2009. The Supreme Court keeps finding ways to deny women equal pay and benefits. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/opinion/21thu3.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Obama Set to Approve New Rules for Credit Cards By Nancy Trejos and Debbi Wilgoren. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, May 22, 2009; 10:10 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/22/AR2009052200430.html?hpid=topnews

California voters strike down tax measures - Defeat of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bid to curb deficit By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 20:19 | Last updated: May 20 2009 07:42 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/352d96b2-44a8-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html



Chicagoland

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Tell them, Governor. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 19, 2009. If only the governor of Illinois understood that he needs to stop letting himself be buffeted by the mighty power-turbines of Springfield that desperately want to survive this legislative session intact. When he ought to be setting this state's agenda by urging its people to talk with their legislators, Pat Quinn instead . . . reacts. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0519edit1may19,0,56311.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - State polls all talk, no action on reform. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 22, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1586269,CST-EDT-edit22a.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial - You call this reform? Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 22, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0522edit1may22,0,3468772.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial - How it works. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 22, 2009. It's crunch time in Springfield, that special season when good intentions fall by the wayside and late starters burst onto the scene and streak across the finish line. Anything can happen. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0522edit2may22,0,3861989.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Loving Stroger's tax. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 20, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0520edit1may20,0,1895904.story

Cook County sales tax hike to stay in place as commissioners fail to override Stroger's veto Posted by Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 19, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/05/stroger-tax-vote-today.html

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Stroger has failed to lead. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 20, 2009. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1581773,CST-EDT-edit20b.article

Veto Stands, but can Stroger? - Cook County doesn't kill tax hike, so issue lives for campaign By Hal Dardick. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. May 20, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cook-county-tax-vote-20-may20,0,2075514.story

Time for Preckwinkle to finish off Stroger BY LAURA WASHINGTON. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 18, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/1578812,CST-EDT-laura18.article


Your Lack of Money

Wider Confidence Lifts Economy From Winter's Deep, Dark Freeze By Neil Irwin and David Cho. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, May 21, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052003816.html?hpid=topnews

Lowe’s optimistic on US economy By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 18 2009 14:03 | Last updated: May 18 2009 16:07 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfdfd1de-43aa-11de-a9be-00144feabdc0.html

Home Depot quarterly sales down 9.7% - Customers are ‘still under pressure’ By Jonathan Birchall and Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 13:19 | Last updated: May 19 2009 15:28 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/34d15472-446e-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

New US weekly jobless claims ease By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 14:31 | Last updated: May 21 2009 14:31 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f520eefe-4608-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Surprise profit launches Sears shares. Copyright by The Associated Press. 9:40 AM CDT, May 22, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sears-earnings-credit-line-may21,0,5227146.story

US banks scramble to repay bail-out cash - Five or six lenders to be allowed priority By Francesco Guerrera in New York and Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 18 2009 22:25 | Last updated: May 19 2009 00:33 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d8557f30-43ef-11de-a9be-00144feabdc0.html

Citigroup looks to slash tech costs - Integration could save more than $1bn By Francesco Guerrera in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 22:53 | Last updated: May 21 2009 23:09 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24808782-462b-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Lloyds plans £4bn share placing By Lina Saigol, George Parker and Peter Thal Larsen. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 17 2009 12:50 | Last updated: May 18 2009 14:02 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a47aef4-42cf-11de-b793-00144feabdc0.html

New York Times Editorial: So Far So Good. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009. Less than three weeks after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection, it looks as if the Obama administration will pull off its goal of completing the carmaker’s restructuring by June, allowing it to emerge as a smaller, more viable contender in the global auto market. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/opinion/18mon1.html?th&emc=th

G.M. and Union Reach Deal on Contract Changes By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/business/22auto.html?hp

BA plunges to record £401m loss - Airline scraps dividend By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 08:22 | Last updated: May 22 2009 15:46 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4abb7680-46a0-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Deere quarterly profits fall by 38% - Weak construction spending saps sales By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 13:39 | Last updated: May 20 2009 15:35 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cdc9519a-4539-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html

Private equity consortium wins BankUnited auction - Largest US bank failure this year By Henny Sender in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 21 2009 23:16 | Last updated: May 22 2009 00:24 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d53fe756-4654-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Shell investors reject pay plans - 59.4% of shareholders vote against remuneration report By Michael Steen in The Hague. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 15:31 | Last updated: May 19 2009 15:31. Shareholders voted against approving the executive pay policies of Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday, giving the energy company a clear signal it had not done enough to address remuneration concerns that dominated proceedings at its annual meeting for a second year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/682182cc-4480-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html




Commodities

Dollar hits five-month low - Fears mount over US debt By Peter Garnham. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 10:56 | Last updated: May 22 2009 17:03 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cdecffaa-46b0-11de-923e-00144feabdc0.html

Gold jewellery demand sinks as slump bites - Investment flows boost overall demand By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 20 2009 11:36 | Last updated: May 20 2009 17:48 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b69a3bf4-4522-11de-b6c8-00144feabdc0.html


Housing

US housing starts plunge to record low - New home construction falls by 12.8% By Alan Rappeport in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 14:07 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:58 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ec2895e-4474-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

COMING OUT A WINNER WHEN SELLING YOUR HOUSE by Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago Magazine and Roger V. McCaffrey-Boss. May 21-27, 2009 http://www.gaychicagomagazine.com/advice/legallyspeaking.shtml

Mortgage rates tick up; 30-year at 5.24% By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 8:54 AM CDT, May 21, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-mortgage-rates-may21,0,6666585.story


GLBT

Gay-Marriage Issue Awaits Court Pick - Same-Sex Unions Supplant Abortion As Social Priority for Conservatives By Shailagh Murray. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009. As President Obama prepares to name his first Supreme Court justice, conservatives in Washington are making clear that his nominee will face plenty of questions during the confirmation process on the legal underpinnings of same-sex marriage. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/16/AR2009051602363.html?hpid=topnews

Gay marriage caught fire after NH House reversal By Norma Love. Copyright by The Associated Press. May 20, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3502

Gay Marriage Slow to Draw an Opposition in N.Y. By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. ALBANY — Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn was feeling distressed. The State Assembly had just voted to legalize same-sex marriage, after gay rights groups flooded the Legislature with visits, phone calls and e-mail messages. Where, he wanted to know, was the other side? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/nyregion/20marriage.html?th&emc=th

Views: Gay rights after Obama's first 100 days by Carlos T. Mock, M.D. Copyright by Windy City Times. 2009-05-20 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21224

May 20, 2009: Gay Marriage Is Bad for Small Business http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=228028&title=Gay-Marriage-Is-Bad-for-Small-Business

How 'Idol' invigorated dialogue on gay issues By Joe Garofoli. Copyright by The San Francisco Chronicle. May 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-0521-idol-lambertmay21,0,4703923.story

Midlife Crisis #263: St. Sukie the Anti-Christ By St. Sukie de la Croix. Copyright by Chicago Free Press. May 20, 2009. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3518

Outrage-Trailer Opening in a theater near you! http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=81773679505&h=3Zsow&u=xI7Db&ref=mf



Environment

New York Times Editorial: The Earth Wins One. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 19, 2009. The nationwide automobile mileage and emissions standards announced by President Obama on Tuesday represent a huge step forward in the effort to limit greenhouse gases and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. They also represent a departure from the Bush administration’s indifference on these issues and an important down payment on Mr. Obama’s pledge to fashion an aggressive and imaginative energy policy http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/opinion/20weds1.html?th&emc=th

Obama to Toughen Rules on Emissions and Mileage By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19emissions.html?th&emc=th



Religion

Who Is a Real Catholic? By David Gibson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, May 17, 2009. All you need to know to diagnose the state of the Catholic Church in America today is that Pope Benedict XVI -- who has a knack for ticking off Muslims and Jews -- spent the past week wandering the Middle East, yet Catholics here barely noticed. They were too busy fighting over Barack Obama's appearance as commencement speaker at Notre Dame or arguing about the fate of a popular Miami priest known as "Father Oprah," who was caught on camera sharing a seaside embrace with his girlfriend. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051501390.html

At Notre Dame, Obama Calls for Civil Tone in Abortion Debate By PETER BAKER and SUSAN SAULNY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/us/politics/18obama.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

He Came, He Spoke, He Conquered - THIS CATHOLIC'S VIEW By Thomas J. Reese, S.J. Copyright by The Washington Post. MAY 17, 2009; 5:15 PM ET. President Obama's reception at Notre Dame showed once again that a new generation of Americans, including Catholics, is looking for a different kind of leader, not one who speaks down to his audience, demands strict loyalty and demonizes opponents, but one who addresses complexity with honesty, acknowledges disagreements and tries to bring people together for the common good. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/05/he_came_he_spoke_he_conquered.html?hpid=talkbox1

Report Details Abuses in Irish Church-Run Reformatories By SHARON OTTERMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 20, 2009. A commission investigating child abuse in Ireland’s Roman Catholic-run state orphanages, reformatories and schools released a scathing report on Wednesday, documenting widespread physical, sexual and emotional abuse of thousands of children over 60 years. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/world/europe/21ireland.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Dan Brown’s America By ROSS DOUTHAT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009. The movie treatment of his novel, “Angels and Demons,” is cleaning up at the box office this week. The sequel to “The DaVinci Code,” due out in November, might buoy the publishing industry through the recession. And if you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/opinion/19douthat.html?th&emc=th


Technical

A Book Grab by Google - A court could give the search-engine giant a frightening monopoly. By Brewster Kahle. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, May 19, 2009. A court in the Southern District of New York will soon make a decision that could determine our digital future. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/18/AR2009051802637.html

New Mood in Antitrust May Target Google By STEVE LOHR and MIGUEL HELFT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/companies/18antitrust.html?th&emc=th

The Race to Provide Wi-Fi at 30,000 Feety By JOE SHARKEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/business/19road.html?th&emc=th

Cellphone Makers Hope for a Blockbuster Summer By MATT RICHTEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/technology/18phone.html?th&emc=th

Palm’s New Smartphone Goes on Sale on June 6. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: May 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/technology/companies/20palm.html?th&emc=th


Medical

Chicago Free Press Editorial: We’re all adults here. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. May 20, 2009. President Obama last week announced that Dr. Thomas Frieden will be leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Frieden, who for seven years has headed up New York City’s health department for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has received both accolades and criticism for how he gets things done. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3510

US health reforms focus on cost control - Interview with budget chief Peter Orszag By Krishna Guha and Edward Luce in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 22 2009 00:05 | Last updated: May 22 2009 00:05. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7c5e714-4639-11de-803f-00144feabdc0.html

Access to flu vaccine ‘will fall short’ - WHO warns of global shortage By Andrew Jack in London and Frances Williams in Geneva. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: May 19 2009 14:11 | Last updated: May 19 2009 14:11 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3a27003a-446d-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html

First Death for Washington Assisted-Suicide Law By WILLIAM YARDLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: May 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/23suicide.html?_r=1&th&emc=th



Other

47 million years old and still dazzling - The most complete primate fossil ever found is unveiled with fanfare at a New York museum. Researchers say it could be a missing link in human evolution. By Thomas H. Maugh II and Tina Susman. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. May 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-sci-primate20-2009may20,0,6843535.story



Humor

On The View, Goldberg calls Beck "lying sack of dog mess" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2FK2vchoEo

Definitions by Gender http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/05/definitions-by-gender.html


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



In Pride (orgullo),


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