Lost, but it's not losing Newsletter - November 21 2009

Lost, but it's not losing Newsletter - November 21 2009



“In time, though, it will be apparent that granting same-sex couples substantive equality has none of the calamitous consequences imagined by gay-rights opponents. At that point, some of them will find themselves saying: Tell me again why we don't let them get married? Many gay-rights advocates reject anything short of full access to marriage as a disgraceful revival of the old "separate but equal" policy -- which was anything but equal for African-Americans. But you don't get across a broad river in a single leap. You get there by building a bridge that allows you to travel across one step at a time. As a destination, civil unions leave a lot to be desired. But as an avenue, they're hard to beat.” Steve Chapman

Lost, but it's not losing By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 15, 2009. Opponents of same-sex marriage waxed triumphant recently when voters in Maine rejected a measure allowing gays to wed. Maggie Gallagher, head of the National Organization for Marriage, crowed, "This victory in Maine interrupts the cultural narrative that was being manufactured, that somehow American opinion is shifting on the gay marriage issue." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1115chapmannov15,0,552216.column


International

Obama Takes Stern Tone on North Korea and Iran By HELENE COOPER and MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. SEOUL, South Korea — President Obama delivered a stern message on Thursday to North Korea and Iran that they risk further sanctions and isolation if they do not rein in their nuclear ambitions. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/asia/19prexy.html?th&emc=th

Obama Says Russia ‘Reset Button’ Has Worked By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/world/asia/16prexy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Medvedev Says ‘Backwardness’ Undermines Party By ELLEN BARRY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 21, 2009. MOSCOW — President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia accused the governing party, United Russia, of “backwardness” on Saturday, warning its leaders that they must learn to win elections honestly if it is to survive. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/world/europe/22russia.html?ref=global-home


China

Fears of China property bubble - Developer’s concerns over stimulus package By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 18 2009 23:09 | Last updated: November 18 2009 23:09. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fears-of-china-property-bubble.html

China’s Role as Lender Alters Dynamics for Obama’s Visit By HELENE COOPER, MICHAEL WINES and DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/world/asia/15china.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

China Holds Firm on Major Issues in Obama’s Visit By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/world/asia/18prexy.html?hpw



Mess-o-potamia


Cleric Wields Religion to Challenge Iran’s Theocracy By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 21, 2009. CAIRO — For years, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri criticized Iran’s supreme leader and argued that the country was not the Islamic democracy it claimed to be, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Now many Iranians, including some former government leaders, are listening. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/world/middleeast/22ayatollah.html?ref=global-home

Inspectors Fear Iran Is Hiding Nuclear Plants By DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/world/middleeast/17nuke.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Minister Says Iran Won’t Ship Uranium Abroad By MICHAEL SLACKMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. CAIRO — Iran’s foreign minister said that his government would not ship its stockpile of low enriched uranium out of the country, making him the highest ranking official so far to declare that Iran would renege on a deal aimed at defusing a confrontation with the West over its nuclear program. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/middleeast/19nuke.html?ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: Mr. Obama’s Task. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. There is no doubt that the prospects for success in Afghanistan are so bleak right now because former President George W. Bush failed for seven long years to invest the necessary troops, resources or attention to the war. But it is now President Obama’s war, and the American people are waiting for him to explain his goals and his strategy. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/opinion/19thu1.html?th&emc=th

Karzai Sworn In for Second Term as Afghan President By ALISSA J. RUBIN and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/asia/20afghan.html?ref=global-home

Afghans Angry With Leadership See Few Options By ALISSA J. RUBIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/asia/19karzai.html?ref=global-home

U.S. Demands Clear Results From Afghan Reforms By PETER BAKER and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 18, 2009. WASHINGTON — President Obama’s top diplomat privately pressed Afghan President Hamid Karzai to deliver “measurable results” on governance and corruption as the White House prepared specific new demands to accompany an American troop buildup. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/asia/20policy.html?th&emc=th

As Afghans Resist Taliban, U.S. Spurs Rise of Militias By DEXTER FILKINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 21, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/world/asia/22militias.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

U.S. Asks More From Pakistan in Terror War By ERIC SCHMITT and DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/world/asia/16policy.html?th&emc=th

Suicide Attack Is Pakistani City’s 7th in 2 Weeks By ISMAIL KHAN and SAHAR HABIB GHAZI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/asia/20pstan.html?ref=global-home

Veto of Iraq’s Election Law Could Force Delay in Vote By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

U.S. Fears Iraqis Will Not Keep Up Rebuilt Projects By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/world/middleeast/21reconstruct.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Says Kuwait Company Overbilled It by Millions for Troops’ Food By ROBBIE BROWN. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/world/middleeast/17fraud.html?hpw


National


Holder's reasonable decision By Jim Comey and Jack Goldsmith. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, November 20, 2009. Reasonable minds can disagree about Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to prosecute Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other alleged Sept. 11 perpetrators in a Manhattan federal court. But some prominent criticisms are exaggerated, and others place undue faith in military commissions as an alternative to civilian trials. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/19/AR2009111903470.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Don't let fear decide fate of Gitmo inmates. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 17, 2009. America's federal prisons are full of people who scare the hell out of us -- mob hit men, mass murderers and international terrorists. We arrest and charge such fiends, give them a fair trial and, if they are found guilty, lock them up. We do not quake in fear. We do not shelve our values. We do not cheap out on due process -- a fair day in court for even the worst human beings, homegrown or foreign. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1887512,CST-EDT-edit17a.article

Law & Order: KSM http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-16-2009/law---order—ksm

A Racial Divide Is Bridged by Recession By SHAILA DEWAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009. McDONOUGH, Ga. — During the housing boom, Henry County, a suburb of Atlanta, had its share of racial tension as more and more blacks joined the tens of thousands of others pouring in, creating a standoffish gap between the newcomers and the county’s oldtimers. But the recession has begun to erase those differences. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/us/17county.html?th&emc=th

Ruling on Katrina Flooding Favors Homeowners By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge found Wednesday evening that poor maintenance of a major navigation channel by the Army Corps of Engineers led to some of the worst flooding after Hurricane Katrina. The ruling was a major victory for homeowners who suffered damage in the aftermath of the storm. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/us/19orleans.html?ref=global-home

A Crown Jewel of Education Struggles With Cuts By TAMAR LEWIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009. BERKELEY, Calif. — As the University of California struggles to absorb its sharpest drop in state financing since the Great Depression, every professor, administrator and clerical worker has been put on furlough amounting to an average pay cut of 8 percent. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/education/20berkeley.html?th&emc=th



Health Care Reform

Just In: Democrats Clinch Health Debate Vote By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 21, 2009 WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said they had clinched the votes needed on Saturday to propel major health care legislation to the floor for weeks of full debate, as the majority party’s two last holdouts said that they would not block consideration of President Obama’s top domestic initiative. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/health/policy/22health.html?emc=na

“The good news is that the bill just approved by the House and a bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee would implement or test many reforms that should help slow the rise in medical costs over the long term. As a report in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded, ‘Pretty much every proposed innovation found in the health policy literature these days is encapsulated in these measures.’ Medical spending, which typically rises faster than wages and the overall economy, is propelled by two things: the high prices charged for medical services in this country and the volume of unnecessary care delivered by doctors and hospitals, which often perform a lot more tests and treatments than a patient really needs.” New York Times Editorial

New York Times Editorial: Reform and Medical Costs. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 14, 2009. Americans are deeply concerned about the relentless rise in health care costs and health insurance premiums. They need to know if reform will help solve the problem. The answer is that no one has an easy fix for rising medical costs. The fundamental fix — reshaping how care is delivered and how doctors are paid in a wasteful, dysfunctional system — is likely to be achieved only through trial and error and incremental gains. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/opinion/15sun1.html?th&emc=th

ER death's sticker shock By Bobby Caina Calvan. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 13, 2009. SACRAMENTO, Calif. - -- For five frantic minutes, emergency room doctors at the University of California Davis Medical Center tried to revive Scott Hawkins. Hospital officials said the 23-year-old beating victim was given the highest level of emergency care, with a phalanx of specialists and nurses at hand. His parents called the effort "heroic." Five minutes later, doctors pronounced him dead. Few question the extent to which doctors tried to save the student's life Oct. 21, but the amount billed for his emergency care has provoked outrage -- evidence, critics said, of health costs spun out of control. The charge for those five minutes: $29,186.50 -- including a single-ticket item for $18,900.50, described on the itemized bill as "Trauma Rescue Service." http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-tc-nw-er-bill-1111-1112nov13,0,2322411.story

Failed cancer treatment doubly painful for widow by Jon Yates. What's Your Problem? November 17, 2009. Fanny Gonzalez was hit with a $161,601.50 bill for cancer treatment after Blue Cross denied their claim for a chemo drug. http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-tue-problem-cancer-1117-nov17,0,7272346.column

Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform By DUFF WILSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/16drugprices.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Rising Prices of Drugs Lead to Call for Inquiry By DUFF WILSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/health/policy/19drugs.html?th&emc=th

In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists’ By ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 14, 2009. WASHINGTON — In the official record of the historic House debate on overhauling health care, the speeches of many lawmakers echo with similarities. Often, that was no accident. Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies. E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/us/politics/15health.html?th&emc=th

My Near Death Panel Experience By EARL BLUMENAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 14, 2009. But now that I and my fellow lawmakers in the House have passed a health care bill, I’m finally free to explain what I learned as the author of the now-famous end-of-life provisions. My experiences during the bizarre controversies of the summer should provide a note of caution about what potential troubles and political distortions might lie ahead as health care legislation moves forward in the Senate, through the reconciliation process and toward a final bill. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/opinion/15blumenauer.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: The Senate Health Reform Bill. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 21, 2009. The long struggle by Senate Democratic leaders to merge two versions of health care reform into a single bill was worth the wait. The bill that the majority leader, Harry Reid, hopes to bring to the floor soon for debate is an improvement in many respects from the Senate Finance Committee’s bill, which had previously been considered a possible template for what the Senate was likely to approve. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/opinion/21sat2.html?th&emc=th

Senate Says Health Plan Will Cover Another 31 Million By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled their proposal for overhauling the health care system, outlining legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/health/policy/19health.html?_r=1&th&emc=th



Health Care


Washington Post Editorial: Advice and dissent on breast exams - The uproar over a task force's new cancer screening guidelines. Copyright by The Washington Post Wednesday, November 18, 2009. WOMEN AGES 40 to 49 who do not have family histories of breast cancer should no longer be routinely given mammograms. Nor should all women be taught how to do breast self-exams. Those were two of the recommendations from an independent federal task force that were bound to be controversial. With breast cancer being the second-leading cause of death among women in the United States, the uproar over the change in guidelines is understandable. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/17/AR2009111703427.html

New Mammogram Advice Finds a Skeptical Audience By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 17, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/health/18mammogram.html?hpw

Screening Policy Won’t Change, U.S. Officials Say By KEVIN SACK and GINA KOLATA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/health/19cancer.html?hpw

In Reversal, U.S. Urges Mammograms at 50, Not 40 By GINA KOLATA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/health/17cancer.html?_r=1&hp

Screening Debate Reveals Culture Clash in Medicine By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009. This week, the science of medicine bumped up against the foundations of American medical consumerism: that more is better, that saving a life is worth any sacrifice, that health care is a birthright. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/health/20assess.html?th&emc=th

Guidelines Push Back Age for Cervical Cancer Tests By DENISE GRADY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009 New guidelines for cervical cancer screening say women should delay their first Pap test until age 21, and be screened less often than recommended in the past. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/health/20pap.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Signs That Swine Flu Has Peaked By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009. Although federal health officials decline to use the word “peaked,” the current wave of swine flu appears to have done so in the United States. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/21flu.html?th&emc=th

FDA warns against mixing Nexium or Prilosec with Plavix - The heartburn drugs can interfere with the blood thinner, which is used to ward off heart attack and stroke. By Andrew Zajac. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. November 18, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-na-plavix18-2009nov18,0,4174624.story

Hospital report cards: Illinois Web site with prices, quality ratings and more will launch Thursday - Advocates hope Web site will improve hospital quality and lower costs By Judith Graham. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 19, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-hospital-report-card-19-nov19,0,7124137.story





GOP Bashing


“Green hawks believe otherwise. We believe that in a world getting warmer and more crowded with more ‘Americans,’ the next great global industry is going to be E.T., or energy technology based on clean power and energy efficiency. It has to be. And we believe that the country that invents and deploys the most E.T. will enjoy the most economic security, energy security, national security, innovative companies and global respect. And we believe that country must be America. If not, our children will never enjoy the standard of living we did. And we believe the best way to launch E.T. is to set a fixed, long-term price on carbon — combine it with the Obama team’s impressive stimulus for green-tech — and then let the free market and innovation do the rest. So, as I said, you don’t believe in global warming? You’re wrong, but I’ll let you enjoy it until your beach house gets washed away. But if you also don’t believe the world is getting more crowded with more aspiring Americans — and that ignoring that will play to the strength of our worst enemies, while responding to it with clean energy will play to the strength of our best technologies — then you’re willfully blind, and you’re hurting America’s future to boot.” THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

What They Really Believe By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 17, 2009. If you follow the debate around the energy/climate bills working through Congress you will notice that the drill-baby-drill opponents of this legislation are now making two claims. One is that the globe has been cooling lately, not warming, and the other is that America simply can’t afford any kind of cap-and-trade/carbon tax. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/opinion/18friedman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=What%20They%20Really%20Believe%20&st=cse

Leaders Agree to Delay a Deal on Climate Change By HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 14, 2009. SINGAPORE — President Obama and other world leaders have decided to put off the difficult task of reaching a climate change agreement at a global climate conference scheduled for next month, agreeing instead to make it the mission of the Copenhagen conference to reach a less specific “politically binding” agreement that would punt the most difficult issues into the future. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/world/asia/15prexy.html?th&emc=th

Obama Hobbled in Fight Against Global Warming By JOHN M. BRODER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009. WASHINGTON — President Obama came into office pledging to end eight years of American inaction on climate change under President George W. Bush, and all year he has promised that the United States would lead the way toward a global agreement in Copenhagen next month to address the warming planet. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/science/earth/16climate.html?th&emc=th

Seas Grow Less Effective at Absorbing Emissions By SINDYA N. BHANOO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. The Earth’s oceans, which have absorbed carbon dioxide from fuel emissions since the dawn of the industrial era, have recently grown less efficient at sopping it up, new research suggests. Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels began soaring in the 1950s, and oceans largely kept up, scientists say. But the growth in the intake rate has slowed since the 1980s, and markedly so since 2000, the authors of a study write in a report in Thursday’s issue of Nature. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/science/earth/19oceans.html?ref=global-home

Washington Post Editorial: Giving hypocrisy a bad name - Republicans slammed filibusters of Bush judicial nominees. Now they see things differently. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, November 17, 2009. DURING THE BUSH administration, Republicans decried Democratic attempts to filibuster judicial nominees. Some went so far as to label such filibuster attempts unconstitutional and threatened to exercise the "nuclear option" to ban the procedural tool in nomination matters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603258.html


Republicans Are Shocked The Public Is Mad At Them For Voting Against Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment By Amanda Terkel. Copyright by Think Progress. Nov 13th, 2009 at 5:26 pm... The GOP senators who sided with defense contractors at the expense of women — such as John Thune (SD) — have been facing an intense backlash. David Vitter (LA) refused to give a rape victim a straight answer when she confronted him about his vote, claiming that he is “absolutely supportive of any [rape] case like that being prosecuted criminally to the full extent of the law.” http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/13/republicans-franken-shocked/

Panel to Consider Sanford Impeachment By SHAILA DEWAN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 20, 2009. COLUMBIA, S.C. — A legislative committee will convene next week to begin preliminary impeachment proceedings against Gov. Mark Sanford, according to a letter sent Friday by the chairman of the state’s House Judiciary Committee. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/us/politics/21sanford.html?th&emc=th

Giuliani Is Said to Have Decided Not to Run for Governor By DANNY HAKIM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/nyregion/20rudy.html?emc=na

Palin Onstage, Still Moving Off Message By ALESSANDRA STANLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009. There were no questions about the Bush doctrine, but Sarah Palin’s appearance Monday on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to promote her memoir looked less like a celebratory comeback than a redo of the presidential campaign. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/arts/television/17watch.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Sarah Palin and the conservative descent By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 19, 2009. The 19th century American writer Henry Adams said the descent of American presidents from George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant was enough to discredit the theory of evolution. The same could be said of the pantheon of conservative political heroes, which in the last half-century has gone from Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan to Sarah Palin. That refutation may be agreeable to Palin, who doesn't put much stock in Darwin anyway. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1119chapmannov19,0,4222240.column

The Rogue Warrior http://www.hulu.com/watch/109887/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-rogue-warrior

Excitement Over Sarah Palin's Book Release http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-november-18-2009/excitement-over-sarah-palin-s-book-release?xrs=rss_tdsvids

A Florida Republican Becomes a Right-Wing Target By KATE ZERNIKE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009. NEWBERRY, Fla. — In retrospect, even Charlie Crist admits that “the optics” of The Hug are not great. It was in the glow of a new day in politics last February when Mr. Crist, this state’s popular Republican governor, took the stage with President Obama and declared that Republicans and Democrats had to rise above partisanship in support of an economic stimulus. And Mr. Obama embraced him. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/us/politics/16crist.html?th&emc=th

FOX rolls wrong video, heads may roll - FOX executives are looking at serious disciplinary action in the control room. by Mark Silva. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. Posted November 18, 2009 8:00 PM. FOX has done it again, and this time, once again, FOX says its misplay of the wrong crowd video was another regrettable mistake. Today, FOX News host Gregg Jarrett was talking about Republican Sarah Palin's book tour and the crowd she is drawing at the start of it - no small turnout, with some 1,500 people lining up early this morning for a chance to get into this evening's premier book-signing for Going Rogue in Grand Rapids. http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/11/fox_rolls_wrong_tape_heads_may.html

Hannity on TEA Party: 'We screwed up' by Mark Silva. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. Posted November 12, 2009 10:15 AM http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/11/hannity_on_tea_party_we_screwe.html


Immigration


Washington Post Editorial: The HIV travel ban - An unfair policy comes to an end. Copyright by the Washington Post. Thursday, November 19, 2009. THE UNITED STATES is a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to assist those living with the disease and to help the uninfected stay that way. But since 1987, there has been a blot on that leadership. While the United States was urging an end to the stigma that keeps people from protecting themselves, getting tested and seeking treatment, it was one of 12 nations perpetuating that stigma by enforcing a ban on entry by people who are HIV-positive. That ended last month when President Obama lifted the prohibition. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/18/AR2009111803195.html

Hospital Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants By KEVIN SACK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/health/policy/21grady.html?hpw



Chicagoland


A Rebuke, but No Penalty, for an Illinois Senator By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Senate Ethics Committee issued a sternly worded rebuke on Friday to Senator Roland W. Burris, Democrat of Illinois, saying he had made misleading and inaccurate statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. But it made no recommendation for further punishment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/us/politics/21burris.html?th&emc=th

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: County Board gives taxpayers a break. Copyright by the Chicago Sun-Times. November 18, 2009. So, this is what democracy looks like. We hadn't seen it for a while on the Cook County Board. On Tuesday, Cook County commissioners, with an election staring them in the face, figured it was a swell idea to listen to the people. They voted to give them a break on the county's portion of the sales tax. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1889558,CST-EDT-edit18a.article

Changes sought after 2nd trade show leaves McCormick Place - Mayor Richard Daley, McPier chief want unions to cut fees, eliminate onerous work rules By Kathy Bergen and John Byrne. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 18, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-wed-plastics-show-nov18,0,4031278.story

Sources: Restaurant show considers leaving Chicago By Kathy Bergen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 18, 2009 5:40 PM http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/11/sources-restaurant-show-considers-leaving-chicago.html

Police hold off on ruling in Michael Scott's death - Gunpowder residue, money clip discovered in river point to suicide By Annie Sweeney and Azam Ahmed. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 19, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-michael-scott-death.1nov19,0,2994152.story

Grief alone doesn't explain Daley's rant BY CAROL MARIN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 21, 2009. Grief and anger, like clouds of a coming storm, moved back and forth across the landscape of Mayor Daley's face in public appearances last week. http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1896770,CST-EDT-carol22.article

Block 37 developer Joseph Freed and Associates loses control of retail project - Bank of America wins ruling appointing CB Richard Ellis as receiver; Freed vows to appeal By Julie Wernau and Sandra M. Jones. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 21, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat-block-37-nov21,0,1574002.story



Economy


Obama warns on US public debt pile - Threat of ‘double-dip recession’ By Edward Luce in Beijing and Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 18 2009 13:35 | Last updated: November 18 2009 21:07/ OECD warns on impact of unemployment - Jobless numbers set to rise well into 2010 By Vanessa Houlder in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 19 2009 10:11 | Last updated: November 19 2009 10:11. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/obama-warns-on-us-public-debt-pile.html

Bernanke reassures markets on dollar By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 16 2009 18:53 | Last updated: November 16 2009 18:53. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/bernanke-reassures-markets-on-dollar.html

U.S. Wholesale Prices Show Few Inflation Pressures. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: November 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/business/economy/18econ.html?hpw

New Consensus Sees Stimulus Package as Worthy Step By JACKIE CALMES and MICHAEL COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009. WASHINGTON — Now that unemployment has topped 10 percent, some liberal-leaning economists see confirmation of their warnings that the $787 billion stimulus package President Obama signed into law last February was way too small. The economy needs a second big infusion, they say. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/business/economy/21stimulus.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Cadbury Bid Under Study at Hershey By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN. Copyright by Bloomberg News. Published: November 20, 2009. Hershey, after months of internal debate, is now considering a bid for the British candy maker Cadbury, a move that would challenge Kraft’s existing $16.7 billion hostile offer for the company, according to people briefed on the matter. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/business/21hershey.html?ref=global-home

AOL Plans to Cut Its Work Force by One-Third By TIM ARANGO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/technology/companies/20aol.html?ref=global-home

Retail Sales Numbers Give Markets a Lift. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: November 16, 2009. Shares on Wall Street rose sharply on Monday after a new report showed retail sales rebounded more than expected in October because of a increase in auto sales. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/business/17markets.html?_r=1&hpw

Home Depot lifts outlook as profits beat estimates - Retailer sees signs of housing market improvement By Jonathan Birchall in Atlanta. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 17 2009 13:06 | Last updated: November 17 2009 13:38. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/home-depot-lifts-outlook-as-profits.html

Target 3Q profits jump 18% Copyright by The Associated Press. 7:39 a.m. CST, November 17, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ap-target-earnings-nov17,0,1201727.story

3Q profit surprise for Saks. Copyright by The Associated Press. 7:27 a.m. CST, November 17, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ap-saks-earnings-nov17,0,6827399.story

G.M. Is Said to Soon Begin Paying U.S. Debt By MICHELINE MAYNARD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 15, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/economy/16gm.html?th&emc=th

G.M., Citing Progress, Reports Loss of $1.15 Billion By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 16, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/business/17auto.html?hp




Housing


30 year mortgages still below 5%. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 11:17 a.m. CST, November 19, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ap-mortgage-rates-nov19,0,6268657.story

5 myths about home sweet homeownership By Joseph Gyourko. Copyright by the Washington Post. Sunday, November 15, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111302214.html

Mortgage woes slow, still at record By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY. Copyright by The Associated Press. 6:39 a.m. CST, November 17, 2009. NEW YORK — The pace at which people fell behind on their mortgages slowed in the summer for the third consecutive quarter, but the overall delinquency rate hit another record, a new report shows. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ap-mortgage-delinquencies-nov17,0,3990097.story

U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies Reach a Record High By DAVID STREITFELD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009. The economy and the stock market may be recovering from their swoon, but more homeowners than ever are having trouble making their monthly mortgage payments, according to figures released Thursday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/business/20mortgage.html?th&emc=th

Home Building Unexpectedly Slumps in October By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 18, 2009. Home construction slowed unexpectedly in October to the lowest level in six months, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, resurrecting fears that the housing market may be slow to recover. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/business/economy/19econ.html?hpw

Chicago home builders group files for Chapter 11. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 2:41 p.m. CST, November 20, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-homebuilders-association-bankruptcy-nov20,0,3915360.story


Commodities


Dollar relapse pushes gold to new peak - Wall Street hits high for 2009 By Jamie Chisholm, Global Markets Commentator. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 16 2009 07:16 | Last updated: November 16 2009 14:51. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/dollar-relapse-pushes-gold-to-new-peak.html

Short-term US interest rates turn negative - Banks stockpile securities in frantic effort to polish balance sheets By Michael Mackenzie in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 20 2009 01:40 | Last updated: November 20 2009 01:40. Short-term US interest rates turned negative on Thursday as banks frantically stockpiled government securities in order to polish their balance sheets for the end of the year. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38f71676-d56a-11de-81ee-00144feabdc0.html




GLBT


Washington Post Editorial: The Blade's hard times - A Washington paper provided a critical voice. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, November 18, 2009. THE FINANCIAL problems of Window Media, the parent company of the Washington Blade, had been known for a while -- so much so that the 20 staffers of the weekly newspaper put in a bid to buy the publication last summer. No action was taken. And so, on Monday morning, after 40 years of chronicling the gay and lesbian community in the nation's capital and elsewhere, the Blade and several other gay publications ceased operation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/17/AR2009111703408.html

For transgender people, acceptance is hard to find-even in LGBT community By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
11.17.09 http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2009/11/transgender-acceptance.html

Gay Puerto Rican teen murdered; local vigil planned. Copyright by The Windy City times. News Update Nov. 17, 2009. Note: A candlelight vigil is being planned in Humboldt Park this Sunday, Nov. 22, from 4-6 p.m. in memory of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, a gay teenager who was murdered, decapitated and burned in Cayey, Puerto Rico. The vigil is planned to begin at California & Division. More details to come. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23506

Gaywatch - Peter Vadala & William Phillips http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-19-2009/gaywatch---peter-vadala---william-phillips




Technology


Oracle wins more time for Sun merger - Approval deadline put back to January 27 By Nikki Tait in Brussels and Richard Waters in San Fransisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 20 2009 12:42 | Last updated: November 20 2009 17:39 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d33358d0-d5ce-11de-b80f-00144feabdc0.html

Though Dell’s Profit Slips, Its Outlook Turns Brighter By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/technology/companies/20dell.html?th&emc=th

Rolltop http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7H0K1k54t6A


Religion


Anglican Leader Defends Faith as Vatican Welcomes His Members By RACHEL DONADIO. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 19, 2009. ROME — When the Vatican announced last month that it was creating a new Anglican rite within the Roman Catholic Church aimed at Anglicans uncomfortable with the ordination of women and gay clergy members, a headline in a British newspaper read, “Rome Parks Tanks on Rowan’s Lawn.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/world/europe/20anglicans.html?th&emc=th

Christian Leaders Unite on Political Issues By LAURIE GOODSTEIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 20, 2009. Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20alliance.html?sq=Christian%20Leaders%20Unite%20on%20Political%20Issues&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1258830395-SXOEGawOFaI3dHhjoQc1fg



Other


Winfrey Bets on Her Future With Cable By BRIAN STELTER and BILL CARTER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 19, 2009. Oprah Winfrey is giving network television one of her trademark aha moments. Ms. Winfrey, the billionaire queen of daytime television, is planning to announce on Friday that she will step down from her daily pulpit, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” in two years in order to concentrate on the forthcoming cable channel that will bear her name. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/business/media/20oprah.html?th&emc=th

Costco drops Coke. Copyright by The Associated Press. 6:49 a.m. CST, November 17, 2009. PORTLAND, Ore. — Costco is no longer carrying Coca-Cola products in its stores nationwide because of a pricing dispute with the beverage maker. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ap-costco-coke-nov17,0,100089.story


Humor


Gynecologist's assistant http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/gynecologists-assistant.html

Things Not to Be Thankful For - Silverdome, Goldman Sachs & Congressional Recess http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-19-2009/things-not-to-be-thankful-for---silverdome--goldman-sachs---congressional-recess

How to Eat a Chicken Wing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRcOY-PvOC8&feature=fvhl






It has come to my attention that you can only read 2 articles per month at the Financial Times if you haven't registered. If you would like to read more of the articles for free, simply sign up for the free account and you can read 10 articles per month. That should be enough. I'll try to keep the FT links to a minimum. - I used a link that will open the Financial Times articles this week. CTM

Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” To be released late September 2009 by Floricanto Press

The Don't Ask Don't give Newsletter - November 14, 2009

The Don't Ask Don't give Newsletter - November 14, 2009

The idea is this: Gays and lesbians should stop giving money to the DNC and President Obama until ENDA passes and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and DOMA are overturned. “It’s really more of a ‘pause,’” than a boycott,” Aravosis and Sudbay say on Americablog.com. “Boycotts sounds so final, and angry. Whereas this campaign is temporary, and is only meant to help some friends—President Obama and the Democratic party—who have lost their way. We are hopeful that via this campaign, our friends will keep their promises.” This is exactly the right thing to do. Americablog lists almost 40 grievances, large and small, against the President, the leader of the Democratic Party. Together, the grievances paint a portrait of a man who is not just refusing to show leadership on our issues—he seems unaware of why our issues are important. And the DNC, despite including us in their platform, seems to be hardly aware that, post-campaign, we exist. Jennifer Vanasco

Does the DNC deserve our money? By Jennifer Vanasco. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. November 12, 2009. President Barack Obama was AWOL when it came to the marriage vote in Maine and the partnership vote in Washington. The DNC was worse, actively working against us by sending out an email to Maine Democrats asking them to campaign for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine—instead of asking them to man phones in their home state, working for marriage equality. Despite a supposed commitment to gay civil rights expressed in the DNC platform and by the Obama campaign and administration, there has been relative silence on our issues. That needs to change. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/4075

Markos on "Don't Ask Don't Give" DNC boycott Posted by John Aravosis (DC). Copyright by Americablog.com. Thursday, November 12, 2009.... We did our part. It's now our party's turn to deliver. Until they do, it seems ludicrous for them to ask for money, especially with whines about "Republican obstructionism". The obstructionism is coming within our own party. When it gets its house in order and delivers on their promises, then that'll be different.....http://gay.americablog.com/2009/11/markos-on-dont-ask-dont-give-dnc.html

More on the Don't Ask Don't Give pledge here. And as I mentioned earlier, Markos is advising readers to avoid the DCCC as well, and to only give directly to good progressive candidates, not party organs. Take the Don't ask Don't give pledge at: http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6006/t/5410/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=727

Election (Part One): Enough, No More, Enough By David Mixner. Copyright by David Mixner. Nov 4 2009. National March Crowd Today I write more from my gut than maybe you have ever heard. Quite honestly to all those who have found my words inciting in the past, just move on. You are not going to be happy this morning reading further. After a very restless night of sleep and some deep thought, I am ready to share with you some thoughts (this might not be my most 'smooth' writing). Forgive me that it has taken a while for me to compose myself so that I can write from my values and principles and not anger. Because my anger will blind me to the truths of yesterday. Let me do my best to share my deep beliefs and not out of anger or fear like the people who insist that we continue to create a system of Gay Apartheid in America. This will be part one of two parts on the election. First and foremost, Enough! http://www.davidmixner.com/2009/11/election-part-one-enough-no-more-enough.html

Election (Part Two): What Now By David Mixner. Copyright by David Mixner. Nov 5 2009.... How can we have any dignity, honor or pride in ourselves if we validate this continued process of ballot box terrorism? How can we stand tall next to each other if we explain away another's cowardliness? How can we allow people to dehumanize our relationships and our very integrity if we give people passes to sit out the battle for our very freedom? No longer are political timelines a reason for delay, no longer are incremental approaches acceptable and no longer can the political process expect us to be patient and wait our turn. Our turn came long ago and there will be no more waiting. Our national organizations should be put on notice that we expect more from them and that we want more accountability and more dynamic leadership. For example, who talked to the President about Maine? Why did the White House refuse to become heavily involved? Why was Attorney General Eric Holder's statement not disavowed by the White House? Did we have direct access to the President or not? Wanting to know these answers is fair. Holding organizations that ask for our money and support accountable is not divisive it is common sense. We want leaders and organizations that represent our interests and are not beholden to the trappings of political power. Time to end the cozy relationship between our national leaders and Washington power brokers and start playing tough....http://www.davidmixner.com/2009/11/election-part-two-what-now.html





International


Euro Zone Officially Out of Recession By MATTHEW SALTMARSH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/business/global/14euro.html?ref=global-home

With Wall Just a Memory, German Divisions Fade By NICHOLAS KULISH. Copyright by Reuters. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/world/europe/08germany.html?th&emc=th

The Legacy of 1989 Is Still Up for Debate By STEVEN ERLANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/europe/09berlin.html?ref=global-home

Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Medvedev's glasnost - Does his blunt description of what ails Russia portend real change? Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, November 14, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111303956.html

In Tokyo, Obama Makes Concession on Marine Base By HELENE COOPER and MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/world/asia/14prexy.html?ref=global-home

Okinawans Grow Impatient With Dashed Hopes on U.S. Base By MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 11, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/world/asia/12okinawa.html?_r=1&hpw


China


China hints at stronger renminbi - Move comes ahead of Obama Beijing visit By Geoff Dyer in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 03:36 | Last updated: November 11 2009 19:11. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/china-hints-at-stronger-renminbi-by.html

Obama Says U.S. Seeks to Build Stronger Ties to China By HELENE COOPER and MARTIN FACKLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/world/asia/14prexy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

China Focuses on Territorial Issues as It Equates Tibet to U.S. Civil War South By EDWARD WONG. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/world/asia/14beijing.html?th&emc=th



Mess-o-potamia


Afghan Enclave Seen as Model to Rebuild, and Rebuff Taliban By SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/world/asia/13jurm.html?ref=global-home

Allies Uncover Vast Cache of Bomb Material in Afghanistan By DEXTER FILKINS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/asia/11afghan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Russian Deal on Afghan Supply Route Not a Deal Yet By PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009. WASHINGTON — When he met President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia in April, President Obama sought to open an important new supply corridor for Afghanistan by flying American troops and weapons through Russian airspace. Visiting Moscow in July, he sealed a deal for as many as 4,500 flights a year, in what he called a “substantial contribution” to the war and a sign of improving relations with Russia. Seven months after the idea was raised and four months after the agreement was signed, the number of American flights that have actually traversed Russian airspace? One. And that was for show. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/world/europe/14flights.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Gates Condemns Leaks on U.S. Afghan Policy and Ft. Hood By ELISABETH BUMILLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/politics/13gates.html?hpw

Militants Hit Pakistan Spy Agency in New Escalation By SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/world/asia/13pstan.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Car Bomb Adds to Toll in Northwest Pakistan By ISMAIL KHAN. Copyright by Reuters. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/asia/11pstan.html?ref=global-home

Pakistan Blast Kills Anti-Taliban Mayor By SABRINA TAVERNISE. Copyright by Reuters. Published: November 8, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?ref=global-home

Iran Said to Ignore Effort to Salvage Nuclear Deal By DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?th&emc=th

Iran Accuses 3 American Hikers of Espionage By JACK HEALY and NAZILA FATHI. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/world/middleeast/10hikers.html?ref=global-home

U.S. alleges company laundered money for Iran. Copyright by CNN News. November 12, 2009 6:42 p.m. EST. New York (CNN) -- The federal government said Thursday it is seeking forfeiture of properties belonging to the Alavi Foundation and Assa Corp. -- accused of transferring money to a bank owned by the Iranian government -- including a Manhattan skyscraper and at least three mosques. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/12/mosque.seized/index.html

U.S. Moves to Seize Properties Tied to Iran By BENJAMIN WEISER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan began legal action on Thursday to seize properties in Queens and across the country where several mosques are located in a broad move against a nonprofit organization that was accused of illegally providing money and other services to Iran. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/nyregion/13seize.html?th&emc=th

Iraq Passes Crucial Election Law By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and SA’AD IZZI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/world/middleeast/09iraq.html?th&emc=th

Bush officials lead Iraq business push - Soldiers and diplomats turn to trade By Roula Khalaf in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 9 2009 23:10 | Last updated: November 9 2009 23:10. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/bush-officials-lead-iraq-business-push.html

Blackwater Said to Approve Iraqi Payoffs After Shootings By MARK MAZZETTI and JAMES RISEN. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 10, 2009. WASHINGTON — Top executives at Blackwater Worldwide authorized secret payments of about $1 million to Iraqi officials that were intended to silence their criticism and buy their support after a September 2007 episode in which Blackwater security guards fatally shot 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to former company officials. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/middleeast/11blackwater.html?_r=1&emc=na

Palestinian Authority’s Future Is in Question By ETHAN BRONNER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/world/middleeast/10mideast.html?th&emc=th



National


Washington Post Editorial: Terrorism on trial - There are good reasons to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York. Copyright by The Washington Post. Saturday, November 14, 2009. ONE FACT has largely been glossed over in the debate triggered by the Justice Department's announcement that it will prosecute some terrorism suspects in federal court: After more than six years in custody, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, will finally be brought to justice in a forum that is unquestionably legitimate in the eyes of most of the world. The move represents an important step for the victims, their families and the country. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/13/AR2009111303957.html

New York Times Editorial: A Return to American Justice. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009.... On Friday, Attorney General Holder announced that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and four others accused in the plot will be tried in a fashion that will not further erode American justice or shame Americans. It promises to finally provide justice for the victims of 9/11....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/opinion/14sat1.html?th&emc=th

Key 9/11 Suspect to Be Tried in New York By CHARLIE SAVAGE. Copyright by the Associated Press. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us/14terror.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

9/11 Trial Poses Unparalleled Legal Obstacles for Both Sides By ERIC LICHTBLAU and BENJAMIN WEISER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 13, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us/14legal.html?th&emc=th

How New York May Tighten Security Vise By CARA BUCKLEY and BENJAMIN WEISER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009. Convoys of heavily armed officers, fields of barricades and additional checkpoints are likely to sprout in and around the jail where the accused will be housed and the courthouse where they will be tried. Access to nearby streets and areas may be sealed off. And bands of plainclothes officers — “people in civilian clothes with earplugs,” as one former law enforcement official put it — will probably be scanning the crowds to spot anyone with ill intent. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/nyregion/14security.html?hpw

Justices Weigh Life in Prison for Youths Who Never Killed By ADAM LIPTAK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/us/08juveniles.html?th&emc=th

President’s Top Lawyer Is Leaving White House By JEFF ZELENY and PETER BAKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009. WASHINGTON — Gregory B. Craig, the White House counsel, said Friday that he would resign at the beginning of next year, ending a sometimes tumultuous tenure as President Obama’s top lawyer after 10 months at the center of some of the toughest issues and stormiest internal debates that have confronted the administration. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us/politics/14craig.html?th&emc=th

Obama Travels to Texas for Service at Fort Hood By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. and DAVID STOUT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11hood.html?ref=global-home

Major Held in Fort Hood Rampage Is Charged With 13 Counts of Murder By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13inquire.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Knew of Suspect’s Tie to Radical Cleric By DAVID JOHNSTON and SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/us/10inquire.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military By ANDREA ELLIOTT. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09muslim.html?th&emc=th



Health Care Reform


“Where the House Democrats' bill would expand coverage to an estimated 36 million of the uninsured, the Republican alternative would cover only 3 million, leaving the same proportion of the population uninsured as now. And while it's fair to criticize House Democrats' legislation for not doing enough to control the growth of health costs, the Republicans' version does even less and takes some steps in the wrong direction. For example, it would repeal a new entity, created by the stimulus bill, to coordinate comparative effectiveness research. And it would do nothing to address the runaway costs of Medicare; indeed, the bill trumpets the fact that Medicare benefits would be untouched. The primary focus of the Republican measure is to lower premiums, especially in the individual and small-group markets. Individuals would be allowed to purchase insurance in any state, not just the one in which they live. Small employers could join together to purchase insurance without having to comply with state rules. Overall, according to the Congressional Budget Office, premiums in the individual market would fall by an average of 5 to 8 percent; those in the small-group market would be reduced by 7 to 10 percent; and those in the large-employer market, which accounts for 80 percent of premiums, would be trimmed by zero to 3 percent.” Washington Post Editorial

Washington Post Editorial: Health-care reform, GOP-style - The minority party, too, comes up short. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, November 9, 2009. COMPARING THE House Republican and Democratic health-care bills is like comparing a mouse to an elephant. The two measures are different in ambition and therefore in size: The newly released GOP bill is deliberately modest and has an accordingly modest impact. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/08/AR2009110817875.html

Medical Industry Grumbles, but It Stands to Gain By DUFF WILSON and REED ABELSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 8, 2009. For any industry, there has to be at least some good news any time Congress votes to expand the market by tens of millions of customers. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/health/policy/09industry.html?th&emc=th

Maybe a New Day for Doctors’ Pay By ROBERT H. FRANK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/economy/08view.html?hpw

Sweeping Health Care Plan Passes House By CARL HULSE and ROBERT PEAR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/health/policy/08health.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and JACKIE CALMES. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/health/policy/08scene.html?hpw

Louisiana Republican Breaks Ranks on Health Bill By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 8, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/politics/09cao.html?th&emc=th

Republican who voted for health bill gets dose of racism. November 10, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/race/2009/11/lone-republican-to-vote-for-health-bill-treated-to-racist-tweets-.html

Was I hired to stand in the way of health care reform? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6LgYDyU2ag

Health Care: Bigger, Longer and Uncut http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-5-2009/health-care--bigger--longer-and-uncut

The Men Who Stare at Votes http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-9-2009/the-men-who-stare-at-votes


Health Care



Now Is the Time to Weigh Medicare Options By WALECIA KONRAD. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: October 30, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/health/31patient.html?hpw

Helene Gayle: Leading the anti-AIDS war By Dahleen Glanton. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 8, 2009. It is not as though Dr. Helene Gayle didn't have enough on her hands fighting poverty across the globe as president and CEO of CARE. But she has never been known to turn down a chance to do battle against HIV/AIDS. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-perspec1108hivnov08,0,3933535.story

Teens and sex: Can we talk? By Niesha Lofing. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 8, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/family/chi-tc-fam-teen-sex-1022-1025nov08,0,151773.story



GOP Bashing


Idaho GOP leader Hall fired as deputy prosecutor, quits national committee after stalking conviction By Dan Popkey - dpopkey@idahostatesman.com. Copyright by The Idaho Stateman. Published: 11/09/09. The Party Of Family Values In Idaho wants us to think of someone other than Larry Craig....http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/966677.html

Senator Faces G.O.P. Rebuke Back Home. Copyright By THE NEW YORK TIMES. Published: November 11, 2009. WASHINGTON — Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, has been censured by local Republican officials in his home state. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/us/politics/12graham.html?th&emc=th

King: 'Going Rogue' reignites Palin divide, even in her hometown By John King, CNN Chief National Correspondent. Copyright by CNN News. November 13, 2009 12:29 p.m. EST http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/12/sotu.king.alaska/

Former McCain aides angrily deny Palin allegation about vetting costs By Michael D. Shear. Copyright by the Washington Post. Thursday, November 12, 2009; 6:52 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/12/AR2009111209502.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Writers go rogue on Palin - Ex-governor's memoir already drawing parodies, including a coloring book By Erika Bolstad. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 8, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk_palin_coloringnov08,0,4006059.story

Lou Dobbs to Quit CNN By BRIAN STELTER AND BILL CARTER. Copyright by The New York Times. November 11, 2009, 6:21 PM. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/lou-dobbs-to-depart-cnn/?ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: A Farewell to Lou. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/opinion/13fri3.html?th&emc=th

Lou Dobbs Goes Rogue http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-12-2009/lou-dobbs-goes-rogue

Hannity on TEA Party: 'We screwed up' by Mark Silva. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. Posted November 12, 2009 10:15 AM http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/11/hannity_on_tea_party_we_screwe.html

Jon Stewart responds to Sean Hannity's apology Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. November 13, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-091113-daily-show-hannity,0,1682459.htmlstory

Paranoia Strikes Deep By PAUL KRUGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009. Last Thursday there was a rally outside the U.S. Capitol to protest pending health care legislation, featuring the kinds of things we’ve grown accustomed to, including large signs showing piles of bodies at Dachau with the caption “National Socialist Healthcare.” It was grotesque — and it was also ominous. For what we may be seeing is America starting to be Californiafied. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/opinion/09krugman.html?ref=global

Jon Stewart channels Glenn Beck. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 6, 2009. Brilliant. I didn't know Stewart did impressions, but this Beck bit is spot on. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/pagespage/2009/11/jon-stewart-channels-glenn-beck.html The 11/3 Project http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-november-5-2009/the-11-3-project


Immigration


White House Plan on Immigration Includes Legal Status By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009. The Obama administration will insist on measures to give legal status to an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants as it pushes early next year for legislation to overhaul the immigration system, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Friday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us/politics/14immig.html?th&emc=th


Chicagoland


Illinois prison in running to house Gitmo detainees BY LYNN SWEET Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 14, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1884238,gitmo-illinois-thomson-prison-111409.article

Governor signs Cook County veto bill. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 07, 2009 http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/11/quinn-to-sign-cook-county-veto-bill.html

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Kill the whole tax hike. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 10, 2009. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-1110edit1nov10,0,24423.story

Chicago Tribune Editorial: It's our money. Copyright by The Chicago Tribune. November 9, 2009. Desperate times call for desperate measures. To bridge a $520 million deficit in the 2010 budget, Mayor Richard Daley says he'll cut 220 vacant jobs, require city employees to take unpaid furlough days and tap into the reserves set aside in last year's parking meter lease deal. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-1109edit1nov09,0,6184823.story

Medical group pulling trade show from Chicago after one visit- Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society cites high cost of electrical services for moving 2012 meeting to Las Vegas By Kathy Bergen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 12, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chicago/chi-thu-mccormick-trade-show-nov12,0,4538483.story


Economy


Dow Hits High for Year as Dollar Weakens By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/business/10markets.html?_r=1&emc=na

New York Times Editorial: Jobless Recovery. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/opinion/08sun1.html?ref=global

Obama Announces Jobs Summit By JEFF ZELENY. Copyright by The New York Times. November 12, 2009, 10:00 AM. Updated President Obama announced on Thursday that he will convene a jobs summit at the White House next month, saying “the economic growth that we’ve seen has not yet led to the job growth that we desperately need.” http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/obama-to-announce-jobs-summit/?hpw

Under Attack, Fed Chief Studies Politics By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/business/11fed.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Senate Plan Would Expand Regulation of Risky Lending By STEPHEN LABATON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/business/11regulate.html?hpw

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Senate vs Wall St. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 20:14 | Last updated: November 11 2009 20:14. Where Barney Frank, chairman of the US House of Representatives financial services committee, uses a scalpel, Chris Dodd, his counterpart in the Senate, wields a machete. Mr Dodd’s draft financial regulation bill cuts through the regulatory thicket, reserving some particularly savage slashes for the Federal Reserve. It improves on the House version; however, it does not avoid pitfalls of its own./ Plan to end Fed supervisory role draws fire By Tom Braithwaite and Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 19:51 | Last updated: November 11 2009 19:51 http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/plan-to-end-fed-supervisory-role-draws.html

White House hits out at plan to strip Fed powers By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 13 2009 19:02 | Last updated: November 14 2009 00:09. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-house-hits-out-at-plan-to-strip.html

A Squeeze on Customers Ahead of New Rules By ANDREW MARTIN and LOWELL BERGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009. Banks are struggling to make money in the credit card business these days, and consumers are paying the price. Interest rates are going up, credit lines are being cut and a variety of new fees are being imposed on even the best cardholders. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/10rates.html?th&emc=th

Cold Response to Kraft’s Cadbury Bid By JULIA WERDIGIER and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED. Copyright by the New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/business/global/10kraft.html?ref=global-home

Walmart beats forecasts with $3.2bn profits - US same-store sales fall 0.4% By Jonathan Birchall in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 12 2009 13:12 | Last updated: November 12 2009 15:41. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/walmart-beats-forecasts-with-32bn.html

AIG furious over White House-imposed cuts - Relationship with government paymasters close to breaking point By Francesco Guerrera in New York and Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 23:32 | Last updated: November 11 2009 23:32. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/aig-furious-over-white-house-imposed.html

Runaway Toyota cases ignored - Safety investigators dismissed numerous reports of sudden acceleration, then said data were lacking. By Ralph Vartabedian and Ken Bensinger. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. November 8, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-fi-toyota-recall8-2009nov08,0,6544559.story


Commodities


Plea to reduce demand for dollar reserves By Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 20:55 | Last updated: November 11 2009 20:55. The world should try to mitigate flaws in the dollar based global monetary system by reducing demand for dollar reserves and exploring alternative reserve assets, a group of economists from the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/plea-to-reduce-demand-for-dollar.html

Russia aims to cool rouble passion - ‘Not a one way bet,’ says central bank By Peter Garnham. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 10 2009 11:01 | Last updated: November 10 2009 19:23. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/russia-aims-to-cool-rouble-passion-not.html

Inside the Global Gold Frenzy By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/business/global/08gold.html?th&emc=th

More people selling gold for cold, hard cash - Some host parties where guests part with jewelry By Ken Manson. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 13, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northnorthwest/chi-melted-gold-13nov13,0,313100.story



GLBT


New York Times Editorial: Equality’s Ragged March. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009. Last Tuesday’s Election Day results showed how far the nation has traveled in the struggle for gay equality — and the distance still to go. The returns also added fresh urgency to promising efforts in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/opinion/08sun2.html?th&emc=th

A quiet voice for gay marriage - Legalization could avert doomed relationships, straight ex-spouses say By Theresa Vargas. Copyright by The Washington Post. Sunday, November 8, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110602953.html?hpid=topnews

"Obedience" -- Bigotry at Work in Maine Filed by: Patricia Nell Warren. Copyright by Bilerico. November 5, 2009 2:00 PM. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When we go head to head at the polls with an ideological enemy who is more numerous than we are -- who has more money than we do to spend on lobbying and campaigning -- we are risking defeat. We can lose the way we did over marriage in Maine just now -- and in California over Prop 8 in 2008, and everywhere else that we've gotten clobbered on ballot measures, including Maine in 1998. http://www.bilerico.com/2009/11/obedience_--_bigotry_at_work_in_maine.php

Rep. Deb Mell may be off re-election ballot Posted by Greg Hinz. Copyright by Crain's Blogs Chicago Business. 11/9/2009 3:49 PM CST on Chicago Business http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?page_id=2308&plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog:1daca073-2eab-468e-9f19-ec177090a35cPost:302ff3a4-5c01-4cc1-9ea0-af10afd2bbed&sid=sitelife.chicagobusiness.com&seenIt=1

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum - Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts By Tim Craig and Michelle Boorstein. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, November 12, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111116943.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

New York Gay Rights Foe Sees Nuance in His Stand By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 9, 2009. ALBANY — Every Sunday morning, the deep, melodious voice of State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. rumbles across the congregation at his Bronx church. On weekdays, it echoes across the Senate chamber as he rails against Medicaid cuts or abortion. Earlier this year, it enthralled thousands at a boisterous rally against same-sex marriage. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/nyregion/10marriage.html?th&emc=th

N. Y. State Senate Delays Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Bill By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 10, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/nyregion/11albany.html?th&emc=th

Madigan Testifies to Support ENDA by Lisa Keen, Keen News Service © 2009 Keen News Service. 2009-11-11. Thursday, Nov. 5—Restrooms and religion arose as the only objections today during the U.S. Senate's first hearing on the inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ). And the testimony from the Obama administration struck an unusually ironic note just two days after Maine voters rejected an equal-marriage law there. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23456

Mormon Support of Gay Rights Statute Draws Praise By KIRK JOHNSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 11, 2009. The Mormon Church has been a target of vituperation by some gay rights groups because of its active opposition to same-sex marriage. But on Wednesday, the church was being praised by gay rights activists in Salt Lake City, citadel of the Mormon world, for its open support of a local ordinance banning discrimination against gay men and lesbians in housing and employment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/us/12utah.html?hpw

15 more plaintiffs file suit against alleged anti-gay cop: Alvarez takes cop off witness stand and throws out his pending DUI cases By Amy Wooten and Matt Simonette. Copyright by the Chicago Free Press. November 12, 2009 http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/4064


Technology


Swiss take Google to court over Street View - Country seeks greater protection of privacy By Maija Palmer, Technology Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 13 2009 13:11 | Last updated: November 13 2009 13:11. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/swiss-take-google-to-court-over-street.html

New York Times Editorial: Intel’s $1.25 Billion Settlement. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 12, 2009. Intel’s antitrust and patent settlement with Advanced Micro Devices is good news for A.M.D., which now finds itself $1.25 billion richer, but it is less clear what it does for the general public. Intel has been accused of stifling competition and driving up prices through a wide array of anticompetitive practices, which may or may not continue now that Intel has agreed to write a large check. Government agencies that have sued Intel or are considering it should not back away. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/opinion/13fri1.html?th&emc=th

A.M.D.-Intel Settlement Won’t End Their Woes By STEVE LOHR and JAMES KANTER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 12, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/technology/companies/13chip.html?th&emc=th

Hewlett-Packard buys 3Com in run at Cisco By Joseph Menn in San Francisco. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 11 2009 23:57 | Last updated: November 11 2009 23:57 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/64850f9e-cf1d-11de-8a4b-00144feabdc0.html

Water Found on Moon, Scientists Say By KENNETH CHANG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 13, 2009. There is water on the Moon, scientists stated unequivocally on Friday, and considerable amounts of it. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/science/14moon.html?hp&emc=na

Religion


Who Is a Jew? Court Ruling in Britain Raises Question By SARAH LYALL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 7, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/world/europe/08britain.html?_r=1&hpw

Rep. Kennedy and Bishop in Bitter Rift on Abortion By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 11, 2009. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island was to meet Thursday with Thomas J. Tobin, the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, and perhaps start healing a bitter rift over whether health care legislation now before Congress should restrict abortion coverage. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/us/politics/12kennedy.html?_r=1&hpw

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum - Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts By Tim Craig and Michelle Boorstein. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, November 12, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111116943.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Archdiocese investigating sexual abuse claims against retired priest By Manya A. Brachear. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 13, 2009. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has found credible evidence that a priest on Chicago's West Side sexually abused two children, church officials said Thursday. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-priest-removed-13-nov13,0,2728418.story

Mormon Support of Gay Rights Statute Draws Praise By KIRK JOHNSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 11, 2009. The Mormon Church has been a target of vituperation by some gay rights groups because of its active opposition to same-sex marriage. But on Wednesday, the church was being praised by gay rights activists in Salt Lake City, citadel of the Mormon world, for its open support of a local ordinance banning discrimination against gay men and lesbians in housing and employment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/us/12utah.html?hpw



Other


Same Street, Different World: ‘Sesame’ Turns 40 By ALESSANDRA STANLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/arts/television/08stan.html?th&emc=th

Stephen Colbert Mops Up ‘Sesame Street’ By DAVE ITZKOFF. Copyright by The New York Times. November 12, 2009, 8:57 am http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/stephen-colbert-mops-up-sesame-street/


BA and Iberia agree merger - Deal creates Europe’s third-largest airline by revenue By Pilita Clark in London and Mark Mulligan in Madrid. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 12 2009 12:02 | Last updated: November 13 2009 09:02. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/ba-and-iberia-boards-meet-to-discuss.html

BA looks beyond Iberia for new deals - American Airlines could be candidate By Pilita Clark, Aerospace Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 13 2009 21:32 | Last updated: November 13 2009 21:34. http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/11/ba-looks-beyond-iberia-for-new-deals.html

Britons among the ugliest people, dating site says. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune and Reuters. November 12, 2009. LONDON -- Britons are among the ugliest people in the world, according to a dating Web site that says it only allows "beautiful people" to join. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-ugly-britonsnov12,0,5474168.story





It has come to my attention that you can only read 2 articles per month at the Financial Times if you haven't registered. If you would like to read more of the articles for free, simply sign up for the free account and you can read 10 articles per month. That should be enough. I'll try to keep the FT links to a minimum. - I used a link that will open the Financial Times articles this week. CTM

Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” To be released late September 2009 by Floricanto Press

Unhealthy America Newsletter - November 7, 2009

Unhealthy America Newsletter - November 7, 2009

“The moment of truth for health care is at hand, and the distortion that perhaps gets the most traction is this: We have the greatest health care system in the world. Sure, it has flaws, but it saves lives in ways that other countries can only dream of. Abroad, people sit on waiting lists for months, so why should we squander billions of dollars to mess with a system that is the envy of the world? As Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama puts it, President Obama’s plans amount to ‘the first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known.’ That self-aggrandizing delusion may be the single greatest myth in the health care debate. In fact, America’s health care system is worse than Slov—er, oops, more on that later.” NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Unhealthy America By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/opinion/05kristof.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: Mandates and Affordability. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 31, 2009. If Congress approves health care reform, virtually all Americans will be required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. That raises a fundamental question: Will the policies be affordable? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/opinion/01sun1.html?th&emc=th

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Obama must lead on healthcare. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 1 2009 17:34 | Last updated: November 1 2009 17:34. After months of debate, you might expect the outlines of a law to transform US healthcare to be clearer. If only. Already exhausted by endless to and fro on the question, US voters now long for clarity above all. Congress is not listening. Nor, apparently, is the White House. Confusion and posturing reign and the possibility of consensus seems as remote as ever. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/financial-times-editorial-comment-obama.html

Obama Strategy on Health Legislation Appears to Pay Off By ROBERT PEAR and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/health/policy/02health.html?th&emc=th

AMA supports House bills to make health reform a reality. H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961 would go a long way toward making the health system better for patients and physicians. Copyright by The A. M. A. Nov. 5, 2009 http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/ama-supports-house-bills.shtml

AARP endorses House health-care bill By Lori Montgomery. Copyright by The Washiongton Post. November 5, 2009; 11:44 AM ET http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/11/aarp_endorses_house_health-car.html?hpid=topnews

New York Times Editorial: The Republican Health Plan. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009. House Republican leaders have produced their own health care reform bill. Here is the first thing you need to know: It would do almost nothing to reduce the scandalously high number of Americans who have no insurance. And it makes only a token stab at slowing the relentlessly rising costs of medical care. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/opinion/06fri1.html?th&emc=th

'Death panels' myth just won't die By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 1, 2009. Sarah Palin cannot see Russia from her house, as Tina Fey's version of the ex-Alaska-governor-turned-blogger claimed in a "Saturday Night Live" skit. But Palin is poking at the country's politics from her laptop. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1101pagenov01,0,4348604.column

Health-care insurance cheaper in the suburbs - Firm's data show the farther you live from downtown Chicago, the less expensive your monthly coverage BY SANDRA GUY sguy@suntimes.com. November 2, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/technology/guy/1859471,CST-FIN-ECOL02.article



International

N Korea signals willing to resume nuclear talks - Calls for direct discussions with US © Reuters Limited. November 2, 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4770a7e2-c761-11de-bb6f-00144feab49a.html

European Union Treaty Clears Its Final Hurdle By DAN BILEFSKY and STEPHEN CASTLE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04europe.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Italy Convicts 23 Americans in C.I.A. Trials By RACHEL DONADIO. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. MILAN — Twenty-three Americans, including a C.I.A. station chief, were convicted on Wednesday in a landmark case involving the seizure of a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan more than six years ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/europe/05italy.html?hp

Eurozone rates left unchanged at 1% By Ralph Atkins in Frankfurt. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 5 2009 12:45 | Last updated: November 5 2009 12:45. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/eurozone-rates-left-unchanged-at-1.html

British break up several bailed-out banks - Some want U.S. to follow suit to increase financial competition By Anthony Faiola. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, November 3, 2009; 9:18 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/03/AR2009110300352.html?hpid=topnews

British Bankers Defend Their Pay and Bonuses By JULIA WERDIGIER. Copyright by Reuters. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/global/07greed.html?ref=global-home

Germans Angry Over G.M. Decision to Keep Opel By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ, DAVID JOLLY, and BILL VLASIC. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/business/global/05gm.html?ref=global-home

As Honduran Deal Failed, Split Behind Crisis Grew By ELISABETH MALKIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/americas/07honduras.html?hpw



China


World Bank Raises Forecast for China's Economy By BETTINA WASSENER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. HONG KONG — The World Bank on Wednesday became the latest major institution to raise its forecast for growth in China, a reflection of the country’s rapid rebound this year, though it cautioned that more policy adjustments would be necessary in the medium term to ensure that the recovery would be sustained. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/business/global/05iht-yuan.html?hpw

China brands US ‘protectionist’ - Trade conflicts escalate By Geoff Dyer in Beijing. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 6 2009 18:39 | Last updated: November 6 2009 18:39. China on Friday accused the US of protectionist and biased trade policies less than a week before president Barack Obama’s first visit to Beijing. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/china-brands-us-protectionist-trade.html

Chinese Trial Reveals Vast Web of Corruption By ANDREW JACOBS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009. CHONGQING, China — Wen Qiang had a fondness for Louis Vuitton belts, fossilized dinosaur eggs and B-list pop stars. For a public employee in charge of the local judiciary, he also had a lot of money: nearly $3 million that investigators found buried beneath a fish pond. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/asia/04crimewave.html?th&emc=th



Mess-o-potamia


Explosions Rip Two Cities in Pakistan By SALMAN MASOOD. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: November 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/world/asia/03pstan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: President Karzai’s Second Term. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 2, 2009. We regret the decision by Afghanistan’s opposition leader, Abdullah Abdullah, to withdraw from this week’s runoff election for the presidency. After President Hamid Karzai’s supporters tried to steal the first-round vote, Mr. Abdullah had strong reason to mistrust the process. But Afghan voters deserved another chance. And Afghanistan’s government — under assault from the Taliban and its own corruption and incompetence — desperately needed the legitimacy of a cleaner vote. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/opinion/03tue1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Karzai Vows Corruption Fight, but Avoids Details By ALISSA J. RUBIN and HELENE COOPER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/asia/04afghan.html?ref=global-home

Prospect of More U.S. Troops Worries Afghan Public By ALISSA J. RUBIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/world/asia/07doubts.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

CNN Interviews Matthew Hoh Who Resigned In Protest Over Afghanistan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EKSBBnzpE

What do Dogboy and Mr. Dan think of our future in Afghanistan? http://www.markfiore.com/political/time-flies

Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless By ROD NORDLAND. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009. BAGHDAD — Despite major bombings that have rattled the nation, and fears of rising violence as American troops withdraw, Iraq’s security forces have been relying on a device to detect bombs and weapons that the United States military and technical experts say is useless. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/middleeast/04sensors.html?th&emc=th

Israelis and Obama By HENRY SIEGMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 1, 2009. Polls indicate that President Obama enjoys the support of only 6 to 10 percent of the Israeli public — perhaps his lowest popularity in any country in the world.... Israelis do not oppose President Obama’s peace efforts because they dislike him; they dislike him because of his peace efforts. He will regain their affection only when he abandons these efforts....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/opinion/02iht-edsiegman.html?ref=global

Clinton Backs Peace Talks Before Israeli Settlement Freeze By MARK LANDLER and ALAN COWELL. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/middleeast/05diplo.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Top Palestinian Rules Out Race for Re-election By ETHAN BRONNER and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by Associated Press. Published: November 5, 2009. RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, warned on Thursday that he would not seek re-election, the latest sign that the Obama administration’s drive to broker a Middle East peace accord, one of President Obama’s key foreign policy goals, has fallen into disarray. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/world/middleeast/06mideast.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Saudi court upholds child rapist crucifixion ruling. Copyright by Reuters. Tue Nov 3, 2009 2:22pm IST. http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43639120091103

Dissidents Mass in Tehran to Subvert an Anti-U.S. Rally By ROBERT F. WORTH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Iran’s beleaguered opposition movement struggled to reassert itself on Wednesday, as tens of thousands of protesters braved police beatings and clouds of tear gas on the sidelines of a major, government-sponsored anti-American rally. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?th&emc=th



National


New York Times Editorial: The Horror at Fort Hood. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. It is always a shock — and a cause for deep sadness — when a gunman fires malevolently at crowds of innocent people. We have seen it far too often: at Columbine High School in Colorado a decade ago; on the campus of Virginia Tech two years ago; at a center for immigrants in upstate New York in April; and in downtown Orlando, Fla., where a gunman shot and killed one person and wounded five others on Friday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/opinion/07sat1.html?th&emc=th

Army: 12 dead, 31 hurt in attack at Fort Hood By APRIL CASTRO and DEVLIN BARRETT. Copyright by The Associated Press. Friday, November 6, 2009; 1:37 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110503579.html

Suspect, devout Muslim from Va., wanted Army discharge, aunt said By Mary Pat Flaherty, William Wan, Derek Kravitz and Christian Davenport. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, November 6, 2009; 10:56 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110600907.html?hpid=topnews

The Forever War of the Mind By Max Cleland. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. “EVERY day I was in Vietnam, I thought about home. And, every day I’ve been home, I’ve thought about Vietnam.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/opinion/07cleland.html?th&emc=th

Muslims at Fort Voice Outrage and Ask Questions By MICHAEL MOSS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07muslim.html?th&emc=th

A Final Verdict on the Presidential Salute By CAREY WINFREY. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: October 31, 2009. FOR nearly three decades, I’ve felt conflicted about presidential salutes. After all, my United States Marine Corps instructors drilled into me the idea that “you never salute without a cover” which, in civilian, meant without a hat. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/opinion/01winfrey.html?th&emc=th

Gunman Shoots 6 and Kills 1 in Fla. By JENNIFER STEINHAUER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. A former office worker opened fire in his old building in downtown Orlando on Friday morning, killing one person, injuring five others and setting off a frantic lockdown of nearby schools and buildings before the gunman, whom the police identified as Jason Rodriguez, was quietly arrested hours later at his mother’s home. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/us/07orlando.html?scp=1&sq=shot%20in%20orlando&st=cse

New York Times Editorial: The Off-Off-Year Elections. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. Tuesday’s vote — particularly the election of Republican governors in New Jersey and Virginia — has produced heated predictions about the revived power of Republican social conservatism and the declining fortunes of Barack Obama and his 2008 coalition. If there were broad messages in the grab bag of contests, they were for both parties: Voters remain fearful about the economy. Independent voters are a force to be reckoned with. And everyone wants results. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/opinion/05thu1.html?th&emc=th

Washington Post Editorial: Tuesday's lessons - The center holds. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, November 5, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110403769.html

Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right By JEREMY W. PETERS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/nyregion/04district.html?th&emc=th

Houston mayor's race going to runoff By MICHAEL GRACZYK. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. November 4, 2009. HOUSTON — Houston won't know who its new mayor will be until next month. City controller Annise Parker and former city attorney Gene Locke are headed to a runoff to become mayor of America's fourth-biggest city. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijRd6gh_FQ2pQU531ysucBuQ_SjgD9BOIFGO2

Indecision 2009 - Vote or Keep Going About your Day http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-2-2009/indecision-2009---vote-or-keep-going-about-your-day?xrs=rss_tdsvids

Indecision 2009 - Reindecision 2008 And Beyond http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-3-2009/indecision-2009---reindecision-2008-and-beyond

"Indecision 2009 - Local Election Results" http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-november-4-2009/indecision-2009---local-election-results


Health Care


Now Is the Time to Weigh Medicare Options By WALECIA KONRAD. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: October 30, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/health/31patient.html?hpw

Swine flu: Answers to your H1N1 questions By Dahleen Glanton and William Mullen. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 4:11 p.m. CST, November 2, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-swine-flu-questions-answers,0,6646081.story

The answer to the war against drugs lies in a fundamental question: Are we against drugs use or are we against crime? By Carlos T Mock, MD. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/10/answer-to-war-against-drugs-lies-in.html

Chronicle of a Death We Can’t Accept By THOMAS G. LONG. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 31, 2009. AT a funeral directors’ convention recently, I wandered around an exhibition floor crowded with the usual accouterments of the trade — coffins, catafalques, cemetery tents, cremation furnaces and the like. Scattered among these traditional goods were also many new baubles and gewgaws of the funeral business — coffins emblazoned with sports logos; cremation urns in the shape of bowling pins, golf bags and motorcycle gas tanks; “virtual cemeteries” with video clips and eerie recorded messages from the dead; pendants, bracelets, lamps and table sculptures into which ashes of the deceased can be swirled and molded. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/opinion/01long.html?th&emc=th

Premature Births Worsen US Infant Death Rate. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: November 3, 2009. ATLANTA (AP) -- Premature births, often due to poor care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries, a government report said Tuesday. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/03/health/AP-US-MED-Preterm-Births.html?ref=global-home

Illinois hospital C-section rates released - Three of every 10 women have C-sections. November 03, 2009. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2009/11/illinois-hospital-csection-rates.html

Study: Options are key in sex education curriculum - Teaching both abstinence, risk-reduction may lower teen STD, pregnancy rates By Rob Stein. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, November 6, 2009; 9:00 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601208.html?hpid=topnews

Zuma Rallies S. Africa to Fight AIDS By CELIA W. DUGGER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: October 31, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/africa/01zuma.html?ref=global-home



GOP Bashing


Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Moving right might cost Kirk election. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 6, 2009... Whose endorsement is Kirk seeking in his bid to win a U.S. Senate seat? None other than Sarah Palin. The same Sarah Palin he dismissed....http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1868099,CST-EDT-edit06a.article

Michael Steele's gotta crow By Dana Milbank. Copyright by The Washington Post. Thursday, November 5, 2009....Presumably, the chairman meant that his party is ascendant, meaning on the rise, and not transcendent, meaning beyond the limits of comprehension. For while the Republicans can claim ascendancy after Tuesday's results, it's Steele himself who deserves the transcendent label: The things that pop out of his mouth are frequently beyond the comprehension of mortals....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/04/AR2009110403118.html

GOP at war with itself - Attack of the Palinites By Eugene Robinson. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, November 6, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/05/AR2009110504335.html

Conservatives take aim at leaders, Charlie Crist, other races By JIM VANDEHEI & ALEX ISENSTADT. Copyright by Politico.com. 11/2/09 5:15 AM EST http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20091102/pl_politico/29008

Who Are You Calling a Narcissist, Rush? By MAUREEN DOWD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009....As he and Sarah Palin conduct their auto-da-fé of moderate Republicans — “Moderates by definition have no principles,” he told his radio audience on Monday — Limbaugh is more than ever the face of his party, as Rahm Emanuel said. He’s also the mouth....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/opinion/04dowd.html?th&emc=th

Cheney told FBI he did not know who leaked Plame's identity. Copyright by CNN News. October 31, 2009 5:09 a.m. EDT http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/31/cheney.plame/index.html

Is Our Dick Going Soft? http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-3-2009/is-our-dick-going-soft-

If Fox Is Partisan, It Is Not Alone By JOHN HARWOOD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 1, 2009. The Obama White House’s decision to challenge Fox News appears driven equally by strategy and frustration. It is also a test case for politicians in both parties. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/us/politics/02caucus.html?th&emc=th

For Fox Sake! http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-october-29-2009/for-fox-sake-


Immigration

Immigrant Jail Tests U.S. View of Legal Access By NINA BERNSTEIN. Copyright by The The New York Times. Published: November 1, 2009. A startling petition arrived at the New York City Bar Association in October 2008, signed by 100 men, all locked up without criminal charges in the middle of Manhattan. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/nyregion/02detain.html?th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: Driving Without English. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 3, 2009. Police officers giving drivers $204 tickets for not speaking English? It sounds like a rejected Monty Python sketch. Except the grim reality is that it has happened at least 39 times in Dallas since January 2007, according to The Dallas Morning News. At least six officers in several different patrol divisions wrote the tickets, each time citing a driver for violating a law that does not exist. All but one of the drivers were Hispanic. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/opinion/04wed3.html?th&emc=th



Chicagoland


New York Times Editorial: A Powerful Idea on Youth Violence. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. As a former beat cop, Ron Huberman, the new chief of public schools in Chicago, learned long ago that violence among young urban people could not be solved simply by hauling ever larger numbers of children off to jail. With the prompting and support of his boss, Mayor Richard M. Daley, Mr. Huberman is trying a new approach to the violence that has killed and maimed hundreds of young people and turned Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods into precincts of terror and despair. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/opinion/05thu2.html?ref=opinion

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Don't rush this law without help for girls. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 4, 2009. Imagine you are a 17-year-old girl looking to get an abortion. You've made up your mind but fear telling your parents. It could mean getting kicked out of your home, beaten up or worse. A new state law says parents must be notified -- but there is a way around it if a teen can convince a judge she's mature enough to make the decision or that telling her parents could put her in danger. This page thinks parents should be involved in such a big decision. But if a teen cannot tell her parents, she must have a way out. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1863000,CST-EDT-edit04.article

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Daley and 'long term" Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-1103edit1nov03,0,1466219.story

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Blame Madigan, Daley for property tax hikes. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 2, 2009. It's property tax bill time, and if you're like many Chicago area residents, you're looking for which politician to blame -- or perhaps throttle -- for your increase. The politicians, meanwhile, are pointing fingers, then ducking. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1859507,CST-EDT-edit02a.article

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: Cowardly legislators put CTA in peril to win election. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 2, 2009. Don't believe anybody who says the cowardly decision to continue free bus and train rides for Chicago area senior citizens was actually about helping seniors. It was about politicians looking for votes. http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1859485,CST-EDT-edit02b.article

Block 37 developer lands new tenants - Joseph Freed and Associates still believes it can open mall by Thanksgiving despite foreclosure lawsuit by Bank of America and other lenders By Sandra M. Jones. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 4, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-block_37_tenantsnov04,0,2776922.story

How to beat a Chicago speeding ticket : Challenge it - | If city cop caught you with LIDAR, go to court: Judge will dismiss it BY MARK BROWN. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. November 6, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1868508,CST-NWS-brown06.article

Oprah leaving? Report says yes, history says maybe By Phil Rosenthal. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 6, 2009. If one can't yet set a watch by the frequency of reports that Oprah Winfrey is poised to give up her top-rated syndicated talk show, it's almost possible to mark one's calendar by it. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-fri-phil-1106nov06,0,728069.column

872: Chicago's newest area code a week away. Copyright by The Associated Press. October 31, 2009 8:25 PM http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/10/872-chicagos-newest-area-code-a-week-away.html



Economy


Fed Sees No Need to Raise Rates Soon By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve signaled on Wednesday that it isn’t close to raising interest rates, saying the economy remains weak even though the recession appears to be over. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/business/economy/05fed.html?hp&emc=na

Fed spells out stance on rates By Krishna Guha in Washington and Michael Mackenzie in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 4 2009 20:29 | Last updated: November 5 2009 00:48. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday signalled that it still expected to keep interest rates near zero for at least six months, but for the first time identified factors that could lead to earlier rate rises. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fed-spells-out-stance-on-rates.html

US productivity hits highest level since 2003 By Simone Baribeau in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 5 2009 14:59 | Last updated: November 5 2009 14:59. Labour productivity in the third quarter of 2009 unexpectedly increased at its fastest rate since 2003, in another sign that pressure on the labour market remains even as the economy returns to growth. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/us-productivity-hits-highest-level.html

U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/economy/07jobs.html?hp

J&J to Slash 7, 000 to 8,000 Jobs. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: November 3, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/03/business/business-us-johnsonandjohnson.html?scp=1&sq=Johnson%20&%20Johnson%20to%20slash%20workforce&st=Search

Broader Measure of U.S. Unemployment Stands at 17.5% By DAVID LEONHARDT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. For all the pain caused by the Great Recession, the job market still was not in as bad shape as it had been during the depths of the early 1980s recession — until now. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/economy/07econ.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Fed tells banks to adopt pay rules early - Central bank calls for swift action to avoid public backlash By Francesco Guerrera in New York and Patrick Jenkins in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 2 2009 21:57 | Last updated: November 2 2009 21:57. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/fed-tells-banks-to-adopt-pay-rules.html

U.S. Readies Jobless Aid and Help on Homes By JACKIE CALMES and DAVID STOUT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009. WASHINGTON — In separate actions to address Americans’ continuing economic hardship, the government moved Thursday to assist long-unemployed workers and struggling businesses, as well as home buyers and homeowners facing foreclosure. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/us/politics/06benefits.html?th&emc=th

Car Buyers Come Back, but Not in Droves By FLOYD NORRIS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. THE American love affair with cars seemed to come to a sudden end this year, when car sales became less important to the economy than at any time since the government began counting more than 40 years ago. So far, there are only limited indications of a renewal of the relationship. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/economy/07charts.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1257609781-cqMel6Gmm9/rONe3wDHKWA

Ford Posts an Unexpected Profit of $997 Million By NICK BUNKLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/business/03auto.html?ref=global-home

Toyota posts first profit in four quarters - Stimulus measures boost sales By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 5 2009 06:50 | Last updated: November 5 2009 17:44. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/toyota-posts-first-profit-in-four.html

Retailers Report Healthy Sales Increases By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009. The nation’s stores posted a second consecutive month of sales increases in October, the retailing industry’s best performance in more than a year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/business/economy/06shop.html?hp

Price war, no deals barred - Wal-Mart's rivals fear the chain's power to undercut them, but they have holiday plans of their own. By Andrea Chang. Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times. November 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-fi-walmart7-2009nov07,0,5178493.story

Insider Trading Charges for 14, Some Tied to Galleon By ALEX BERENSON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/business/06insider.html?hp

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway triples profit - Boosts firepower for acquisitions By Francesco Guerrera and Justin Baer in New York. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 7 2009 00:37 | Last updated: November 7 2009 00:37. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/buffetts-berkshire-hathaway-triples.html

A.I.G. Reports Profit but Warns of Continued Volatility. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: November 6, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/business/07insure.html?hpw

BA suffers record first-half loss of £292m - First deficit for summer period By Pilita Clark. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 6 2009 09:10 | Last updated: November 6 2009 09:10 http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/ba-suffers-record-first-half-loss-of.html

Kraft set for hostile move on Cadbury - ‘Put-up or shut-up’ expiry looms By Jenny Wiggins and Kate Burgess. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 6 2009 22:01 | Last updated: November 6 2009 22:01. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/kraft-set-for-hostile-move-on-cadbury.html

CIT Files for Bankruptcy By Michael J. de la Merced. Copyright by The New York Times. November 1, 2009, 2:15 pm http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/cit-to-file-for-bankruptcy-soon/?emc=na

Regulators shut banks in 5 states; marks 120 US bank failures this year By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS, MARCY GORDON. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. 9:11 p.m. CST, November 6, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-bank-closures,0,6099722.story

Credit Card Gouging: Don’t Leave Home Without it. http://www.markfiore.com/political/watch-credit-card-reform-action



Housing


Foreclosure filings spike in collar counties - All post double-digit increases despite efforts to help homeowners By Mary Ellen Podmolik. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue-foreclosures-1103nov03,0,4959141.story

Why This Real Estate Bust Is Different - Unrealistic assumptions, layers of investors, sky-high prices, and possible fraud will make it hard to clean up the mess in commercial real estate. Copyright by Business Week November 16, 2009. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_46/b4155042792563.htm


Commodities


Gold hits record high on India purchase - IMF’s 200-tonne sale prompts speculation of further buying by central banks By Javier Blas in London and Sarah O’Connor in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 3 2009 09:08 | Last updated: November 3 2009 15:47 http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/gold-hits-record-high-on-india-purchase.html



GLBT


New York Times Editorial: Six Tests for Equality and Fairness. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 1, 2009. Political battles this fall in six different parts of the country could have a profound impact on whether the United States will extend the promise of equal rights to those who are not allowed to marry simply because they are the same sex as their partner. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/opinion/02mon1.html?th&emc=th

Marriage for Gays on Agenda in New York By DANNY HAKIM. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009. ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson said Thursday that he would include gay marriage on the agenda of an extraordinary session he is calling for Tuesday, potentially setting up the first vote on the issue in the State Senate and a dramatic floor debate. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/nyregion/06marriage.html?scp=1&sq=Marriage%20for%20Gays%20on%20Agenda%20in%20New%20York&st=cse

Washington voters may affirm domestic partnerships. Copyright by The Windy City Times. NEWS UPDATE Nov. 4, 2009. Washington may be first state in nation to support domestic partnership by popular vote. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23373

Nondiscrimination Ordinance passes in Kalamazoo, MI. Copyright by The Windy City Times. Nov. 3, 2009 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23370

Loss in Maine Sets Back Drive for Same-Sex Marriage By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/us/05marriage.html?hp

Gay Rights Rebuke May Change Approach By ABBY GOODNOUGH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/us/05marriage.html?th&emc=th

Privacy Looms Over Gay Rights Vote By WILLIAM YARDLEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 31, 2009. SEATTLE — At a time when voters in many states are using petitions to qualify ballot measures on issues from gay rights to property rights, a legal dispute over the identity of 138,000 petition signers here is raising new questions about privacy, free speech and elections in the Internet age. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/us/01petition.html?th&emc=th

Can't Get Queer From Here http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-november-4-2009/can-t-get-queer-from-here

Johnston and Williams win Jon-Henri award By Matt Simonette. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. November 5, 2009. Community members and activists gathered at Gerber-Hart Library Sunday to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the passing of writer Jon-Henri Damski and give out the award to the persons who best exemplified his spirit. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/4046

Mr. International Rubber Schedule of Events By Matt Simonette. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. November 5, 2009. Most Mr. International Rubber events will this year take place in the heart of Boystown, Center on Halsted at 3656 N. Halsted. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/4059

Midlife Crisis No 287: Saints Preserve Us By St. Sukie de la Croix. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. November 5, 2009. Several months ago I canonized myself—note the “St.” in front of my name. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/4058

Tell South Park’s Creators About the Harms Caused By Slur-Filled “The F-Word.”/'South Park' last night: Trying to make 'The F Word' okay, and beating up Emmanuel Lewis by Ken Tucker. South Park tried to teach us a lesson last night, and lesson-teaching is something a TV show should usually try to avoid, because it usually makes for lousy storytelling. And comments http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/tell-south-parks-creators-about-harms.html

South Park the F Word Episode http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251889/


Technology


Cuomo Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Intel By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/technology/companies/05chip.html?emc=na

Financial Times Editorial Comment: Intel in trouble. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 5 2009 19:38 | Last updated: November 5 2009 19:38. When corporate giants wield their pricing power as a weapon to smash pygmies, consumers win – but only for a while. That is why regulators must be vigilant. This week, Andrew Cuomo, New York attorney general, filed an anti-trust complaint against Intel, following a case that has already led to regulatory action in Europe and Asia. http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/financial-times-editorial-comment-intel.html

Virtual Goods Start Bringing Real Paydays By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER and BRAD STONE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley may have discovered the perfect business: charging real money for products that do not exist. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/technology/internet/07virtual.html?th&emc=th

Cisco’s Results Offer More Hope to Tech Industry By STEVE LOHR. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/technology/companies/05cisco.html?th&emc=th

Does Technology Reduce Social Isolation? By STEFANIE OLSEN. Copyright by The New York Times. November 5, 2009, 5:15 PM. Update | 11:19 p.m. Made slight clarifications throughout. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/does-technology-reduce-social-isolation/?hpw

Google privacy tool unveiled By Maija Palmer. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: November 5 2009 11:10 | Last updated: November 5 2009 18:59. Google sought to alleviate the concerns of privacy campaigners on Thursday by unveiling new tools that will allow users to see what information the internet company is keeping on them. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e5116b30-c9f5-11de-a5b5-00144feabdc0.html

Microsoft Simplifies a Cluttered MSN By Miguel Helft. Copyright by The New York Times. November 4, 2009, 12:00 am http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/microsoft-simplifies-a-cluttered-msn/?th&emc=th

Review: Motorola's Droid delivers lots of features and looks good doing it By Mark Milian. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. November 7, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat-droid-review-1107nov07,0,2715919.story


Religion


Religious order rebukes Chicago-area nun who volunteers at abortion clinic. Contact: info@chicagocatholicnews.com. November 4, 2009. Copyright By ChicagoCatholicNews. http://www.chicagocatholicnews.com/2009/11/new-religious-order-acts-on-nun-who.html



Other


After 40 Years, Age Discrimination Still Gets Second-Class Treatment By ADAM COHEN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 6, 2009. After working for a vending machine company for more than 20 years, James O’Connor was replaced with someone younger. He sued. He testified that his boss had disparaged older workers, including saying — two weeks before he was fired — “O’Connor, you are too damn old for this kind of work.” A federal court was unmoved, ruling in 1995 that he had not connected the bigoted comments to his firing. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/opinion/07sat4.html?th&emc=th

YANKEES 7, PHILLIES 3 - Back on Top, Yankees Add a 27th Title By TYLER KEPNER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: November 5, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/sports/baseball/05series.html?th&emc=th


Humor


THE DUCK IS DEAD http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/10/duck-is-dead.html

Management Course http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/management-course.html

DIVORCE VS. MURDER http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/divorce-vs-murder.html

Fuck It - The Ultimate Spiritual Way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVdKQ0I35qo




It has come to my attention that you can only read 2 articles per month at the Financial Times if you haven't registered. If you would like to read more of the articles for free, simply sign up for the free account and you can read 10 articles per month. That should be enough. I'll try to keep the FT links to a minimum. - I used a link that will open the Financial Times articles this week. CTM

Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” To be released late September 2009 by Floricanto Press