tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92046961774666645032024-02-08T01:46:31.234-08:00sexinsexsexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-32860267372495084612009-01-03T02:59:00.000-08:002009-01-03T03:00:41.826-08:00The most reviled and beloved advice of the year.This year, Dear Prudence letter-writers had questions about everything from <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2191846/">diaper fetishes</a> to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2192472/#spitter">food-spitters</a> to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2202891/">self-mutilation</a>. But the answers that got readers most riled up were those in which you felt I unfairly maligned three already outcast groups: supercilious boyfriends, smokers, and pit bulls.<br />My answer to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2202383/">In Love With a Supercomputer</a>, who said she was dating a genius who had to win every argument, outraged many of you. I said he was a twit and a bully and suggested he read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553375067?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0553375067" target="_blank">Emotional Intelligence</a>. Many wrote I was the sexist bully because my estrogen-addled mind couldn't accept the fact that there are certain people—they're called "men"—who simply are always right. "This article is the senseless dribble people in your profession spout out about the differences between men and women. Never have any of you made the recommendation for a woman to find a partner who is more illogical, needlessly emotional, or with lower IQ," wrote one dissenter. According to another: "There's something you should have learned as a little girl: rationality and intellect drive the world we live in and contrary to popular belief your emotions are not good for the world. You strike me as an arrogant feminist who thinks you are better then men because you have a vagina." Oh, gentlemen, you sure know how to charm a gal!<br />Other readers offered armchair diagnoses for the boyfriend—from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome" target="_blank">Asperger's syndrome</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder" target="_blank">Narcissistic Personality Disorder</a> to having the personality type <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ" target="_blank">INTJ</a>. Whether any of these conclusions is correct, I was too harsh in the way I described this young man. But I won't back down from my belief that this boyfriend needs a new set of social tools because no matter his IQ, no one is always right.<br />Probably no letter got more angry mail than my reply to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2200381/#featherer">Nest-Featherer</a>, who complained that her upstairs neighbors were tossing their cigarette butts into their shared yard, which she wanted to keep clean for her new puppy. I took the opportunity to trash smokers for their penchant for littering and their general defensive hostility about their habit. Smokers smoldered in response. Hundreds of you rebutted my remarks and said such gross stereotyping belongs in the ash heap. "The way you replied sounded like you believe all smokers are slobby pigs who also can't handle their emotions. You owe many decent, non-littering, considerate, and perfectly mentally normal folks a great big apology," fumed one. "The neighbors are rude people who happen to smoke—they are not rude people because they smoke," another argued.<br />The smokers were right—I unfairly tarred all of you. However, look at the sidewalks of any city, and you will notice that they are covered with cigarette butts. So, please, considerate smokers of America, intervene when you see your boorish brethren toss their trash in the street.<br />Everyone got mad at me for my answer to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2203349/">Uneasy</a>. She was writing because her 20-year-old sister—a single mother with a toddler—just moved in with a roommate who had a nervous pit bull. I said both baby and dog must be intensely supervised when together and otherwise separated to avert a tragedy. Pit-bull lovers said my answer maligned their loyal, loving breed. Pit-bull haters said I exonerated these malevolent dogs and sent me articles from around the country on pit-bull maulings. Single mothers and others were outraged by what they felt was a gratuitous slap when I said that since the mother of the toddler had her while still a teenager, that indicated she lacked an ability to understand the consequences of her actions. "The fact that she is 20 and a new mother and single is why she's not able to clearly see the danger. But you lost me the minute you basically called her a slut," one reader bristled. "Two years ago, the woman had sex. God forbid! If you ever have pre-marital sex, you could end up with an unexpected pregnancy. So what?" asked another.<br />No, I did not call her a "slut," and, yes, I agree she is too young to be a mother. The "So what?" is that it's a tragedy that so many young women with no education, prospects, or partner are raising children alone.<br />I need to completely atone for my answer to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2198741/#newbies">Church Newbies</a> about the young couple who were converting to Catholicism and found the elderly couple who were their church sponsors to be creepily huggy and free with their hands. I said the youngsters should tell off the oldsters, and, if that didn't work, instead of telling the priest, they should find a new parish. Wrong! As one reader, the Rev. Joshua Williams, wrote to me: "First, if this older couple might one day serve in some sort of an official capacity, their actions might leave the church open to lawsuits. Second, if I were in the priest's position, I would want to know so I could keep an eye out for the older couple and try to help them understand the detrimental effect their behavior is having on the church's attempts to reach out to new members."<br /><a class="tools" title="Print This Article" href="javascript:toolAction(">PRINT</a><a class="tools" title="Discuss this in The Fray" href="http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/3531/ShowForum.aspx?ArticleID=2207184">DISCUSS</a><a class="tools" title="Email to a Friend" href="http://www.slate.com/apps/emailafriend/email.aspx?mailid=2207184">E-MAIL</a><a class="tools" title="RSS feeds" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2154868/">RSS</a><a class="bottom_tools" title="Recommend this to others" href="javascript:ToolbarRecommend(">RECOMMEND...</a><a class="tools" title="View story on one page" style="BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/pagenum/all/">SINGLE PAGE</a><br />slate:{$rootpath}id/2207184/<br /><a href="http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/slate/%257B%2524rootpath%257Did%252F2207184%252F">Yahoo! Buzz</a><a title="Share on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&t=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank"> Facebook</a><a href="http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers&c=Dear+Prudence" target="_blank" u="'http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&l="> Mixx</a><a title="Digg This" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&title=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank"> Digg</a><a title="Share with Reddit" href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&title=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank"> Reddit</a><a title="Tag with del.icio.us" href="http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&title=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank"> del.icio.us</a><a title="Share with Furl" href="http://furl.net/storeIt.jsp?t=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers&u=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/" target="_blank"> Furl</a><a title="Share with Ma.gnolia" href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&title=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank"> Ma.gnolia</a><a title="Share with Sphere" href="http://www.sphere.com/search?q=http://www.slate.com/id/2207184/" target="_blank"> Sphere</a><a title="Share with Stumble Upon" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.slate.comhttp://www.slate.com/id/2207184/&title=Slate+Magazine+-+All+the+Answers" target="_blank">StumbleUpon</a><a class="recommend_closer" onclick="closeRec('recommend_tab');" href="javascript:void(0);">CLOSE</a><br />I blew another theological question, according to many readers, in my answer to <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2203768/#oyvey">Oy Vey</a>, a non-Jew employed at a small Jewish-owned firm whose bosses let other Jews leave early on Fridays in the winter for Sabbath but expect everyone else to work. Since she had complained to no avail, I agreed with her that the owners were behaving poorly. However, I advised she'd be best off to let it go. Many of you suggested she should take legal action. Instead, I agree with reader Dan Phillips, who suggested Oy Vey take the perfect Biblical passage, <a href="http://www.biblekeeper.com/Jewish-1917/deuteronomy_5.php" target="_blank">Deuteronomy 5:14</a>, to her bosses and show them that this injunction means that on the Sabbath, all should enjoy a day of rest.<br />digg_url = 'http://www.slate.com/id/2207184';<br /><br />Share this article on Digg<br />slate:http://www.slate.com/id/2207184<br /><a title="Vote for your favorite stories on Yahoo! Buzz" style="DISPLAY: block; WIDTH: 74px; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/slate/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fid%252F2207184">Buzz up!</a><br />Share this article on Buzz<br />The dilemma of <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2186861/">Terrible Twos</a>, the father who got no pleasure out of interacting with his 2-year-old daughter, provoked a variety of reactions. I praised him for being able to acknowledge this unpleasant truth, suggested he might find his daughter more interesting when she became more independent, and urged that he look for ways to connect with her until then. One young woman in her 20s wrote that from girlhood her father was distant and uninterested, and when she became a teenager she made a difficult choice: "For the sake of both our sanity, I finally decided that the best way to have a relationship with my father was to have none. I hope Terrible Twos takes some of your suggestions. Otherwise, he's going to lose out on knowing his daughter and hurt her in ways he never consciously would intend."<br />One father acknowledged: "I could have written that letter myself three years ago. The important thing is that fathers who feel this way know that they are not alone. It's not an easy thing to admit to feeling. But now that our daughter is five, it's a different story. Your advice is right, time and growth change everything. I've gone from 'What did I do?' to 'I can't wait to get home to see her.' "<br />Related on the Web<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582345651?ie=UTF8&tag=slatmaga-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=1582345651" target="_blank">Buy</a> Emily Yoffe's book What the Dog Did: Tales From a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner.<br />And one mother wrote in response: "I would love if my daughter would initiate play with either me or my husband. I would love if she turned to one of us and called us by name. You see, my daughter is autistic. That father should count his blessings that she has an interest in him and wants him to be a part of her world."<br />Thanks to this mother for the reminder that counting your blessings is good advice for us all. And one of my blessings is that I have such forthright, provocative, and insightful readers.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-60783023116110437342009-01-03T02:51:00.000-08:002009-01-03T02:55:36.829-08:00U.S. could be facing debt 'time bomb' this yearWASHINGTON - With President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats considering a massive spending package aimed at pulling the nation out of recession, the national debt is projected to jump by as much as $2 trillion this year, an unprecedented increase that could test the world's appetite for financing U.S. government spending.<br />For now, investors are frantically stuffing money into the relative safety of the U.S. Treasury, which has come to serve as the world's mattress in troubled times. Interest rates on Treasury bills have plummeted to historic lows, with some short-term investors literally giving the government money for free.<br />But about 40 percent of the debt held by private investors will mature in a year or less, according to Treasury officials. When those loans come due, the Treasury will have to borrow more money to repay them, even as it launches perhaps the most aggressive expansion of U.S. debt in modern history.<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28476798#storyContinued">Story continues below ↓</a><br />advertisement <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26613008/">your ad here</a><br />dap('&PG=NBCMSB&AP=1089','300','250');<br /><a id="AdShowcase_F2" name="storyContinued"></a><br />With the government planning to roll over its short-term loans into more stable, long-term securities, experts say investors are likely to demand a greater return on their money, saddling taxpayers with huge new interest payments for years to come. Some analysts also worry that foreign investors, the largest U.S. creditors, may prove unable to absorb the skyrocketing debt, undermining confidence in the United States as the bedrock of the global financial system.<br />While the current market for Treasurys is booming, it's unclear whether demand for debt can be sustained, said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP, which analyzes Treasury financing trends.<br />"There's a time bomb in there somewhere," Crandall said, "but we don't know exactly where on the calendar it's planted."<br />The government's hunger for cash began growing exponentially as the nation slipped into recession in the wake of a housing foreclosure crisis a year ago. Washington has since approved $168 billion in spending to stimulate economic activity, $700 billion to prevent the collapse of the U.S. financial system, and multibillion-dollar bailouts for a variety of financial institutions, including insurance giant American International Group and mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.<br />Despite those actions, the economic outlook has continued to darken. Now, Obama and congressional Democrats are debating as much as $850 billion in new federal spending and tax cuts to create or preserve jobs and slow the grim, upward march of unemployment, which stood in November at 6.7 percent.<br />Congress is not planning to raise taxes or cut spending to cover the cost of those programs, because economists say doing so would further slow economic activity. That means the government has to borrow the money.<br />Some of the borrowing was done during the fiscal year that ended in September, when the Treasury added nearly $720 billion to the national debt. But the big borrowing binge will come during the current fiscal year, when the cost of the bailouts plus another stimulus package combined with slowing tax revenues will force the government to increase the debt by as much as $2 trillion to finance its obligations, according to a Treasury survey of bond dealers and other market analysts.<br />As of yesterday, the debt stood at nearly $10.7 trillion, of which about $4.3 trillion is owed to other government institutions, such as the Social Security trust fund. Debt held by private investors totals nearly $6.4 trillion, or a little over 40 percent of gross domestic product.<br />According to the most recent figures, foreign investors held about $3 trillion in U.S. debt at the end of October. China, which in October replaced Japan as the United States' largest creditor, has increased its holdings by 42 percent over the past year; Britain and the Caribbean banking countries more than doubled their holdings.<br />Economists from across the political spectrum have endorsed the idea of going deeper into debt to combat what many call the most dangerous economic conditions since the Great Depression. The United States is in relatively good financial shape compared with other industrial nations, such as Japan, where the public debt equaled 182 percent of GDP in 2007, or Germany, where the debt was 65 percent of GDP, according to a forthcoming report by Scott Lilly, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.<br />Even a $2 trillion increase would push the U.S. debt to about 53 percent of the overall economy, "only a few percentage points above where it was in the early 1990s," Lilly writes, noting that plummeting interest rates show that "much of the world seems not only willing but anxious to invest in U.S. Treasurys, which are seen as the safest security that an investor can own in a risky world economy."<br />Still, some analysts are concerned that the deepening global recession will force some of the largest U.S. creditors to divert cash to domestic needs, such as investing in their own banks and economies. Even if demand for U.S. debt keeps pace with supply, investors are likely to demand higher interest rates, these analysts said, driving up debt-service payments, which last year stood at $250 billion.<br />"When you accumulate this amount of debt that we're moving into, it's not a given that our foreign friends are going to continue on the path they've been on," said G. William Hoagland, a longtime Republican budget analyst who now serves as vice president for public policy at the health insurer Cigna. "There's going to come a time when we can't even pay the interest on the money we've borrowed. That's default."<br />Others say those fears are overblown. The market for U.S. Treasurys is by far the largest and most liquid bond market in the world, and big institutional investors have few other places to safely invest large sums of reserve cash.<br /> Click for related content<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032525/">Read more news from across the U.S.</a><br />Despite their growing domestic needs, "China and the oil countries are going to continue running large surpluses," said C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "They certainly will be using money elsewhere, but I don't think that means they won't give it to us."<br />As for the specter of default, Steven Hess, lead U.S. analyst for Moody's Investors Service, said even a $2 trillion increase in borrowing would not greatly diminish the U.S. financial condition. "It's not alarmingly high by our AAA standards," he said. "So we don't think there's pressure on the rating yet."<br />But that could change, Hess said. Nearly a year ago, Moody's raised an alarm about the skyrocketing costs of Social Security and Medicare as the baby-boom generation retires, saying the resulting budget deficits could endanger the U.S. bond rating. Even as the nation sinks deeper into debt to finance its own economic recovery, several analysts said it will be critical for Obama to begin to address the looming costs of the entitlement programs and signal that he has no intention of letting the debt spiral out of control.<br />Failure to do so, Bergsten said, would "create dangers . . . in market psychology and continued confidence in the dollar."sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-83957893613995911182009-01-03T02:46:00.000-08:002009-01-03T02:47:34.222-08:00Bush: Hamas attacks on Israel an 'act of terror'WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush on Friday branded the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel an "act of terror" and outlined his own condition for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying no peace deal would be acceptable without monitoring to halt the flow of smuggled weapons to terrorist groups.<br />Bush chose his weekly taped radio address to speak for the first time about one of the bloodiest Mideast clashes in decades. It began a week ago. Israeli warplanes have rained bombs on Gaza, targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has traumatized southern Israel with intensifying rocket attacks.<br />"The United States is leading diplomatic efforts to achieve a meaningful cease-fire that is fully respected," Bush said. "Another one-way cease-fire that leads to rocket attacks on Israel is not acceptable. And promises from Hamas will not suffice — there must be monitoring mechanisms in place to help ensure that smuggling of weapons to terrorist groups in Gaza comes to an end."<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28476147#storyContinued">Story continues below ↓</a><br />advertisement <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26613008/">your ad here</a><br />dap('&PG=NBCMSN&AP=1089','300','250');<br /><a id="AdShowcase_F2" name="storyContinued"></a><br />The White House released Bush's radio address a day early. It airs on Saturday morning.<br />Letting the crisis shiftDespite Bush's account of a U.S. leadership role, with time running out on his presidency, the administration seemed increasingly ready Friday to let the crisis in Gaza shift to President-elect Barack Obama. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice briefed Bush on developments in Gaza, and she continued furious telephone diplomacy to arrange a truce. Yet, she said she had no plans to make an emergency visit to the region.<br />More than 400 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed in the latest offensive. The U.N. estimated Friday that a quarter of the Palestinians killed were civilians. In their waning days in power, Bush and Rice have been working the phones with world allies.<br />Bush offered no criticism of Israel, depicting the country's air assaults as a response to the attacks on its people. The White House will not comment on whether it views the Israeli response as proportionate or not to the scope of rockets attacks on Israel.<br /> Click for related content<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28404637/">Israelis let some Palestinians flee</a><br />"This recent outburst of violence was instigated by Hamas — a Palestinian terrorist group supported by Iran and Syria that calls for Israel's destruction," Bush said.<br />The president said Hamas ultimately ended the latest cease-fire on Dec. 19 and "soon unleashed a barrage of rockets and mortars that deliberately targeted innocent Israelis — an act of terror that is opposed by the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people, President (Mahmoud) Abbas."<br />Gaza isolated since Hamas victoryHamas-run Gaza has been largely isolated from the rest of the world since the Islamic militants won parliamentary elections in 2006. Then Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, expelling forces loyal to the moderate Abbas.<br />getCSS("3088867")<br />Video<br /><a href="javascript:vPlayer("></a><br /><a class="icoVid" title="'Click" href="javascript:vPlayer("> </a> <a href="javascript:vPlayer(">Clintons’ road ahead leads back to Middle East</a>Jan. 2: With her experience as first lady in dealing with the Mideast, Hillary Clinton prepares to lead the new administration's foreign policy team. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.<br />Nightly NewsBush expressed deep concern about the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza. U.N. officials say Gaza's 1.5 million residents face an alarming situation under constant Israeli bombardment, with hospitals overcrowded and both fuel and food supplies growing scarce.<br />"By spending its resources on rocket launchers instead of roads and schools, Hamas has demonstrated that it has no intention of serving the Palestinian people," Bush said. "America has helped by providing tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, and this week we contributed an additional $85 million through the United Nations. We have consistently called on all in the region to ensure that assistance reaches those in need."<br />The White House has cautiously said Israel must be mindful of the toll its military strikes will have on civilians. Here, too, Bush blamed Hamas for hiding within the civilian population. "Regrettably, Palestinian civilians have been killed in recent days," he said.<br />Cease-fire calls growInternational calls for a cease-fire have been growing. Bush promised to stay engaged with U.S. partners in the Middle East and Europe and keep Obama updated. Obama is receiving the same intelligence reports on Gaza that Bush is.<br />Rice has spoken to both Obama and his choice for secretary of state, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, about the situation at least once in the last week. Obama and Clinton have remained mum out of deference to Bush, who still has 18 days in office.<br />There have been growing calls for Rice to intervene with Israel in person amid rising international concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Her decision to stay away will likely disappoint those calling for a more robust U.S. role, particularly as French President Nicolas Sarkozy intends visit the region next week.<br />In recent days, U.S. officials had said that a Rice trip to the Middle East, as a first stop on a long-planned visit to China next week, was under consideration. But those officials said Friday that Rice would stay in Washington. They spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement is not expected before the weekend.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-55522144034184320692009-01-03T02:07:00.000-08:002009-01-03T02:08:01.720-08:00Will Smith is 2008's top money-making starNEW YORK (AP) -- No name on the marquee was more pleasing to theater owners in 2008 than <a class="art" href="http://music.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity/will-smith/">Will Smith</a>, according to a survey of movie exhibitors.<br />Smith, star of "<a class="art" href="http://music.msn.com/movies/movie/hancock/">Hancock</a>" and "<a class="art" href="http://music.msn.com/movies/movie/seven-pounds/">Seven Pounds</a>," was voted the star who generated the most box office revenue for theaters in an annual survey by Quigley Publishing Co.<br />Smith is only the second black actor to be chosen in the Quigley poll, which since 1932 has asked movie exhibitors to vote on the 10 stars who brought in the most business. Sidney Poitier topped the poll in 1968.<br />Smith's superhero summer blockbuster, "Hancock," grossed $228 million. "Seven Pounds," currently in theaters, has pulled in a somewhat lackluster $39 million in two weeks.<br />Following Smith, in order, were Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron Man," "Tropic Thunder"), Christian Bale ("The Dark Knight"), Shia LaBeouf ("Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") and LaBeouf's "Indiana Jones" co-star Harrison Ford.<br />The top 10 were rounded out by Adam Sandler, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig.<br />Last year's winner, Johnny Depp, who didn't have a film released this year, didn't make this year's poll, nor did seven-time winner Tom Cruise.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-60925313002422240792009-01-03T01:36:00.001-08:002009-01-03T01:36:50.407-08:00Dr. Dre son’s death ruled a heroin overdoseLOS ANGELES - The 20-year-old son of veteran rapper Dr. Dre died in August from an overdose of heroin and morphine, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said on Friday.<br />Andre Young Jr. was found dead by his mother at his Los Angeles home after spending a night out with friends.<br />After toxicology and other tests, the coroner ruled his death as accidental and says the case is closed, spokesman Larry Dietz said on Friday.<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28473550/?gt1=43001#storyContinued">Story continues below ↓</a><br />advertisement <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26613008/">your ad here</a><br />dap('&PG=NBCSML&AP=1089','300','250');<br /><a id="AdShowcase_F2" name="storyContinued"></a><br />Dietz said the tests showed Young died of morphine and heroin intoxication.<br />Dr. Dre, 43, whose real name is Andre Young, rose to stardom in the 1980s as a member of the “gangsta” rap group N.W.A. He embarked on a successful solo career, winning the first of four Grammys in 1994 for a tune from his chart-topping debut “The Chronic.”<br />He founded the rap labels Death Row Records and Aftermath Entertainment, and made stars out of such proteges as Snoop Dogg and Eminem.<br />At the time of his son’s death, Dr. Dre issued a statement asking for respect and privacy.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-92128289431426350872009-01-03T01:32:00.000-08:002009-01-03T01:34:17.055-08:00Weight Loss UniversityWhat can top schools teach you about dropping pounds? A lot! Here, the science and methods behind four cutting-edge academic weight loss programs.<br />By Milton Stokes, R.D., Prevention<br />More on this in Health & Fitness<br /><a id="gted" href="http://www.prevention.com/fitnesstips/?cm_mmc=MSN-_-Weight%20Loss%20University-_-Article-_-Proven%20Weight%20Loss%20Secrets" ce="1">Proven Weight Loss Secrets</a><br /><a id="gted" href="http://prevention.com/portioncontrol/?cm_mmc=MSN-_-Weight%20Loss%20University-_-Article-_-No%20Fail%20Weight%20Loss" ce="2">No-Fail Weight Loss</a><br /><a id="gted" href="http://www.prevention.com/fbdjumpstart/?cm_mmc=MSN-_-Weight%20Loss%20University-_-Article-_-Jumpstart%20Your%20Diet" ce="3">Jumpstart Your Diet</a><br />On the very campuses where students order in late-night pizza, specialized weight loss centers on the front lines of diet, exercise, and behavioral research help thousands of people drop pounds safely and effectively every year. Here, we review the philosophy behind four of the leading university-based weight loss programs, feature participants who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, and highlight key tips that you can use to reach your weight loss goal.<br />Duke University: Diet & Fitness Center, Durham, N.C.<br />Weight loss philosophy: Abandon the strict diet mindset<br />Chronic dieters tend to have a "been there, done that" mentality. So the first task for participants who enter the Duke Diet & Fitness Center program is to leave that thinking behind. For the next four weeks, dieters live near campus and meet with specialists to gain new understanding about how to lose weight and keep it off for good. The key—and where Duke's program differs from so many popular diets: small, sustainable changes. To help participants incorporate these new lessons into their daily routines, registered dietitians give demos on healthful cooking techniques, lead grocery store tours, and walk participants through restaurant outings. Individuals also attend "mindful eating" classes, where behavior experts shed light on concepts such as hunger and satiety. Exercise specialists tailor gym-based, outdoor, or at-home activities to fit each person's lifestyle.<br />In a 2005 study, 80 percent of Duke's Diet & Fitness Center graduates reported improved quality of life, including better stamina, self-confidence, and mobility. The center's research finds that participants lose, on average, up to 5 percent of their body weight during their first month; a year later, they've lost on average 10 percent of their original body weight.<br />//Create Player<br />Msn.Video.BuildGallery('Player1Container', 300, 295, {"player.c": "vcq", "player.vcq": "videoByUuids.aspx%3Fuuids%3D0813bc9f-f64d-4715-86c7-792ce63008d9", "player.fr": "IV2_en-us_health_weight-loss", "player.pg": "MSVIHS", "player.title": "true", "player.ch": "true", "player.bsbpg": "MSVHIV", "player.ps": "4", "player.radUrl": "http://rad.msn.com/ADSAdClient31.dll?GetAd?PG="}, 'Player1','http://images.video.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf', '');<br />Msn.Video.BuildGallery('Gallery1Container', 300, 300, {"gallery.from": "metadatawidget_en-us_health_weight-loss", "gallery.numRowsDetail": "3", "gallery.numColsGrid": "2", "gallery.dispSourceList": "false", "gallery.categoryRequests": "", "gallery.numRowsList": "6", "gallery.numColsDetail": "1", "gallery.mode": "metadata", "gallery.categoryNames": "", "gallery.tabThisVideo": "true", "gallery.tabRelatedVideos": "false", "gallery.dispContainer": "false", "gallery.tabCustom": "true", "gallery.imageWidthDetail": "72", "d": "video.msn.com", "gallery.playType": "inline", "gallery.imageHeightDetail": "54", "gallery.pageInfoLocation": "bottom_right", "gallery.categoryMenuLocation": "hidden", "gallery.pageControlsLocation": "bottom_right", "gallery.dispDateList": "false", "gallery.linkbackLocation": "hidden"}, 'Gallery1', 'http://images.video.msn.com/flash/gallerywidget/1_0/gallerywidget.swf', '');<br />Lessons learned:<br />Move more. In addition to traditional workouts, sneak in activity: Stand up while chatting on the phone; talk to co-workers face-to-face instead of e-mailing; stretch during TV commercials.<br />Monitor your meals. Before you sit down, make a conscious decision about how much you're going to have instead of eating until you're full. (The brain takes 20 minutes to register a full stomach.)<br />Fill up on fiber. Swap your old standbys with their whole grain equivalents—the fiber slows digestion, which keeps you fuller longer. Breads, pasta, and waffles all come in multigrain or whole wheat versions.<br />Real-life results:<br />Susan Ray, 48<br />Virginia Beach, Va.<br />Pounds lost: 85<br />Height: 5 feet 4 1/2 inches<br />Weight now: 140 pounds<br />"I was in a bad marriage and depressed, so I turned to food for support. I tried to diet with extreme measures, like severely cutting calories, but even if I lost some weight, I couldn't keep it off. Then I landed in the hospital with what I thought was a heart attack, and I was terrified—and upset that my weight could have been the cause. It was just an anxiety attack, but it was a wake-up call. I started making changes; one was signing up at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center.<br />"There I found the root cause behind my habits. I was burying my emotions in food. Once I realized that, I regained control and started taking baby steps toward weight loss. The nutritionists offered creative ways to include more produce in my diet. Grating vegetables into everything is one of my favorite tricks. Food can be enjoyable and healthful if you use it to nourish your body instead of to bury your emotions. I will never yo-yo diet again."<br />University of Alabama: EatRight Program, Birmingham, Ala.<br />Weight-loss philosophy: Liberate yourself from food<br />In the EatRight Optifast program, participants with 50 pounds or more to lose put regular food on hold for 12 weeks and drink Optifast shakes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The physicians who developed EatRight chose to incorporate shakes into their plan because they believe that such an extreme change frees chronic dieters from unhealthy patterns, so they can consider how they've been eating—and why. Participants are required to get medical clearance before starting and have blood checked every other week. (Supervision is imperative because meal-replacement diets can cause rapid weight loss and put stress on the body.) After this 12-week kick start, many participants are ready to renew their relationships with food. For 6 weeks, they transition back to food, and then move on to the EatRight Lifestyle program, a 12-week eating plan that favors filling, low-calorie, high-volume choices such as fruits, vegetables, and nonfat yogurt.<br />In the journal Obesity (2006), UAB reported data on graduates who were followed for a little over two years. What they found: More than 75 percent of the participants maintained their weight loss, which was an average of 4 to 5 percent of their starting body weight.<br />Lessons learned:<br />Break out of your patterns. While we can't recommend subsisting on shakes without a doctor's supervision, there are other ways to liberate yourself from poor eating habits. Try replacing the meal you're most likely to overeat with a healthful, preportioned frozen dinner.<br />Think sneakers, not snacks. If you always take an afternoon cookie break, try going for a walk instead. You may learn that what you really crave is a break from your workday.<br />Fill up on soup. Minestrone, chicken noodle, and split pea soups are EatRight foods—a lot of volume for just a few calories. Sip a cup before your meal so you feel fuller on fewer calories.<br />Real-life results:<br />Karen Matthews, 54<br />Montgomery, Ala.<br />Pounds lost: 100<br />Height: 5 feet 8 inches<br />Weight now: 172 pounds<br />"I didn't have a problem with my weight until I hit 40. In a short period of time, I lost both parents and my brother. Angry and sad, I turned to food to cope, and my weight escalated. I tried a few diets, but nothing worked. Eventually I tore the meniscus in my right knee and needed surgery. The pain in my joints, plus the realization that the person in the mirror was not the real me, prompted me to join the EatRight Optifast program.<br />"The shakes forced me to think about why I ate when I wasn't hungry. Truth is, I was drowning my sorrows in what I called "happiness pie"—I'd overdose on sweets when I felt sad. I began to understand why I used food to mask the pain, and I learned strategies to manage my feelings. I used to vacuum when I was upset, but I find it's even better to take a walk. I lost 100 pounds and shaved 100 points off my cholesterol in 9 months. A clean house is nice, but being thin is better!"<br />University of Colorado: Colorado Weigh, Denver<br />Weight-loss strategies: Calorie control, physical activity, and positive self-talk<br />Experts at Colorado Weigh use bioelectrical impedance, a high-tech way to measure the number of calories their participants need every day. Each woman gets an individual eating plan based in part on that number. At weekly group meetings with dietitians, participants learn skills to keep portions in check. The leaders also encourage participants to wear pedometers and track how many steps they walk daily (in addition to other exercise). This motivates dieters to incorporate more activity, even if it's small changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Leaders also teach participants to replace self-defeating thoughts ("I totally blew it by having that ice cream") with positive ones ("I ate five different veggies today!").<br />A recent study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that after the first 16 weeks, participants lost about 6 percent of their body weight. In the next 12 weeks, weight loss jumped to about 11 percent.<br />Lessons learned:<br />Patrol your portions. Learn how to eyeball the right serving sizes. For example, half a baseball is equivalent to a serving of pasta, a checkbook is 3 ounces of fish, and a CD is an ideal waffle.<br />Find out your true calorie needs. One diet does not fit all. Visit prevention.com/caloriecounter for an estimate of how many calories you should be eating each day, tailored to your weight, height, and activity level.<br />Buddy up! Partner with a friend or co-worker who's also trying to lose weight to exchange motivation—and treat yourself with the same kindness and empathy you offer that person. Face-to-face contact isn't a requirement. Visit prevention.com/weightlossforum to connect with others online.<br />Be a pedometer pro. This small gadget sits on your waistband and clocks how many steps you take. Aim for 10,000 daily.<br />Real-life results:<br />Lupe Reyther, 34<br />Denver<br />Pounds lost: 42<br />Height: 5 feet 4 inches<br />Weight now: 140 pounds<br />"I used to eat lots of fast food and think little of it even though I was overweight. Reality hit when my 7-year-old daughter wanted me to take her on a hike. It killed me to say no, but I could hardly climb a staircase, let alone a mountain. I was too young to be so unhealthy—something had to change.<br />"When Colorado Weigh started a program at my office, I teamed up with several colleagues, and we all tackled weight loss together. I quickly began losing 1 to 2 pounds each week. I started preportioning snack foods because I tend to overeat them; I could put away a whole bag of Goldfish crackers in a sitting.<br />"I wore a pedometer and scheduled breaks in my day to walk. When it was impossible to go outside, I'd use exercise bands while I helped my daughter with her homework. When it got tough, I remembered that being healthy enough to see her grow up is worth every bit of effort!"<br />University of Vermont: Vtrim, Burlington, Vt.<br />Weight-loss philosophy: No weight loss goals necessary<br />A diet program that requires you to give up the drive to lose weight seems contradictory. But according to the researchers who created Vtrim, it's better to make health your goal; then—one at a time—adjust the habits that stand in your way. Their holistic approach focuses on wellness. For example, "I'm going to exercise four days a week" replaces the desire to be a size 6. Pounds come off as a side effect. All Vtrim participants write in a food journal to keep track of every morsel of food they eat, from morning coffee to supermarket samples to bites off their children's plates. At the end of each week, the participants meet with nutrition specialists to look for patterns in their diets and identify simple ways to cut calories.<br />According to studies published in the journals Obesity and Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Vtrim participants can expect to lose about 20 pounds after 6 months. A year later, they'll have kept off two-thirds of the weight they lost.<br />Lessons learned:<br />Identify your weak spot. Does a spoonful of ice cream always turn into a pint? Allow yourself one serving—go out for a small cone, or buy a portion-controlled treat at the grocery store. The next time you're faced with a pint, it should be easier to moderate how much you're eating.<br />Set nonweight goals. Aim to exercise every other day, take the stairs, or eat 5 cups of produce daily.<br />Review your diet each week. Keeping track of your diet can help you lose twice as much weight, found a recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Jot down everything you eat for a week, look for simple ways to shave calories (like switching from full-fat to low-fat yogurt), and incorporate those changes the next week. For calorie cutting ideas, visit prevention.com/100calories.<br />Real-life results:<br />Nancy Rabinowitz, 56<br />Burlington, Vt.<br />Pounds lost: 42<br />Height: 5 feet 8 1/2 inches<br />Weight now: 145 pounds<br />"I was at a healthy weight for most of my life. Then, when I turned 46, I got married. I was so happy—but that contentment turned into complacency as I started eating more, exercising less, and generally not taking care of myself. Fifty-four pounds later, running errands was a challenge. My asthma got worse, and I had no energy. Then reality hit: a pair of size 16 jeans that no longer fit.<br />"Everything changed when I started Vtrim. A goal of mine was to give up added sugar for 4 months, which meant no sweets—my trigger foods. Eventually, I incorporated them into my diet again and had far less of an urge to overeat.<br />"Journaling helped keep me honest. If I wanted a steak, fine; I just had to write it down and not overdo other foods. It also allowed me to view my diet as a whole and see that I didn't blow it if I ate a piece of pie! My favorite part is that the journals serve as a record of how far I've come."sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-45443023149824779362009-01-03T01:27:00.000-08:002009-01-03T01:31:33.745-08:00Winter Wonderlands: 10 Towns that Make Ice NiceStep away from the snow shovel. Put down the ice scraper. Winter can actually be fun, people, not a season-long suffer-fest of cold and complaining. So we've compiled a list of some of North America's best cities and towns where "snow" isn't a four-letter word.<br />Quebec City, QuebecPerhaps no city in North America loves winter more than <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.quebecregion.com/">Quebec City</a>. And it should: temps here can plummet to minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit in January. All the better for making sure the <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.icehotel-canada.com/">Ice Hotel</a>, a modern-day igloo open until March 29, doesn't melt. The world's largest winter carnival or <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/">Le Carnaval</a> heats up Quebec City from Jan. 30 to Feb. 15. Think frozen canoe races, snow-sculpture contests, dogsled racing, night parades and tipples of caribou (brandy, vodka, sherry and port) to keep the grown-ups warm. Most people would need a whole lot of caribou to try out Quebec City's new winter pastime of "<a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.redbullcrashedice.ca/">crashed ice</a>" in which four-person teams fly down an icy chute. On skates. On Jan. 24, women will compete for the first time in the event.<br /><a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://travel.msn.com/Destinations_Quebec_Canada_tier2_DATE_DESC_39_27067_4.aspx">MSN Travel Guide for Quebec City</a><br /><a href="http://thingstodo.msn.com/search?st=any&swhat=&swhere=Aspen%2C+CO&swhen=">Aspen, Colo.</a>True, the glittery image of <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.aspen.com/">Aspen</a> doesn't exactly fit with an economy in the muck. But one of the best ways to vent 401(k) angst is to hit the ski slopes, and Aspen has four different mountains from which to choose: Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk. Plus, when the <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://expn.go.com/expn/index">X Games</a> steamroll through here Jan. 22-25 -- displaying acrobatic feats on skis, snowboards and snowmobiles -- the town will make even the fussiest of Florida snowbirds love winter. Off-mountain, Aspenites celebrate the snow-season with the January Wintersköl festival of art, soup-contests and dog fashion-shows; the Aspen Music Festival, meanwhile, regularly showcases top performers. Finally, the recession makes it more likely to get a deal (or at least a room) at such legendary ski lodges as <a onclick="return Msn.Navigation.OpenNew(event,this)" href="http://www.thelittlenell.com/">The Little Nell</a> and <a href="http://thingstodo.msn.com/aspen-co/venues/show/455636-st-regis-hotel">The St. Regis Aspen</a>.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-26011027380568150532008-12-24T20:15:00.000-08:002008-12-24T20:20:25.431-08:00Newsweek: A 4.5% mortgage for Christmas?Like a lot of families, mine cut back on holiday spending this year. With the economy weakening and everyone anxious about their jobs, my wife and I agreed to forgo gifts for one another. And while we still spoiled our children, gifts for our extended family were more modest than last year.<br />While I like gift-wrapped packages as much as the next guy, there was only one present I wanted: the chance to refinance my mortgage at a ridiculously low rate.<br />The week before Christmas, the Federal Reserve dropped the federal funds rate to zero percent, a number usually associated with the cut-rate financing deals offered by <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/176041">near-bankrupt auto companies</a>. While movements in Fed-controlled short-term interest rates don't always affect long-term rates (which include mortgage rates), in this case they have. The rate on 10-year Treasury bonds recently hit <a href="http://money.cnn.com/markets/bondcenter/" target="_blank">a historic low of 2.1 percent</a>. That, in part, has led to <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/30-year-mortgage-lowest-37-years/story.aspx?guid=%7B1B978809-8856-4FA1-A367-2B0794F05294%7D" target="_blank">a rush of calls to mortgage brokers by homeowners</a> seeking to refinance, with rates on 30-year mortgages dipping toward 5 percent. Since I hate to miss out on a good deal, I shot my mortgage broker an e-mail just before Christmas and asked if he's got a present for me.<br />placeAd2(commercialNode,'bigbox',false,'')<br /><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/37a1/3/0/%2a/m%3B210259886%3B0-0%3B0%3B31965112%3B4307-300/250%3B29563206/29581085/1%3B%3B%7Eokv%3D%3Bdir%3Dtechbiz%3Bdir%3Dmcginn%3Bad%3Dbb%3Bdel%3Djs%3Bajax%3Dn%3Bheavy%3Dn%3BpageId%3Dnewsweek-id-176824%3Bpoe%3Dyes%3Bfromrss%3Dn%3Brss%3Dn%3B%7Eaopt%3D0/ff/900ff/ff%3B%7Efdr%3D210271783%3B0-0%3B0%3B21727069%3B4307-300/250%3B29566780/29584659/1%3B%3B%7Eokv%3D%3Bdir%3Dtechbiz%3Bdir%3Dmcginn%3Bad%3Dbb%3Bdel%3Djs%3Bajax%3Dn%3Bheavy%3Dn%3BpageId%3Dnewsweek-id-176824%3Bpoe%3Dyes%3Bfromrss%3Dn%3Brss%3Dn%3B%7Eaopt%3D3/1/900ff/1%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://www.kings2009.com" target="_new"></a><br />I'm not in any rush, mind you. I've read the statement issued by the <a href="http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20081216b.htm" target="_blank">Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee</a>, which made clear it expects to hold short-term rates low for quite some time.<br />I've also been closely following the debate over whether the federal government should step in and subsidize mortgages for new homebuyers, which could send rates even lower. As ++<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/business/05housing.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported a couple of weeks ago</a>, the Treasury Department, real-estate-industry lobbyists and even Ben Bernanke have been chewing over a plan to let new homebuyers finance their home purchases at a rate of 4.5 percent, with the government helping to subsidize those rates. Some proponents of this plan—among them Columbia professors Glenn Hubbard and <a class="related" title="Christopher Mayer" href="http://www.newsweek.com/related.aspx?subject=Christopher+Mayer">Christopher Mayer</a>, who wrote about it in <a href="http://sec.online.wsj.com/article/SB122948162452913103.html" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>—argue for extending this rate to include even existing homeowners, who could refinance their existing mortgages at 4.5 percent. Rates this low, they contend, would help stabilize the falling housing market, which is what caused this whole economic mess in the first place.<br />For a lot of people, including me, such subterranean rates would mean some serious savings. I carry two mortgages on my house. My first mortgage is a 15-year loan at 5 percent—a rate that's so low, I figured I'd never have to refinance. The second loan, used to finance a big renovation a few years ago, is a 30-year note at 6.25 percent. Like most people, I wish my monthly payment weren't as high as it is, but compared with a lot of people, I don't have too much to complain about. Even as its value has fallen, my home is still worth more than I owe on it, and so long as I remain employed, my monthly mortgage payment is well within the range that lenders think I can afford, based on my income.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-27690629597068083152008-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:002008-12-24T20:14:57.048-08:00Pennington set to give Jets buyer's remorseA very bad 2008 for Brett Favre (football-wise) has the potential to get even worse Sunday.<br />The legend, the icon, the mythological gunslingin’, butt-slappin’, MVP-winnin’ greatest quarterback in NFL history (to some) is about to get Buster Douglassed by Chad Pennington.<br />This little game Sunday between Favre’s Jets and Pennington’s Miami Dolphins? The one that will basically decide the AFC East?<br />Despite what you’ll hear, this is not the kind of game for which the Jets brought Favre to New York.<br />Playoff games, conference championships, Super Bowls. That’s why he was imported. Not so that — on the season's final weekend — the Jets would be looking up at a Miami team that was 1-15 last year. Or, for that matter, a New England Patriots team that played almost the entire season without Tom Brady.<br />The Jets' braintrust of GM Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Eric Mangini didn’t jettison Pennington and bring in Favre as the cherry on top of their offseason sundae for, for … this!<br />But here are the Jets, 9-6 after an 8-3 start. The lone win in their last four being a pennies from heaven job against Buffalo.<br />The Legend has thrown six picks and a touchdown in the last four games. Not the kind of finishing kick he’s supposed to bring.<br />getCSS("3088874")<br />Special feature<br /><a href="http://powerrankings.nbcsports.com/"></a><br /><a href="http://powerrankings.nbcsports.com/">NFL power rankings: Who's the 1?</a>Make your own rankings, compare them to NBC Sports crews<br />NBCSports.comAnd then there’s Pennington. Drafted by New York in 2000, he was sanctified and vilified during his tenure. He's a player whose on-field strengths are accuracy, measured decision-making and off the field are selflessness and stoicism. Still, he and his noodle-arm were sent by packing by Tannenbaum when Favre came to town. And Favre’s game and persona are — to be sure — the polar opposite of Pennington’s.<br />You’ll hear a lot of people hype the game, “It duddn’t git any better than this!” Yeah, well, not for the Jets. This is the worst-case scenario. Lose and Miami wins the AFC East. Win and, quite likely, the hated New England Patriots will win the AFC East.<br />Even though Mangini said that Pennington and Favre, “Aren't in a cage match (on Sunday),” the fact is that one of them will treat it as such. For a win Sunday, Pennington would roll naked on broken glass.<br />He gave a lot to the Jets. And even if he didn’t have Favre's natural talent, he’s every bit the tough guy/great teammate Favre’s been built up to be. And New York showed him the door. As Miami teammate Vonnie Holliday said earlier this week, that hurt Pennington’s pride.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-55439204188894129192008-12-24T20:07:00.000-08:002008-12-24T20:11:06.400-08:00Report: N.Y. Times may sell Red Sox stakeNEW YORK - The New York Times Co is trying to sell its stake in the holding company of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.<br />The sale, which could give the Times desperately needed cash as newspaper advertising revenue falls and its debt payments loom, could involve its 17.5 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures and possibly the struggling Boston Globe daily newspaper, the Journal reported.<br />New England Sports Ventures owns the Red Sox, the Fenway Park baseball field where the team plays, and most of the cable network that shows their games.<br />A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.<br />The Journal report comes on the same day that the Times Co. reported a 20.9 percent drop in advertising revenue in November, compared with the same period last year.<br />The Times has said that it is evaluating the future of its assets, which also include online encyclopedia About.com and several daily newspapers throughout the United States, as it tries to meet its debt obligations and cut its borrowing.<br />Debt is proving difficult for many U.S. publishers to handle because they are bringing in less cash to make them able to meet their obligations. This is partly because of the fading relevance of printed newspapers to people now used to getting news for free online. The world financial crisis has only worsened the ad sale declines.<br />The Times could raise at least $200 million if it sold its stake, analysts and sports bankers told Reuters earlier this month. The team, while not central to the Times’ business, could be attractive to many buyers despite the recession because it is popular with fans.<br />Other baseball teams are up for sale as well, including the Chicago Cubs, which is owned by Tribune Co., the privately held newspaper publisher that filed for bankruptcy this month.<br />The Times got the Red Sox stake in 2002 as part of a group led by hedge fund manager John Henry that bought the team, Fenway Park and an 80 percent stake in the New England Sports Network. The price for the deal was $700 million, including debt. The network also includes a NASCAR auto-racing team.<br />The Times previously refused to sell the Globe after former General Electric Co. Chief Executive Jack Welch and former advertising executive Jack Connors reportedly asked about the possibility. At the time, they valued the Pulitzer prize-winning newspaper at $550 million to $600 million, the Journal said. Barclays now values the Globe at about $20 million.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-30440602684580127312008-12-24T19:59:00.000-08:002008-12-24T20:03:55.438-08:00Bush revokes pardon issued a day earlierWASHINGTON - President George W. Bush took the very rare step Wednesday of revoking a pardon he had granted only a day before, after learning in news reports of political contributions to Republicans by the man's father and other information.<br />Bush pardoned 19 people on Tuesday, including Isaac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud. On Wednesday, the White House issued an extraordinary statement saying the president was reversing his decision in Toussie's case.<br />White House press secretary Dana Perino said the new decision was "based on information that has subsequently come to light," including on the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses. She also said that neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father that "might create an appearance of impropriety."<br />"Given that, this was the prudent thing to do," she said.<br />The new information came to the White House's attention from news reports, Perino said.<br />A story in the New York Daily News said Toussie's father, Robert, donated $28,500 to the national Republican Party in April. It came just months before Toussie's pardon petition, the newspaper said.<br />Outside of the processThe counsel's office generally doesn't include vetting of political contributions in its reviews on such matters, as that would be "highly inappropriate on many levels," she said. The White House decision on Toussie had come without a recommendation from the pardon attorney, Ronald L. Rodgers, as Toussie's request for a pardon came less than five years after completion of his sentence, so that eliminated another step in the review process.<br />The Justice Department advises the president on who qualifies for pardons. Only people who have waited five years after their conviction or release from prison can apply for a pardon under the department's guidelines. Criminals are required to begin serving time, or otherwise exhaust any appeals, before they can be considered for sentence commutation.<br />But the president can forgive people outside that process if he chooses. Under the Constitution, the president's power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled — meaning he can forgive anyone he wants, at any time.<br /> Perino said she is not aware of any other instance of a pardon reversal, in the Bush administration or others.<br />"The counsel to the president reviewed the application and believed, based on the information known to him at the time, that it was a meritorious application," she said. Bush now believes the case should rest with the pardon attorney.<br />The Daily News story on Wednesday, and another in Newsday and on blogs, shed light on Toussie's record. He pleaded guilty for lying to HUD and mail fraud, admitting that he falsified finances of prospective homebuyers seeking HUD mortgages. He was sentenced to five months in prison and five months' house arrest, a $10,000 fine and no restitution, the Daily News reported.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-92114564869806883802008-12-23T05:58:00.000-08:002008-12-23T06:02:08.888-08:00Bad weather delays frustrated holiday travelersLOS ANGELES - Colleen Stone and her family left their Illinois home Saturday hoping to fly to Seattle and spend <a class="iAs" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 100%! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px! important; COLOR: darkgreen! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: darkgreen 0.07em solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28364331/#" target="_blank" itxtdid="7335451">Christmas</a> with her parents. But two days, two canceled flights, a car ride and $600 later, they weren't even close. They were at Los Angeles International Airport, desperately trying to get out by plane, bus, train or rental car.<br />The Stones were among hundreds of frustrated <a class="iAs" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 100%! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px! important; COLOR: darkgreen! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: darkgreen 0.07em solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28364331/#" target="_blank" itxtdid="7514792">travelers</a> Monday across the West stuck at airports, bus stations and along roadways due to stormy, winter weather.<br />"I work for the Red Cross back home and we're trained to be prepared for when disasters strike," said Stone, 51. "This is a disaster and the airlines are not prepared for it."<br />to stay at the station. At the Old Town station in Portland, about 100 people had set up a second home.<br />Hopeless situationsA group of three sat against a cool brick wall not far from the ticket counter: Fast friends get made in hopeless situations.<br />Darlene Robb, 56, met Joshua Wharen, 20, on their bus to Portland. She was heading from Santa Rosa, Calif. to Grangeville, Idaho. He was going from Fort Bliss, Texas, to Spokane, Wash. Erica Wilcox, 22, spotted the duo in Portland, herself caught between Great Lakes, Ill., and Klamath Falls, Ore.<br />On Monday, they were playing cards, Robb was calling the two younger ones "my adopted kids" and Wilcox was accusing Wharen of cheating. "You're trying to look at my cards!"<br />If all went well, all three expected to be on buses sometime Tuesday, heading home to family, to friends.<br />Traffic inched along Interstate 5, the main north-south highway through western Oregon. State highways through the northern edge of the Coast Range were closed. Portland's buses, equipped with tire chains, were having trouble making it along the streets.<br />Alaska and Horizon airlines, the West Coast's principal carriers, resumed limited service Monday after thousands spent the night waiting. Flight cancelations were reported at Spokane, Seattle-Tacoma and Portland airports.<br />At Sea-Tac, spokesman Perry Cooper said stranded passengers were given water and blankets, concession stores had adequate food for sale, and there were no reports of temper flare-ups.<br />Some travelers said they had spent 12 hours waiting for a ticket agent, taking turns sleeping while others held their places in line.<br />getCSS("3088867")<br />Video<br /><a href="javascript:vPlayer("></a><br /><a class="icoVid" title="'Click" href="javascript:vPlayer("> </a> <a href="javascript:vPlayer(">Harsh weather tightens grip</a>Dec. 22: Heavy snow and chilling temperatures continue to plague much of the country. NBC's Jim Gray reports.<br />NBC News Channel<br />Much of the available floor space was filled with families huddled and trying to sleep under light blue blankets. Walking space was at a premium. The baggage claim area was littered with mounds of unclaimed luggage 6 and 7 feet high.<br />Bonnie Fong, 21, said she struggled to get to the airport on time Monday, only to find her flight to San Francisco to visit her family had been canceled. The first available confirmed space, she said, was on a while off: Sunday.<br />"I guess maybe I'll talk to my mom and see what she wants to do," Fong said. "Maybe I can take the train or something."<br />Amtrak's Cascades passenger train service remained shut down Monday between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which operates the tracks, said partial service might be restored Tuesday.<br />Bus passengers bound for Washington and Oregon were stuck for as long as three days in Salt Lake City because of road closures and hazardous conditions, Greyhound Lines Inc. spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said.<br />'Stuck'Several travelers were at the Salt Lake City bus station on Monday, some of whom had already waited several days for a way out of town.<br />"I made it this far, and I've been stuck here ever since," said Nathan Collver, 30, a carpenter who was on his way from Austin, Texas, to Portland. Collver's wife is planning to fly to Portland on Jan. 6.<br />"From the looks of it, she's going to get there before I do," said Collver, who said he'd been at the terminal since Saturday night.<br />Stone, the stranded passenger in Los Angeles, said her family flew out of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri on Saturday, but their flight to Minneapolis was canceled and they were rerouted to Las Vegas. Then their connecting flight was canceled — after eight hours of waiting.<br />They spent the night in Las Vegas and spent Sunday driving to California, where they ran into crawling traffic over the 4,190-foot-high Cajon Pass east of Los Angeles because of a big rig crash.<br />On Monday, the Stones called a few car rental companies, and discovered it would cost $1,000 to rent a vehicle to go one way from Los Angeles to Seattle.<br />The Stones ruled out that option because they had already spent $600 on <a class="iAs" style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 100%! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px! important; COLOR: darkgreen! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: darkgreen 0.07em solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent! important; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28364331/#" target="_blank" itxtdid="7335317">hotels</a> and the rental car from Las Vegas.<br />Then the Stones found out they couldn't get on a flight to Seattle until Christmas evening. So they decided to scrap Seattle altogether and drive to Kansas to visit other relatives.<br />"We're not going to fly anywhere for the rest of the winter," Colleen Stone said.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-76033246796657748202008-12-23T05:54:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:57:10.190-08:00Investigators: Doomed jet made odd noiseDENVER - Investigators trying to determine why a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and skidded into a ravine heard an odd bumping and rattling noise on the flight's recorders shortly before it tried to take off.<br /><br />The noise was detected 41 seconds after the jet started speeding down a runway at Denver International Airport on Saturday. Four seconds later, one of the crew members called for the takeoff to be aborted, said Robert Sumwalt, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.<br /><br />The recording ends six seconds after that, probably because the plane slammed to the ground after hurtling off an embankment, he said.<br />Sumwalt revealed the findings late Monday after an initial review of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Experts planned to begin a more in-depth analysis of the contents of the recorders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday while investigators return to the plane's wreckage in a snowy field at the airport.<br />All 115 passengers and crew members escaped the jet, which caught fire on the right side. Thirty-eight people were injured, including the plane's captain.<br />Sumwalt said investigators have found no problems with the plane's engines, tires or brakes, but they are not yet ruling anything out.<br />The plane traveled about 2,000 feet after leaving the runway, crossing a grassy strip and a taxiway before going off the embankment, hitting the ground at its base. It then went up a slight hill, over an access road and then down another small hill on the other side of the road before landing on its belly, its landing gear shorn off.<br />ThrustersLead NTSB investigator Bill English said the plane's flight data recorder shows the thrusters on both engines were switched to reverse. He said that normally happens when crew members try to stop a takeoff.<br />Sumwalt said investigators are still gathering information about the exact wind conditions on the runway at the time of the accident. However, he said the cockpit voice recorder contained no comments about wind.<br />Investigators have not yet interviewed the plane's captain, who was flying the plane, because Sumwalt said he is physically unable. He didn't elaborate. They have talked to the first officer, who said the plane began moving off the center of the runway as it reached about 103 mph while speeding down the runway for takeoff.<br />The plane continued to accelerate, reaching a maximum speed of about 137 mph, Sumwalt said.<br />Off-duty crew members who had flown the plane earlier in the day also were on board at the time of the accident, and Sumwalt said the first officer from that crew returned to the plane three times to help rescue passengers. Sumwalt also reported that those crew members said they had no problems with the plane during their flight.<br />A fire charred and ripped open much of the right side of the plane, with the worst damage around a crack around the fuselage. Sumwalt said all the passenger seats remained intact during the plane's wild ride off the runway, although seats in row 18, near the crack, had loose fittings.<br />Sumwalt said the runway was bare and dry when the plane attempted to take off for Houston and no debris was found there.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-35150173873998883682008-12-23T05:12:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:13:48.361-08:00China's 'reunion' pandas arrive in TaiwanTAIPEI, Taiwan - A pair of giant pandas arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday as a gift from rival China, another symbolic step forward in the two sides' rapidly improving relations.<br />"Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" set down at the Taipei airport after a three-hour flight from Chengdu in Sichuan province, as Taiwanese around the island watched spellbound on local television.<br />Taken together, the pandas' names mean "reunion" — underscoring Chinese hopes that the animals' arrival in Taiwan will spur unity between the sides, 59 years after they split amid civil war. Tuesday's panda arrival follows by a week the initiation of expanded transportation links across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait and other signs of friendship between Beijing and Taipei.<br />The pandas' voyage was minutely chronicled by Taiwan's effervescent media. Newspapers carried front-page photographs of the pandas in their native Sichuan habitat and TV stations followed the flight of the green-liveried Eva Airways jet carrying the animals to Taipei.<br />The pandas' arrival in Taiwan — more than three years in the making — symbolizes a new spirit across the Taiwan Strait.<br />Since his inauguration seven months ago, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has moved aggressively to link Taiwan closer to the mainland, opening the door to a substantially increased flow of Chinese tourists and sanctioning a more liberalized regime for bilateral investments.<br />QuarantineHis steps contrast sharply with predecessor Chen Shui-bian's efforts to emphasize Taiwan's political and cultural separateness, which enraged Beijing, and prompted it to reaffirm long-standing threats to use military force against the democratic island it claims as its own.<br />After their arrival at Taipei airport, the pandas were prepared for the short trip to the city's zoo, where they are expected to remain in quarantine for 30 days.<br />Eager onlookers awaited their arrival, though it was likely all they would see was the red, panda-ornamented tarpaulin covering their cages.<br />Assuming they are disease-free, Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan — and their new, two-story zoo habitat — will be unveiled to the public during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday in late January.<br />China expects big benefits from its panda largesse.<br />For more than five decades, Beijing has used panda diplomacy to make friends and influence people in countries ranging from the United States to the former Soviet Union.<br />The giant panda is unique to China and serves as an unofficial national mascot. China regularly sends the animals abroad as a sign of warm diplomatic relations or to mark breakthroughs in ties.<br />The offer to send Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan to Taiwan was first made in 2005 when the pro-independence Chen was still in charge. Citing various bureaucratic obstacles, his government rejected it, but after Ma's inauguration in May, the way was cleared to reverse that decision.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-7207192141655470532008-12-23T05:08:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:10:48.387-08:00Beer-loving Brazilians adapt to the 'dry law'RIO DE JANEIRO - Of all the things you could say to a cop with an automatic weapon after he's pulled you out of the car on the side of the highway at midnight, Isaac Chaves chose: "I've had 15 beers."<br />And why not? This is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/brazil.html?nav=el">Brazil</a>, the land of samba in the streets, beer on the beaches and kiwis in your caipirinha, the place where festivals of debauchery last for days. Drinking isn't a source of shame here. It's part of the daily celebration.<br />Besides, Chaves, 27, wasn't driving. He never does. He's a lawyer; he knows there are rules, too. "I don't even have a license," he said.<br />"He likes to drink," said the man behind the wheel that night, Bruno Mendes, 26, an accountant. "A lot."<br />The important question was whether Mendes had been drinking, because this is the new, more sober Brazil, at least on paper. Six months ago, the government imposed one of the strictest drunken-driving laws in the hemisphere, what people here call the "dry law." Anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol content of .02 percent or higher (compared with .08 in the United States) faces a $400 fine, loss of their license for a year, an impounded vehicle and jail time.<br />Many welcomed the move, with 35,000 people dying on Brazil's roads each year. Others were skeptical, including many Cariocas, as residents of Rio de Janeiro are known, who said the law was too harsh for the capital of carnival.<br />"The culture of Cariocas is bohemian -- they like night life, they like drinking beer," said Cesar Augusto de Castro Jr., a chief inspector with the federal highway police in Rio de Janeiro. "This law asks for a behavioral change, and it's hard to change their behavior."<br />The dry law, introduced in June, hit the country like a cold shower. Police swarmed the streets outside night spots in major cities, setting up sobriety-test checkpoints, handing out fines and seizing licenses. More than 5,000 people have been cited under the law, which joined a measure this year limiting the sale of alcohol along federal highways.<br />Likened to terrorismCritics have compared the police crackdown to terrorism. The law has been called authoritarian and unconstitutional, and the restaurant association is working to overturn it. Others have tried to adjust. The city of Sao Paulo added night bus routes to get drinkers home. The Brazilian beer maker AmBev started paying 10 percent of taxi fares for imbibers. Some bars and restaurants began driving customers home, while others strung up hammocks for revelers to sleep off their inebriation.<br />But it is difficult to say how well the new law is working -- or whether Brazilians' behavior has changed much.<br />The statistics suggest the roads are no safer than before. In the law's first five months, the number of car accidents on federal highways in Rio de Janeiro state rose 17 percent, compared with the same period in the previous year. Injuries also rose, by 32 percent, although deaths fell by 8 percent, according to police.<br />Across the country, the picture appeared worse. In those five months, accidents, injuries and deaths on federal highways increased over the previous five months.<br />Police said they were encouraged by accident figures in the initial weeks. But a problem quickly became apparent: It was difficult to enforce the law without breathalyzers.<br />"We don't have enough machines to do the tests," said Pedro Paulo Bahia, a spokesman for the federal highway police. "After a few months, people started to realize this."<br />Bahia estimated that Brazil, home to almost 200 million people, had 900 breathalyzers available. Highway police in Rio de Janeiro state have 13. Although there are plans to get thousands more devices soon, police said the shortage has hamstrung enforcement, particularly in the cities.<br />Police extortionDrivers report other problems.<br />"The police officers would stop people and ask for money, between $200 and $400 depending on how drunk you were," said Antônio Carlos, 68, who has been a taxi driver in Rio for more than 20 years, echoing the complaints of several residents. "The corrupt police officers were getting rich."<br />For Carlos and his colleagues, however, the law has also been a boon. In Lapa, a Rio neighborhood known for its all-night samba clubs, taxi drivers report increases in business of up to 30 percent in the dry law era.<br />"I just think people are more afraid now to drink and drive," said taxi driver Vailtom Mira, 41, idling outside a Lapa bar. "The traffic is a sign of that. Before, it would take 40 minutes to go around the block here. On Friday and Saturday nights, nothing moved. Now it's easy to drive around."<br /> At a sidewalk table nearby, Arthur Vianna, 25, said he could appreciate the new law. "I have crashed my car twice. I was drunk. Completely drunk," he said, showing off a scar on his left forearm.<br />"I stopped for a while drinking and driving. But after two months I did it again, I have to confess," he said. "I don't have a car anymore."<br />Vianna, a recent medical school graduate, said that shortly after the law went into effect, he noticed a decline in the number of car crash victims coming in to the emergency room. But lately things seem back to normal, he said.<br />"There is nobody checking anything anymore," said his friend, Ameusca Santos. "You have the law, but nobody's enforcing it."sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-85290143083737805082008-12-23T05:06:00.001-08:002008-12-23T05:06:52.940-08:00Guantanamo prisoners may head to EuropeEuropean nations have begun intensive discussions both within and among their governments on whether to resettle detainees from the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/U.S.+Armed+Forces?tid=informline">U.S. military</a> prison at <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Guantanamo+Bay?tid=informline">Guantanamo Bay, Cuba</a>, as a significant overture to the incoming Obama administration, according to senior European officials and U.S. diplomats.<br />The willingness to consider accepting prisoners who cannot be returned to their home countries, because of fears they may be tortured there, represents a major change in attitude on the part of European governments. Repeated requests from the Bush administration that European allies accept some Guantanamo Bay detainees received only refusals.<br />The Bush administration "produced the problem," Karsten Voigt, coordinator of German-American cooperation at the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/German+Ministry+of+Foreign+Affairs?tid=informline">German Foreign Ministry</a>, said in a telephone interview. "With Obama, the difference is that he tries to solve At least half a dozen countries are considering resettlement, with only Germany and Portugal acknowledging it publicly thus far.<br />German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has instructed officials to look into political, legal and logistical aspects of the matter, a ministry spokesman said yesterday. A discussion paper on the issue has been circulating among ministries in Berlin for weeks, German officials said.<br />European officials put out tentative feelers to <a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/">Barack Obama</a>'s team to see whether it was willing to discuss the issue, but the incoming administration has rejected holding even informal talks until after the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to European and U.S. officials aware of the outreach.<br />"President-elect Obama has repeatedly said that he intends to close Guantanamo, and he will follow through on those commitments as president. There is one president at a time, and we intend to respect that," said Brooke Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.<br />'Step forward'The Portuguese government pushed what had been private discussions in Europe into the open this month when Foreign Minister Luís Amado brought up the issue in a letter to his counterparts in other countries.<br />"The time has come for the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/European+Union?tid=informline">European Union</a> to step forward," he wrote. "As a matter of principle and coherence, we should send a clear signal of our willingness to help the U.S. government in that regard, namely through the resettlement of detainees. As far as the Portuguese government is concerned, we will be available to participate."<br />Amado said yesterday in a phone interview that he plans to raise the issue at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers in late January. It will also be discussed at an E.U. General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on Jan. 26, he added.<br />"I believe the new administration will have the conditions to create a new dynamic of cooperation," Amado said. He noted that when he first raised the issue of Guantanamo Bay at a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers about seven months ago, some countries resisted assisting the Bush administration.<br />"I assume the new administration will have someone on a plane to Europe within minutes of Obama being sworn in," said Sarah E. Mendelson, director of the Human Rights and Security Initiative at the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Center+for+Strategic+and+International+Studies?tid=informline">Center for Strategic and International Studies</a> and the author of a report on closing Guantanamo Bay.<br />European officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because their governments have not yet formulated a public stance on the issue, said they expect the Obama administration to take steps to secure European cooperation, some of which appear to be under serious discussion by the transition team.sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9204696177466664503.post-2731335185103958162008-12-23T04:56:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:01:03.777-08:00‘No regrets,’ says boy who gave up legs for prostheticsFor the first time in his life, he’s no longer hobbled by a congenital condition that made walking a painful and difficult task. That meant a grand entrance for 10-year-old Nick Nelson, who wasn’t going to begin an interview sitting on a couch.<br />Instead Nick let his parents, Greta and Gary Nelson, and his sister, Naomi, say hello to TODAY’s Matt Lauer first Monday in New York and waited for his cue. When it came, he walked into the studio on his new, high-tech, carbon-fiber “J” legs, stepped onto a riser, and took his place next to his parents on a couch.<br />Christmas was just four days away, but Nick said he doesn’t need to find anything under the tree: “I don’t really care if I get presents this year.” He held his new legs up for the camera. “I already got ’em.”sexinsexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04562020902187742184noreply@blogger.com0