O:9:"MagpieRSS":17:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:15:{i:0;a:10:{s:4:"info";s:5:"
    ";s:5:"title";s:55:"Yes He Can: 'One Can A Week' Program Inspires Imitators";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/yes-he-can-one-can-a-week_n_462827.html";s:2:"id";s:54:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/thenewswire//2.462827";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T23:00:20Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T23:01:10Z";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:4835:"
        <p>Peter Norback took Barack Obama's campaign talk of hope and change to heart. He said it inspired him to launch a campaign to get his neighbors in Tuscon, Ariz. to contribute just "one can a week" to feed the hungry. </p>

<p>"When President Obama got elected there was an attitude change," Norback told HuffPost. "When a sensitive guy came along and said we should be responsible human beings, that really hit a note in everybody and all my neighbors said, 'Yeah, we should do something.'"</p>

<p>While hope has turned to cynicism for many, Norback has kept the faith. Every Sunday since early 2009, he's spent four hours collecting cans and other goods from his neighbors. He delivers the payload to the Community Food Bank in Tuscon. In 2009, he delivered more than 9,000 pounds of food. </p>

<p>"Some weeks people forgot, but he never forgot," said Community Food Bank development officer Pauline Hechler. "He has shown them he is going to be there week after week, so they do their part. They don't want to let him down."</p>

<p>Hechler said demand for food in Tuscon had increased 40 percent over the past year. "It's unbelievable," she said. The food bank distributes enough food for 48,000 meals a day.  </p>

<p>Norback documents his work in a weekly email and <a href="http://onecanaweek.blogspot.com/" target="_hplink">blog post</a>. Last week brought the first rainy Sunday in the program's 57 weeks, and Norback wondered if everyone would still participate. They did.</p>

<p>"It just really, really surprised me," said Norback, a 67-year-old computer teacher. "It showed me that I'm going to keep on pressing on. It is affecting people, it's getting to them...Nobody called anybody. That means that I have to really be responsible. If you're really responsible, the citizens will follow you." </p>

<p>People are not only following Norback, they're imitating him in other cities. </p>

<p>"Peter's One Can A Week program was our inspiration when my son began a<br />
weekly food collection for the veterans in our community," wrote Carol Reed of Wake Forest, N.C. in an email to HuffPost. "We stumbled across his blog on the Internet, and being former Tucsonans, it caught our eye. I wrote to Peter who sent all his materials which we adapted for what we are doing. Basically, every Sunday my son collects non-perishables from our neighborhood of about 65 homes. He started in late August, and has collected over 800 pounds of food so far. He delivers it to the American Legion Post where the veterans who are in need of assistance can come to receive it."</p>

<p>For anyone interested in starting a One Can A Week program, Norback's got a <a href="http://onecanaweek.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-build-your-own-neighborhood.html" target="_hplink">starter kit</a> on his site. The United Way of Southeastern Michigan adapted the guide and is promoting the concept as well.</p>

<p>"Imagine if every household in your neighborhood donated one can of food, every week, to your local food pantry," says a <a href="http://www.liveunitedsem.org/content/index/ocaw" target="_hplink">message</a> on the United Way's site. "Would anything change? Would there be less hunger in metro Detroit? If you look at the One Can-a-Week program created by one neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona, the answer is yes." </p>

<p><strong>HuffPost readers: Is there a One Can A Week program in your neighborhood? Are you starting one? Tell us about it -- email <a href="mailto:arthur@huffingtonpost.com" </strong>target="_hplink">arthur@huffingtonpost.com</a>.<br />
</p>
        
	    More on Arizona Politics
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/MunTyd8zgio" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:1;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:39:"Fern Siegel: Stage Door: Good Ol' Girls";s:4:"link";s:81:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fern-siegel/stage-door-igood-ol-girls_b_463115.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.463115";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:55:46Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:55:47Z";s:7:"summary";s:166:"Ever since Steel Magnolias and its story of sassy Louisiana women hit the stage, New Yorkers have been intrigued with big-haired, bighearted Southern women. Robert...";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:11:"Fern Siegel";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fern-siegel/";s:12:"atom_content";s:5633:"
        <p>Ever since <i>Steel Magnolias</i> and its story of sassy Louisiana women hit the stage, New Yorkers have been intrigued with big-haired, bighearted Southern women. Robert Harling's play focused on a true story -- the death of a beloved sister -- and how friendship and humor sustained his family. Each night, audiences met six unforgettable women in Truvy's beauty shop -- and laughed till it hurt. Southern storytellers have a singular gift for home and heart -- and the latest effort to celebrate women's lives is the musical <b><i>Good Ol' Girls</i></b>, now playing at the Black Box Theatre.</p>

<p>Adapted by Paul Ferguson, <i>Good Ol'Girls</i> is based on the stories of two acclaimed Southern authors: Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, with songs by Nashville hit-makers Matraca Berg (Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks) and Marshall Chapman (Jimmy Buffett, Wynonna.) It stars Sally Mayes, Tony-nominated for <i>She Loves Me</i>, Lauren Kennedy (<i>Spamalot</i>), Teri Ralston (<i>Company</i>), Gina Stewart (<i>Dawson's Creek</i>) and Liza Vann (<i>Machiavelli</i>).</p>

<p>Co-writer Lee Smith, a Virginia native, is the author of 15 books, including <i>Fair and Tender Ladies</i> and the upcoming <i>Mrs. Darcy Meets the Blue-Eyed Stranger</i>. Her novel <i>The Last Girls</i> was also a New York Times bestseller. She shares her thoughts on Southern life and times and transforming memorable characters into musical theater:</p>

<p><b>What is a "good ol' girl?"</b><br />
The "good ol' girl" is an American workingwoman with certain character traits and attitudes. Think <i>Norma Rae</i>, think Loretta Lynn's "You ain't woman enough to steal my man." She's got spunk, humor and independence; she's strong, smart, outspoken, and often, too trusting. She knows that big hair and a big heart do not mean a small mind. She's often hell-raising and cares deeply. Sometimes, she settles down to become a "good woman"-- raising three kids, running a beauty salon out back of the house, baking pies from scratch, clipping coupons, following NASCAR and teaching an aerobics class called "Jumpin for Jesus" at her church. You don't want to cross a good ol' girl. She'll bring you a casserole, but she'll kill you, too. <br />
 <br />
<b>Isn't she Southern, by definition?</b><br />
Well, not really. She might live in Durham, North Carolina, or Akron Ohio, or Denver, Colorado, or, well, anywhere. My co-writer Jill McCorkle (the author of five novels and four short-story collections, including <i>Going Away Shoes</i>,) described the show as "women of all types and ages in all different places coming to terms with some big issues in life." Our characters don't shy away from these issues, either, such as love, marriage, pregnancy, work, abuse, faith, family and aging. These are not Southern issues. These are universal. <br />
 <br />
<b>How would you describe this musical?</b><br />
 "Virginia Woolf meets Dolly Parton!" It has been called "a feminist literary country music revue." It's a show with a lot of attitude, but it's really an affirmation of womanhood, ranging from childhood to the nursing home, bright futures to fading glories. You can see all the women you have known and loved. You might even see yourself. <br />
 <br />
<b> Five writers for one musical? Isn't that a bit unusual?</b><br />
Maybe, but <i>Good Ol' Girls</i> has been an honest-to-God, true collaboration.  Over in Nashville, singer-songwriter Matraca Berg wrote a song named "Good Ol Girls," and came up with the concept for a musical. She called legendary rocker Marshall Chapman, one of my oldest friends, and they called me and asked if I wanted to write a play. It took me about five seconds to forget about my novel-in-progress and say, "I'm in!" I'd been fantasizing about a musical for years -- something like "A Chorus Line" for women. Practically every character I've ever written is a good ol' girl. I roped Jill McCorkle in for more kick-ass contemporary voices, and we were in business. Almost. A stack of monologues and CDs is not a show. We asked North Carolina playwright and director Paul Ferguson to adapt our material -- and he made it theater. </p>

<p><img alt="2010-02-15-GoodOleGirls.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-02-15-GoodOleGirls.jpg" width="320" height="214" /></p>

<p><i>Good Ol' Girls</i> photo by: Carol Rosegg</p>

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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/LuZbP5Ew_es" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:2;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:46:"Yoani Sanchez: The Russians in Havana... Again";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/the-russians-in-havana-ag_b_463114.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.463114";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:52:00Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:52:44Z";s:7:"summary";s:143:" Steppes, snow, apples and the sound of an ax cutting wood into uneven pieces. These foreign images and sounds nurtured our childhood due to...";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:13:"Yoani Sanchez";s:10:"author_uri";s:44:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/";s:12:"atom_content";s:3330:"
        <p><a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-02-15-filh2010.jpg"><img alt="2010-02-15-filh2010.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-02-15-filh2010-thumb.jpg" width="270" height="355" /></a><br />
Steppes, snow, apples and the sound of an ax cutting wood into uneven pieces. These foreign images and sounds nurtured our childhood due to the excessive presence of the Soviet Union in the Cuba of the seventies and eighties.  We shivered with the cold watching Bulgarian and Czech cartoons, while outside the tropical sun reminded us we were in the Caribbean.  Some say we learned to say "Koniec" before "The End," until one day the bears migrated, leaving us without their films of victorious soldiers and smiling mujiks.</p>

<p>After 1991 the large runs from the Russian publisher MIR could only be found in secondhand bookstores, under the dusty mantle of abandonment.  This February, however, the International Book Fair has dedicated its XIX year to the country that for decades was a mentor and economic supporter of the Cuban process.  The comrades who once paid astronomical prices for our sugar, while selling us their oil for a trifle, have returned, dressed in suits and ties.  They landed on the island they once subsidized, but this time to market their works, printed in brilliant colors, on themes alien to Marxism.</p>

<p>In the esplanade of the Cabana Fort large, intersecting lines form to buy the new titles from the East.  Children here and there leaf through illustrations of golden ears of wheat or of people under sombreros with huge earrings.  But it is no longer the same.  The forced presence these iconographic images once had in our lives is, for the children of today, a mere curiosity about the exotic.  In their young minds fir trees will not replace the palms, nor foxes the lizards; for them, Russia will be nothing more than a distant and different place.</p>

<p><em>Yoani's blog, <strong>Generation Y</strong>, <a href="http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/">can be read here</a> in English translation.</em>  </p>
        
	        More on Cuba
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/3jPQbs_oGng" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:3;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:51:"Michael Sigman: Plagiarism: The Words and the Music";s:4:"link";s:83:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-sigman/plagiarism-the-words-and_b_462088.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.462088";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:46:43Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:46:36Z";s:7:"summary";s:120:"It's always satisfying to see journalistic plagiarism outed. But when it comes to music, things can be more complicated.";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:14:"Michael Sigman";s:10:"author_uri";s:45:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-sigman/";s:12:"atom_content";s:6835:"
        <p>It's always satisfying to see journalistic plagiarism outed. But when it comes to music, things can be more complicated. </p>

<p>Last week,<em> <a href="http://Slate.com" target="_hplink">Slate</a></em>'s media maven Jack Shafer, alerted by a reader tip, exposed Gerald Posner -- know-it-all, high-profile author, cable TV talking head and now-dismissed chief investigative reporter for Tina Brown's  <a href="http://www.dailybeast.com" target="_hplink">Daily Beast</a>-- as a serial plagiarist by quoting passages he stole virtually word for word from the writings of others. Even better, Shafer went the extra mile to demolish Posner's excuse that the web made him do it -- "The core of my problem," Posner said, "was in shifting [from writing books]...to what I describe as the 'warp speed of the net'" -- by noting  that countless journalists, Shafer himself included, have been operating plagiarism-free at this velocity for years. </p>

<p>No one had to pay damages to the writers whose copy Posner lifted. But Australian pop group Men At Work could lose a small fortune in royalties from their 1983 worldwide charttopper<em> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNT7uZf7lew" target="_hplink">Down Under</a></em> now that a Sydney court has ruled that they plagiarized a couple of bars in the flute solo from the 1934 song <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iygkpxzbVt8" target="_hplink">Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree</a></em>. (American courts likely would not have been so quick to punish the "Down Under" writers for such a minor bit of borrowing.)</p>

<p>Music is in the air, and the greatest composers -- Bach to Dylan to hip-hop samplers -- have routinely taken melodic motifs wherever they can find them. There's no doubt that George Harrison's 1970 hit <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wynYMJwEPH8" target="_hplink">My Sweet Lord</a></em> is a rip-off of the Ronald Mack song <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj1qHZAH4bw" target="_hplink">He's So Fine</a></em>, a 1963 smash by the Chiffons. Plagiarism may be the highest form of flattery, but the song's owner settled for nearly $600,000, and most agree Harrison was far too honorable to have stolen the tune on purpose. On the other hand, the Beach Boys' <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1FaflUn4Co" target="_hplink">Surfin' U.S.A.</a></em> -- also from 1963 (year of the plagiarism plague?) -- is way too close to Chuck Berry's 1958 <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zz8fmHrIpg " target="_hplink">Sweet Little Sixteen</a></em> to have been unconscious, and Berry won the right to claim songwriting credit.</p>

<p>Sometimes greedy executives get in the plagiarism game. In the mid-'70s, Roulette Records president Morris Levy -- not Chuck Berry -- sued John Lennon for ripping off a Berry guitar riff on <em>Come Together</em>. A decade later, Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz did Levy one better when he sued -- ultimately unsuccessfully -- ex-Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty -- who'd left that iconic group to pursue a solo career on another label -- for $140 million, claiming Fogerty had<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/01/arts/music/01foge.html" target="_hplink"> plagiarized himself</a>!</p>

<p>The late composer/orchestra leader Percy Faith (his recording of <em>Theme from a Summer Place</em> was the defining tune of 1960) was known for plucking already existing tunes out of the ether to create pop songs. He and my dad, Carl Sigman, wrote the 1951 Guy Mitchell hit <em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOBzowk-exY" target="_hplink">My Heart Cries for You</a></em>  in 10 minutes on a bet after hearing the basic tune -- a French folk melody - on the PA system at "the trotters."  (Unable to get Sinatra to record the song, Columbia Records super-producer Mitch ("Sing Along With Mitch") Miller tapped a young demo singer named Al Cernick. But that name wouldn't do. So Mitch substituted his own first name for "Cernick" and, given Al's gender, Mitch gave him the first name "Guy.") </p>

<p>That French folk tune was in the public domain, so all was legal. But a few years later, the same pair collaborated on <em>The Secret of Happiness</em>, which was recorded by Dinah Shore, who sang it on her weekly variety show. Just before the record was released, it was yanked when a Columbia Records exec felt the tune was too close to Charlie Chaplin's<em> Smile</em>.</p>

<p> (See<a href="http://www.famousplagiarists.com/" target="_hplink"> here</a> for analysis of the spectrum from blatant stealing -- in writing and music -- to subconscious regurgitation; and<a href="http://www.songfacts.com/category:songs_involved_in_lawsuits.php" target="_hplink"> here</a> for detailed stories of pop music plagiarism brouhahas.)</p>

<p>The closest I ever came to getting plagiarized -- besides having my 12th grade economics papers copied by the creep sitting next to me -- occurred around 15 years ago, when I was publisher of <em>LA Weekly</em>. Thumbing through a copy of our competitor the<em> LA Reader</em>, I was astonished to see my name signed to a letter to the editor I hadn't written. Seemed I'd pissed off a talented <em>Weekly</em> writer who'd cleverly turned what might well have been my words into a dumb, insensitive message.</p>

<p>That's not plagiarism, of course, but its reverse, and a very closely related and effective political strategy - reframing what your opponent has said so it becomes horribly unpalatable. </p>

<p>Sarah Palin/"Death Panels" anyone?</p>

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    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:2104:"
        <p>JOLIET, Ill. &mdash; An appeals court has reversed a lower court's decision to dismiss gun charges against former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson.</p>

<p>The Illinois Third District Appellate Court ruled that Judge Richard Schoenstedt erred when he dismissed the gun charges against Peterson in 2008 after prosecutors refused to hand over key internal documents.</p>
        <p>Peterson's attorneys had argued the gun charges amounted to vindictive and selective prosecution.</p>

<p>The charges stemmed from an investigation into the 2007 disappearance of Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He was charged with owning an assault rifle with a barrel shorter than allowed by state law.</p>

<p>He's currently in jail awaiting the start of his trial on charges he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He's pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.</p>
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/IXU4gRfDvpI" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:5;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:88:"Rob Kall: Obama's Newest Strategy Will Fail: Here's How to Turn the Tide Against the GOP";s:4:"link";s:78:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-kall/obamas-newest-strategy-wi_b_462754.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.462754";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:42:18Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:42:17Z";s:7:"summary";s:161:"There are so many ways that Obama and the Democrats can do things and get things done and fight back. But that means taking a different path and new leadership. ";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:8:"Rob Kall";s:10:"author_uri";s:39:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-kall/";s:12:"atom_content";s:8057:"
        <p>Crossposted from <a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-s-Newest-Strategy-Wi-by-Rob-Kall-100215-826.html" target="_hplink">OpEdNews.com</a></p>

<p>The new White House strategy is to show how Republicans are the "party of no" by showcasing their answers and comments on poll-friendly issues.</p>

<p>This is not going to work. They may feel good, making republicans look bad, but the main strategy that this tactic is based upon is a loser.</p>

<p>The American people are justifiably furious that they gave their trust to Obama and the congressional Democrats and that confidence was betrayed. Obama and Reid in particular failed to keep promises, failed to wield the power they were entrusted to make real change happen.</p>

<p>Now, Obama and company want to set up scenarios where they can more clearly document the excuses.</p>

<p>The American people don't want better excuses. They want results. They want competent, effective leadership that makes things happen.</p>

<p>I ran a poll, primarily among progressives, asking how they felt about Obama's efforts to reform healthcare. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.opednews.com/Poll/Are-You-Happy-With-Obama-s-by-Rob-Kall-100210-733.html" target="_hplink">Are You Happy With Obama's Health Care Efforts?</a><br />
Six percent were happy with Obama's efforts. Five percent didn't want him tampering with their health care (the teapartyer position) and 89% said Obama had not done enough. So, when you read those polls saying people are not happy with Obama's health care efforts, don't assume that they don't want him doing anything. Assume that a lot of people are angry that he has not done enough.</p>

<p>Sure the Republicans are being oppositional. That's their strategy. They determined that the gains for the strategy were greater than the liability.</p>

<p>The American people are really disgusted. Less and less Obama supporters are hanging in there, trusting Obama and congress to deliver. More and more are concluding that the Democrats have failed to do the job they were elected to do. Independents are leaning Republican. Democrats are leaning on the arms of their sofas and they're not going to get out and vote, let alone, expend energy campaigning for incumbents they are disappointed with.</p>

<p>There's a solution. It's not pretty. It carries some risk. But continuing with the "show how bad the Republicans are" strategy will not work. It is dooming the Democratic party to disaster in 2010 and 2012.</p>

<p>The solution is something a lot of people, like Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders, are saying -- the Democrats and Obama need to get a spine. They need to get very tough with Republicans.</p>

<p>First, the architects of the "show how bad the Republicans are" strategy should be immediately fired and replaced with real, tough leaders. That probably means dumping a load of former Clinton staffers -- DLCers who have leaned right, and tried to move the Democratic party to the right.</p>

<p>Next, develop a strategy that gets things done. Some of my progressive colleagues will disagree, but I say use interim appointments to fill empty posts -- scores of them. And empty more posts. Clear out ALL the lingering Bush/Rove political appointees still holding jobs -- every one of them. Then use interim appointments, since GOP senators are blocking normal appointments. Show the American people you're not going to be stopped by GOP strategies. Show that Democrats are smarter, better, more effective leaders that get things done. This will be a novel concept, considering that currently, even if some things have been accomplished, the narrative is telling a story of failure. When this interim appointment strategy is acted on, have in place plans to minimize and neutralize attacks that the GOP will surely initiate. Don't try to convince hard-core right wingers. Aim at convincing independents, where there's some hope of reaching them.</p>

<p>Next, use reconciliation, which requires 50 votes plus Biden to pass a slew of bills. Break a record for using reconciliation. If Harry Reid doesn't want to use reconciliation, replace him. Matter of fact, remove all senators who won't be back next year from leadership positions -- Dodd in particular. Put in people who need to keep their jobs.</p>

<p>Start installing in legislation that involves funding wording so that states where both senators don't support the bill don't get the funding.</p>

<p>Now, reconciliation is only used for funding bills. That's okay. Take the reform issues that are most urgent -- equal treatment for women, ending pre-existing conditions and recision policies -- and pass them the old fashioned way. There are Republicans who have always been willing to vote for them. Those issues will fly through.</p>

<p>Next, go on the attack. Use the Justice Department to start investigations into Bush, Cheney and all the Abramoff people who Bush's DOJ failed to investigate. Go after the judges and DOJ Rove supervised attorneys who engaged in gross partisan prosecutorial misconduct. Reveal the details. Show the people of American what was done to attack and despoil justice.</p>

<p>Aggressively attack the five Supreme Court low-life liars who promised not to legislate from the bench who are tearing US laws and precedents apart. Pursue impeachment of Roberts and Alito.</p>

<p>Shut off Rush Limbaugh and right wing radio broadcasts for our troops.</p>

<p>Start government funding real investigative journalism as a bottom-up way of rescuing newspapers. Investigative journalism is an incredibly solid investment that can yield hundreds of billions in savings  by preventing waste and corruption. Create a fund that provides money media operations can use to fund  salaries for reporters. Throw the funding open to all legit media organizations -- say -- ones approved and crawled by the major news crawlers.</p>

<p>Create at least two million new jobs from the bottom up by providing billions that small businesses can tap to pay for employees. Require the employers to submit documentation that employees worked, and give the money directly to the employees.</p>

<p>Provide the employees in the above program with Medicare.</p>

<p>For every 5 employees, provide bottom-up funding which businesses can use to pay rent on new space. This will help the huge problem that is about to explode in the world of commercial real-estate. Yes, some investors will buy properties in anticipation of benefiting from the program.</p>

<p>There are so many ways that Obama and the Democrats can do things and get things done and fight back. But that means taking a different path and new leadership. Obama can replace some of his people. The Senate can make changes. Or they can face a total route in 2010 and 2012.</p>
        
	        More on Health Care
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/DiGr8wK7CZ4" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:6;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:44:"Clinton Meets With Al Jazeera Brass In Qatar";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/clinton-meets-with-al-jaz_n_463050.html";s:2:"id";s:54:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/thenewswire//2.463050";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:35:29Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:31:51Z";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:2513:"
        <p>Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the director general of the Al Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar, and the network's senior editorial staff while in Doha, Qatar on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Arabic station said. </p>

<p>The purpose of the meeting, the spokeswoman said, was to "further dialogue with Al Jazeera."</p>

<p>Following the meeting, Clinton was interviewed for Al Jazeera's "From Washington" program, moderated by Al Jazeera's Washington Bureau Chief, Abderrahim Foukara. </p>

<p>That interview will air Tuesday on Al Jazeera but has already made <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fgw-iran-nuclear16-2010feb16,0,2688238.story" target="_hplink">international news,</a> with Clinton warning that Iran was slowly morphing into a military dictatorship. </p>

<p>Al Jazeera's English-language station recently began broadcasting in certain U.S. areas, including Washington, D.C. </p>

<p>Clinton, in meeting with top Al Jazeera staff, walked through a door that was first opened by Gen. Stanley McChrystal late last year as he was <a href="http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/12/mcchrystalarmoredal_jaz--at_al_-_in.php" target="_hplink">waging his public campaign</a> on behalf of the surge.</p>
        
	    More on Hillary Clinton
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/_TqL4EM4804" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:7;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:69:"Paula Duffy: NBA All-Star game's biggest drama was union negotiations";s:4:"link";s:81:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-duffy/nba-all-star-games-bigges_b_463094.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.463094";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:35:00Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:42:07Z";s:7:"summary";s:143:"The day after the NBA's All-Star weekend came to a close, we're left with mere impressions of the events. None was compelling enough to cite...";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:11:"Paula Duffy";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-duffy/";s:12:"atom_content";s:4315:"
        <p>The day after the NBA's All-Star weekend came to a close, we're left with mere impressions of the events. None was compelling enough to cite in total so we get to remember snippets of action: the final few minutes of the actual All-Star game when defense and steals were practiced by some, missed dunks during a Slam Dunk contest, old guys dominating the youngsters in the skills contest (Steve Nash the victor) and the three-point shooting contest (Paul Pierce the winner) and Shakira in a cage, lip syncing her music.</p>

<p>The real meat and potatoes of the weekend, other than Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban being able to announce the 100,000+ attendance figure, actually happened behind closed doors. After they were opened we were treated to the news that the first proposal for new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) terms from the NBA to its players union included everything plus the kitchen sink.</p>

<p>Whether or not there is truth to the report that the proposal itself was physically ripped up by the owners after its rejection by the union it might as well have been. The union blasted it so hard that the mild-mannered union president, Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers had this to say: <blockquote>"I think what we made clear today is that where they are is not relevant to where we are. We're not going to begin where they say begin."</blockquote></p>

<p>At the last minute some of the game's biggest stars decided to crash the party to observe and lend support to their representatives. LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Carmelo Anthony made an appearance which is in their best interest of course but shows that they understand what is at stake for them and their fellow players.</p>

<p>The players union director, Billy Hunter blistered the terms proposed by saying they would affect<blockquote> "every player at every level in the NBA" and included "everything that (management) could ever think of."</blockquote></p>

<p>The AP was told by someone that saw the league's list of wants and desires that they included reducing the percentage of revenue paid to players from 57% to under 50%, installing a hard salary cap, guaranteeing only half the years under a player's deal and reducing the maximum salary number as well as the maximum number of years for any one contract.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and my personal favorite, the fact that if the deal is done ahead of schedule and prior to the commencement of the 2010 season, the owners expect the new terms to cover contracts signed at that time. You know, the summer when LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are available for schmoozing? The owners proposed the terms kick in a season early, just to show their appreciation that the negotiations wouldn't end in a stalemate.</p>

<p>Well, I guess that about sums up where the owners are. But what about the players? We'll see what the proposal looks like when it gets lobbed across the table.</p>

<p>Read Paula's daily sports stories at <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-426-Sports-Examiner" target="_hplink">examiner.com</a></p>
        
	        More on NBA
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/QcvQBzF8Oig" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:8;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:51:"Kevin Connor: What is John Paulson doing in Greece?";s:4:"link";s:82:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-connor/what-is-john-paulson-doin_b_463084.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.463084";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:33:52Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:34:00Z";s:7:"summary";s:112:"Hedge fund king John Paulson's role alongside Goldman Sachs in the Greek debt crisis deserves far more scrutiny.";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:12:"Kevin Connor";s:10:"author_uri";s:43:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-connor/";s:12:"atom_content";s:7269:"
        <p>Goldman Sachs's Greek adventure got an in-depth look from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/global/14debt.html" target="_hplink">New York Times</a> yesterday. The article extends on last week's <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,676634,00.html" target="_hplink">Spiegel</a> piece, which reported that the bank helped Greece hide the true extent of its debt through the use of specialized derivative products.  We first reported on the <a href="http://blog.littlesis.org/2010/02/09/greece-is-the-new-aig/" target="_hplink">parallels between AIG and Greece</a> in a post last week, following the lead of <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ever-increasing-parallels-between-aig-and-greece-and-cds-puppetmaster-behind-it-all" target="_hplink">Zero Hedge</a>.  Entry into the paper of record means the story now has legs this side of the pond, and MIT economist <a href="http://baselinescenario.com/2010/02/14/goldman-goes-rogue-%E2%80%93-special-european-audit-to-follow/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BaselineScenario+%28The+Baseline+Scenario%29" target="_hplink">Simon Johnson is arguing that Goldman Sachs is set to be blacklisted in Europe.</a></p>

<p>One question looming over this story:  did <a href="http://littlesis.org/org/20/Goldman_Sachs_Group" target="_hplink">Goldman</a> position itself to profit from the Greek fiasco?  Did it use its special knowledge of Greek's hidden debt to build profitable bets on its future downfall and rescue? If the bank's past behavior is any guide, the answer is yes.  Ignoring the impending catastrophe (obvious from their vantage point), and failing to properly "hedge" (extract massive profits), would have been "irresponsible" (insufficiently greedy/corrupt) on the part of senior management.</p>

<p>Considering this, <a href="http://littlesis.org/person/15032/John_Paulson" target="_hplink">hedge fund king John Paulson's</a> role in Greece deserves far more scrutiny. I wrote about this last week, <a href="http://blog.littlesis.org/2010/02/09/greece-is-the-new-aig/" target="_hplink">pointing out that they shared the same vulture flight pattern in Greece</a>, but at the time did not realize that Paulson and Goldman actually partnered in executing massive and profitable bets against the subprime market. Are they doing the same with Greece?</p>

<p>News of Paulson's fund taking large positions against Greek debt has barely risen above rumor in the English-language press, despite <a href="http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=el&u=http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp%3Fpid%3D2%26ct%3D32%26artId%3D310435%26dt%3D20/01/2010&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsite:antinews.gr%2Blittlesis%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DUHE&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhgZ4VK6wwGluLNB3-dT3wslJqirZA" target="_hplink">this article</a> in a Greek daily, which says that Paulson is "orchestrating the pressure on Greek government bonds and the Euro," and reports that Paulson has a team of 20-30 traders focused on Greece.</p>

<p>A research firm is now calling Paulson the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/09/hedge-funds-defend-role-euro" target="_hplink">George Soros</a> of derivatives markets, where the bulk of speculation against European debt and the Euro is happening; the Telegraph says that so far "<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7232369/Can-anyone-fix-the-euro-puzzle.html" target="_hplink">no hedge fund has put its head above the parapet in this destructive trade</a>," but the rumor is that Paulson is behind it.</p>

<p>If Paulson is the hedge fund king behind the parapet, as rumored in English and reported in Greek, then it would seem fairly likely that Paulson and Goldman partnered -- colluded? -- to build profitable short positions against Greek debt.   That <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/53bbbd40-0c42-11df-8b81-00144feabdc0.html" target="_hplink">Goldman was shepherding hedge fund client Paulson around Athens</a> in recent weeks would seem to suggest that the bank and hedge fund are working together in Greece.</p>

<p>Paulson and Goldman have partnered before -- on the subprime short trades that won them enormous profits in the midst of the housing.  Those trades have gotten a lot of attention, but the fact that Paulson and Goldman worked together to make it all happen has received much less ink.  The story of Paulson's investments is detailed in Gregory Zuckerman's book, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574499740849179448.html" target="_hplink">The Greatest Trade Ever</a>.  Goldman plays a prominent role, setting up the CDOs that Paulson would wager against, and then selling them to investors.  The star Goldman trader who placed the bank's winning bets against the subprime market, Josh Birnbaum, was reportedly in frequent contact with Paulson, at one point encouraging him to back off his bets (perhaps to make more room for Goldman).</p>

<p>Since Paulson was in the room with Goldman (and several other banks) when these CDOs were first conceived, it would seem that the fund had an unfair edge over the investors that would lose their shirt buying the securities.  Zuckerman notes that Deutsche Bank suffered losses because it couldn't find takers; that famous taker, <a href="http://littlesis.org/org/13/AIG" target="_hplink">AIG</a>, may have been Goldman's convenient solution.</p>

<p>These parallels raise obvious questions:  was Paulson also in the room with Goldman before it tried to sell Greece on a new way to hide its debt this past November?  As a hedge fund client of Goldman's, did Paulson have special information about Greece's true debt situation?  Are Goldman and Paulson partnering, once again, to profit from the downfall of an entire country/continent?</p>

<p><em>Cross-posted from </em><a href="http://blog.littlesis.org/" target="_hplink">Eyes on the Ties</a>.</p>
        
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/NQmfTYLHgPM" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:9;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Ryan Mack: Youth Teach Financial Literacy at Microsoft in NYC";s:4:"link";s:79:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-mack/youth-teach-financial-lit_b_462265.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.462265";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:30:35Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:33:00Z";s:7:"summary";s:190:"Students were afforded an opportunity to experience an enriching workshop at Microsoft in New York City in attending a series of seminars focusing on personal growth and career development. ";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:9:"Ryan Mack";s:10:"author_uri";s:40:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-mack/";s:12:"atom_content";s:4659:"
        <p>On February 12, high school students in the tri-state area were afforded an opportunity to experience an enriching workshop at Microsoft in New York City. Aside from learning their usual curriculum, students as young as eleven years of age, attended a series of seminars focusing on personal growth and career development. </p>

<p>This event was designed to help students formulate and perfect a 3-minute presentation commonly known as an "elevated pitch." Throughout the morning, towards the mid-afternoon, the students would have acquired the basic skill set necessary to compact a brief and marketable speech to any audience. With an incentive of two X Box game systems, students took out their pens and notepads and tediously focused on the speakers' words and advice. </p>

<p>At the start of the event, CNN Commentator and Community Activist, Ryan Mack, introduced the young crowd to several financial empowerment principles as well as functional information about maintaining credits scores and budgeting. All About Business, a versatile group of college students, founded by Mack, also accompanied him in speaking to the students. </p>

<p>Later on in the workshop, the association covered another segment that introduced the seven steps to financial freedom. All About Business Community Service Director, Kareem Hertzog said, "This was another great opportunity for us to spread financial literacy to the youth and as we continue to expand, we hope to captivate a global presence and really have an impact on people's lives." </p>

<p>Microsoft program coordinator, Gina Davis, mainly directed attention to the advantages of internet usage. Davis explained how the internet can be used as a marketing platform and urged the students to market themselves in positive ways. In an effort to teach youth how to stay mindful on social networking sites, Davis also highlighted cases that dealt with child pornography and child abduction. </p>

<p>Davis said, "I am very excited and encouraged by all the participation of the high schools that came out today and I hope they take something from this experience."</p>

<p>Author, scholar, and entrepreneur, Randall Pinkett illustrated the vital role and value of education by sharing his success story. His goal was to motivate the audience to be producers of technology opposed to consumers of technology. </p>

<p>"Necessity is the mother of invention," said Pinkett as he enlightened the students about their innate ability to see opportunities other people don't see. </p>

<p>After the speakers left words of encouragement among the students, they had a chance to work on their individual pitches within smaller groups to efficiently incorporate what they learned. As the students stood lined in the front of the convention room, their presentations where consecutively heard by Microsoft personnel and other guests of the event. Everyone had an opportunity to participate and share their accomplishments and goals for the future. </p>

<p>Student, Gabrielle Louis, asserts, "I never realized how useful technology was until today. Even if I don't go home with the X Box, I will still leave knowing how important I am to society and the potential I have to change the world." </p>

<p><em>Written By Octaviar Latty, Freshman at York College and Reporter for Ryan Mack's Youth Financial Literacy Group All About Business</em></p>
        
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/TvFfSna5y78" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:10;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:74:"Nodar Kumaritashvili Memorial: Dead Luger Remembered In Vancouver (PHOTOS)";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/nodar-kumaritashvili-memo_n_463083.html";s:2:"id";s:54:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/thenewswire//2.463083";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:27:17Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:30:44Z";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:4726:"
        <p><B>(AP)</B> VANCOUVER, British Columbia &mdash; The Olympic luger killed in a crash was honored with prayers and candles at a memorial service Monday, his body beginning the long journey home to his devastated village in Georgia.</p>

<p><B>(SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS)</B></p>

<p>Grieving teammates and officials, as well as international and Vancouver organizers, attended the brief private service for Nodar Kumaritashvili at a Vancouver funeral home.</p>

<p>The brown casket was placed in a gray hearse and driven away with a police motorcycle escort. Later in the day, the body was being taken on a flight to Germany, where it will then be flown to Georgia for burial in Bakuriani.</p>

<p>"He's on his way home," said Patrick Hickey, head of the European Olympic Committees.</p>

<p>The 21-year-old luger died during training Friday hours before the opening ceremony. He lost control of his sled on the lightning-fast track in Whistler and slammed into a trackside steel pole at nearly 90 mph.</p>

<p>The president of Georgia's Olympic Committee, Gia Natsvlishili, was accompanying Kumaritashvili's body back to Georgia. Hickey said the casket would be received in Georgia by Patriarch Ilia II.</p>

<p>Tears streaming down his face, senior Georgian Olympic official Ramaz Goglidze said Kumaritashvili's village of 1,500 people remained in deep mourning.</p>

<p>"For every family in the village it's a tragedy," he said. "Even people who never met him cry all day, everyone."</p>

<p>About two dozen people attended Monday's service, including Kumaritashvili's uncle and coach, Felix, who broke into tears outside the funeral home.</p>

<p>Three Georgian athletes, including figure skater Otar Japaridze, wearing a black armband on his red team jacket, were there. So were several Georgians who live in Vancouver and came to pay respects, carrying flowers and candles.</p>

<p>The mourners gathered on the street, consoling each other, before going inside where Kumaritashvili's body was in an open casket. Members of the Georgian team filed past and touched the body. Others lit candles and said prayers.</p>

<p>"People stood around in shock and sorrow," Hickey said. "There were no speeches. People had their own private moment, reflecting on the situation. It was a really solemn occasion, everyone so unified standing around sharing in the sorrow."</p>

<p>Ten people &ndash; including Vancouver organizing committee head John Furlong &ndash; carried the casket out of the building and placed it in the back of the hearse. Furlong and Hickey shook hands with each of the 14 yellow-jacketed Vancouver motorcycle policemen, who then escorted the hearse away.</p>

<p>Furlong said organizers helped expedite Canadian formalities so the luger's body could be returned home as soon as possible.</p>

<p>"It was extremely moving and heartbreaking to be there," Furlong said. "We did the best we could to bring the appropriate environment to bring closure to what happened here."</p>

<p><B>LOOK:</B></p>

<p><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/141306/NODAR-KUMARITASHVILI-MEMORIAL-PICTURES-PHOTOS.jpg"></p>

<p><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/141307/GEORGIAN-LUGE-DEATH-MEMORIAL-PHOTOS.jpg"></p>

<p><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/141309/GEORGIAN-LUGE-DEATH-MEMORIAL-PICTURES.jpg"></p>

<p><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/141305/NODAR-KUMARITASHVILI-MEMORIAL-PICTURES-PHOTOS.jpg"></p>
        
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/dpb-M2HArhA" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:11;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:96:"Teresa Rodriguez Williamson: Kevin You're Fat? Then Understand Weight and Balance of an Airplane";s:4:"link";s:97:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teresa-rodriguez-williamson/kevin-youre-fat-then-unde_b_462930.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.462930";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:25:29Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:25:21Z";s:7:"summary";s:191:"My hat goes off to the captain of the flight who asked Kevin to get off the aircraft. Instead of a $100 flight voucher, perhaps Southwest should have given Kevin a $100 membership to the gym.";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:27:"Teresa Rodriguez Williamson";s:10:"author_uri";s:58:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teresa-rodriguez-williamson/";s:12:"atom_content";s:6481:"
        <p><em>Silent Bob</em> actor, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/14/director-kevin-smith-too_n_461803.html" target="_hplink">Kevin Smith</a>, has tweeted about his embarrassment after being kicked off a Southwest Airline flight for being too fat. Let's talk about physics. Airplanes fly in the air because there are certain indelible laws of gravity and physics. For example: the airplane is going to be able to get into the air because the <a href="http://www.pilotfriend.com/training/flight_training/wt_bal.htm" target="_hplink">weight and balance </a>of the aircraft is congruent with the ability of the engines and the wings. This is something pilots are taught and expect to repeat much like a mantra or meditation: "Weight and balance, take off and landing." </p>

<p>I became a pilot years ago at John Wayne airport, it was right after the singer Aaliyah died because she forced her pilot to carry more baggage than the plane could physically handle. Her Louis Vuitton survived, she did not. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaliyah" target="_hplink">NTSB report</a> stated that the total gross weight of her airplane was "substantially exceeded," which caused the center of gravity to be pushed too far forward. In other words, there was too much weight on the plane and the engines and wings could not lift the front of the airplane high enough to get the aircraft balanced and stable for a safe flight. The rest is tragic history.  </p>

<p>So, back to Southwest, pilots are taught how much weight his or her aircraft can handle. And if the plane crashes, the pilot is the first person who will be questioned, so therefore a pilot has a right to be proactive and notify a passenger if their size is putting the weight and balance in question. Especially when, like Kevin Smith, the passenger's weight was taken into consideration at the time of purchasing an extra ticket to compensate the passenger's size. Mr. Smith knew that he needed to buy two seats, he was taking a chance (and putting other passengers in danger by getting his big body on that earlier flight). Remember, the engines and wings are able to get off the ground because the weight in the airplane is not exceeding its ability to fly safely. </p>

<p>If it the airplane surpasses its weigh restriction, the plane won't be able to take off.  Or even worse, the airplane will crash going at a very fast speed. The pilot had a right to ask Mr. Smith to get off the plane. We all know the saying, <em>"The straw that broke the camel's back." </em>Kevin, you could have been that straw. Honestly, if it was your family on that plane and it crashed, who would you blame? </p>

<p>The math for each aircraft has been determined by the <a href="http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:dAAO-OxKF84J:www.paragonair.com/public/docs/FAA-Handbooks/8083-01_WnB/8083-01_ch06.pdf+weight+and+balance+737&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a" target="_hplink">FAA and is available online.</a> (Just google the airplane you are flying, FAA, and "weight and balance.") For example the calculated average weight for a passenger on a 737 is 170 pounds.  That breaks down to: </p>

<ul><li>Forward compartment ............................................... 18 people</li>
<li>Aft compartment ........................................................ 95 people</li></ul>

<p><br />
How about the average folks who are flying, how much do they weigh? <a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/2009.2014" target="_hplink">The Journal of the American Medical Association</a> states that the prevalence of obesity in the United States continues to be high, exceeding 30% in most sex and age groups. If that is the case, then is it safe to say that 30% of passengers are overweight?   </p>

<p>Knowing all this, do overweight people have a right to get mad when they need to purchase an extra ticket or get kicked off fully-booked airplane? I think not. And, Dear Mr. Kevin Smith, I don't know how much you weigh, but based on your photos, you weigh more than 170 pounds. Let's suppose that I am on a fully-booked airplane with 20 overweight people who weigh, let's say 240 pounds -- that is 1400 more pounds than the aircraft should be carrying. Now, this will not be a problem if those overweight passengers have purchased an additional ticket to compensate for their extra weight, but if not, then everyone on the aircraft is in danger. </p>

<p>Yes, flying has become a tiresome drag and the airlines are not doing much to spruce up the friendly skies. But as passengers, it is our responsibility to understand the gravitational and physical laws that govern the sky. Even though this is physics, it ain't rocket science. You put too much weight on an aircraft and you will compromise the airplane's ability to do what is built to do. </p>

<p>Maybe obese passengers don't have shoe bombs or box cutters on them, but it seems to me that what could happen on board an aircraft filled with too many overweight people could be just as deadly.</p>

<p>My hat goes off to the captain of the Southwest flight who asked Kevin to get off the aircraft. Instead of a $100 flight voucher, perhaps Southwest should have given Kevin a $100 membership to the gym.</p>
        
	
    
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    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:7397:"
        <p>Senator Evan Bayh's abrupt <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/evan-bayh-not-running-for_n_462595.html" target="_hplink">announcement</a> on Monday that he will retire at the end of his term has further united disparate voices within the Democratic Party behind the idea that legislative action is the only remedy to avoid future political calamity. </p>

<p>In the wake of the Indiana Democrat's announcement, a host of figures -- from the progressive wing of the party to devout centrists -- have chimed in to warn that failure in jobs and health care legislation have sapped the party's momentum and fortunes. </p>

<p>Markos Moulitsas, the founder of the blog Daily Kos, said that the best way for Democrats to salvage the fate of the party before the 2010 elections is clear: "Deliver on their campaign promises." </p>

<p>"No one is asking them to go out on a limb and do something they didn't first run by the American people," Moulitsas said, in an email to the Huffington Post. "The Dems are where they are because they got elected promising to be a party able to govern, and then spent the last year proving themselves wrong." </p>

<p>On the opposite end of the Democratic Party spectrum, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lanny-davis" target="_hplink">Lanny Davis</a>, a longtime Clinton confidant and purveyor of the politics of compromise, offered a similar diagnosis.</p>

<p>"I know this will work because of what happened to Bill Clinton," Davis said of the ability of policy accomplishments to turn around a poor narrative. "[President Obama's] failure to pass something showed him to be an ineffectual president. And the absence of effectiveness combined with the cynicism of government because of that absence of effectiveness... is toxic. It is Barack Obama that has to change that dynamic, and do it in a dramatic fashion to show he is an effective president." </p>

<p>Rare is the day that Moulitsas and Davis find themselves on the same page. And, indeed, when it comes to tactics the two are still fall far apart: with the Moulitsas urging Obama to scrap "irrelevant bipartisanship" and the Davis insisting that the White House move forward with incremental, unobjectionable bits of health care reform.  </p>

<p>Still, their insta-takes on the significance of the Bayh retirement point to an increasingly widely-held belief sweeping through party ranks. Democrats of all stripes are arriving at the conclusion that their power is in tremendous peril. And if the ship goes down -- as prognosticators suggest will happen -- there won't be any discrimination between moderates and progressives. </p>

<p>Officials in public office know this too. A White House aide, who said he was not surprised by Bayh's decision to retire, noting the longstanding "hatred" the senator had for the inefficiencies of Congress, pointed to job growth as a way to raise party optimism. </p>

<p>A senior Democratic aide on the Hill agreed. "It's what we are trying to do," the aide said. "We are trying to get base hits here. We need some singles. We can't get it all back with a grand slam." </p>

<p>The hope among some Democrats is that Bayh's departure, combined with the growing gloom over the party's fortunes, will give lawmakers more incentive and leeway to operate, especially on health care reform. The Hill aide, while not impugning Moulitsas's position, argued that the Daily Kos founder was setting the bar too high for legislative success. "I'm glad Markos feels that way," the aide said. "Let's hope his followers give us some room to build back our reservoir of good will." </p>

<p>But it's impossible not to be skeptical, as Moulitsas and others are, that a Democratic Party that failed to register a major legislative breakthrough with a filibuster-proof majority will start racking up wins with a psyche that's bruised and battered.</p>

<p>"Republicans never doubt their agenda, and will use any tool at their disposal to ram it through," Moulitsas wrote. "Democrats have internalized the criticisms about their agenda... dilly and dally and beg Republicans to join them... instead of following the lead of their opponents." </p>

<p>The question ultimately becomes, what has to happen first: an attitude adjustment that sees Democrats more aggressively pushing their agenda or political victories that build up their confidence? </p>

<p>The two may not be mutually exclusive. Some of the most prominent names in the Democratic Party's consulting class argued on Monday that by dropping the pretense of rhetorical moderation, lawmakers could lay the groundwork for a comeback. In an e-mail to the Huffington Post, Robert Borosage, co-director of the progressive Campaign for America's Future, practically begged Obama to flex the White House's muscle.</p>

<p>"Take [the Republicans] on -- from the damn White House," he wrote in an e-mail to the Huffington Post. "They are fighting to cut estate taxes on the wealthiest 1% of heirs as a jobs program. Are they kidding?  How can they get away with that with barely a word being said about it? They oppose doing anything to give consumers protection from credit card companies, predatory lending etc -- that would get in the way of protecting the banks. Are they kidding? How can they get away with that?  They are offering themselves up to the banks as their protectors. They are lined up to oppose direct lending for kids that will help make college more affordable."</p>

<p>"The issues are innumerable. The choices clear," Borosage added. "We've got the bully pulpit.  Let's use the damn thing."</p>

<p>Tad Devine, another longtime Democratic hand was just as blunt, advising lawmakers not to be wary of re-introducing voters to the previous White House's record. </p>

<p>"We as Democrats seem to think there was some sort of sunset provision on the Bush administration," Devine said. "That an administration that nearly bankrupted the country... is something that after six months we can't even talk about any more is absurd. We have to be like Reagan and always remind people of the situation we walked into." <br />
</p>
        
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/axA6z5O3dFs" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:13;a:10:{s:5:"title";s:48:"Robert Guttman: What Is Wrong With This Picture?";s:4:"link";s:84:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-guttman/what-is-wrong-with-this-p_b_463081.html";s:2:"id";s:50:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/theblog//3.463081";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:23:05Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:49:04Z";s:7:"summary";s:180:"Historically, hardly anyone pays attention to what former vice presidents have to say. Today, Biden and Cheney dominate the talk shows, and even Palin and Edwards are making news. ";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:14:"Robert Guttman";s:10:"author_uri";s:45:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-guttman/";s:12:"atom_content";s:5854:"
        <p>Historically, sitting vice presidents are sent out of the country to winter Olympic games or funerals of heads of state or other non-headline type of activities.</p>

<p>And, historically, hardly anyone pays attention to what former vice presidents have to say or even remember what administration they served in when they to talk in public.</p>

<p>What about former vice presidential candidates?  They are usually even more of a footnote in American history. </p>

<p>Yet, here we are with Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney dominating the news on the television talk shows.</p>

<p>And, even former vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and John Edwards are headliners in the news these days.</p>

<p>Commentators and analysts are falling all over themselves wondering if Palin will be a presidential candidate in 2012. Other political analysts and citizens alike are appalled and disgusted at what we are hearing about former vice presidential and presidential candidate John Edwards. The new book on John Edwards, <i>The Politician</i> is moving up on the bestseller lists making people aware of what a dreadful person the former senator turned out to be.</p>

<p>And, even former Vice-president Dan Quayle is back in the news telling reporters in Arizona that his son is going to run for public office.</p>

<p>I cannot think of any time in our political history where vice-presidents or former vice presidential candidates were such newsmakers.</p>

<p>What is going on?</p>

<p>Vice President Joe Biden is and has always been a colorful character and he should be applauded for his outspoken views.  He is a forceful advocate for the president's national security policies.  As the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he is an integral part of the president's foreign policy team and a behind the scenes decision maker.   </p>

<p>The current vice president has never been at a loss for words and even while he is attending the Olympics in Vancouver is always ready to give a notable comment.</p>

<p>Why former Vice President Dick Cheney has set himself up as the key spokesman for the Bush administration is a mystery.  He is far too strident in his comments and it is highly unusual for him to be this out front in his criticisms of the Obama administration.  Cheney should let his record stand or fall on the views of historians. The former VP should quit trying so hard to make his case that what Bush-Cheney did was so correct and Obama is so wrong. History is not so black and white and Cheney talking all the time and criticizing all the time will not change what was done--good or bad--during his time in office.  It might be good for him to take some time off from his critical comments of Obama and Biden.</p>

<p>To his credit, former President George W. Bush has remained quiet and let Cheney be out front in criticizing the current president. </p>

<p>Then we have former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin whose every move and comment is carried as Breaking News.  Let us all back off and let the former GOP vice-presidential candidate learn about national and foreign affairs before we hear everything she has to say.  She has no program and is mainly good news to cover because of her cutesy comments about "how is that change and hope thing going".  </p>

<p>She has only been on the national scene for a short period of time and has very little knowledge of foreign affairs and national security so stop covering her and her remarks because they are of little value to any of us.</p>

<p>As Senator John Kerry recently stated, the Edwards scandal is a "Greek tragedy."  <i>The Politician</i> shows that Edwards was an egomaniac who was willing to sacrifice the Democratic Party to his shortcomings.  No one could make this all up.  It will be a movie soon.</p>

<p>Edwards was a total phony who could have sunk the Democratic Party if he had been the 2008 presidential candidate.  He is a self-centered individual who should never have been part of the national political scene.  The former vice presidential candidate who ran with John Kerry is really a disgrace and a soap opera we should quickly turn off.</p>

<p>There you have it: vice-presidents and vice presidential candidates being newsmakers when they should be left to the obscurity they so richly deserve.</p>

<p>And, who is one of the biggest draws for the Democrats and environmentalists these days?  Former Vice President Al Gore. </p>

<p>So there is hope that if you become a VP or a VP candidate you won't sink into oblivion.</p>
        
	        More on Dick Cheney
	
    
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/huffingtonpost/raw_feed/~4/wJcnwihmUak" height="1" width="1"/>";}i:14;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:46:"Chinatown Celebrates Chinese New Year (PHOTOS)";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/chinatown-celebrates-chin_n_463100.html";s:2:"id";s:54:"tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2010:/thenewswire//2.463100";s:9:"published";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:22:01Z";s:7:"updated";s:20:"2010-02-15T22:45:12Z";s:6:"author";s:23:"
        
        
    ";s:11:"author_name";s:32:"The Huffington Post News Editors";s:10:"author_uri";s:42:"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/";s:12:"atom_content";s:1753:"
        <p>Forget that golfer, it really is the Year of the Tiger.</p>

<p>Revelers rang in the new year in Chinatown this past weekend, kicking off 4708 with a bang.</p>

<p>A crowd made up of Chinese-Americans, tourists, and general New Yorkers were wowed by the bright costumes and colorful puppets as dragons and paraders ran up and down the streets of lower Manhattan to celebrate the occasion.</p>

<p>Check out photos of the party!</p>

<center><HH--236SLIDESHOW--4924--HH></center>
        
	    More on Photo Galleries
	
    
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