The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

Brad Pitt's New Orleans Project Gets Mixed Local Reaction

2009-11-29T05:31:45Z

In 2007, frustrated by the slow pace of rebuilding in the Lower Ninth, Brad Pitt set up a foundation called Make It Right; the foundation then commissioned 13 architecture firms to design affordable, green houses. The organization plans to build 150 homes, all for returning Lower Ninth residents. So far, just 15 of them are occupied, but those 15 make a big impression.

Indeed, from the main route into the Lower Ninth, the Claiborne Avenue Bridge, it's impossible to miss the Brad Pitt Houses, as everyone here calls them. They are sprawling, angular buildings in bold hues not usually seen outside a gelateria. Monuments to the city's resilience, and to Hollywood's big heart, they are also New Orleans's newest tourist attraction.

MIT Analysis: Americans Would Pay LESS Under Senate Health Care Plan

2009-11-29T04:39:09Z

A new analysis by a leading MIT economist provides new ammunition for Democrats as the Senate begins formally debating the historic health-reform bill being pushed by President Barack Obama.

The report concludes that under the Senate's health-reform bill, Americans buying individual coverage will pay less than they do for today's typical individual market coverage, and would be protected from high out-of-pocket costs.

Vince Young's Kobe Bryant Connection

2009-11-29T04:33:02Z

After Vince Young led the Titans past the Texans last Monday night, Kobe Bryant sent a text message saying: “Good game V. Way to kick butt!”

Yoani Sanchez: War Games in Cuba

2009-11-29T04:31:37Z

Someone shoved a piece of paper under my door. A sheet cut in half with instructions about how to evacuate in the case of a hurricane or an invasion. One phrase struck me like the refrain of a bad song: "Sew a tag to the clothes of minor children with the identity of their parents (in wartime)." I imagined myself putting stitches into my son's shirt, so that in the middle of the chaos someone would know that his mother was named Yoani and his father Reinaldo.

The "War of the Whole People"--currently undergoing a practice run in the military exercise called Bastion 2009--has an assigned job for each of us. It doesn't matter that they make us fear weapons, or if we have never believed in confrontation as a path to solutions, or if we have no confidence in the leaders who will head up our squad. Those who sit at a table covered with tiny plastic tanks and planes, playing at conflagration, want to hide that we citizens have dug the deepest trench to protect ourselves from them.

The news is full of soldiers with their weapons, but the martial maneuvers fail to hide that our real "enemies" are the restrictions and control imposed by the powers that be. War as a distraction no longer works. The threat of parachutes landing and bombs echoing as an antidote to the desire for change has ceased to be effective. I think more and more people are pointing a finger at the true origin of our problems and, though it comes as a surprise to the champions of the battle, their fingers do not appear to be pointing abroad.

Yoani's blog, Generation Y, can be read here in English translation.

Oklahoma Vs. Oklahoma State: Sooners Keep Cowboys Out Of BCS

2009-11-29T03:58:53Z

NORMAN, Okla. — DeMarco Murray ran for two touchdowns, Ryan Broyles returned a punt 88 yards for a score and Oklahoma knocked No. 11 Oklahoma State out of contention for its first appearance in the Bowl Championship Series with a 27-0 win Saturday.

With representatives of the Fiesta and Orange bowls watching on, the Cowboys (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) fell completely flat with their worst offensive performance of the decade.

Oklahoma State was shut out for the first time since 2005 by an Oklahoma (7-5, 5-3) defense coming off its worst outing of the year in a loss at Texas Tech last week.

Zac Robinson threw for only 44 yards on 9-for-21 passing after missing last week's game with injuries to his head and shoulder. He was pulled in the fourth quarter with his lowest passing total since taking over as the starting quarterback early in the 2007 season.

Broyles, who decommitted from Oklahoma State to play for the Sooners, also had 103 yards receiving. Patrick O'Hara, the walk-on who had never played football before taking over as Oklahoma's kicker two weeks ago, hit field goals from 24 and 19 yards.

The Sooners have won seven in a row in the Bedlam rivalry and 30 straight home games, the longest streak in the Bowl Subdivision.

Broyles' 47-yard reception set up Murray's first scoring run, a 13-yarder that he punctuated by leaping from the 4-yard line out of bounds past where the goal line would have extended. He also had a 12-yard TD run following Robinson's only interception, which safety Jonathan Nelson returned 37 yards.

The crowd started chanting "Overrated!" after Broyles let Quinn Sharp's punt sail over his head, then fielded the bouncing punt, turned around and raced 88 yards to make it 27-0.

The shutout was preserved when tight end Trent Ratterree tracked down Justin Gent from behind on a fumble return in the final minute, stripped the ball and recovered it. That allowed Oklahoma to run out the clock.

Oklahoma State didn't have a single first down in the second half and finished with only 109 yards of total offense.

A season riddled with injuries continued for the Sooners, who played without left tackle Trent Williams. The NFL prospect was the only player on Oklahoma's offense that had started the first 11 games, and his absence left the team with only one of its starters on the front line. Tight end Eric Mensik made his first career start on the offensive line to replace Williams.

Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, also out for the season following shoulder surgery, appeared in a videotaped message before the game to thank fans and encourage them to support the Sooners. And receiver Corey Wilson, who injured his back in an offseason car accident, climbed out of his wheelchair and took a few steps with the aid of a walker at the end of Oklahoma's senior day ceremony.

Neither team, or the referees for that matter, gave the fans much to cheer for early on. Fumbles and constant replay reviews – including one that required a second look for officials to get the down and distance correct – made it a forgettable Bedlam.

The Sooners squandered early scoring chances when Landry Jones fumbled immediately after Broyles' 59-yard punt return set Oklahoma up with first-and-goal at the 7-yard line and O'Hara missed a 35-yard field goal.

But at least the Sooners got something going. Jones finished 20 for 37 for 224 yards and Oklahoma had 143 yards rushing.

Joseph B. Treaster: United Nations Food Leader On Defeating Hunger

2009-11-29T03:51:30Z

WASHINGTON - This year the number of poor people around the world struggling to get enough food for survival for themselves and their families has risen to a little more than a billion - the highest level in 30 years.

Food supplies have been reduced by floods and droughts. But more importantly, they have been hit by financial pressures. High oil prices pushed farmers to sell food crops for use as alternative fuels. Traders bid up prices on commodities like corn and wheat. A worldwide recession led to lost jobs and less money going back to relatives in developing countries from the United States and other places.

The economic stress has eased somewhat and aid agencies, the United States and a few other countries have upped their efforts to feed the poor and under-nourished - especially in Africa and south Asia where the situation has chronically been the worst. But the mass of hungry people in what is often referred to the "world food crisis" has continued to rise. Experts say the picture is expected to be bleak for several years.

"The numbers have gone in reverse," said Josette Sheeran, the executive director of the United Nation's World Food Program. Yet she is optimistic.

Speaking here in a series of discussions on the United Nation's Millennium Goals jointly organized by CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the University of Miami's Knight Center for International Media, Ms. Sheeran said the response by the United States and other countries has been encouraging. For years, financial aid for agricultural in developing countries had been declining. This year the United States increased aid for farmers to about $600 million and the Obama Administration is asking Congress for $1.3 billion next year. The United States and several other big countries are promising to provide $20 billion over the next three years.

"We know how to defeat hunger," Ms Sheeran told an audience of about 150 college students, professors, business executives and experts on food, economics and the environment. "When you have leadership in place, when you have innovations in place. This is doable."

Ms. Sheeran, who took charge of the World Food Program in early 2007 after serving as Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs in the administration of George W. Bush, praised President Obama. "President Obama stepped up to the plate," she said.

For several years the ranks of the hungry and undernourished had been steady at about 850 million, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The situation began to get worse in 2004. The number rose to 923 million in 2007 as the crisis began to take hold. It now stands at 1.02 billion.

The joint program of CSIS and the University of Miami's Knight Center for International Media, a unit of the university's School of Communication, began with a discussion on Haiti. The next discussion, on HIV-AIDS, is scheduled for Jan 17. One of the speakers is expected to be Dr. Eric Goosby, the State Department's Global AIDS Coordinator, appointed by President Obama in June.

The discussions are being broadcast live, worldwide, over the Internet. They are designed to engage and motivate policymakers and to inspire students and people everywhere. The University of Miami is complementing the discussions with a series of student-produced multi-media reports on poverty, women's health and other components of the Millennium Goals in world cities.

In the food and hunger discussion, Dr. Daniel Benetti, the director of aquaculture at the University of Miami's Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, spoke of adding to the world's food supply through aquaculture or fish farming. The University of Miami is pioneering work on growing fish in small, fenced in places in the ocean.

"We have to take a closer look at the oceans," Dr. Benetti said. "Seventy percent of the world is water. We believe we are not focusing enough on that."

One of the first beneficiaries of increased fish production would be the United States, Dr. Benetti said. The United States now imports 80 percent of the fish that Americans eat, he said. The result is an annual seafood trade deficit of $10 billion.

He compared the seafood imbalance to the United States dependence on foreign oil. "We must start producing our own food and become independent," Dr. Benetti said.

The moderator, Mariam Atash Nawabi, a television anchor at America Abroad Media and the president of AMDi, an international development consulting firm, asked where aquaculture has been most successful.

"Greece," said Dr. Benetti. "Eighteen years ago Greece didn't have any aquaculture. Now it produces more than all other" European countries. Australia, he said, has also been a leader.

Johanna Nesseth Tuttle is the vice president for strategic planning at CSIS. During the discussion, she said that CSIS, a non-profit, non-partisan research and analysis center, is focusing on three aspects of global food and hunger: production, research and trade, with a focus on small farmers that includes ways to provide them access to markets, fertilizer and better seeds, and such basic infrastructure needs as roads and irrigation.

Ms. Sheeran said that news coverage of the crisis has declined somewhat recently. But she said that "food prices are higher today than a year ago" in the majority of developing countries

When food prices are high, it is not just a matter of the poor buying less. But often, she said, governments in poor countries cannot raise the money to pay for their usual food imports. So there is not enough food to meet demand at any price. At one point, she said, "Liberia and other countries couldn't put enough cash on the table to compete in very tight global markets."

Women and children suffer most in a food crisis, Ms. Sheeran said. These days, she said, more than 250 million children do not have a consistent, healthy supply of food. Many of them are receiving little or no help. The World Food Program tries to intervene in the most severe cases. But overall, she said, the agency is able to provide food for only about 10 percent of those in desperate need.

Ms. Sheeran held up a red plastic cup, about the size of an over-large coffee mug. "This is the cup the World Food Program uses to reach over 20 million school children," she said. "It is the only guaranteed food they are going to get" on any given day. #

More on India

Mark Mangino: "I'd Rather Die On My Feet Than Live On My Knees"

2009-11-29T02:53:33Z

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A defiant Mark Mangino insisted he plans to be the coach at Kansas next year, but will have no regrets if he's not.

"A friend of mine told me something one time I think is a very good way to go about life," the embattled coach said after Missouri rallied for a 41-39 victory Saturday night.

"I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

Two weeks after word leaked that athletic director Lew Perkins had launched an investigation into Mangino's treatment of players, the Jayhawks finally brought an end to a season that began 5-0 but descended into the depths of a bitterly disappointing seven-game losing streak.

The loss means the Jayhawks (6-6, 1-7 Big 12) are not bowl eligible and Mangino is 50-48 in eight years – two wins shy of the school record for a coach.

When the internal probe might end and what Mangino's fate will be could be learned in the next week.

"I'm confident in my ability. I feel good about everything I've done," said Mangino.

After going 12-1 in 2007 and winning the Orange Bowl, Mangino was given a raise and a contract extension through 2012. If he's fired without cause, the school could be on the hook for about $6.6 million.

Since the probe began, several former players have told stories of insensitive – some might say cruel – comments the coach made.

But following that first wave of anti-Mangino sentiment, a gush of pro-Mangino comments were offered by many current and former players and their parents.

Mangino said he's done nothing wrong and that he sees no need to change.

"When I was hired at Kansas they told me they desperately needed structure and discipline in the football program," he said. "The people that hired me said it was the key point. And I've done that the right way and I feel good about it and I'm proud of the way I've dealt with the players in our program."

If the Jayhawks do get rid of Mangino, they'll need to act as soon as possible because an all-important recruiting period begins on Monday.

But has Mangino's ability to recruit already been damaged beyond repair? Stories of verbal abuse told by certain former players are certain to be used against him by the same coaches who have been rallying to his defense. Offsetting vows of loyalty and support by other players may not resonate as much with high school prospects and their moms and dads.

If Saturday's game was Mangino's last, he will end his time at Kansas two wins shy of the school record, which has stood for 100 years.

"Why don't you ask the decision-makers?" he said when asked whether he thinks he'll be back. "I've been up front, with nothing to hide. Sometimes people ask me questions and I'm not the one who should be answering them."

Many of his top players, such as senior quarterback Todd Reesing and running back Jake Sharp, are adamant in their support.

"I feel very blessed to have him as my coach," Sharp said. "I learned a lot from him. With all this going on, he never wavered. He never came to practice halfway. I have the utmost respect for him and what he's done for this program."

Reesing ended his career holding almost every school passing record. Mangino was one of only two college coaches who offered him a scholarship.

"He's done a lot for this program and I love the guy to death," Reesing said. "What happens is out of my hands."
More on College Football

Florida Vs. Florida State: Tim Tebow Shines On Senior Day, Gators Beat FSU

2009-11-29T02:41:49Z

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow's eye black is waterproof.

His perfect season is starting to look shatterproof.

Tebow accounted for five touchdowns in his home finale, a triumphant farewell that included tears on the field and in the stands, and top-ranked Florida thumped rival Florida State 37-10 Saturday for its sixth consecutive victory in the series.

"I don't want to say goodbye," coach Urban Meyer said. "The good thing is we're not done. The negative is we're done in this great stadium."

The Gators stayed unbeaten heading into next week's Southeastern Conference showdown against No. 2 Alabama, extended the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games and improved to 12-0 for just the second time in school.

Tebow may have even secured a third consecutive trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He gets one more chance to impress on the big stage next week in Atlanta against the Crimson Tide with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

The Seminoles (6-6) lost for the second time in six games, and longtime coach Bobby Bowden's likely finale at Florida Field showed exactly why some FSU faithful are urging him to retire: Florida outplayed its in-state rival at every position.

Bowden said he has some "soul-searching" to do before making a decision about his future at Florida State.

"I want to coach next year, but let me say I want to go home and do some soul-searching," said Bowden, who has 388 career victories, second most in major college football. "I've got to run this thing through my mind a few times."

It might be hard to keep images of Tebow embarrassing his defense again out of those thoughts. Tebow completed 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards. He also ran 15 times for 90 yards against a defense that might be Bowden's worst in 34 seasons.

It was hardly a surprise considering Tebow torched the 'Noles the previous two years, totaling eight TDs in those. This one could have been even more lopsided than the 45-12 drubbing in 2007 and the 45-15 beatdown last year. But Meyer pulled many of his defensive starters late in the third quarter.

The Seminoles trailed 30-0 before Bowden opted for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 2 on the final play of the third. They added a touchdown with 6:03 remaining to make it 37-10.

"They have solid players at every position, very fast, very strong, they're good," said FSU quarterback EJ Manuel, who threw two interceptions and was sacked three times. "We'll get to that level one day. Our energy level wasn't high enough to match their energy level. They're a high energy team."

Manuel's TD pass to Jarmon Fortson was the team's only cause for celebration on a day that belonged to Tebow, linebacker Brandon Spikes and their fellow seniors who have more wins (47) than any other class in SEC history. They also improved to 12-1 against their four traditional rivals – Tennessee (4-0), Georgia (3-1), Florida State (4-0) and Miami (1-0).

The revelry started with Tebow making his final walk into The Swamp amid 90,000-plus fans screaming his name. Tebow and Meyer embraced at the 30-yard line as tears flowed down Tebow's cheeks. Spikes kissed the ground as he was introduced. Receiver Riley Cooper was wearing eye black – much like many others in attendance.

Fans paid tribute to Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, by wearing his famed eye black patches. Meyer's wife and two daughters also donned the little ovals under their eyes.

"That was special," Tebow said.

So was the rest of his day.

He had two TD passes to Aaron Hernandez and another to Cooper, his roommate. Tebow scored on an 18-yard run in the second, then added the 56th rushing TD of his career early in the fourth. The stadium was lit up by camera flashes as he zipped across the goal line.

It capped his best performance of the season. Tebow left the game to a long, standing ovation after the first play of Florida's next possession.

"I was so happy for him," cornerback Joe Haden said. "Tebow's probably one of the best college football players ever to play the game. All the credit he gets, I still don't think it's enough still for all he does for the team and all he does for everybody. He's way more than a football player."

When it was over, Tebow jogged to midfield to shake hands with Seminoles defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews and Bowden. He sang Florida's alma mater with teammates and then started his final victory lap. It seemed to take forever. He was soaking it all it.

"Just saying thank you to all the fans and not get too emotional about it," Tebow said. "My relationship with the fans is great. One reason is 'cause I'm such a passionate Gator fan. I care so much about this university and this team because I'm such a big fan. They know I appreciate them."

Tebow handed out high-fives, handshakes and hugs. He came across several crying faces, telling one girl, "It's OK. I'll be around."

He also stepped on a cheerleader.

"She went down hard," he said. "I felt terrible, so I gave her a big hug. She was a little embarrassed. I felt bad about that. They were all laughing, so I think she's OK."

Many of Tebow's teammates came out of the locker and danced around the "F" at midfield as he worked his way around the stadium. Tebow finally caught up with them back inside, just in time to join the seniors in sharing a few words in front of the team.

"Jermaine Cunningham probably said it best. He put both arms up and said, 'I'm living a dream,'" Meyer said.

The Gators are two wins from a third national championship in four years. They have more celebrations planned, and they could be better than this one – even for Tebow.

"It's been a long day," he said. "I was telling (Cooper), 'Man, it seems like everything's in slow motion, which is good because you want to remember everything."
More on College Football

White House Plans To Step Up Pressure On Lenders To Help Homeowners

2009-11-29T01:52:41Z

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, battling a foreclosure crisis that shows no signs of relenting, will step up pressure on mortgage companies to do more to help people remain in their homes, officials said Saturday.

The administration will announce its expanded program on Monday, Treasury spokeswoman Meg Reilly said.

"We are taking additional steps to enhance servicer transparency and accountability," Reilly said. She said the goal was to increase the rate that troubled home loans were converted into new loans with lower monthly payments.

So far, the program's numbers have been lackluster. When the administration rolled out the program, called Making Home Affordable, it hoped to safe 3-4 million homeowners from foreclosure. The New York Times interviews a former Fannie Mae official who says that currently, the program will be lucky if it can save 1.5 million Americans from foreclosure.

Realtytrack predicts that 3.2-3.4 million properties will go into foreclosure in 2009, up from 2.3 million in 2008. About 14 percent of mortgages are delinquent or in some phase of foreclosure in the third quarter of 2009.

The New York Times reports on the program:

Last month, an oversight panel created by Congress reported that fewer than 2,000 of the 500,000 loan modifications then in progress had become permanent under Making Home Affordable. When the Treasury releases new numbers next month, it is expected to report a disappointingly small number of permanent loan modifications, with estimates in the tens of thousands out of the more than 650,000 borrowers now in the program.

More unsatisfactory data is likely to intensify pressures on the Obama administration to mount a more muscular effort to stem foreclosures beyond the Treasury's campaign this week. Populist anger has been fanned by a growing perception that the Treasury has lavished generous bailouts on Wall Street institutions while neglecting ordinary homeowners -- this, in the midst of double-digit unemployment, which is daily sending more households into delinquency.

Industry officials said the new effort would include increased pressure on mortgage companies to accelerate loan modifications by highlighting firms that are lagging in that area.

The Treasury is also expected to announce that it will wait until the loan modifications are permanent before paying cash incentives to mortgage companies that lower loan payments.

Under the $75 billion Treasury program, companies that agree to lower payments for troubled borrowers collect $1,000 initially from the government for each loan, followed by $1,000 annually for up to three years.

The government support, which is provided from the $700 billion financial bailout program, is aimed at providing cash incentives for mortgage providers to accept smaller mortgage payments rather than foreclosing on homes.

The program has come under heavy criticism for failing to do enough to attack a tidal wave of foreclosures. Analysts said the foreclosure crisis is likely to persist well into next year as high unemployment pushes more people out of their homes.

Rising foreclosures depress home prices and threaten the sustainability of the fledgling economic recovery.

The Congressional Oversight Panel, a committee that monitors spending under Treasury's bailout program, concluded in a report last month that foreclosures are now threatening families who took out conventional, fixed-rate mortgages and put down payments of 10 to 20 percent on homes that would have been within their means in a normal market.

Treasury's program, known as the Home Affordable Modification Program, "is targeted at the housing crisis as it existed six months ago, rather than as it exists right now," the report said.

Scott Talbott, senior vice president of government affairs for the Financial Services Roundtable, said the industry supported many of the changes Treasury was proposing.

But he said the foreclosure problem, which began with heavy defaults on subprime mortgages, was expanding to more traditional types of mortgages because of unemployment which has now hit a 26-year high of 10.2 percent.

"The subprime problem has regrettably morphed into an unemployment problem," Talbott said. He said there was no government program to help the unemployed who are in danger of losing their homes but "many private lenders are modifying loans for the unemployed on their own."

Treasury's Reilly said the expanded program would, among other steps, make more aid available to struggling borrowers and expand the number of organizations providing help.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.
More on Financial Crisis

Geneva WTO Protests 2009 (PHOTOS): Police Clash With Black Bloc Demonstrators

2009-11-29T01:31:38Z

GENEVA (AP)-- Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday to separate violent demonstrators from a protest of a meeting of top world trade officials, but the hooded "black bloc" activists were able to cause damage before 14 were arrested, spokesmen said.

The protesters set fire to at least four cars, broke shop windows and committed other acts of violence Saturday, police spokesman Patrick Puhl said.

Police Chief Monica Bonfati said officers arrested four looters in addition to the protesters. No injuries to police or protesters were reported, police said.

The clashes occurred during a march by demonstrators protesting a meeting of the World Trade Organization scheduled to start Monday, in which the United States, China and other commercial powers will spearhead a new attempt to find ways to revive world trade and drag the global economy out of recession.

Bonfati told Swiss television TSR that police were able at the beginning of the demonstration to identify about 200 members of the black bloc -- violent elements that join other demonstrations to cause damage. She said they were spread out along the route and police had to separate them from the other protesters.

Eric Grandjean, another police spokesman, said black bloc protesters threw fire bombs at police from the march.

"They also damaged 12 businesses, including a bank at Place Bel-Air and a jewelry shop and a hotel on the Quai des Bergues," he said.

Besides the burned cars, 15 other vehicles, including three buses, were damaged, he said.

Police said the 3,000 protesters included three distinct groups of troublemakers who broke away to attack cars and hotel and shop windows, then rejoined the march, pretending to be peaceful. Organizers claimed there were about 5,000 protesters in total.

The group Anti-WTO Coordination said it "regretted being unable to finish the demonstration and deliver the planned speeches."

It said a few protesters had used the demonstration for their own ends.

Nevertheless, it said, "the international and local mobilization is a success" and it condemned "unreservedly all police repression violating democratic rights."

Much more serious clashes have occurred at previous meetings of trade chiefs, but the coming session lacks the specific goals of previous meetings, when the World Trade Organization tried to conclude a new trade deal. The last so-called ministerial was held in Hong Kong four years ago. Others were in Cancun, Mexico, and Seattle.

WTO opponents claim the agreements produced by the body foster the growth of wealth among corporations at the expense of farmers, workers and others at the low end of the economy.

Swiss officials refused entry at Geneva Airport on Friday evening to three South Koreans who wanted to come into Geneva because Swiss security specialists judged them to be capable of violence, Puhl said, noting that other countries had previously barred the three for the same reason.

The WTO called the meeting of its 153 members to examine major issues at a time when global exports are falling rapidly and the WTO's long-sought Doha liberalization round is limping into its ninth year.

Instead of sensitive tariff and subsidy negotiations, the conference running Monday through Wednesday will focus on the big picture -- stabilizing and rejuvenating commerce in the face of increased protectionism, unemployment and exporting of jobs.

The WTO had hoped to avoid the acrimony and the sometimes-violent protests that have plagued previous ministerial conferences. Geneva police have taken a number of steps to ensure the security of the meeting place.
More on Photo Galleries

Fred Goldring: The Main Point: Musicians, Arts Education And The E Street Shuffle

2009-11-29T00:52:15Z

David Brooks' fantastic essay "The Other Education" in The NY Times Op Ed Section on Friday resonated with me on so many levels that it's hard to know where to begin. Like David, I grew up as a teenager in Main Line Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore in the 70's. At the time, Philadelphia was a musical hotbed with local artists like Hall and Oates, Todd Rundgren, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin and the rest of the Philly International crew who were grabbing national attention. Most importantly, almost all of the major and developing touring singer-songwriters and bands of the day would regularly schedule a performance at the Main Point, a little coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, the college town close to where I lived. Luckily for me, the place didn't have a liquor license, so I was able to get in starting when I was about 13. What an education that turned out to be.

I had become fascinated with music and musicians as an adolescent. My maternal grandfather had remarried a woman whose nephew was one of the founders of Cameo-Parkway Records, home to Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, the Dovells, Dee Dee Sharp and many other local musicians. So whenever my grandfather and his wife would come to visit, they would bring a box of 45 R.P.M. records. Eventually I stopped using them as Frisbees, and I figured out how to center them on my father's turntable so I could listen to what was on them. I was hooked. My older cousins made me watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and in 1970, my older cousin Alan (who had been to Woodstock), turned me on to an album by a then-new artist named James Taylor called Sweet Baby James. I ditched the obligatory piano lessons my parents had insisted on, and became obsessed with learning to play the acoustic guitar and becoming a performer myself, woodshedding for hours in my bedroom trying learn the songs by picking them off of records by Taylor and other artists of the time like Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg and, of course, the Beatles. I woke up at the crack of dawn on a Monday morning to be the first to mail in my self-addressed stamped envelope and money so I would get the best possible seats to see James Taylor at the Academy of Music (I ended up getting front row middle seats and James introduced a member of his band who was about to release her own album, Carole King, as the opening act). I played in a bunch of rock cover bands with friends at Bar Mitzvahs and other parties, including a band with my friend Howard Benson who went on to become a major Grammy-nominated record producer. But most of all, it was The Main Point that became my after hours school and laboratory.

At least once a week I would go to a show there, seeing many now iconic musicians early in their careers, up so close in a venue that held maybe 150 people that I could actually see their hands and how they were playing the songs. After each show, I would run home and pick up my guitar or sit down at the piano and try to imitate from memory as best I could what I had just seen. Billy Joel, Livingston Taylor, Fogelberg, Kenny Rankin, Jim Croce, Bonnie Raitt were just some of the artists I got to see. I even got up the courage to perform myself on a couple of Monday night "open mike" nights. But it was one particular show that I went to see at The Main Point on February 5, 1975 that was truly memorable and is the one which David Brooks wrote about in his column: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

A couple of months before, I had gone with some friends to see Daryl Hall and John Oates at the gym at Villanova University. There was literally a blizzard going on all afternoon and we weren't sure whether the show would be cancelled. We couldn't get through on the phone to find out so, undaunted, we ventured out into the storm and made our way to the concert. As the lights dimmed, Daryl Hall walked out and announced to the crowd that although he and John had made it to Villanova intact, their equipment hadn't so they would have to play the an acoustic show. He added, however, that the opening act (whom I had never heard of before) had made it into town earlier with all their equipment and would be playing a full set. The act then took the stage (actually, more like took over the stage) right from the first note. I had never before seen or heard anything like this band. I remember thinking at the time that musically Bruce reminded me slightly of Van Morrison, but he was more like a musical preacher and storyteller.

When I learned Bruce would be playing The Main Point a couple of months later, I pulled out all the stops to get tickets. Incredibly, they played for almost 3 hours straight in the tiny club. Luckily, the show was simulcast on the top local rock station, WMMR, so I was able to arrange to have a friend tape it for me. I still listen to the show from time to time and Bruce and the band's performance still stands up after all these years.

The "main point" of David Brooks' essay is that it is our musical and other artists such as Bruce Springsteen who give us a different, but critical, part of our education in life. They portray for us on an emotional level what things are really like for a lot of other people and what they are thinking and feeling. They give us insight into their triumphs and failures, their loves and losses, and their hopes and dreams. We discover kindred spirits in our artists for they are able to articulate for us what we cannot in a way that touches our souls and makes us feel that we are not alone and, like they, we are a part of the human condition and continuum. We relate to them and they to us, and their audience and fans relate to each other, which in turn helps to create and maintain a larger connected community.

It is for this reason that it is imperative that we continue to place the arts and our artists in the highest regard in the educational system in our country. Engagement in the arts is a unique place where developing young minds can safely nurture their imaginations and develop the right brain thinking that is ever so critical for problem solving in an increasingly complex world. Unfortunately, it also seems to be the first line item that gets the ax in school budgets. We cannot allow this to continue if we want to turn out "whole" individuals in our society who are able to think creatively on their feet.

As Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" and "education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he has learned in school". I will be forever grateful to "Professors" Springsteen, Taylor, Fogelberg and the other artists, famous and not so famous, and mostly to The Main Point, the place where I got my real education growing up. Let's make sure we do all we can to nurture artists and arts education so that the next generation will have the opportunity to be similarly inspired.

Washington Post: 9,000 Troops Will Deploy To Afghanistan Soon After Obama's Speech

2009-11-29T00:50:53Z

KABUL -- Days after President Obama outlines his new war strategy in a speech Tuesday, as many as 9,000 Marines will begin deploying to southern Afghanistan to renew an assault on a Taliban stronghold that stalled earlier this year amid a troop shortage and political pressure from the Afghan government, senior U.S. officials said.
More on Afghanistan

Florida Gators New Uniforms (PHOTOS)

2009-11-29T00:43:24Z

The Florida Gators unveiled new uniforms during tonight's Senior Day matchup against Florida State. According to the St. Petersburg Times, the outfits are "new Nike-created, experimental Pro Combat uniforms" that are 37 percent lighter than traditional uniforms.

Below, see photos of the new uniforms in action.

LOOK:

David Wild: "Boys Keep Swinging": My Special Bunker Playlist for Tiger Woods

2009-11-29T00:30:14Z

I'm a tremendous fan of Tiger Woods. Just think about what this man has done so much to make golf more interesting. Also driveways.

Here then is my playlist for Tiger to listen to as he recovers from . . . whatever the hell happened.

"BOYS KEEP SWINGING" - David Bowie
"PAR FOR THE COURSE" - Aimee Mann
"TIGER RAG" - Louis Armstrong
"NIGHT DRIVER" - Tom Petty
"I GOT A TIGER BY THE TAIL" - Buck Owens
"SINNER'S SWING!" - Van Halen
"IT DON'T MEAN A THING (IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT SWING) - Ella Fitzgerald
"ACE IN THE HOLE" - Paul Simon
"WOODS" - Bon Iver
"SPAGHETTI WESTERN SWING" - Brad Paisley (featuring Redd Volkaert)
"UNDERNEATH THE BUNKER" - R.E.M.
"TIGER IN MY TANK" - Eels
"SWINGING ON A STAR" - Frank Sinatra
"GIMME MORE" - Britney Spears
"EARLY BIRDIE" - Owl City
"EYE OF THE TIGER" - Survivor
"SULTANS OF SWING" - Dire Straits
"PAPER TIGER" - Beck
"LIES" - The Knickerbockers
"TIGER IN THE RAIN" - Michael Franks
"SWING LOW" - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
"THE STROKE" - Billy Squier
"SWING, SWING" - The All-American Rejects
"GO BACK TO YOUR WOODS" - Robbie Robertson
"SWINGIN'" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

What songs would you play for Tiger while he's on the front 9 of this controversy?

More on Tiger Woods

Jeff Biggers: Climate Hope: Inspiring 2009 Books for a Clean Energy Future

2009-11-29T00:12:28Z

Not that we haven't been informed--that's the message from an incredible year of new books on climate destabilization, dirty energy policies, bogus Big Coal campaigns and a vibrant anti-coal movement, a growing coalfield resistance and the tragedy of mountaintop removal, and the still big possibility of renewable energy sources to refresh our survival chances on the planet.

Here are some of my favorites from 2009--the list is by no means definitive, and I apologize to the all the great authors I have overlooked (Adam Siegel also has a great list.)

Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe
and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity, by James Hansen.

The world's great sage and fearless climatologist, James Hansen has played a heroic role in explaining the complexities of global warming to the US Congress, world leaders, and the American public over the past three decades. In his first book, Hansen issues a stunning clarion call for action that should be required reading by all American citizens.

Democracy of Ghosts by John Griswold

A brilliant and lyrical historical novel, Democracy of Ghost conjures the affairs behind one of the most violent labor disputes in American history--the brutal killing of 21 scabs and coal miners at a strip mine in southern Illinois in 1921. In some ways a horrifying cautionary tale for today's mining conflicts in the coalfields, Democracy of Ghosts explores the entangled love affairs between couples caught up in the great coal mining strike that ultimately shattered a region, and turned one of the most radical communities into a social pariah. Griswold's narrative is riveting. This original novel deserves as large an audience as possible--pass the word.

Climate Hope: On the Frontlines of the Fight Against Coal, by Ted Nace

One of the amazing brains and strategists behind the anti-coal movement, CoalSwarm director Ted Nace has written a powerful chronicle of the grassroots movements to stop the construction of coal-fired plants, and halt mountaintop removal operations in Appalachia. CoalSwarm is one of the great engines of information; Nace's book is a stunning tribute to the citizen movements afoot that will ultimately push our country to a coal free future.

Power Trip by Amanda Little

As the beloved and trusted Grist correspondent on energy issues, Little has embarked on a journey to the center of the fossil fuel world. Her book is an indispensable look into the historical roots of coal and oil, and the emergence of the clean energy future. Here's her trailer:

Plundering Appalachia: The Tragedy of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

This book is mind-blowing. If any book can change the most cold-hearted Big Coal view about the nightmare of mountaintop removal, Plundering Appalachia and its take-no-prisoners giant photos and essays would be the best shot. Produced by the Foundation for Deep Ecology, Plundering Appalachia includes a series of informative and heartfelt essays by coalfield residents and experts on this human rights and environmental disaster.

Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal

The book companion to the provocative new film documentary, Coal Country, this anthology stands as one of the most eloquent and effective collections against the practice of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. Published by the Sierra Club, and edited by long-time activists and writers Shirley Stewart Burns, Mari-Lynn Evans, and Silas House, this far-reaching book will remain a powerful indictment against one of our nation's most egregious dirty energy policies.

Something's' Rising and We All Live Downstream

While half of the destruction of mountaintop removal has taken place in Kentucky, its horrific reality is often overlooked by the media. These two brilliant collections present the views and stories of Kentuckians on the frontlines, along with some of the best writers on the subject. Edited by Kentucky writers and activists Silas House and Jason Howard, these books are inspiring reminders of the resiliency and resistance of Appalachians in the face of brutal outside coal companies.

Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse by David Orr

One of the great scholars in the climate change and clean energy debate, Orr's new book sets out a challenging and hopeful agenda for real change in how we reshape our nation, our energy policies, and ultimately our personal lives, for the long haul battle against climate destabilization.

Tree Spiker by Mike Roselle

Truly an American original, and a stranger to fear, Mike Roselle has been a powerful force of nature for decades, and his founding activism behind Earth Firth, the Rainforest Action Network, and untold campaigns to save the wilderness in the West--and now, his role in inspiring the civil disobedience campaigns to halt mountaintop removal in Appalachia--are the stuff of legends. This funny and illuminating book is Roselle's testament to a good life on the frontlines of change.

Coal Mountain Elementary by Mark Nowak

Working class hero and poet Nowak gives a lyrical account of the voices of coal mining tragedies in Sago, West Virginia and China, in this breakthrough collection of poetry.

And, of course, two other amazing books I have recently reviewed:

Climate Cover-Up by James Hoggan

and

What's the Worst That Could Happen, by Greg Craven.

Please list your favorite clean energy and climate change books below!

More on Climate Change