Super Bowl XLIV: Saints 31 - Colts 17

Saints Alive!
Brees by Colts 31-17 for Super Bowl XLIV Victory
Super Bowl XLIV - Saints 31 Colts 17, Drew Brees Super Bowl XLIV MVP

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees throws pair of touchdown passes as the New Orleans Saints rally from early 10-point deficit and defeats the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. Brees awarded MVP for completing 32-of-39 with 288 passing yards, two TD passes, 0 interceptions and 114.5 passer rating.

 

Death of Democracy
(c) Don Wright

Controversial Supreme Court Decision Expected to Reshape Financing of Elections
Alex Kingsbury

In one of the most contentious rulings in recent Supreme Court history, the high court overturned decades of legal precedent that limited how corporations, unions, and other organizations can participate in the political process. The 5-to-4 decision is all but certain to dramatically reshape the conduct of elections in the United States, campaign finance experts say.

Obama's Job No. 1: Create Jobs & Strengthen the Economy
Kenneth T. Walsh

President Obama promised to make creating jobs and strengthening the economy his top priorities in 2010. In his 71-minute State of the Union address, a mostly somber but confident Obama argued that 'again, we are tested, and again, we must answer history's call.'

J.D. Salinger: Artist Who Never Wanted to Be an 'Idol'
Mitch Albom

When someone told me J.D. Salinger had died, I jokingly asked, 'How do they know?' It was dark humor and a tad disrespectful. But I was trying to be complimentary. Salinger, who was even more passionate about his privacy than his writing, had managed, at age 91, to die a legend in both areas.

U.S. & China Trade Barbs After Google's Ultimatum
Alex Kingsbury

What began as a quiet post on Google's official blog has ballooned into a full fledged international tempest, with the U.S. and China trading barbs about the role of the government in regulating the Internet. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday condemned cyber attacks and called for an Internet where all have equal access to knowledge and ideas

Predicting the Fed's Next Move
Rob Silverblatt

The Federal Reserve didn't pull out any surprises when it blandly announced that it will keep interest rates near zero as the economy continues to recover. But even as the Fed remains fairly tight-lipped about when it will begin ratcheting up rates, economists have been quick to speculate about what's in store. Here are some predictions

Don't Let Haiti's Tragedy Fade Away
Carl Hiaasen

The situation in Haiti is not incomprehensible, and it's not indescribable -- just the opposite. A graphic rendition of hell is what it is, a nightmare of nightmares. Officials still don't know how many people died in the earthquake, and they'll never know. The current estimates range from 50,000 to 200,000, but it's all grim guesswork. Those who survived are in dire peril

Upcoming Iraqi Elections - Political Tremors
Brett H. McGurk

Recent news that Sunni candidates were banned from upcoming Iraqi elections has focused attention on that March 7 vote -- a crucial election for a new government to serve through 2014. Much is at stake, and the United States will have to maneuver carefully, supporting but not overtly interfering with the vote, cabinet formation, and then a new Iraqi government.

Economic Risk in 7 Countries Spooking Investors
Matthew Bandyk

Despite federal spending consuming 27.2 percent of GDP, the United States maintains a Aaa rating. But you can't say the same about many countries in both the developed and developing world where continued fallout from the economic crisis is hurting their credit ratings. As a result, investors have viewed the economic situations in these countries as increasingly risky bets.

Real Estate - Strategic Defaults and the Foreclosure Crisis
Luke Mullins

Foreclosure tallies continue to break records and even more homeowners appear headed for foreclosure this year. However, as the housing crisis rumbles forward, an additional driver of home foreclosures has become clear: Strategic Defaults -- borrowers able to pay their mortgage are simply walking away because they believe it's best for their finances

Rising Yachts Lift No Tides
Jesse Jackson

The government argued that they had to resuscitate the banks in order to save the U.S. economy. So, they rescued the banks not to save the banks, but to save the economy. It 'worked.' Banks are back, making profits and gearing up bonuses. However, unemployment and home foreclosures are rising and personal bankruptcies are at record levels. Obviously, there is a fundamental disconnect ...

Did Heidi Montag's Plastic Surgery Go Too Far?
Deborah Kotz

Was reality TV star Heidi Montag's decision to have 10 cosmetic procedures in one day a sign of her low self-esteem and addiction to plastic surgery? Or was it a brilliant PR move to land her on the cover of People and launch her singing career?

 

Devastation in Haiti
(c) Paul Tong

Earthquake Buries Progress in Haiti
Joshua Kucera

Even before Haiti's massive earthquake, the news from Haiti could seem relentlessly grim, from hurricanes to political violence to desperate poverty. But for the last year or so, things had actually started to look up in the hemisphere's poorest country.

Social Security: Let's Not Kill the Golden Goose
John Rother

Social Security's enduring popularity reflects the insurance nature of the program: Recipients have an earned right to their retirement benefits. Everyone who pays into the program is entitled to benefits. If you work long enough in covered employment, you qualify, no matter where you stand on the income ladder.

Social Security: Congress' Ponzi Scheme
John Rother

The fantasy of Social Security is seductive. We imagine there is an actual trust fund somewhere that takes in money and manages it responsibly. When we retire, we are 'entitled' to that money. Reality is not so attractive: Social Security is just a promise by Congress to take money from younger people and give it to older people.

The Dawning of a Ripe Old Age
Longevity Researchers

If there were a pill that could add two decades to your life, would you swallow it? Not if you're like most people scientist Matt Kaeberlein asks -- they see it as an invitation to purgatory. But when the University of Washington longevity researcher dangles the prospect that those extra years would be spent spry and hale, not enfeebled and ill, they listen up.

 

Wall Street CEOs
(c) Walt Handelsman

Wall Street CEOs: The Mea Culpa That Wasn't
Robyn Blumner

Here is the testimony I would have liked to have heard from the CEOs of Wall Street's largest banks -- institutions whose irresponsibility and greed nearly brought down the economy

 

Haiti - Tragedy and Opportunity for Haiti
Kara C. McDonald

The January 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is the first test of the Obama administration's ability to mount a full-scale international disaster response, and it is no ordinary test. Haiti is the poorest nation in the hemisphere, with abysmal infrastructure, struggling to stabilize

Haiti - Sometimes the Earth is Cruel
Leonard Pitts Jr

That is ultimately the fundamental lesson here, as children wail, families sleep out of doors, and the dead lie unclaimed in the rubble that once was Port-au-Prince, Haiti

 

Airport Security Checkpoints
(c) Walt Handelsman

What Airport Security Really Costs
Matthew Bandyk

Many Americans see waiting in lines, taking off their shoes, and other security measures as necessary evils. Since the Christmas incident, the government has planned to spend about $1 billion on full-body scanners and other security technology. However, the money spent on airport security goes far beyond the actual equipment.

 

(c) Don Wright

Global Political-Risk Outlook for 2010
Ian Bremmer and David Gordon

The biggest risk for 2010 comes from the point at which these trends converge: U.S.-China relations, Iran, European Fiscal Divergence, U.S. Financial Regulation, Japan ... Our top 10 geopolitical concerns for 2010 and their impact on the world

 

Trainspotter's Guide to the Future of the World
Paul Kennedy

The article didn't make for pleasant reading, especially for people like myself who think that efficient railway services and other forms of well-run mass transport are a subtle but nifty measure of a country's level of civilization and, in most cases, of its social and economic fabric

Transformation of Obama: Surprise Us Mr. President
Paul Greenberg

United States The Corporate State of America
Paul Greenberg

Can anybody be surprised at the latest development in the saga of U.S.A., Inc.? The government now has advanced GMAC, the financial arm of Government Motors, formerly General Motors, another $3.8 billion in cash, acquiring a majority stake in that lending agency, which is laden with debt itself.

Two Ways of Looking at the World
Mary Sanchez

The perspectives of two elderly men crossed my desk recently. Both are men of the World War II era. I will not compare our times to theirs. But the world remains a dangerous place. And our nation remains vulnerable to serious economic setbacks. And what worries me is how we will respond to the challenges ahead ...

'Shadow Elite' Explains Why Washington No Longer Works
Arianna Huffington

I recently read a great book by Janine Wedel called 'Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market.' It's a gripping, disquieting book that exposes and explains why it's been so hard to bring about any real change in the United States. As Janine Wedel writes in 'Shadow Elite,' a new 'transnational' class of elites has taken over our country

Integration and Disintegration: The Future of Our Puzzling World
Paul Kennedy

The world really does seem to have changed for the better. There are signs of progress and prosperity. However, there are the many indicators of disruptive tendencies, of environmental catastrophes, financial instabilities, currency turbulences, civil wars, failed states, quarrels over contested historic lands and borders, human-rights abuses, terrorism, and displays of angry, egoistic nationalism.

Asleep on the Terrorist Watch: Northwest Flight 253
Paul Greenberg

It was just as frightening, and in its own way even more infuriating, than the almost successful attempt to blow up Northwest Flight 253 as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day. I'm talking about the wholly unacceptable comment/excuse offered by this country's secretary of supposed Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

It's Playoff Time
NFL 2009 Playoffs Wild Card Weekend Preview

"You can throw the records out now," says New York Jets tackle DAMIEN WOODY. "Once you get into the playoffs, it doesn't matter what you did in the regular season. Everybody is 0-0 right now."

Solving World Health Issues a Few Dollars at a Time
Philippe Douste-Blazy and Daniel Altman

Starting in this quarter, hundreds of millions of people will have an unprecedented opportunity to help the world's most unfortunate inhabitants. When purchasing airline tickets through most major reservation Web sites or through a travel agent, consumers will be asked if they want to make a direct contribution to the fight against the world's three deadliest epidemics

The New Population Bomb
Jack A. Goldstone

Averting this century's potential dangers will require sweeping measures. Policymakers must adapt today's global governance institutions to the new realities of the aging of the industrialized world, the concentration of the world's economic and population growth in developing countries, and the increase in international immigration.

Mind of Martyr: How to Deradicalize Islamist Extremists
Jessica Stern

Is it possible to deradicalize terrorists and their potential recruits? Saudi Arabia, a pioneer in terrorism prevention and rehabilitation, claims that it is. And yet so far, the Saudis have shared very little information about their program's successes and failures.

Join a Book Club - Best New Year's Resolution You'll Ever Make
Robyn Blumner

I have a humble suggestion for a New Year's resolution: Join a book club. With this one step, your annual book-reading tally could shoot up. It helps make room for pleasure-reading in busy lives. Here's why plus tips for joining a book club or starting your own book club

America Through the Reality Lens
Jonah Goldberg

Culturally, this has been the decade of the reality show. And what do we have to show for it? Not much more than the contestants themselves.

Top 10 Political Scandals of 2009
Paul Bedard

It might not have reached the heights of the Watergate and Lewinsky years, but the political scandals of 2009 had something juicy for everybody. Republicans went for sex, Democrats for money, and former Gov. Sarah Palin simply bailed out on Alaska

Socialized Medicine and 'Just War'
Ross Mackenzie

The jobs summit, the economy, Copenhagen and East Anglia, Tiger Woods -- in the news an abundance of the bizarre. And let us not overlook Tareq and Michaele Salahi, that other uncredentialed couple oddly winding up in the White House. Of the many issues before an astonished populace, two issues ... Socialized Medicine and 'Just War' ... stand at the forefront of American politics in 2009

U.S. No Longer the Great Job Creation Machine
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

The nervousness of millions of Americans is entirely justifiable. They see economic head winds all about them. The biggest economy in the world is held hostage by shoppers and consumers who are scared and pessimistic. What are our job prospects? The problem in the job market going forward is not so much layoffs in the private sector, which are abating, but a lack of hiring.

 

The Young Presidents: Youth is a Double-Edged Sword for President Obama
Kenneth T. Walsh

Youth has always been a double-edged sword for America's presidents. It tends to inject the White House with fresh ideas and energy, but it can also lead to impetuousness and a disregard for the tried and true. So far, Barack Obama has demonstrated both the positive and the negative sides of the equation.

 

(c) Nancy Ohanian

'The Great Global Security Underwriter' Will Pay a High Price
William Pfaff

Most surveys on America's two current wars and on foreign policy generally, find majority support for staying at home and minding America's own business. Especially now, when it has become no longer possible to treat the national deficit as if it doesn't matter, and when the president has just ordered another 'surge' of troops to the Afghanistan war.

 

Journalism: Desperate Metaphors, Revenue Models and the Need for Better Journalism
Arianna Huffington

Apparently, some in the old media have decided that it is, in fact, an either/or game and that the best way to save, if not journalism, at least themselves, is by pointing fingers and calling names. It's a tactic familiar to schoolyard inhabitants everywhere: when all else fails, reach for the nearest insult and throw it around indiscriminately.

 

Gift Cards: Not Always the Easiest Holiday Present
Matthew Bandyk

For busy Americans who don't have the time or inclination to find the perfect gift for each person on their shopping list, a gift card is the next best thing. But while it might be popular to buy gift cards ...

 

Financial Crisis, Enron, Hurricane Katrina Examples of Leadership Gone Wrong
Tamara Lytle

The New Orleans masses who huddled in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, the Enron retirees who lost their life savings, and the laid-off workers buried under the economic ruin of financial companies all live with a simple truth. Just as spectacularly as great leadership can spark success, failed leadership can bring down cities, businesses, and economies

Crisis Management: Leading Successfully Through the Storm
Bret Schulte

Contemporary examples of strong crisis leadership are in surprisingly short supply, experts say. And all too often, the reaction to a crisis is to hunker down and ride it out. But there are a few modern standouts, especially in the business world.

The 'Reform' That Ate America
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

 

We Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Victor Davis Hanson

High unemployment, the recession and a terrorist resurgence in Afghanistan are bad enough. But there are a number of problems on the horizon that could dwarf President Obama's first-year trials. Why the pessimism? In short, we are doing nothing to prepare for the crises to come.

 

Beginning of a New World Economic Epoch
Paul A. Samuelson

President Barack Obama's 2008 electoral landslide victory averted a global financial meltdown. Had Republican Sen. John McCain won that election, present U.S. GDP would have been even lower than it is now, by more than 15 percent! And similar losses in global productivity would also have taken place.

 

United States: Single-eyed Vision
Robert C. Koehler

The promise the United States once represented to the world has spent itself, and what we have to offer in terms of opportunity, or at least hope, is overshadowed by the spreading shadow of our hubris. And it's all coming home to roost.

Human Survival The Twin Brother of Nuclear Annihilation
Robert C. Koehler

Whether the underlying premise is faulty or valid, the nuclear weapons industry is here to stay as long as people believe in sufficient numbers that our survival is 'the twin brother of annihilation.'

Nobel Peace Prize: Mixed Signals, Or 'Blessed Are The Cheesemakers'
Paul Kennedy

On hearing the surprising news of President Obama's award of the Nobel Peace Prize, I could only wonder at the Norwegian award committee's own very long track record of sending out mixed messages about its intentions and reasoning.

Brandenburg Gate - Berlin, Germany

When Freedom Was at High Tide
Paul Greenberg

The great tide had been building for years, for decades. But it would take daring and determination to release it. Walls do not come tumbling down by themselves, however much it might seem that way looking back. There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to freedom. High tide came November 9, 1989, when the Wall came down

Communism's Enablers and Excusers
Cal Thomas

On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was pulled down to the consternation of leftists, who still had faith socialism could work with the right leaders, and to the delight of conservatives, who believed that socialism and communism guaranteed mutually-shared poverty. Two years later, the Soviet Union crumbled. Soviet communism might not have endured for 70 years had it not been for enablers in academia, religion and journalism

Americans' shrinking retirement nest egg
(c) William Brown

The Modern Retirement Plan: Cross Your Fingers
Robyn Blumner

I come in contact with the failure of America's retirement system at my local supermarket. That's where a corps of elderly gentlemen bag my groceries. After the bags are piled in the cart, they ask me with slackened faces if I need help to the car. It's always a mildly awkward question. I am far more agile, and we both know it. Without fail this thought enters my mind: What went wrong for them?

 

 

Norman Borlaug: The Man Who Changed Everything
Norman Borlaug (March 25, 1914 - September 12, 2009)

Norman Borlaug, a plainspoken Iowa farm boy who worked his way through the University of Minnesota during the Depression. His death at 95 came at the end of a life as rich as the bountiful fields he left across the world. To quote the citation that came with his Nobel Prize in 1970, "More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world."

The Emerging Economic Order
(c) Jack Ohman

U.S., China and the Emerging Economic Order
Henry Kissinger

The assumption that the end of the recession will restore the familiar global economic system ignores the psychological and political upheaval that has taken place.

A vast tide of liquidity coupled with America's appetite for consumer goods had sent enormous amounts of dollars to China that, in turn, China lent back to us for still more buying.

 

 

The Default Power and American Declinism
Josef Joffe

The history of declinism shows that doom arrives in cycles, and what comes and goes, logically, does not a trend make. Today, as after past prophecies of imminent debility, the United States remains first on any scale of power that matters -- economic, military, diplomatic or cultural -- despite being embroiled in two wars and beset by the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

 

Big Government Medicine
(c) Dick Locher

Big Government Medicine
Victor Davis Hanson

Big new taxes. Big new spending. Big new government. This seems to be the proposed cure for the Wall Street-inspired recession. The government now runs major banks and companies, and plans to take control of the American health-care system. And it aims to tax how energy in the United States is used to monitor carbon use.

 

Frustrated Baby Boomers Alienated from the Political Debate
Mary Kate Cary

There's a big disconnect in politics right now. The older baby boomers, the ones in their 50s and 60s, are increasingly left out of the political discourse. That crowd is part of the biggest demographic segment of our population -- more than a quarter of our citizens. They're dismayed that their local newspaper -- if it still exists -- places more emphasis on obituaries and local real estate news. Any national news is buried somewhere far from the front page. They feel like they can't get issue-oriented policy news anymore and are ...

Iraq War -- What War
Victor Davis Hanson

The war in Iraq is scarcely in the news any longer, despite the fact that 141,000 American soldiers are still protecting the fragile Iraqi democracy, and 114, as of this writing, have been lost this year in that effort. But after the success of the surge, there are far fewer American fatalities each month

An Amazon Kindle for Every Student
Zach Miners

Forget better standards, merit pay for teachers, or rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure of America's aging schools. No, if we really want to fix the U.S. education system, we must start with Kindles. Thomas Z. Freedman, the primary author of the paper, writes that having a "Kindle in every backpack" (the title of the proposal) is not just an educational gimmick but could improve education quality and save money

Government Bailout
(c) Paul Tong

Opportunity Cost of the Bank Bailout
Arianna Huffington

The lopsided 'recovery.' Banks that received billions in taxpayer handouts now reporting massive profits and setting aside record amounts for executive bonuses, and the American people continuing to face 9.5 percent unemployment, 10,000 foreclosures a day and vital services being cut.

 

Iran at Crossroads of History
Will this Regime Fall Like Shah's
Abolhassan Bani-Sadr

Within six short weeks since the recent election, the government of the Islamic Republic has been publicly divided, delegitimized, challenged and weak. As a result, we can now draw some analytical parallels between the current regime and the pre-1979 monarchy, and between the two occasions of political unrest.

Working Together, Brazil, Russia, China and India Increase Leverage
Ian Bremmer

In 2003, a report authored by Goldman Sachs economists popularized the term BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to describe a whole new category of emerging-market powerhouse. The report argued that with sound political leadership and relative international stability, the BRIC economies would together outpace the original G6 industrialized nations in dollar terms by 2040 -- a fundamental shift in the global balance of power. Since then, these four countries have assumed ever-greater importance in the international investment community's collective imagination.

 

Obama's Great Race to Change America
(c) Matt Wuerker

Obama's Great Race to Change America
Victor Davis Hanson

Why does President Obama want to implement all at once radical changes in American foreign policy, environmental policy, education, health care and the tax code? The answer is easy: If he does not achieve these initiatives soon, he never will. Almost none of Obama's proposed policies any longer enjoy majority support among voters

Housing Crisis Conundrum:
Which America Do You Live In
Ilyce Glink

It almost feels as though there are two economies.

First, we have the so-called 'good news' from Wall Street, where the big financial companies are crowing about billion-dollar profits, paying $100 million bonuses, and repaying warrants. Then we have the Main Street economy, where people can't get lenders to call them back, where jobs continue to be lost, home values continue to fall, net worths shrink and foreclosures continue to rise.

Working to Improve the Economy
Kenneth T. Walsh Interviews Christina Romer

Christina Romer -- chairwoman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers -- recently spoke with Kenneth T. Walsh about what has gone wrong, when an economic recovery might occur, and what it's like to work with President Obama.

 

The Growing Divide in American Politics
(c) Mark Weber

Polarization is the New Political Bipartisanship
Mary Kate Cary

Gone are the days of Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan's famous friendship; George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton's joint humanitarian efforts seem like a relic from a different era.

 

Swine Flu Pandemic

How Schools and Parents Can Prepare for Swine Flu
Zach Miners

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting approximately 44,000 cases of swine flu and at least 114 pediatric deaths since April, schools across the country are considering how to deal with a mass outbreak

H1N1 and Its Descendents: Where This Pandemic Flu Came From - and Where it Might Go
Harvard Health Letters

Already, 2009 is not a typical year. We're in the midst of a flu pandemic caused by a virus that first emerged in Mexico in mid-February. Billions are being spent on preparedness plans. And millions of Americans may line up this fall to get two kinds of flu vaccines, one for the regular seasonal flu that comes around every winter and another for the pandemic strain. So far, the 2009 pandemic has been more widespread than lethal.

 

Early Economic Recovery: Fiction or Fact
Paul A. Samuelson

Ever since the global meltdown began in 2007, Wall Street pundits and government officials have proclaimed cheery optimism that meaningful global recovery will occur by the second half of 2009, or the first quarter of 2010. So, as in an earlier time, they're telling us we have nothing to fear except fear itself. Well, we have now entered 2009's second half. The question is whether the early economic recovery is fact or fiction. Paul A. Samuelson shares his findings ...

 

War and the Balance of Power
(Nancy Ohanian)

War By Other Means
Robert C. Koehler - International Politics & World Affairs

We live in a world where arrogance and power are concentrated to an unbelievably fine point, while responsibility is diffused into a global mist.

A few fanatics can plot and wage a war, stirring up consequences infinitely beyond what they are capable of imagining, then retire, when things go bad, into a luxury tinged with disgrace.

 

 

President Obama

 

Iraq: American Troop Withdrawal

 

The Pentagon's Wasting Assets
Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.

Several events in recent years have demonstrated that traditional means and methods of projecting power and accessing the global commons are growing increasingly obsolete--becoming "wasting assets," in the language of defense strategists

 

Iranian Elections 2009: Iran's Crisis of Legitimacy

 

 

 

A Positively Reaganesque Start to Obama Presidency
Howard Baker Jr.

 

In the Senate, Two Is a Lonely Number
Katherine Skiba

Everyone Agrees We Need Wall Street Reforms ...
Arianna Huffington

Supreme Court: Strip Search of 13-Year-Old Unconstitutional
Zach Miners

Flipping the Taliban: How to Win in Afghanistan
Fotini Christia and Michael Semple

Political History of the Stars & Stripes
Andrew Burt

 

Asia Economy: Tamed Asian Tigers, Distressed Chinese Dragon
Brian P. Klein and Kenneth Neil Cukier

ALSO on the economy & global financial crisis:

 

International current events & world affairs:

 

What Does the Future Hold for GOP?
Future of the Republican Party by Jonah Goldberg

 

Politics

 

Andy Rooney

One Man's Trash / Treasure ...
Andy Rooney

We waste more in the United States than the people of most other countries even have. Driving through the streets of any major city on the day the trash collectors come -- or are supposed to come -- is an experience the citizens of a hundred less prosperous nations would find difficult to believe.

Wouldn't You Like to Be a Politician?
Andy Rooney

It's a good thing for all of us that there are people who want to be politicians because you couldn't pay most of us to take the job of mayor, governor or president of anything. Why are there people who want to do such difficult work? We're all glad they do, but why?

How Does Your State Rank
Andy Rooney

This column is sort of a cheat because I have a book called 'State Rankings 2009' that you probably don't have. I get to do an easy column once in a while, and this book has some fascinating numbers

The Newspaper Business Then and Now
Andy RooneyThe newspapers keep coming in my office. There's always today's paper before I've finished yesterday's and I get a lot of them. As you know, I'm an avid newspaper reader and I like all the little stories, so the paper takes me a long time to read.

How Does Your Brain Work
Andy Rooney

It may not matter to you, but I wish there was a better way for us to keep track of some of the numbers and information we gather throughout our lives. And then of course I'd like to be able to permanently forget some information. Sometimes I feel that we should be in more control of our brains.

 

Arianna Huffington

 

Chris thomas

 

MOVIES: MOVIE REVIEWS & MOVIE TRAILERS

 

Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson in Michael Jackson's This Is It

Produced with the cooperation of the Jackson estate, "This Is It" has no interest in telling the full story of anything, or the crumbling state of anyone. Director Kenny Ortega -- Jackson's partner in staging the London concert that never came to fruition -- is simply trying to suggest in some detail what sort of overstuffed career retrospective Jackson was attempting

 

Carey Mulligan & Peter Sarsgaard

An Education
Carey Mulligan & Peter Sarsgaard in An Education

Novelist Nick Hornby's screenplay for British journalist Lynn Barber's memoir sands a few edges off the corners of its heroine's story, yet the film is awfully charming. It bops along with so much esprit and lively acting.

 

Hilary Swank & Richard Gere

Amelia
Hilary Swank & Richard Gere in Amelia

This Amelia Earhart biopic isn't a bad movie, but it's distressingly ordinary for such an extraordinary subject. Played by an aptly cast and game Hilary Swank, Earhart becomes a checklist of Historical Legend accomplishments

 

Astro Boy Anime Movie Feature

Astro Boy
Freddie Highmore & Kristen Bell in Astro Boy

Astro Boy first appeared in a Japanese comic in 1951. His adventures led to a '60s Japanese TV series, then to the first of the American spin-offs, and now "Astro Boy" hits the big screen. I wish the film version of "Astro Boy" provided a stronger antidote to mediocrity. With the voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage

 

John C. Reilly & Patrick Fugit

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
John C. Reilly & Patrick Fugit in Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

In this campy vampire flick, the truce between vampires who sip, leaving humans a little weaker but none the wiser, and those who gorge, leaving death and destruction behind, comes to an end. This is an adaptation of the frothy kids book series by Darren Shan.

 

 

RECIPES

Dessert Recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream with Wild Turkey Walnuts and Caramel
Bev Bennett

With all the premium ice cream on the market, you may wonder why you'd want to make your own. The answer is simple and luscious: because ice cream is easy to make and you can add even more indulgent ingredients than the name brands do.

Red Berry Clafoutis Batter Pudding Recipe
Anne Willan

Clafoutis, a batter pudding made in little dishes with seasonal fruits such as cherries, apricots or plums, with apples in winter. My favorite is juicy red berries, both sweet and tart. I aim for a mixture of raspberries and strawberries, with a few blackberries or blueberries added for contrast of color. Best served hot from the oven, clafoutis can be prepared ahead and baked at the last minute.

Chocolate at a Glance Dessert Recipes
Faye Levy

Chocolate isn't what it used to be in America. Not long ago supermarkets stocked three kinds of chocolate: semisweet, unsweetened, and milk. Now there's an impressive array not only of fine European imports but also of American chocolates that give them a run for their money. If you need to make a dessert in a hurry, it's easy to put together a chocolate sundae pie in a simple nut crust topped with a luxurious chocolate sauce made of two ingredients -- chocolate and cream. For an even quicker option, dress up ice cream with chopped fine chocolate, toasted nuts and tender fruit.

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Betty Rosbottom

Just when I thought I'd seen every variation possible on cheesecake, I came across Elinor Klivans' recipe for Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars. A talented pastry chef, Elinor uses a square rather than a round pan and cuts squares instead of wedges from this particular cheesecake dessert. But these delectable bars are truly inventive because of the unusual way the filling is prepared

Dietitian Approved Sweet Treats
Betsy Klein RD, LD

Does eating dessert have to make you feel guilty? Of course not. Contrary to popular belief, dietitians like myself don't skip dessert and we don't restrict ourselves to sugar-free Jello to sate our sweet tooth. We do, however, follow some rules.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe
Cupcake Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

One of my favorite ways to give my kids lovingly homemade treats that meet their need for instant gratification is to make cupcakes. From start to finish, most cupcake recipes take little more than half an hour as does this Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Syrup Recipe.

 

Vacation Travel

Sunset through the palms
Waikiki Beach, Oahu

In Search of the Aloha Smile on Oahu
Anne Z. Cooke - Travel Muse

As a frequent visitor to Hawaii, it's the islands' physical beauty that captures my attention: the impossibly steep green peaks, brilliant sunsets and roving trade winds. Intoxicating, yes, they are. But my lasting memories are of people, of the strangers who greet you with a smile and friendly families who offer hospitality.

 

 

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health & fitness

Swimming: Take the Plunge for Your Heart
Health, Fitness & Exercise

Any kind of exercise is better for your heart than no exercise at all. Walking isn't necessarily the best exercise for the heart and general good health, but it's the best option for the greatest number of people. More vigorous activities do even more for the heart than walking. The lion's share of research has focused on running. Two new studies from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, highlight the health benefits of swimming.

 

JUKARI Fit to Fly Workout
Reebok & Cirque du Soleil Partnership Creates Innovative Gym Workout

In 1989, Reebok revolutionized women's fitness with the creation of Step Reebok.

Today, the company revealed its new launch of an innovative gym workout - JUKARI Fit to Fly.

JUKARI Fit to Fly makes fitness fun again by introducing a new way to move in a gym workout and is accessible to all women, regardless of fitness levels.

 

 

NEWS, TOP STORIES, BREAKING NEWS & HEADLINES

The Obamas battle childhood obesity - USA Today

AFP

The Obamas battle childhood obesity USA Today President Obama reinforced first lady Michelle Obama's battle against childhood obesity today, signing a memorandum outlining federal help for the problem that affects a third of the nation's children. "I'm so proud of the first lady," Obama said in ... Michelle Obama launches campaign on child obesityBBC News Michelle Obama Responds to Palin PokesABC News Michelle Obama kicks off drive against childhood obesityAFP Washington Post -BusinessWeek -Chicago Breaking News - Tribune all 591 news articles »

State TV reports Iran needs enriched uranium to fuel a research reactor - CNN

The Guardian

State TV reports Iran needs enriched uranium to fuel a research reactor CNN Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- As promised, Iran began enriching uranium to 20 percent on Tuesday, state media said. The enrichment was taking place at its Natanz facility under the surveillance of UN nuclear watchdog inspectors. ... US Wants Sanctions In Weeks as Iran Ups EnrichmentNew York Times US invokes 'urgency' on imposing Iran sanctionsPress TV US wants UN sanctions resolution on Iran within weeksReuters Voice of America -AFP -Times Online all 3,198 news articles »

Fierce Iraq war opponent Rep. John Murtha dies - San Francisco Chronicle

Telegraph.co.uk

Fierce Iraq war opponent Rep. John Murtha dies San Francisco Chronicle John Murtha, the Democratic representative from Pennsylvania and decorated former Marine whose fierce opposition to the Iraq war helped catalyze public sentiment against the conflict, died Monday. He was 77. Rep. Murtha died at Virginia Hospital Center ... Defense Stalwart Murtha Dies at 77Wall Street Journal Rep. Murtha, a force on Hill, dies | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/09/2010Philadelphia Inquirer Congressman: Murtha's intestine damaged in surgeryWashington Post msnbc.com -Voice of America -Christian Science Monitor all 1,629 news articles »

Jobs bill: A chance for bipartisanship or election strategy? - CNN

China Daily

Jobs bill: A chance for bipartisanship or election strategy? CNN Washington (CNN) -- As Senate Democrats look to pass a jobs bill before Presidents Day, experts say the debate is an opportunity to see if calls for bipartisanship will be answered. With high unemployment -- now at 9.7 percent -- and ... On Health Bill, GOP's Road Is a New MapNew York Times Republicans may opt out of Obama's health-care summitWashington Post GOP Wary of Pitfalls in Obama's Health Care SummitABC News Minneapolis Star Tribune -USA Today -Reuters all 3,056 news articles »

Alabama senator drops some job holds, keeps others - Reuters

Kansas City Star

Alabama senator drops some job holds, keeps others Reuters WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Senator Richard Shelby has released his "holds" on more than 40 of President Barack Obama's nominees for top government jobs, but is maintaining them on three nominees related to a big Air Force acquisition. ... Senator lifts nominee holds, says issues being addressedGovExec.com Shelby releases holds on some nomineesUPI.com Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby Says He's No Longer Blocking All Obama NomineesABC News WTVM -Newsday (subscription) all 212 news articles »

EU Approves New Commission - Wall Street Journal

Sofia Echo

EU Approves New Commission Wall Street Journal AP BRUSSELSβ€”The European Parliament on Tuesday voted into office a new European Commission, which runs the European Union's day-to-day affairs. The EU assembly vote was 488 to 137, with 72 abstentions. Tuesday's vote at a plenary session in Strasbourg, ... Euro MPs back new European CommissionBBC News European Parliament approves new EU CommissionReuters European Union Prepares for Economic Crisis MeetingNew York Times BusinessWeek -Ireland Online -Monsters and Critics.com all 166 news articles »

City Council member Larry Seabrook faces federal criminal charges - New York Daily News

New York Daily News

City Council member Larry Seabrook faces federal criminal charges New York Daily News City Council member Larry Seabrook is facing federal criminal charges in an indictment expected Tuesday afternoon, sources said. City Council member Larry Seabrook is facing federal criminal charges in an indictment expected Tuesday ... Councilman Larry Seabrook to Face Federal Charges: SourceNBC New York NYC councilman accused of extortion and fraud7Online.com Bronx Councilman Seabrook arrested, accused of fraud, extortionNew York Post New York Times (blog) -Village Voice (blog) all 7 news articles »

Sri Lanka Opposition Outraged by Ex-General's Arrest - Voice of America

Sydney Morning Herald

Sri Lanka Opposition Outraged by Ex-General's Arrest Voice of America Photo: AP Sri Lanka's opposition parties are protesting the arrest by the military of their defeated presidential candidate, the former top Army commander credited with helping to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels. A day after the arrest of former ... Opposition leaders: Sri Lankan general's arrest 'an abduction'CNN International Arrested Sri Lankan opposition leader being treated 'like an animal'Times Online Sri Lanka's Fonseka treated like 'an animal': wifeAFP ABC Online -The Australian -The Hindu all 914 news articles »

Marjah offensive: Q&A on why it matters to Afghanistan war - Christian Science Monitor

BBC News

Marjah offensive: Q&A on why it matters to Afghanistan war Christian Science Monitor After weeks of publicizing, US troops are set to launch one of the biggest offensives of the Afghanistan war, against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand Province. Here's a briefing on just how important this town is and why NATO gave the ... Bob Ainsworth warns of difficulties faced by AfghansBBC News NATO to Afghan assault villagers: keep heads downReuters Taliban claim to debut new bomb 'Omar'AFP CNN International -MiamiHerald.com -TIME all 1,423 news articles »

To Ace This Interview, Palin Keeps Notes Close - New York Times

New York Times (blog)

To Ace This Interview, Palin Keeps Notes Close New York Times Sarah Palin looked at the palm of her hand during the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday. By KATE ZERNIKE Ask conservatives why they love Sarah Palin so and they will often say it is because she is so β€œauthentic. ... ANALYSIS: Will the Tea Party movement be transformative?The Reporter Critics mock Palin's 'helping hand' at Tea Party speechBBC News Palin likens global warming studies to 'snake oil'San Jose Mercury News American Conservative Magazine -ABC News -The Washington Independent all 2,711 news articles »

Top Stories - Google News
Google News

 

Toyota in global recall of Prius
Carmaker Toyota is recalling 400,000 hybrid cars worldwide, including 8,500 in the UK, because of braking problems.

Afghans 'try to flee battle zone'
Explosive devices are stopping Afghans leaving an area where a major operation is due to begin, the defence secretary says.

Labour Corrie star calls banned
Automated Labour voice messages by ex-Coronation Street star Liz Dawn broke privacy rules, the party is told.

Sri Lankan parliament dissolved
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolves parliament, paving the way for national elections, his spokesman says.

'Sex assault' arrest at nursery
A person is arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a playgroup in Ceredigion, say police.

City regulator boss steps down
Hector Sants, chief executive of the Financial Services Authority, announces he is to step down as head of the City regulator.

BBC reveals total performer pay
The BBC reveals it paid £229m to its performers who broadcast on radio and television last year - more than 6% of the licence fee.

Student terror conviction quashed
A man branded a "wannabe suicide bomber" will not face a retrial on terrorism charges after a conviction is quashed.

Ballot for Brown's Iraq grilling
There will be a public ballot for tickets to watch Gordon Brown give evidence to the Iraq inquiry.

Soldiers charged over Lanzarote brawl
Six British soldiers have been charged with assault following a brawl at a restaurant in Lanzarote.

Backless hospital gown redesigned
Backless hospital gowns get a Hollywood-style makeover to preserve patients' dignity.

Kat and Alfie to make EastEnders comeback
Actress Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie are to reprise the roles of Kat and Alfie in EastEnders this autumn, it is announced.

Super Bowl becomes US TV's most watched programme
The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl is the most-watched programme in US TV history, early figures show.

West Ham chief urges players to take wage cut
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan will ask all the players and staff at the debt-ridden club to take a voluntary wage cut at the end of the season.

Wales make two changes for Scots
Wing Leigh Halfpenny and lock Jonathan Thomas are recalled to the Wales team to face Scotland in Saturday's RBS Six Nations match in Cardiff.

Ferdinand drops extra ban appeal
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand withdraws his appeal against an extra one-match ban for violent conduct.

How do you protect your children online?
Children as young as five are being targeted in a new online safety campaign. Is this the right approach?

'I thought I'd die'
Hero pilot on the Heathrow crash landing

Banana v KitKat
Which is better? It's time for a snack stand-off

dot.Rory
Child web safety: Which browser should you choose?

Daggers drawn
Should religion allow one knife, but not the other?

Life after Dizaei
What now for race relations in the police force?

Gold, myrrh and...
Could frankincense be used to treat cancer?

Man jailed for sister marriage scam
A Wiltshire man who plotted to "sell" his vulnerable sister into a sham marriage with a Chinese man in Berkshire is jailed.

Prison for casino gun attackers
A gang who plotted the murder of a businessman at an Edinburgh casino are jailed after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Student murder accused 'spat at'
An A-level pupil accused of killing her boyfriend said she was acting in self defence after he pushed, bit and spat at her.

Woman admits killing her husband
A mother-of-four who was facing trial for the murder of her estranged husband pleads guilty to his manslaughter.

Assembly backs Yar'Adua step-down
Both houses of Nigeria's National Assembly pass a motion for sick President Yar'Adua to hand power to his deputy.

First Lady tackles child obesity
First Lady Michelle Obama launches a nationwide campaign to tackle child obesity, which she says threatens America's future.

Iran 'ups nuclear fuel enriching'
Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of the West, state media says.

Charges over Philippine massacre
A former governor and 196 other people are charged with murder over an election-linked massacre in the Philippines.

Move to contest Ukrainian result
Supporters of defeated Ukrainian election candidate Yulia Tymoshenko say they want to challenge the results in court.

India defers first GM food crop
India defers the cultivation of what would have been its first genetically modified vegetable crop because of safety concerns.

January chill for housing market
Activity in the UK housing market was frozen by the icy weather in January, surveyors say, but prices continued to rise.

Doubt over electoral change plan
Downing Street has admitted "time is tight" to get laws passed for a public vote on changing the electoral system.

Fertile forties pregnancy warning
Experts fear older women are ditching contraception in the mistaken belief that fertility wanes at a certain age.

Teacher qualifications 'too low'
MPs say entry requirements for teacher training courses in England are too low and damage the status of the profession.

Enceladus water story reinforced
The Cassini probe returns yet more data to back up the idea of a sub-surface sea on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

White Stripes battle US Air Force
Rock band The White Stripes take on the US Air Force, complaining it used one of their songs in a TV advert without permission.

Smartphone keys get quantum trick
A quantum physics trick is set to give smartphones and hand-held devices pressure-sensitive switches and touchscreens.

BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition
Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news.

 

 

 

Senator Kennedy
(c) Paul Tong

Senator Kennedy's Legacy of Legislative Success
Amanda Ruggeri

Senator Ted Kennedy left behind a career as one of the most effective leaders in Congress. During his 46 years as a senator, the third longest of any senator in history, he helped craft legislation that profoundly reformed everything from the country's racial makeup to the federal government's role in education. That's not to say that he should be given all the credit, as much of his legislation was undertaken with Republicans in power. Some of his most important legislative accomplishments ...

81st Academy Awards - 2009 Oscar Winners & Nominations

2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

From the beach on Canouan Island in the Grenadines, supermodel Bar Refaeli graces the cover of the highly anticipated 2009 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE.

Refaeli, a three-year veteran of the SI SWIMSUIT ISSUE, is the first Israeli model to land the cover of the coveted magazine. Photographer Raphael Mazzucco, who also photographed the 2008 cover of Marisa Miller, captured the cover photo during a two-day shoot with Refaeli on Canouan Island in the Grenadines.

The 2009 SWIMSUIT ISSUE takes a journey to four countries with ancient cultures and pillars of modern beauty and makes stops in Naples, Italy; Cappadocia, Turkey; Riviera Maya, Mexico; and Tenerife, Canary Islands.

 

SUPER BOWL XLIII

Steelers Defeat Cardinals 27-23, Holmes MVP
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27 Cardinals 23

Santonio Holmes extended his arms, kept his feet on the ground and held on to Ben Roethlisberger's perfectly placed pass deep in the right corner of the end zone.

The amazing touchdown catch -- against three Cardinal defenders -- capped an 8-play 78 yard drive with 35 seconds remaining.

Thus, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

 

POLITICS