In Lisbon, they talk. In Afghanistan, they die.

Christopher Davies, 22, was the 100th British serviceman to die this year in a war that Nato’s leaders – gathered today for a crucial summit – have no idea how to win.

By Michael Savage and Kim Sengupta in Lisbon Saturday, 20 November 201

Christopher Davies, a guardsman with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, has been named as the 100th member of Britain’s armed forces fighting in Afghanistan to die this year.

The 22-year-old’s death was given extra poignancy yesterday as world leaders gathered to formulate an exit strategy from the bloody and intractable campaign. It has now claimed the lives of 345 British servicemen and women since it began in 2001.

Guardsman Davies, from St Helens, Merseyside, died after being ambushed and shot by insurgents while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand Province, on Wednesday.

World Toilet Day: Top 10 nations lacking toilets



 Stephen Kurczy, Staff writer

See a lot of people squatting in the open today? Don’t be offended. The so-called “big squat” was held worldwide to coincide with the 10th annual World Toilet Day, an initiative to bring awareness to the need for adequate sanitary facilities.

Every day, some 1.1 billion people go to the bathroom without any type of toilet, according to the World Health Organization. And even with a toilet, facilities are not necessarily sanitary. WaterAid America estimates that roughly 2.5 billion people – nearly 40 percent of the global population – do their business unsafely, often in public spaces.

USA

BP faces new fines over second Alaska spill

Oil giant BP ‘failed to respond to alarms’ and had suffered burst pipelines since 2001, Anchorage court told

Edward Helmore in New York

The Guardian, Saturday 20 November 2010

BP is facing new fines in connection with its criminal conviction for a huge oil spill on Alaska’s North Slope in 2006.

Federal probation officer Mary Frances Barnes argued in an Anchorage federal court yesterday that a second spill in Alaska in November last year constituted a violation of its probation.

In 2006, a corroded pipeline leaked 200,000 gallons of oil on to the tundra in the worst leak in the history of the North Slope. The company was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $20m (£12.5m) in criminal penalties and restitution..

U.S. wants to widen area in Pakistan where it can operate drones



By Greg Miller Washington Post Staff Writer  

ISLAMABAD – The United States has renewed pressure on Pakistan to expand the areas where CIA drones can operate inside the country, reflecting concern that the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan is being undermined by insurgents’ continued ability to take sanctuary across the border, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

The U.S. appeal has focused on the area surrounding the Pakistani city of Quetta, where the Afghan Taliban leadership is thought to be based. But the request also seeks to expand the boundaries for drone strikes in the tribal areas, which have been targeted in 101 attacks this year, the officials said.

Europe

Balotelli: The star playing a losing game against racism

Manchester City’s striker may be the future of the Italian football team, but he faces a familiar scourge back home.

By Peter Jenson Saturday, 20 November 2010

When Mario Balotelli appeared on the front of the Italian Vanity Fair in May this year wearing only the Italian flag, draped across his shoulders, he looked every bit the image of a modern multiracial nation. Italy, the picture told us, was embracing a rising force of football; young, handsome, gifted, black.

But the real story of one of Europe’s most controversial footballers, who left the Milanese club Internazionale in August and joined Manchester City, is neither as glossy, nor as simple, as that image would have us believe. Born Mario Barwuah to Ghanaian immigrants in Palermo in 1990, Balotelli has come to represent the complex picture of race in Italy all too accurately.

Berlusconi aide was ‘liaison’ with mafia  

 

Nov 20, 2010 8:18 AM | By Sapa-AFP  

Marcello Dell’Utri, an Italian senator who has been convicted of mafia association, was “a channel of liaison” between Berlusconi and the Cosa Nostra, the Palermo appeal court ruling for Dell’Utri from earlier this year said.

The 641-page court ruling was published in full by the ANSA news agency.

“The court concludes as proven the ‘mediation’ activity carried out by Dell’Utri… who acted as a channel of liaison between Cosa Nostra… and the Milanese businessman Silvio Berlusconi,” the ruling said.

Middle East

Egypt tells US not to interfere in its affairs  

The Irish Times – Saturday, November 20, 2010

Michael Jansen in Cairo

CAIRO HAS accused the US of interfering in Egypt’s affairs after Washington called for the deployment of monitors to observe next weekend’s parliamentary election.

“The latest positions taken by the administration towards Egyptian internal affairs is something that is absolutely unacceptable,” a foreign ministry statement declared.

“It is as if the United States has turned into a caretaker of how Egyptian society should conduct its politics. Whoever thinks that this is possible is deluded.”

Iran dismisses UN rights criticism

UN General Assembly’s human rights committee expressed “deep concern” over “ongoing human rights violations” in Iran.

Aljazeera

The resolution said the assembly “expresses deep concern at serious ongoing human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Such violations include torture, flogging, amputations, stoning, and “pervasive gender inequality and

violence against women”.

It also voiced “particular concern” at what it said was the government’s failure to launch a thorough investigation of alleged human rights violations in the wake of the contested presidential elections in 2009, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, was re-elected to the office.

‘No political prisoners’

But Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary-general of the Iranian high council for human rights, told Al Jazeera on Friday that Iran holds “no political prisoners” but that the country does have prisoners who are politically “outspoken”..

Asia

Asylum seekers sew lips shut over camp conditions

The Irish Times – Saturday, November 20, 2010

PÁDRAIG COLLINS in Sydney  

TEN ASYLUM seekers in a detention camp on Christmas Island (2,360 km off the coast of Western Australia) have sewn their lips shut in protest at conditions and are refusing medical treatment.

“This is distressing for me and most of the Australian people,” Australia’s immigration minister Chris Bowen told reporters in Sydney yesterday.

However he warned that the protesters’ action would make no difference to their cases. “Applications to come and stay in Australia are dealt with on their merit,” Mr Bowen said. “They cannot and will not be changed by any protests.”

Japan developers build a wall against yakuza



Hiroko Tabuchi

November 20, 2010

When the toasts are raised at the opening of the world’s tallest communications tower next year, yakuza gangsters will not be celebrating.

Japan’s criminal underworld has been banned from the construction of the 634-metre tower, as it has from many new projects.

“The mob cannot come here,” said Toru Hironaka, a lawyer who leads the legal team retained by the tower’s developers to keep out the crime syndicates..

Africa

Diamond producers slam watchdog on Zim gems

“The motives behind the attempt to block Zimbabwean diamonds are sinister,” said African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) executive secretary Edgar de Carvalho.

WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA Nov 20 2010 06:40  

“Zimbabwe cannot be held to ransom just because a minority of countries within the KP [Kimberley Process] continue to block consensus deliberately,” he said in a statement.

The Kimberley Process barred the sale of Marange diamonds in November 2009 following reports of human rights abuses by the army at the mine.

A monitor appointed by the watchdog in July partially lifted the ban, saying Zimbabwe had ceased abuses by the military, which seized control of the Marange fields in late 2008 and forced out tens of thousands of small-scale miners.

Latin America

 Angry gangs bring UN protest to Haitian capital



Stephane Jourdain

November 20, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Violent protests against United Nations peacekeepers, blamed for the cholera crisis, have spilled over into the country’s capital as gangs of angry Haitian youths trawl Port-au-Prince.

Organisers had urged people to vent their anger at the UN and the Haitian authorities in a demonstration at a main square by the presidential palace, but what happened was more like urban guerrilla warfare.

Tear gas filled the air and sporadic gunfire could be heard as gangs took to the streets of the quake-ravaged capital, blocking roads with barricades of burning tyres and dumpsters of rotten garbage.

Ignoring Asia A Blog

(10 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Last week in a New York Times report, While Warning About Fat, U.S. Pushes Cheese Sales, there was a conflict of interest story that would give any Tea Party member a coronary. It’s bad for Democrats too.

You know how the United States Department of Agriculture is running a federal anti-obesity drive? Well, how about the fact that they also advised Domino’s on how to develop a new line of pizzas with 40 percent more cheese, then helped them devise and pay for a $12 million marketing campaign. Sales soared by double digits.

That’s just the beginning. You should read the whole story about Dairy Management Inc. that was created by the government in 1995 and not only invented the “Got Milk” campaign but runs an aggressive campaign to promoting the excessive consumption of cheese and convince Americans that saturated fats are good for you.

It’s almost comical that a subsidiary of America’s nutrition police ran a national advertising campaign promoting the notion that people could lose weight by consuming more dairy and lobbied the Agriculture Department not to cut the amount of cheese in federal food assistance programs by citing these false weight-loss claims from research they mostly financed and already knew to be false.

Tonight on the PBS show that replaced Bill Moyers Journal “Need to Know,” there was a follow up report Mixed signals: Why is the USDA promoting nutrition and pushing cheese? I think it’s must see TV and goes a little further than “Got Milk?”

We wanted to know whether there are other examples of the USDA working at cross purposes with … the USDA. Sure enough, Need to Know correspondent Rick Karr found that the example cited by The Times isn’t the only case of the government sending mixed messages when it comes to the food we eat.

Starting off with some of the commercials with the USDA seal of approval like the marketing campaign for the sandwich that McDonald’s only offers certain times of year for fear of killing off their customers.

Oh and it gets worse. Most of the $700 million that is used to promote overeating is paid by farms and ranches while small and medium sized farms get almost no benefit from the promotion of fast food restaurants or research that is bad for you.

The wonderful Marion Nestle helps to explain the conflict of interest but Dr. David Aaron Kessler had the best line in the segment “Get the Tea Party focused on Cheese.”

The same old story, the agriculture lobby representing companies like Conagra, Monsanto and ADM gives plenty of cash to elected officials so they won’t do anything about it, so the government spends tons of money to make us both fat and skinny at the same time.  

With all that stacked against the American people perhaps Michelle Obama should just say “Cheese.”  

I have been threatening to write this for some time and finally got around to it.  The hard core conservative pundits have no compunction about calling their political opponents different names (“Rahm, Rahmbo, Dead Fish”, for example) and sometime the progressive pundits do the same.

However, the more progressive pundits have better manners than the conservative ones.  Since I have no manners at all, I have no compunction for making up names.  Ed Schultz does quite a few, like Slant Head and The Drugster, but I find them sort of weak.  Olbermann did better with Lonesome Rhodes, but that still does not have as much punch as I would like.

To make this more fun, I shall list some names and give sort of riddle as a hint, and then ask readers to guess the identity of the person in a comment.  If you have better ones, or if I leave out a favorite target of yours, please comment as well.

Before we continue with this piece, please allow me to congratulate Keith Olbermann for bringing back Worst Persons in the World.  This is one of the few venues that extremely serious questions are posited in not only an insightful, but indeed an humorous manner.  Please join me in welcoming this wonderful bit of his important program back after too long a hiatus.

Speaking of Keith, it looks like the management at MSNBC has done the right thing, or at least the fair thing, by suspending Joe Scarborough for making political contributions.  While I disagree with the policy, at least they seem to be applying it more fairly.  It had been known that Scarborough had done it, and finally the other shoe dropped.

This is an audience participation post tonight, so the more input the better.  Here are my criteria for a good name:  first, it has to describe the person in a manner that is not so obtuse that someone would have to be aware of an inside joke.  Second, any physical appearance, sexual identity (although gender descriptors, like Prince or Princess, are acceptable), or other cruel references are not allowed.  Third, except in very unusual circumstances, single word names are not allowed (definite and indefinite articles not counting).

Most of these people are regular Fox “News” Channel contributors, but not all are.  Almost all of them are well known to the progressive community, and have, for the most part, wingnut opinions.  These persons appear in no particular order, except my stream of consciousness.

To start, I have in the past referred to a certain pundit as The SOBber.  In keeping with my third rule, I have renamed him The SOBbing Alarmist.  The riddle is that he is sometimes referred to as being lonesome.  OK, that not that good a riddle.

That leads to the soon to be sworn in The SOBber of the House.  The riddle in included in the name itself.  Whilst not a pundit, he might as well be.

How about Former Almost Ambassador Dolt’un?  Name and riddle are once again self contained here.

On Sundays, there is often a pundit whom I call The Cabbage Club.  The riddle is that one has to have ein Bißchen Deutsch to decode that one.

On that same show, there is another commenter that might be termed The Englishman without Humor.  I had a better name, but it would have violated my second rule, and he is not really English.

Then there is the vile woman whom I call The Spawn of Aleister.  That one is pretty obtuse (both the name and the pundit), but she used to work for damned old Nixon.

With apologies to the late J. P. Richardson, Jr., there is The Big Bloviator, the current reigning blowhard.  You should have no trouble with this one.  It almost, but does not quite, violate my second rule.  Since The Big Bloviator has no respect for any aspect of anyone’s appearance, I shall let this one stand.

Of course, let us not forget The Long Island Loudmouth.  I think that this is a bit more apt than my old name for him, because of alliteration considerations.  He has been mentioned before in this post by a name that someone else has given him.

By the way, on his show Wednesday night (20101117) on The FOX “News” Channel, he had a guest whom I call, because of her extremely peevish behavior that night, The Petulant Princess.  I have looked high and low for a clip of this panel discussion to no avail.  Hopefully someone reading can find it.  It shows her for just what she is.  This clip is so rich that I will use her name, Ann Coulter, and hope that someone can find the clip where Peter Johnson (I THINK that is was he) absolutely took her apart!  She whines that she was not allowed to answer to his points, but she kept using her talking points instead.  He called her out on that, and then she cried to Hannity to save her.  When he did not, she demanded that Hannity use his “cut off” button, then swore that she would NEVER appear on camera with Johnson again.  Thus the name, The Petulant Princess.  Please folks, help me find the clip.  If you forward it in a comment, I will add it here and credit you for finding it.

I found the video, but the embed code will not work.  Here is the link:

http://www.newshounds.us/2010/…

Another female pundit with a very nasty attitude is whom I call The Menacing Malcontent.  Mainly she babbles nonsense, but that describes lots of those folks.  Alliteration works well here, since her real name is similarly crafted, and even several vowels in my name correspond with the ones in her real name.

Another female host on that particular “News” channel is whom I call Gertie van Shrill.  I apologize the the producers of the old Tom Slick cartoon where Gertie Growler was one of the good folks.

One of the very most offensive hosts on that channel is The IBS Man.  That is a fairly long reach, but you will think of it sometime around three AM Eastern.  Hopefully you can think of a better title for him.  His name does not give a lot with which to work, and I will not violate my second rule.

By that way, the program that he hosts is one of the most offensive in the FOX lineup.  It has all of the political jabs and distortion of fact that FOX has mastered, along with sexually innuendo humor that I might have found amusing when I was 12 years old.  This might lead to a better name, since he is so juvenile.  Remember, “Master” is the title for a juvenile male, so how about Master Bates?

So, so many more to go!  I have only skimmed the top, and will produce a few more.

There is one who used to work in The White House that has his own scatological title already, so I might not be able to improve on it.  Does anyone have a better name for him than Turdblossom?  Sometimes it is not wise to monkey with perfection.

I will not use a derogatory nickname for anyone who has held the office of President of the United States, as much as I am tempted to do for former President Bush, but for one exception.  I still call damned old Nixon damned old Nixon since he had to quit, and so he sullied the office.

Now, there is The Baby Wendell, trying hard to be a governor.  The scary staircase shot pretty much ruined his chances, but The Long Island Loudmouth still promotes him.  This guy is both small minded and ideological to the point of being ridiculous.

Another name that I like better than The Dog Man, who someone else gave him, is The Prick in the Sanatorium.  Just who might that be?

Well, I said that this is an audience participation installment this time, so please guess who I mean, suggest better names, and add characters who, I have left out of the list.  Look for Pique the Geek Sunday evening when I go through the impact of the pending tax legislation and the fallacy that allowing the 39.6% tax rate to return hurting “small business”.

Finally, I need some help in identifying a coin that I found today.  Here are pictures of it.  It appears to be from a Muslim country, as it looks to have a representation of a mosque on the rear.  Any assistance would be appreciated.

Obverse

Reverse

Its diameter is 0.787 inches, or 20.00 mm and the thickness is 0.073 inches, or 1.86 mm.  It appears to made of bronze.

UPDATE:  I just identified this as a Pakistani 1 rupee coin.

Thanks for the help, and warmest regards,

Doc

Crossposted at Docudharma.com and at Dailykos.com

Premiers!  Good for you.

Keith called out Jon Stewart last night on false equivalency-

Take the poll and tell Keith to bring back ‘Worst’ just the way it was (73% at the moment).

In other news- Joe “Dead Intern” Scarborough suspended!

• AMC– Jeepers Creepers x 2, The Walking Dead (this week’s)
• Bravo– A Knight’s Tale
• Discovery– Swamp Loggers (last week’s and new)
• ESPN– Hoopies, Thunder @ Celtics, Bulls @ Mavericks
• ESPN2– College Hoopies, Pittsburgh v. Texas, College Throwball, Fresno @ Boise
• Food– Outrageous (premier)
• FX– Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, My Super Ex-Girlfriend
• National Geographic– Dog Whisperer (premier)
• Nick– iCarly, Big Time Rush (premiers)
• Sci Fi– Sanctuary (premier)
• Speed– Turn Left Trucks Ford 200
• Style– Doc Hollywood
• TBS– Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with Boris Karloff!), Shrek, Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat
• Turner Classics– The Last Wave, Gallipoli
• TNT– The Bucket List
• Toon– Sym-Bionic Titan, Generator Rex, Clone Wars (premiers)
• True– Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura marathon (with premier)
• USA– National Treasure
• MTV– Dawn of the Dead x 2

Later-

• Bravo– The Legend of Zorro
• Oxygen– The Wedding Planner, Just Friends
• Sci Fi– Stargate Universe (this week’s), Sanctuary (Instapeat)
• Speed– Formula 1 Debrief (premier)
• TBS- Glory Daze (Series Premier repeat), Dead Man on Campus
• Turner Classic– Picnic at Hanging Rock
• TNT– Tombstone
• Toon– Childrens Hospital (Season Finale repeat)
• USA– The Golden Compass

Dave hosts Billy Bob Thornton, Mike E. Winfield, and the Secret Sisters (get a wiki page guys).

What your telling me Sir and correct me if I’m wrong, is that the infantry attack on Lone Pine, and our Light Horse attack on the Nek are diversions.

Oh, not just diversions Major, vital important diversions. Tonight, 25,000 British troops will land here at Suvla Bay. Our attacks are to draw the Turks down on us so the British can get ashore. Sorry I didn’t tell you this before, secrecy is vital.

But Sir, the Nek is a fortress. Protected by at least five machine guns at point-blank range.

Yeah, we’ve considered that Barton. We’re gonna hit their trenches with the heaviest barrage of the campaign just before your men go over the top.

By the time we’ve finished here, there won’t be a Turk within miles.

The Turks can keep us pinned down at ANZAC forever. This new British landing is our only hope. We must do what we can to make it succeed. Because of it does succeed, we’ll have Constantinople with a week, and knock Turkey out of the war.

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 60 Top Stories (my arbitrary limit).

1 Suspected Germany-bound bomb was ‘security test’

by Deborah Cole, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 11:16 am ET

2 NATO agrees on Europe-wide missile defence system

by Tangi Quemener, AFP

45 mins ago

3 NATO targets 2014 handover of Afghan war to Kabul

by Laurent Thomet, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 4:31 am ET

4 Bailout talks underway in crisis-hit Ireland

by Loic Vennin, AFP

26 mins ago

5 Bailout negotiations start in crisis-hit Ireland

by Loic Vennin, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 6:47 am ET

6 Positive dope test at Asian Games as taekwondo row grows

by Martin Parry, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 10:58 am ET

7 Broom-wielding quidditch players sweep New York

by Sebastian Smith, AFP

1 hr 43 mins ago

8 Anti-UN unrest spreads to Haiti capital

by Stephane Jourdain, AFP

Thu Nov 18, 7:24 pm ET

9 Anti-UN cholera riots spread to Haiti capital

by Stephane Jourdain, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 4:47 am ET

10 US calls for reduction in bluefin tuna catch: official

by Marlowe Hood, AFP

Thu Nov 18, 5:51 pm ET

11 Obama lauds GM stock sale as policy success

by Andrew Beatty, AFP

Thu Nov 18, 5:56 pm ET

12 Disgraced Oceania FIFA official to appeal ‘harsh’ ban

by Neil Sands, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 7:38 am ET

13 NATO opens summit to set Afghan war handover date

by Laurent Thomet, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 1:09 pm ET

14 World’s cardinals meet for sex abuse talks

by Michele Leridon, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 10:46 am ET

15 At least 27 missing after N.Zealand mine explosion

by Neil Sands, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 8:37 am ET

16 Thai ‘Red Shirts’ rally six months after crackdown

by Janesara Fugal, AFP

Fri Nov 19, 7:48 am ET

17 UN accuses Iran, Myanmar, N. Korea of rights abuse

AFP

Fri Nov 19, 4:38 am ET

18 Ireland nears aid deal as contagion fears persist

By Jan Strupczewski and Padraic Halpin, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 11:18 am ET

19 Bernanke hits back at Fed critics

By Gavin Jones, Reuters

2 hrs 41 mins ago

20 NATO wants Afghan security handover by the end of 2014

By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

48 mins ago

21 NATO readies for 2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan

By David Brunnstrom and Axel Bugge, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 9:33 am ET

22 Few Afghans know reason for war, new study shows

By Paul Tait, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 9:17 am ET

23 Ivory Coast to put troops in rebel zones for poll

By Ange Aboa and Tim Cocks, Reuters

1 hr 46 mins ago

24 Madagascar army rejects use of force against rebels

By Alain Iloniaina, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 11:56 am ET

25 Germany says Namibia terror scare only security test

By Erik Kirschbaum and Servaas van den Bosch, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 11:22 am ET

26 Congolese warlord on trial in The Hague

By Aaron Gray-Block, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 11:53 am ET

27 GM shares lose momentum in post-IPO NYSE return

By Clare Baldwin and Soyoung Kim, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 8:54 pm ET

28 Obama mulling more demands on Korea in trade talks

By Doug Palmer, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 7:37 pm ET

29 Suu Kyi sees army role in democratic Myanmar

By Jason Szep, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 10:56 am ET

30 Thai "red shirt" protesters return to Bangkok’s streets

By Ambika Ahuja, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 3:09 am ET

31 Lawmakers hit banks, regulators on foreclosures

By Dave Clarke and Corbett B. Daly, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 6:50 pm ET

32 Two longtime Madoff employees arrested and charged

By Grant McCool, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 6:30 pm ET

33 Democrats plan vote on middle-class tax cuts

By Kim Dixon and Richard Cowan, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 5:57 pm ET

34 Ex-car czar Rattner sued by Cuomo, settles with SEC

By Jonathan Stempel and Megan Davies, Reuters

Thu Nov 18, 5:43 pm ET

35 Most 9/11 responders settle suits over WTC dust

By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press

7 mins ago

36 FACT CHECK: Ban on pet projects mostly symbolic

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

53 mins ago

37 Obama: NATO to erect missile shield for Europe

By ROBERT BURNS and JULIE PACE, Associated Press

17 mins ago

38 Congress rookies vie for Capitol Hill office space

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press

45 mins ago

39 Astronauts open up world to Earthlings via photos

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

54 mins ago

40 Harvard, Yale abuzzzzzed over game’s vuvuzela ban

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press

19 mins ago

41 Secretive talks suggest progress in doping probe

By JOHN LEICESTER and ANDREW DAMPF, AP Sports Writers

2 hrs 5 mins ago

42 Obama in Portugal; meets with EU, NATO partners

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 11:29 am ET

43 Bernanke defends bond-purchase plan, warns China

By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer

Fri Nov 19, 12:25 pm ET

44 Irish, EU, IMF face marathon talks for loan deal

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK and GABRIELE STEINHAUSER, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 12:20 pm ET

45 Search delayed for 29 miners in New Zealand

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press

1 hr 32 mins ago

46 China’s Nobel fury unmatched since Soviet days

By BJOERN H. AMLAND and CHARLES HUTZLER and KARL RITTER, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 11:57 am ET

47 Palin book takes aim at some new targets

By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

Fri Nov 19, 2:22 pm ET

48 Mecca development promises pilgrims better hajj

By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 9:08 am ET

49 US-Russian ‘reset’ in trouble as nuke pact stalls

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 7:10 am ET

50 Shoppers shrug off fears about toxic reusable bags

By BEN DOBBIN, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 6:08 am ET

51 Mindful of costs, wary Michigan cheers GM IPO

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writer

Fri Nov 19, 6:31 am ET

52 Palin’s success raises tempers, boosts ratings

By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

Fri Nov 19, 6:32 am ET

53 1st black female US senator wants to lead Chicago

By DON BABWIN and DEANNA BELLANDI, Associated Press

54 mins ago

54 Bernanke on perilous ground for Fed chairman

By PAUL WISEMAN and JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writers

1 hr 23 mins ago

55 Ill. breeder scours roadsides for Midwest grapes

By DAVID MERCER, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 9:30 am ET

56 Democrats to hold votes on middle class tax cuts

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 1:16 am ET

57 APNewsBreak: New Jonestown memorial going forward

By TIM REITERMAN, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 12:35 am ET

58 NY Gitmo trial spurs fresh debate over detainees

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and TOM HAYS, Associated Press

Thu Nov 18, 11:51 pm ET

59 Obama seeks to show Europe he still cares

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press

Thu Nov 18, 10:31 pm ET

60 Airports consider congressman’s call to ditch TSA

By RAY HENRY and MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press

Thu Nov 18, 9:45 pm ET

“Punting the Pundits“ is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”.

Paul Krugman: Axis of Depression

What do the government of China, the government of Germany and the Republican Party have in common? They’re all trying to bully the Federal Reserve into calling off its efforts to create jobs. And the motives of all three are highly suspect. . . .

It’s no mystery why China and Germany are on the warpath against the Fed. Both nations are accustomed to running huge trade surpluses. But for some countries to run trade surpluses, others must run trade deficits – and, for years, that has meant us. The Fed’s expansionary policies, however, have the side effect of somewhat weakening the dollar, making U.S. goods more competitive, and paving the way for a smaller U.S. deficit. And the Chinese and Germans don’t want to see that happen. . . . .

But why are Republicans joining in this attack?

Mr. Bernanke and his colleagues seem stunned to find themselves in the cross hairs. They thought they were acting in the spirit of none other than Milton Friedman, who blamed the Fed for not acting more forcefully during the Great Depression – and who, in 1998, called on the Bank of Japan to “buy government bonds on the open market,” exactly what the Fed is now doing.

Republicans, however, will have none of it, raising objections that range from the odd to the incoherent.

Morris Davis: A Terrorist Gets What He Deserves

(Critics) of President Obama’s decision to prosecute Guantánamo Bay detainees in federal courts have seized on the verdict in the Ahmed Ghailani case as proof that federal trials are a disastrous failure. After the jury on Wednesday found Mr. Ghailani guilty of only one charge in the 1998 African embassy bombings, Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, called on the administration to “admit it was wrong and assure us just as confidently that terrorists will be tried from now on in the military commission system.” . . . .

President Obama is in a no-win situation when it comes to trying detainees – any forum he chooses will set off critics on one side of the debate or the other. I hope he pauses to reflect on what he said at the National Archives in May 2009: “Some have derided our federal courts as incapable of handling the trials of terrorists. They are wrong. Our courts and our juries, our citizens, are tough enough to convict terrorists.”

The Ghailani trial delivered justice. It did so safely and securely, while upholding the values that have defined America. Now Mr. Obama should stand up to the fear-mongers who want to take us back to the wrong side of history.

Morris Davis, a former Air Force colonel, was the chief prosecutor for the military commissions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, from 2005 to 2007. He is the director of the Crimes of War Project.

Eugene Robinson: Obama’s opportunity to be the decider

For what it’s worth, my advice for Obama is to forget the Republicans. Not literally, of course – the new House leadership is going to make itself hard to ignore. But ultimately, it’s the president who sets the agenda and who ultimately is held accountable for America’s successes and failures. Obama’s focus should be on using all the tools at his disposal to move the country in the direction he believes it must go.

A new report by the Center for American Progress – a think tank headed by John Podesta, former chief of staff to Bill Clinton – seeks to remind Obama that shepherding legislation through Congress is only one of the ways a president can get things done. . . .

Progressives are right when they complain that the White House must do a much better job of making the case for its policies. But the challenge goes well beyond communications. Judging by the way they snubbed Obama’s invitation to break bread together, Republicans seem eager for gridlock – and the chance to blame the president for not getting anything done.

That may be the GOP’s preferred story line, but Obama can write a narrative of his own. He’s the Decider now.

Kristin Gillibrand: The Time to Pass the 9/11 Health Bill Is Now

On September 11, 2001, when thousands of innocent men and women lost their lives, tens of thousands more came to their assistance. We as a nation saw greater acts of heroism than we could ever have imagined: first responders from all over New York and all over the country came to Ground Zero to save innocent lives, provide proper burial for lives that were lost, and assist in the enormous effort to clean up and recover from that devastating attack on our nation.

Tragically, in the nine years since the attack, more than 30,000 responders and survivors from across the country have required medical treatment due to their exposure to Ground Zero toxins. Now, they are waiting for Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to ensure that they can continue to get the care they need. . . .

The men and women who lived through and came to our rescue on 9/11 were not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. They were Americans first and foremost and so were the people they saved.

It’s time for us in Congress to honor their sacrifices by coming together as Americans, and keeping our promise to provide them with the care they need to save their lives.

Dianne Feinstein: Chemical Industry Lobbyists Block Measure to Protect Infants and Toddlers

One day our children will look back and wonder why we willingly risked our health by exposing ourselves to harmful chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in thousands of consumer products. Unfortunately, chemical industry lobbyists wish to delay the inevitable for as long as possible. Just as the tobacco industry once told us it was safe to smoke cigarettes, the chemical industry is trying to tell us it’s OK to ingest harmful chemicals. It’s not OK. . . .

We should not use our kids as guinea pigs by taking chances on a chemical that can seriously harm their immediate and long-term health. No chemical should be used in food products until it is proven to be safe. I will continue the fight to ban BPA-laden products by introducing new legislation next year.

I hope consumers continue to vote with their pocketbooks and support BPA-free products. Working together, we can make sure that — one way or another — these chemical companies are forced to do the right thing and take BPA out of baby products.

Karen J. Greenberg: Guilty Until Proven Guilty: Threatening the Presumption of Innocence

Liberty versus security, that initial heated debate over the war on terror, is again rearing its head with much bravado, nowhere more so than in our nation’s courtrooms where American justice continues to pay the price.

Over the course of the past nine years, in the name of counterterrorism, there has been a notable and unappreciated development inside the criminal justice system that is cause for alarm: a growing, if often veiled, intolerance for basic guarantees of justice in cases where “national security” is invoked. This trend leaves the nation’s justice system at risk.The deepest principle of American justice is being tested, right now in Washington, in lower Manhattan in the wake of the Ghailani verdict, and elsewhere. With terrorism trials, the more serious they get, the more the presumption of innocence seems to lie at the mercy of politics. . . .

The deepest principle of American justice is being tested, right now in Washington, in lower Manhattan in the wake of the Ghailani verdict, and elsewhere. With terrorism trials, the more serious they get, the more the presumption of innocence seems to lie at the mercy of politics.

Isabeau Doucet: Why Desperate Haitians Want to Kick Out UN Troops

The crisis in Haiti follows decades of economic exploitation and gifts with chains attached – no wonder its citizens are angry

You may have heard about the civil unrest in Haiti over recent days, on the heels of a hurricane that thwarted efforts to contain a cholera epidemic that is now a national emergency. All this may fit the image often painted of this much-maligned country: crushing poverty, endemic corruption, the threat of violence so constant that international peacekeepers are required to stop Haitians tearing each other apart.

Well, the poverty and the corruption may be true. But on Thursday, demonstrations calling for the departure of the UN troops, known as Minustah, will be held throughout Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, by students, grassroots organisations, opposition groups excluded from the elections, and – most importantly – citizens united by a common cause: that Haiti’s escalating nightmares must end now.

Roger Cohen: This Sceptered Isle

LONDON – I left a ramshackle, rumpled and rather gloomy Britain three decades ago and returned recently to the surveillance state.

On an average day in London you can expect to be filmed by more than 300 cameras. Eight British cities, including Wigan, have more cameras than Paris. You see them everywhere – and they see you. The omnipresence of Big Brother is scarcely an upper.

So I was intrigued to see that the government plans to introduce a “happiness index,” a measure of the psychological wellbeing of Brits. That struck me as a bold move in a cold season of insecurity and cuts. Then – politicians need luck – a royal wedding was announced, sending everyone’s felicitometer up a blip or two.

Ireland: The big uncertainties

Robert Peston, BBC

15:38 UK time, Thursday, 18 November 2010

It would be far cheaper for the Irish government if markets were to be reassured by the existence of a substantial borrowing facility – because Ireland would only pay the full 5% interest rate on drawn down loans.

…

(I)t is the perceived weakness of Ireland’s bloated, lossmaking banks that is the fundamental problem.

That said, is it the case that these hobbled banks would be able to borrow from commercial lenders again, and would become less dependent on the European Central Bank for funds, if all that happened was that a few more tens of billions of euros was injected into them as new capital, as additional protection against losses?

Or would investors and banks still be wary of lending to these banks, if they felt that the entity standing behind the banks – the Irish state – remained a credit of dubious worth?

…

(T)he other huge unknown is over the other strings and conditions that would be attached to the loans or borrowing facilities.

In particular, will Germany get its way and force the Irish government to raise its 12.5% corporate tax rate, which the German government has long seen as unfair tax competition, as a de facto bribe to big international companies to settle in Dublin?

…

Curiously the Irish government’s preferred tax-raising measure, I am told by officials, is to increase the number of citizens paying income tax, by lowering the income threshold at which income tax is payable.

I’m not sure whether the economics of keeping corporation tax low while raising more from low-income families quite works. But the politics is certainly very intriguing.

The peace prize war

Nobel ceremony may be cancelled, for the first time in 106 years, after China threatens diplomats in row over jailed dissident

By Paul Vallely Friday, 19 November 2010

For the first time in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize the award may not be handed out this year after a strenuous campaign by the Chinese government to stop one of its citizens, the jailed human rights campaigner Liu Xiaobo, receiving the honour.

Under Nobel Prize rules, the 10 million kronor (£880,000) award can only be collected by the laureate or a close family member.

The government in Beijing placed Mr Liu’s wife under house arrest as soon as the award was announced last month and his two brothers are under surveillance.

Conservationists launch appeal to save nature’s ‘ugly ducklings’

Creatures including hose-nosed tapirs and bat-eared bushbabies struggling to attract funding to keep them from extinction

Press Association The Guardian, Friday 19 November 2010  

Conservationists today made an appeal for help for some of the world’s strangest mammals.

The creatures, including hose-nosed tapirs, a bat-eared bushbaby and a scaly anteater, are described as nature’s “ugly ducklings”.

They are finding it hard to compete with the “poster boys of conservation” when it comes to attracting the funding needed to save them from extinction, say experts.

USA

Obama Forces Showdown With G.O.P. on Arms Pact



By PETER BAKER Published: November 18, 2010  

WASHINGTON – Just two weeks after an election that left him struggling to find his way forward, President Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans in a make-or-break battle over arms control that could be an early test of his mettle heading into the final two years of his term.  He is pushing for a vote on a signature issue despite long odds, daring Republicans to block an arms-control treaty at the risk of disrupting relations with Russia and the international coalition that opposes Iran’s nuclear program. If he succeeds, Mr. Obama will demonstrate strength following the midterm election debacle. If he fails, he will reinforce the perception at home and abroad that he is a weakened president.

One family’s plunge from the middle class into poverty



By Wil Haygood Washington Post Staff Writer

IN FORT MYERS, FLA. Chrissanda Walker’s bourbon-glazed chicken is just out of the oven. The bread pudding is finished. The collard greens worry her, though; she doesn’t want to overcook them. Walker looks at the clock. It’s 10 a.m. She’s been on her feet since 6.  

Walker used to make $100,000 a year as a nursing home executive until she lost her job a year and a half ago. Unable to find a new one, she shed her business suits and high heels and put on an apron and soft-soled shoes. This year, she and her daughter are living on $11,000: her unemployment benefits plus whatever she can earn selling home-cooked dinners for $10 apiece.

Europe

Nato to debate Afghanistan at crucial Lisbon summit

Nato members are preparing to meet in Portugal for what is being billed as one of the most crucial summits in the alliance’s 61-year history.  

The BBC  19 November 2010

The 28 member states are hoping to reach a “New Strategic Concept” to shape the way Nato defends itself against threats over the next decade.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will also attend, in a sign of warming ties.

Afghanistan will be top of the agenda, with plans to bring Nato’s combat operations to an end by 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is scheduled to address the summit on Saturday, has said he wants Nato to hand back control of the country by the end of 2014 – a deadline the US has described as realistic but not set in stone.

Irish bank woes trigger urgent talks to end crisis  

 

Paola Totaro HERALD CORRESPONDENT

November 19, 2010

Emergency negotiations were unfolding in Dublin yesterday as fears about the Irish Republic’s ailing banking system forced the deployment of an emergency team from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

Signs were emerging that Ireland may accept some kind of rescue package despite Dublin continuing to resist pressure. The Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, has insisted the IMF and EU team will explore the need for help but not a bailout.

Middle East

Al-Qaeda ideologue held in Syria  

ATOL EXCLUSIVE

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

ISLAMABAD – The al-Qaeda ideologue responsible for formulating strategy in the South Asia war theater, and who also instigating a rebellion against the Pakistani armed forces among Pakistani tribesmen and jihadi militants in the cities, has been languishing in a Syrian prison for the past several months.

Seventy-year-old Egyptian Abu “Amr” Abd al-Hakim Hassan, popularly known as Sheikh Essa, was arrested in Syria in 2009 and, according to high-profile intelligence sources, is in a poor state of health.

His presence confirms that a sizeable number of al-Qaeda leaders have now moved to the Middle East to turn neighboring Iraq into their strategic backyard and to ensure that the insurgency there flares up once again.

How to win power in Egypt

Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin examines the key to controlling Egypt ahead of a parliamentary election.

Ayman Mohyeldin

It is that time again when Egyptians will head to the polls to drive the democratic engine of the Arab world’s most populous country.

But if anyone is expecting that engine to send the country into a fiery jumpstart, do not hold your breath.

Sad to say, the engine is puttering along and could use a kick-start, but the question on everyone’s mind, both inside and outside government, is when, how and who exactly will begin the process.

Most Egyptians agree on one thing, though – they are all tired of being kicked around.

‘Sham-ocracy’

Sure, the democratic processes in Egypt are there, well written on paper for all to see. Yes, pluralism exists in the political parties. Indeed, civil society is robust, holding workshops to train cadres of election monitors and observers. True, the media has been emboldened to be more daring in issue-driven coverage of the country.

Asia

Chinese woman sent to labour camp for retweeting

Cheng Jianping, 46, re-posted a message from the social networking site hinting that Chinese protesters should smash the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo

Associated Press guardian.co.uk, Friday 19 November 2010  

China has sentenced a woman to a year in a labour camp for “disrupting social order” by retweeting a satirical message urging Chinese protesters to smash the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, an international rights group said.

Cheng Jianping, 46, re-posted a message from the social networking site Twitter last month hinting that Chinese protesters should smash the Japan pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and adding on the message “Angry youth, charge!” according to Amnesty International, which condemned the sentence in a statement last night.

Aung San Suu Kyi: Determined to build on national euphoria

The Burmese dissident and democracy leader speaks to The Independent after seven years in prison

By Phoebe Kennedy in Rangoon Friday, 19 November 2010

“No, no, not there, sit down here next to me,” commands Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese dissident and democracy leader, when I try to take a more formal position across the teak coffee table for our interview. Five days after her release from house arrest, Ms Suu Kyi is keeping up a punishing schedule of meetings and interviews, briefings from her colleagues and phone calls from world leaders, while all the time worrying about whether her son will be granted a visa to visit her.

Africa

Madagascan coup attempt fizzling



ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR Nov 19 2010  

The military officers called reporters to a base near the airport on Wednesday, prepared to read a list of their demands. Outside the base, the nation was voting on a new constitution proposed by Andry Rajoelina, who grabbed power with military backing last year. The officers’ list included a call on soldiers and civilians to rally and topple Rajoelina, but there was little sign of an uprising.

Instead, Malagasy, as the people of this Indian Ocean island are known, kept voting. Rajoelina, leaving a polling station, said he had never felt threatened. He said the majority of the military was behind him “and not bothered by declarations from a handful of people”.

Latin America

Amazon champ meets his match  



Alexandra Topping and Arnel Hecimovic

November 19, 2010

TAKING a plunge in the Amazon – arguably the world’s most formidable river – is not for the faint-hearted. Piranhas, sharp-toothed sharks and deadly whirlpools are just a few of its perils.

But they appear to have been no deterrent to Serbian Darko Novovic, who claims to have slashed by 20 days the world record for swimming the South American river.

Ignoring Asia A Blog

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

All of us the left who have witnessed Rep. Alan Grayson’s interviews and speeches on the Floor of the House will miss him. Mr. Grayson, despited his defeat in this last election, is not going quietly into that good night. I expect that we will hear from him.

Alan Grayson: Five Things The Rich Can Do With Their Tax Cuts

WASHINGTON — Alan Grayson (D-Florida) wants everyone to know that he is not in favor of extending the Bush cuts for the wealthy, which would average out to about $83,347 a year for each person in the top 1 percent of the U.S. income bracket. To drive his point home, he made a list for lawmakers on the House floor Wednesday night of the many ways those “high and mighty” individuals making an average of $1.4 million a year will be able to use that extra cash.