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Under COBRA, Act Quickly to Retain Health Plan After Job Loss
Kathy Kristof
If you’ve lost your job, you need to act fast to maintain adequate health insurance. You have to decide, within 60 days of your separation, whether you want to stay on your former employer’s plan through COBRA.
Job-Winning Tactics for Phone Interviews
Joyce Lain Kennedy – Careers Now
Nowadays it seems that about 90 percent of the initial job interview is done via phone — questions asked to see if you make the cut for the in-person interview. I hardly ever get any further than the phone interview
Job Search: Pulling Out All the Stops
Joyce Lain Kennedy – Careers Now
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveals that less than one job opening exists for every five seekers. Clearly, the time has come to pull out all the stops in your search and begin thinking outside the box.
Investors Near Retirement Age Face Big Challenges
Mark Miller – Retire Smart
New data shows just how steep a climb older investors face in attempting to recover from the market crash. It appears that younger retirement investors are faring much better than those near retirement age in bouncing back from last year’s market crash.
Avoid These Personal Investing & Financial Gaffes
Andrew Leckey
People want to read about how to make money, not how to avoid losing money. The depth of this recession, however, makes capital preservation every bit as important as positioning yourself to make money as the economy improves. Investors typically make mistakes during this murky in-between economic period.
How to Check Your Life Insurer’s Health
Kathy Kristof
If you want to know why it’s important to know the health of your life insurance company, ask Vince Watson. His daughter, Katie, was left severely disabled and in need of 24-hour care. The life insurance policy that was supposed to pay for Katie’s care for the rest of her life. But less than a decade later, the insurance company failed and the Watsons learned a hard lesson about the limits on life insurance company guaranty funds.
Choose an Investment Professional Carefully
Andrew Leckey
When it comes to selecting an investment professional, trust is a relative term. Many investors understandably feel a need for additional
help in navigating today’s volatile markets and economy. That means carefully checking out individual securities brokers or financial
planners to find those who merit their confidence.
If Retirement Planning Is a Game Show, Most Couples Are Failing
Mark Miller – Retire Smart
The Fidelity Investments Couples Retirement Survey results should be embarrassing for anyone age 45 to 72 who is married (the range of ages studied). It seems husbands and wives are doing a remarkably poor job of communicating, managing and planning for retirement.
Immediate Annuities Offer Security, But Tread Carefully
Humberto Cruz – Savings Game
An immediate or income annuity is an insurance product that turns a lump sum premium into lifetime income. Many people
hate giving up their principal to an insurance company, and immediate annuities had been slow to catch on. But amid the stock market
meltdown.
Aston Martin DB9 Volante & Rolls-Royce Phantom
Test Drive by Jim Mateja
Aston Martin DB9 Volante
What better than a pair of once-in-a-lifetime machines: the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
The 2009 DB9 Volante (convertible) tops $200,000 after options. The link to James Bond is standard. But that’s a
bargain compared with the $380,000 base price on the 2009.5 Rolls-Royce Phantom we piloted. The 6.75-liter, 453-h.p. V-12 is potent and
impressive and so silent that we committed the cardinal sin of trying to restart an idling car …
Auto Review Toyota Prius
Test Drive by Jim Mateja
The Toyota Prius that debuted in the U.S. in the 2001 model year has become the nation’s best-selling hybrid.
But with Chevrolet, Saturn, Ford, Mercury and Honda now in the game, Prius needs more than just high gas prices to keep folks interested.
Perhaps the 50 m.p.g. city/48 m.p.g. highway rating in Gen III will do it. That’s a sizable gain from the industry leading 48/45 for 2009.
It also delivers a 600-mile range …
Academy Awards Expand Oscar Best Picture Nominations to 10
Timothy M. Gray
And the winner is… well, actually there are lots of winners with the decision to broaden the best-picture Oscar race to 10 films. The board’s
decision to double the category to 10 nominees “may make it more interesting and less cloistered,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts &
Sciences president Sid Ganis at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble Dessert Recipe
Wolfgang Puck
One of my favorite things to do with fresh berries is to prepare a crumble. This classic dessert is made by tossing the fruit with a
little sugar and sweet spices; spreading it in a baking dish; scattering on a hand-crumbled mixture of flour, other grains, or nuts,
sugar and butter; then baking the whole thing until the juices are syrupy and bubbly and the topping turns brown and crunchy.
Salad Nicoise, A Colorful Summertime Salad Recipe
Diane Rossen Worthington
This classic Provencal salad is said to originate in the city of Nice, France. It can be served on a bed of lettuce with the vegetables grouped together along with the eggs, tuna and black olives.
Shrimp and Salad Greens Recipe
Bev Bennett
Shrimp is delicious in a simple salad of greens and an Asian-influenced salad dressing. Nuts bring a lively texture to the dish.
Salt and Pepper Shrimp: Sweet, Salty, Crisp — the Perfect Shrimp Recipe
Anne Willan
Occasionally an ideal recipe comes along, and here is one of them. Salt and pepper shrimp need only a skillet (well, two actually) and tongs for turning. They can be cooked indoors or outside on the grill. Any shrimp will do, large or small
Mocktails: Making Memorable Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Jenn Garbee
You’ve hosted dozens of summer barbecues without giving the non-alcoholic beverages a second thought. However,
serving powdered lemonade again this year suddenly sounds like a bad idea. The good news is making memorable mocktails — cocktails
without the power — is even easier than shaking up spiked drinks. Without the spirit, you’re dealing with one less flavor wild card.
It’s easier still if you approach them as gussied up versions of lemon and limeade.
Corn, Leek and Chorizo Gratin Recipe
Betty Rosbottom
This Corn, Leek and Chorizo Gratin Recipe is delectable as a summer staple. Diced chorizo, the slightly spicy Spanish sausage, fresh corn
kernels, and chopped leeks are sauteed. This dish makes a fine side to such main courses as barbecued chicken, grilled steaks, or sauteed
pork chops.
Talk About an Air Strip
by Dave Barry
For some reason, my traveling party had been singled out by the security people for a near-proctological level of scrutiny. This surprised me, because my party consisted of me, my wife and our 20-month-old daughter. I cannot imagine terrorists getting anything done if they were traveling with a baby
The Class-Conscious Diet
by Dave Barry
My favorite part of The New York Times is a weekly section that reports on things that trendy New Yorkers are doing. This section is called Sunday Styles, because it would be rude to come right out and call it Rich Twits on Parade.
Born to Lose
by Andy Rooney
I’m a world-class loser. There are very few people better at losing things than I am. I was getting into bed and I thought to myself, “Maybe losing stuff would make a column.” So I scribbled some notes about it on a piece of paper, turned out the lights and went to sleep …
Summer Vacation: It’s That Time of Year, Again
by Andy Rooney
Looking forward to a good time is one of the pleasures of life, and it’s that time of the year for me. It’s just before my summer vacation. Looking forward to a vacation can often be better than the vacation itself.
School’s Over Way Too Soon, Literally
by Ana Veciana-Suarez
These days, though, pushing for a longer school year is akin to asking the boss for a pay raise. Chances are I’ll get laughed right out the recessionary door. School districts around the country have cut programs and laid off teachers. How are we going to fund an initiative that obviously will require more money
New Initiatives Tout Value of Microchipping Pets
By Steve Dale
A microchip is a permanent form of identification; it’s the size of a grain of rice and is implanted just under a pet’s skin by a veterinarian. Estimates are that somewhere around half of all dogs in the U.S. are microchipped, yet less then 10 percent of cats have chips.
Tick Numbers Climbing, Even in Urban Areas
By Steve Dale
Ticks, and the diseases they transmit, are now in all 50 states. And experts concur that their numbers are rising. Dr. Dwight Bowman, a veterinary parisitologist at Cornell University, says that a general increase in wildlife numbers — including deer, wild turkey, raccoon and other animals — intersecting with suburbia likely has the most impact
Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon
Leonard Pitts Jr.
Sometimes, death is lightning from a clear blue sky, a car that runs the red light, ice-cold water dumped on you from behind. That’s how it was last week when Michael Jackson died.
Michael Jackson: ‘Thriller’ Was Greatest Triumph, Greatest Tragedy
Leonard Pitts Jr.
I got to interview Michael Jackson only once, at the family home in Encino, Calif. I remember Jackson did not walk about the place so much as haunt it, slumping from room to room as a great weight rested upon his sparrow shoulders.
Michael Jackson’s Creative Self-Destruction
Clarence Page
Which was your favorite Michael Jackson? News that the “King of Pop” had died at age 50 might well have felt more shocking had he not shocked us so often in the past. He shocked the world in a good way back when he was a kid.
Remembering My Michael Jackson
Liz Smith
Here’s how I want to remember Michael — not as the mega-star, not as Wacko Jacko, but as a lovely boy
whom I got to know a bit during the filming of “The Wiz” when he was 16. He was shy — surprisingly so, for somebody who was
already a show biz veteran, and a star. His solo “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” albums were just around the corner. He was
still the brilliant lead singer of the Jackson Five — a group that never would have gotten off the ground had it not been
for Michael’s unique talents.
Gardening – Not Too Late to Plant Vegetables
Cultivating Life by Sean Conway
If you’re just realizing that summer is here and you never got around to planting a vegetable garden, don’t despair. While it may be too late to plant cool season crops such as peas, lettuce and broccoli, it is still not too late to plant heat-loving vegetables.
Gardening – Clay, the Unsung Mineral Beneath Your Feet
Cultivating Life by Sean Conway
The amount of clay in our soil has a lot to do with how well the soil drains, and how well plants will
grow in it. Most soils are composed of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Good garden soil contains a balance of these
components, but when there is an overabundance of one or the other, many plants simply will not grow — or grow well — in it.
Why Paint When You Can Give the House a Good Wash
Ask the Builder – Tim Carter
Painting the exterior of a home can be very expensive, and sometimes it’s not necessary. I’ll gladly
share my exterior cleaning house tips. It might save you thousands of dollars.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Emma, Watson, Daniel Radcliffe & Rupert Grint
This meticulously atmospheric, wonderfully acted Potter adventure lands happily — broodingly, but
happily — near the top of the series heap. As the concerns of novelist J.K. Rowling’s characters gravitate toward matters
of the heart and the hormones, the Potter films are leaving childhood behind.
500 Days of Summer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays L.A. greeting-card writer Tom, whose heart gets kicked around by free-spirited co-worker Summer (Zooey Deschanel). As Tom sifts through memories of his time with Summer, the movie clicks onto different days, out of order, letting us eavesdrop on one vignette or conversation or argument after another. “Days” plays some fun structural mind games, Deschanel is captivating, and the film has an easygoing, inquisitive spirit.
The Hurt Locker
Jeremy Renner & Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker
Vivid, assured and extremely suspenseful, director Kathryn Bigelow’s latest (and strongest) film takes
moviegoers by the collar and throws them headlong into one horrifying life-and-death situation after another. Jeremy Renner
plays a soldier in Iraq running toward the explosives while everyone else is ducking and covering.
Time will tell if this politically neutral war movie is a classic, but it’s certainly a formidable experience
Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen & Gustaf Hammarsten in Bruno
Extraordinarily raunchy, occasionally funny, Bruno takes everything Borat did so well three years ago
and pushes it further, swapping one primary target for another. But comic nerve has little to do with sheer excess. The
fashionista at the center of Bruno” is a pretty tedious fellow …
I Love You Beth Cooper
Hayden Panettiere & Paul Rust in I Love You Beth Cooper
Provides so few laughs, I nearly wandered out of the theater midway to go look for some somewhere.
Columbus strains to set up sight gags. You may wince, but it’s not a ha-ha wince. Both as written and acted, Denis quickly
becomes a tedious motormouth, not helped by Columbus’ uncertain pacing, with big, blobby pauses clogging up the plot machinery.
Blood: The Last Vampire
Gianna & Allison Miller in Blood: The Last Vampire
A beautiful half-human, half-vampire government agent (played by one-named South Korean star Gianna)
hunts demons in Japan with her American schoolgirl sidekick during the Vietnam War. If you’re going “huh?” already, just wait. …
Feel the Spirit
Rick Steves
For years, I’ve believed that anyone who enjoys getting close to God should pack their spirituality
along with them in their travels. Here are some experiences in Europe that spiritual people — from conservative Catholics
to Buddhists to tree-huggers to Methodists to curious European bus drivers who’ve never thought about this while on a tour
before — would enjoy.
Taking the Kids – Seeing More Than the Typical Sites in New York City
Eileen Ogintz
Visitors to New York have their pick of world-class iconic sites — Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, two new Major League baseball stadiums, Empire State Building and Central Park. But there is a lot more to New York especially for the kids
Taking the Kids – Shaun White at Skateboard Camp in the Cayman Islands
Eileen Ogintz
It’s vacation and the teens are awake and ready to roll before 8 a.m.! The 22-year-old White has come down to Grand Cayman, his parents and sister in tow, to inaugurate Skate Cayman an 11-week summer program
The Case Against (Some) ETFs
By Kirk Shinkle
Touted as a revolution in transparency, cost, and access to exotic investments, ETFs are now being slammed
for inefficiencies, hidden fees, and opaque structures. Some experts argue that ETFs are just the latest means for investment advisers
to hoist flawed products on unsuspecting customers. …
5 Funds That Are Off to a Fast Start in 2009
By Katy Marquardt
Categorywise, large growth, midsized growth, and small growth funds have fared the best so far this year (although small
companies have led the rally over the past three months). But not all of the top performing funds fall into one of those categories. Here’s a
look at some of the front-runners among diversified U.S. stock funds … But beware …
After the Housing Crisis
By Ilyce Glink
Much has changed in the world of real estate over the past 18 months — new tax credits, tax deductions,
and tax laws relating to short sales and foreclosures. New rules relating to appraisals, mortgages and home equity loans. And
there are new entities to oversee and manage the crisis. Despite these changes, some key parts of the home buying process
haven’t changed at all. Here is a list of things that have remained constant through the tumult …
10 Most Dollar-Discounted Housing Markets
By Luke Mullins
As the historic real estate bust continues to gut home prices throughout the country, property owners everywhere
are scrambling to attract buyers. For some home sellers, that might mean chipping in for closing costs; others might try to sweeten the
deal by handing out perks, like a free parking spot. But for many homeowners, the most efficient way to sell a home in a depressed market
is to simply drop the listing price.
Entrepreneur: Why You Should Outsource Domestic Chores Now
Kimberly Palmer
Outsourcing chores by hiring a cleaning service or personal assistant might sound like the kind of splurge that a
recession-era budget would quickly eliminate. But outsourcing certain household tasks can end up saving so much time and energy that the
cost is well worth it — as long as you use your newly freed-up time wisely.
10 Great Places for Entrepreneurs to Retire: Jump in Start-ups Led by Baby Boomers
Emily Brandon
Entrepreneurs never really retire. Contrary to the stereotype of 20-somethings starting Web-based businesses in their
basements, it’s actually the baby boomers who best embody the entrepreneurial spirit.
Entrepreneur: 6 Tips for Starting a Small Business After Age 50
Emily Brandon
Starting a business is difficult at any age. Here are some tips to help baby boomer start-ups boom: Tap your network.
Use your experience. Find start-up funds
Cyberwar Is the New Atomic Age
Mike McConnell Interview
A level of vulnerability has been introduced into our way of life that is unprecedented. We now have a smaller connected globe where information can be moved in seconds, where information managed by computer networks — which runs our utilities, our transportation, our banking and communications — can be exploited or attacked in seconds from a remote location overseas
All-in-One PCs Take Aim at the Kitchen
Most PC-savvy Americans keep their address books, calendars, and notes on computers. But not the family address book
and calendar, which stick stubbornly to corkboard and paper in a corner of a busy kitchen. PC Manufacturers like Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Averatec, Asus,
Acer, and others are aiming new desktop models at the kitchen, or whichever crowded room is the center of a busy household. They’re pitching
relatively inexpensive all-in-one computers that bring added power to Mom’s calendar while not taking much more space than the paper version.
Obama Administration Launches Technology Spending Tracker
by Nikki Schwab
In this year’s budget, 72 billion tax dollars were budgeted for IT projects. And today, the Obama White House unveiled a way for citizens to
keep track of it.
Things to Avoid When Trying to Cut Health Costs
Kimberly Lankford – Kiplinger Personal Finance
Everyone’s looking for ways to trim expenses including ways to reduce healthcare and health-insurance costs. However, people have been making big mistakes in an attempt to save money. Avoid the following pitfalls, which can actually end up costing you more money
Day of Reckoning at Hand for Health Insurers
by Robyn Blumner
President Obama and the Democratically-led Congress are rolling up their sleeves, sharpening pencils and trying to deliver health-care changes that cover many more people, provide a safety net for the rest of us and won’t bankrupt our nation the way the current system most assuredly will
America’s Hospitals Can’t Afford Healthcare Cuts
by Rich Umbdenstock
Rich Umbdenstock is president and CEO of the American Hospital Association.
We must not lose sight of the fact that we will need good healthcare policy changes — not just payment cuts — if we hope to find long-term
solutions to the healthcare challenges vexing America: 46 million uninsured, an aging population, an epidemic of obesity and chronic disease
and the need for a more coordinated system of care.
Uwe Reinhardt: Plain Talk on Healthcare Reform
by Bernadine Healy M.D.
If there were a Straight Talk Express for health economists, Princeton professor Uwe Reinhardt would be the engineer. Born in Germany and raised in Canada, Professor Reinhardt has personally experienced medical systems in different countries. Over the past 25 years, he has become a critical voice in the debate about reforming America’s healthcare system.
Healthcare Reform Estimates Have Democrats on Defensive
by Kent Garber
The inciting spark was the Congressional Budget Office’s released of preliminary estimates on the costs of the
two main Senate bills. Kennedy’s was tagged at $1 trillion. The other, being developed by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, would
cost $1.6 trillion.
Antacids Not Meant to be Used as Long-Term Treatment for Acid Reflux
Taking antacids for as long as you have can cause long-term side effects. Treatment for acid reflux has advanced considerably over the last 20 years. I recommend you talk with your doctor about …
Atril Fibrillation Treatment Involves Reducing Risk of Stroke
Stephen Hammill M.D., Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that involves the upper heart chambers (atria). factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Treatment usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and, in some cases, surgery or catheter ablation.
By the Way, Doctor: Can Ginkgo Biloba Slow Dementia
Anthony Komaroff, M.D. – Harvard Health Letters
Ginkgo is prescribed in many parts of the world as a memory remedy and is readily available in the United States as an over-the-counter herbal supplement. It does have some antioxidant properties
Weight Loss Drugs & Diet Pills Have Many Drawbacks
Mary Pickett, M.D.
I wish we had a diet pill that could help people lose weight easily. None of the medicines on the market are worth using, if you ask me
Health, Nutrition & Diet: Getting Out the Gluten
Harvard Health Letters
Gluten seems to be the food ingredient non grata these days. Bakers are coming up with recipes for gluten-free cupcakes and baguettes.
Anheuser-Busch sells Redbridge, a gluten-free beer made from sorghum. By some estimates, the sales of gluten-free foods have tripled
since 2004. Gluten-free food has become more popular partly because doctors are diagnosing more cases of celiac disease, an autoimmune
disorder whose symptoms are triggered by gluten, the protein content in wheat, barley, rye …
Summer Safety: 8 Reasons Kids End up in the ER & How to Prevent It
Sarah Baldauf
Summer has arrived. And for all its pleasant, warm-weather pastimes — pool parties, barbeques, bicycling, and more — an emergency department near you is feeling the usual seasonal spike in children’s unintended injuries. No wonder summer is known in the medical business as trauma season.
Power of Positive Thinking Is Psychology’s Latest Focus
Lindsay Lyon
Positive psychology itself is a relatively nascent field. Formally founded a decade ago by the
University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Seligman, its emphasis on what goes right with people was a sea-change from psychology’s
traditional preoccupation with what goes wrong — from depression and anxiety to mental illness of all flavors. …
How Positive Psychology Can Increase Your Happiness
Lindsay Lyon
You can thank your parents — in part — for how happy you are; roughly half of human happiness is
genetically determined. Another 10 percent comes from your life circumstances, like how happy you are with where you live.
according to longtime happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology.
Positive Emotional Psychology: Daily Diet of Positive Emotions
Lindsay Lyon
Joy. Interest. Love. Serenity. Awe. Amusement. Pride. Such positive emotions, fleeting feelings that
last just seconds or minutes, are the subject of Barbara Fredrickson’s research, a professor of psychology at the University
of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Positive Psychology in Your Relationships
Lindsay Lyon
By studying hundreds of couples, Shelly Gable has found that when romantic partners disclose positive
news, how the other reacts matters — a lot. In fact, partners’ reactions to each other’s good news can better predict the
quality of a relationship–and whether it will endure — than can partners’ reactions to bad news.
Drinking Coffee May Be Good for You
January W. Payne
Despite past concerns about coffee, tea, and other sources of caffeine being detrimental to health, recent research suggests that regular coffee consumption may reduce the risk of health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver cancer–and regular coffee drinkers might even live longer.
Exercise Boosts Your Brainpower; Intensity May Matter
Katherine Hobson
In an attempt to hang on to your cognitive function as you age, you may do crossword puzzles, join a book club, or keep up friendships to stay connected. But to do all you can to maintain your mental abilities, you really should be exercising.
Teens Who Think They’ll Die Young Take More Risks
Teenagers tend to wildly overestimate the odds of dying young, and teenagers who think they’ll be dead before age 35 are far more likely to
abuse drugs, attempt suicide, get arrested, or contract HIV. Scientists have known for quite a while that teenagers tend to think that an early death is much more likely than the infinitesimally
small risk it really is.
Shot at Universal Flu Vaccine: Protection from swine flu, bird flu & other viruses
By Nancy Shute
Wayne Marasco is no doubt the only Harvard medical researcher who abandoned a successful construction firm, Waymar Roofing and
Siding, to become an immunologist. The man with the unorthodox history recently made a striking discovery: a human antibody that attacks a
newfound vulnerability in flu viruses.
3 Tips for Boosting Your Fitness as You Age: One Triathlete’s Advice
by Katherine Hobson
It’s easy to think that athletic improvement after age 40 is something reserved for those who can afford to spend the time and money it takes to
train full time. Debi Bernardes, a swimming and triathlon coach in King George, Va., was asked what she’s done to keep
improving after three decades of competition. Here’s what she thinks makes a difference, plus how you can apply it to your own training.
Anthony Atala: Grinding Out New Organs One at a Time
Megan Johnson
Anthony Atala was the first to build a functioning organ from scratch — a bladder made cell by cell — and put it into a patient, a child
whose own bladder was congenitally deformed. Since that breakthrough a decade ago, the 50-year-old pediatric urologist, director of Wake Forest University’s
Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has moved on to cobbling up bones, heart valves, muscles, and some 20 other body parts.
Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire: Gene Therapy to Reverse Near-Blindness
Deborah Kotz
The partners have restored much of the vision in patients who have a rare genetic form of severely impaired eyesight called Leber’s
congenital amaurosis, in which a mutated gene prevents the retina from manufacturing a nutrient vital to eye health. The technique
eventually could be tried to treat macular degeneration.
Fear of Crowds. When You Need Help for Anxiety
Deborah Kotz
Certain people find the feeling of a crowd pressing in on them to be extremely stressful. When such a feeling causes a panic attack, that’s a sign of the anxiety condition claustrophobia. Feeling panicked by the mere presence of strangers is a condition known as agoraphobia
5 Lessons From the Nation’s Obesity Report Card
Katherine Hobson
We’re still getting fatter, albeit at a slightly slower rate. That’s the chief takeaway from a yearly report on the U.S. obesity epidemic, which found that rates of obesity rose in 23 states (last year, rates rose in 37 states). Almost two thirds of states now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent, according to the report
Discovery Channel explains Nitty-Gritty of Dirty Jobs
Liz Wolgemuth
Throughout the course of the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs”, Mike Rowe, 47, has parachuted into incredibly dirty jobs,
including coal miner, shrimper, and even skull cleaner, paying tribute to the value and integrity of manual laborers as he sloshes around in
knee-high nastiness right beside them. A recent interview with Mike Rowe about Dirty Jobs …
America’s New Energy Dependency: China’s Metals
by Kent Garber
America’s Clean-energy economy needs rare-earth metals to succeed and China has a near monopoly.
In 2007, a standoff unfolded between China and several American companies. China was threatening to withhold supplies that keep refiners
in business. A worried State Department intervened. Because the metals come almost exclusively from China, if the government had not acted,
sources say, oil refineries could have been forced to shut down, possibly triggering shortages across the country.
Addressing China’s Fear Of North Korean Collapse
Joseph S. Nye Jr. Interview
It is by now a cliche to say that greater pressure from China can force North Korea to change. The problem is that China has two objectives: They want a de-nuclearized North Korea, but they also want a North Korea that doesn’t collapse into chaos on their borders. The consequence of these cross-purposes is that the Chinese have been reluctant to use the leverage they have
Europe: Battle Over the Burqa
by William Pfaff
Since President Barack Obama in his recent Cairo speech made a tut-tutting remark about countries that restricted wearing religious garb in school, the controversy over the Muslim burqa has resumed in Europe
Afghan Presidential Candidate Takes a Page From Obama’s Playbook
by Anna Mulrine
Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani, the leading challenger to incumbent Hamid Karzai, has embarked on an Internet fundraising campaign modeled on that run by President Obama.
Obama Presses Israel on Settlements
by William Pfaff
The Obama administration’s confrontation with Israel over its colonies inside the Palestine territories began as a test of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s willingness to enter serious negotiations on a Middle Eastern settlement.
‘W’ is For Withdrawal
by Robert C. Koehler
National Sovereignty Day, the day U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities. Sorry, but Iraq is still America’s sovereign lackey: broken and smoldering. Some 130,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, withdrawn for the most part to the permanent bases we’ve built over the last six years. The country’s infrastructure is shattered, and shocking bursts of violence remain a common occurrence
U.S. Troops Leave Iraqi Cities, but Unsettled Issues Remain
by William Pfaff
If all goes correctly, when this column is read American troops will be gone from the cities of Iraq. Then the calculation must begin as to whether some half-million to million lives lost, and the infrastructure and social structure of Baghdad, and much of the rest of the Iraqi nation, ruined, have served some good purpose.
Violence Spikes as U.S. Troops Withdraw From Iraq’s Cities
by Alex Kingsbury
Militants in Iraq staged a series of bomb and machine gun attacks in the past ten days that left more than 250 dead and the country on edge. Increased carnage as the U.S. forces prepare to depart was not unexpected, American and Iraqi officials say.
Attacks on U.S. Soldiers Show Iraq Is Not Yet Safe
by Anna Mulrine
U.S. combat troops officially withdrew from all Iraqi cities this week, and the Iraqi government declared a national holiday to commemorate the event. But with the celebration came a stark reminder that the war in Iraq continues for U.S. troops and that the country is far from safe.
ALBA Bloc Leaders’ Main Obsession: Indefinite Rule
Andres Oppenheimer
It’s hard to keep cool while watching the dismantling of democracy in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Honduras. When
the presidents of these countries met in Venezuela, for a special ALBA bloc summit — the Venezuelan-led alliance of mostly radical leftist
countries — it was hard not to see the group as a society of mutual support for self-perpetuation in power.
Chile Should Tout Its Passage to First World
Andres Oppenheimer
By the end of this year, Chile is likely to become the first South American country to join the exclusive club of the world’s 30 richest countries.
Obama’s Iran “Crisis”
by Jules Witcover
Rather than leaping in with breast-beating bravado of the sort too often associated with his departed predecessor, Obama has responded with measured and gradually escalated criticism of the Tehran regime’s repressive measures to deal with the street protests of the recent election.
This controlled reaction, not surprisingly, has been met with overheated squawks from conservative Republican hard-liners
Missing Our Moment in Iran
by Victor Davis Hanson
Last month, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest a rigged presidential election. Our president was extremely cautious in his initial criticism of the Iranian government’s fierce crackdown against the protestors. At first, President Obama said that the United States — given our history in Iran — should not be “meddling” in
Iran: Death to Election Fraud
by Rick Steves
Last year, while in Iran producing a documentary for public television, I observed freedom-loving people patiently making do under a repressive regime. Today, the relatively peaceful Iran I experienced is in turmoil.
Iran Election Mess Is Just a Reflection of Global Human Failings
by Louis René Beres
Today’s dramatic Iranian instability is more a specific symptom of general civilizational fragility than an isolated disease. Beneath
the surface, all world politics readily reveals a distinctly common disorder. This is the incapacity of human beings to find both meaning
and identity as individuals, within themselves.
Iran Election Twitters In a Revolution
by Mary Kate Cary
It was a battle to show who could best harness the only real news source on the ground — the new social media — to
report fast, accurate, and insightful information. Cable and network news lost both the battle and the war. Two of the journalists who won
were Andrew Sullivan, a political blogger for the old-line magazine Atlantic Monthly, and Nico Pitney of the younger Huffington Post.
Sullivan and Pitney looked at the gold mine of information sitting on the new social media platform and, with two staffers, jumped in.
Sullivan and his staff cut and pasted the most interesting, useful, and profound tweets into a document he called “Live-Tweeting the
Revolution,” updated every few minutes.
Iranian Protests a Direct Challenge to Khamenei
by Anna Mulrine
“Flexing muscle on the streets after the election is not right,” warned Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the days before the
bloodshed. “If they don’t stop, the consequences of the chaos would be their responsibility.”
Those consequences included casualties that resulted from the worst upheaval in Tehran in 30 years, as well as mass arrests last week, with
more than 600 protesters jailed …
Obama’s Hidden Business Tax Increase
by Matthew Bandyk
Obama’s proposal would require companies to account for their inventories on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis rather
than a last-in-first-out (LIFO) one — an eye-glazing change that’s highly significant. In an era of rising costs, to assume that you’re
selling your oldest inventory rather than your newest increases reported profits and thus taxes, even though nothing real has changed. If
inflation turns worse, as many analysts predict, FIFO would force companies to pay real taxes on phantom profits as the value of goods gets
inflated while they sit in inventory.
On Terror ‘No-Fly’ List, But Still Buying Guns
Clarence Page
For gun purchasers, should “no-fly” mean “no buy?” People on the government’s terrorist watch list tried to buy guns almost 1,000 times in the last five years, a federal study finds. In nine out of 10 cases, federal authorities let them do it, the report finds, because there was no legal way to stop them. And that appears to be OK with the gun lobby
Sotomayor Leaves a Fan Wondering
Clarence Page
The case of Ricci v. DeStefano sounds like countless other police and firefighter discrimination cases across the country.
What makes this one different is its intersection with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, current Supreme Court nominee. That’s why I am eager to hear Judge Sotomayor face the questions that surely will come up about the Ricci case during her confirmation hearing
God Bless This Honorable Court
Paul Greenberg
In a case out of New Haven, Conn., a bare majority of the court ruled that a group of firefighters who passed the test for promotion should indeed be promoted. How remarkable. Especially in these strange times of groupthink and sociospeak.
Court Was Right to Douse ‘Disparate Impact’ Fire
Robyn Blumner
When race is involved no case is minor, but Ricci v. DeStefano gained blockbuster status after the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She was part of an appellate panel that threw out the claims of the 18 white firefighters, one of whom is Hispanic, who lost out on promotions due to the city’s actions
5 Things to Know About the Employee Free Choice Act
Liz Wolgemuth
The heated debate over the merits of the Employee Free Choice Act is particularly poignant for both union leaders and business interests, as it plays out during a recession that has ransacked corporate profits but sharpened the perception of high times that excluded workers in favor of shareholders and executives.
Yucca Mountain: Harry Reid Declares Nevada Nuclear Containment Facility Dead
Robert Bryce
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has declared that Yucca Mountain, the site in Nevada where the federal government has been planning to store high-level radioactive waste, is “never going to open.” Reid may be right. President Obama’s 2010 budget nearly zeroes out federal funding for the waste site.
Immigration Reform Now Moves to Center Stage
Nikki Schwab and Paul Bedard
It has been delayed twice and is flying in under the healthcare debate, but the president and a select group of lawmakers
are finally talking about immigration reform.
Break Political Traffic Jam on Transportation Overhaul
Joshua Schank and Matthew Dallek
Any transportation project, including the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska, creates jobs.
However, transportation has become a policy orphan amid the healthcare tsunami that’s overwhelmed the news coverage of Obama’s
America. Thus, stalling all the economic benefits that flow from enacting a revitalized transportation policy.
Supreme Court: Strip Search of 13-Year-Old Unconstitutional
by Zach Miners
In a decision that could have significant implications for school administrators’ ability to keep their campuses safe, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 8 to 1, this week that the strip search of a 13-year-old Arizona girl by school officials who were looking for prescription-strength drugs violated her constitutional rights.
Political History of the Stars & Stripes
by Andrew Burt
The history of the American flag is the story of a nation struggling to find its identity, Woden Teachout argues in her new book,
Capture the Flag: A Political History of American Patriotism. Teachout, a professor of graduate studies in history and culture at the online Union
Institute and University, recently spoke about the evolving meaning of the flag in American culture.
We’ve Gone From Saving Wall Street in Order to Save Main Street to Just Saving Wall Street
Arianna Huffington
Remember how, when taxpayers were being asked to fork over billions of dollars to bail out Wall Street, we were told it
was essential to saving Main Street? Well, in just a few months, we’ve gone from saving the banks in order to save the economy
to just saving the banks. It’s the opposite of mission creep.
Lobbyists on a Roll: Gutting Reform on Banking, Energy, and Health Care
Arianna Huffington
Remember all that change Americans voted for in November? Well, there’s been a change in the plans for change. The detour has come courtesy of a familiar nemesis: DC lobbyists who, this year alone, have watered-down, gutted or out-and-out killed ambitious plans for reforming Wall Street, energy and health care.
Suddenly Democrats have 60 Filibuster-Proof Senate Votes and No More Excuses
by Bill Press
It took 239 days, but the Minnesota Supreme Court finally declared Al Franken the winner over Norm Coleman. And suddenly Democrats have 60 votes in the Senate — and no more excuses. For six months, we’ve heard nothing but complaining from Democrats: Our hands are tied, they insisted
Obama’s Honduras Predicament
by Cal Thomas
President Obama immediately “meddles” in the affairs of Honduras, denouncing a military coup, the intent of which is to preserve the country’s constitution, but when it comes to Iran’s fraudulent election and the violent repression of demonstrators who wanted their votes counted, the president initially vacillates and equivocates. Are we expected to accept this as a consistent foreign policy
Pork: It’s for Everyone, Including Obama
by Jonah Goldberg
More and more, it seems the Obama administration has just that attitude toward the economic crisis: doling out pork for as long as possible.
A Letter to Sarah Palin
by Jonah Goldberg
Dear Governor Palin, You’re blowing it. We haven’t met, but you might remember I was one of the first columnists to tout you for John McCain’s running mate. There’s a reason why the left and much of the media establishment hated you from day one.
Ghosts of 1994 Loom for Obama and Democrats
by Robert Schlesinger
Everywhere I look, I see the ghosts of 1994. There’s the young Democratic president with an ambitious agenda, seemingly intent on doing it all at once. The Democratic president faces a Republican Party thirsting for a return to power.
Sanford’s Argentina Affair
Please Cry For Me, Argentina
by Bill Press
Governor Mark Sanford’s fall from grace may be the most bizarre of all. When Lt. Governor Andre Bauer first reported his absence from the state, Sanford had already been missing in action for five days, over Father’s Day weekend. He told no one where he was going. He left no one in charge. He did not phone or email. And nobody knew where he was. Not his staff. Not the Lt. Governor. Not even his wife and kids.
Governor Mark Sanford’s Argentina Affair
‘I Made a Mistake’ Excuse Getting Flimsier
by Leonard Pitts Jr.
Next time some politician goes before the cameras with his figurative pants down around his metaphoric ankles and says, “I made a mistake,” let’s form a mob and drag him from the podium. You bring the lanterns, I’ll bring the pitchforks. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is, of course, the latest.
Governor Mark Sanford’s Argentina Affair
Spare Us the Bedroom Farce
by Mary Sanchez
Forgive me if I find the travails of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford tedious. I could have been spared his rambling, weird mea culpa of adultery, and the media’s inevitable rehashing of the Democrat-vs.-Republican scorecard of personal peccadilloes. Can the nation finally move on from its fascination with the sexual dalliances of officials
Governor Mark Sanford’s Argentina Affair
Of Shame, Folly & True Grit
by Paul Greenberg
“Affair took S.C. governor away,” said the headline in the paper. Indeed it did — far, far away, and not just geographically. Mark Sanford is now in a whole different place, social and political and personal.
Governor Mark Sanford’s Argentina Affair
Lesson on Character and Power
by Linda J. Killian
It’s no big surprise that yet another political figure has been involved in an affair or sexual indiscretion. But as someone who has known Mark Sanford since he was elected to Congress in 1994 as part of the class that gave House Republicans their historic majority, I must admit to being shocked. And I wasn’t the only one.
Future Of The Federal Reserve – Exclusive Conversation With Ron Paul
by Matthew Bandyk
The person in Congress with perhaps the most unconventional point of view on these issues in American politics is
Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-TX), a longtime critic of the very institution of the Fed and fractional reserve
banking. He recently sponsored a bill that would audit the Fed.
Obama Won’t Procrastinate His Push for Change
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Some say President Obama’s focus on healthcare, energy, and overhauling the financial system is too much at once.
His critics have a point. Obama’s challenge to the status quo may be causing too many powerful forces to line up against him, including
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, members of the medical establishment, the conservative power structure in Washington, and Rush Limbaugh and
his cohorts in the punditocracy of the right. If Obama fails to overcome them, his credibility could be shattered, and his dreams of change
could evaporate.
HBO’s Shouting Fire Is More Congratulatory Than Analytical on Free Speech Issues
by Andrew J. Rotherhamis
Despite frequent admonitions from our political leaders to do so, it sure is proving hard to move past the last eight years. Add to the
retrospectives Oscar-nominated director Liz Garbus’ Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech. Through accounts of flashpoints
since 9/11 about the freedoms Americans enjoy under the First Amendment, the documentary film is intended as a sobering check-in on what’s
happening on the ragged edge of free-speech debates.
Strategists Worry Obama’s Popularity is Dropping
by Kenneth T. Walsh
President Obama is heading into stormy waters. His healthcare plans have stalled on Capitol Hill; he is being faulted
for a shaky response to the post-election violence in Iran; his job-approval ratings are dropping; and confidence in his handling of the
economy is ebbing. The warning signs are enough to worry Democratic strategists that Obama may be sinking into a trough that will sap his
influence just when he needs it most.
Obama Criticized as Mr. Nice Guy Toward Iran, Congress
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Critics argue President Obama is too conciliatory in dealing with Iran, Republicans, and other adversaries.
Barack Obama is an accommodating and engaging fellow who aims to please. And this was important during the campaign, when likability counted
for so much in courting voters. Now, however, it could actually be a problem for him as commander in chief.
The question is whether his “politics of nice” is appropriate in a sharply divided capital and a dangerous world.
Movie Reviews: This week’s theater releases …
Obama Cairo Speech: The Prism of Obama
There is one thing about Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo that critics and supporters can agree on: It was vintage Obama. As an Obama critic, let me say from the outset that there was much that was good and praiseworthy in the president’s address at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University on Thursday. But that may put the cart before the horse …
One of the greatest challenges facing President Obama when he took office was restoring America’s standing among other nations, especially our standing in the Arab and Muslim world, so badly shattered …
Visit ComicStripNation.com for your favorite classic comics strips online
Animal Crackers, Annie, Bound & Gagged, Brenda Starr, Brewster Rockit: Space Guy, Broom-Hilda, Dick Tracy, Gasoline Alley, Gil Thorp, Housebroken, Loose Parts, The Middletons, Pink Panther, Raising Hector, Sylvia, 9 to 5, Bliss, Bottom Liners, Love Is…, Pluggers
I want you to take a look at:
THE WORLD’S WOES By Andy Rooney | iHaveNet.com
As you may have read, I read the newspaper every day and I think of myself as someone who knows what’s going on in the world, but who am I kidding?
Just look at some of the headlines and decide for yourself whether either you or the newspaper know what they’re talking about
I want you to take a look at:
Here’s a Switch: Some Good News About Banking Arianna Huffington | iHaveNet.com
And now for something completely different: some good news about banking.
Yes, I know that an upcoming analysis by the IMF reportedly says that toxic debts on the balance sheets of banks and insurers could go as high as $4 trillion.
And I realize that last weekend saw the FDIC take over two more banks, but it’s not all doom & gloom.
Full Article:
Here’s a Switch: Some Good News About Banking Arianna Huffington | iHaveNet.com
I want you to take a look at:
Roving Towards Irrelevancy: GOP in the Obama Era – Chris Thomas | iHaveNet.com
Self-audit is a positive driver in the cycle of decay and regeneration that affects all societies and institutions. After all, if we can’t learn from our mistakes, then we usually find a way to go nowhere fast.
Which brings us to current state of the Republican Party in 2009.
I want you to take a look at: Larry Summers: Brilliant Mind, Toxic Ideas
I want you to take a look at: Tim Geithner, CNBC & the Second Coming of Known Unknowns | Huffington
A formerly famous and now mostly forgotten poet of nonsense verse once said:
“There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns . . . there are also unknown unknowns.”
That was, of course, Donald Rumsfeld.
But it doesn’t sound too different from your average briefing/Congressional testimony/interview by Timothy Geithner.
I want you to take a look at: Team Obama Flaw: Still Believing Universe Revolves around Banks | iHaveNet.com
A series of recent meetings with members of Barack Obama’s economic team (including running into Larry Summers on my way to an appointment in the West Wing, leading to a spirited back-and-forth that made me feel like I was back at Cambridge, debating the smartest kid in the class), left me with a pair of indelible impressions:
1) These are all good people, many of them brilliant, working incredibly hard with the best of intentions to solve the country’s financial crisis.
2) They are operating on the basis of an outdated cosmology that places banks at the center of the economic universe.
US Airways Flight 1549: “Miracle on the Hudson”
US Airways Flight 1549 (Airbus 320) carrying 148 passengers and six crew on a domestic flight crashed into the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan minutes after it took off on Thursday. Rescue workers and passenger ferries reached the scene within minutes.
New York State Governor Paterson said it best:
“We had a Miracle on 34th Street, now, I believe, we have a Miracle on the Hudson.”
READ ON >>
McNabb and Westbrook are back, but the Giants continue to roll.
Off their Thanksgiving night performances in Philadelphia’s win over the Arizona Cardinals, Eagles QB DONOVAN MC NABB (four TD passes) and RB BRIAN WESTBROOK (110 yards rushing, two TDs rushing, two receiving) look like they are ready to help the Philadelphia Eagles make a Wild Card run.
The Giants will be one tough test.
The New York Giants have not lost an NFC East Division game since last December 16 to the Washington Redskins and are 6-0 this year at Giants Stadium, their longest home winning streak since seven in a row in 1990 when the Giants marched all the way to a Super Bowl XXV victory.
Complete Preview, Analysis & Prediction:
Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1) at New York Giants (11-1)
The Steelers (8-3) bring the NFLs top-ranked defense to Foxborough for a late-season clash for the second straight season. This year, the Pittsburgh defense has allowed the league’s fewest yards and fewest points, while the Patriots (7-4) offense is coming off of back-to-back 500-yard games for the first time in franchise history.
READ FULL STEELERS – PATRIOTS WEEK 13 PREVIEW:
NFL 2008 Week 13: AFC North-leading Steelers Face Patriots in Foxborough
“In the NFL,” says New Orleans Saints head coach SEAN PAYTON, “it
’s either carnival or crisis.” And that status is in constant flux. Just look at last week. The winning points of 4 games were scored in the final 10 seconds of regulation – the most such games in a week since 1970. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans are the NFL’s lone undefeated team
There’s a lot working against “City of Ember” in terms of its commercial prospects. Among the question marks: an indistinct title, taken from a popular-but-not-epoch-shattering series of books; an apocalyptic vision of the future that resists the usual swells of triumphalism; and dialogue that is markedly free of jaded wisecracks and references to “Jerry Maguire,” or “Cops.”
Also, it’s good. So it has quality working against it too.
It’s a little fuzzy in terms of story, and too dour for young kids, but “City of Ember” comes from director Gil Kenan.
Jonathan Demme’s most bracing narrative feature since “The Silence of the Lambs” combines a wedding with a tense family reunion, starring Anne Hathaway as a recovering addict returning home for her sister’s nuptials. A triumph of ambience, this is the 1st Demme film since the 1980s that feels like a party — bittersweet, but a party nonetheless
Ridley Scott directs this slick, busy international thriller that stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the CIA’s top man in Jordan, on the hunt of an Osama bin Laden-style terrorist. Russell Crowe gets most of screenwriter William “The Departed” Monahan’s best lines as the spymaster back home.
Despite Davis’ overwhelming widely reported real-life niceness, the man is well worth a full-length story, simply because of what he achieved (first African-American Heisman Trophy winner) and when he achieved it (in the early years of the civil rights revolution). Born in 1939 and laid low by leukemia in 1963, at age 23, Davis never got the chance to play pro ball. Yet he accomplished a great deal in the time he had, mentored first by pre-legendary Jim Brown, his predecessor at Syracuse University, then by coach Schwartzwalder, played by Quaid.
Two spotless streaks. One unbreakable — at least for this week. That
’s the story for the NFL’s last two unbeaten teams – the 5-0 Tennessee Titans and 4-0 New York Giants. The Titans have a bye this week. The Giants conclude the week on MNF aiming to become the 7th defending Super Bowl champion to open the season with a 5-0 record
Cuisines are as flexible as borders. I grew up eating many foods folks identify as Italian, even though I thought of them as our own family’s home cooking. That’s especially true of noodle dishes my grandma & mother made for our family. One of our favorites was my grandma’s ravioli, which looked distinctively Italian, but with an Austrian Style
On the eve of the highly anticipated Vice-Presidential debate, a Women@NBCU Political Attitudes Survey revealed that women are more comfortable with Joe Biden serving as President than Sarah Palin, should something happen to the commander in chief.
A rom-com reorganizing of Toby Young’s satiric memoir of a brief celebrity journalism career at Vanity Fair. This putrid showbiz comedy largely wastes the talents of cast members Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges and Kirsten Dunst. R (language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material). 1:49.
The cast stars Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Huston
BLINDNESS. A disparate group of citizens in a large city are afflicted by sudden sightlessness, and the world around them becomes chaos. The government confines the afflicted to an asylum, and much of this film concerns the battle between Ward One, run like a caring commune by a doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and his take-charge wife (Julianne Moore), and the louts running Ward Three, headed by a bartender (Gael Garcia Bernal) and an accountant (Maury Chaykin). Jose Saramago’s good, challenging book doesn’t quite make the jump to the big screen. R (violence including sexual assaults, language and sexuality/nudity). 2:01. 2 stars.
APPALOOSA.
This leisurely, off-and-on buddy Western, set in the New Mexico territory in 1882, stars Ed Harris (who also co-wrote the screenplay and directed) as a gunslinger who goes up against a ruthless rancher (Jeremy Irons). This film could have used a real sense of danger to go along with all the neat, tidy, highfalutin’ honor and decency. R (some violence and language). 1:54. 2-1.2 stars.
It depends on what sort of teenager you were (or are), and what kind of city you dreamed of conquering at that age.
But “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” taking place all over New York City during one offhandedly eventful night, is a modest charmer — the sort of date movie I would’ve liked when I was 16 or 17, if only because the beanpole-geek-so-uncool-he’s-cool protagonist, played by the deceptively skillful Michael Cera, secures for himself a dream of a romantic partner, played by the equally disarming Kat Dennings.
It all adds up to one thing: A lot is happening in the NFL this week. The Buffalo Bills (4-0 for first time in 16 years) & Tennessee Titans (4-0 for first time in their history) go for 5-0 records. Another team, the Super Bowl champ Giants who were quiet in their bye week while BRETT FAVRE tossed 6 TD passes, look to up their record to 4-0 for the first time since 1990.
Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural address, famously declared that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” 27 years later, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and 7-plus years into the Bush & Cheney reign, The candidates view on government’s role should be a key theme.
. Taken in isolation from the unsatisfying story, the performances are powerful — Knightley’s vivacious, wounded romantic does a great deal to carry the film on sheer personality, while Fiennes is a subtle master at projecting banked menace through his seeming detached ennui. When he finally proves how dangerous he can be when provoked, it’s shocking but not surprising. But that particular wake-up call is one of the few truly intense moments in a story that follows history without understanding it, and wallows in pain without comprehending it.
A good film, one of a handful of dramatically viable and necessary features to emerge from America’s war in Iraq, came out of the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. Unfortunately it wasn’t “The Lucky Ones.” It was Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker,” scheduled for a 2009 release. “The Lucky Ones” is softer and more seriocomic
In flashes, the World War II saga “Miracle at St. Anna ” reminds you of the necessity and invention of director Spike Lee.
He may shoot this feature, like many before it, every which way, but he scores just often enough to ensure a few indelible images.
The feather-light romance by novelist Nicholas Sparks (“Message in a Bottle,” “The Notebook”), adapted by Ann Peacock and John Romano, is designed to attract good-looking film actors of a certain age.
All the better if they can act! Or even interact. Diane Lane can, and does. Richard Gere — sometimes. As skillful and charismatic as Gere is, I never get the sense he’s really in there, conversing with his fellow actor.
“Eagle Eye” is a thriller only the Global Positioning System could love.
I suppose if I weren’t still using regional positioning systems (they’re called “maps”) I might be more interested in all the cyber-techno-harum-scarum, and the showy transitional sequences depicting a vast surveillance network as seen from space, and the outermost Google map perspective.
The screenplay tries like the devil to get you all fussed up about omnivorous cyber-surveillance on a scale George Orwell never imagined, but the result is a hyperactive jumble that fails to whip up the right mixture of dread and propulsion.
In the NFL, whether it’s Week 4, like this week, or Week 14, the pressure is always on.
Sure, you’d rather be undefeated – as six clubs are – or at least have a winning record as the last weekend of September looms.
But all those teams on the downside of the won-loss ledger should remind themselves of the 2007 San Diego Chargers, who began last season at 1-3, won their final six and took an 11-5 record into the playoffs, advancing all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re the favorite now or the least favorite,” says quarterback TONY ROMO of the 3-0 Dallas Cowboys. “The reality of it is you’ve got to keep playing games. You’re not trying to be the favorite now, you’re trying to be the favorite at the end of the year.”
RB MICHAEL TURNER of the Falcons, safety BRIAN DAWKINS of the Eagles & kicker JOHN CARNEY of the Giants are the NFC Offensive, Defensive & Special Teams Players of the Week for the 3rd week of the NFL 2008 season (September 21-22). In the AFC, Dolphins Running back RONNIE BROWN, Chargers cornerback ANTONIO CROMARTIE & Jaguars kicker JOSH SCOBEE.
See if this sounds familiar: There is a gathering threat to the safety of the US. We must take immediate action. Congress must quickly grant the president and the secretary what they want and also give them full and unfettered authority to execute the plan. Welcome to Economic Shock and Awe.
The movie “Ghost Town” is a welcome surprise: a supernatural romantic comedy that works, graced with a cast just off-center enough to make it distinctive. It may be too easygoing for some people.
Stars Ricky Gervais, Tea Leoni, Greg Kinnear, Billy Campbell, Dana Ivey and Kristen Wiig.
Great start. Great comebacks. That summarizes the NFL 2008 season so far. NFL 2008 has already packed a season
’s worth of surprise & suspense into the first 2 weeks. So, what’s in store? Buffalo, Carolina & Denver are 2-0. They won only 7 games apiece in 2007. But hold on, in 2007, the Giants started 0-2 & the Chargers were 1 – 3.
According to London’s Daily Telegraph, the architects of the Palin Doctrine are a group of people who have been singularly wrong about virtually everything in the last decade — the neocons, who have been briefing Palin for weeks. As predicted, the fact that she didn’t know anything wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. She’s perfect for the neocons.
So, what do you cook for the early weeks of fall? How do you cook with the seasons, a popular culinary concept these days, when the seasons are changing? One of my favorite solutions is to create a gratin of summer vegetables.
The dour espionage goof “Burn After Reading” offers a few laughs, most of them provided by Brad Pitt as a serenely clueless gym employee who really, really likes his iPod, and by David Rasche and J.K. Simmons as C.I.A. analysts who don’t know anything about anything. A disappointing movie …
Diane English’s remake & update of Luce’s play (and the 1939 screenplay by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, also credited) tosses out most of the dialogue but keeps the broad particulars of the plot, then crams in enough extra detail to choke the story into shapelessness. Many stars in the film, yet not many stars for its rating
Seventy-eight-year-old Claude Chabrol, who has directed features for 50 years, has enough of an ego to make the famous novelist at the center of his pungent and altogether delicious black comedy “A Girl Cut in Two” irresistible to women. This Lyon, France-set tale of a TV weather girl & 2 wolfish suitors is a cool marvel of tone & acted out well.
On top of them being key division games, the matchups have intriguing storylines as well. It is only Week 2 of the 2008 NFL season and already “big games” are on tap — Cowboys vs. Eagles, Jets vs. Patriots without Tom Brady, Falcons vs. Bucs. Preview of all the NFL 2008 Week 2 games plus analysis and re-cap.
The point is that Palin, and the circus she’s brought to town, are simply a bountiful collection of small lies deliberately designed to distract the country from one big truth: the havoc that George Bush and the Republican Party have wrought, and that John McCain is committed to continuing.
2008 NFL Football Player Profile: Adrian Peterson Running Back Minnesota Vikings. During the NFL 2007 season, Minnesota Vikings rookie sensation ADRIAN PETERSON ranked 2nd in the NFL (and first in the NFC) with 1,341 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, carried the ball 238 times and led the league rushing for 95.8 yards per game.
Sarah Palin is an appealing pick for John McCain. Along with all the things she brings to the table — fresh face, mother of 5, hockey mom — Sarah Palin is notable for what she doesn’t bring: a track record. If John McCain had picked any of the far more experienced candidates on his list, they would have come fully equipped with a long paper trail
The National Football League roars back into action tonight in the first game of NFL Kickoff 2008 Weekend as the Giants face the Redskins. “We’re ready to roll,” says Jaguars QB David Garrard. “Everybody is excited. It’s time to stop just practicing and playing for fun and start playing for real.” A full preview of NFL 2008 Week 1.
Foreign policy experience is not created equal. Of course, the pick adds foreign-policy heft to the ticket. Three decades on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including a pair of stints as chairman, will do that. But Biden’s value to an Obama administration in this crucial arena extends well beyond time served.
Samuel Kamau Wansiru of Kenya set a new Olympic Record in the marathon with a time of 2:06:32 to win the Beijing Olympics Marathon.
Wansiru is the first marathoner representing Kenya to ever win a Men’s Marathon at the Olympics.
Several runners are favored to challenge for medals in an event that is always difficult to predict. The Olympic Marathon is even more difficult to predict given the deep field of talented runners compounded by the summer heat, humidity and Beijing’s notorious pollution. Oddly enough the Olympic record was set in 1984 in smoggy Los Angeles.
Having made Olympic history, Great Britain’s cycling star Chris Hoy said he felt like he was in a dream. Chris Hoy became the first British athlete in 100 years to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
During the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Chris Hoy won gold medals in the men’s sprint, the team sprint and the Keirin event. Chris Hoy led the modern-day “British Invasion” as Great Britain tallied 14 medals in total in cycling including 8 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 bronze Olympic Medals.
Evora won the gold medal with a jump of 17.67 meters beating silver medalist Phillips Idowu of Great Britain by 5 centimeters (17.62 meters). Leevan Sanders of the Bahamas won the bronze medal with a triple jump of 17.59 meters.
In this amiable vehicle for Rainn Wilson of “The Office,” the bitter alum of an ’80s hair band lands behind the drumkit of his nephew’s high school quartet. It’s a modest but fun comedy, and for once, the high school characters look, sound and act like high school characters, not a sitcom writer’s snarktastic notion thereof.
Prior to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps rewrote the record books by winning seven gold medals while shattering 5 world records at the 2007 FINA World Championships. Phelps’ performance then was arguably the greatest individual performance of any swimmer.
The question now is what can be said of Phelps’ Beijing performance. The answer is simple …
Despite finishing second in the 2007 World Championships (Osaka, Japan) with a time 9.91 seconds, Derrick Atkins is not considered a favorite to medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Indeed – leading up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics — the focus on the ‘World’s Fastest Man’ Title has been on Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.
Wolfgang Puck Recipe
Halibut is a perfect fish for letting your culinary fantasies run wild. Meaty yet very mild, moist, and tender, it goes well with so many different combinations of flavors. Make sure you purchase halibut that is wild-caught Pacific halibut from Alaska.
What I’m really hoping is that Obama will use this downtime to regroup, recharge, and come back ready to relentlessly make the case to the American people that McCain isn’t “ready to lead” on national security.
Voters trust McCain on the war on terror; Obama needs to show them every day why they shouldn’t.
America’s Darvis Patton shares his thoughts on his chances of medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics ahead of the 100 meter final on August 16. His expected competitors for the gold medal are World Champion Tyson Gay, former world record holder Asafa Powell and Jamaica
’s Usain Bolt, who Patton has described as a ‘freak of nature’.
American Pole Vaulter Jennifer Stuczynski: “I Will Clear the Same Heights as Yelena Isinbayeva” America’s Jennifer Stuczynski says it’s only a matter of time before she is clearing the same heights as the Olympic and World Record holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia.
With 3 consecutive victories in the Men’s 100 meters, Asafa Powell appears to have emerged as the favorite to win the Men’s 100 meters at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. However, the other two favorites, fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt and American sprinter Tyson Gay appear to be ready as well.
For French Cyclist Jeannie Longo the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics will be her seventh time competing in the Olympics. Even though she’s almost a half-century old (born October 31, 1958), Longo is still setting her sights high.
Online 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Articles & Videos courtesy of iHaveNet.com
According to Huffington the makers of “Swing Vote,” the new film starring Kevin Costner, have pulled off a rare double play, producing a smart political satire that is also heartfelt and moving. It’s also a film that turns out to be remarkably relevant to the 2008 race.
Fifty years ago this December 28 (the final day of the 2008 NFL regular season), what would become known as “The Greatest Game every Played” took place -– the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants at Yankee Stadium.
The Super Bowl did not become a must- watch event until Quarterback JOE NAMATH led the New York Jets to a 16-7 upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III after the 1968 season – 40 years ago. Millions flocked to their television sets to watch Broadway Joe, the young Alabama quarterback whose talent was exceeded only by his swagger.
This November 16, the CHICAGO BEARS will travel to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field to add another chapter to the longest rivalry in NFL history. The game will mark the 175th meeting between the Bears and the GREEN BAY PACKERS, the most regular season games ever between two NFL franchises.
NFL 2008 Kickoff Weekend begins on Thursday, September 4 this season when the Super Bowl champion New York Giants host the Washington Redskins. The Super Bowl champion NEW YORK GIANTS have 46 wins in openers, the third-most in NFL history. The Giants have a 46-32-5 (.590) record on Kickoff Weekend.
Some movies should’ve signed a no-compete clause with themselves. The action beats are more like action beat-downs. One Wow cancels out the last Wow, until the Wows start looking more like lowercase wows and soon the wows become merely eh, or worse, a string of low-grade, minimally inventive aggravations that fail even to hit the level of eh.
Many popular ethnic cuisines — Italian, Greek, North African, and Middle Eastern — all do wonderful things with lamb. But to me, the lamb recipes of the Indian kitchen really stand out, featuring wonderfully fragrant spices that harmonize beautifully with the meat’s sweet, rich flavor. My favorite Indian way of cooking lamb is tandoori style.
Many popular ethnic cuisines — Italian, Greek, North African, and Middle Eastern — all do wonderful things with lamb. But to me, the lamb recipes of the Indian kitchen really stand out, featuring wonderfully fragrant spices that harmonize beautifully with the meat’s sweet, rich flavor. My favorite Indian way of cooking lamb is tandoori style.
While there
’s no reason to believe that a professional football game should have any connection to the stock market, only a hand full of indicators are better known on Wall Street than the Super Bowl Theory.
The NY Giants winning Super Bowl XLII meant a bull market in 2008
Isn’t it strange that Barack Obama didn’t get a bounce from his wildly well-received overseas trip? Of course, almost all of this analysis is based on polls taken before the end of Obama’s trip — a serious case of premature pontification.
Norwegian Javelin Thrower Andreas Thorkildson Discusses What It Takes to be an Olympic Champion and the sacrifices he makes.
Men’s Triple Jump World Champion Nelson Evora expects to improve his personal best of 17.74m, established at the World Championships last August, at the Beijing Olympics.
Arianna Huffington
“I understand why John McCain’s campaign is desperately looking for negatives in Obama’s overseas trip. But why have so many in the media internalized the McCain campaign’s claptrap?”
Anti-doping efforts at the Beijing Summer Olympics will be more extensive than ever. “At the International Olympic Committee, we are at the forefront of the effort to eradicate doping, Most athletes compete honestly and fairly. They treasure the Olympic experience. We owe it to these athletes …” states IOC President Jacques Rogue.
Yelena Isinbayeva is considered the favorite for the upcoming Beijing Olympics (August 8 – 24). She won the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal with a new World Record (then 4.91 m). On July 22, 2005, Yelena Isinbayeva became the first female pole vaulter to clear 5.00 meters.
Since establishing the world record of 9.72 seconds in the 100-meter race at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is one of the most eagerly-awaited athletes of the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
American sprinter Tyson Gay recently made headlines for his 9.68-second win in the 100-meter dash during the Olympic trials (June 29, 2008). Gay is considered one of the favorite contenders for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The 100 meter dash ought to be quite the competition between Gay & Bolt.
American sprinter Tyson Gay recently made headlines for his 9.68-second win in the 100-meter dash during the Olympic trials (June 29, 2008). Gay is considered one of the favorite contenders for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. The 100 meter dash ought to be quite the competition between Gay & Bolt.
25-year-old Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie).
Welcome to the explosive new chapter in the Super Hero franchise that’s captivated the world for more than 40 years. Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios bring the action-packed epic motion picture of one of the most captivating heroes of all time to a world that’s been anxiously awaiting it — THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
Hillary Clinton’s Defeat: A Historic Triumph
Arianna Huffington Social Commentary and Political Opinion
A front page story in Monday’s New York Times wonders whether Hillary Clinton’s flagging run for the presidency is “a historic if incomplete triumph or a depressing reminder of why few (women) pursue high office in the first place.”
The world-renowned chef with an extraordinary passion for food now shares that passion in Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen. Wolfgang Puck makes great cooking easier than you ever imagined. Each feature includes both an expert tip and an easy recipe – exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable.
Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck
This month our portal (http://www.ihavenet.com) begins featuring Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen
The world-renowned chef with an extraordinary passion for food now shares that passion in Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen. Puck makes great cooking easier than you ever imagined. He reveals how to turn common ingredients into uncommon masterpieces. Each feature includes both an expert tip and an easy recipe-exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable. Moves with color photos.
Arianna Huffington Political Commentary and Opinion Movie Reviews (Video) Gourmet Food Recipes NFL Football News
Career, economy, Healthcare, NFL, NFL 2009, political opinion commentary, politics, travel, vacations
Feature Articles of the Week
In Uncategorized on September 22, 2009 at 2:00 am7 Ways to Cut Thousands from your College Costs
by Kim Clark
Many students are ratcheting their budgets downward because of reduced incomes and financial aid. Nevertheless, college aid officers still see plenty of students appealing for aid for what the colleges call “lifestyle” expenses.
Secrets to Finding a Student Loan
by Kim Clark
The credit crunch and debacle on Wall Street have wiped out those easy-peasy $40,000 college loans that used to be all over late-night TV. And the feds are considering a dramatic consolidation of the educational lending industry that could reduce options still further. But no matter …
Is Student Debt Really a Problem?
by Kim Clark
Most college students and recent graduates are not saddled with oppressive educational loans, according to a report issued by the College Board. But the report also documented a surprising and troubling increase in the debt loads shouldered by students attending the lowest-cost schools of all — local, public community colleges
10 Things You Did Not Know About the Swine Flu
By Queenie Wong
Clinical Trials Are Testing Stem Cells as Heart Failure Treatment
Sarah Baldauf
The ongoing study is one of many clinical trials now testing the ability of heart failure patients’ own stem cells–which renew themselves and can develop into a range of cell types–to regenerate heart muscle and restore blood flow inside the heart tissue.
8 Tips Can Help Fight Ragweed Pollen Allergy
January W. Payne
No matter how long ragweed season lasts this year, experts suggest getting a jump-start on symptoms before you start to feel lousy. This should come as no surprise to people accustomed to dealing with seasonal allergy symptoms, but we offer eight refreshers for making this ragweed season as painless as possible.
Drug-Free Approaches to Managing ADHD
Megan Johnson
For decades, Ritalin and similar stimulants have reigned over other treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD or ADD. The meds are seemingly tried and true, with numerous studies backing their effectiveness. However, the latest results from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD found that stimulants’ effects wane over time. Here’s 9 Drug-Free Approaches to Managing ADHD …
Hamstrung! How to Prevent and Help Heal Hamstring Injuries
Katherine Hobson
This season, hamstring injuries have benched at least four members of the New York Mets. Then it got personal: my boyfriend started hobbling after one of our outdoor workouts, having suffered his own mild hamstring pull. What is this injury, anyway? And what makes everyone from pro athletes to weekend warriors susceptible to it?
Cap-and-Trade Will Reduce Global Warming and Create Jobs
John Podesta
New investments in the clean energy technologies of the future would slash global warming pollution and reduce the use of foreign oil while also creating jobs and increasing our economic competitiveness vis-à-vis China and other nations.
Cap-and-Trade Would Make the American Dream a Nightmare
William O’Keefe
In 1984, the late historian Barbara Tuchman wrote The March of Folly, in which she chronicled the phenomenon of governments pursuing policies directly at odds with their self-interest. Tuchman used the term “wooden-headedness” to describe the tendency of leaders to assess situations using preconceived notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs. History may be repeating itself in Washington as they fight to pass a climate bill that most lawmakers have not read and even fewer understand. In spite of growing evidence …
Behind the Rage at Healthcare Town Hall Meetings
Kent Garber
This healthcare town hall was only nominally about healthcare. It was really about something else. It wasabout anger and fear. It was about a trenchant sense of disillusionment, resentment, and powerlessness.
Healthcare Is a Precious Commodity That Must Be Used Wisely
Michael D. Tanner
We tend to talk about healthcare in the philosophically abstract. ‘Is healthcare a right or a privilege?’ goes the refrain. In reality, it is neither. Healthcare is a commodity–and a finite one at that. There are only so many doctors, hospitals, and, most important, money to go around. After all, every dollar spent on healthcare is one not spent on education, infrastructure, or defense.
Healthcare Is In The Eye Of The Beholder,
And Should Be In The Hands Of The Patient
Laura Hershey
Expectations of medical treatment can run up against physicians’ opposing views and hospitals’ rules. In dozens of states, laws allow doctors to unilaterally deny lifesaving treatments that they deem ‘futile,’ even if the patient or a surrogate decision maker wants care continued. Some people actually advocate this, as a way to ration healthcare — limiting the resources available to sicker patients, to extend basic care to more healthy people
Healthcare Reform a Tough Sell in Town Halls Where Recession Has Hit Hardest
by Mary Kate Cary
Most adults alive today have seen an increase in healthcare costs over the last few decades, but they’ve also seen advances like MRIs, PET and CAT scans, cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, and heart medications for their loved ones; and a concurrent jump in our expected life spans. Unlike, say, monetary policy, healthcare is something about which most Americans have a very strong opinion.
Why Obama’s Failing Big on Healthcare Reform
Mortimer B. Zuckerman
Why does it cost the United States about $7,000 per person annually in our incomplete national healthcare system, while other major economic competitors provide universal coverage for about half that amount? The answer is quite simple: The federal government pays whatever the cost will be. Virtually every expert agrees that the root of our runaway health inflation is the fee-for-service approach.
Health Reform Fattens Big Insurance and Taxes the Young
by Bernadine Healy, M.D
Insurers agreed months ago to clean up at least some of their hated practices, such as denying insurance for prior illnesses and canceling coverage when someone gets sick. In return, they stand to get some colossal plums: a mandate not only that every American buy health insurance but that the mandated insurance be “comprehensive,” another word for expensive.
Obama Not Overexposed, but Flaws in His Healthcare Reform Have Been
by Clark S. Judge
From network reporters to online commentators, the story of the day about White House communications is that President Obama getting overexposed. That’s why, media critics say, the President’s approval numbers have dropped so low and his healthcare package isn’t selling. But they are wrong. Something very different is happening, and it has to do not with style but with substance.
Obama Shines in Character Department: Despite falling job approval numbers
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Despite setbacks on the political front, President Obama is succeeding where many other politicians have failed — in the character department. He has become a role model for the kind of traditional values that Americans have long celebrated. For years, the Democrats have been criticized by conservatives for lacking “family values.” But today, it is Obama, a Democrat, who has emerged as the paragon of personal virtue, and even Republicans see it as a source of political strength.
Obama Not Overexposed, but Flaws in His Healthcare Reform Have Been
by Clark S. Judge
From network reporters to online commentators, the story of the day about White House communications is that President Obama getting overexposed. That’s why, media critics say, the President’s approval numbers have dropped so low and his healthcare package isn’t selling. But they are wrong. Something very different is happening, and it has to do not with style but with substance.
10 Best Places to Live for Pet Lovers
Kimberly Palmer
For the 4 in 10 American families that own at least one dog, choosing a place to live isn’t just about the humans in the family: They want their pets to be happy, too. Green spaces and good weather make pets — and their owners — happy.
General Motors: ‘Cash for Clunkers’ a Huge Success
Amanda Ruggeri
Not everyone supported the Senate’s passage of a bill that boosted “cash for clunkers” by $2 billion, effectively extending it through Labor Day. But it’s hard to argue that the program, which gives rebates to people who trade in old cars for more fuel-efficient vehicles, hasn’t made the auto industry happy. That’s true for General Motors …
General Motors: ‘Cash for Clunkers’ a Huge Success
Amanda Ruggeri
Not everyone supported the Senate’s passage of a bill that boosted “cash for clunkers” by $2 billion, effectively extending it through Labor Day. But it’s hard to argue that the program, which gives rebates to people who trade in old cars for more fuel-efficient vehicles, hasn’t made the auto industry happy. That’s true for General Motors …
Michael Leiter Works to Keep Tabs on Terrorists
Alex Kingsbury
In his current job as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Michael Leiter is again in the business of interfering with the enemy. But instead of radar units in the former Yugoslavia or air defenses in Iraq, the adversary is global terrorist networks. And rather than scramble enemy communications, he is coming up with new strategies to match the new attitudes in the intelligence community.
Biofuel Technology and Performance Issues Could Slow Acceptance
Ari Axelrod
Biofuels are a conundrum. Their potential advantages are undeniable: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, lessening of our dependency on imported oil, support of domestic agriculture. And they certainly have their supporters. The Obama administration repeatedly affirmed its backing of rapid development of alternative energy sources, including biofuels. Still, the hurdles are high.
Biofuel Technology and Performance Issues Could Slow Acceptance
Ari Axelrod
Biofuels are a conundrum. Their potential advantages are undeniable: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, lessening of our dependency on imported oil, support of domestic agriculture. And they certainly have their supporters. The Obama administration repeatedly affirmed its backing of rapid development of alternative energy sources, including biofuels. Still, the hurdles are high.
The Diplomatic Myths and Illusions of the Middle East
by Robert Schlesinger
Incorrect preconceptions and misguided conventional wisdom hamper American policy in the Middle East, Dennis Ross and David Makovsky write in Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East.
What Parents Do not Know About How Their Kids Use Facebook & MySpace
Nancy Shute
Parents of teenagers know how important texting and social networking sites like MySpace, Bebo, and Facebook are to the over-13 set. But if we think we know what our kids say and do on the sites, we’re kidding ourselves. My 13- and 14-year-old nephews kindly remind me more often than I’d like of my cluelessness, and a new survey confirms that I’m not the only parent who has no idea.
Should You Invest in Socially Responsible Funds
Kimberly Palmer
Socially responsible investing, often referred to as SRI, has grown so much over the past decade that the industry group Social Investment Forum estimates it accounts for 1 out of every 9 dollars that is professionally managed in the United States today. But some consumers hesitate to put their money into socially responsible funds. Here are questions and answers to help you decide if socially responsible investing is right for you.
How to Choose and Book Your Ideal Cruise Vacation
Kim Michele
Choosing and booking a cruise can be overwhelming if you’re not familiar with the industry and the destinations served. However, it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tips to help you decide what you want from a cruise vacation, how to pick the best cruise line for you, and how to go about making your booking.
3 Ways to Avoid the Newest Travel ‘Gotcha’
Christopher Elliott
Kenneth Miller thought he had squirreled away more than 100,000 Delta Air Lines frequent flier miles, which he planned to use for a special 20th anniversary trip. He thought wrong. When he checked with the airline, it claimed he had no miles.
5 Secrets for Avoiding Sky-High Phone Bills on the Road
Christopher Elliott – The Travel Troubleshooter
When it comes to “gotcha” fees, the cellular phone industry makes travel companies look like rank amateurs. Take what happened to P. Morgan Brown when his wife decided to take a spur-of-the-moment vacation to Indonesia.
Charge This: 7 Tips for a Successful Credit Card Dispute
Christopher Elliott – The Travel Troubleshooter
Credit cards are not exactly what you’d call reliable. That’s because disputing a card charge is more of an art than a science. Here’s what you need to know in order to file a successful dispute.
‘No Waivers, No Favors’ Reaches New Highs
Christopher Elliott – The Travel Troubleshooter
The travel industry, hammered by the worst economic downturn in more than a generation, is taking a hard line in an effort to contain costs and preserve profits.
Branson Landing Trolley
Not Your Grandfather’s Branson
Suzi Parker
I have found the most unlikely of vacation spots: Branson, Missouri A town of 6,000 inhabitants nestled in the rolling Ozark Mountains, Branson has grown into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Hard to believe, though, for people who like myself journeyed to this hamlet back in the 1970s to visit Silver Dollar City, then an old-time amusement park that peddled corn husk dolls and homemade candles made while you watched
Rome’s Spanish Steps
5 Family Hotels in Rome
Amie O’Shaughnessy
The biggest challenge in finding a family-friendly hotel in Rome (or any major European city) is figuring out which properties have separate areas for sleeping and/or rooms that can accommodate four or more people.
Basha Kill Vineyards
Basha Kill Vineyards, Sullivan County New York
Leo Jakobson
Wine aficionados planning a vineyard tour in New York will generally turn to the Hudson River Valley, Long Island or the Finger Lakes regions, where most of the state’s grapes are grown — excluding, of course, the huge Concord …
Chewton Glen Hotel
Top 10 English Country Manor Hotels
Jonathan Lerner
The English landscape is dotted with grand old houses in picturesque settings. Staying in one of these country house hotels on your England vacation puts you right in the glorious green countryside.
Matheran, India
Unwind, Vehicle Free in Matheran, India
Jonathan Lerner
Mumbai’s heat and blaring traffic can be wearing. When I went to Matheran, instead of horns and motors I heard drums and chants from distant villages, and the howls of monkeys
Grand Canyon
5 National Park Treasures to Visit Before You Die
Debbie K. Hardin
National parks exert a primeval pull on visitors from around the world, who come by the millions to drink in their natural wonders. There are 391 national parks in the United States. 5 National Parks to See Before You Die.
Alaskan Bear Watching
Taking the Kids to Alaska and Meeting Some Bears
Eileen Ogintz – Taking the Kids
Welcome to ‘bear camp,’ an outpost of the Kenai Peninsula fishing lodge Great Alaska International Adventure Vacations, where families come to hike, fish, raft and, of course, check out the bears.
Hawks Cay Spa
Taking the Kids and Myself to a Spa
Eileen Ogintz – Taking the Kids
Of course, my mom never took me to a spa — I don’t think she’s ever been to one herself — but I’ve taken my daughters to spas from the Caribbean to Colorado, from Arizona to Austria from the time they were young teens, and like others their age, they are perfectly at home getting facials and massages. It turns out they’ve got plenty of company
Ceiba Del Mar
Taking the Kids To Mexico Where You’ll Find Adventure, Culture, Beaches and Great Deals
Eileen Ogintz – Taking the Kids
We’re just an hour or so from Cancun, a few miles from Playa del Carmen, five miles off the highway along a bumpy road in Rio Secreto, a unique cave just opened to the public last year, after the owner of the land, Don Cleo, inadvertently discovered it while chasing one of his animals
Santiago Spain
Binging on Barnacles in Spain
Rick Steves
I’m tucked away in Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest corner of Spain. I have a three-part agenda: see pilgrims reach their goal in front of the cathedral, explore the market, and buy some barnacles in the seafood section — then have them cooked for me, on the spot, in a cafe.
Tasty Tuscan Cuisine
Tuning in to Tasty Italy
Rick Steves
Recently when I was in Tuscany, a region fiercely proud of its beef, I sunk my teeth into a carnivore’s dream come true. In a stony cellar, under one long, tough vault, I joined a local crowd for dinner.
Provence Markets
To Market, to Market in Provence
Rick Steves
Market days are an especially big deal throughout France especially in Provence. You can find an endless array of products at Provencal markets, from clothing to crafts, art to antiques, pates to picnic fare. Arles stands out among Provencal market towns
Seniors on the Go: Factory Tours — Still the Best Free Shows
Ed Perkins On Travel
If you’re a senior on a budget, you can’t beat free for admission to a visitor attraction. Despite the lousy economy you can still find factories that allow you to see how the stuff you buy is actually made. Admission to most is free and the fees are nominal at the few that do charge.
A Tale of Two Cards and Their Reward Programs
Ed Perkins On Travel
American Express and Diners Club have changed their “rewards” programs. By adding British Airways to its list of partner airlines, AmEx has clearly improved its already strong position. On the other hand, by devaluing its points, Diners seems to be headed in some other direction.
Fall & Winter Travel – What’s It Going to Be
Ed Perkins On Travel
A reporter recently asked me about the fall and winter travel outlook, and I suspect that question is on your mind, too. I see two main forces driving the current and future travel marketplace: The economy.
Websites for Traveling Women
Ed Perkins On Travel
Although most of the travel industry still thinks of travelers as traditional couples, an increasing number of women are traveling alone or with other women. Here’s a brief overview of web sites tailored toward women travellers …
Finding Those Great Fall Hotel Deals
Ed Perkins On Travel
Fall is traditionally the slowest travel season of the year. Despite good weather and lots of interesting activities in many popular destinations, people seem to have other things on their minds. Low occupancies are the norm for vacation centers. And, of course, this year’s dismal economic picture makes things worse than usual. Clearly, these factors mean lots of opportunities for travelers able to take advantage.
AARP Travel Program Not Much New for 2009
Ed Perkins On Travel
Some suppliers still offer discounts to AARP members – mainly for hotels and rental cars. The details have changed a bit since my last summer update, but the basic conclusions remains: Many of AARP’s discounts are also available to travelers of any age through AAA, credit cards, or other organizations. Still, if you’re 50 or over, AARP is useful as a fallback position to be used when you can’t find a better deal.
Personal Finance
A Tale of Two Cards and Their Reward Programs
Ed Perkins On Travel
American Express and Diners Club have changed their “rewards” programs. By adding British Airways to its list of partner airlines, AmEx has clearly improved its already strong position. On the other hand, by devaluing its points, Diners seems to be headed in some other direction.
Lifestyle-Women
Websites for Traveling Women
Ed Perkins On Travel
Although most of the travel industry still thinks of travelers as traditional couples, an increasing number of women are traveling alone or with other women. Here’s a brief overview of web sites tailored toward women travellers …
Internet
Websites for Traveling Women
Ed Perkins On Travel
Although most of the travel industry still thinks of travelers as traditional couples, an increasing number of women are traveling alone or with other women. Here’s a brief overview of web sites tailored toward women travellers …
Real Estate
Ask the Real Estate Lawyer – September 6, 2009
By Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Ask the Real Estate Lawyer – August 30, 2009
By Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Ask the Real Estate Lawyer – August 23, 2009
By Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Ask the Real Estate Lawyer – August 16, 2009
By Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Ask the Real Estate Lawyer – August 9, 2009
By Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Real Estate Matters: Financial Questions and Answers – September 5, 2009
By Ilyce Glink
Real Estate Matters: Financial Questions and Answers – August 29, 2009
By Ilyce Glink
Real Estate Matters: Financial Questions and Answers – August 22, 2009
By Ilyce Glink
Real Estate Matters: Financial Questions and Answers – August 15, 2009
By Ilyce Glink
Real Estate Matters: Financial Questions and Answers – August 8, 2009
By Ilyce Glink
Loan Modification Mess: Are Lenders Dragging Their Feet
By Ilyce Glink
Once a mortgage is more than 90 days delinquent, few homeowners are able to catch up on their payments. That’s why loan modifications originally targeted those homeowners who had fallen so far behind.
Vacation Homes: Rent or Buy
By Ilyce Glink
There’s an American mythology about vacation homeownership. There are images of idyllic afternoons by the lake or swimming pool, small towns with farmers’ markets on Saturdays, and lazy summer evenings roasting marshmallows and watching fireflies.
Real Estate Deals Must Be in Writing to Be Enforceable
By Ilyce Glink
Real estate deals must be in writing to be enforceable. Usually, when a real estate broker takes an earnest money check, the buyer has signed a purchase and sale agreement (or purchase contract).
Craigslist Apartment Rental Scam
By Ilyce Glink
The FBI released a scam alert recently announcing that Nigerian scam artists had been placing phony ads for rental property online, most notably in Craigslist.
Home Decor
Banquette Seating
Banquette Seating Maximizes Efficiency and Comfort
By Rita St. Clair
Don’t assume that an attractive design featured in a magazine can be applied only in a space of similar dimensions. Good ideas can often be adapted to rooms much larger or smaller than the original. Functional issues may have to be addressed of course, trickier — and crucial — is the question of scale
Opaque Glass Panels
Sliding Opaque-Glass Panels Are Attractive and Functional for Modern Interior
By Rita St. Clair
The designs associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and with architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright have powerfully influenced the look of the modern American interior. So it’s important to realize that Wright’s work and the Arts and Crafts style in California were themselves shaped by Japanese design.
Winebar
Turn Antique Furniture into Unique Fixtures
By Rita St. Clair
Design schools never include “investment” in the lexicon they teach their students, but they should. Good interior design not only produces visual pleasure, it also enhances the value of a home by adding structural improvements and high-quality fixtures. And for homeowners seeking a return on the money they put into their homes, the art and antiques they buy will do better these days than the equity of the real estate itself.
Leafy Plants & poolside landscaping
Poolside Landscaping Should Emphasize Ease and Beauty
By Sean Conway
A backyard pool is a great place to relax in the summer heat, but it can present landscaping challenges.
Planting trees and shrubs too close to the pool should be avoided since they will block sunlight, not to mention deposit leaves and other debris in the pool. A similar caveat applies to planting grass close to the edge of a pool. It may look pleasing, but every time the grass is mowed the clippings invariably end up in the water.
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Healthcare
What is the Actual Number of Americans Without Health Insurance
Bonnie Erbe
The number of Americans without health insurance the Obama administration and Democrats have used for more than a
year now ranges between 40 million and 46 million — at the upper end, that would be somewhere between 1 in 6 and 1 in 7 Americans.
So, how many Americans are truly uninsured?
Domestic
+ Family
America’s 10 Best Places to Grow Up
Luke Mullins
Low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and fun activities are key ingredients for a happy childhood.
So we dug into our database of 2,000 different places all across the country and pinpointed the locales that met these criteria.
We then examined these communities more closely to determine which places offered the best combination …
Politics
Frustrated Baby Boomers Alienated from the Political Debate
by 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 …
Economy
+Auto I
Maybe Cash For Clunkers Helped The Economy After All
Matthew Bandyk
Daniel Gross at Slate makes the case that the evidence is in, and cash-for-clunkers gets a pretty good return as
stimulus: If we use Taylor’s estimate, about 250,000 extra cars were purchased (40 percent of 625,000). And if each cost $29,000, those
sales generated about $7.3 billion in revenue in the space of a few weeks. That’s a pretty good return on $2.6 billion in government
spending.
+ Auto I
BX
Auto Dealers: Cash for Clunkers a Needed Boost
Amanda Ruggeri
John McEleney is the chair of the Virginia-based National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents more than 90
percent of new-car dealers nationwide and lobbied hard for the program. He recently spoke about how dealers have been reacting to the program
and what the problem was with reimbursements.
Beware of False Hopes on the Economy
Mortimer B. Zuckerman
Is there light at the end of this very long tunnel of a recession? Government spokespeople, keen to encourage
confidence, say there is (their metaphor is “green shoots”). Many private business people concur. Let’s do a reality check …
Swine Flu ??
Home
Obama Advisers: Swine Flu Could Infect Nearly Half of U.S. Population
By Queenie Wong
President Obama’s science advisers warned recently that swine flu could infect nearly half the U.S. population this fall and winter and
cause up to 90,000 deaths, mostly in kids and young adults. The estimate is double the deaths normally associated with the seasonal flu.
+ Kids Health
+Parenting
+ Family
BX
What Parents Should Know About Swine Flu Shots
Nancy Shute
The questions I asked at my daughter’s well-child doctor visit this week were not happy ones: They were all about what to do if the swine flu pandemic gets much worse this fall and she becomes sick. I left the pediatrician’s office just as worried.
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Health
+Ailments
9 Safe Ways to Help Cure Insomnia
January W. Payne
Insomnia — difficulty falling or staying asleep — can wreak havoc on people’s lives. And with the coroner’s finding that Michael Jackson died from a lethal dose of the anesthesia medication propofol (Diprivan), which the pop star reportedly received routinely because of his chronic inability to sleep, it’s a good time to revisit safe ways to help cure insomnia.
+Ailments
7 Things That Make Sleep Apnea Worse
Lindsay Lyon
More than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing and many are unaware, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Untreated, sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, memory loss, obesity, parasomnias, and insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes
+ Drugs
+ Merck
+ Pharma
BX
Gardasil Side Effects Tough to Monitor
Deborah Kotz
Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against the cervical-cancer-causing human papillomavirus, got a bit of a smack-down from two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationdetailing safety risks associated with …
Foods Surprisingly High in Added Sugar
Sarah Baldauf
Added sugars, which are sprinkled on and processed into packaged foods and beverages, have become all too common in the American diet, says the American Heart Association. The group argues that sugar bingeing is helping drive the uptick in metabolic changes in the American population, including the exploding obesity rate, and has now recommended an upper limit on daily consumption …
Why You Should Think Twice Before Using Alli or Other Weight Loss Aids
Deborah Kotz
When it comes to losing weight, we’d all love that quick fix: a pill, shake, heck, even surgery to ease our efforts. Unfortunately, weight-loss aids — even when approved by the Food and Drug Administration — come with risks as well as benefits.
+Aging
8 Facts to Know About Palliative Care: Misconceptions abound
Sarah Baldauf
The term “palliative care” often conjures tones of a death knell, but the reality of what such services provide — and when they can and should be recruited — might be surprising. While death might ultimately become a part of the conversation, recruiting such care is not just about dying.
+ Education
School Lunches Go Vegetarian
Zach Miners
A new nationwide survey by the School Nutrition Association says almost 2 out of 3 U.S. schools now offer vegetarian fare for lunch on a regular basis. That’s a 40 percent increase since 2003, the first year veggie meals were tallied by the nonprofit group.
However, rising prices are hitting districts hard …
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Technology
+Education
BX
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
+Education
BX
Technology as Our Teacher
Mortimer B. Zuckerman
How can average teachers become better teachers? The secretary’s special funding could make a crucial difference by financing a national program exploiting the electronic miracles of the Internet and video. We could escape geography by using the technology to have the best teachers appear in hundreds of thousands of disparate classrooms. This is a force multiplier.
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Personal Finance
BX
5 First Steps to Deal With Debt
Kirk Shinkle
If your credit card’s monthly minimum payment is starting to look more like your old balance or you’re not answering the phone for fear of another call from a creditor, it’s time to take drastic action. As thousands of Americans are finding out during this recession, personal debt can become a nightmare
Travel
+ Wireless
+Airline
BX
Allowing Cellphones In-Flight Would Make Air Travel Even Worse
Peter DeFazio
With airline customer satisfaction at an all-time low, this is not the moment to consider making airplane travel even more torturous by allowing in-flight cellphone conversations. After arriving hours early at the airport and often after waiting for a delayed, or even canceled, flight, what could make air travel worse?
+ Wireless
+Airline
BX
If Europe Can Handle In-Flight Cellphone Use, So Can America
Carl Biersack
Despite predictions that in-flight cellphone usage would lead to Armageddon, the global rollout has been just the opposite. In 20 months of global usage, there has not been one reported incident or problem. In fact, 93 percent of passengers who flew on an in-flight communication-equipped aircraft want all jets so equipped. So why not U.S. carriers?
Careers
+ HR
Tips for Dealing With Age Discrimination
Emily Brandon
Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, it’s illegal to discriminate against anyone age 40 or older in the workplace with regard to hiring, layoffs, promotions, pay, and benefits. Here’s what you should do if you think age is playing a role in your workplace woes
+ Education
BX
New Path to a Career in Education
Jessica Calefati
Since it began in 2002, the little-known Broad Residency has placed more than 130 participants in 32 of the nation’s largest urban school districts. There, they have led efforts to overhaul budgeting processes, revamp human resources departments, and make the purchase of textbooks and supplies more efficient. Interest in the program is starting to skyrocket, perhaps because of President Barack Obama’s advocacy of public service and school reform.
Education
College Education Concerns in the 21st Century
(c) M. Ryder
BX
Turning Two Years Into Four
Carol Frey
Can’t come up with the money for four years at a traditional college? What if you could take the same courses far more cheaply, experience life on a residential campus, and transfer smoothly after two years to complete your bachelor’s degree at the university you thought you couldn’t afford? That’s the attraction of many community colleges.
BX
The Challenge for Black Colleges
Kim Clark
The downturn that has forced cutbacks at some of the nation’s richest colleges is endangering survival of some of the poorest, including some historically black colleges and universities. But alumni, professors, and outside analysts say that the better-funded HBCUs’ experience weathering hard times and helping students whom other schools have shut out may boost their appeal
BX
First-rate Colleges Not as Selective as the Top Universities
Diane Cole
A truth that college applicants all too often forget: Beyond the small roster of nationally renowned schools lie many that aren’t household names but have first-rate programs and strong reputations.
BX
Different Paths to a College Degree
Carol Frey
Unemployment has changed many a kitchen-table conversation about college. One of the best ways to ensure a job is to have a bachelor’s degree. But a college education is now more difficult for many families to afford. That means many students are on the prowl for bargain bachelor’s degrees–and some are finding them in nontraditional programs such as three-year bachelor’s degree programs, online education, and work colleges.
BX
Unified Admissions, Affordable Loans and ‘Gap Years’ — Might Help American Colleges
Thomas K. Grose
While many foreign models won’t work in the States there are some practices, mainly cherry-picked from Britain, that would be welcome additions: a less punishing student loan program; more encouragement for students to follow the British tradition of taking a ‘gap year’ break before starting college; and, of course, a central admissions process
BX
SAT Offers Level Playing Field in College Admissions process
Gaston Caperton
The SAT is the most widely used and most heavily researched college admissions test in the country.
In combination with other data, such as a student’s grade-point average, college application essays, and letters of recommendation,
the SAT has proven to be a valid, fair, and reliable data tool for college admissions. All of the available research supports this point.
BX
Students are More than SAT Scores and Numbers in College Admissions Process
Jill Tiefenthaler
The accepted framework for college admissions is showing rust at the joints and no longer supports the right parts of the educational enterprise. It is time to rethink college admissions, and particularly the role of standardized testing. With only marginal predictive value for performance in college, standardized scores do nothing to suggest what a student might contribute to the character and vitality of an intellectual community.
BX
Dreaded Financial Aid Form will be Easier to Fill Out Next Year
Kim Clark
Applying for financial aid is about to get a little less annoying, and loan repayment will get more affordable for some students, thanks to recent initiatives from the U.S. Department of Education.
+ Personal Finance
BX
Casting the Widest Possible Net: College Tuition Assistance & Financial Aid
Kim Clark
Back when jobs were plentiful, investments were growing nicely, and borrowing was easy students and parents could generally cobble together
the $18,000 or so cost of a year at a public university using some variation of the oft-recommended “thirds” strategy: one third from
savings, one third from debt, and one third out of the family paychecks. But how can they scrape together tuition money now that the
bear market has wiped out savings, banks are scared to make loans, and layoffs have eliminated millions of high-paying jobs? Simple …
+ Personal Finance
BX
Serious Tracking to Hunt Down Cheapest Student Loans
Kim Clark
One of the most surprising results of the turmoil in the lending markets is how students’ loan options have diverged from parents’. Here are the keys both should bear in mind
+ Personal Finance
BX
Calculating the Hidden Costs of College
Kimberly Palmer
Forget the meal plan and new computer — those college costs pale in comparison with the unexpected school expenses that add up each
month, from vitamins to stave off exam-season colds to formal wear for the next big Saturday night soiree. Here are 13 often-overlooked
items that you might want to budget for, along with their estimated costs …
BX
Regional Agreements allow Hefty Discount for Students from Nearby States
Nikki Schwab
Out of State at In-State Tuition Rates. In many areas, regional tuitiion rate agreements for public state colleges and universities
allow a hefty discount for students from nearby states. But you have to know where to look …
BX
The Real Secret of College Admissions
David L. Marcus
I’m a volunteer interviewer for my alma mater, Brown University. I know the hard statistics: Only 1 out of 10 of those I meet will be admitted. I’ve come to see the admissions process as a game whose stakes really are not that high. While screening these applicants for the past couple of years, I was writing a book about the college quest. I became convinced that rejection is frequently a blessing.
+ Careers
+Healthcare
Healthcare Giving Students Opportunity to Pay their Way through College
by Steven Yaccino
Many students are expected to lean on the healthcare industry for employment this year as the part-time job market
sinks even further south. Lucky for them, a deluge of aging baby boomers drives one of the healthiest industries today. Seven of the 20
fastest-growing occupations are related to healthcare, according to government data.
+ Internet Features
BX
Students & Professors use Twitter to Communicate Inside & Outside the Classroom
by Zach Miners
Though Twitter might not be quite as popular among students as Facebook or MySpace, a growing cadre of professors and administrators are embracing it and using it to introduce their classes to a different kind of communication and networking — one that doesn’t involve “poking” friends or posting your results from quizzes and polls.
+ Economy
BX
Budget Cuts Hit Nation’s Public Colleges Hard, Even as Demand for Well-educated Workforce Soars
Kim Clark
The recession, state budget cuts, and hidebound bureaucracies are endangering some of the most important foundations of the American dream — the low-cost, high-quality public colleges created to provide anyone with smarts and diligence the training needed to succeed.
Women’s Colleges have had to Broaden their Appeal and Support
Jessica Calefati
According to one study, just 3 percent of collegebound women will even consider attending a women’s college. Yet on many traditional coeducational
campuses across the country, female students now outnumber their male peers. Some argue that this combination of factors demonstrates that women’s
colleges are obsolete, some think otherwise …
Best Tech for the Collegebound
David LaGesse
At the top of every college student’s list are the modern tools of campus life, the technology that gets students through their academics and
socializing. We’ve scanned five key categories of tech for collegiates. While these can be used for entertainment, the emphasis is on work and
communications.
Here Comes the NFL
NFL 2009 Week 1
Every last player, coach and fan is ready! The NFL returns this week and it’s time to “Own the Moment.” That means
the next four months will be packed with the sizzle and suspense that comes only with the National Football League. And then come the
playoffs! Everybody is ready for the unique unpredictability of the NFL. And every team enters the new season with hope.
Team-by-Team Review of the NFL’s Starting Quarterbacks
NFL 2009 Week 1
Quarterbacks throughout the league find themselves in the spotlight as the NFL begins the new season, all hoping to
lead their teams to a berth in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida. Following is a team-by-team look at the
NFL’s starting quarterbacks heading into NFL 2009 Week 1.