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Samantha Power: Message to Graduates: "Be a Good Ancestor" Video
Samantha Power delivers an inspiring and honest speech, one that truly speaks to young people...
"You can be the generation that makes this country energy independent; you can be the generation that wipes out malaria in the developing world; you can be the generation that summons global resources to halt genocide in Darfur and beyond; you can be the generation that deals with the scourge of terrorism and its causes; and you can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. My generation and our predecessors haven't been responsible caretakers. But you can be. In John F. Kennedy's inaugural address he observed that Americans were daunted by the mortal challenges of the Cold War and the nuclear age. But he declared, "I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation.""
-Samantha Power Pitzer College Commencement Speech
Huffington Transcript of speech:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-power/message-to... Samantha Power delivers an inspiring and honest speech, one that truly speaks to young people... ... more -
Rice Told Embassies Not To Aid Candidates On Eve Of Obama Trip
On the eve of Democrat Barack Obama's overseas tour, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told employees at U.S. embassies to provide only minimal help to visiting presidential candidates. On the eve of Democrat Barack Obama's overseas tour, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told employees at U.S. embassies to provide o... more
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Honey bee shortage could drive up food prices
The planet is doomed.
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Huffington Breaks Down the Media
Blogs will help set the agenda
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Pentagon told Guantanamo interrogators to destroy evidence!
The Pentagon urged interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to destroy handwritten notes in case they were called to testify about potentially harsh treatment of detainees, a military defense lawyer said Sunday.
The lawyer for Toronto-born Omar Khadr, Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, said the instructions were included in an operations manual shown to him by prosecutors and suggest the U.S. deliberately thwarted evidence that could help terror suspects defend themselves at trial.
Kuebler said the apparent destruction of evidence prevents him from challenging the reliability of any alleged confessions. He said he will use the document to seek a dismissal of charges against Khadr.
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, said he was reviewing the matter Sunday evening.
The "standard operating procedures" manual that contained the purported instructions was made available to Kuebler last week as part of a pretrial review of potential evidence, the Navy lawyer said.
"The mission has legal and political issues that may lead to interrogators being called to testify, keeping the number of documents with interrogation information to a minimum can minimize certain legal issues," the document is quoted as saying in an affidavit signed by Kuebler.
The document could support challenges by other detainees to suppress confessions at Guantanamo, where the U.S. military says it plans to prosecute as many as 80 of roughly 270 detainees before the first U.S. war-crimes tribunals since World War II.
The case against Khadr, who was captured in Afghanistan when he was 15, is on track to be one of the first to trial. He faces war-crimes charges including murder for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. Special Forces soldier during a 2002 firefight.
Kuebler said the nature of the interrogations is particularly relevant in Khadr's case because prosecutors are relying on evidence "extracted" from him at Bagram air base in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo.
"If handwritten notes were destroyed in accordance with the SOP, the government intentionally deprived Omar's lawyers of key evidence with which to challenge the reliability of his statements," Kuebler said in an e-mail to reporters.
The operations manual, which dates to January 2003, was attached to a 2005 report on an investigation into detainee abuse allegations at Guantanamo, Kuebler said. A summary of the findings was released at the time, but the defense lawyer said the section including the manual has not been made available publicly.
The so-called Schmidt-Furlow report documented degrading treatment, including one instance of a top terror suspect forced to dance with another man and behave like a dog. But investigators stopped short of saying torture occurred.
The Pentagon urged interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to destroy handwritten notes in case they were called to testify about potentially ... more -
Why this fifty-five year old white lifelong Republican wants Obama to win
Excerpts:
This is a great day for those of us who have been fighting for Senator Obama! I'm a good example of why he'll win in November. I'm the least typical Obama supporter. And there are many more like me.
I cut my political teeth in the seventies through the early eighties as an organizer in the antiabortion religious right. I'm a fifty-five year old white man who has been a conservative most of my life. I've been a Republican activist who campaigned for McCain in 2000. I'm a big fan of the military. My son served in the Marines. If Obama can reach me he can reach anyone.
My support for Obama has cost me friends. For instance the Bush family gave one of my recent military-related books (Keeping Faith-A Father-Son Story About Love and the United States Marine Corps) a ringing endorsement. After Laura Bush read an excerpt out on Meet The Press sales skyrocketed. I probably won't get too many more of those sorts of endorsements. But the chips are down and the presidential choice this year is too important not to not fight for.
We can't afford McCain. He'd be a president with a desire to be vindicated and "win" at all costs in Iraq. Iraq never attacked us. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The terrorists were not in Iraq while Hussein was in charge. We opened the door for them. We aren't bringing democracy to Iraq. This was a war of dumb choice launched in a part of the world that can't ever be fixed by our military . . .
I think we all vote on an emotional level, whatever we say about our "reasons." And I know that I'm not the only tired culture warrior from the right who feels relieved and uplifted and -- most importantly -- believes Obama when I hear him talk about bringing us together to shape a better future. I also believe that he is an authentic man of faith. His sincere inclusion of Christian faith in his conversation with us rings true to this preacher's kid.
Obama touches me. He has a prophetic authenticity that reminds me of W.E.B. Du Bois' prayers that Du Bois sometimes wrote for his students. Obama also brings a touch of Billy Graham with him to the podium. His is a deeply spiritual call. And his critics that have dismissed Obama's ability to inspire as "mere words" are dead wrong.
We have never needed inspiration more. And we have never needed a president to inspire the rest of the world more. Every international opinion poll shows that Obama is not only the most popular American leader, perhaps ever, but more popular than any other world leader today.
Obama offers civility. Obama speaks in complete sentences, well-turned paragraphs, offers thoughts with intellectual depth, nuance, humility and compassion. Obama does not play on our fears. Electing Obama will also tell the world--and most importantly ourselves--that we can grow, learn and move on when it comes to race. We can heal our wounds. We can set an example again.
Obama is worth fighting for. He is worth losing old friends for. History has given us an unlikely lifeline. Do we have the decency and sense to open our hearts? What a great moment this is! Excerpts: ... more -
California drought: Schwarzenegger signs executive order to redirect water
ACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmelt runoff and a court-ordered restriction on water transfers.
Schwarzenegger warned that residents and water managers must immediately cut their water use or face the possibility of rationing next year if there is another dry winter.
"We must recognize the severity of the crisis that we face," the Republican governor said Wednesday at a news conference.
He signed an executive order directing the state's response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California. Many communities already require water conservation or rationing.
The statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992. ACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snowmel... more -
Arianna Huffington: Announcing HuffPost Green: Our New Eco-News and Opinion Sectio...
Latest Eco Trend: Buy Less, Live More
By: Arianna Huffington
When we picked June 4th as the launch day for HuffPost's new Green section, little did we know the Democratic nomination would be decided just the night before.
So today, as well as celebrating the culmination of a historic primary race, we here at HuffPost are also celebrating the kick-off of HuffPost Green.
Ever since we launched HuffPost, environmental issues have been a significant part of our focus -- indeed, part of our DNA. In fact, long before HuffPost was even a twinkle in our eye, I was championing, via the Detroit Project, the need to push the nation's energy policy in a more sustainable direction -- better both for our environment and our national security.
And our HuffPost community has made it clear that you are interested in learning about -- and talking about -- living in a more environmentally-friendly way.
So as we continue the Huffington Post's expansion, creating a go-to destination for the latest and most useful Green content was a logical next step.
HuffPost Green features up-to-the-minute news stories, blog posts, video, and community forums. The focus is on eco news and trends -- from the latest scientific findings and environmental legislation to the latest green lifestyle tips. The section will also feature advice on sustainable investing and highlight eco-friendly businesses such as renewable energy, green building, recycling and organics.
While bringing about real change is critically important -- we don't think going green has to be like taking your medicine. So don't expect any finger-wagging (well, not too much anyway). We're not interested in being greener-than-thou -- just greener today than yesterday. Our philosophy is pretty simple: it's not about some people doing everything, but everyone doing something to make the world a more sustainable and better place to live.
And to ensure that we are bringing you the smartest, freshest, and most useful green content, we have partnered with two of the world's premiere green media brands -- Discovery's popular sustainable-living website, TreeHugger.com, and Planet Green, Discovery's 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network.
TreeHugger will provide its blend of timely blog postings, video features, news items, and forums where users can interact. Planet Green will contribute highlights of its original green lifestyle programming -- content for people of all ages and backgrounds. And our editors will infuse this green mix with the usual HuffPost style and attitude.
So please click here to check it out. And, most importantly, send us any ideas you have for HuffPost Green, including any green news items you think our readers would like to see.
Latest Eco Trend: Buy Less, Live More By: Arianna Huffington ... more -
Game-Changer: how the online news revolution is altering the media landscape
by: Arianna Huffington
Media on The Huffington Post
BusinessWeek is updating a cover story it did three years ago on how the impact of blogs is changing the media landscape and asked me to weigh in. Here is what I sent them:
I am frequently asked if the rising influence of online news sources is the death knell for Big Media. My answer is that Big Media isn't dead; it's ill but will actually be saved by the transfusion of passion and immediacy of the blogging and online news revolution.
The growth of New Media journalism has served as a wake-up call. A wake-up call the industry, after years of yawning and repeatedly hitting the snooze button, has finally started to heed. The result will be a journalistic hybrid combining the best aspects of traditional print newspapers with the best of what the Web brings to the table. We're getting a glimpse into this hybrid future with the many changes afoot at Old Media places like the Washington Post and the New York Times, and from New Media players like, well, like the Huffington Post.
We've seen the New York Times recently and enthusiastically embrace the notion of blogging, and the Washington Post has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into its digital operations -- and as a result gone from being a largely local paper with a print circulation of around 650,000 to an international digital news source attracting over 8.5 million online readers a month.
And just as Old Media players are embracing the ways of the New Media, some in the New Media are beginning to perform some of the key functions formerly reserved for the media establishment -- namely breaking major news stories and offering original reporting.
Equally exciting is the fact that technology will continue to give readers more and more control over what kind of information they get, and how that information will be presented. The days of publishing pooh-bahs dictating what is important and what is not are over. And thank goodness. Because the big question has always been: what page will today's real front page story actually appear on? As the legendary journalist I.F. Stone once said of the Washington Post: it's a particularly exciting paper to read because "you never know on what page you will find a page-one story."
The debate that has been dominating journalistic circles for the last few years has been print vs. online -- but, in fact, that discussion is totally obsolete. It's as musty as the old barroom argument about Ginger vs Mary Ann. It's 2008, why not have a three-way? Traditional media have ADD -- they are far too quick to drop a story -- even a good one, so eager are they to move on to the next big thing. Online journalists, meanwhile, tend to have OCD -- we chomp down on a story and stick with it and stick with it and stick with it, refusing to move on until we've gotten down to the marrow.
The shifting dynamic between the forces of print and online reminds me of the relationship between Sarah Conner and the T-101 in the Terminator movies. At first, the visitor from the future (digital) seemed intent on killing Sarah (print). But as the relationship progressed and the sequels unspooled, the Terminator became Sarah and her son's one hope for salvation. Today, you can almost hear digital media (which for some reason has a thick Austrian accent) saying to print: "Come with me if you want to live!"
The hybrid future is kicking down the door. It's time to let it in and fully embrace it. by: Arianna Huffington Media on The Huffington Post ... more -
More Tax Free Yachts
The Republican tax cut cult, as Arianna so aptly calls it in her new book, has achieved its zenith in California. Here, if you must have a yacht or private jet, you can have it tax-free. All you have to do is keep it out of the state for ninety days from the time of purchase and you pay no sales or use tax. But if you need a car you're taxed on it, no matter where you buy it. And last I checked, more working people need cars than yachts. As one of only three states in the union that mandates a two-thirds legislative majority to pass a budget (a key element of the right wing success in choking government), California's Republican Party can and does annually hold the budget hostage in return for subsidies for the rich. The Republican tax cut cult, as Arianna so aptly calls it in her new book, has achieved its zenith in California. Here, if you must ha... more
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No Child Left Behind Leaves Too Many Children Behind
"Last month's report by America's Promise Alliance concluded that nationwide, nearly 1.2 million students drop out of school every year and that about seven out of ten of students graduate on time. While these alarming statistics may only seem a problem for failing schools and the children they affect, the loss of potential along with the economic burden on society as a whole should be of immense concern for all of us."
New legislation is not going to solve the problem, this nation needs to reassess its definition of education if we want the future to look bright for the next generation. The No Child Left Behind Act has done nothing but put more pressure on teachers and schools to meet a "standard" while the federal government does little to help failing schools provide a more adequate education. "Last month's report by America's Promise Alliance concluded that nationwide, nearly 1.2 million students drop out of school every yea... more -
Clinton slams Democratic activists at private fundraiser
Hillary sounds like Liebermann to me. He's no longer a Democrat. He's actually campaigning with McCain. Didn't Hillary state, 'She and McCain are the most qualified?' Maybe she was too tired to remember which party she represents?
At a small closed-door fundraiser after Super Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton blamed what she called the "activist base" of the Democratic Party -- and MoveOn.org in particular -- for many of her electoral defeats, saying activists had "flooded" state caucuses and "intimidated" her supporters, according to an audio recording of the event obtained by The Huffington Post.
"Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down," Clinton said to a meeting of donors. "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."
by: Celeste Fremon Hillary sounds like Liebermann to me. He's no longer a Democrat. He's actually campaigning with McCain. Didn't Hillary state, 'She ... more -
I was an Obama volunteer
And now I have the same feeling in my gut, staring at Tommy's head and listening to Obama speak, as I did trying to get in to that bar: I'm close, but some blue-collar white guy stands in my way. And I guess that's how I feel about the campaign, too.
"So join me now, Philadelphia," shouts Obama, frenzying the crowd, "and let's go change the world together."
Maybe, I think to myself. Or maybe we'll just get really close to changing it.
This is the story of a journalist who went undercover to volunteer in the Obama campaign in PA. It offers a sharp contrast to the journalist who went undercover in Clinton's campaign. You can find the other story here: http://current.com/items/88910234_i_was_a_clinton_volun... And now I have the same feeling in my gut, staring at Tommy's head and listening to Obama speak, as I did trying to get in to that bar... more -
Top 10 myths keeping Hillary in the race
By: Chip Collis - - I have noted a number of myths amongst the comments here as to why Hillary should stay in the race. Here are ten enduring, kudzu-like myths, with the debunking they sorely need . . .
1. Myth: This race is tied.
No, actually, it's not. Obama has the lead in number of states won, in pledged delegates and in overall delegates. Nothing will happen in the remaining primaries to substantially change that. As to the one thing Hillary does lead in, superdelegates, her quickly shrinking margin is among DNC personnel only. When you look at the elected superdelegates, Congressman, Senators and Governors (i.e. people who actually work with both Obama and Clinton) Obama leads there, too.
By: Chip Collis - - I have noted a number of myths amongst the comments here as to why Hillary should stay in the race. Here are ten e... more -
Pornographic Drinking Devices Are Last Straw For KY Mom
What do you think the shape represents? A penis? Maybe a pear? Or perhaps a rocket ship? Share your ideas in the comments section below. What do you think the shape represents? A penis? Maybe a pear? Or perhaps a rocket ship? Share your ideas in the comments section belo... more
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Chris Rock having a conversation you would never, ever want public
This is a piece of evidence in the star-studded trial of investigator Anthony Pellicano, a recorded conversation where Chris Rock attempts to clean up some personal dirty laundry. Yikes. This is a piece of evidence in the star-studded trial of investigator Anthony Pellicano, a recorded conversation where Chris Rock atte... more
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U.S. casualties in Iraq - pick a number, any number...
An eye-opening article on public awareness of the war in Iraq - the news coverage we never see and the casualties we never hear about.
A study at the Pew Research center found that in its most recent polling only 28% of people polled accurately answered the following question regarding US casualties in Iraq -
"Since the start of military action in Iraq, about how many U.S. military personnel have been killed? To the best of your knowledge have there been 2000, 3000, 4000 [or] 5000 troop deaths?"
The correct answer would have been 4000. The Dept. of Defense has confirmed 3,974 deaths - 13 are pending confirmation.
So... what would you have said??? An eye-opening article on public awareness of the war in Iraq - the news coverage we never see and the casualties we never hear about.... more -
Thought Process Flowchart: Eliot Spitzer
So let's see if we get this straight: A balding, rather dorky-looking governor who ran in 2006 on a platform of "cleaning up" politics has been caught texting a high-priced hooker service, employing prostitutes for the past six months?
Eliot Spitzer, what were you thinking? So let's see if we get this straight: A balding, rather dorky-looking governor who ran in 2006 on a platform of "cleaning up" politics... more -
The world's 50 most powerful blogs
From Prince Harry's secret "Terry Taliban-bashing" mission in Afghanistan and Tom Cruise's much-mocked Scientology video, to the revealing of the iPhone, blogs are influencing mainstream media and breaking news stories more than ever.
Here's the Guardian's list of the 50 most powerful blogs. Any personal favourites in there or any they've missed off? From Prince Harry's secret "Terry Taliban-bashing" mission in Afghanistan and Tom Cruise's much-mocked Scientology video, to the revea... more -
It's all my fault
Marty Kaplan's sense of humor on deciding on a Presidential candidate . . .
"First I was for Edwards, because he told the truth about poverty and power, and he apologized for his vote on the war.
Then I was for Biden, because the Republicans would eat Edwards alive on the haircut and the house, plus Biden had foreign policy street cred, and a wicked tongue about Bush.
Then . . . "
Marty Kaplan's sense of humor on deciding on a Presidential candidate . . . ... more
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