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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201543.html
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https://web.archive.org/web/2007111519id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201543.html
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Repairing a Crack in the System
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2007111519
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The ratio was a well-intentioned response to the crack-related violence of the 1980s. But its effects have been more harmful than good. It has exaggerated the relative harmfulness of crack cocaine, forcing stiff sentences on mostly small-time drug dealers. Additionally, it has had a disproportionate impact on minorities. About 80 percent of convicted crack dealers are African American, while whites tend to be more heavily involved in powder cocaine trafficking. The sentencing disparity, therefore, prolonged sentences for minority offenders without sound justification.
Even more pernicious, the disparity corroded the effectiveness and legitimacy of the federal criminal justice system. In part because of the 100-to-1 ratio, many Americans, particularly in minority communities, came to be suspicious of federal law enforcement. When people believe the system is racist or otherwise unfair, they are less likely to convict when serving on a jury. They are also less likely to willingly testify as witnesses and report crimes to the police.
So, after years of controversy, the amended sentencing guidelines that took effect this month are a welcome change. The Sentencing Commission, which sets guidelines for federal judges, essentially narrowed the guidelines gap by reducing the recommended sentences for the majority of crack cocaine offenses. Ultimately, the disparity should be reduced even further -- to something closer to 10-to-1. But even the recent change will noticeably reduce crack sentences. Whereas previously the average sentence for crack cocaine offenders was 121 months, now the average sentence should be closer to 106 months, according to the advocacy group the Sentencing Project.
Today's hearing, though, will focus largely on whether to apply the change retroactively. That would make about 19,500 crack cocaine offenders now in prison eligible for shorter sentences.
Yet the Justice Department "strongly opposes" such a move. In a letter to the commission, the department expressed concern about the "sweeping impact" retroactive application would have. This curious, misery-loves-company argument seemingly suggests that the commission should correct small injustices, but not significant ones.
The department also argues that re-sentencing offenders would "impose enormous and unjustified costs" on the federal court system. But even the department's possibly exaggerated estimate, in the millions of dollars, would be dwarfed by the more than $1 billion that could be saved by releasing prisoners early from expensive prison cells.
Justice is on somewhat firmer ground in worrying that early release "would jeopardize community safety and threatens to unravel the success we have achieved in removing violent crack offenders from high-crime neighborhoods." But, during my time on the federal judiciary's Criminal Law Committee, we offered suggestions for ensuring that former felons are properly supervised when released, for example by deploying additional probation officers or expanding the use of halfway houses.
Now that the recommended sentences for crack distribution have been reduced, it would be unjust to continue to incarcerate offenders based on discredited calculations. Doing so would create the spectacle of two felons convicted of the same offense serving significantly different prison terms because of the happenstance of their sentencing date.
Furthermore, in other cases where the commission formulaically reduced drug sentencing guidelines, as it did with LSD and marijuana, it made the changes retroactive. As a matter of simple fairness, it should follow that conventional approach here.
But, most important, the skepticism toward the federal justice system will continue -- and, indeed, be strengthened -- if all of those 19,500 prisoners are made to serve their full sentences. To help restore public confidence, the Sentencing Commission must make its crack cocaine amendment retroactive.
The writer is a law professor at the University of Utah. He was nominated as a federal judge by President Bush and served on the U.S. District Court in Utah from 2002 to 2007.
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Today the United States Sentencing Commission holds a hearing on its recent decision to reduce the disparity in federal sentencing guidelines for crack and powder cocaine offenses. As a former federal judge and chairman of the federal judiciary's Criminal Law Committee, I believe the change in gu...
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111300885.html
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https://web.archive.org/web/2007111519id_/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111300885.html
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Yahoo Settles With Chinese Families
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2007111519
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The announcement came a week after members of Congress criticized Yahoo executives for not assisting the families of Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning. The men were sentenced to 10-year prison terms for crimes against the state after Yahoo gave their e-mail records to Chinese officials. Their families sued Yahoo last April in U.S. District Court in Northern California.
"The pressures by Congress on [Yahoo chief executive] Jerry Yang were of tremendous importance to making this settlement happen," said Morton H. Sklar, executive director of the World Organization for Human Rights USA, which represents the Chinese families. He said a recent court decision requiring Yahoo to disclose information about its operations in China probably sped up the settlement, as did Yahoo's interest in being seen as a company that promotes human rights.
Yahoo said in a written statement that the company would start a fund "to provide humanitarian and legal aid to dissidents who have been imprisoned for expressing their views online."
In 2002, Wang, an engineer, was detained by Chinese officials for writing pro-democracy articles on a Yahoo Groups Web site. Shi, a journalist, was arrested in 2004 after he forwarded an e-mail directing him not to cover the Tiananmen Square anniversary to an overseas Web site.
Yahoo was asked to testify about its cooperation with Chinese officials in the arrests of the men at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in February 2006. At the time, Michael J. Callahan, the company's general counsel, denied that Yahoo had any information about the nature of the case against Shi. Callahan and Yang were called back to testify last week because the subpoena-like demand Yahoo received for information about Shi specifically said that he was being investigated for a state-secrets violation, a charge frequently made against dissidents.
At last week's hearing, Yang apologized to relatives of the prisoners, who were sitting behind him. He later met with the families privately.
Yahoo "admitted this is wrong and would not happen again," said Laogai Research Foundation executive director Harry Wu, who translated for the families during their visit to the United States. Wu said the families were returning to China but that the two imprisoned dissidents were not yet aware of the settlement.
Human rights advocates said other companies operating in China are likely to tread more carefully because of Yahoo's experience. "I think Cisco, Microsoft and Google are probably taking careful notes," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
Some lawmakers hope to prohibit U.S. companies from giving information about their customers to foreign governments. The bill proposed by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), the Global Online Freedom Act, would forbid sharing such information without permission from the Justice Department.
"Convening a congressional hearing every time a U.S. company helps put a human rights activist in jail should not be their only means of securing justice," Smith said. "For that reason, today's settlement underscores a million times over why it is important to give the families of victims like Shi Tao standing in U.S. courts. The Global Online Freedom Act will ensure that right."
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Yahoo settled yesterday with the families of two Chinese dissidents imprisoned after the company helped identify them to the Chinese government. The terms of the settlement are not being disclosed and Yahoo is not admitting fault, an attorney for the families said.
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Bruce Springsteen, Working His Powerful Magic
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2007111519
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ABruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert circa 2007 comes with an implicit quality guarantee. While it might not say as much on your ticket, you know going in that the show will have a particularly high base line, given that the group is more or less incapable of proffering a poor live performance. Indifference and creative implosions simply aren't on the list of possibilities; even on their worst nights, the band is at least good.
Sunday night at Verizon Center was not one of those nights. Instead, Springsteen and his longtime band were simply great, performing a well-considered set with heightened intensity and a very clear sense of purpose.
The guiding principle of a Springsteen show is to deliver salvation and hope through song. Forging bonds is critical, as well -- no audience is more important to Springsteen than the one he's currently trying to win over -- and so he set out to do just that with the audience here immediately. "Is there anybody alive out there?" he wondered. " Is there anybody alive out there?" And away he and the E Street Band went with "Radio Nowhere," a chugging new single about searching for connections in a disconnected world.
Performing the first of two sold-out nights at the arena, Springsteen and his nine-piece band delivered a marvelous 24-song set that included some of his greatest hits ("Born to Run," "Dancing in the Dark," "Badlands") but was particularly heavy on songs from "Magic," a new album whose central figures are isolated, alienated and disillusioned. They've been betrayed and deceived, and so there's a riptide of angst tugging at those who occupy this wartime Americana.
Springsteen articulated that in both music and words: The song "Magic," he said, is about how "the truth gets twisted into lies, and lies get twisted into the truth." In introducing "Livin' in the Future," he talked about rendition and wiretapping and a Constitution under "attack." "The E Street Band is here tonight to do something about it!" he said. "We're going to sing about it. We're musicians. It's a start."
His moaning harmonica set the tone for "Gypsy Biker," a haunting tale about a soldier who comes home in a casket. "Last to Die" was a soaring, impassioned antiwar rant. "Devil's Arcade" -- dedicated to Veterans Day -- was a moving, meditative lament from a soldier's lover who lost her man to the military.
Their ideas were big, and the sound was bigger. Sometimes too big: With the audio mix muddy throughout the arena, instrumental parts stuck together and some vocals were swallowed whole. It was a shame, given just how tight the band's playing was, from Nils Lofgren's pealing guitar leads to Max Weinberg's tempo-pushing drumming, so furious yet so steady.
Still, the message rang clear: All is not well in the promised land of America. But all is not lost, either. "At the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe," Springsteen sang as the band turned "Reason to Believe," one of his stark "Nebraska" songs, into a bluesy stomp.
Springsteen remains one of the most potent live performers in popular music -- largely because he's among the most committed practitioners of the form, draining all of his creative energy every time he's onstage. (And there is much to drain, as his well runs exceptionally deep, even at the age of 58.) He also maintains an unwavering faith in the power of rock-and-roll; in turn, his own power is undeniable. Add the E Street Band to the calculus, and the result can be exhilarating and explosive, whether they're performing Springsteen's trenchant political poetry, his brittle working-class anthems or his rich, youthful narratives.
Sunday's 2-hour 15-minute set touched on all of Springsteen's thematic hallmarks, and even reached deep into his catalogue for a pair of songs from 1973, back before he'd established himself as one of the most gifted and important voices in rock. Among them was the shifty blues-jazz of "Kitty's Back," a most welcome and thrilling stylistic curveball thrown into a marvelous set that was heavy on muscular rockers with overdriven guitars.
There were songs about love and broken hearts, about refusing to grow old ("No Surrender") and the reality of growing even older ("Girls in Their Summer Clothes"), and, in "Night" -- an old warhorse that somehow still sounds fresh -- about restless, romantic young souls whose world is busting at its seams.
Arguing about whether the concert would have been better served if only they'd eschewed such-and-such (off "Magic" in this case) for so-and-so (from the "The River," no?) is something like an Olympic sport among Springsteen die-hards, and those debates have been raging since the last note of the old-time folk finale "American Land" faded inside the arena on Sunday. Which just goes to show you how hard Springsteen and the E Street Band have it: When you're always good, simply being great might not be good enough.
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Search Washington, DC area music events and venues from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for music news, events, reviews, clubs, and concerts. Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/eg/section/music/ today.
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Talking Fashion
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2007111519
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Deputy Editor of the Sunday Source, Suzanne D'Amato, and washingtonpost.com Fashion and Beauty Editor, Janet Bennett Kelly, answered your fashion-related questions, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m. ET.
Suzanne D'Amato and Janet Bennett Kelly, talked about wardrobe questions for summer, Tuesday, July 24, at 11 a.m. ET.
20037: Help! I'm two months into my first job where I have to wear a suit every single day. What kinds of tops can I wear underneath my jacket that don't require dry cleaning and aren't button-downs? I've been wearing shells, but now that the weather is getting colder, I need sleeves.
janet bennett kelly: Last time I was at J. Crew I noticed that they had a bunch of long-sleeve, lightweight "tissue tees." They come in tons of colors and get this -- they're washable. Because they're not inexpensive, I'd look for the same sort of thing at H&M and Zara.
suzanne d'amato: Good morning, everyone. It's dreary outside today, no? For me, rainy mornings tend to come with their own set of fashion conundrums: Tights or jeans? Should I bother with a blowout? Well, I decided to wear some old leather boots (and tights)...not a good call. My toes are soaked. What about you? How did you dress to weather the, er, weather? And though it's rainy outside, many local stores are already a sea of skimpy gold sheaths and sequinned sweaters. Yes, it's holiday party time (well, almost). What are you going to wear to this year's fetes? Send us your tips and questions.
New Jersey: My clothing goals are ambitious: to have people say "she always looks nice"; to have people feel at ease around me (i.e. not assaulted by a disturbing look or overt sexual dressing); and to dress so as to give myself multiple options for the day.
Do you know of any forums where this kind of dressing is discussed? Most fashion forums have different goals.
suzanne d'amato: I can't say that I think this forum has any one goal -- other than answering as many questions as possible, in a manner that's both informative and entertaining. (Well, we try). Janet and I haven't exactly worked up the ol' mission statement quite yet. But I think what you want is what a lot of women are seeking to get from their wardrobes -- to dress in a way that makes them feel polished and confident, with pieces that are versatile enough to work for any number of occassions. But because those adjectives can mean so many different things to different women (depending on budget, age, lifestyle, body type and so on) -- that's why people write in to us! That in mind -- if you have a more specific question, send it our way.
Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: I bought a coat last year from Banana Republic and I really like it. However, I seem to have lost the belt that goes with it. I've contacted customer service and they say there are no replacements nor can I simply buy a similar sash (since these are not for sale apart from the coat). Any suggestions on where I could get a fabric belt/sash for a black coat or where I could have one made? Thanks!
janet bennett kelly: From the woman who tends to lose one earring or ruin the handle on her handbag, I understand. If I were you, I'd make a trip to G Street Fabrics for some material that you like that would go with your coat and then take it to a dressmaker. It shouldn't be too difficult a job. Good luck on it.
Washington, D.C.: I am going to a wedding to meet my boyfriend's parents (and all his friends/family) for the first time, and am a loss of what to wear! Any good ideas?
janet bennett kelly: I know what you're feeling, but remember to keep in mind that they're interested in you, not your clothes. That said, what time is the wedding and where is it? Is it black tie? Need some information here to offer any suggestions.
Washington, D.C.: Last week (or whenever the last chat was), someone wrote in asking about shoes that started showing what looked like cardboard on the soles. I've had the exact same problem, and it's not with my more inexpensive shoes. In fact, it's with my high-end heels -- the ones that acutally use real leather on the soles. The leather just wears away after a few wearings.
Any thoughts on where (or how) this can be fixed?
janet bennett kelly: I responded to the question by last week's chatter by saying that they should take the shoes back to where they bought them. Especially, if they're high-end heels, the leather should not wear away after only a few times. I hope you still have your receipt, but even if you don't, the store should stand behind their merchandise.
Washington, D.C.: I'm a 20-something professional who needs quality clothes at an affordable price. Are there particular stores I should be visiting?
suzanne d'amato: I'd suggest steering clear of spots such as H&M and Zara -- tempting as they are, that stuff just doesn't last, and what you want is a wardrobe of high-quality staples. Instead, consider shopping the sales racks at places such as Urban Chic, Sugar, Circle Boutique and All About Jane. Fashion has become increasingly seasonless, and the weather here increasingly wacky (thank you, global warming!). If you plan it right and look for items with sleeves and an unsummery palette, you can wear the off-season stuff right into February (topped with a warm coat, of course).
Herndon, Va.: I have to say that when it comes to holiday parties, I always prefer simple clothes with bold jewelry. Rather than a loud dress, I think a simple black dress can be used over and over, but with different jewelry -- like silver, gold and pearls -- shoes, hose and boots.
janet bennett kelly: Thanks, Herndon, I think changing accessories to make a dress look different is an excellent idea, especially if you have several parties to go to. Plus, it's fun to figure out how you're going to change the look. Bravo.
Bethesda, Md.: I have very thin calves and legs, and I am looking for a pair of boots that will fit snugly around my calves. Most leather boots that I have tried fit loosely and look awkward. What would you recommend?
janet bennett kelly: They can be expensive, but I've found that when I try on suede or faux suede boots, they tend to fit better around my thin calves.
Washington: I need help! I am a fashion-clueless working twentysomething. I am fine with work clothes ... I have lots of nicely fitting dress pants and tailored shirts, etc. My problem is shoes. I know nothing about shoes and I have no idea what to wear to work that isn't heels! I find shoe stores/departments totatlly overwhelming. Where can I start? I don't like heels because I'm already tall and I spend my day running back and forth between two offices.
suzanne d'amato: I hate heels, so of course I love this question! I'll start off by saying that if you don't like a certain style of shoe/bag/dress/whatever, you shouldn't wear it, even if said style is the Look of the Season, all of your friends are doing it, so is Jessica Alba, blah blah blah. It just isn't worth the psychic pain. Now, where to find new shoes? I know you say you don't like shoe departments, but I think you might do well to make an appointment with a personal shopper at a big department store such as Nordstrom, one with a lot of shoes at different price points. (Don't worry: This is a free service.) Tell them what you want over the phone -- to build a shoe wardrobe, as it were -- and give them your sizing and budget info. They'll pull a bunch of styles that you can try on in the calm of a private dressing room.
Oakton, Va.: Suzanne and Janet: I found a great-fitting pair of Juicy Couture trouser jeans this past weekend. The fit/length/everything was perfect. The only thing that gave me pause was the $200-plus price tag. I know that the cost-per-wear probably would be low for jeans, but how long do you truly believe that the trouser-style jeans will be "in"? Would this be worth the cost (in your opinion) for one season for someone that does not have a huge budget for clothing? Thanks.
janet bennett kelly: I don't believe in buying clothes for a season, but that said, I think you can get much more use out of them than just one season. I also think that since it's never easy to find pants that fit perfectly, that when you do, you should go for it. They may be pricey, but if you feel and look good in them, in my book, the cost is worth it.
Maryland: Hello Suzanne! Hi Janet! Love the chats. Suzanne, how do you choose the Trendspotter models? It's my favorite part of the Source along with the boutique owners, etc. I'm curious if it's friends and acquaintances that you use, or do you always carry a camera with you just in case you see someone worth noting? And will you ever put women in who are over 35?
suzanne d'amato: Good day to you, Maryland. And thanks for your kind words! The folks who are featured in our Street Style feature are definitely are NOT my friends or aquaintances -- not that they aren't all lovely people, I'm sure. But that would constitute an ethical issue for us. The way we find them isn't terribly scientific -- basically, I and a photographer (the hard-working and intrepid Nate, most often) patrol the streets of an area with a lot of street traffic (Georgetown, any one of a number of local malls, the Howard University campus)and stop stylish strangers and ask to take their picture. They usually say yes, but not always -- we've gotten our share of rejections. As for your comment about age -- we do feature people over the age of 35, but not frequently enough. Part of the problem is that we're often looking for people wearing new trends, and as people get older, they aren't typically seduced by bubble skirts/wedge booties/metallic corset belts in the way they once might have been. (This is a good thing, in my opinion, but it can be a problem when we're looking for ultra-trendy people to photograph). The other problem -- and this is an actual one -- is that we simply don't go out nearly as often as we should. I'm to blame for that, I'm afraid -- we almost always shoot on the weekends, and sometimes I'd prefer to have my Saturdays to talk to my boyfriend, pet my cat and so on. But your point is very well-taken.
Washington: Last year around this time everyone was wearing cropped pants with high boots. Is that look still in this year, or should I save my high boots for skirts?
suzanne d'amato: Save them for skirts, I beg you. This look made me want to tear out my hair last year, and it hasn't improved with age.
Skirt length: I just turned 50, and although I am slim with good legs, I look my age. (Dang gray hair -- but my vanity is exceeded only by my laziness.) Lately I have started to feel that anything shorter than knee-grazing length doesn't look right on a middle-aged woman, regardless of whether she has the legs for it. What do you think?
janet bennett kelly: A mini skirt may be going too far and make you look like your daughter, but if you've got great legs, you certainly don't have to stick to knee-length, especially in winter when you're wearing tights. Show a little leg and don't get caught up in the numbers game.
Washington: I have a gorgeous silk skirt my mother sent me -- black with large creamy (almost butter-colored) flowers on it. What should I wear for a top? The skirt has a bow at the waist, so all these wrap tops look bad, and I haven't been able to find the right shade of white for a top.
suzanne d'amato: I wonder if you might consider a whisper-thin cashmere or wool sweater -- like a crewneck with a cap sleeve, or even a very lightweight turtleneck? The matte texture would offset the silk nicely, and you could tuck it in at the waist so as to really highlight your skirt's bow. Colorwise, I don't think you need to go for a perfect match if it isn't working -- all sorts of colors work with black and cream. You could try a richer shade of cream, or burgundy, or even a subtly metallic thread -- bronze, maybe? Then look for accessories that complement -- shoes, a dramatic bracelet, or what have you.
Washington: I wrote in about the missing belt on my coat. Any suggestions on a dressmaker? It's not a service I've yet had to use in Washington.
janet bennett kelly: Neighborhood cleaners often offer seamstress services. You can try that. Alternatively, there's Parkway Cleaners on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase that does a lot of tailoring. Ask around.
Washington: Re: Holiday party dressing -- I have a great pair of tall bronze satin wedge shoes with an open toe. Are satin shoes still in style? Would these be appropriate for evening parties and receptions? I love them so.
janet bennett kelly: Satin shoes are definitely in and I love that they're bronze because they can go with a variety of colors. And, yes, they're definitely appropriate for evening parties. Suzanne?
suzanne d'amato: Bronze is a great (and to my mind, underused) color option -- lovely with black or chocolate brown; surprising yet elegant with grey or plum. And satin shoes are a big trend this fall -- though many stores are stocking them in candy pink, bright turquoise, and so on, your shoes sound far more wearable to me.
New Baltimore Professional: Hi and thanks for your help. I'd like to purchase nice, classy pair of business shoes (I'm a guy). The majority of shoes I saw while walking through the mall yesterday seemed casual. What styles tend to last the test of time? What should I be looking for? I don't mind spending extra money on a quality pair of shoes (or two) but I don't want to have to replace the entire shoe. Do most high-quality shoes come with replaceable soles? Thanks for all your help.
janet bennett kelly: Brooks Brothers sells high-quality, dressy and casual men's shoes, and I think that you can also bring them in when they need repairs.
Maryland: What are the rules for tights? Let's say I am wearing black tights--can I wear any color shoes? Should I buy multiple colors of tights to wear with my black skirt? I like the look, but am having some issues working it.
suzanne d'amato: Rules, shmules. I think you need to think about tights and shoes as a great combo that is but one part of your overall outfit. So, black tights and purple shoes (for example) could work wonderfully, but you need to think about balance. If the rest of your outfit is all black, the shoes could look like a mistake. (And if the rest of your outfit is all purple, you'll look like Barney.) So maybe the answer in that instance is that you have a printed purple top (that also incorporates other colors) and a black skirt so your lower half has a long, lean line. As for colorful tights -- I know they're everywhere in stores, but I'm not going there, personally. Chatters, what do you think?
Washington: What advice can you give a person, like myself, who avoids wearing skirts and dresses because the calves are too small. Can you also include what type of shoes would be appropriate to wear with the dresses and skirts?
janet bennett kelly: Wear a heel with those dresses and skirts you avoid -- it can do wonders for the look of your legs.
New Year's Question: So, this year, I decided to branch out for New Year's and not buy a plain black dress. I found one at Nordstroms, on sale, and decided to buy it immediately. The thing is, the dress has a print on it (a Nicole Miller-esque kind of print). People had said that prints weren't good New Year's Eve dresses. Is that true? I don't want to buy another black dress!
suzanne d'amato: People? Who are these people? People who don't like prints shouldn't be allowed to live. Well, something like that.
Tights: Please forgive this ignorant question, but what color are tights supposed to be? Is it best to match tights and skirt color? (I'm thinking of knee length or mid-thigh skirts.)
janet bennett kelly: Tights don't have to be any one color or pattern, for that matter, and you don't need to match your tights with your skirt color. If you have a plainish skirt, you can kick up the look with a pair of textured colored tights. On the other hand, if your skirt is busy, you may want to tone down the tights.
Silver Spring, Md.: I just returned from London where I got some great fashion finds. One is a navy silk 40s-style shirt (satiny) with tiny white dots -- what on earth would you suggest I wear it with?!
suzanne d'amato: I think it'd look great with a pencil or A-line skirt (depending on what shape you feel you look your best in) in rich felted wool. J. Crew is not my favorite place to shop, but their Web site does have a "Felted Wool Schoolgirl Skirt" that could work well here. It's an A-line style with an inverted pleat, and it has a high waistband with 5 tiny side buttons -- almost nautically-inspired, but not at all costumey. And it's on sale! Happy hunting.
Richmond, Va.: I, too, have had the leather wear off the soles of multiple pairs of my shoes -- including a pair of Marc Jacobs pumps, aargh. On some pairs, it happened only after wearing them a few times; on others, it seemed to happen almost right away. Is this something that a good cobbler could fix?
janet bennett kelly: Yes, a shoemaker/cobbler should be able to fix or replace the soles of your shoes. Sometimes they do half-soles, which means they only replace the top half, the part that I find seems to go first on all my shoes, especially the ones with the pointed toes.
Lately I have started to feel that anything shorter than knee-grazing length doesn't look right on a middle-aged woman: I'm 46, doing OK as far as fit legs, but I have to say that seeing the knees at a certain age always looks wrong, just wrong. You can still look good and stylish without the knees. Part of beauty for a woman "of a certain" age is being okay with the changes and not pushing the limits on styles and fads, age and body approporitness.
suzanne d'amato: I couldn't agree more about choosing what works for you, independent of fads. And I would go so far as to say knee-length is one cut that works well on women of any age.
Washington: I know last season footless tights and leggings were very trendy (and practical too in cold weather!). Are they still in for this season? I've seen a lot of them in stores but not out on the streets as much this fall.
janet bennett kelly: They were big at the start of last season, but, like you, I haven't seen many people wearing them lately. I think it was one of those trends that most people decided against wearing. Leggings are not a particularly flattering look except if you happen to be a ballet dancer.
Re: Slim calves: I have found the customer reviews on Zappos very helpful in finding boots with slimmer calves (I have the same problem). And you can exchange to your heart's content for free! Personally, I found that Camper boots are slimmer in the calf, but the style is very unique and probably not for everyone (and a bit pricy).
janet bennett kelly: Glad that you have found Zappos to be a help. And for the person in search of boots that will fit slim calves, take note of this chatter's experience.
Arlington, Va. What shoes go with a cornflower blue satin dress? lack and silver seems boring. Would bright orange or red go?
janet bennett kelly: Personally, I wouldn't wear red or orange shoes with a cornflower blue satin dress. With red, you risk looking like a flag; with orange, well, just no. Silver may sound boring to you, but I think it sounds just right.
Richmond, Va.: Good morning, ladies. So, I just bought a pair of really wide-legged trousers, a lovely tan pair by Beth Bowley, and I don't know what kind of shoes to pair them with. Are pointy-toe pumps or (equally pointy) boots too delicate? I tried round-toe Mary Janes, but they don't look quite right -- they make my legs look stumpy, peeping out from under all that fabric. And I don't like those new high-heeled lace-up oxfords. So what's a girl to do?
suzanne d'amato: Pointy toes peeking out from wide-leg trousers can look fine, but I'd encourage you to reconsider the round-toe idea. The trick is to choose round-toes with a bit of -- how to put this? -- clunk. Look for chunky stacked heels, platform soles or topstitching, and fabrics with texture and heft, such as wool or suede. You need a shoe with some substance so it doesn't just disppear. I doubt they'll make your legs look stumpy -- the wide-leg look is quite lengthening as it is.
Omaha Holiday: I like to spin the "little black dress" scenario and wear separates (slacks/shirt and blouse). One piece is black/dark and then the other is more colorful. I did a pearly-gold silk blouse last year with black slacks. It was adult without being depressing. And I love the idea about bold accessories, I might give that a try this year.
suzanne d'amato: Yes, this is a great way to go, and it doesn't require investing in a new wardrobe just to get through a couple of holiday parties. Both of the items you mentioned can be worn the rest of the year, too.
Washington: Love the chats, and thanks for taking my question. I can't remember where,but I read recently that you should only wear boots with skirts that cover them somewhat at the top, so as not to "break the line." What are your thoughts on this? If I'm wearing tights, is it ever okayo wear a skirt that might be right at my knees or a tiny bit above with boots?
suzanne d'amato: Yes, it's okay. I'd just suggest that your skirt either completely cover the top of your boots, or end a couple of inches above them, so the combination looks intentional.
Tights: No colored tights, please. We aren't toddlers or at a costume party here.
suzanne d'amato: But don't you sometimes wish you could be, just for a day? Thanks for your take.
Shoes: I'm looking for a pair of loafers. They need to have pretty significant support (anything less padded than tennis shoes gives me back pain) and I'd like them to be fairly attractive (e.g. not look like orthopedic grandma shoes). Any suggestions? Also, I just relocated to an area that gets a lot of tough winter weather (lots of snow, sleet, and frozen parking lots). Do you ladies have any suggestions for reliable winter boots? The "pretty boots" I had for D.C. are just not going to cut it. Thanks!
janet bennett kelly: Frankly, I have not seen any loafers with a lot of support that don't look orthopedic. The one exception could be something from Cole Haan. They're now making shoes with Nike air soles, so should be comfy and offer support. On the boots for tough winter weather, I love my Uggs. They're fabulously warm and I've been wearing them for several years now. There are lots of varieties of Uggs, not only the ones teens wear with minis. There are styles that I've seen recently with laces and fur, which would work well in your new cold location.
Washington: You mentioned All About Jane, but I thought they went out of business?
janet bennett kelly: There's still an All About Jane in Clarendon.
Washington: I also don't like to wear heels. I've been wearing flats all spring and summer, but now that winter is fast approaching, what do you suggest I wear? Suzanne: What style skirt do you wear, given that you don't wear heels either?
suzanne d'amato: A-line knee-length skirts, or miniskirts. You can go a bit shorter with your skirts if you wear flat shoes. Never a pencil skirt -- those require heels, I think.
Print dress on New Year's: Go for it! You will stand out from the sea of plain black dresses.
suzanne d'amato: Thanks for chiming in here. Prints rule.
I bought a coat last year from Banana Republic and I really like it. However, I seem to have lost the belt that goes with it.: You'll never match it; it'll always look off for a high price. I'd admit I can't match it and buy a plaid sash from the accessories department at Macy's for a good price.
janet bennett kelly: Here's a possibility for the person in search of a sash for her Banana Republic coat.
janet bennett kelly: Thanks for joining us on this misty Tuesday and asking us all those good questions. We'll be back on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, so we wish you all a happy one and successful shopping, too. P.S. Read Suzanne's column this Sunday on Black Friday and keep your eye out for fashion advice in our upcoming Holiday Guide.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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Pakistan: Latest News and Media Reaction
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New York, N.Y.: What are the reactions in the Indian government and the Indian people regarding this turmoil in Pakistan?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: The Indian people are very cautious and concerned about what is happening in Pakistan because we are their neighbors and whatever developments take place in Pakistan are definitely going to affect the situation in the region. If there is instability at all and turmoil in Pakistan the Indians should be naturally concerned. I think it will be advisable that New Delhi should be very watchful and should not rush with anything.
Boston, Mass.: Who is the power behind Musharraf in the military and would they ever dump him overboard to put a new face on their dominance of Pakistan? What role has the Pakistan intelligence service played in recent weeks and how important is their support for Musharraf?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: I believe that Musharraf is there because of the support he enjoys within the military and especially the loyalties of intelligence agencies. He's there because he has very loyal corps commanders but due to the developments in the tribal areas, many troops were killed or they were taken hostage by the militants; therefore some difficulties might have cropped up for Musharraf within his own constituency. Recent developments of political turmoil in Pakistan should not be seen in isolation. Whatever Musharraf has done -- like clamping emergency and putting curbs on the media -- that shows his position has been weakened and there is a pressure from within his constituency to step down from the post as of the chief of the Army staff so that the military could be safe from open and direct criticism.
Arlington, Va.: How difficult is it for you as a journalist to work under the emergency rules? Are you able to interview government officials?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: It's very difficult to operate now because of the current situation and the media ban and therefore it's hard to get to the truth. The government officials are not available to give the objective answers to the questions raised by the newsmen. In fact, the media is being harassed and many of the journalists have been questioned with dire consequences and their families have also been harassed. Many journalists have disappeared; they have been either killed or they have been forced to leave their area of operation along with their families. So this is the kind of state of affairs under Musharraf.
When we try to bring these things out into the public, he pursues us. He poses bans.
Atlanta: I knew little about how Pakistan before the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq -- but I did know that the government and the region could become unstable with a few critical incidents. Do you think the United States should had focused on Pakistan first before waging war in Afghanistan and in Iraq?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: I think the U.S. can do a lot by focusing on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan. In the case of Pakistan, the U.S. should try to deal with the people of Pakistan rather than with a one- man military ruler. This kind of approach will be more sustainable in the war on terror.
Anonymous: Who do the citizens of Pakistan support? Is it near a 33 percent breakdown between Musharraf, Bhutto and other more fundamentalist groups?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: It's difficult in a country like Pakistan. There's no scientific studies that have been done. No political polls. All these polls are misleading because because they're not carried out on a scientific basis. Musharraf is not as popular as many people thought him to be. Bhutto is gaining ground but she has difficulties. When she entered into dialogue with Musharraf that was not liked by many political parties in Pakistan because the general feeling here in Pakistan was against military rule and especially Musharraf, so anyone who is dealing with him is suspected but after Benazir's return, she has developed serious differences with Musharraf who has put Bhutto under house arrest twice in less than a week. First in Islamabad and now in Lahore where she had gone to lead a mass rally of her party to Islamabad.
Atlanta: Has there been any response from the White House on these new developments? Do you really think that fair elections can be held under these conditions?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: There has been some response from Negroponte, Condoleezza Rice ...but they have not taken a position on how the elections will be held when the Constitution is suspended. I'm not saying that the U.S. should get that involved in the internal politics of Pakistan but since they have been working with Musharraf for such a long time, they [should] withdraw their support for him now. I think this will put things in order in Pakistan.
The U.S. should support independent and free elections. I'm not saying whom they should support. The people will decide who's to lead them.
New York: Thank you for chatting today. What is the attitude of the Pakistani armed forces and police? Is there any concern among them that Musharraf may be taking things too far? If so, is there an independent group that could oppose Musharraf without penalty?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: It is very difficult in Pakistan for a serving military officer to express views against his leadership but if you take into account the views expressed by the Association of the Retired Army Officers you can appreciate the widespread concern about his policies. There's a general feeling that his policies have divided Pakistan more than uniting the people and those policies are hurting not only Pakistan but also the region's stability.
Kansas City, Kan.: How does the instability in Pakistan affect the Bush administration's short- and long-range plans to contain Iran? Does the administration enjoy (historically) good relations with Bhutto?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: There is a perception that Bhutto has good relations with some individuals in the Bush administration. But in the future, what kind of administration will come up in the U.S. in light of the presidential elections? That will be more significant. Instead of building relationships with individuals the U.S. should build those relationships with the government here in Pakistan and that should be the elected government which enjoys the peoples' confidence.
New York: Thanks for your reporting. What's your worst-case projection about what could conceivably happen next?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: If the situation goes on like this, if the Constitution remains suspended, the media remains scrutinized and bans remain on it and the judiciary is targeted then Pakistan is in a real danger. Because that will give more freedom to the extremists to gain ground in Pakistan. The extremists include religious groups, those who are not allowed to function according to the laws of civilized society. So many segments of society can be affected, they get alienated from society and this is not good. Anywhere in the world, not just in Pakistan, not good for any country.
Charlotte, N.C.: Shamin: I am an Indian-American and have never felt so proud of Pakistan and its people in letting their voices be heard. Listening to Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto on radio interviews, I think the people of Pakistan are ready to make the transition to a secular democracy.
Is Musharraf sensing any of the seismic shift or is he being closeted by advisors who are screening for him? Is it possible that he falsely senses Bush's kind words as complete immunity for his actions?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: You have answered your own question. I must tell you, Musharraf is a very self-centered man and he can go to any extent for self-preservation, whether it is in the form of making a U-turn on Afghanistan or another U-turn on something else. You can never be sure where he's going to turn around, he can change his loyalties.
You see, after Oct. 12, 1999, he staged a coup d'etat on that day and now after eight years he is again staging a coup against his own dispensation.
Fairfax, Va.: Can Musharraf conduct free and fair elections in January with emergency rule in place?
Shamin-ur-Rahman: There can be no elections when martial law is in effect because the Constitution is suspended. There cannot be any free or fair elections in emergency conditions.
Shamin-ur-Rahman: I can only say that we ask you to stand by the people of Pakistan in their struggle for democracy.
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Shamin-ur-Rahman, reporter for Dawn News in Karachi, discusses the volatile situation in Pakistan amid a growing number of arrests of Benazier Bhutto's party members, more reports of violence in Karachi and President Pervez Musharraf's ambiguity about how long the emergency rules may last.
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Post Magazine: What Comes After
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Holly Adams and Tony Sherman suffered an inconceivable tragedy when their daughter, Leslie Sherman, was among 32 people killed by a gunman last April on the Virginia Tech campus. Now they are divided on how to move on with their lives, as Holly struggles to decide whether to join othergrieving families to push for accountability with a lawsuit or to focus on her husband and their other daughter, a student at Tech. In this week's issue of Washington Post Magazine, Liza Mundy tells this family's story.
Liza Mundy: Hello and thank you to all those who have already sent in comments. I have also received, to my Post email, many extremely thoughtful, sensitive, and moving letters. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Holly and Tony for their extraordinary graciousness and patience. As I told them, it was a privilege to speak with them and get to know them even a little, and I wish that I could have met them under any circumstances but these. It may take me a few minutes to read through these messages and to begin to respond.
Frederick, Md.: My heart goes out to the families, I have two daughters in college or grad school and can't imagine living with a loss of one.
I understand anger is a normal part of grieving, and anger at the way the administration handled the situation is understandable. However, in all the discussions there seems to be a part of the equation missing: the Cho family. They knew he was a troubled young man, and that a therapist had specifically warned against a large university. Did they help him attend Va. Tech? Did they notify the administration there?
Don't get me wrong, the Cho family has suffered a great deal. But if they did help him attend Blacksburg, they do bear some responsibility, maybe not financially but morally.
I think it is easier to be angry and target an institution rather than individual people.
Liza Mundy: This is an excellent point. If you are interested in knowing the long answer to your very good question, I would suggest that you go online and read the full review panel report commissioned by Governor Tim Kaine. There is quite a long section that describes in detail the effective therapy that Cho received in high school, which enabled him to perform competently as a student despite really monumental difficulties relating to his peers and teachers. As the report explains, a high school counselor did advise the Cho family not to send him to a large school like Tech, where he would be relatively far from home and his support system. It's true that they did permit him to go. The report points out that they visited him every Sunday, which was their one day off from work, for quite some time, but eventually were persuaded that he was coping okay with school. What emerges is the fact that that there was a massive lack of communication between those who became aware of his problems--both at the school, and teh mental health professionals who saw him--and the family, who were unaware apparently of any of this. I agree with you that the subject of the family's culpability is worth taking into account, and I am sure that this family would agree with you. The report also says that review panel members did interview the Cho family and that they expressed their immense sorrow and said that they of course would have to live with this forever. There is much more in the report itself.
Kennewick, Wash: Liza: Thanks for your gut-wrenching story on Holly and Tony. I'm Holly's mother, and assure you the pain is nearly as great for the grandparents and other relatives of Leslie. I've since discovered that nearly every family I know has lost a child or grandchild--they tell me the pain will never go away, but it does become easier to deal with. I sincerely hope so.
Liza Mundy: Thanks very much for your response, Gerry. It was also a privilege to get to speak with you.
Frederick, Md: Thank you and thanks to Holly and Tony for sharing this terribly tragic story. I wept for the parents, not knowing what had happened to their child, and then having to suffer so much indignity afterward. I don't understand why the president of Virginia Tech could not bring himself to say "I'm sorry" to these parents. If not "I'm sorry for your loss," why can he not at least admit that the university was ill-prepared for an event like this and apologize for the way the parents were treated afterward? Is fear of litigation a motivator for this incredibly short-sighted behavior?
Liza Mundy: That's a good question, too--whether fear of litigation affected the university's response to the families. For the record, I discussed this with a bioethicist, Tom Murray, who is head of the Hastings Institute and who works a lot on medical ethics. He pointed that hospitals have learned that it's much better, and cheaper in the long run when it comes to litigation, to admit any mistakes right away, and apologize to families who may have been affected by medical error.
Fairfax, Va: It was an amazing story. Many things stood out, but two things -- it seems that the word "recall" has become a word that people caught in a lie are using more and more to deflect their guilt -- i.e., former AG Gonzalez. As in when Pres. Steger was asked about his comments about the tragedy and the ease of fundraising.
The Adams-Sherman family, along with the the other 31 victims and their families were failed on so many levels. Starting with, in a post-9/11 world, what organization does not have an emergency plan????????? "This was the worst mass killing ever in the history of America on a university campus," Steger says now, explaining the confusion and saying there was no way to prepare. "We're not an emergency management agency or whatever." --- Virginia Tech is a small city, regardless of the event, an emergency plan should have been in place years ago. This is inexcusable. Steger needs to go.
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your response. People have a number of different opinions on the topic of accountability, and I will post sevearl of them. I appreciate very much your empathy for this family; what I was so amazed by, personally, was their ability to discuss both sides of the very, very difficult issue of what to do now. To hear people who have suffered such a deep and ultimate loss discuss what morally and ethically is the right way to move forward was, to me, astonishing and so impressive.
Did you look at the experiences of family members from similar events-such as aviation accidents or terrorist events? The support some of them received has aided them in moving forward, but that support was planned and practiced before the event. It does not seem like VT has a distinct plan, and these families suffered as a result.
Liza Mundy: The review panel report is also very useful in answering this question. The report points out that it is a tenet of every state disaster plan that, in teh event of a mass disaster, a trained public information officer should immediately be put in place who can provide family members with clear and compassionate information. The report goes on at length about how family members of victims deserve to be treated with both compassion and clarity. It offers up, as a model, the very effective and compassionate way in which family members were treated after the Oklahoma bombing. Apparently this became a model cited by the federal government: a family assistence center was immediately set up, where families were briefed regular, and offered some measure of privacy as they dealt with their grief and shock. One of the problems in the Tech situation was that it wasn't clear at the outset whether the state should provide this, or the university, or both. But the report said that both the state and the university should have had better plans in place.
Previous Incident That Year at VT: Back at the beginning of the school year - 20 Aug 06, to be exact - William Morva shot and killed two persons and escaped police custody while at a local Blacksburg hospital for treatment. VT officials, upon being notified that Morva was loose, quickly cancelled classes and in essence, shut down the campus until the fugitive was captured later that day. VT officials were, for the most part, widely praised for taking quick and decisive action to protect their students and faculty from the threat. In the Morva incident, there was a killer on the loose, but never was known to have stepped foot on the campus of VT that day. VT officials didn't know this at the time, of course, and acted appropriately. What baffles me is that in the Cho incident, VT officials had a known double murder on campus, no suspect in custody, and yet delayed any campus wide notification of the incident for almost two hours. I don't understand why they would handle the later incident so differently, esp. with the murders having occurred on campus. I am also surprised that the Morva comparison wasn't made in the aftermath, or if it was, I missed it. The failure to make quick notification and cancelling classes immediately is indefensible. Most any other organization, be it public or private, would have relieved their president or chief executive for such a failure.
Liza Mundy: Good points. The question of why the response was different from what it had been in the Morva situation is not a question I can answer, obviously. But based on what I read, the Morva incident and perhaps some panic it created were cited as one reason why an alert was not sent out sooner.
Alexandria Va: Thank you for focusing on a grieving family and not the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech carnage. Your sensitive portrayal of the Adams-Sherman family coping with their loss of Leslie is very touching. And the photographs say so much. I am so sorry for all of the lives lost that day.
Liza Mundy: Thank you for your sensitive comments.
Arlington, Va: Do you have a link to the commission report?
washingtonpost.com: Report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel
Liza Mundy: Here it is.
Little Rock, Ark: Excellent story. I have two questions:
It appears Mrs. Adams has come in for quite about of criticism for this story, has the family had second thoughts about participating?
After reading your story, it seems that Mrs. Adams would be even more satisfied with another investigation, perhaps one that included her participation, than she would from suing. Do you think my assumption is correct? And what are the chances of another investigation being conducted?
Personally, I have no criticism of the Adamses, no matter what they decide. They have lost much and stand to lose more. I think conducting another investigation to satisfy family members would be prudent and demonstrate a respect for their suffering and loss.
Liza Mundy: I don't think website comments are indicative of the general response to a story. The email messages I've received have been extremely supportive and thoughtful. People who post critical online comments are, I think, a very small minority, adn they have been posting similar messages all along; whenever the Post has published a story suggesting that some parents are considering a lawsuit, there has been a flurry of harsh email response accusing families of "greed" and things like that. I think people do this because it makes it easier for them, personally, to process the situation. I did discuss this, as well, with the bioethicist Tom Murray. He wonders whether people distance themselves from grieving familes as a kind of psychological defense mechanism, to convince themselves that they would never be in such a situation, or maybe that they don't need to feel sorry or think too long and too hard. Anyway, as I said I think this family was extremely brave and honest, and I also think that the vast majority of readers have saluted that and reacted with extreme compassion. I have received emails offering them a place to stay if they're ever in the writers' town, for example. I've also received emails from professional grief cousnelors and victims' advocates, saying that they plan to use the piece in their courses, to evaluate and discuss teh proper way to help families in the wake of a loss or disaster. I think that messages like this show how useful it is when a family is willing to step forward.
Washington, DC: Has Steger ever commented on why he didn't call the families personally? Why he hasn't said he is sorry. I read in another story the same thing where the families were invited to call Steger at a designated time. This is disappointing and disturbing on several levels.
This is more of a comment: Holly says that she saw the convocation service as turning into a pep rally, especially Nikki Giovanni's speech. I'm sorry she saw it that way. I have two sons at VT, who were both at the cermony. Their grief, and that of all the students, was so profound. They had not only lost friends, but their sense of security and peace about the place they are spending some of the best years of their lives. For them it was a sign of hope that they will survive and some how get through this. The sense I got from the article was that her daughter, too, was a Hokie, and perhaps would have also been cheering from above.
My deepest sympathy to the them and all the families who lost someone. I think of them everyday.
Liza Mundy: Thanks very much for your comments. I think it would have been easier, maybe, for family members to appreciate the ceremony, if care had been taken to make sure they were part of it and present. But your comments are very well taken. The entire campus was shocked and devastated and all the families I spoke with were enormously grateful for, and aware of, teh support shown them by the student body.
Columbia, Mo: Hello! I really enjoyed reading this article and I'm glad to see it written so objectively. At first I thought it would be another Wash Post slam against authority(in this case Va. Tech). But instead I think you wrote a very fair piece. With that said I thought the husband came off much better than the wife. I can appreciate her grief but money will not bring her daughter back. We never know how to react in such a tragedy. I can't imagine the turmoil that went on during that day. I think the University and Police did their best. No one is ever prepared for such horrors although after the fact we may be a little more prepared. Hindsight's always perfect, isn't it? I thought the Va. Tech community showed incredible grace too. A rare thing in today's world.
Liza Mundy: Your points are well taken, and thanks for sharing them. As to which person "came off better:" I know that listening to that discussion, personally, I felt that I could see both points of view, which was what was, to me, so moving. I may be misusing this term, but it felt to me like Platonic dialogue, in the sense that both people were expressing valid and moral points of view.
Manassas, VA: My condolences to those who suffered the loss of a loved one. I am the mother of a 2006 grad and, hopefully, I am trying to be unbiased, but when I was watching the live broadcasts from Tech, my heart went out to the administrators and police. They looked exhausted and disturbed, as anyone might be. I always had the utmost respect from any department I talked with at Tech furing my daughter's 4 years there. I cannot say the same for the NE private university my son attended 3 yrs. prior. If Holly could only go back and look at that footage somehow, I would hope she could turn her grief into gratitude at how open Tech was during the initial aftermath. I don't think most universities would have done that.
Liza Mundy: Points well taken, as well.
Springfield, VA: Thank you for telling their story. It truly demonstrated that people grieve differently, and neither way is right or wrong. They're just individualistic. I hope that their differences don't put too much stress on their marriage, and that Holly is able to celebrate their younger daughter's accomplishments at Tech and beyond.
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your succinct summary. They are very, very aware, it seems to me, of the need to celebrate the achievements of their daughter who is at Tech now.
Minneapolis, Minn: Liza: Thank you for your article. It gives me insight into what my friends Holly and Tony are experiencing without having to ask them the tough questions. My question: How do you find the right time to approach someone in their grieving to share the painful details? I was at the funeral and the interment at Arlington, and I saw the media camped across the street from the Alexandria church, pointing their cameras at the grieving family, who sat and waited in limos for about an hour from the end of the funeral, hidden from the cameras behind tinted glass until the motorcade drove to Arlington.
I read some of the comments online with the article, and was offended by those that would pass judgement and say "What Holly needs is a therapist to help her get over it."
I don't want to pass judgement, but if Holly needs something, maybe it's a new job, perhaps one that would have her focus on painting and seeing the beauty in the world. In her job with the Navy Inspector General, Holly is constantly focused on cause and effect, on finding and enforcing accountability. During her waking hours, Holly's job is to identify problems and causues and make suggestions to fix the problems so that the causes are 'cured.' The Navy began using 'Total Quality Leadership' in the late 1980s. This is important to eliminate accidents that occur during training and operations that are inherently full of risk and danger. The Navy benefits from consummate professionals like Holly that continually strive to eliminate the factors that threaten the safety of thousands of Navy personnel and the people they work and interact with. Holly is programmed to seeking accountability by her years of experience and her daily duties.
Thank you for this insightful article that helps me understand the pain felt by my friends as they struggle through their grief, sustained by their strong love for each other, but strained by their individual needs that pull them in different directions.
Navy Shipmate of Holly Adams
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your comments. Your question of how the media approaches situations like this is clearly an interesting and relevant one. Believe me, it's not something that any reporter enjoys, reporting these funerals, or contacting family members. But you can't get away from the fact that it's a public and very important news story. The review panel report is also very good and quite detailed in talking about how, for family members who lose someone to homicide, part of the experience involves the unavoidable publicness of the situation, and the fact that media will be involved. All I can say is that I was very aware of this and tried to be respectful of it, as were my editors. We are all parents, incidentally, and felt the situation so acutely.
Washington DC: Re: The V-Tech Cheer.
This seems like something that would affect people differently. To those who actually lost a loved one, a cheer will seem shallow and empty. But to those who didn't suffer that great a loss, I can see how it might lift their spirits.
But ultimately, I'm with Holly on this one. It seemed trite.
Liza Mundy: More points, well taken.
What a great story about a real tragic event. The one facet that the family can find solace in is the fact that they were/are terrific parents to their daughters.
I only wish all kids had their parent's commitment and help.
Liza Mundy: That's a nice thing to say and I feel sure the family will appreciate it.
Manassas, VA: Thank you Liza and Leslie's family for doing the article. I often wonder about the families and how they are doing. I think I need to know they are healing, it helps me with my own coping/grief. As most of the world, we were sickened and horrified by the April 16th shootings. Our daughter graduated from VT and we feel very connected to the VT community. I'm torn about writing because my opinion really doesn't matter nor should it. I read some of the online comments and people can be so arrogant. These are just a few of my thoughts. I think the memorial service happened very quickly as well. I couldn't believe how fast it was organized, it seemed very surreal. A sad point here is they could organize a huge memorial service with dignitaries but they couldn't get the families proper information or liaison to help with personal details. I understand Holly's reaction to Nikki Giovanni's poem but to be honest it gave me chills. It made me feel comforted but again that is someone from the outside who did not lose a child/parent/friend. I understand wanting accountability. There were so many miscues and they lost a daughter? I think Charles Steger's behavior is abominable. This is not the first family I read about say they had not heard from him. He should have visited each family personally. He should share their sorrow with them, not through the news media. I think he should still do it. If they shut the door in his face (who would blame them); he should make an effort. He reminds me more of a politician than an educator. Someone whose job is more schmoozing than anything else and who knows, maybe at that level it is. Thank you for sharing their story. It is not easy for the family to put themselves out there. Though I can only begin to imagine the unmapped road they must travel to recover from this tragedy, they do have my compassion and my wishes to heal.
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your comments; since time is short, I am going to post some comments but keep my own responses short.
Reston, VA: Thank you for a wonderfully written article. I have two comments.
My heart goes out to this family and all the families that suffered a tragic loss in this incident. I came away from reading the article with the thought that the president of Va.Tech needs to meet each family personally and say sorry, again and again, if he has to. I guess the threat of imminent litigation will prevent him from saying anything of that sort, sadly.
It's possible that the previous bomb hoxes made the universit not alert the entire school after the first shooting. We all know how we get annoyed at yet another hoax. I guess we should all learn to take every thread seriously, even if it's going to turn out to be a hoax.
Liza Mundy: THanks for these comments as well. Hopefully every university will use this as an incentive to review their own safety mechanisms and emergency response plans. I know that some of the family members are pursuing this issue.
Fairfax County, VA: Ethically, why did you decide it was okay to make public such a profound disagreement between parents of a dead child, when we know that the death of a child often leads to divorce? Your reporting made it clear that those involved were still too overwhelmed to make a rational decision about whether to keep this discussion inside the family, so in effect the choice came down to you and the Washington Post's editors. I think you made the wrong call. You are a reporter, but also part of our community, which should be supporting the Virginia Tech families.
Liza Mundy: THanks for your comments. You are certainly entitled to your view. I strongly feel that it is supportive of the families--all families--when one family is willing to come forward and describe what the past six months have been like, and give the public the chance to understand in more depth what some of the issues are that they are facing. I think that it contributes to empathy, clarity, and public understanding. And it's not easy for any of the people involved.
Chantilly, Va.: All the families and students have my deepest sympathy. This was a horrible event, and the knowledge that it could have been prevented is absolutely devastating. So I guess my question is, will VT and other schools (because there's going to be another deeply disturbed person who will try to break the VT "record") implement any plans to deal with this sort of thing before it happens? We're putting privacy rights before public safety, and that's wrong.
Liza Mundy: This is an important issue--privacy rights versus public safety--and like you, I very much hope that the issue stays front and center and receives discussion from politicians, university leaders and other professionals. Unlike some of the posters here, I think that family members of victims have a useful role to play in keeping these issues alive and under public discussion.
Richmond, Va: It's painful, but the university nor the City of Blacksburg should not be held responsible for not preventing something that was unforseeable.
They were as prepared as any comparable institution, as prepared as we could expect. To blame them is a waste of time and will only financiall hurt every Virginia citizen.
When something horrible happens, we feel a need to blame, but that blame should be directed towards the shooter, not Tech or Blacksburg.
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your comments.
Hokie Pride: As the sibling of a Va. Tech alum this hit close to home. I agree that the Tech community showed incredible grace. I also remember watching the 'pep rally' as Holly called it and thought it was fantastic! You have to see the campus, know the students and be a part of it to understand this is Tech. It's a wonderful school and I thought the spirit, the wearing of school colors, all of it was a real show of strength.
Liza Mundy: Thanks for these comments, too.
Columbus, Ohio: I was profoundly touched by this article. You are to be commended for your ability to capture and convey the tragic realities of this event from the perspective of a grieving family struggling - in their own personal ways - to find a way forward. Holly, Tony, and Lisa, wholly human in their varied responses and perspectives, ultimately demonstrate that the power and strength of love can triumph even over chaos and death. I salute them and you.
St. Michaels, MD: Ms. Mundy, great article. I'm curious how many responses you've received that were pro a law suit? Anti-lawsuit? I am very pro tort reform and in this case I remember thinking 'please don't anyone sue' when I saw the story unfold on TV. It's sad that in this day and age that seems to be the first line of attack. Holly seemed to have a propensity for lawsuits before this tragedy (the EEO suit). I hope their marriage survives. I think they are a very curagious family to open up for a story like this one. Well done. And my sympathies to all the families.
Liza Mundy: Thanks. I got a lot of responses from people seemed able to see both sides of the situation. I'm sure that ultimately people come down on one side or the other (pro law suit, or anti-) but readers did seem to appreciate the fact that there might be two valid sides to such a decision. Certainly, one of my goals in writing this piece was showign that coming to such a decision is a process, and a difficult one. It's also not something new. There is an ancient notion of "blood money," the fact that for every unwarranted death, someone should pay. I'm not defending this point of view but simply pointing out that it's not "new" or exclusively American. I talked to an expert at UVA law school who pointed out that in many ancient socieities, there was the notion that for a death, there should be some payment. But yes, I think that in general the public reacts negatively to lawsuits.
Arlington, VA: Goodness gracious, who died and left Fairfax in charge? There is no reason to believe that Leslie's parents will divorce in the aftermath of their terrible loss, but if they do, it will be the result of that loss, not of the fact that their differences were aired in a very well written and probing article.
Liza Mundy: This seems to me a family that is admirably able to air differences of opinion. Thanks for your comments.
Fairfax, VA: Thank you, Liza, for the article, and thanks to Holly and Tony for allowing you into their lives to write it. If you can answer any of the below questions, I am curious to know the answers.
I think one of the biggest concerns of a parent who loses a child is that the child will be forgotten-- lost again. Did Holly talk about that fear? How do you feel it relates to (or is separate from) her need to hold someone accountable for Leslie's death?
Did she find any kind of resolution to holding Tech accountable in the publication of this story?
Liza Mundy: Thanks for your comments; since it's past twelve, I should make this the last question. My apologies to anyone whose comments were not posted. As to the fear of a child's being forgotten: In one of my first interviews with Holly, she talked about her efforts to keep Leslie alive in her memory by painting images of her in all of the venues she loved. I found this extremely moving, needless to say. I also thought about this when I was writing the story, with the hope that the article would serve, in part, as a memorial or reminder. As a parent, I can well imagine that part of the grieving process would be to try and will into memory every detail of one's child. As for accountability: I think that different families are pursuing this in different ways or rather, finding different ways to transform their greif into productive endeavor. There are issues of gun ownership, help for the mentally ill, and campus safety that many families are pursuing, together with advocacy groups concerned about those issues. I don't think there will be additional state investigation, but since it seems likely that some families will pursue a lawsuit, there may be additional investigations there. Thanks again to everyone who read the piece and thought about the issues and wrote in to express your views.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Liza Mundy catches up with the family of one victim of the Virgina Tech shootings last April.
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Ask the MisFits
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He's a veteran reporter, digging up the latest fitness news. She's an irreverent columnist with a knack for getting people off the couch and into the gym. Together, they're here to handle your worst work-out dilemmas and exercise questions.
Vicky Hallett and Howard Schneider are the MisFits, The Post's new fitness writers. They were online Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. to take your questions.
Vicky Hallett: Did you feel like we didn't give enough advice on avoiding rowing machine-induced man hands last week? Then you're in luck! Judy Greer, a former Olympian and co-founder of Concept2 (the company that makes pretty much every rowing machine you'll find in a gym), sent us her suggestions:
1. Gradually ramp up the duration and intensity of your workouts. This should enable you to prevent outright blisters from forming in the first place.
2. Be sure you are not gripping the handle too tightly. Keep a relaxed grip and relaxed and level wrists. Even the arms should be relaxed (straight, connecting to the handle, in tension, but not bending) until the second half of the stroke.
3. Some rowers choose to wear gloves. One thing to keep in mind is that they don't give you as good a grip on the handle, and they can make the grip diameter effectively larger. You'll have to try this to see if it will work for you.
4. It may also help to regularly use a good moisturizer after rowing.
Her last bit of advice: Remember, the goal for a competitive rower is to develop calluses -- and be proud of them!
So there you go. Anything else on your minds today?
Howard Schneider: Lets consider today's column on pre-and post-workout eating patterns the official start of the holidays, and make a pact not to suck down any unnecessary sugar. Calories are calories even if they are packaged as performance-enhancing.
Ready for your questions, but I wanted to let you all know about a resource we have added to the misfitness.com site -- a collection of links that let you check whether your trainer is certified and up to date with one of the main bodies that "train the trainers." There are nine groups whose training programs have been approved by the national group that oversees certifying bodies in a number of different field. You can find the links under "Is your trainer certified?"
Gaithersburg, Md.: First time submitter -- My husband and I are joining a gym this very evening. It's been a very long time since either of us has had any kind of regular exercise and it's about time to get back into the groove. I'll be asking the trainer (the one-time service you get when you first join) this same question but wanted your thoughts. My goals are to lose about 10-15 lbs. and strengthen the muscles around my knees. I'm hoping to get to the gym 3/week for about an hour each. I would love to take some sort of Pilates class for one of those times. What do you suggest I do for the other two days? How difficult is it going to be to reach my goals with this kind of schedule? Any suggestions are welcome!
Vicky Hallett: Good for you, Gaithersburg. I hope you're getting a deal wherever you're joining -- I've noticed a ton of signs promoting holiday specials!
As for your schedule, it's hard to assess it without knowing your body type. Are you just 10 pounds overweight? That's the hardest stuff to lose -- and, of course, if you're building muscle (like you should!), you might never get to that magic number in your head.
That said, I have some thoughts. If you're spending one of your three sessions doing Pilates (which is awesome), you'll want to make the most of those other two hours. See if the trainer will put together a circuit for you so you can combine cardio and weight training. Only time will tell how well that's working for you and your goals...If it's not, then reassess.
Washington, D.C.: I managed to lose 60 pounds over a 7 month period by drinking more water and running 4 days a week. I have managed to keep the weight off for the last year by continuing the same regimen.
Last weekend, three good friends staged what I considered to be an intervention regarding my "drastic weight loss." I was in shock. I have never purged, nor do I deny myself of any foods. In fact, I have quite a weakness for Popeye's. I wouldn't be concerned, but I receive (unsolicited) thin/skinny comments from other people who often think I weigh much less than I do. I am 5-4 and weigh 127 pounds. Since when is this underweight?? Am I in denial or is our society confused as to what is a normal-sized body?
Howard Schneider: How slim/fat, in-shape/out-of-shape, active/inactive, etc. are your friends? 60 pounds over 7 months is just under 10 a month. Conventional wisdom is that gradual loss of one to two pounds a week is safe -- and you are right on target for that. Your Body Mass Index at your height and weight is smack in the middle of the normal zone, comfortably above "underweight."
I think your friends are off base, maybe a bit envious, and maybe a bit surprised that you could accomplish what you have. Don't give in. Enjoy your Popeyes and keep running.
But just to be sure, check out the resting metabolism calculator we have linked to out of misfitness.com, and see how many calories you should be eating on a daily basis. Then keep track of your calories and make sure you are consuming enough to maintain...Seems like you are in a good spot. Keep it that way.
Alexandria, Va.: Quick Question: wobble boards -- good for toning and strengthening my core, or faddish waste of money?
Vicky Hallett: Quick answer: If you think you'll use it, a wobble board (or a BOSU) can help firm up your core. But if you won't, then it's a waste.
Washington, D.C.: Any new fitness/exercise DVDs out that are really great? I'm getting in a tae bo/Pilates/yoga rut and need some new moves and DVDs to switch it up.
Vicky Hallett: The new titles in the Women's Health series are pretty good (Ultimate Fat Burn and Total Workout in Ten -- although I'd recommend doing the whole hour on the DVD).
And are you totally fed up with yoga? Shiva Rea's new one just came out (Radiant Heart). I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my desk and I'll be sure to report back.
Get ready for a ton more to come out in December and January. 'Tis the season for people hoping to lose weight...
Howard Schneider: Hi Washington...Okay write me off list and a copy of Hemalayaa's "Bollywood Burn" will be on the way in the mail...Sounds just like what you need...You can send your name and address to us at Misfits@washpost.com
NoVA: I'm planning on running the National half-marathon in March and was wondering if you could recommend a good book to help with training, mostly to lay out a schedule of what I need to be running or working on each week?
Howard Schneider: Hi NOVA....Looks like we will be out there together. I'm registered for the same race. A couple of suggestions.
I found "Running for Mortals," by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield a real nice guide to building distance from the ground up (it is a bit heavy on the cliches but helpful nonetheless). It also has several training programs for various levels of fitness.
Runners World magazine in the last couple of months had articles just on half-marathon training, and is a great general resource.
There's is a nine week plan, so there is plenty of time. I am chipping away already, hoping to push the long run this week up to 9 miles.
Howard Schneider: Whoops...Retraction..I'll be in the Marine Half in May...Have not done the qualifying race yet for the National though that may in the works if Vicky lobbies hard enough....
Vicky Hallett: I'm also going to try to get Howard to run the turkey trot in a hat that looks like a turkey. Any help I can get from chatters is appreciated...
Also, here's a good schedule for training:
Falls Church, Va.: I know that everyone probably asks you this every week, but PLEASE HELP. I used to go to the gym every morning, sometimes even at night as well. Now I wake up and go to work an hour early because I am used to getting up but I just don't FEEL like going to the gym.
I also want to eat chips and artichoke/spinach dip all the time. Two weeks ago you couldn't PAY me to eat that stuff. I AM OFF THE WAGON! HELP!!!
Howard Schneider: Hey Falls Church...Okay lets step back. First, go for a nice walk this weekend and enjoy the fall. If exercise is making you more frantic than work, and left you burnt out and craving chips and dip, it's time to relax a bit...So take this weekend off and rest.
Then lets figure out what to do. Two times a day in the gym may be a bit much for your schedule. What type of workout do you normally do? It may be you are ready for something more challenging/strenuous -- something that will leave you so spent/invigorated that you are satisfied with once a day. I spent Saturday morning at Crossfit Alexandria -- and got killed...Still battling the soreness. Also, you might try taking up a sport and training for that -- tennis, martial arts, etc. That way you are getting your exercise but learning to do something and just pounding away on the elliptical. Lastly, whatever you do, add some diversity so you won't get bored. Add weights if you are heavy on the cardio, and vice versa...Add yoga or something of that sort to break up the week...
Change the recipe and your workouts will be as satisfying as the artichoke puree....
Silver Spring, Md.: Four weeks ago I started doing Slow Burn/Power of 10 and it is working like nothing I have done since the birth of my son 12 years ago. I spend 20-30 minutes in the gym, on about 10 pieces of equipment, one set to failure, 6-8 reps, moving from one piece of equipment immediately to the other. I am sweating profusely and my heart is racing. More importantly, I have so much energy, no pain and have really lost weight and see a major change in my body shape and composition!!! The three pillars of this program are the work out, rest 3-5 days, and the foods you eat. Previously I tried to get in shape with the same foods but with mostly cardio. The results were not as apparent and I was hungry all the time. I was doing cardio 5 days a week! My stamina is greater now then when I was doing all that cardio. Who knew!!! Have you heard any good results about this.
Vicky Hallett: Hey there Silver Spring, I'm not super familiar with the book. But I believe it focuses on ultra slow weight lifting, yes?
Glad to hear it's working for you! Straight cardio is awesome, but muscles matter, too. And if you can manage to get your heart rate up while you're lifting, all the better.
Howard Schneider: There's a lot of science behind what you are seeing, but the key thing is the intensity -- you are pushing your body to the point where it responds by building more muscle, which makes it burn more calories than before even at rest...Good work!
Alexandria - Heart Rate Monitors: I plan to purchase a HRM to help with my cardio and weight routines. Cardio is mainly running and bike whilst weights combines both machines and free weights. The one I have in mind is the Suunto T3 however I am unsure whether I need to buy a different chest strap, I have heard that the basic one that comes with the watch can be difficult to get used to and quite often cracks. Have you any experience with chest straps and do you have any starter tips for the newbie female HRM wearer?
Howard Schneider: I have been using the Polar F11 for about eight months and found the chest strap pretty comfortable. Don't know if there are any female anatomy issues that argue for one brand over another, but that is worth checking out.
Consumer search has a few models reviewed on its site, though not the Suunto T3. Polar and Suunto do seem to be the two market leaders.
Here is another site that seems to aggregate a number of monitor reviews and articles in one place.
Things to look for along with durability of the strap include:
A)comfort -- will they let you try it on first?
B)data -- how much data does it collect and how is it stored? will it give you the information you want?
C)downloads -- can you get the data from the watch to your computer? I have liked Polar's software, which lets you store an analyze your workouts on its Web site.
Have fun...It is a great investment...
N.J.: I agree wholeheartedly with your column today. I have been jogging for years and never eat before going out (first thing in the morning, usually). Exercise should be a normal thing, part of your daily routine. It doesn't need fancy foods and supplements. Adding extra food when you are exercising modestly just perpetuates the pattern of eating more than you are using up.
Howard Schneider: Glad you thought it was on point...What I find most upsetting is the marketing. Gatorade, for example, is a great product. I love it -- when I need it. You won't find much guidance from the advertising, however, about what these things do, and why...The stuff like Gu and Shot Blocks have not really become products for the general public. The people using them seem to know what they are doing and why. But Gatorade's "Is It In You?" campaign seems very targeted to making people drink the product for refreshment, not for what it was designed to do.
Cardio Zone vs. Fat-burning Zone?: I'm just getting back into working out again after a two-year hiatus. I've done some research about strength training for women and how women can turn their fat into lean muscle without "bulking up." My confusion is whether the time on the elliptical/bike/treadmill I should be exercising in a high intensity cardio zone or the lower intensity fat burning zone?
FWIW: I don't need to lose weight just want to get into shape: both the heart and muscles.
Howard Schneider: Good question...First off, the "cardio" and "fat burning" labels are guideposts. In reality, your body is using a number of energy pathways in combination while you are working out. It takes time to metabolize fat, so as your energy demand increases with intensity, the proportion of energy drawn from fat versus, for example, stored muscle glycogen, shifts. So in a long, hard workout, you are still likely to "burn" more fat in an absolute sense, even if it accounts for a smaller proportion of the total calories consumed.
For your purposes, the best approach is: Mix it up. Keep your heart guessing. Invest in a heart rate monitor and set up a schedule where you will go long and slow some days, faster and shorter on others, then have an in-between day just for good measure. This helps you train both fast and slow twitch muscle, makes you more efficient across different energy pathways, and improves both endurance and speed. If you want to really up the ante, do some research on interval training and put that into the stew as well.
Since you are coming off a break, you'll want to work into this. Start out with the slower workouts, then try to add intensity once you adapt a bit and are comfortable putting in more effort....Have fun!
Fairfax, Va: So, yay, I've finally hit my goal weight after months of cardio, weight lifting and calorie counting. However, my waist has not budged an inch (I've been measuring) and remains at an unhealthy 36 inches. (I'm a female, 5-4, 125 pounds.) Why is this? I don't want to lose more weight, but I want to get my waist size down..
Vicky Hallett: This might be more an issue of what's on your mind than what's on your plate. Stress can cause the body to cling to belly fat...
Here's an article from Shape with some food tips to make you more mellow (and slimmer in the stomach):
Pre-workout eating: Hi, I wanted to ask about eating before running in the morning. I run 3 or 3.5 miles, at 6 a.m., 5x/week. Needless to say, I get up early and am out the door pretty quickly. I don't want to take a lot of time to eat because my morning schedule is very tight (and I DO NOT want to get up any earlier!). Is it okay not to eat/drink before running? Should I try to eat something quickly, and if so, what (protein, carbs)? I have been feeling a little tired in the morning, but don't know if that's just because I'm not getting enough sleep. Thanks!!
Howard Schneider: This is write on point with today's column, so make sure you check that out.
First things first: At least have some water. You've been losing liquid all night and don't want to workout in a dehydrated state.
Now, three to 3.5 miles is a decent distance, but not so much -- from my perspective -- that you need to eat. If you were going for a ten mile, 90 minute extravaganza, that would be a different story.
But make sure you eat afterwards, however -- not because of the exercise but because you should eat breakfast. If you are totally blowing off that first meal, then that could be why you are feeling tired -- the body needs fuel at some point. Could also be from the lack of sleep or a combination, but most likely not the workout.
Columbia, Md.: I have a comment and a question. My trainer is always having me use my wobble board -- for just balance exercises and while I do other exercises (arm lifts, etc). And I like it -- on vacation I was able to stand on a balance beam and catch footballs whereas no one else in our group had that kind of ability to balance.
We are about to move to Chicago and I am hoping to live close enough to walk to work all or most of the way -- do you have any tips for walking to work -- especially when dealing with bad weather?
Vicky Hallett: I don't know what kind of vacation involves getting pelted with footballs while standing on a balance beam, but I think I'm jealous.
Anyway, do I have tips about walking to work? But of course -- although Chicago weather may be more extreme than what I'm used to. The number one most important thing is comfortable shoes. A blister will send you hobbling straight to the El. And make sure you have some that will work in the rain and snow -- rain boots are even kinda stylish these days.
Then it's just a matter of layering. Waterproof, windproof stuff is getting much easier to find in more attractive, work-friendly styles. And a hat, scarf, gloves and ear muffs and make a big difference too. Just be prepared for colleagues to mock you for looking like a snow man.
I hope you can help me. I am very overweight and out of shape. I decided I don't want to be like this and was going to start a walking program. However I just started a job where I stand for 8 hours on a thinly covered cement floor. (Company rules say I can never sit during working hours). When I leave at night I am in so much pain I can barely walk to my car. I think a walking program is out.
I then thought of some water workouts. I don't have the stamina to do laps but it seems that all the water workout programs are during the day when I am working.
Can you suggest something or know of water workouts in the evening?
I am doing some yoga classes to try to get more flexible.
Another problem I have is that we are not allowed to drink water during working hours so I am very dehydrated by the time I leave work.
Vicky Hallett: You're not allowed to drink water or rest your weary legs?!! Do they let you go to the bathroom at least? This might be totally out of the question for you, but I'd look into switching jobs. You have to factor your health into the cost-benefit analysis of these things!
I don't know of any evening water workouts in Arlington off the top of my head, but maybe one of the chatters does?
If we don't get back to you by the end of the chat, email us at misfits@washpost.com. We'll come up with something for you!
Howard Schneider: If your employer is really preventing you from drinking water over eight hours -- that hardly sounds legal. I'd ask if you could keep a water bottle handy at your workstation, at least, and if not then perhaps seek legal advice because that does not seem kosher -- or healthy, particularly if you are being asked to stand all day...
Falls Church, Va.: Pleeeeaasseee respond to my post about becoming the laziest person on earth. Please!
Howard Schneider: Which post is that lazy bones? I don't see it? Did we answer that one last week?
Washington, D.C.: In line with your column today, I have a question about good things to eat before working out first thing in the morning. I used to work out after work, but I've recently switched to working out in the mornings before work. I'm finding that I really don't have the energy that I used to -- particularly for lifting weights. (Cardio seems okay, although I can tell I have less energy so I'm not going quite as hard.) Switching back to evenings isn't really an option (nighttime classes)-- do you have any suggestions for good foods that are light enough to not give me a stomach ache when I hop on a machine 10-15 minutes after eating, but will also give me the energy to lift every other morning? Oatmeal isn't quite doing the trick in terms of energy.
Howard Schneider: I'd like to throw this one out to the crowd. Ten to 15 minutes is not much time to digest, so my sense is you'll want something that gets into the system quickly -- a glass of juice? A handful of grapes? My hesitancy to suggest one of the gels or other energy cocktails is that they are pretty much pure sugar, which serves a fueling purpose but not a real nutritional one. If you are going to take in the extra calories at least you'll want something that fits your overall diet...Any suggestions from the crowd?
Rockville, Md.: Often you receive questions about burning out after doing one type of exercise repeatedly. I'm one of those people married to the elliptical machine, and I don't ever seem to get bored with it.
So I guess my question is: is it okay to just stick with one type of exercise if you're not bored? (I walk for 40-50 min 5x a week and do a half hour on the elliptical 2-3x a week.)
Vicky Hallett: It's okay as long as you're happy with your fitness level. Doing the same thing over and over again means you're gonna plateau (if you haven't already). To keep seeing results, you need to at least change the difficulty level.
It's beautiful that you have this long-term relationship with the elliptical. But if you ever need counseling, Howard and I are here to help.
Gaithersburg, Md.: For the person doing the National Half Marathon, if you go to Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg Web site fleetfeetgaithersburg.com, under resources, there is a half marathon training plan that we use for our training groups. Hope it helps and good luck with your training.
Howard Schneider: Welcome to the chat and thanks...Vicky and I ran into the Fleetfeet folks, among others, at the Marine Marathon Expo...I believe that RunDC and Montgomery Road Runners also have similar tools...
I have a question about calf muscles. I stretch before and after working out, but consistently I find that my calf muscles are sore all the time. I also occasionally get bad muscle cramps in my calf in the middle of the night. How do I figure out what is wrong or is this completely normal? Thanks.
Howard Schneider: Hi...May be unrelated. Cramps can be caused by a number of different things -- dehydration, and deficiencies of potassium and magnesium being among the most common.
As to the soreness, I have been working with a foam roller on my legs lately and find it really helps smooth things out and loosen them up. My Internet link seems to have failed, so I can't look up a site for you, but any of the local running stores would carry them -- it's just a round piece of foam about four feet long that you use to roll out your muscles. I love it. You can also try "the stick" that you'll often see being deployed on the sidelines of pro sporting events, used to loosen tissue and ease cramps. They'll also have that at Fleet Feet or Pacers or any of the local running shops...good luck....
Baltimore: Is it bad to go for a run after eating a massive Thanksgiving meal?
Howard Schneider: Food draws blood to the stomach, which means it ain't available for your muscles...Why not go for your run before the meal? You can get local running links off of misfitness.com and join us at one of the local Turkey Trots....
Tired Bu,TT: Hi guys. Lately when running (after taking about 2 months off), I've noticed my lower glutes/upper back of thighs area get really tired. They're the first muscles to feel it -- my calves, thighs (front), upper butt area are fine, it's just where my butt and legs meet that wimps out on me. What exercises can I do to make those muscles last a bit longer? (Is the word butt okay to use in a chat?)
Vicky Hallett: I prefer tush or heinie. Butt we'll see what gets by the censors.
Anyhoo, I find that ballet workout moves are great for where "the seat" meets the leg. Leg lifts back with tiny pulses for a few minutes will totally kick your rear end. Squats are always good too!
Bethesda, Md.: what resources are there in the D.C. area for someone who wants to learn how to row? I see boats out on the Potomac and it looks fun, I'm definitely a water sport person (though I am sick of my master's swimming classes at the moment), and I think I have the right build to be pretty good at it if I worked hard.
I assume now the rowers are all working out indoors, but are there beginner classes going on anywhere, or is it the wrong season?
Vicky Hallett: If you're willing to wait out the cold, there are a ton of D.C. resources for rowing. To get on the water, you can try:
-The Capital Rowing Club (capitalrowing.org)
But to do it immediately, I think your best bet is the indoor rowing classes offered by some of the Gold's Gyms in Virginia. It'll be a bit of a trek for you from Bethesda though. Or, you can just join a gym with an indoor rower or two and work on your own. Be careful about technique though. The site for Concept2 (concept2.com) has some great instructional guides that are worth a look.
RE: moving to Chicago: From a local: if you want to walk to work in Chicago, you'll be in good company. And even if you take the El sometimes you'll almost certainly have to walk to/from the station. So dress comfortably (carry dress shoes if you must). When the weather turns nasty, fashion goes out the window. Wear waterproof, warm boots, a hat that keeps your ears warm, a scarf that you can wrap around your face when the wind slaps the snow at you. Your colleagues will not laugh at you; they will be doing the same!
Vicky Hallett: I guess in Chicago, everyone's a snowman.
Arlington, Va.: Is it really better to work out in the morning as opposed to the afternoon? You hear reasons ranging from it gives you more energy to you actually burn more calories. Are these true or does it make that much of a difference to the average gym-goer?
Howard Schneider: All the theories can really wrap you in a knot, and all have research to back them up. Work out when you can work out. My guess is that if you had a team of trainers and doctors preparing you for the Olympics, they'd find all sorts of ways to optimize what you do and milk that extra .05 percent of performance out of your body.
What matters to most of us is getting up and doing something, regardless of the time of day...
Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg: Howard, you're not the only one with a retraction this morning. The half marathon training program is actually under Events, not Resources on our Web site. thanks
Vicky Hallett: I'll get him some coffee. Thanks!
Stronger ankles?: I ran a marathon this past weekend and while I expected to be sore the next day I was surprised by how much my ankles hurt. Any exercises to strengthen my ankles so they don't hurt so much next time? Thanks
Howard Schneider: I had a recent session with Lance Breger at Mint Fitness in which he talked about balance, and had me doing many of the usual exercises --like cable rows, for example -- on one foot. Give that a try. Jumping rope is probably a good one too...
G'burg follow-up: To answer your body type question: I'm 5-6 and 145 pounds (the heaviest I've ever, ever been!!!). I have basically no muscle tone anywhere. I'm focusing on my knee area because I have the beginning of arthritis there (lots of old knee injuries) and have been told building up the area around there will help.
Vicky Hallett: Then, it seems wise to focus on that knee area. Here are some tips if your trainer can't help you out:
Washington, D.C.: When I turn 58, how do I look as good as Bruce Springsteen? Is it something in the water up in Jersey?
Howard Schneider: Learn to play the guitar, write great poetry, snarl when you sing, and make a gazillion dollars so you can hire an army of trainers to keep you in shape...
We are over time right now with lots of questions in the queue...Sorry we could not get to every body...
Vicky says that her legs itch and her hands are full of callouses but she will still have her column next week full of answers to your questions...Hang in there and tune in if you have not yet to Sally Squires Holiday Challenge -- in which she'll teach us how to get through the holidays without gaining weight...
Vicky Hallett: Howard's not the only one with problems today. At the top, I quoted Judy GEER, not Greer. I believe Judy Greer is actually the actress who played crazy Kitty on Arrested Development. So, yeah, they're different people.
It's been fun today, gang. Keep in touch with us at misfits@washpost.com.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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Study: Black Families Struggle to Stay Middle-Class
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Michael Fletcher: Good afternoon, everyone. Very provocative report released today by Pew about economic mobility in our society. Let's talk about it.
Washington: For blacks who "fell down" the economic ladder since they were children, do the authors of the study know why? Underemployment, single-parent status, what?
Michael Fletcher: They don't know why, at least not precisely. The study wasn't really structured to answer the why. But some of the speculation has to do with the increase in the number of single-parent families, large educational gaps that remain between blacks and whites, the huge wealth gap separating whites and blacks (whites generally have 10 times as much wealth as blacks, even though blacks earn something like 70 cents for every dollar earned by whites). Other ideas are the racial isolation of even many black middle class families, which largely walls them off from social networks that lead to jobs, business opportunities, etc.. Other people have even discussed the "pull" of popular culture which, some say, glamorizes thug life, something that some analysts feel has a disproportionate impact on black young people.
Washington: Thank you for the interesting article. Do you think that discriminatory practices in administering benefits from Federal Housing Administration loan programs and the GI bill had an effect? I was taught that these two programs allowed many families to move into the middle class by opening up access to education and home ownership. If blacks largely were left behind by these two programs, and we are talking about the 1930s and 1940s, wouldn't that make a huge difference? We are only talking about one generation above the baby boomers.
Michael Fletcher: Clearly, the history of discrimination in loan programs, veterans programs and most other aspects of American life has a lot to do with the plight faced by many African Americans today. But the disturbing thing about this Pew study is that it shows that so many black people from families that seemed to be making it, at least economically, a generation ago have fallen backwards. Surely, discrimination has eased (but, I agree, not gone away) since the 1960s. Also, American society is one where for most racial and ethnic groups the best predictor of your economic and educational status will be your parents' economic and educational status. So why are nearly half of blacks who were middle income as kids defying this? That's the troubling question raised by this study.
Jackson, Miss.: I just finished "My Grandfather's Son" by Clarence Thomas. A major theme from that book was that the welfare state and affirmative action have, for blacks, eroded the truly important attributes of success -- namely hard work and educational achievement. What role do you think has the welfare state and affirmative action have had in the declining generational incomes for blacks highlighted in your article?
Michael Fletcher: Very little, from what I can tell. I don't understand how affirmative action undercuts the value of hard work and educational achievement. Is the implication that black people who benefit from affirmative action don't have to do anything to succeed? If so, that's wrong. Meanwhile, the "welfare state," whatever that means, really wouldn't affect the middle class, unless one believes that a meager Aid to Families with Dependent Children payment was more attractive than a paycheck for people who knew what a paycheck was. I find both arguments to be more partisan than substantive.
Santa Monica, Calif.: Can you help me understand the 10-to-1 wealth gap between whites and blacks? What causes such a gap? Is it tied to inheritances? If you just consider whites and blacks with similar incomes, does the gap persist?
Michael Fletcher: Yes, the wealth gap persists even for blacks and whites of similar incomes. The reason has a lot to do with the value of homes and home ownership rates. Homes are typically the largest asset people have. Whites are more likely to own homes than blacks, even though that gap has closed some through the years. Also, almost anywhere I've been at least, homes in white neighborhoods are more valuable than black ones. Here in the D.C. area, it is safe to say that a home in predominantly black Price George's county, a largely middle-class county, would be worth less than an otherwise comparable home in mostly white Northern Virginia, or Montgomery County, Md., which is about two-thirds white. Also, stock ownership rates vary by race, adding to the gap.
Washington: I was astonished that this research left people scratching their heads. Hello, the hip-hop culture? Hello, gangster culture. Hello, 65 percent-plus of black children born into single mother homes, combined with the fact that single parent homes have an 85 percent greater chance of having kid with behavioral problems. Why is it that every time stats like this are quotes, it is called racist and overlooked. It's time to stop using terms like "racism" to hide the problems, and to start doing something.
Michael Fletcher: You are not the first one to raise these points today. The thing is that many of the points you raise are typically associated with the poor, not the middle class. Remember Bill Cosby's rant? But the Pew research shows that some of the problems normally linked to the poor also affect the black "middle class." But also not to be minimized are questions of school funding, opportunities available in different neighborhoods, and a history of racial discrimination which, at minimum, leaves some people with more faith in the American system than others.
Omaha, Neb.: It's not just blacks that are seeing their spending power decrease ... my son and daughter (white) were born in the '60s to college-educated middle-class parents, and they just can't seem to get ahead ... they work hard, make good choices and still can't find decent-paying jobs with benefits like their parents could. Try not to make this declining American economy just a black problem ... look at the bigger picture ... the middle class across the board is disappearing. When you look for blame, look to the choices made by the people with the problems.
Michael Fletcher: Points taken. But despite all the economic anxiety out there--and it is justified given the wrenching changes in the U.S. economy--the Pew study shows that two out of three Americans are moving up the mythical economic ladder. Which makes the finding that nearly half of black folks who were middle class as kids are now falling to the economic bottom all the more perplexing. The corresponding number for whites is under 20 percent. So clearly there is a gap.
Dillwyn, Va.: How much money do you need to make a year in order to be considered middle class? Thanks.
Michael Fletcher: For purposes of this study, the children were considered middle class if they grew up in families who occupied two groups in the middle of the five income quintiles. The salaries ranged from $33,800 to $65,100 in 2004 dollars.
Arlington, Va.: Away from welfare and single-parent effects, where does the effect of drugs (and crime) fit into this comparison of generations ?
Michael Fletcher: They are likely factors in the fall. The crack epidemic, for example,devastated many working-class and even marginally middle class black communities in the 1980s and early 1990s. It seems like the impact was harder in black communities than elsewhere.
Washington: How can you so casually dismiss Bill Crosby's "rant" in your own words, or discount cultural explanations in favor of differences in school funding, neighborhood opportunities, etc.? Especially given that across income levels and school systems, whether you are talking about low-income schools or upper-class suburban ones, numerous studies have found that African American students are over-represented amongst the poorly performing students?
Michael Fletcher: I'm not dismissing Bill Cosby's points. I call it a rant only because of Cosby's argumentative style in presenting them and because he focuses only on the poor with his critique. But clearly the educational achievement gap and influence of street culture are real. It is my observation that many kids, particularly middle-class black kids, mimic what they perceive to be "authentic" black images, whether they see them in the street or on music videos, or wherever.
Silver Spring, Md.: Progress against racism happened just before the middle class stagnated. The de-industrialization of America played a huge part, and our labor unions lacked the class consciousness that unions have in Europe. Illegal immigration certainly is playing a large role. Illegal immigrants are crowding into housing that could have been occupied by working-class or middle-class black homeowners.
Michael Fletcher: I disagree with your point about illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants may (or may not) bid down the price of certain types of labor. But it seems to me that they would increase competition for (and prices for, and value of) homes. It seems that people who grew up in middle-income homes should profit from that competition.
Providence, R.I.: Michael, it seems that the very things that helped create the white middle class -- long-term blue-collar jobs with good health and retirement benefits -- were available to blacks only for a few years before they started disappearing, replaced by service and high-tech companies that provide mostly unstable (read: layoff) employment with much stingier benefits. There are exceptions, but they are few. While this trend has affected all groups, it's understandable that blacks, who got a later start, suffer the most.
Michael Fletcher: That is a good point. It would be interesting to look at some of the lives behind these numbers. My suspicion is you'd find, say, a lot of children of black steel workers or auto workers whose children may not have done great in school and could not find work that was as secure and high paying as what their parents had. Maybe they are more likely to be unmarried. I hope to get into some of that in future reporting.
Washington: Aren't there good reasons why Montgomery County or Fairfax County homes are more expensive than ones in Prince George's County, as you mentioned? Schools, level of violent crime, poverty ... Prince George's County basically is plagued by the same ills that afflict the District and other primarily black cities. Crime leads to disinvestment, which leads to lower property values, which leads to concentrations of poor people, which leads to bad public schools.
Michael Fletcher: There probably are good reasons for that, and some not-so- good reasons as well. Beyond the things you mention, it is also true that there is less business investment in Price George's County (stores, restaurants) and fewer people who consider buying there simply because of race. Remember, there are many beautiful, safe neighborhoods in the county that people will not consider simply because they are in the county.
Arlington, Va.: Do you think the trade agreements and loss of manufacturing jobs influenced the black community more than other middle-class communities ?
Michael Fletcher: My guess would be yes, because I suspect the black middle class was more blue collar than the white middle class.
Accokeek, Md.: My parents, born in the 1930s, achieved the middle-class dream only through sheer hard work, with two or three jobs for my father and my mother working also, and few luxuries in life (no one in my parents' age range took vacations). My siblings and I are only doing well because of college and its benefits and living in a job-rich area like Washington. The lack of a college education and the demise of high-paying unionized factory work in large cities are too heavy a load for many to overcome.
Michael Fletcher: Apparently so. I grew up in a black, middle-class family that was blue collar (my father never finished high school but was a New York City subway conductor, which was a pretty good gig in the day)and we never, ever went out to eat. Stuff like that was considered wasteful. My parents might weep if they saw my restaurant tab now. So they are not unlike your parents in that way. But could a subway conductor achieve middle class life now? Maybe. But it would not be easy, if it ever was.
New York: Have you considered the inequalities still faced by educated African Americans in your research?
Michael Fletcher: The Pew report did not delve into that. But I'd suspect those inequities, even the mere perception of them, are a factor.
Washington: Economically, were urban decay issues addressed in the study, i.e. was African American decline mirroring -- or possibly being driven by -- urban decay around the country? Also, was there any way to track how wealth was used, i.e. was African American wealth invested in something durable, like real estate, or did it go to cost of living, cars, etc.?
Michael Fletcher: Those things were not addressed. The report did not get into the reasons why, it just attempted to document whether or not people were making economic progress relative to their parents. Furthermore, it sought to determine how race and gender factored in.
Michael Fletcher: Thanks for all the interest and the great questions. Gotta run. Hopefully, I'll be back soon.
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Washington Post national economics reporter Michael Fletcher will examine a new study measuring the impacts race and gender have on the ability to maintain income levels from one generation to the next -- something found to be particularly difficult for blacks.
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Google Empire Moves From Creating to Recreating
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Earlier this year, Google quietly added a new feature to its maps program, a tool that allows users to customize driving directions by clicking and dragging on a map to create a detour. A few months later, the developers of Gmail, Google's free e-mail program, unveiled an upgrade to allow messages to synchronize with other e-mail systems.
The alterations to these popular programs are minuscule compared with two larger recent news events: Google's announcement of a partnership, called Android, to make it easier to navigate the Web on cellphones, and its introduction of OpenSocial, a cooperative effort to make it easier for developers to create tools for social networking sites such as MySpace.
These efforts are indicative of a recent shift in Google's strategy. Instead of creating new products, Google's developers and engineers are being called on to improve existing products and technologies. Google is hoping that by easing access to the Internet, users will spend more time there, ultimately creating new revenue opportunities.
If there is one common theme to Google's latest moves, it's that the company wants all Internet users to do everything online, and store everything they do online, from sharing digital pictures to creating spreadsheets. Google and others call this "cloud computing," to reflect that computers everywhere -- whether in a cybercafe or on a mobile device -- can tap into a database that hovers in the technical atmosphere. For users, it's an opportunity to have access to everything, everywhere. For Google, it's a chance to gather more data about what people are doing and send them advertisements that conform to that.
"The cloud is where things are going," said Sam Schillace, the engineering director who oversees Google Docs, the company's word-processing and spreadsheet service. "It doesn't make any sense even now to say that all of my documents are on my phone. My phone is just the thing that I use to interact with the cloud, where my data is stored."
Being involved in so many business areas could prove risky for Google because it concentrates so much personal and behavioral information in one corporate set of hands, said analyst Jennifer Simpson of the Yankee Group research firm.
"Google is trying to make itself into a ubiquitous brand where it's everywhere on the Web," she said. This would allow the company to target advertising based on information users store in their calendars or what they write in their word-processing document and save online. "For the average consumer, increasingly it could be seen as infringing upon their lives in some way."
Yet many of the products Google has released in recent years have yet to make their mark against the competition.
Its Gmail program, for example, has consistently trailed Yahoo and MSN in users since its 2004 launch, according to research firm ComScore Media Metrix. Likewise, its instant-messaging program and its Orkut social networking site don't break ComScore's worldwide top 10 in those categories. And its Google Finance program doesn't even rank among its peers.
But some of Google's products are also growing at rates others are not, indicating that they have a chance to gain traction and eventually surpass the competition. For example, the number of U.S. visitors to Gmail in September increased 93 percent over the previous year, while the leader in free e-mail, Yahoo, grew by 7 percent and No. 2 Microsoft was flat.
Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technology Associates, said the company has matured both financially and technologically, giving it the flexibility to wait for its programs to gain ground gradually.
But Kay also said Google, which dominates online search and advertising, could run into the same business dilemma as Microsoft. Microsoft had two blockbuster cash cows: the Windows operating system for computers and the Office software package that includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint. But now Microsoft is trying to figure out how it will evolve, Kay said.
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White House Ordered to Keep E-Mails
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A federal judge ordered the White House yesterday not to destroy any backup computer tapes of its e-mail, pending civil litigation seeking to learn more about what happened to a trove of messages missing from a 2 1/2 -year period earlier in the Bush presidency.
The Bush administration had opposed such an order, arguing that it is unnecessary because the White House administrative office already is preserving backup tapes in its possession. But U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. was not satisfied by that assurance and issued the formal order, which carries contempt penalties if violated.
"We will study the court's order," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel. "However, the Office of Administration has been taking steps to maintain and preserve backup tapes for the official e-mail system. We have provided assurances to the plaintiffs and to the court that these steps were being taken. We will continue preserving the tapes in compliance with the court's order."
The order stems from the disappearance of possibly millions of e-mails sent and received by aides to President Bush from March 2003 to October 2005. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group that has been critical of the administration, has said it was told by internal sources that the White House determined that at least 5 million and perhaps many more e-mails from that period were not saved as required by law.
The missing e-mail, along with the disclosure that some White House aides regularly used private Republican National Committee e-mail accounts, fueled congressional suspicions about the decision to fire nine U.S. attorneys, a controversy that ultimately led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
The White House has said some e-mail may not have been automatically archived but may still be on backup tapes. The administration has not confirmed how many messages might have been lost.
The ethics advocacy group filed a lawsuit to obtain internal documents about what happened, a suit consolidated with a similar action by another private organization, the National Security Archive.
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the administration was "parsing statements" in its assertions that it was preserving backup tapes, leading her to doubt its commitment and seek the order. "It certainly makes it look like they're trying to hide something," she said.
Kennedy, a Bill Clinton appointee, sought a recommendation from U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola, who advised him last month to issue a binding order because an administration declaration is inadequate. "Unlike a court order, a declaration is not punishable by contempt," Facciola wrote. "In other words, without such an order, destruction of the backup media would be without consequence."
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Abstinence-Only Sex-Ed Funds Cut Off by Kaine
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Kaine (D) submitted plans last month to close a budget shortfall in part by eliminating a $275,000 matching grant for a federal program that provided funds for 14 nonprofit groups that taught abstinence only.
Delacey Skinner, Kaine's communications director, said the governor believes that effective sex education programs must include information about contraceptives as well as abstinence.
"The governor supports abstinence-based education, but the governor wants to see us funding programs that are evidenced-based," said Skinner, who added that Virginia will now offer "more comprehensive" sex education.
Kaine's decision affects only organizations that offer federally funded sex education courses, which the Bush administration has restricted to abstinence-only programs. School systems and organizations that did not receive the funding will still be able to teach a locally based sex education curriculum.
Planned Parenthood of Virginia, which had lobbied for the change in policy, sent out a statement Monday praising Kaine for joining its nationwide campaign to eliminate abstinence-only programs, which urge youths to refrain from sex until marriage.
"There is no evidence that abstinence-only programs equip teens with the education they need to delay sexual activity or prevent unintended pregnancies or the spread of sexually transmitted disease," said Becky Reid, an organizer for Planned Parenthood Health Systems.
With the move, Virginia becomes the 14th state to refuse to support abstinence-only education.
Several social conservatives reacted angrily, accusing Kaine and Planned Parenthood of hiding his decision until after the Nov. 6 election.
Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax) said he will try to get the General Assembly to reverse Kaine's decision when it convenes in January.
"The longer you delay the commencement of sexual activity, you have healthier and happier kids and more successful kids," said Cuccinelli, a conservative who beat his Democratic challenger this year by 92 votes, pending a possible recount.
Conservative House members also said they would try to block Kaine's move.
"When it comes to sex, Democrats can't think straight," Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) said.
Reid said last week's election, in which Democrats took control of the state Senate and made gains in the House, confirms that voters support Kaine's approach.
"People are tired of ideology. We want common-sense approaches to issues," Reid said. "Governor Kaine took a common-sense approach. We have a budget shortfall. This program has not shown to be effective in any way."
Reid and Skinner cited a study released in April that was commissioned by Congress. In the study, Mathematica Policy Research Inc. concluded that students in abstinence-only programs had similar numbers of sexual partners and first had sex at the same age as those who did not participate in the programs.
Victoria Cobb, executive director of the Family Foundation, countered that the Virginia Department of Health conducted a study last year that found a majority of teenagers agree with abstinence-only sex education.
Cobb accused Kaine, who is Catholic, of "making a payoff" to Planned Parenthood because the group traditionally favors Democratic candidates.
"It is extremely disappointing that Governor Kaine, who ran claiming to be a moderate and touted his faith, has chosen to get in bed with a group like Planned Parenthood," Cobb said.
Marshall questioned why Planned Parenthood did not announce Kaine's decision until after the election.
"It really shows where the governor's priorities are," Marshall said.
But Skinner noted that Kaine's budget amendments have been public for six weeks.
"Maybe they should actually read the documents we put out," Skinner said.
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RICHMOND, Nov. 12 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs, citing recent studies finding that teenagers should also be taught about birth control and condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
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Pope Will Visit D.C. In April
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Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl beamed yesterday during a meeting in Baltimore of American Catholic bishops as he talked about the pope's visit, saying he invited Benedict to Washington "and then we did pray. We prayed very hard."
It will be Benedict's first visit to the United States as pope and the first papal visit to the United States since the Catholic clergy sex-abuse scandal exploded in Boston in 2002. Vatican officials expressed hope that the visit might encourage a rejuvenation of the church in the wake of the controversy.
"We should issue an invitation to return for those who have left the church. The church is still the church of Jesus Christ, of the Gospel, and of the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ to his apostles," Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the pope's representative in the United States, said at a news conference in Baltimore.
Benedict's decision not to visit Boston was the subject of debate among Vatican-watchers and bloggers yesterday. But William S. Skylstad, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the decision to skip Boston was due to the pope's age and limited energy.
Although Benedict is considered shyer and less of a celebrity than his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, since becoming pope in 2005 he has made several controversial comments about Islam, the primacy of the Catholic Church and pro-choice Catholic politicians. His visit will be of high interest, analysts said yesterday.
"This is America. People will be asking questions about why he didn't go to Boston, looking for him to say something about the sex-abuse scandal, something that relates to them pastorally, [like] why don't they have enough priests? Why can't laypeople do more?" said David Gibson, a longtime religion reporter and author of "The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle With the Modern World."
"He isn't going to address that agenda. He'll just say: 'Pray harder.' "
Benedict will visit Catholic University and speak about Catholic education. The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, university president, said the school looks forward to the visit "with tremendous anticipation and enthusiasm."
In the eyes of the Vatican, American Catholics are a complex community, with a quarter of the country's people describing themselves as Catholic but a small minority of that group saying they view church leaders as the proper source of moral authority, primarily when it comes to issues of sexuality. Some analysts said yesterday that the Vatican is concerned that Catholic colleges and universities are teaching the faith in a relative way.
"All of my colleagues who teach at Catholic colleges and universities will be listening carefully to see if he talks about orthodoxy among those who teach theology," said Paul Lakeland, chair of Catholic Studies at Fairfield University.
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Pope Benedict XVI will visit Washington for three days in April, a Vatican spokesman announced yesterday, the first time a pope will be in the capital since 1979. Tens of thousands are expected to celebrate Mass with him in the new Nationals baseball stadium.
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Alicia Keys, Still Warming Up
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2007111519
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More than a year has passed since Bob Dylan salivated over Alicia Keys in song, but the true meaning behind the old bard's reference to the young soulstress remains a mystery.
"I was thinking about Alicia Keys, couldn't help from crying," Dylan croaked. "When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line."
Keys doesn't deliver any sort of riposte on her disappointing new album, "As I Am," but she seems to think that she and Dylan are simpatico. "We are kindred spirits," she told the Times of London. "He writes from the heart, he writes from the soul -- so do I." Keys added that she is, in fact, thinking about including a comeback line in a future song, but that " 'Dylan' is not very easily rhymeable."
Actually, it is. Here, Alicia, are just a few of the many possibilities: Penicillin. Villain. Calvin Trillin. Killin'. Fill-in. Nate McMillan.
That Keys has struggled to craft a lyric with Dylan's name in it speaks to her limitations as a writer. She's an effective but generally unimaginative lyricist whose writing tends to be simple, weirdly impersonal and wholly average, with a few exceptions -- not least her terrific singles "Fallin' " and "You Don't Know My Name."
That she thinks she and Dylan are kindred spirits speaks to a different problem: She apparently believes her own press.
Since her arrival in 2001 -- when music impresario Clive Davis presented her to the world, and the world responded by buying 11 million copies of her debut, "Songs in A Minor" -- Keys has been heralded as some sort of great and rare new talent whose work has some lofty data points: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lauryn Hill and the like. (On "Fallin'," she also laid claim to the chords from James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World.")
Awards and additional accolades followed for Keys, as have the hits. But one thing is still missing from the ingenue's résumé: A truly great album that proves she is, indeed, talented enough to deserve all those hosannas.
That doesn't change with the arrival of her third studio recording, "As I Am," which is uneven, unfocused and never gets around to answering the critical question of exactly what -- or, rather, who -- Keys is, other than a 27-year-old artist still in search of an identity.
Is she an old-school soul singer with classical-piano chops? A hip-hop kid trapped in an R&B artist's body? A Prince wannabe? A pop star in the vein of Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani or Pink?
As it turns out: Yes. To all of it.
Whether she's actually on a journey to find herself artistically or is just under orders to appeal to as many people as possible isn't totally clear. But there is reason to be suspicious: The collaboration with John Mayer ("Lesson Learned"), the sudden arrival of pop-rock queen Linda Perry as a songwriting partner and the record-company propaganda that positions Keys on "As I Am" as a cross between Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin certainly smacks of a crass, Clive-directed crossover gambit.
As with every Alicia Keys album, this one -- co-written and co-produced by Keys -- certainly has its high points: the impassioned throwback soul of "Wreckless Love"; the righteous-women's anthem "Go Ahead"; the sexy, Prince-ly "Like You'll Never See Me Again," by far the album's best track.
But more often, the songs fall flat, done in by limp production and ill-conceived arrangements, such as the faux-reggae treatment of "No One" and the piano-ballad treacle of "Prelude to a Kiss." While the lyrics are supposed to be deeply personal, there's something generic about them and they're riddled with cliches, as in the female empowerment anthem "Superwoman," co-authored by Perry. Also, while Keys's singing is raw and impassioned throughout the album, it sometimes feels like manufactured emotion.
This is a modern-soul great?
When Dylan thinks of Keys, he can't help but cry. When I think of her, I can't help but type "overrated."
DOWNLOAD THESE:"Like You'll Never See Me Again," "Go Ahead," "Wreckless Love"
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Search Washington, DC area music events and venues from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for music news, events, reviews, clubs, and concerts. Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/eg/section/music/ today.
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5 Myths About Art, Age and Genius
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2007111219
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Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Arthur Rimbaud, Orson Welles and Bob Dylan all revolutionized their artistic disciplines before they turned 30. They were archetypal young geniuses. But Paul Cézanne, Mark Twain, William Butler Yeats, Alfred Hitchcock and Irving Berlin made equally important contributions to the same art forms, and they all produced their greatest work at 50 or older.
The differences between these artists' creative life cycles are not accidental. Precocious young geniuses make bold and dramatic innovations -- think of Picasso's cubism -- and their work often expresses their ideas or feelings. Wise old masters, on the other hand, are experimental thinkers who proceed by trial and error. Their work, such as Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," often aims at realistic representations of what the artists see and hear.
So how did the young geniuses upstage the old masters? The word "genius" is derived from the Greek word for birth, and since the Renaissance philosophers and critics have associated creative genius with youth. Mature artists are no less important than budding ones, but the gradual innovations they make over a lifetime are less conspicuous than sudden breakthroughs. The subtle craftsmanship of old age attracts less attention than the pyrotechnic iconoclasm of youth.
2. All great innovators produce timeless masterpieces.
Because young geniuses tend to be conceptual thinkers, they often create iconic individual works. Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," which he painted at 26, appears in more than 90 percent of art history textbooks published in the past 30 years. Georges Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte," which he finished at 27, appears in more than 70 percent.
For mature artists, on the other hand, discoveries evolve over years instead of exploding onto the scene in a single masterpiece. Thus no single painting by Cézanne or his friend Claude Monet appears in even half of art history textbooks. Yet no one would question their place among the greats.
3. Successful artists always plan their works in advance.
Young conceptual artists formulate an idea, then plan its presentation. Picasso made more than 500 preparatory drawings for "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," and 32-year-old James Joyce outlined "Ulysses" so he would not have to write the chapters in the order in which they would appear in the book.
Older experimentalists, on the other hand, value the discoveries that come through the process of creation. They try to avoid preconception. In his most sophisticated years, Cézanne never made preparatory drawings for his paintings. Virginia Woolf, who worked until her death at age 59, acknowledged that she wrote with no plan at all so that each day produced surprises. Twain also struggled to chart plot lines, and he twice abandoned "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in frustration. Even when he finished the book after nine years of work, Twain considered it unresolved. The last paragraph alludes to a sequel, which he later only attempted to write.
4. Great artists produce multiple innovations.
One-hit wonders are not unique to rock music. Many important artists produced just one great idea, and in almost every case it came when they were young. Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, originally designed for a class she took as a college senior, appears in 16 of 40 art history textbooks published since 1990 -- a number matched by only one other work by an American artist during the 1980s, Richard Serra's "Tilted Arc." The radical minimalist form of Lin's creation changed memorial architecture forever. It also made her famous. Yet she has produced no other significant innovations, and none of her subsequent work appears in any of those textbooks.
Literature also has its roster of one-hit wonders. Jack Kerouac wrote "On the Road" when he was in his 20s, J.D. Salinger wrote "The Catcher in the Rye" at 32, and Harper Lee wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" at 34. Ralph Ellison produced "Invisible Man" and Joseph Heller, "Catch-22," before turning 40. It wasn't old age that doomed these artists to be known for a single great work, but rather their fixed habits of thought. They got stuck in a rut. After making an important discovery early in their careers, conceptual thinkers should follow the Monty Python theorem: "And now for something completely different."
5. Today's frenetic art world demands that artists mature early.
The impatient Internet age rewards flashy visual artists such as Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman and Tracey Emin, who became famous at a tender age and rich soon thereafter. But some of today's greatest artists are nonetheless experimental old masters. The painter Brice Marden, who had a retrospective exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art last year, is 69, and has produced his greatest work in the past two decades. The sculptor Louise Bourgeois, who currently has a retrospective exhibition at London's Tate Modern, is 95. She did her greatest work after 80.
There are also important experimentalists at work in other fields. J.M. Coetzee, who did not begin writing fiction until he was 30, won the Booker Prize for novels he wrote at 43 and 59. Philip Roth won a Pulitzer Prize for "American Pastoral," which he wrote at 64. And Clint Eastwood, who directed his first film after turning 40, won Oscars for movies he directed at 62 and 74. Today's culture, with lightning-fast transfer of information and correspondingly short attention spans, clearly favors conceptual innovators who quickly produce new ideas. But these artists all show that perseverance remains a valuable asset: Tortoises can sometimes still win out over hares.
David W. Galenson is a professor at the University of Chicago and the author of "Old Masters and Young Geniuses." He is 56 years old and expects to do his best work in the future.
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Dazzled by genius, too many people assume that artists are born with mystical abilities unknowable to the rest of us.
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Giuliani Campaign Tries to Minimize Fallout From Kerik Indictment
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2007111219
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Aides to former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani worked yesterday to bat down the perception that his bid for the Republican presidential nomination had suffered after Friday's indictment of Bernard B. Kerik, his longtime ally and former business partner.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) used the indictment to question the judgment of Giuliani, who recommended that President Bush appoint Kerik to head the Department of Homeland Security. At a news conference with former homeland security secretary Tom Ridge, McCain emphasized that Giuliani should have begun questioning Kerik's public service qualifications after he failed to adequately train the Iraqi police force in 2003.
"Supposedly his mission was to help train Iraqi police. He stayed a couple of months, got up and left," McCain said. "That should have been part of anybody's judgment before they would recommend that individual to be head of the Department of Homeland Security."
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis issued an even more pointed assessment in a memo: "A president's judgment matters and Rudy Giuliani has repeatedly placed personal loyalty over regard for the facts."
Other rivals used the opportunity to point out that Giuliani, who retains a consistent lead in nationwide polls, is not invincible.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney declined to comment on whether Kerik's legal woes might pose a political problem for Giuliani, but he called Kerik's indictment on tax fraud and other charges "very sad and disappointing" and added: "You expect people who assume the public trust to abide by it and to live by high standards of ethical conduct."
In an e-mail sent yesterday to reporters, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden started the message with "Mayor Giuliani's 'momentum-proof' national polling lead, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny all walk into a bar. . . . You're right. None of them exist."
The flurry of attacks underscores both the fluidity of the Republican race and a potential vulnerability for Giuliani.
"Giuliani has a clear lead. It isn't as dominant as Hillary Clinton's lead on the Democratic side, but it's a clear lead," said GOP pollster David Winston, who is not affiliated with any campaign. "Obviously when you have a front-runner and these problems emerge, people are going to use this to dislodge you."
Giuliani's campaign sought to remain on offense yesterday, holding a conference call with reporters in which campaign manager Michael DuHaime and strategy director Brent Seaborn outlined how their candidate could win even if he did not emerge victorious in early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
DuHaime told reporters "there are multiple paths to victory," in large part because 1,038 of the nearly 1,200 delegates needed for the nomination will be up for grabs on Feb. 5. Giuliani, DuHaime said, holds strong leads in several of those states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
"And everyone seems to be, obviously, focused on the traditional path of winning the early states and then having momentum throughout," he said. "I think what we see is there's a possibility of two paths. And obviously, we agree that there's the ability for the momentum that comes out of early states, or we wouldn't be as focused as we are on some of the early states. But we also recognize that, with so many large, delegate-rich states moving up to so early in the process, that it's impossible to think that it will be over after only three states vote."
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Follow 2008 Elections & Campaigns at washingtonpost.com.
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Crime Data Underscore Limits Of D.C. Gun Ban's Effectiveness
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2007111219
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Three decades ago, at the dawn of municipal self-government in the District, the city's first elected mayor and council enacted one of the country's toughest gun-control measures, a ban on handgun ownership that opponents have long said violates the Second Amendment.
All these years later, with the constitutionality of the ban now probably headed for a U.S. Supreme Court review, a much-debated practical question remains unsettled: Has a law aimed at reducing the number of handguns in the District made city streets safer?
Although studies through the decades have reached conflicting conclusions, this much is clear: The ban, passed with strong public support in 1976, has not accomplished everything that the mayor and council of that era wanted it to.
Over the years, gun violence has continued to plague the city, reaching staggering levels at times.
In making by far their boldest public policy decision, the District's first elected officials wanted other jurisdictions, especially neighboring states, to follow the lead of the nation's capital by enacting similar gun restrictions, cutting the flow of firearms into the city from surrounding areas.
"We were trying to send out a message," recalled Sterling Tucker (D), the council chairman at the time.
Nadine Winters (D), also a council member then, said, "My expectation was that this being Washington, it would kind of spread to other places, because these guns, there were so many of them coming from Virginia and Maryland."
It didn't happen. Guns kept coming. And bodies kept falling.
Opponents of the ban, who won a March ruling in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declared the law unconstitutional, contend in a legal filing that the District's "31-year experiment with gun prohibition" has been a "complete failure." Meanwhile, D.C. officials, who have asked the Supreme Court to reverse the March decision, say the ban is a legally permissible public-safety measure that has saved lives.
Which side is correct depends on whose social science research is accurate. Although the city points to research indicating that street violence would have been worse without the law and that the ban is responsible for a sharp drop in suicides and domestic killings, opponents of the ban cite studies to the contrary.
"It's a pretty common-sense idea that the more guns there are around, the more gun violence you'll have," D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer said.
The court could announce as soon as today whether it will hear the appeal. If the justices take up the case, as most legal experts expect, it could result in a landmark ruling next year on whether the Second Amendment protects a person's right to own a gun.
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Three decades ago, at the dawn of municipal self-government in the District, the city's first elected mayor and council enacted one of the country's toughest gun-control measures, a ban on handgun ownership that opponents have long said violates the Second Amendment.
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The New Untouchables
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2007110619
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VIDEO | India's New Untouchables
Sharifa Khanam stood on a plot of land near a flooded rice paddy in this tiny village in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, staring at the skeletal outline of a mosque on the ground before her. It was 10 bricks high, with concrete rods jutting expectantly toward the sky. Bags of cement lay unused nearby.
In late 2003, Khanam had made international headlines with the announcement that she intended to build a women's mosque in a country where women are banned from most Muslim places of worship. Now she sighed and eyed the tall weeds poking out of the halted construction. "I feel as though we are in a boat with waves crashing against it," the 41-year-old activist said as the sun set behind her. "We may just drown."
The frustrated effort to build a women's mosque exposes the Achilles' heel of India's highly touted secular democracy: the abysmal socioeconomic status of Muslims.
This became quickly clear to me when I went to Mumbai late last year on a reporting fellowship from the South Asian Journalists Association to chronicle the "progressive jihad," or struggle for progress by Muslims in India. The week I landed, the Indian government released the so-called Sachar Committee report, a 404-page document that revealed it all: Muslims are disenfranchised, poor, jobless and uneducated. Their conditions are worse than those of the dalit, the caste commonly called "untouchables." To me, the sad truth was evident: Muslims are India's new untouchables.
Consider these figures: Fifty-two percent of Muslim men are unemployed, compared with 47 percent of dalit men. Unemployment among Muslim women is 91 percent, compared with 77 percent among dalit women. Forty-eight percent of Muslims older than 46 can't read or write. Though they make up 11 percent of the population, Muslims account for 40 percent of the prison population. They hold only 4.9 percent of government jobs and only 3.2 percent of the jobs in the country's security agencies.
You wouldn't know any of this from the news about India that appears in the Western media. Here, it's "Incredible India," as a global ad campaign by the Indian government proclaims. Or it's "India Inc.," the headline on a Time magazine cover story. In an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal this year, former defense secretary William Cohen, whose Cohen Group consults frequently on the country, said that the United States and India are "perfect partners" because of their "multiethnic and secular democracies."
But if we don't pay attention, that could all change. Unless something is done to improve the socioeconomic condition of Muslims in India, it may be only a matter of time before extremist Islamic ideology takes root.
Indian Muslims' ability to prosper and progress is a test of the country's democracy and of its hopes for becoming a First World economic power. Though India's nearly 150 million Muslims are a minority at home, they represent the second-largest Muslim population in the world, behind Indonesia (190 million) and just ahead of Pakistan (about 140 million). Their group is larger than the entire population of Arab Muslims (about 140 million).
I was born in Mumbai in 1965 and lived the first four years of my life in my paternal grandparents' home in Hyderabad. My father left India for Piscataway, N.J., to earn his PhD at Rutgers University, with the angry words of a Hindu man whom he had considered a friend ringing in his ears: "Why don't you just leave for Pakistan?" We are the immigrant success story; my father became a professor and my mother a boutique owner. I took my 4-year-old son, Shibli, with me when I flew back to India last year for the fellowship, eager to share my ancestral country with him.
I had spent comfortable summers vacationing with my relatively affluent extended family in India. Many of my family members are in business, and they still live in Mumbai high-rises. But I could see that their living standard had deteriorated in the 30 years since my childhood: Their cars were now run-down, and paint peeled from water-stained walls. An uncle told me that he lies to some customers of his clothing business and claims to be Hindu to avoid being blackballed.
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The abysmal socioeconomic status of Muslims is the Achilles' heel of India's highly touted secular democracy.
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PostGlobal on washingtonpost.com
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2007110619
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ISTANBUL - Ankara is on fire. U.S. warplanes zoom overhead, blackening the skies. America has just launched "Operation Metal Storm."
So starts one of the most popular books in recent Turkish history, dubbed Metal Storm (or Metal Furtina). This fictional tale of a massive U.S.-Turkey war has sold 600,000 copies across the country since its release in 2004.
Metal Storm starts off, eerily enough, in northern Iraq in 2007. America draws Turkish forces into battle as a pretext to invade the country. The rich uranium, thorium, and borax reserves lure a greedy "evangelical American president" and his cronies, unsparingly named "Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice." It's all part of America's plan for world dominion, the book says.
After reducing Turkey to rubble and capturing its capitol, Ankara, the U.S. threatens to divide the remains among its Armenian and Greek neighbors -- the ultimate insult. But a powerful diplomatic alliance between Russia and the European Union comes to the rescue, stalling the U.S. Meanwhile, a Turkish agent smuggles a suitcase nuke through Mexico's border and detonates it in Washington, D.C.
America falls to its knees. Turkey, the good, prevails. America, the evil, loses.
I met one of the two authors of the book, Burak Turna, in a café off Taksim Square. The thirty-year-old, goateed author-musician spends his days here jotting notes for his next book, and says he owes his rise to fame to his ability to "predict future scenarios" and tap into "the subconscious of Turkey."
Burak has long been a dreamer. He recalls his childhood days reading American cartoon books like Mandrake the Magician and Tom Mix, and watching Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and Wild Wild West movies over and over again. "I was always a loner," he says.
As years progressed, he turned to video games like Call of Duty and Rise of the Legions, and to philosophers like Hegel, Kant, and Plato, "all of whom I think I have moved beyond now."
Burak started pondering his own theory of the world after finishing Turkish military service in 2001. Just out of the military, in the year 2002, Burak was twenty-seven years-old, living at home, and jobless. For one year "I walked around Istiklal doing nothing" but pondering recent world events -- September 11, the build up to the Iraq War, America's interventions in the Middle East.
That was when a problem struck him: "There is so much information -- books and internet and TV -- but so many things are not told to you. Why didn't the first George Bush get rid of Saddam?" Burak asks rhetorically, before revealing his answer: "They were waiting, preparing for their bigger moves."
But what were they? In 2002, he blended philosophy and current events to imagine America and Turkey's future. He decided a fundamental "will to power" drives most American policy choices, and at moments throughout history, this lust for total control brings humanity to the brink of disaster. Burak says now is one of those moments. Burak presents Metal Storm as a work of fiction, political science, and philosophy rolled into one -- think "The Matrix," he says. To write his thrillers, Burak imagines himself the manic ruler of the United States, bent on world dominion. Then he imagines future scenarios. So far, he claims, his imagination has been oddly prescient.
He predicted a butting of interests in northern Iraq between the U.S. and Turkey way back before 2003, and the title of his latest book, "Third World War" is now "being used by President Bush" who "is taking my discourse."
So, I ask, does all of this end badly for America in the real world? Are we in for global confrontations and dirty bombs?
"No," he says. "This book predicts the context -- what you see now in Iraq and with the PKK -- but politicians have the choice on whether to act rationally. In the heat of the moment, things can spin out of control, but if you've seen it before [by reading the book] people can act better to control it."
"I see myself as a doctor," he says, "inoculating a patient against catastrophe."
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America on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/america/
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Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
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When your child is sick, you donât really sleep. You listen even as you doze. "Was that a cough? Iâll just check on her again." You lay down on the floor next to his bed. I remember the night when we thought one of our children had spinal meningitis: the high fever, the stiff neck, the frantic rush to the emergency room. Donât lecture any parent about responsibility for their children when they are sick. Parents worry all the time about their childrenâs health. They have to in this American society, because apparently nobody else is worrying.
It is a sick society that would cause a frantic parent to pause in that rush to try to get medical help for their child and have to think about whether they will have to choose between paying the mortgage or paying for the hospital visit. Half of all bankruptcies are caused by catastrophic illness in an uninsured or underinsured family. Wouldnât you sell everything you own if your child had cancer to buy the best treatment, just to see your baby live and grow? What kind of a society makes you face that choice?
âSuffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.â All three Gospels record Jesus reprimanding the disciples for keeping children away from him when their parents were trying to bring them to him for a blessing. The kingdom of heaven belongs to children, Jesus taught. The King James version uses the older âsuffer the little childrenâ to mean âpermit them or allow them to comeâ, but in this case it could carry an additional meaning of how absolutely abhorrent it is to see childrenâs suffering and keep them away from the blessing of medical help. Truly if, as Jesus said, you have to become like a child to receive the Kingdom of God, what does it say about you if instead your willful ignorance of childrenâs needs causes them to suffer? It says you are not worthy of the kingdom of God, thatâs what it says.
We have the money to pay for health care insurance for every child in America and instead we are choosing to spend it on making war and still more war. That is truly sick, morally sick, perhaps even fatally sick because when you can see the suffering so many children without access to adequate medical care and do nothing, you are lost.
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Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite on OnFaith; Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/
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PostGlobal on washingtonpost.com
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2007110619
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The dollarâs weakness just a temporary market blip? Are you joking?
The United States provided the trigger for an extraordinary credit crunch in August, thanks to the troubles in its subprime mortgage market. Merrill Lynch has just announced $8.4 billion of write-offs, and Citigroup is leading a (probably doomed) effort to put together a $75 billion bail-out fund for the snazziest, most incomprehensible and unpriceable securities. American house prices are falling nationwide, the first time such a national drop has taken place. The economy has slowed, by a full percentage point in the past year. To meet the payments on its international current account, the country has been borrowing the equivalent of more than 6% of GDP each year. The Federal Reserve has begun to cut interest rates, and is widely expected to cut them further. In such circumstances, wouldnât you expect the dollar to be falling?
In fact, the surprise is that it hasnât fallen further and sooner. The dollarâs fall does indeed reflect serious weaknesses in the American economy. But it is not bad news as such. It reflects the problems but forms one part of the solution to them. The economy needs American exports to grow if it is to avoid a recession, or just eventually to recover from one, and the falling dollar is encouraging such export growth. The really bad news would be if the dollar were not to fall. And really, it needs to fall further against the currencies of its big Asian trading partners, China and Japan, if America is to be able to cut its imports and boost its exports.
The real question is how bad the American recession is going to be. Economistsâ forecasts â such as those from the IMF last week â so far suggest a slowdown rather than a true recession. Maybe thatâs possible, but to me that will be a surprise. When banks are losing billions, when house prices are falling, when lending is seizing up, the likeliest outcome is surely quite a sharp downturn. When Japanâs financial markets began to crash in 1990, there were at first many months when pundits and policymakers claimed that the âreal economyâ was not going to be affected very much. But bit by bit, it was. Iâm not suggesting America is now going to match Japanâs âlost decadeâ of the 1990s: it is more resilient than that. But, to repeat, it will be a surprise if it emerges unscathed from the current financial turmoil.
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More Posts About: America , Economy
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Bill Emmott at PostGlobal on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/bill_emmott/
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If only I were Paul Krugman, I'd try to delve into the true, long-term meaning of that 16 percent loss against the Euro. Is the dollar fundamentally weakening? Or is this two-year long plunge just a seasonal malaise? I have no way to know.
What I can tell you is what the sight of a dollar - and by that, I mean an actual one-dollar bill - means to anyone living in this populist Caribbean petro-state as it moves toward 21st-century socialism.
What exactly is a petro-state? Some describe it as a mining country with weak institutions and a malfunctioning public sector. Its most important feature are laws that grant subsoil rights to the government, from which spring extraordinarily large "petro-profitsâ - much, much greater than any profit to be made in the private sector.
Large oil revenues usually imply exchange rates that inevitably encourage imports and hinder exports. Stiff exchange controls not only undermine the Central Bank's capacity to implement monetary policy; they also boost black market activity and encourage corruption. Venezuelan private companies have only limited access to U.S. dollars, and individuals have access to foreign currency only on a limited annual quota basis. But despite Mr. Chávez's anti-imperialist rhetoric, the U.S. is still Venezuela's primary oil customer. So there is a thriving secondary exchange (or should I simply say "black"?) market that deals not in Euros but exclusively in dollars. That secondary market's exchange rate is now quadruple the official price.
An unsettling behavior happens with amazing regularity when petro-states go through oil booms. Their governments seem to be seized by a sort of schizoid "manic" spell and urgently demand from their citizens special powers to direct the capital accumulation from oil revenues into other productive activities, in a valiant attempt to catch up to the developed world. "We have plenty of resources so now is the time,â they say. âEverything can be done so everything must be done!" These become the catch-phrases for these governments. It's no wonder that for Venezuelan politicians of all colors, including Lt. Col. Hugo Chávez, "sowing our petroleum" has been the sole item on the agenda for almost 80 years.
So, during any given boom, it is only natural that new agencies and jurisdictions are born. We now have 30 new government ministries; seven years ago, we had 13. Since it is the state, not the private sector, that has first access to petro-profits, profit-seeking becomes the name of the game for everyone, including of course the small private sector. Deadly fights over who controls the country's oil revenues become the only important issue in domestic political life. These "wars" over petro-profits gut already weak institutions, favor the concentration of power, promote the bending of the law, and, last but not least, increase corruption where it is already pervasive.
Furthermore, the very large oil revenues that fall into state hands put pressure on exchange rates, encouraging imports and discouraging exports. Inevitably, inflation sets in. The market is soon saturated with imported automobiles, electronic gadgetry, luxurious home appliances and name-brand whisky. The currency becomes overvalued because the oil sector is the core of the economy and extensive reliance on imports undermines local production.
That's why down here it's much easier to get premium scotch whisky and all sort of imported deli good than to buy milk, eggs, sugar or local essential staples like black beans and corn flour.
Chávez sneers at the 18-year-old Scotch whisky and brand new Hummers favored by his cronies', the so called "Bolivarian Bourgeosie", while at the same time he springs for four billion dollars of Russian jet fighters, combat helicopters and Kalashnikov assault rifles. Meanwhile, at "Mercal", the popular supermarket network where scarce basic goods are supposed to be subsidized by oil revenues, a Cuba-like rationing card system is at work. Venezuela has the highest inflation rate in the Americas (20%) and is set to redenominate its currency in January 2008. Given those circumstances, the dollar has become the most sought-after commodity in Venezuela.
Last night I walked down to my neighborhood supermarket for a bottle of relatively inexpensive Chilean red wine. As I approached, I ran into an upset and disappointed neighbor of mine.
She usually knows when basic goods are about to arrive, so I asked her if she had found milk at the supermarket.
"It's all gone now, again,â she said with a grimace, "but I still have some dollars to sell. Interested?"
Most of Venezuelaâs high-ranking corrupt officials would have declined her bid. They always ask for their payoffs in Euros.
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Ibsen Martinez at PostGlobal on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/ibsen_martinez/
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Bush Backs Attorney General Nominee
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President Bush today demanded that Democratic lawmakers stop pressing his attorney general nominee for his views on a harsh CIA interrogation technique and called for a prompt Senate confirmation vote in the interests of battling terrorism.
Addressing the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, Bush used a speech on "the global war on terror" to lobby for former federal judge Michael B. Mukasey and defend the nominee's refusal to comment in his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings about the legality of "waterboarding," a controversial interrogation technique that simulates drowning.
Bush also called for congressional action on several key bills that he said are being held up, including an emergency war funding measure and spending bills for defense and veterans affairs.
The speech -- and an unusual Oval Office session with pool reporters that preceded it -- came as Democratic support for Mukasey dwindled over the waterboarding issue. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) announced today that he would oppose the nomination, becoming the fourth Democrat on the Judiciary Committee to declare his opposition.
Briefing reporters on his speech this morning, Bush refused to say whether waterboarding is now being used or whether he considers it legal. He insisted that whatever methods the CIA is using to extract information from suspected terrorists are "within the law" and should not be "broadcast to the enemy."
In his speech, Bush linked the Mukasey confirmation fight to the war on terrorism by arguing that "in a time of war, it is vital for the president to have a full national security team in place, and a key member of that team is the attorney general."
He asserted that "some in Congress are behaving as if America is not at war." Such politicians "are either being disingenuous or naive," he said. "Either way, it is dangerous for our country. We are at war. And we cannot win this war by wishing it away or pretending it does not exist."
In response, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) called on Bush to heed his own advice and refocus U.S. resources on countering terrorist threats, which he said have escalated because of Bush's "flawed strategy in Iraq" and "mismanagement of the war."
"Just as we will not give the president a blank check for his directionless war, we refuse to rubberstamp his nominee for attorney general," Reid said in a statement. "The Senate fully intends to fulfill its constitutional duty and demand clarity from this nominee on the illegality of a technique the United States has previously prosecuted as torture. Ambiguity on this question endangers our soldiers abroad and is counterproductive to winning the war on terror."
Bush charged in his speech that the Senate Judiciary Committee has been holding up Mukasey's nomination although he has testified for nearly six hours, answered more than 200 questions at his hearing and responded to nearly 500 additional questions in writing.
"As a price for his confirmation, some on that committee want Judge Mukasey to take a legal position on specific techniques allegedly used to interrogate captured terrorists," Bush told the Heritage Foundation. He said Mukasey cannot do so for several reasons that the nominee explained in a letter to committee members.
"First, he does not know whether certain methods of questioning are, in fact, used, because the program is classified," Bush said. "And therefore, he is in no position to provide an informed opinion. He has not been read into the program and . . . won't be until he's confirmed and sworn in as the attorney general."
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Follow 2008 Elections & Campaigns at washingtonpost.com Politics Information on Democrats,Republicans,political cartoons,opinions,government policies,political analysis and reports." elections,campaigns,Democrats,Republicans,political cartoons,opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy,government tech,political analysis and reports.
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Stocks Tumble As Investors Get Bad News On Citigroup
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NEW YORK, Nov. 1 -- Bad news from some of the biggest U.S. companies reignited investor fears about the shakiness of the credit market Thursday, sending stocks tumbling just a day after the Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate to prevent a broad economic downturn.
The three major stock market indicators finished the day down by more than 2 percent as money poured into safer investments. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 362 points, its fourth-worst trading day of the year.
The declines were sharp enough to trigger automatic trading curbs at the New York Stock Exchange, designed to limit wild market swings. The Federal Reserve added $41 billion to the financial system to help keep it operating smoothly, making it the biggest injection of funds since Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The sell-off was triggered in part by analysts' reports that downgraded Citigroup, the world's largest bank, and said it was short on capital. That unnerved investors who were already upset by Merrill Lynch's announcement last week that it would write down $8 billion in mortgage-related securities for the third quarter, about $3 billion more than it had acknowledged three weeks earlier. Citigroup, considered a bellwether of the financial sector, had write-downs of nearly $6 billion for the quarter.
"The news on Citigroup has spooked the entire market," said Bart Barnett, head of equity trading at Morgan Keegan. "Everyone wanted to think it was over. Everyone wanted to think there was light at the end of the tunnel. . . . But everyone is writing down billions and billions of dollars. If it's of greater intensity at Merrill, and [the analysis of] Citi comes to fruition, who knows who else is out there? People are saying, 'Wow, who's next?' "
Other financial companies disclosed serious problems. Radian Group, a major mortgage insurer, Thursday reported its first quarterly loss ever, and Credit Suisse announced a 31 percent drop in profit.
Adding to the disappointment was Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, which reported earnings below Wall Street expectations despite record high crude oil prices. Shares of the company fell 3.8 percent, while Citigroup stock lost 6.9 percent.
The negative mood was reinforced by a series of economic data reflecting how housing and credit market woes are bleeding into the broader economy.
The Commerce Department said Thursday that consumer spending, which makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy, grew by a slower-than-expected 0.3 percent in September, after rising 0.5 percent in August. So far, economists have been pleasantly surprised by the resilience of consumers, although many have warned that it cannot hold up as energy prices soar and home prices continue to soften.
"It was consumer spending and foreign economic growth that largely fueled U.S. economic activity this year," said Bernard Baumohl, managing director of the Economic Outlook Group. "If Americans start to cut back on spending and foreign economic growth slows before the housing sector has a chance to recover, then this expansion could well be in jeopardy."
Separately, an index of the U.S. manufacturing industry showed that activity at plants and factories grew in October at the slowest pace since March as companies dealt with rising costs, lower production and rising inventory. It was the fourth straight month that manufacturing has slowed.
The downturn on Wall Street followed a much-anticipated move by the Fed's policymaking committee, which Wednesday lowered the federal funds rate, or the rate at which banks lend to one another, to 4.5 percent. The Fed followed up Thursday with a $41 billion infusion into the financial system, but economists cautioned against reading too much into the timing and size of the operation.
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NEW YORK, Nov. 1 -- Bad news from some of the biggest U.S. companies reignited investor fears about the shakiness of the credit market Thursday, sending stocks tumbling just a day after the Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate to prevent a broad economic downturn.
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From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .
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The memos, often referred to as "snowflakes," shed light on Rumsfeld's brusque management style and on his efforts to address key challenges during his tenure as Pentagon chief. Spanning from 2002 to shortly after his resignation following the 2006 congressional elections, a sampling of his trademark missives obtained yesterday reveals a defense secretary disdainful of media criticism and driven to reshape public opinion of the Iraq war.
Rumsfeld, whose sometimes abrasive approach often alienated other Cabinet members and White House staff members, produced 20 to 60 snowflakes a day and regularly poured out his thoughts in writing as the basis for developing policy, aides said. The memos are not classified but are marked "for official use only."
In a 2004 memo on the deteriorating situation in Iraq, Rumsfeld concluded that the challenges there are "not unusual." Pessimistic news reports -- "our publics risk falling prey to the argument that all is lost" -- simply result from the wrong standards being applied, he wrote in one of the memos obtained by The Washington Post.
Under siege in April 2006, when a series of retired generals denounced him and called for his resignation in newspaper op-ed pieces, Rumsfeld produced a memo after a conference call with military analysts. "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines, etc. Make the American people realize they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists," he wrote.
People will "rally" to sacrifice, he noted after the meeting. "They are looking for leadership. Sacrifice = Victory."
The meeting also led Rumsfeld to write that he needed a team to help him "go out and push people back, rather than simply defending" Iraq policy and strategy. "I am always on the defense. They say I do it well, but you can't win on the defense," he wrote. "We can't just keep taking hits."
The only man to hold the top Pentagon job twice -- as both the youngest and the oldest defense secretary -- Rumsfeld suggested that the public should know that there will be no "terminal event" in the fight against terrorism like the signing ceremony on the USS Missouri when Japan surrendered to end World War II. "It is going to be a long war," he wrote. "Iraq is only one battleground."
Based on the discussion with military analysts, Rumsfeld tied Iran and Iraq. "Iran is the concern of the American people, and if we fail in Iraq, it will advantage Iran," he wrote in his April 2006 memo.
Rumsfeld declined to comment, but an aide said the points in that memo were Rumsfeld's distillation of the analysts' comments, though he added that the secretary is known for using the term "bumper stickers."
"You are running a story based off of selective quotations and gross mischaracterizations from a handful of memos -- carefully picked from the some 20,000 written while Rumsfeld served as Secretary," Rumsfeld aide Keith Urbahn wrote in an e-mail. "After almost all meetings, he dictated his recollections of what was said for his own records."
In one of his longer ruminations, in May 2004, Rumsfeld considered whether to redefine the terrorism fight as a "worldwide insurgency." The goal of the enemy, he wrote, is to "end the state system, using terrorism, to drive the non-radicals from the world." He then advised aides "to test what the results could be" if the war on terrorism were renamed.
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In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingl...
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Rethinking AIDS Strategy After a String of Failures
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But when the subject turns to how Beauty might have been protected from the AIDS virus in the first place, scientists have few good leads. This fall, pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. halted study of one of the most promising possibilities, a genetically engineered vaccine being tested on four continents, because it simply did not work.
After this latest setback, and with billions of dollars spent on research over more than two decades, scientists say they do not know when -- if ever -- a vaccine will be available in the fight against one of the world's most devastating epidemics. The news has been nearly as bad for other technological solutions, including vaginal microbicides, one-a-day prevention pills and diaphragms.
"We are really groping in the dark," said Salim S. Abdool Karim, director of the Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa, in the seaside city of Durban.
The recent string of failures has sent scientists back to the lab, where, by studying the first months of infection in subjects such as Beauty, they hope to unlock some of the most enduring mysteries of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
But as they do, pressure is building from other experts -- some epidemiologists, physicians and scientists -- to shift attention away from technological fixes. They favor devoting more of the world's $10 billion annual AIDS spending to proven, lower-tech strategies against HIV, such as circumcising men, promoting sexual monogamy and making birth control more easily available to infected women.
"It's criminal not to put money into the things that work, and the things that work are relatively inexpensive," said Malcolm Potts, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and former head of Family Health International, a research group with extensive experience in fighting AIDS. "We're spending money in the wrong places."
Scientists first identified AIDS in 1981. Despite more than 150 trials and steady flows of cash from the National Institutes of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other major donors, there are few promising vaccine candidates, scientists say. The most anticipated, developed by NIH scientists, somewhat resembles the Merck vaccine and is due to enter trials soon.
HIV has proved a difficult target in part because it hijacks the immune system, turning the body's own defense mechanisms against it. Then the virus mutates so quickly that a tactic that works one week might be obsolete the next. Because nobody has ever been able to rid their body entirely of the virus, scientists say they do not know what a successful immune response would even look like -- making it harder to know how to provoke one with a vaccine.
Vaccines for polio, flu and measles are made from dead or weakened viruses. They generally do not cause disease, instead producing immunities that help vaccinated people battle the pathogens if encountered later at full strength.
Because scientists feared that even a dead or weakened version of the AIDS virus might cause a lethal infection, the Merck vaccine attempted to stimulate an immune response by altering a common, but much less dangerous, virus to include genetic elements of HIV. Though researchers did not expect the vaccine to prevent someone from contracting HIV, they thought it might prepare the immune system to battle a later infection, helping delay its progress to full-blown AIDS.
It didn't. The safety monitoring board for the trial called for it to be stopped Sept. 21 because the vaccine was ineffective.
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DURBAN, South Africa -- Few cases of AIDS have been as closely scrutinized as that of a former South African prostitute named Beauty. Scientists know when this 40-year-old woman became infected, how her body responded and what happened as her immune system collapsed.
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Reality Looms: Writers' Strike Could Change Pace of Television
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Do not adjust your sets.
You might soon notice even more reality television emanating from your plasma boob tube. This depends on the outcome of contract negotiations between Hollywood screenwriters and Tinseltown producers and is not the fault of your local cable providers, no matter how much you hate them.
Contracts for the 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America expired at midnight last night. Writers have a rally scheduled for tonight. Anything could happen. It's Hollywood.
If writers walk out, you might see more "unscripted" reality television, which is by and large produced by non-guild writers. In a worst-case scenario, this could result in such things as reruns of "Temptation Island" or even "Anchorwoman."
The good news is that this isn't likely, at least not yet, because even if writers do call a strike, it would be early next year before its effect would be felt on television, and more than a year before anything would change at the movie theaters.
Greg Garcia, writer and creator of NBC's hit comedy "My Name Is Earl," has two scripts waiting to be shot, "and if I shoot those two, that would take us through the end of the year" before there would be any change in the schedule.
"What scares me is that during the last strike, in 1988, people were longing for the TV shows to come back on," Garcia said in a telephone interview. "Kids today, you take TV away, they'll say, 'Big deal,' and they'll click on the computer."
And that's the pretty much the rub of the talks -- how to figure writers' residual payments from Internet downloads -- along with DVD residuals for writers, which might more accurately be phrased as "the lack of DVD residuals." Howard A. Rodman, a screenwriter for two decades, points out that writers, directors and actors pocket a combined20 cents from each DVD sale, while the manufacturer of the packaging material gets about 50 cents.
"They could double what they pay us and we'd still get less than the people who make the DVD box," says Rodman, who is also a writing professor at the University of Southern California. Failure to change the contract, Rodman wrote recently in the Los Angeles Times, would leave producers to "romp away in the money bin while we're left to hang upside down like lacquered ducks."
Not that they're bitter or anything.
The negotiations have been dragging on for months. Writers voted overwhelmingly (at above 90 percent) to authorize a strike a while back, setting a Halloween deadline. Even after the deadline passes, they might work for months without a contract, as they did when talks broke down in 2004, or they might authorize a walkout, as they did in 1988. It lasted 22 weeks. Television got so bad that people noticed.
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Dear Viewers of Television: Do not adjust your sets.
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Apartment Life Live
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Welcome to Apartment Life, an online discussion of the Washington area rental market, featuring Post columnist Sara Gebhardt.
Inher monthly exchanges with the audience, Gebhardt discusses rental issues and lifestyle matters.
Got roommate troubles? Our interactive guide is packed with tips and advice to help you make the most of a group living situation. Check it out: Lessons Learned: How to Survive Living With Roommates.
Check out our special feature: Think Smart: Apartment Hunting Made Easy.
Read Sara's latest Apartment Life column.
Sara Gebhardt: Good afternoon, everyone. As usual, I hope you've had a month of stress-free renting. If not, of course, feel free to ask questions, make comments, vent, whatever. And, now that we're approaching colder weather, hopefully your landlords have turned on your heat by now as they're supposed to (even though you may not need it with this weather).
Washington, D.C.: Sara -- Recently broke-up with my live-in boyfriend (IRRECONCILABLE differences, to say the least). He plans to move out in a little over two weeks, but is refusing to pay his half of the November rent (per a discussion had today). We are renting out a condo, but (and a BIG one) my name is the only one on the lease (however, landlord knows he's been living there for two of the three years, I've been renting it out). I have a feeling I already know what you're going to say, but do I have ANY recourse AT ALL?
Sara Gebhardt: I am sorry to tell you what you don't want to hear. But this is why all occupants of an apartment need to get on a lease. Are you the one making the payments to the landlord? Has your ex-boyfriend been paying you directly? Because you are the sole lease-holder, you will legally be responsible for the rent payments. Maybe you can make a deal with your landlord to let you leave early if you can find a replacement tenant. Or you can appeal to the ex-boyfriends better sensibilities and at least get him to pay for the two weeks of November he'll be living there.
Washington, D.C.: Thanks for taking my question! My lease will soon be going to a month-to-month arrangement. I know now that I can give my landlord a month's notice and be out, but does this also mean that she can give me a month's notice to get out? Also, do I have to give notice ending on the 31st or can it be any term of 30 days? This is my first apartment so I just want to be sure I'm doing things right.
Sara Gebhardt: Yes, it goes both ways when you're month-to-month. Both you and your landlord can terminate the agreement with 30 days' notice. And, no, you don't have to wait til the 31st. You can give your notice any day of the week.
Washington, D.C.: Sara, I am so bummed.
My fiancee and I live together and we have a roommate (he was there before I was).
This roommate lived with my fiancee in our hometown Chicago, then picked up and moved across the country when my fiancee did due to lack of living options. He is horrible at managing money and could never afford to live on his own.
I moved here too from another city, so now its three's company. I really want to live alone with my fiancee, but I feel like the roommate was here first so I don't have a right to say anything. The roommate also just broke up with his girlfriend (who he was thinking about moving in with! dang!) so now he just mopes around the house and is all depressed.
We are are all 1200 miles from our hometown, so it's not like he has anyone else to live with here. But we are getting married next year and I am just tired of it. What would you do?
Sara Gebhardt: I would sit down with this crowd of 3 and discuss how you and your fiancee and you would like to live alone as you ready for your marriage. I think the first step is for you to just talk to your friend/roommate about the situation. Offer to help him find a new place, help with a roommate search, and be supportive.
Washington, D.C.: Yikes, that first question makes me think twice about what I'm about to ask: What are the most important things one should consider when deciding whether or not to move in with a significant other?
Sara Gebhardt: Well, I would say, you should makes sure you are ready and that you have a solid relationship. Beyond the normal consideration of sharing your life and space with somebody, remember that you'll also be sharing financial and legal responsibilities. You should make sure you're ready to handle the outcome of a break-up--and by putting both names on a lease, you will both share responsibility equally.
Washington, D.C.: I'm very concerned for a friend who became ill after moving into a D.C. apartment. It turns out the apartment has mold and we think the condo owner knew about it prior to his renting the apartment. Is there anything he can do? Or is he stuck in the apartment for the rest of the lease, which is at least nine months.
Sara Gebhardt: He may not be stuck if he can prove the sickness is coming from the mold and that the owner knew about it beforehand. He'll have to start an investigation into the matter. He can do so by contacting DCRA's landlord/tenant office (http://dcra.dc.gov). Before doing that, he could talk to the condo owner about the situation and maybe suggest that he is thinking of talking to DCRA about his rights. This might persuade the condo owner to let him off the hook or help fix the mold problem.
RE: Deadbeat boyfriend: Put his crap outside and have the locks changed. He doesn't want to pay to live there, he doesn't get to live there. I doubt he'll pursue it.
Or do you know any of his guy friends? Perhaps you can shame him into paying or at least he'll "pay" with his reputation for being too damn cheap.
Or I might call his office and ask if he can get a raise since he seems to be so short of cash he can't pay his rent.
Or throw out his nicer clothes. Let him try to prove it in court.
Yes, petty suggestions, no doubt, but I don't think he should just get away with it.
Sara Gebhardt: Some other suggestions. Though maybe you want to be more amicable and reason with the ex-boyfriend about his responsibilities.
Alexandria, Va.: Following in my husband's and my footsteps, our two daughters have spent some time living on their own (and loving it without roommates). Do you know of any statistics that show what percentage of apartments are rented by one occupant as compared with more than one occupant?
Sara Gebhardt: I'm not actually sure about the statistics. But a lot of people live alone. I would guess it's maybe 50 percent, but then again it's just a guess. Anyone out there have other guesses?
First poster here ...: We'd been splitting the rent in half and paying via two separate checks each month (... in case that makes any difference).
Sara Gebhardt: It might make a difference, but you'll have to go through some hoops to deal with the situation. You can make a case that he's been on a verbal lease, paying on his own. If you're lucky, you might be able to have the landlord (via rent checks and clear knowledge of your roommate's tenancy) vouch for you that there was some sort of rental agreement between you. It would take work and you may have to go through small claims court, but you may have chance if you're willing to pursue it. A written lease is solid, but a verbal lease--if you can prove it--can help you.
Maryland: As emotionally satisfying as any of those suggestions regarding the "Deadbeat" boyfriend might be, any one of them can result in the girlfriend suffering legal issues. She's getting off lucky if he is getting out, because if he has been living there for two years without a lease you would have to go through legal loopholes to evict him if he had decided to stay put. Just sayin'
Sara Gebhardt: I agree. I think they should split up and try to exit the lease entirely and move on. Landlords often allow you to get out of the rest of your obligations entirely if you find a good replacement.
Atlanta, Ga.: Hi, Sara. I will be relocating to Washington, D.C. in the next few weeks. The rent is quite expensive. Do you foresee any rent reductions in the near future? Thanks.
Sara Gebhardt: Well, there are deals to be had in the area if you look for them. As for rent reductions, some landlords are running specials at the moment. Try looking for private owners as well and search all the sites and talk to people you know in the area so you might get inside information. Good luck! Work hard and you should find something.
Rockville, Md.: What's the deal with pet rent? I don't get it at all.
Sara Gebhardt: Landlords make a case for charging pet rent because they say pets cause damages and take extra upkeep. The whole cat vs. dog pet rent issue has had pet owners up in arms, but landlords swear that both cats and dogs damage and/or cause the same kinds of wear and tear.
RE: Deadbeat boyfriend:"Put his crap outside and have the locks changed."
Check the D.C. laws first. In Virginia, once someone stays more than 72 hours, they need to be formally evicted. That's why leases say you cannot have guests stay for more than 72 hours. (I'm not a lawyer or anything, but got this from domestic abuse hotline work I use to do).
Sara Gebhardt: I am hoping that nobody just puts someone's stuff out without trying to figure out ramifications--both personally and legally.
D.C.: Hi, Sara. I've got an upstairs neighbor who knocks on the wall and stomps on the floor to wake me up, I'm thinking this is because I snore and it is too easy to hear between apartments. I've knocked on her door a few times to see if this is true but she won't answer.
Given this situation, what do you expect will happen, how should it be resolved? I'd greatly appreciate any advice that you might have.
Sara Gebhardt: It's good that you are trying to talk to your neighbor about this problem. I think you should try to have a face-to-face conversation. Knock again, and if no response, drop a nice note and say you'd love to introduce yourself and talk sometime. Then see how it goes before determining the next step. Compromise seems the best route here.
Verbal lease: Is there such an animal? I thought any type of real estate transaction (sale or lease) legally required a written contract.
Sara Gebhardt: There are verbal leases, but they're obviously not strong. If you have ever watched daytime court television, you can see how many times verbal leases create problems.
Cohabitation: My gf and I started living together in August and the most important part of "being ready" is to realize that even in an amazing relationship there will be growing pains. People will say just talk about whatever is bothering you, which is important, but also realize that the other person might not like how you bring it up. There are several things that bug us about each other but coming home from work at night and having her there makes everything manageable and do-able.
Sara Gebhardt: Thanks for the words about cohabiting.
Maryland: Just want to add that having both names on a lease just makes both of you 100 percent responsible for 100 percent of the amount. If one declines to pay, the other still can be pursued for the full amount. Just don't think you can only be held accountable for half.
Sara Gebhardt: Thanks for making that more clear than I did.
Vienna, Va.: Hopefully this is not too late for the chat so here goes:
My best friend/roomate and I have to be out of our place by December 1. We put a deposit down on a new apartment that is still under construction. We gave them our requested move-in date as well. We were told that in late-October we'd be able to come in and view the apt and pick what floor, building, etc that we wanted. We have yet to hear back from them about when we'll be able to move in. If we can't move in before the first do we have any recourse? Thanks.
Sara Gebhardt: If you have documents to prove that you are guaranteed an apartment in the building, then you would have recourse. I assume you've called the building and are not just sitting around and waiting for them to contact you? You should definitely call and check the status of your future apartment so that you don't worry too much. Also, if the apartment will not be ready in time, ask the landlord to provide you help (temporary housing, moving expenses, storage) in the meantime.
Capitol Hill, D.C.: When my landlords painted last summer, they told me to trash my blinds and that they would get new ones. Well I have reminded them several times up to about a week ago and still don't have them. I have two of my old curtains tacked up to block the street. This is an english basement. Are curtains/blinds a basic thing a landlord has to provide?
Sara Gebhardt: Blinds are usually standard features of apartment buildings. However, I'm not certain landlords are mandated to provide them. If, however, the lack of blinds jeopardizes your safety, you could easily argue that the landlord is responsible to put them in, since he/she oversees and ensures your well-being as best as he/she can. So, how about try that route the next time you ask your landlord about the blinds?
Rockville, Md.: Hi, Sara. My landlord is planning to sell her condo and wants me to move out before my lease expires. She has also asked me to let people come and look at the apartment while I'm still living there. What are my rights as a tenant? Please advise. Thanks.
Sara Gebhardt: You should talk to your landlord about this, but your rights as a tenant are that you can stay through your lease. Your landlord may want to consider compensating you in some way for making you exit early, as you have a legal agreement to stay through a certain date. There would be an early termination penalty on your landlord's part. As for letting her show the place, as long as she gives you notice, it should be okay. Come up with a good system with her so you can enjoy your time at home.
On that note, that's all for today's chat. Feel free to email me at aptlife@gmail.com before next month's chat or for follow-ups on today's discussion. See you in December.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Election
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Gerald Connolly: Good morning. Thank you for hosting this online discussion. The election is just six days away, and I'm asking for your support to continue building on the success we have achieved during the last four years by expanding transportation choices, preserving affordable housing, protecting our parks and streams, steering our young people away from gangs, lowering the tax rate and maintaining our strong commitment to education. I look forward to your questions. Please remember to vote Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Falls Church, Va.: Many of us in Northern Virginia are concerned about gangs. Can you please explain what Fairfax County has been doing to reduce the threat of gang violence and how I can stay involved?
Gerald Connolly: Four years ago, I started a gang prevention initiative. We expanded after-school middle school programs, collaborated with Cox Communications to start five Boys and Girls Clubs in high-risk areas, expanded our tatoo removal program and summer camp opportunities for at-risk youth. The results: Fifty percent decline in gang participation among our youth and a 32 percent drop in gang related crime. We need to build on the progress we've made these past four years.
Fairfax, Va.: Gerry I know a lot of people move to Fairfax County for the excellent education system, can you tell us what the Board is doing to preserve and better the local public education programs?
Gerald Connolly: Education is and must remain our top priority. Fifty-three percent of our entire general fund budget is devoted to schools, and another $60 million is provided for school support activities like school nurses and School Aged Child Care programs. We've expanded our capital improvement program significantly for school construction and renovation and have dedicated a portion of our cable franchise fee for school technology. Results: Last year, we had the highest SAT scores in our history. Ninety-four percent of our high school graduates go on to higher education (versus 66 percent nationally). We must sustain our investments in education. It is what drives our high quality of life.
Fairfax, Va.: Could you explain how the Cool Cities program will provide the substantive carbon reduction to address Climate Change?
Gerald Connolly: I launched the Cool Counties initiative earlier this year with the Sierra Club and the National Association of Counties. It is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the 3,066 counties in the United States in order to meet the 80 percent reduction goal by the year 2050. We have put together a template that is 16 pages long offering a range of actions that includes expanding the tree canopy, switching to hybrid vehicles, using green building technologies and energy savings, expanding telework programs and the use of wind power. Collectively these and other measures can make a significant difference in our carbon footprint and save taxpayers money. I am a big believer in the effectiveness of collective action.
Fairfax, Va.: If re-elected would you continue the cuts you initiated to the mental retardation programs over the last three years in comparison to full funding the county provided prior to your efforts? At the time you complained it was the state's responsibility not the county's to foot the bill so what have you done and will do to get more money from the state or will you just continue the cuts you made at the expense of our most vulnerable and defenseless citizens (many of whom are unable to speak up for themselves?)
And, as a businessman and promoter of outsourcing care for the mentally challenged, when is the last time you visited the programs the county supports and got a first-hand look at the quality of service being provided?
Gerald Connolly: We have not cut mental retardation programs at all. We have sought to expand state waivers, and have been successful in that endeavor working with MR advocacy organizations such as the Northern Virginia ARC to provide more services to more individuals.
Greenbriar area of Fairfax, Va.: Many of us in Northern Virginia are concerned about gangs, which seem to be also another piece of the immigration issues as well. Can you please explain what Fairfax County should be doing to reduce the threat of gang violence?
Gerald Connolly: See earlier response.
Reston, Va.: I'd just like to thank Chairman Connolly for his common-sense approach to dealing with immigration. I'm particularly interesting in hearing about the "strike force" that is cracking down on overcrowding and zoning violations.
Gerald Connolly: I formed the Strike Force earlier this year because the County government needed a different approach to code violations and illegal behavior that had become systemic in some older neighborhoods. The Strike Force is a multi-agency approach deploying the fire marshal, zoning inspectors, police, county attorney, health department and others to bring to bear the full resources of the county in order to prevent willful violation of County laws and ordinances. To date close to three dozen illegal boarding house cases have been successfully addressed with one individual actually being put in jail. We have more than 120 cases active and pending. In September, the Board agreed to add additional staff positions to institutionalize this new approach. We must build on the momentum we've created.
Fairfax, Va.: First, congratulations on your service to date, I think you have done a very good job and your efforts to bring Metro to Tysons are commendable and you will get my vote. That said, one concern I have is that the so many of our schools have so many school kids in trailers instead of real classrooms, particularly older schools. Fairfax seems to give priority to schools for new developments rather than to schools serving neighborhoods whose residents have paid taxes for many many years. Why can't the newcomers to new developments be put in trailers and take care of longtime residents needs first?
Gerald Connolly: You are right that there has to be a balance between our older and newer neighborhoods when it comes to school construction and renovation. We are making progress. Woodson High School, for example, is under renovation. Glasgow Middle School is being rebuilt. And numerous other schools in the eastern part of the County are under renovation or are slated to be in the near term. We have to recognize the overcrowding problems in the west and south as well. However, at the end of the day, the School Board by law must make these decisions. I will continue to urge upon them a balanced approach such as you suggest.
Washington, D.C.: Seems like the Warner endorsement is the big stick in Northern Virginia. Is that the clear measure of success in these regional elections?
Obviously not from Virginia, but watching these commercials these candidates appears on contradictory ends of the political spectrum.
Gerald Connolly: I assume you are referring to former Gov. Mark Warner with whom I have been privileged to work. I'm proud to have his endorsement and financial support and look forward to working for him as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate in 2008.
Fairfax, Va.: Was Baise invited to the online chat as well? Will he be offered a similar forum for Q&A from the general public? If not, how come?
washingtonpost.com: Yes, he was on about two weeks ago.
Gerald Connolly: As was indicated by the Washington Post moderator, my opponent was on this chat two weeks ago. We have been working with the Washington Post to find an acceptable time for me to have this opportunity and I'm grateful to the Post for making this opportunity available today.
I recently (10/05/07) requested your public response to the following questions:
In consideration of your election campaign for the office of Fairfax County Board Supervisor, the Vienna Citizens Group has the following questions concerning the community:
Do you support/not support the use of tax payer funds to provide public services to those individuals with illegal status in the state of VA or county of Fairfax?
VA Attorney General Bob McDonnell has endorsed local governments to participate in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement program 287(g). Do you support/not-support Fairfax County and surrounding local governments in participating in the ICE 287(g) program?
What specifically will you propose as measures to address the growing population of those who are of illegal immigration status in the Commonwealth?
The voters of Vienna, Va., are very interested in your reply.
Gerald Connolly: In Fairfax, we are focused on illegal behavior and getting results. That's why I formed the Strike Force to crack down on illegal boarding houses. That's why I started the gang prevention initiative almost four years ago. That is why our Sheriff participates in the immigration program that detains illegals already incarcerated and transfers them to federal officials. We already deny more than two dozen services to those who cannot prove they are here legally. We have an aggressive program that has produced results for our neighborhoods and our citizens.
Vienna, Va.: What can be done about the traffic nightmare in Fairfax?
Gerald Connolly: Transportation is a state responsibility and has been by statute since 1932. The last time the General Assembly provided any net new investment for transportation was in 1986 (by the way, the Red Sox were in the World Series that year). This lack of investment -- we're on the cicada cycle in Virginia -- has significantly impaired mobility in Northern Virginia. In addition to my previous description of this year's legislative effort, Fairfax has not stood still. We will have pumped $600 million of our own local money into transportation in this four-year term. That is an unprecedented amount of local money for transportation. We will have asked the voters to approve two transportation bond referendums, upgraded Metro investments, completed 60 interchange and spot improvements throughout the County totaling $115 million, completed the widening of Route 123 down to the Occoquan, widened West Ox Road from Fair Lakes to Reston, completed six interchanges on Route 28 and started construction on the remaining four. The Springfield Interchange is completed, the first span of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge is open. Transit in the Richmond Highway is up by 40 percent. The Rail to Dulles project is proceeding as are HOT lanes on the Beltway. Just two weeks ago, the Board approved my second Four-Year Transportation Plan on a 9-1 vote. We've made a lot of progress in this four year period and we promise to do even more in the next term.
Candidate Jeff McKay has spoken at lengths about finding other revenue streams for the county. We rely far to heavily on property taxes. Could you discuss your thoughts for where the county can find these revenue sources?
Gerald Connolly: In the last four years, working with Gov. Warner and a bipartisan coalition in the General Assembly, we have secured several new sources of revenue. All of which, we have used to reduce the property tax rate. These new revenue sources include the recordation fee, cigarette taxes and a new transit occupancy tax which primarily captures non-resident revenue. We will continue to work with Gov. Kaine and the new General Assembly to identify new sources of revenue to both diversify our revenue base and to lessen the burden on our home owners.
In her advertisements, Sen. Devolites Davis takes credit for "providing" Fairfax County residents with hundreds of millions of dollars. Could you help clarify how she is "providing" Fairfax residents with this money?
Gerald Connolly: A little history: For two years the majority in the General Assembly denied we even had a transportation funding crisis. This year, after looking at some polling data, they reluctantly got religion. A bill was passed which frankly was dead on arrival because it would have required the imposition by local governments of some very high taxes and triggered the take over of our own roads with no money. This poison pill frankly made the bill unacceptable and unworkable for all Northern Virginia local governments. Working with Gov. Kaine, I and my colleagues sought amendments to the bill that effectively rewrote the entire legislation. It provided the power to raise revenue to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and some new revenue options for transportation funding for and by local governments. That rewritten bill is what became law on July 1 and which the NVTA implemented two months ago. It will generate $300 million a year in new funding for Northern Virginia. That is a welcome new investment stream, but it only addresses about one-third of our projected transportation funding deficit. More work is needed from the General Assembly.
Fairfax, older neighborhood: I am interested in what the county can do regarding the "McMansionization" of older neighhborhoods. My court has nine normal-sized homes and one gigantic monstrosity that has sat empty for more than a year -- it cannot sell due to size and cost. And is totally out of character. How can you help stop this sort of growth?
Gerald Connolly: Virginia is a property rights state that severely limits the ability of local government, especially in by-right development cases. To mitigate and better control the impact of the McMansion phenomenon, the Board adopted new requirements that would limit the sizes of proposed additions in order to exercise further review and control. We will continue to look for opportunities in the General Assembly to expand these powers of review and control.
Centreville, Va.: If you are re-elected, what is your vision for the county in the next four years?
Gerald Connolly: Fairfax County has built a quality of life that is the envy of the nation. The lowest crime rate of the 50 largest jurisdictions in America. The highest graduation rate of the 50 largest jurisdictions in America. Triple AAA bond rating from Wall Street and Best Managed County in the Country. The creation of almost 600,000 jobs, most of them in the last 30 years. Nationally recognized libraries and parks. We've achieved this success because we as a community have been willing to make the investments in education, public safety and the other amenities listed above. We need to balance these investments with the lowest possible tax burden. I would like the opportunity to continue to move the Fairfax agenda forward on gang prevention, expanding affordable housing stock, maintaining strategic education investments, embracing an aggressive environmental agenda, reducing the tax burden on home owners and implementing our second Four-Year Transportation Plan. I feel privileged to serve this extraordinary community.
Gerald Connolly: It's been a great pleasure being with you today. I regret time precluded my ability to answer all the questions posed to me, but I assure you I will follow up on each and every one. Remember to vote Tuesday, Nov. 6. Cheers!
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly takes your questions about his campaign for re-election.
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Fantasy Football - washingtonpost.com
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Read Gene's latest column and rankings.
Play washingtonpost.com's Pick the Pros challenge.
Gene Wang: Did anyone out there make a play for Jeff George? He said he could help the Vikings because he still could throw the deep ball. Vikings Coach Brad Childress responded by saying George should go to fantasy camp. Zing! Major props for Childress. Now let's get to your questions.
Herndon, Va.: Gene, what are you hearing about Marvin Harrison this week? Is he going to be healthy enough to play an entire game if he plays at all?
Gene Wang: I'd be shocked if Marvin Harrison did not play this week. He did not practice yesterday, but that doesn't mean much. He could have played against Carolina if it were a playoff game. The Pats game is as big as it gets, so expect Harrison to be out there.
Jackson, Miss.: What's your opinion on Marvin Harrison? Is he finally healthy, and can he have a second half that is comparable to his previous seasons?
Gene Wang: See previous answer, and yes, I firmly believe he'll have an outstanding second half.
Alexandria, Va.: G-Man...love the chats! What are the chances of the Ravens doing damage to Pittsburgh this weekend? Do you think they've regrouped coming off of the bye? I've got McGahee, Stover, Mason, Ray Lewis, and Baltimore defense in my line-up. Thanks!
Gene Wang: It appears to me you must be a Ravens fan. You can't sneak anything past me! The Ravens may get some key players back for the Steelers, and it should be a real slug fest.
Chicago: Adrian Peterson (Min) . . How valuable do you see him for the rest of this year? The qb infirmary in Minneapolis seems to be hurting him because defenses are stacked up against him with no fear of being beaten by the pass. I see his value as much higher in keeper leagues. If your 2008 draft were today, where would he be on your board?
Gene Wang: The Vikings haven't had the threat of a passing game all season, and here AP is leading the league in rushing as a rookie. He certainly would be in the top 5 on my draft board right up there with LT, Joseph Addai and Willie Parker.
Wide Receivers: Hey Gene, what's the good word on Deion Branch? Is he healthy yet? Would you start him alongside TJ Houshmazilly, or would you start Donte' Stallworth?
Gene Wang: Hawks Coach Mike Holmgren said Branch has a 50 percent chance of playing. I'd wait on him for another week until it's certain he'll be a go before inserting him in your starting lineup. Houshmanzilly . . . championship! I still love saying that.
Why is this my choice?: Oh knowledgeable one...Jay Cutler or is Jason Campbell sure to bounce back against the Jets?
Gene Wang: Both are good plays. But keep in mind the Redskins have said they are going to get back to emphasizing the run after averaging 72 rushing yards per game over the past three.
I have Big Ben and was thinking of benching him and starting Losman or Edwards.
Do you think Losman or Edwards can put up good numbers against the Bengals D?
Gene Wang: I wouldn't start Losman if it were against my high school JV. Roethlisberger has been throwing the ball exceptionally well, and now that Hines Ward is healthy, watch out. Just look at the Big Ben-to-Hines combo last week.
Blockbuster trade proposed to me. Background ... league awards 6 pts/TD, 1 pt/10 yards gained rushing or receiving. I've been offered Braylon Edwards and Willie Parker. In return, I have to give up LT (my No. 1 overall pick). Would you pull the trigger on this move? I love the numbers Edwards has put up this year but am concerned about Parker's lack of goal line production. LT hasn't had the same kind of year though he had last year. Your thoughts?
Gene Wang: It's a very tempting offer, but the Chargers are coming on strong, and LT figures to have a tremendous second half of the season. I'm saying he'll still be far and away the best fantasy back when the season is over, and I wouldn't deal him.
Rosslyn, Va.: I may have a chance to get Andre Johnson in a trade. Do you have any information about when he might be back from injury and if anyone will throw to him once he does return? Thanks!
Gene Wang: The plan is to have Andre Johnson back Nov. 18 vs. the Saints. Houston has a bye next week, which will give Johnson more time to heal. He said he could go if he had too this week, but he's playing it safe. Ditto for Texans QB Matt Schaub. Expect both to be back for that Saints game.
Salisbury, Md.: Anything on Steven Jackson's back injury?
Gene Wang: Jackson's back spasms were a result of overcompensating for his groin injury. He looked great before coming out of the game, and this bye week will be good for him. Expect him out there when the Rams come back Nov. 11 against the Saints.
Lost in Tennessee: Gene help
Can someone tell me if Rudi Johnson will ever play again? I have him, his backup Watson, or Jamal Lewis, who should go this week. Also one other question: Santonio Holmes or D Stallworth
Also just bragging but none of my first three pick are doing anything (Rudi Johnson is a good example) but I am still in the hunt for the playoffs, viva free agents!!
Gene Wang: Nothing wrong with a little bravado. Good for you on being in the playoff hunt despite some adversity. Rudi is going to play this week, although Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis wouldn't say if he would start. Watson has been running well in his place, so you have to think both players will get a good number of carries. I like Santonio, too.
Springfield Wants to Know: First-time poster, long-time reader...I'll keep saying that until I make the cut in your column. Anyway, flex position question. I'm 3rd in one of my leagues and not deep at the RB position. I can play Selvin Young at the flex or a WR like Roddy White or Dwayne Bowe (is he worth holding on to?) Thanks Gene!
Gene Wang: Dwayne Bowe is worth keeping, but I wouldn't start him at flex this week against a good Packers secondary. Selvin Young is a good play against a weak Lions defense. He will get carries even though Travis Henry appears back in the starting role after practicing yesterday.
Falls Church, Va.: Gene, Help a lady out... I gotta pick three (I know who's obvious, but even the obvious ones are inconsistent) -- Steve Smith, Joey Galloway, Deion Branch, Marques Colston, and Anquan Boldin. Thank you very much for your advice.
Gene Wang: Smith, Galloway and Boldin
What can I expect out of Clinton Portis this week? Another inconsistent day, or finally some yards and a TD?
Gene Wang: The Redskins have said this week they want to re-dedicated themselves to the run. Not a bad idea against a Jets run defense ranked 27th in the league and giving up 134 yards per game. Expect Portis to be a major factor and perhaps have his first 100-yard game as well as a touchdown or two.
20008: Gene, let me apologize for last week when I wrote in saying Brian Griese will lead you to success. I had been out late the night before, hadn't had my coffee, and obviously I wasn't thinking straight. Brian Griese?! Once again, I'm very sorry.
Gene Wang: Apology accepted, and if it makes you feel any better, Griese killed me last week starting as a bye-week QB.
Arlington, Va.: I have the Patriots defense and it's been the only thing keeping me competitive. However, do you start them against the Colts? My alternative is the Titans defense.
Gene Wang: I would not start them on the road against Indy. Tennessee at home vs. Carolina is a better play.
20002: Gene-o, I'm thinking about trading to get Joseph Addai for Braylon Edwards. My RB corps is a shaky match-up dependent rotation (L. Jordan, L. Maroney, C. Benson, M. Lynch) and I'd love to have one stable RB, but I hate giving up Edward's production. Any thoughts from the master? Thanks for the great chats.
Gene Wang: That's a trade I'd make. I know Braylon is having a heck of a year (check out my column today, where you'll see I've picked Edwards as the fantasy breakout player at the season's midway point), but I expect him to slow down a bit in the second half while Addai picks up the pace. Plus your RB situation could use an upgrade.
Love the chats, I have a bench question for you or anyone out there.
In a 10-team league what do you think is a good bench size? Our league has a bunch of good players sitting almost every week, bench of 9 I think. Would it be more fun to have a smaller bench and a bunch of FA moves each week or keep the bench the same next year? Thanks for the chats, love 'em.
Gene Wang: Nine bench players seems like a bit much to me, unless your league has a huge starting lineup. I played in a league that started 2 QBs, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Ks, 2 DEFs and 3 IDPs. There practically weren't any free agents available by the time we finished drafting. I'll throw this one out to other owners. Thoughts?
Charlottesville, Va.: I've got Frank Gore, and I'd like to unload him for a No. 1 WR or another No. 2 RB...do you think a swap for Steve Smith is a fair trade?
Gene Wang: If you have depth at RB and need an elite WR, it's a good trade.
Downtown: How badly hurt is Frank Gore? I keep hoping for him to breakout, but it's not happening.
I stashed Priest Holmes on my bench in hopes of a breakout, but I don't think he's ready...My other backups are on bye weeks
I can pick up DeShaun Foster, Kevin Faulk or Earnest Graham off the waiver wire.
Gene Wang: Gore's sprained right ankle has been bothering him, but this week's opponent could get him healthy fast. The Falcons give up 123 rushing yards per game, and they just released run-stopping DT Grady Jackson. Keep an eye on him this week, and if he practices fully today and tomorrow, start him.
Bethesda, Md.: Marc Bulger -- did we see a blip last week or is he posed to become an actual quarterback again? I've been really tempted to drop him for a while...
Gene Wang: It all depends on the health of Steven Jackson. If Jackson plays, the Rams can get a lot done in play-action with Bulger. Otherwise defenses can focus on stopping the pass because backup RB Brian Leonard isn't really a threat.
Your Hot Sheet ranks both my regular starting RBs, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee pretty high, but Gore is hurt and playing on a team with issues and I am dubious about McGahee's opportunity for success v. Pittsburgh.
How much should I consider opponents?
On the bench I have Kevin Faulk and Earnest Graham. You just never know which weapon Brady and Belichick will use so Faulk could be a nonfactor. Graham did nothing last week, but against Arizona... who knows...?
Gene Wang: I'd still go with Gore and McGahee. I know McGahee has a tough matchup, but I like him still over your other options.
Bench:9 spots? Too much. there's nothing to lose with that many players sitting. Part of the fun is the jostling that takes place, and not knowing who's going to be dropped, added, or traded if you can just stash every player there is. No decisions will ever have to be made, and that allows people to just put it in autopilot and lose interest.
Gene Wang: Thanks. Anyone else?
Washington, D.C.: My QB situation is in really rough shape. I mean REALLY rough shape. I've been offered Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens for Randy Moss. I'm this close to pulling the trigger. I hate to give up Moss, but I can't stand starting Joey Harrington again.
Gene Wang: That's actually not a bad trade considering your dire circumstances at QB. No one should have to suffer the indignity of starting Joey Harrington.
Washington, D.C.: Normally, I would never consider sitting Joseph Addai unless he was hurt, but I'm afraid this week that the Colts will have to pass more and he won't find much room against the Patriots defense. Would it be a wrong move to sit Addai in favor of Ernest Graham this week? My other running back is Kevin Jones.
Gene Wang: Yes it would. Don't forget the Colts like to throw the ball to Addai too. They'll get him the ball plenty, one way or the other.
Washington, D.C.: Bogus Injury Reports:
I thought the league was cracking down on false injury reports. Then how come we still have players listed as PROBABLE who don't suit up AND players listed as DOUBTFUL who start AND play the ENTIRE game? Very frustrating...care to comment?
Gene Wang: The league has been trying to resolve this problem for a long time, but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to be getting better. I'm not sure there is a way to settle it, other than fining a team for listing someone as doubtful and then having him start and play an entire game.
Re: Knoxville: I am in a 10-team league with a roster size of 17 players. Our RB list this week is Travis Henry(maybe) Rudi Johnson(maybe) Jamal Lewis (just above maybe) Jesse Chapman (just picked up & off this week) and just picked up Ryan Grant. Sometimes you can never have enough good backs.
Gene Wang: I'm of the mind that you never can have enough good backs. Just look at all the RB injuries this season: Cadillac, Ronnie Brown, Steven Jackson, Gore, Addai, Westbrook, etc. It's like the starting lineup for the Pro Bowl.
RBs: Hi Gene, thanks for these chats, they're much appreciated. My question: My starting RBs are Larry Johnson and Kevin Jones. My backups are Brian Leonard, Jesse Chatman, and Michael Robinson, whom I scooped up this morning when I heard Frank Gore might be out. Can you think of any reason to switch any of the above with my starters, or should I put one or two of them out there for trade bait? I could use help at WR.
Gene Wang: Keep LJ and KJ as your starters. Chatman should land you a decent WR in a trade.
Chantilly, Va.: Alright, I've been blessed with Peyton and the Pats DST all season long but this week it's a curse.
Gene Wang: Peyton and Chiefs D.
Will from Rockville: I have Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne starting this week, but a little nervous since they are going up against the Pats. Should I just start Derek Anderson and pickup another WR off the waiver wire or do you think I should play my Colts' players.
Gene Wang: Play your Colts players.
Stinkin' Injuries: Javon Walker and Deion Branch. Both injured and out for significant games this season, both on my fantasy roster. Is it worth it to be patient, or is it time to dump one or both?
Gene Wang: You can dump Walker but keep Branch. He may play this week, and if there are no setbacks, expect him to start in two weeks.
Alexandria, Va.: Where can I find out what the rules of fantasy football (and baseball) are? I have no ideas how these fantasy games are played.
Gene Wang: Go to any fantasy sports Web site, and the rules will be posted. It's really very easy to learn. I mean if I can do it, I assure you anyone else can.
Gene on Sunday: Show of hands, who would log on to WaPo on Sunday at say... noon on Sunday to get advice from the Oracle Gene. We want..no NEED you on Sunday man.
But I guess you have better things to do on Sunday than answer questions from clueless rubes across the country. You rock man
washingtonpost.com: Paul the producer here -- this would mean that Gene and I would have to log in on Sunday also, right?
Gene Wang: Actually, most Sundays at noon I'm either recovering from a hangover or setting my fantasy lineups. Or both. So I could see myself doing a bonus chat, but only if the powers that be at washingtonpost.com will be providing bonus money!
On that note, it's back to the grind. Good luck this weekend, and don't forget to check out my column and hot sheet each Wednesday. See you next week.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Want to win your league this year? Washington Post staff writer Gene Wang solves your fantasy football dilemmas.
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Potomac Confidential
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Fisher was online Thursday, Nov. 1, at Noon ET Fisher was online Thursday, Nov. 1, at Noon ET to look at the D.C. taxi strike, slots in Maryland and Tuesday's elections in Virginia.
Today's Column: A Place Unfit for a Congregation, Much Less a Historic Designation and latest Raw Fisher: Pretend Primary: Illegal Immigration
Check out Marc's blog, Raw Fisher.
In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.
Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. What a busy moment. So much to chew over.
Pants Man loses his job--finally. But we're not done with Roy Pearson yet--he's still appealing his case against Custom Cleaners, even after the dry cleaners is closed forever.
Lots of comments and questions about today's column on the District's effort to preserve as a historic landmark the Brutalist Christian Science church on 16th Street NW near the White House. Should churches have the right to determine the shape and style of their place of worship? The Clinton administration pushed through legislation that prohibits government from taking churches through eminent domain in most cases, so is there a problem with the converse situation: Does government have the right to tell a congregation it must stay in a particular building because that building has historic value?
Virginia elections are coming up Tuesday. Do state legislative elections carry a message for the national vote the following year? Will your attitudes about the president and the war play any role in your decisions at the polls on Tuesday?
In Maryland, the slots debate is heating up--is a statewide referendum on slots a fair and efficient way to settle this years-long battle, or should legislators do what they were elected to do and make their own decision?
Was the D.C. taxi strike a success? Was it outrageous for the cabbies to strike on one of the two nights a year when they are most seriously engaged in preventing drunk driving deaths?
On to your many comments and questions, but first, let's call the Yay and Nay of the Day:
Yay to the D.C. police and the ShotSpotters technology that they use in various high crime areas of the city--that technology has allowed investigators to determine at least tentatively that the police gunfire that killed 14-year-old Deonte Rawlings was not the first shot fired in that incident. The police officers' version of the story is sounding ever more solid in what remains a terrible tragedy, but may not be quite the miscarriage of justice that the bereaved family perceives it to be.
Nay to the business manager at Moten Center, a D.C. public school in Southeast, where a school employee is now charged with stealing $30,000 in donations that readers of my column made to the student chess club. After a column I wrote in 2003, many of you were generous enough to donate funds--$70,000 worth--to make it possible for a group of talented kids to attend a chess tournament. The kids did get to go to the tournament and it was by all accounts a transformative and delightful experience. I and the remarkable chess coach, Vaughn Bennett, are grateful to all of you who gave so freely.
But now federal prosecutors have charged school business manager Sandy Jones with ripping off a large chunk of the money, as the Post's David Fallis and April Witt report today.
I of course want to apologize to any reader who feels wronged by this sorry episode. I kept in close touch with the school's then-principal for at least a year after the initial column ran, and the principal provided me with regular reports on the money you all contributed and how it was spent. Obviously, the school business manager found a way to tap into that money and to rip off children. I cannot imagine how she lives with herself.
Your turn starts right now....
Alexandria, Va.: Yay to extending DST past Halloween. Nay to whoever didn't think of this 30 years ago.
Pulling into my neighborhood at 6 p.m. it was still light out so I didn't have to worry as much about watching out for kids running into the street. And daylight until almost 7 allowed for normal dinner time and condensed trick or treating to about and hour and a half.
Marc Fisher: I'm very pleased that bit by bit, we're extending daylight time. This is going to be a long slog, but Congress is finally waking up to the fact that we haven't been a nation of farmers for a very long time, and that there are dozens of great reasons why we should have daylight time year-round. A few weeks added on this year, a few more down the road--we'll get there.
washingtonpost.com: Former Office of Judge Who Had Sued Over Pants Is Targeted ( Post, Nov. 1)
washingtonpost.com: Ex-Worker Charged With Stealing Donations to Student Club ( Post, Nov. 1) and Freed by Chess, Cornered by D.C. Priorities ( Post, April 29, 2003)
Crofton, Md.: Can I get a ruling from the chair on the propriety of neighbors who go out trick or treating with a full gaggle of kids, friends, parents and other adults (bringing extra bags to replenish the door-knockers as they fill up), but don't leave anyone at home to pass out candy at their own place? From my high horse, it just seems really lame.
Marc Fisher: That's a real dilemma--as a parent, when the kids are little, you want to be there with them as they wander the neighborhood, mainly to see what fun they're having and to check in with neighbors. It's a good opportunity to connect with folks you don't see too often. But you don't want to leave an empty, dark house behind, and leaving a basket of candy on the doorstep is a lousy option--some kid inevitably takes half the stash. Ideally, one parent goes with and the other stays behind to man the fort. Some years, we would switch those roles midway through the trick or treating.
Anyone have a good, tough moral stance on this burning issue?
Candy: Where is the real Marc and what have you done with him?
There is no way someone that hates Dippin Dots as much as Marc can possibly like candy corn.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?
Marc Fisher: Here's the distinction and I'm sticking to it:
Dippin Dots, being made from fine virgin plastic pellets, are a petroleum product, whereas candy corn is a natural, organic item that is actually extruded from trees found only in a small area of Baja California. I therefore claim candy corn in the name of all that is natural and good, whereas Dippin Dots are the essence of evil.
Washington, D.C.: Is the Christian Science church mentioned in your column ugly? Probably yes. Am I advocating for its continued existence? Not necessarily. But it's so RARE in this city for unusual architecture of any kind to exist that I don't think that the Historic Preservation Office should be vilified automatically. Why other cities and countries (Spain springs to mind) can have abundant modern, interesting architecture and D.C. (outside of the monumental core) offers such architectural dreariness is beyond me.
Marc Fisher: Well, ok, we are short on modern, daring architecture around here. And we blew a grand opportunity to get a great Gehry design at the Corcoran museum. And we muffed it with Norman Forster's design for an undulating glass canopy at the courtyard of the American Art Museum--a far lesser version of the canopy is under construction after the federal design police stepped in.
But that doesn't justify the landmarking of just any modern building because it happens to be a bit daring. Quality matters. So does function.
Washington, D.C.: I'm confused by the story about the Christian Science church. The design wasn't what the congregation wanted, but they built it anyway? Am I missing something?
Marc Fisher: That appears to be the case. The records provided by the church indicate that church members weren't thrilled from the start by the Brutalist design of the building, but were essentially cowed into going along with it because this was Important Architecture by an Important Architect and anyone who stood in its way was by definition a philistine. But the record is pretty clear that this was not what church members wanted.
Washington, D.C.: How about we let the preservationists save the Christian Science church on 16th Street if they let us blow up the hideous Hubert Humphrey Building at the foot of Capitol Hill?
Marcel Breuer's brutalist monstrosity has been an eyesore for three decades and an insult to the man for whom it was named.
And while we're at it, can we airlift the aptly-named J. Edgar Hoover FBI building to the Green Zone, where it would blend in just fine?
Marc Fisher: The Humphrey building I can take or leave, but the FBI is, I think, pretty universally despised. It's actually a terrific teaching tool for architects and urban planners alike--just take a walk in a couple of blocks in all directions from that Pennsylvania Avenue monstrosity and you'll see quite dramatically how one building can have an amazingly deadening effect on street life. You can literally watch as people walk out of their way so as not to walk alongside the FBI structure. It's that imposingly offputting.
Washington, D.C.: Cab Strike: I didn't have any trouble getting cabs last night -- the biggest problem were the drivers that seemed to think the strike superceded the zone system and they could charge more money because supply and demand levels were (supposedly) reversed...
Marc Fisher: What'd they do, declare themselves a snow emergency?
This is indeed the flaw in the zone system--the lack of an easy way for passengers to call crooked drivers on their attempts to rip off the rider. But a GPS meter would have handled that flaw quite easily.
Arlington, Va.: Considering you're the only person in virtually any respected media organization who supports the cab drivers ability to rip off the IRA, cab riders, etc., why on earth was yesterday's work stoppage a success? All it did was piss off tourists, the people who live in the area could have cared less.
Marc Fisher: I don't think the strike was a success at all. The streets were relatively clear all around town--many commuters probably thought the strike was a lovely break from the usual traffic. And the sidewalks were unusually bustling in many areas, which made for a nice energetic feel. I'd like to see them strike like this every few weeks.
But I do understand the drivers' frustration, because they know what too few riders understand: The switch to meters will eventually bring about a change that no one will like--a diminution in the number of taxis in town and a commensurate increase in fares.
Why does The Post keep referring to the taxi cab [situation] as a strike? A strike is when a group under union membership decides to stop working against their employer. If you are self-employed it is by definition impossible to strike. What the cab drivers did yesterday is blatantly illegal under labor laws. On top of putting more drunk drivers on the street, they should be ashamed of their actions.
Marc Fisher: Yes, they should be ashamed of themselves for picking Halloween, but no, they did nothing illegal. As you say, they're not in any union and are in fact not organized in any formal way. This was just a case of a bunch of folks deciding not to work that day--nothing illegal about that.
Rockville, Md.: Grandparents. That's the answer to trick-or-treating. My in-laws came over and handed out the candy so our entire family could go trick-or-treating.
Marc Fisher: Another reason why it makes sense to live where your extended family resides. And I say that as someone who does not. But as you catalog the many reasons for our declining quality of community, certainly the extreme mobility of the past couple of decades is a major contributing factor.
Parents and kids and empty houses...: Well, if you're a single parent or your spouse has to work late, it's really not fair to expect you to stay home and dole out candy and either keep your kid from trick-or-treating or let a small child go around in the dark alone.
If you know and trust your neighbors, maybe letting your kid go around with other parents is okay. But if your kid is very small? Come on. There are enough childless folks and families that CAN split up the doling/traveling duties and families with older kids to handle candy distribution. The kids in our neighborhood certainly weren't doing badly (at our house alone -- I overbought candy again...but that's beside the point.) And if your kids are small, you're probably not doing a lot of trick-or-treating, or you're taking 'em around early, so you'll be home later on.
No one should have to feel guilty about not giving out free candy if they don't want to or can't manage it. Lots of us enjoy doing it -- let us do it and let the ones who can't or don't want to alone.
Marc Fisher: Sure, you're right, but there's also nothing wrong with a little gentle social pressure on neighbors to take part in a fun activity that plays a big role in building connections to neighbors who too often don't know each other. All those folks who lament the loss of community can and should take advantage of easy ways to make those links, and Halloween offers a very good one.
We had a particularly good trick or treating flow last night, and thanks to my son's friend Joey, we had a great game going in which all the kids who came to the door picked a number from a big bowl and the number determined the type of candy you then received--and a few big winners who picked the Number of the Night got mega-prizes, including the one that made parents groan, the half-pound chocolate bar.
Silver Spring, Md.: Assuming there are two parents, so that one can stay home. In my lovely neighborhood, there are enough houses/candy to go around so when my house was dark, it wasn't a big deal. Me and another parent split so I did give out candy later on. G
Marc Fisher: That's another good way to do it.
Arlington, Va.: Speaking of Daylight Savings Time, did you read the item in the Health section Tuesday? It offers another perspective.
washingtonpost.com: Body's Clock Never Adjusts to Daylight Savings Time ( Post, Oct. 24)
Marc Fisher: All the more reason to pick one time and stick with it year-round--and make that the time that gives us long, light summer evenings.
Laurel, Md.:"Marc Fisher: I'm very pleased that bit by bit, we're extending daylight time...that we haven't been a nation of farmers for a very long time, and that there are dozens of great reasons why we should have daylight time year-round."
Couldn't we achieve the same results by working 8-4 instead of 9-5; having primetime TV start at 7 instead of 8; and opening malls at 9 a.m. instead of 10?
Let's move our schedules, not put "high noon" at 1 p.m.
Marc Fisher: But that would defeat one of the main benefits of DST--being able to sleep later. Now, if we could only get schools and school bus schedule writers to accept what all the brain research tells us and let teenagers sleep later in the morning, we'd really be making some progress.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc. Can you please explain WHY meters will lead to fewer cabs on the streets?
Marc Fisher: Here's why so many executives of big taxi fleet and insurance companies were so eager for D.C. to switch to meters:
With meters, it suddenly becomes possible for a big company to want to do business in the District, because they will finally be able to track what drivers are really earning out there. The zone system made it all too easy for drivers to hide their real incomes from the IRS and from any boss.
So this is the foot in the door. The big companies will make it much harder for immigrants and others with little capital to start their own businesses as individual independent owner-operators. Big fleets will mean better quality cars and service--at first. But then, those cab companies--and this is no secret, they will happily tell you this straight out--will seek to have the city place some limits on the number of cabs in town. They will argue that there are too many taxis here, and by the standards of the fleets, there are.
With reduced numbers of cabs, the companies will also seek increased fares. For riders, this will be the worst of all possible worlds--less service at a higher price. D.C. cab service will look more like that in most similarly-sized cities, and our fabulous zone-system-assured wealth of service will be gone forever.
Washington, D.C.: This isn't really what your chat covers, but kudos to your colleague Hank Stuever for his opening paragraphs for his Robert Goulet story:
"In the shower, any man is Robert Goulet.
Out of the shower, though, no man is Robert Goulet, because there isn't that kind of singing star anymore, or really even that sort of man. They don't make them that tall, that blue-eyed, that sunny; they don't all have preternaturally black mustaches forever and ever. You step out of the tile acoustics and into America's never-ending teen talent show auditions, a world of imitators imitating imitators, the Michael Buble types.
These new crooners tap some innate need in popular culture to keep nearby the luscious, soothing, retro love songs. But Goulet's baritone was purer, deeper and stronger than what you hear in neo-Rat Pack lounges. It was love, all melty and warm. He was Barry Whitest."
Those last two sentences are great.
washingtonpost.com: The Voice From a Now Near-Mythic Time ( Post, Nov. 1)
Marc Fisher: Quite lovely. Hank's a gem. Read the whole piece.
Then check out the Will Farrell SNL bit doing Robert Goulet singing the latest hiphop hits. It's on YouTube and it's a delight.
Anonymous: Dippin' Dots aside, you're obligated to take a baseball comment, so here's one: the grass is going in at Nationals Park today. The infield is already filled in. Looks great.
Marc Fisher: As wonderful as that is, they should have waited til a good cold day--the contrast would have been delicious.
Bethesda, Md.: I'm thinkin' that the coming elections in Virginia will be the occasion when Fairfax joins the other inside-the-Beltway jurisdictions as a Dem stronghold -- but I haven't seen any polling to confirm or deny that. Do you have any info?
Marc Fisher: The polling I've seen or heard about indicates some fairly tight races in the most hard-fought Senate contests. There are some absentee ballot request numbers that the party insiders are taking to show a Democratic edge in some of those tough battles, but that's a level of tea-leaf reading that's a little much of a stretch for my taste.
Silver Spring, Md.: Any chance that Maryland loses the ICC suit? I was cheered by the judge asking more questions of the state's lawyers than the opposition. Also, any chance that O'Malley wakes up and pulls the plug? I've lost my faith in him because of this matter.
Marc Fisher: O'Malley was pro-ICC from the start, so there's no question about any flipflop. As for the court case, I wouldn't put much stake in seeing any kind of halt put to the road construction. At best, you might see some requests for further environmental ameliorations, which will only drive up the already obscene cost of the highway. What's ultimately so tragic about the ICC is that by the time they fought through the decades of battles, it had become clear to most folks that this road will do little or nothing to relieve traffic.
Arlington, Va. -- Idiot drivers went on strike for no reason: How could these dolts go on strike before even knowing what the base fare will be on the meter system? As one driver said last night, things could be better for us all around, we have no idea, so why are my fellow drivers continuing to complain before knowing all the facts?
Marc Fisher: Most of the drivers are not angry about the money--they may well make a good bit more with meters than they do with zones. The meters are very much rigged to move the advantage over to the drivers. For the first time, D.C. riders will have to pay for sitting in traffic, which is always free with zones.
The issue is the one we chatted about above--the impending loss of the independent owners and the vast increase in the role of big companies who will want to reduce the number of cars on the road.
Cab Meters: Isn't the other reason that meters favor big business fleets that they can afford to buy a lot of meters for their fleet but small independents can't afford them?
Marc Fisher: Yes, some individual owners say they can't afford the meters, which cost in the $300 to $500 range. That's one more barrier to entry that will help the fleets crowd out new independent drivers.
North Bethesda, Md.:"The switch to meters will eventually bring about a change that no one will like -- a diminution in the number of taxis in town and a commensurate increase in fares."
Again, you make a statment based on unsaid (and unrealistic) assumptions. Moving to meters will NOT result in fewer taxis. Movement to a medalian system COULD result in fewer taxis.
At this time, does not the DC Cab commission require licenses? Could they not limit them? If they don't now, why would they later?
Marc Fisher: Whether you choose a medallion system or some other method of limiting licenses, that's what meters will bring about because with meters, the companies will be able to make a strong case that the average driver is not pulling in enough money, or certainly not as much as in some other cities. So the city will likely say ok, we'll limit the number of new licenses. The flaw in that reasoning is that thousands of cabbies manage to make a living with the current system (though one reason they're able to do so is that the zones allow them to hide revenue from the tax man, which is admittedly not something you want to base an industry on.)
Considering you're the only person in virtually any respected media organization who supports the cab drivers ability to rip off the IRA: Cab drivers were ripping off the Irish Republican Army? Pretty brave group of people...
Marc Fisher: But it made for some very exciting late-night confrontations.
North Bethesda, Md.:"With meters, it suddenly becomes possible for a big company to want to do business in the District, because they will finally be able to track what drivers are really earning out there."
So, they why were you in favor of GPS meters and zones? Wouldn't that also allow companies to track their employees. If you agree with GPS meters, your defense for the above statement evaporates.
Marc Fisher: I was trying to be, um, reasonable. The tax man should get his share. The rider should be able to know what the fare will be. And the driver should be able to keep his job. A little stab at compromise 'twas all it was. But now that's history.
You stated earlier -- yet again -- the cabbie's talking point: "The switch to meters will eventually bring about a change that no one will like -- a diminution in the number of taxis in town and a commensurate increase in fares."
This is a baseless assertion that you continue to repeat. The mayor and others have said they will everything they can to keep the independent drivers in business. But you're claim that meters somehow would be worse for them than the GPS-zone meters you love so mcuh, I just don't see it.
I don't think you have any real numbers or evidence to back up this claim other than what the cabbie's union gives you.
Marc Fisher: The cabbies don't have a union. And the guys who led the strike don't make the argument I make. Actually, I can't figure out what their argument is. You know, these are the folks who didn't know that Oct. 31 is Halloween.
North Bethesda, Md.:"Yes, some individual owners say they can't afford the meters, which cost in the $300 to $500 range."
If they can't afford a $300-$500 meter, what else can't they afford on their car (i.e. brakes, shocks, etc.) If they can't afford a meter, I don't want to be in that car and I don't think it should be on the street.
Given the cost of a new car, $300-$500 isn't that much and could easily be added to the car loan.
Olney, Md.: PLEASE, let's NOT encourage DST "creep." I have an atomic alarm clock that still thinks DST started last weekend! Let's just do away with it all together, it would be MUCH less painful, as most devices have a setting for the few areas in the U.S. that don't (didn't?) observe DST at all. Let's not legitimize this nonsense about "losing" and "gaining" an hour by trying to trick people out of it.
Marc Fisher: Yeah, all the automated clocks in the house flipped last week. If we can get Congress to change the time switch every year, we could eventually have houses in which all the appliances offer different times for a few weeks each fall. Then we could hire consultants to come in and regularize everything. Another little fix for the economy!
Alexandria, Va.: Regarding DST, I agree, pick one time and stick with it.
Can we just fall back a half hour this weekend and be done with it forever?
Marc Fisher: I love places where the time differs by a half-hour. If I were governor for a day, I'd make that the top priority. Way to get your state on the map.
Mr. Lebowski, AKA The Dude: The fact that Roy Pearson is still appealing his pants case just blows my mind. He's lost everything -- his job, his credibility, not to mention he's taken the Chungs down with him. Regardless of who's truly to blame in this case, the plain fact is that he's made a laughingstock of himself by pressing the issue as far as he has. Does he honestly think he can achieve anything, or is he purely motivated by ego at this point?
Marc Fisher: You ain't seen nothing yet. Now that he's been sacked, Pearson has all the time in the world to pursue his legal fantasies. The folks who fired him from his judgeship were worried about this from Day One, which is a big part of why it took so long for them to make their move, and which is why they are now claiming that his sacking had little or nothing to do with the Pants Suit. (Yeah, right.)
Metermaid: Marc, you are being disengenous with your comments about the cost of meters if you do not mention that the mayor has pledged to assist cab drivers in acquiring the meters.
Your bias on this is clear and it's an absolute turn-off to reading anything else you have to say.
Marc Fisher: To the contrary, it's the cabbies who are being disingenuous. Let's say the mayor does offer to subsidize the cost of meters--that's very nice of him, even if as a D.C. taxpayer I consider that an egregious waste of tax dollars. The cabbies will still be ticked off. They don't like to spend a penny on their cabs, if you haven't noticed. That's why they have those silly CALL POLICE lights on their roofs--that was the cheapest option the District offered drivers back when the city decided that there should be New York-style bulletproof barriers between passengers and drivers.
The drivers hate the meters for the reasons mentioned above--the fact that they will have to report their incomes in full, and the fear that big fleets will push them out of business. The cost of the meter is just a smokescreen.
No Slots, Md.: Any chance that the gambling advocates will finally give up and go home if slots are defeated in a voter referendum? I find the articles declaring that we haven't been able to "settle" the slots issue in five years to be laughable. We've settled it five times. The slots folks just keep coming back. Unfortunately it's an uneven playing field. The gambling proponents only need to win once. Then we're stuck. The slots opponents have to go undefeated.
Marc Fisher: No, the slots folks won't go away. In fact, they will continue to come at Maryland harder and harder, because big, big casino companies are pumping money into buying Maryland tracks on the assumption that they will get their slots licenses. The reason this issue never goes away is the unfathomably huge profits that slots bring--and shouldn't the state get a much bigger return from the companies that get those licenses?
Vienna, Austria: Marc, I'm a D.C. native living abroad for a few years. I read The Post to keep in touch with things at home, but your column about the church in NW reminded me more of the WWII Nazi-built flak towers strewn throughout Vienna. See one of them here:
Vienna Flak Tower ( Wikimedia)
Marc Fisher: Battle Brutalism, huh? Maybe they could turn it into a church.
Washington, D.C.: Regarding Brutalist architecture, we still have the FBI building. Now there's an eyesore. And, of course, the wretched MLK public library. So I don't think the church building will really be missed.
Marc Fisher: The MLK library is actually an interesting piece of architecture. It's always made for a lousy library, but there are lots of good ideas out there for how it could be converted into some other use--museum, offices, gallery. It's a far better building than the Christian Science church and more important, it's owned by the city, which could easily find another use for it. The church, in contrast, is useless for most any other function, and it's privately owned, so the owner ought to have some say in whether it is kept.
Chevy Chase, D.C.: It just strikes me as so unfair that the city can landmark a structure, thereby taking value away from its owner, without having to give any compensation whatsoever. This capricious landmarking process is initiated by self-designated preservation organizations, who want to enjoy the architecture, but don't want to pay for it. The city would be a lot more judicious in landmarking if they actually had to pay for the reduced value.
Marc Fisher: Quite right, and especially true in the case of a church that's very much in decline. As Paul Schwartzman's Page One piece earlier this week noted, a bunch of dying churches around town have discovered gold in their downtown properties; why shouldn't the Christian Scientists be permitted to take advantage of their only real monetary asset?
Washington, D.C.: Quadruple shooting drive on 14th in the heart of Columbia Heights at 10:20 last night and it's buried at the end of another article in The Post? Wow, nothing must shock us anymore. Who cares about schools when we can't even walk down a supposedly gentrifying street anymore without being shot. That block is notorious. Why can't the city just get rid of some crime-infested housing?
Marc Fisher: That was very likely a factor of the hour of night and the edition of the paper you received.
Hoboken, N.J.: Nothing to do with what you're talking about, but I've always liked reading your columns and a local guy from the "Star-Ledger" here in New Jersey (I lived in D.C. for 15 years, why I still follow D.C. area news). His name is Paul Mulshine, and while you guys probably disagree on a ton -- he's a libertarian Republican -- you two tend to approach topics from the same angle. You two should get together and write a joint column. Anyway, keep up the good work, love keeping up with the local D.C. news by reading your stuff.
Marc Fisher: Thanks--very kind of you. I don't know his work, but I'll check it out. The Ledger is a splendid paper that is one of the leaders of the industry in finding creative ways to move the newspaper into the online world.
Virginia: Lots of folks don't realize how important this election in Virginia is. If the Dems take back the senate, they'll be in place to do the re-districting. This might help to make this still red state a little more blue. In my senatorial district, the Republicans have a delegate runninging in something like three of the 39 precincts. Without Democratic Delegates feeling the heat, they aren't working as hard to get out the vote. Fewer voters for Democratic Delegates, ususally translates into fewer voters for Democratic Senators. For want of a voter, the state was lost - or kept Republican.
Marc Fisher: It's a very important election no matter which party you identify with. Unfortunately, the turnout in Virginia's pre-presidential year elections is rarely strong. Only New Jersey and Virginia hold elections in the year before a presidential race; that makes for good copy for those of us in my business, but I'm not sure it's what's best for democracy.
Washington, D.C.: Can we declare the zone system a historic landmark, since we're one of the few cities who have it? Then the city would be forced to keep it.
They don't like to spend a penny on their cabs: I was in a cab this week and something felt really odd and eery about it. I realized part way through my ride that my feeling was due to the cab being immaculately clean, nothing rattled, and there were no holes in the floor. Wow.
Marc Fisher: You should have looked carefully. It was a Virginia cab.
Silver Spring, Md.: Marc -- your comment about the taxi "strike" was very interesting.
"The streets were relatively clear all around town -- many commuters probably thought the strike was a lovely break from the usual traffic. And the sidewalks were unusually bustling in many areas, which made for a nice energetic feel."
This sounds like a great argument for reducing the number of taxis in D.C. I think D.C. has too many of the independent operators that you like to romanticize about. Many of them drive terribly and create congestion problems for other drivers on the streets. I won't be sad to see their numbers reduced, if that's what happens when the meter system is fully in place.
Marc Fisher: The only reason downtown had that light and easy feel is that the strike was not very well publicized. If you had a permanently reduced taxi fleet, you'd see a lot more folks driving into the city and a lot more buses and other alternatives popping up to serve tourists and other visitors--in the end, you'd have much more congested streets. As many traffic studies show all around the country, taxis play an important role in keeping more commuting cars off the roads.
The fact that Roy Pearson is still appealing his pants case just blows my mind.: Why? This is what crazy people do. I think he will pursue this until he ends up homeless. We'll see him living on the streets, muttering about his pants.
Marc Fisher: Maybe. But he's a smart guy--he'll find a way to muddle through. He managed to pull off the whole Pants Suit while holding down a judge's job.
Adams Morgan: Just a couple of comments -- First, I LIKE and PREFER "Daylight Wasting Time" or EST. Consider that. And although the debate is over preservation designation, the Brutalist Church building is much more stimulating and legitimate as architectural history than the 2nd worst, ugliest buildings in D.C. -- the New Executive Office Bldg and the U.S. Court of Claims (hideous bookends). While folks are trying to replace the church building, why don't we all get a movement together to rid us of those other two uglies, as well. (The FBI Building is the winner and Number One Ugly -- talk about brutal.) Thanks Marc.
Marc Fisher: There's more on DST and health in a discussion going on at our sister site, slate.com, even as we type.
I'm with you on the Court of Claims. Somebody had a really cozy deal with a brickmaker on that baby. Man, is it awful. I've always wondered whether there isn't some kind of secret phone or electrical installation in there behind that blank wall.
Alexandria, Va.: Stealing money from kids--vile, contemptible, lower than low. We have to share our air with people like her live on our planet?
Marc Fisher: Alas, we must. And from kids who are trying desperately to lift themselves from some difficult circumstances, under the guidance of an inspired teacher making next to nothing for his efforts.
Washington, D.C.: The taxi strike yesterday was not only not a success, but it also showed why the cabbies' position is wrong, and why D.C.'s service is horrible. It showed why calling them "entrepreneurs" is an insult to the word. An entrepreneur is somebody who brings innovative ideas to the market, and tries to change it for the better, providing better service and higher quality, all the while improving profit levels. The cab drivers in D.C. are no more entrepreneurs than the guy standing at the corner holding a sign telling you "MATTRESSES AT DISCOUNT PRICES, TURN RIGHT!"
As somebody who works in the taxicab industry, I can tell you that your position on the D.C. issue is wrong in most every sense. First of all, just to let you know, from the view of the taxicab industry, Washington, D.C., is known as a joke and a disgrace. This is said not only by people in the U.S. industry, but also internationally. Additionally, Red Top is known as one of the Crown Jewels of the industry, with top service, and great brand recognition. Barwood used to be in that level too, but this has changed in recent years, due to bad management, not regulations that prevent competitors.
Adding meters to taxicabs will not usher in the new era of "big companies," as you say. Your claim that "companies try to track their cabs and charge them a percentage of their meter" is flat out WRONG, and shows you know nothing about the business. As someone who works in this industry, I can tell you that cab companies could care less about exactly when and where their vehicles work: the paperwork needed to track this itself would cost more than monetary benefit to it. The only reason cab companies want to know where their vehicles are is to ensure that service is given all throughout the city. The only city in the U.S. in which companies charge their drivers a percentage of the meter is Las Vegas. Everywhere else, including in my company, drivers pay a set weekly fee.
Putting meters in cabs will not bring in the big companies because big companies don't care about meters. Big companies care about market control. And no big company worth its name would step into D.C. with the lack of safety regulations and lack of control on the number of cabs.
Finally, you keep saying that it's so nice that you see so many cabs on the street all the time. But that is precisely why cab service is so shoddy. Because there are so many cabs, drivers have to fight over fares, because they aren't making enough money to make a decent living. One of the main reasons for controlling the number of cabs is to ensure that every driver has enough fares to feed himself and his family. In fact, the NYC Taxicab Commission last year added, I believe, about 500 or so extra cabs to the city's fleet, and the drivers there were up in arms about how it would reduce their income. Having unlimited cabs in the city is neither good for the passengers nor for the drivers.
I realize this comment is long, but I hope that you post it for people to understand the taxicab industry from the perspective of an insider...
Marc Fisher: Thanks very much for your contribution--here it is, folks, a taxi industry insider making the case for reducing the number of cabs in the city.
If your idea of good service at a fair price is Red Top and Barwood, then you should thank your lucky stars that you are employed at one of those companies. Because you'd be hard pressed to find any actual passengers who agree. Maybe suburban standards of taxi service allow for that lazy, expensive approach, but in a big city, people want to be able to hail a cab--at any time, anywhere. That's the level of service we have in some parts of Washington, and that's what we will soon lose.
Is it me or has the celebrity/TV gone wild. It's just way to much. There is no real news. (a la Britney went out last night). Has TV sunk to the lowest common denominator? It's really sad. It used to be certain shows. What are we to do? Turn off the TV set?
Washington, D.C.: On stadium parking: have you heard anything about possible floating parking garage(s) on the mighty stinky Anacostia? They're building similar stuff in the Netherlands that'll be open next year. Few years ago PA of NY/NJ proposed similar ideas but was killed?
Marc Fisher: That's new to me. Somehow, I can't quite see our federal overseers approving floating garages--heck, the folks who wanted to provide water taxi service from Alexandria to the new ballpark have thrown up their hands in frustration because they can't get the feds to move on the idea. A floating garage would likely face decades of government inaction and resistance. But it's a really fascinating idea.
Arlington, Va.: As immigrant parents we know very little about the 'rules' of trick-or-treating although we've been here almost 10 years. Having lived in D.C. Apt. most of the time we never had anyone knock on our doors on Halloweens. However, our older son is 3.5 and demanded we go trick-or-treating last night so we did. Being in a condo forest neighborhood, we decided to just knock on every townhome's (there's only one SFH on that street) door regardless the lights were on or not. And we don't know and never even seen these neighbors before. But man what a fun night. It warmed my heart to see people are so nice and generous to our kids.
Marc Fisher: That's terrific--what a great story. Thanks for sending that along.
Maryland's Eastern Shore: Without food, we can't eat. And when we can't eat, we die. Agriculture is the biggest underpinning of society. Meanwhile, when a journalist retires or dies, society is not disturbed in the slightest. Who cares that Walter Lippmann, Drew Pearson, Joe Kraft, Rowland Evans and Carl Rowan are not around to spread their jottings in the newspapers? The world will get along quite well when Robert Novak, David Broder and even Marc Fisher no longer grace the Washington Post. Do you agree?
Marc Fisher: Yes, obviously the world will get along just fine without any given set of writers. But I don't see the connection you're making. Did Rollie Evans and Carl Rowan have some sort of animus against farms? I often criticize subsidies to farmers, but that doesn't make me anti-farm. I just don't think government should be in the farming business.
Silver Spring, Md.: What do you think of the proposed health club tax in Maryland? It seems to punish people for having a healty lifestyle. The state will pay a lot more in health costs in the future by creating obstacles to exercise. If anything the state should give a tax credit for health club memberships. If high end health club memberships must be taxed then earmark the money to build more recreation centers in poor areas.
Marc Fisher: Not a bad idea. I like the idea of taxing health club memberships--it's the opposite approach of slots. It's a way to find and tax more affluent folks rather than relying on the poor to cough up their relatively scant dollars at state-sponsored gambling halls.
Arlington, Va.: I also don't like the Brutalist architecture, but take a minute to consider. One French art critic famously said he ate lunch at the Eiffel Tower every day because that was the only place in Paris he could go and not see it. Also, a generation ago, Norman Rockwell was considered a kitschy joke; now he is considered to have been a serious artist. The point is, opinions change. I think the historic preservation people are just doing their job. Where we stand today, the whole Brutalist thing is completely discredited. Who knows about 50-100 years from now?
Marc Fisher: Quite right, and that's why there are any number of ugly or currently disliked buildings that are landmarked because they represent the highest achievement of some particular school of design. But the Christian Science church is nobody's idea of the pinnacle of Brutalism. And since it was never much appreciated and since it was opposed at every step of the way by the church members, and since the church says it cannot afford and doesn't need such a big place, there's not much argument left for keeping it.
Has TV sunk to the lowest common denominator?: What? There's so much to watch. Reality dating shows. Reality dancing shows. Reality singing contests. Reality chef contests. Reality survival shows. Reality interior designer contests. Reality comedian contests.
There is so much variety.
Marc Fisher: And so much more reality programming soon to come, now that TV writers are heading out on strike. Yum.
Marc Fisher: Gotta run, folks--we're way over our alloted hour. Many, many taxi comments I just couldn't get to today--my apologies. We could have easily done the whole hour on taxis. Not much interest out there on the Virginia elections, so I'm not holding my breath for a huge turnout Tuesday. But for those who live and breath politics, I'll be here on the live board Tuesday night to talk about and lay some results on you--check in throughout the evening and we'll do some punditry together.
And check out the latest installment of the Pretend Primary in the presidential race, now on Raw Fisher.
Thanks for coming along and write if you get work.
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Read Jason's blog, Redskins Insider.
Jason La Canfora: Hey there, hope all is well. What a game last weekend, eh? No lack of angst I'm sure.
Anonymous: From today's article in The Post about the NE blow-out. "It's not a big deal, it happens three to four times a year," one veteran, who requested anonymity, said yesterday. "It wasn't any kind of turning-point situation."
Seems to me that there ought to be a lot of anger. Use that loss as a turning point and go forward with greater intensity.
Do you sense that this last game lit a fire in this team?
Would be a shame if it didn't.
Jason La Canfora: The quotes are in regard to the series of player meetings that went on this week, the kind of standard stuff you always see in these situations that often get overblown and over-played by some in the media.
If you re-read it, you'll see the quotes are not directed at that blowout loss, which, trust me, no one around here is trying to slough off. They got worked and they know it.
Pittsburgh: Why is the Redskins running game failing so rapidly: Randy Thomas out, Redskins call terrible plays, Jason Campbell does not scare anyone, Portis does not have it anymore?
Jason La Canfora: Some of that stuff is in there, but I wouldn't be blaming Campbell. Injuries, Portis does not seem right, they refuse to give Betts more carries, the O Line is not making holes at times, and teams have seen how much the Redskins are running the ball, so they are keying on it.
Also, I don't think Moss and Randle El are close to their usually explosive selves post injuries, and without that deep threat, all the more reason to tee-off on the run game as an opposing defense.
They'd better fix it fast, but I am not sure hard work alone is going to cure this ailment.
Who's starting opposite Springs now and who comes in for nickel situations? Injuries continue to pile up for the 'Skins.
Jason La Canfora: Springs and Smoot will start with Prioleau continuing to play a lot of nickel. Torrence will be involved in some nickel and dime packages as well.
Silver Spring, Md.: So I read in today's Express that the 'Skins will start from scratch on offense and get back to doing things like playing physical, smashmouth, run-first football combined with some passes downfield. But isn't that what they've been trying to do all season? What, if anything, can give me hope that the 'Skins can start scoring points on offense?
Jason La Canfora: It's a rehash of the same old, same old.
I am writing about the running game in tomorrow's paper, so you might want to check that out. I re-read that AP story a bunch of times and still don't know what point the article was trying to make.
They've been running ubber-Gibbs stuff all year. The articles talks about "a bigger Gibbs footprint." What could that mean? His footprint already looms over the whole thing.
Charleston, S.C.: JLC, love your work dude. Keep it up.
What do you think of the overall defensive strategy this week against the Jets? With a young QB on the other side do we go after him early to get him rattled or does the loss of Carlos mean we'll see 3- and 4-man rushes the entire game?
And can you come up with some sort of strategy to get Coach Joe riled up tomorrow. We need all the swinging souls to unite and get a definitive win this weekend against the Jets. Go 'Skins!!
Jason La Canfora: I think Gregg is going to have to go Cover-1 a little bit more, get a swagger back in his defense and attack. They made it through a real gauntlet of elite passing teams/teams with great wide outs and spread offenses -- Green Bay, Arizona, Pats and Detroit -- by being conservative and dropping 8 back a lot, but that can't be who they are every week.
They need to grab this game by the throat early on both sides of the ball and show right away which is the dominant team, because letting this thing drag on and become another nailbiter could have some season-long ramifications Sunday.
Pittsburgh: Joe Gibbs, paralysis by analysis?
The answer is always to work hard, pull more all nighters, practice harder ... but it hasn't worked this time around, in large part I think because of the very different nature of the front office and organizational structure this team around.
There is no GM there to say, hey give Betts more carries. Or, hey, look at our offensive personnel, let's spread the field a little more if possible.
Checks and balances, stuff like that. I think that absence looms large over this team.
Hampton, Va.: The local paper down here ran that AP story you were referring to. This "committee" stuff sounds like rubbish. And then he quotes Rock Cartwright, who didn't even play? Please comment.
Jason La Canfora: I'm with you brother.
That story had me puzzled at hello.
What do you think the Redskins' long-term plan is at corner. Clearly Springs is getting older and Smoot is often injured. Possible free agents out there or someone in the draft?
Jason La Canfora: I think DB is a position they need to address with a solid mid-round pick in the next year or two. And with this outfit, never rule out a free agent at any position at any time of year.
Bend, Ore.: What, no iPod today?
With regards to the drop off in passes thrown by Campbell from last season to this season, I would have liked to have seen what the difference in number of plays per game was as well. When the running game was clicking behind a healthy O-line, drives went longer, Jason had more opportunities to throw. The last few games in particular, it seems like we've seen a lot of 3-and-outs in the second half. So the percentage of run-pass might be the same even in the numbers of chances has gone down.
Jason La Canfora: Hey boss, left the iPod in the car, along with the abundance of leftover candy my wife ordered me to get out of the house and leave in the media schlubs room out here for us fat guys to get fatter on.
To your point, which is great. 'Skins actually had 63 plays or more in each of the first 5 games, including 69 vs. Green Bay.
Doing some math as I write this ...
426 plays in 7 games in 2007
447 plays in 7 games with JC in 2006
Any way to gauge the possible long term damage to the 'Skins collective psyche as a result of the butt whoopin' by the Pats?
Also, DCU gonna pull it off tonight?
"Watching the Detectives" -- Elvis Costello
Jason La Canfora: Love that song. Everything Elvis did on like the first four albums is pretty much genius.
I think this is the kind of thing you can get over in a week and move on ... if you take care of business. Couple this with another ugly game against the 1-7 Jets -- now you're really dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.
I think DCU will get it done in extra time.
BucktownSkinsFan: JLC! Any progress on the Gravy Boat explanation?
What's up with everyone's favorite preseason darling Byron Westbrook? Any chance he gets activated for some PT this season?
Jason La Canfora: Dang, forgot about asking Sellers about gravy boat. Thanks for the reminder (a lot going on these days).
As for Lord Byron, he is coming along, showing well on scout team, but is still raw. Eubanks has more experience so he got the nod, and I think they would rather bring Byron along slow this season and, with another offseason and preseason, get a shot at more PT in 2008.
Washington, D.C.: Fourteen games into the Campbell era, and at what point do we let him actually throw the ball around? How can every team except us run slants and gain positive yardage?
Jason La Canfora: Hey dude, read what I wrote today.
I can't figure it out either.
Joe Gibbs: The Jets are the best team in NFL history. We are the biggest underdog in sports history.
We're gonna have to play the game of our lives to come out of there with a victory. Joe Namath is a great QB and Al Toon really fights his guts out. I see it coming down to the last play if we're lucky. Yep, that's the way I kinda look at things, UP HERE.
Jason La Canfora: I have a feeling Freeman McNeil is going to break a big one in the 4th quarter. The big question is: Will Gastineau dance?
Washington, D.C.: So what's the actual coaching arrangement between Gibbs and Saunders on game day? Does Saunders call 100 percent of the plays, or does Gibbs take over for crucial downs? What happens going forward? Same thing or does Gibbs let Saunders really let loose his 700-page playbook?
Jason La Canfora: Al calls the plays, Joe is very involved in game plan, oversees the overall practice structure, has a say in how much they run and pass in general and also is speaking with Al through the game to converse and exchange ideas about tendencies and principles.
Now, in the heat of the moment it's all Al, but Al has no say whether it's Portis or Betts on the field, for instance.
So Gibbs's authority is over-arching.
20165: J-to-the-L-to-the-C: WP bogger Dan Steinberg compared the stats of Campbell vs. the other QBs that have started every game this year, and the results are that Campbell's stats are pretty bad. Is this a result of the playcalling above all else? What will it take to Gibbs to unleash Campbell?
Currently am listening to a conference call for capital markets, which is slightly more interesting than a K-Fed album.
Jason La Canfora: He's about where a lot of QBs of his experience level would be.
The fact he is 12 percent more accurate than he was last year is huge.
He is also functioning in the NFL's 4th-worst offense, in which no one is making plays for him.
Compare his numbers to Vince Young -- yeah, he missed a game with injury but is still clearly the young starter there.
Or his first 14 to Eli Manning's first 14 games.
Let's compare apples to apples, right?
Westminster, Md.: What has happened to Santana Moss? Is he still injured? He just can't seem to get open, or catch the ball when he does.
Jason La Canfora: I think the hamstring is playing on his mind a bit and, while okay to play, he does not seem to be as quick and nimble. That's the nature of those injuries and it's something that has plagued him at times throughout his career.
He just doesn't like "right" to me for lack of a better term. And the drops have been maddening and completely out of character.
If there was one simple way to reverse it all, trust me, they would do it. He's also emblematic of an entire offense lacking its way and searching for an identity and that tends to coat every player as well.
Richmond, Va.: Do you think there is any chance that the 'Skins take a flyer on the recently released Mike Williams?
Jason La Canfora: Been looking into it. No one will touch the contract so once he clears waivers it could be.
He has been a total bust and seems to lack hands and desire -- not a great combination at WR -- but clearly has great size and some athletic skill. The 'Skins have longed for a tall possession receiver for a long time, but not sure this guy will ever become what some hoped he would be.
I'll throw it on the blog if I hear anything.
RE: Slants: You can't tell me that Randle El or Thrash can't do what Welker did all day in the slot! Welker looked like he was playing a college game being able to still move at the snap he was in the slot so fast so often and hit in stride by Brady.
Jason La Canfora: That dude is as tough as any WR I have seen. Fletcher kept pounding him, and he was willing to absorb huge punishment to get those 7-8 yard gains that move the chains and exploit the gap between the line and the LBs in Cover-2.
It's a brutal way to operate, but that and the RB screens are prototype ways to attack Cover-2.
James and Antwaan are super tough and would do whatever is asked. That's normally what you No. 3 WR does for you -- you don't want your $10 million WRs in those routes as much -- and putting more balls in that area for Thrash and McCardell makes sense to me.
I am tired of these questions every week. It's truly the "same old Redskins" every year. We show a glimmer of hope, get crushed, find a resurgence and get killed again. The 'Skins are truly one of the cruelest franchises to root for. Forget the weekly game plan, when are we gonna see an overhaul in the front office? Are The Danny and Co. really that deaf and blind?
Jason La Canfora: I think that until there is a real fan uprising -- and whole bunch of empty seats and, dare I say it, a blackout one Sunday, nothing is going to change.
Hit 'em in the wallet as they say.
Now, let's also see where this thing goes. They collapsed into another 5-6 win team and the gloves come off, but they are 4-3 with a good opportunity to get to 5-3, and 9 wins could easily get you in in the NFC.
As bad as the Pats loss was, Green Bay and NYG hurt way more with all the playoff and tiebreaker implications.
Charlotte, N.C.: Jason -- love the work you do covering the team. I'm curious, do you have any thoughts on Shapiro's piece in today's paper? Personally I thought it was right on point. I think what frustrates a lot of Redskins fans is not the loss last week, or the fact that they got blown out, but the way in which Gibbs reacted -- which was to have no reaction. I was young when he made his first run, but I distinctly remember watching games with my mother, specifically games in which the Redskins would have a terrible first half, and she would always say to me "just wait until they come out in the second half-they'll end up winning. Joe will fix it." I grew up on stories of Gibbs's legendary halftime speeches, but now I can't imagine him being able to make that same kind of speech. I think Joe needs to be honest with himself, this organization, and the fans, about whether or not he has the desire for this anymore. I'm running out of patience here -- and I think I speak for a lot of Redskins fans. Thoughts?
Jason La Canfora: I respect and admire the heck out of Len. Have not read the piece yet but will as soon as possible.
I think if you just look at the results of the franchise since 2004 -- everything from wins and losses to the trades and signings to in-game management to the lack of winning streaks and continued positive growth ... and then you take out the name of this coach and replace it with pretty much any other, and I imagine people would be running him out of town.
If they don't get it right in the second half in 2007, and you're talking about not making the playoffs for the 3rd time in 4 years, then I think it's fair to say this isn't working and big changes are needed. I don't think that's going out on a limb too far at all, and I think, should it come to that, Joe would admit that they have not accomplished close to what they set out do.
RFK heartsick: Excellent job, dude. You bring a different and fresh perspective to the grim fate of Redskins faithful. Yes we LOVE pain.
Is the O line going to come together this season? I think it is what's holding us back...
Thank my man. You rock.
You can't replace Randy Thomas, brother. He made the run game go in so many different ways and was a force all over the field with his pulling and athleticism.
But they shouldn't be this bad -- 3.5 per carry. That's putrid.
More games should help, at least somewhat, but I don't see them being an elite rushing team this season barring some changes in personnel.
Bend, Ore.: Jason wrote: "If there was one simple way to reverse it all, trust me, they would do it."
Please, let's not use the term "reverse" when talking about Moss any longer...
Among the players you've spoken with this week, is there is a burning for retribution this week after getting pummeled by the Patriots? Or do you get the impression that the players have moved on and will just put that embarrassment out of their minds? Thanks!
Jason La Canfora: You can't get retribution on the Pats unless you make the Super Bowl, and that's not what anyone is focused on right now.
They need to exert their will against the Jets and get a win and come out of the first half 5-3, maintaining that 2-0 cushion they grabbed at the start of the season.
I don't think it goes too much beyond that right now.
Silver Spring, Md.: Would you say London Fletcher is the MVP of the team so far this season?
Jason La Canfora: Yes sir.
Wondering why I bet the Redskins would win at Foxboro!: Does the Carlos Rogers injury hurt the Redskins defense badly or do you think they have enough depth at the position? Do you see the return of Williams's blitz schemes this week against a new QB?
Jason La Canfora: It is a very significant injury as it impacts not only their outside coverage, but also their underneath stuff, and Springs, their best slot defender, likely shifts outside now.
Also, with Smoot clearly not 100 percent with his hamstring injury, it provides a real incentive for teams to test the corners now.
Thanks for what you do. From reading the comments on your blog and talking with other Redskins fans, many of us are getting a little tired of Joe Gibbs's hyperbole: The players are always "super smart" and "fighting their guts out" and "incredibly talented." I'm sure they are all these things for the most part, but the play on the field seems to suggest otherwise. Do you get the sense that any of the players are starting to grow a little weary Gibbs's cheerleader in a vacuum routine?
Jason La Canfora: A few guys have rolled their eyes a time or two when chatting about it privately, but all admit it's hardly the main thrust of the problems around here.
Different people respond to different approaches, and I think there are some guys who grimace a bit at the rhetoric about every game always going down to the wire, but, again, there are bigger fish to fry and the players are hardly absolved of blame.
When you look back over what, 8-9 years now, though, you start to look at all of the players and coaches and scouts -- many of them very talented and qualified -- who have come and gone in a revolving door, no one ever achieving much real glory ... then you look at the constants in the organization who have stayed the same through it all -- you know, the ones that rarely speak -- and it can make you scratch your head, eh?
Arlington, Va.: Hey Jason. I hope all is well.
Thanks to the Redskins' big-spending approach to player acquisition, it seems they begin each season with a starting 22 that can compete (on paper, at least) with anyone in the league.
But this approach sacrifices depth, and I think we've really seen that with the injuries to Jon Jansen, Randy Thomas and Carlos Rogers. Have these three catastrophic injuries enlightened team officials, in the least, to this fact? To me, it's a reality check that they need to build through the draft with inexpensive talent.
Jason La Canfora: Well, I actually think they have done a better job by keeping buys like Yoder, Wade, Fabini this year, and adding Godfrey, etc. All pretty valuable depth guys.
Any team would be stung by the loss of so many top O linemen -- perhaps not to this degree but a significant blow nonetheless. I think the real problem is in the lack of mid to late draft picks who fill quality roles on the second team.
We are starting to see it more on the defense with Golston, Wilson, Torrence, Alexander (though I guess he's kinda on offense now). But the game-ready TE, O Linemen, WRs just haven't been found for the most part.
Especially along the line, you gotta find good young cheap guys who can play in rounds 4-7. And they have failed to develop one proven O lineman in 4 years here.
D.C.: " ... but they are 4-3 with a good opportunity to get to 5-3, and 9 wins could easily get you in in the NFC." ...
Dude, you are absolutely right, the problem is they have done NOTHING in the past few years to take advantage of such a situation. Nothing except the usual post-game apologies and ruminations about being in this together ... the problem is they are at a point where, we expect them to lose because they coach and play like they expect to lose. That's a virus.
Jason La Canfora: Trust me bro, I feel your pain. But hope is not lost.
If the 'Skins were in the AFC I would be throwing dirt on them too. But they're not, so revel in the fact that unless they totally meltdown -- and, again, a loss Sunday would qualify -- they should be in great position to be playing meaningful games in late December.
Washington, D.C.: Thanks for the chats/blog. Several questions --
On offense, is Gibbs willing to shift away from the run-first offense, since it's clearly not working this season, or is that something he'll stick with, even if it means losing?
On defense, we've barely blitzed this year. Is that a function of defending the deep ball against recent pass-happy offenses, or do you see the blitz-free defense continuing all season?
Jason La Canfora: I am with you on both counts.
The average NFL team passes 55 percent of the time now; the 'Skins pass like 49.4 percent of the time.
With the running game this stuck, I think they need to rethink it a bit, and have been alluding to that for a few weeks now.
And, like in an earlier question, I think Gregg will find a better balance between Cover-2 and aggressive blitzes in coming weeks.
Washington: B. Lloyd at corner: he's got speed/size; he isn't bothered by anything, so getting beat wouldn't bring him down; and maybe G. Williams in his face would wake him up.
I'm joking about this idea, but only sort of...
Jason La Canfora: Watching him have to interact constantly with the defensive players would be fun if nothing else.
Clifton, Va.: Jason -- after last week's nuking in New England, isn't it time for people around here to stop referring to Gregg Williams as a "defensive genius?" I mean, a true genius should've been able to come up with SOMEthing to stop Brady et al., right?
Jason La Canfora: Bro, the offense has been a complete joke and handed NE what, 17 points in that game?
It was a horrible embarrassment for everyone in the organization, but his defense was on the field so much in the first half -- like 18 minutes -- that there was no way they were going to keep up in a track meet now, especially with Smoot out, Carlos out, Marcus barely playing and McIntosh constantly in and out of the game with the shoulder burners.
Again, don't get me wrong, the defense was awful, but I think given how they have played overall this season it's hard to pile on them much, since without them in the first 6 weeks this is probably a 2-5 team.
Earlier this season in a chat you were asked if you were a 'Skins fan, and you professed your neutrality. You claimed that you were just a guy whose job it is to cover the 'Skins, and that you were strictly objective in your coverage of them.
Since then, it has seemed to me that you have warmed up a bit to the team, and your articles and chats have shown that you are pulling for them a bit, if not outright. In the leadup to the Pats game, you even sounded a bit hopeful.
So what is it? Are you still a professed agnostic? Would you crack a smile if this team managed a first-round playoff victory? Would you not hope that they can pull it together and consistently display the type of dominant football we have seen glimpses of?
Jason La Canfora: Agnostic my man. That's how I roll.
Jason La Canfora: Okay guys, got to run. Practice is over and time for interviews about to begin.
Thanks as always for the great questions and sorry for those I could not get to.
As always, you can email me at lacanforaj@washpost.com and check me out on Redskins Insider.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Washington Post staff writer Jason La Canfora takes your questions about the Redskins.
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Celebritology Live - washingtonpost.com
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When stars shave their heads, couch-jump, commit a fashion faux pas and or random acts of tomfoolery, washingtonpost.com Celebritology blogger Liz Kelly shares the buzz, offers perspective and provides crucial links to juicy alternate news sources and, of course, takes your reaction in her daily blog.
Join Liz every Thursday at 2 p.m. ET to gab about the latest celebrity pairings (and splittings), rising stars (and falling ones), and get the scoop on the latest gossip making waves across the Web.
Before she started blogging about celebrities, Liz ran washingtonpost.com's Discussions section, where she enjoyed talking to really interesting people -- including some Post reporters -- on the phone. She still produces both Carolyn Hax's advice discussion and Gene Weingarten's Chatological Humor.
Liz Kelly: Welcome back to the Redskins chat -- this hour we'll be talking about the clashiness of maroon and gold and count down the days until the end of football season. Okay, I kid. Welcome back. Let's get started...
Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olson: More or less creepy than Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson? I vote more creepy, if only because Armostrong must have seen her on TV when she was a baby and he was a teenager, and I don't know how he could get over that initial (at least) ick factor.
Liz Kelly: Seriously, I'm not sure Lance Armstrong could drop much more in my estimation. Here's a guy who went from hero to zero in the space of a few short years. I never wore a Ride Strong bracelet or anything, but I had to admire the guy's gumption. I guess this is a good example of separating a man's professional and private lives and being able to admire one while getting skeeved out by the other. Initially it seemed that this pairing might just be the stuff of tabloid dreams, but with each successive day this week there have been more stories, more sightings. Is it just me or does it seem like it would almost be more appropriate for him to take up with a Penthouse pet?
Washington, D.C.: So I have a journalistic question: That "story" about Spears offering some random struggling "musician" to snort cocaine off her chest...how much effort does the tabloid put into "confirming" that actually happened before running the story? I remember on "Dirt" that Courtney Cox would require at least some corroboration of stories. But how would you even confirm that happened? Ask his buddy what he saw? But wouldn't they have conspired if it was all lies?
Basically, I guess I'm questioning how much we actually know about Brit's partying. Yes, she shows up to clubs without panties. Yes, she maybe gets drunk and falls down (but who doesn't at bars?). But all this other stuff? Isn't it really just made up by people who want to get their name in the papers?
Liz Kelly: Well, while it's wise of you to measure reality against a TV dramady, I wouldn't necessarily consider "The Dirt" gospel. If so, I'd have to start believing that tabloid editors look like Courtney Cox and, well... But your question is good. Unfortunately, I may not be the best equipped person to answer it. I've never worked for a gossip rag (and like where I am very much, thanks). I would guess that story corroboration varies from publication to publication. I suspect some, like the National Enquirer, actually do try to reach some basic standard of "truthiness" before putting a story out there. Not only does it lend them a little credibility, it also saves them worrying about getting sued. And, trust me, celebs are not afraid to sue when a false story does make it into print.
Liz Kelly: Others aren't quite so discerning and, especially in this age of "blog first and ask questions later," that's how we end up with much of the material that makes it into the rumor mill (in general, not necessarily mine). And to be super-specific, we tend to shy away from that second category of fodder in Celebritology. There is far too much material that is backed by some shred of verifiable data to start bringing the really out-there stuff into the blog.
Liz Kelly: Unless, that is, the story itself makes news. F'rinstance, earlier this fall when the story was circulated about a possibly pregnant Myley Cyrus. I didn't report on the rumor, but on the fact that it had been proven that someone had doctored a page to make it look like the item appeared in a magazine.
Arlington, Va.: Do you think that Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin are headed for a split? I know, I know, why should I care, but I would really like to see ONE couple last for 25 years or more. Note to actresses: don't marry rock stars...
Liz Kelly: I think this is a tenuous call -- meaning we just don't have enough information. We haven't seen much of them out together, but a rep for the couple says they have an agreement to not appear in public together at events. Why would they have such an agreement? I don't know. Doesn't make much sense to me. As for actresses marrying rock stars -- should it perhaps be that rock stars shouldn't marry actresses? Any examples come to mind where this construct actually worked for the long haul?
Wait, what?!: Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olson? Seriously? I guess, silver lining, at least it's not Mary Kate? But... gah!
Liz Kelly: Oh boy -- this is going to be today's topic. I can feel it in my bones. All [many] of them. Seriously? I don't know. They may not be laying the groundwork for a relationship, but they have definitely been spotted enjoying each other's company over the past week.
Owen Wilson and Jessica Simpson: Ick Factor: 12 years difference (not as bad as Lance and Ashley), and wondering if Owen has his head together after two months -- really?
Liz Kelly: Well, does he have to have his head together to start dating Jessica Simpson? Is that a requirement. I know most therapists would advise against jumping into a relationship while trying to get your own head straight, but I have to see this as a positive sign. A couple of months ago Owen was suicidal, now he wants to get himself some Jessica Simpson. That sounds like will to live. Interesting -- for some reason the Jessica-Owen age difference doesn't strike me as anywhere near as icky as that between Lance and Ashley. Maybe it's because we still partly see Ashley as that little pumpkin on "Full House."
Shepherd Park, D.C.: BURGUNDY and gold, not maroon. Don't make me buy a pair of burgundy pleated pants to wear as a protest to your callous insensitivity to our beloved local sports franchise.
Liz Kelly: Hahaha -- consider your button pushed, sir.
It's a stretch on the actor front: But aren't Paulina Porizkova and Rick Ocasek still married? Talk about an odd couple...
Liz Kelly: I believe they are. Okay, there's one -- though Paulina was a model, not necessarily an actress. Does one season on "Dancing With the Stars" count as acting?
Pemberley: Paging all you Mr. Darcy fans out there: I urge you to check out the BBC miniseries North and South (the one with Richard Armitage, not Patrick Swayze). Mr. Thornton is bad in a very good way. He can smolder like no one's business. [smolder smolder.]
Liz Kelly: We interrupt this discussion for an important announcement regarding chick pr0n. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Marriage questions: Interestingly, Keith Richards has been married to model (okay, not quite an actress) since the 80s.
Broader question about celebrity marriages: Why do celebs seem to only marry other celebs? Yes, there is the Julia Roberts Exception (she married the assistance cameraman from one of her movies, and it seems to be lasting). But why do we never hear about a marriage between a celebrity and Joe or Jane Q. Average?
Liz Kelly: I know this sounds flip and I don't mean for it to, but let's look at this from the other end. Why not ask why your pals don't date supermodels or soap stars? Because the answer is easy -- they don't have much opportunity to meet them. I think that's to some extent true for celebs, too. They spend their lives surrounded by other stars and we kind of tend to hunt in our own territory. There are a few other examples, too -- though not all worked out. Anne Heche and her soon-to-be-ex cameraman, Harrison Ford's wife was a screenwriter, I believe. That is until he left her for Calista Flockhart. And, hey, how about a hand for Michael Jackson and his nanny. No?
Logan Circle, Washington, D.C.: David Bowie and Iman are still married, right? I think that David Bowie counts as both a rock star and an actor.
Liz Kelly: True. And Iman counts for fabulous. I love David Bowie. I was just listening to "Life on Mars" in my car. Sigh.
byool, IN: Owen Wilson has it backward: FIRST you date Jessica Simpson, THEN you try to kill yourself.
Liz Kelly: So that's why we haven't seen much of Nick lately.
Eddie and Val: Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli managed 20 years before splitting. You didn't say if the wife had to be a movie actress or if Lifetime specials would suffice.
Liz Kelly: Okay, but Eddie was (and is) certifiably insane. And Lifetime specials notwithstanding, I remember a time when "One Day at a Time" era Valerie Bertinelli was totally drooled over by my brothers and their friends. This was roughly around the era when "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" was filmed, tho.
Paulina and Ric: It's not odd that they're together. A lot of models date ugly rock stars. Axl Rose and a Victoria's Secret chick dated for awhile. I know she accused him of hitting her. Stephanie something.
The odd part is that it's lasted.
Liz Kelly: That's right! Stephanie Seymour -- who appeared in the "November Rain" videeo wearing a skanky mini-skirt wedding dress.
Olsen-Armstrong, Icky: I think it was the MSN gossip page that helpfully pointed out that Ashley is closer in age to Lance Armstrong's 8-year-old son than she is to Lance Armstrong.
Liz Kelly: But hardly the only relationship out there with a vast age difference. Hello, Larry King and his bride. Donald Trump. Hugh Hefner. Michael Douglas.
Rockville, Md.: I'm just curious -- are Sabrina and Mark (from "Dancing with the Stars") a real couple? It certainly appeared that way on the last episode.
Liz Kelly: Ya know, I haven't been watching that closely, but I'll put this out there in case someone else has...
Ick factor breakdown: Maybe the ickiness arises because Ashley, Jessica and Owen all seem sorta kinda vaguely adolescent still, while Lance is an adult (with three small adorable children).
Liz Kelly: But consider this -- Owen is two years older than Lance.
Throwing phones: Isn't Iman the one who likes to throw phones at people? Oh, wait, my bad. That's Naiomi Campbell. Nevermind.
Liz Kelly: Yes, Iman would never sink so low. Speaking of Naomi -- she's spent the past few days in Venezuela meeting with Hugo Chavez.
Arlington, Va.: Hmmm. It seems best when rock stars marry "non-famous" people, like Bono and his wife (married since 1982), Sting and his wife (married since 1992). Maybe you just have to have a singular name.
Liz Kelly: Tho Trudie (Sting's wife) is hardly a wallflower. And those two reportedly keep things fresh by indulging in a shared love of strip clubs. In fact, this morning's Mix included an item about Sting visiting a club in New York last weekend.
Baltimore, Md.: Jeez...I thought today's chat would be wall-to-wall Dog the Bounty Hunter, who had the plugged pulled on his show by A and E at the first mention of the N-word. Heard Dog had called Al Sharpton to apologize. Which makes about as much sense as calling, oh, Vanessa Williams, but every white boy in trouble seems to think Sharpton's the go-to guy for forgiveness from the black community.
Liz Kelly: Listen, just because CNN is wall-to-wall Dog, doesn't mean we have to follow suit. What's to say? He's the latest in a string of idiots to (thankfully) show his true colors. If TMZ.com is to be credited, A&E has suspended production on his show. Good. Now I don't have to look at his fake-baked, bleached-out, paunchy self anymore.
Why do celebs seem to only marry other celebs?: Hmmm. Glenn Close and her husband. Matt Damon and his bartender. J. Lo and her back-up dancer. Liz and that construction guy from rehab. (No, not YOU, Liz, the OTHER Liz).
Liz Kelly: Yes, but most of your examples didn't last.
More rocks stars and models: What about David Coverdale of Whitesnake fame and Tawny Kitaen?
How surprising that didn't last...
Liz Kelly: Indeed. I had a boyfriend in high school who had a dog named Tawny.
Longest Marriage of Actress/Rock Star: Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach, a BOND girl.
Liz Kelly: Good one! Was she in "Caveman?"
Alexandria, Va.: Michael Douglas and CZJ have been together eight years or something and seem genuinely happy. Why do we have to assume a difference in age makes something icky? Ashley Olsen is hardly your typical 21 year old. She runs an empire. I just hate all this judgmental attitude.
Liz Kelly: And let us not forget Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, who have been together for ages now and seem to be quite happy.
Porizkova : Well, she has about 20 acting credits listed in IMDb (movies, sitcom guest spots),s o yeah, I think she counts as an actress.
Lance and Ashley: I'm about to marry a guy 13 years older than me (though I'm 30), so I'm not weirded out by the age thing. But the Olsen twins still look pre-pubescent, even in their oversized designer clothes and scary makeup! It's just ick!
(And this chat is a fabulous way to prep for a job interview in 1.5 hours, so thanks)
Liz Kelly: I think you're right. It's all in the look. We assume Lance is older than Owen because Owen still looks like a college kid. And, unfortunately, Ashley -- tho 21 -- still looks like she's 15. Hence the ick. A co-worker just pointed out that Lance probably won his first Tour de France while "Full House" was still in production.
Celebrity marriages: I can think of a couple that have worked out, where they were together since before they were stars: Bono and Ali Hewson, Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy (?) (although she was an actress and they met on "Family Ties.") maybe it has something to do with "I knew you when you were struggling and not on the cover of magazines, etc." Frankly, I also think these two (Bono and MJF) are more grounded than a lot of the younger stars today.
Liz Kelly: Though that didn't work for Billy Bob Thornton and his first wife, who he left shortly after rocketing to fame with "Sling Blade."
Liz Kelly: Wait -- we were wrong. Armstrong won his first Tour in '99 and "Full House" went off the air in '95. Oh well, it sounded good.
Michael Douglas and CZJ have been together eight years or something and seem genuinely happy.: er, but he was MARRIED when they started dating...
Doesn't that get some sort of asterisk in the records books?
Liz Kelly: I dunno... does it? Just because Michael had a past it doesn't necessarily diminish his current relationship.
Olsen-Armstrong, Icky (Again): "But hardly the only relationship out there with a vast age difference. Hello, Larry King and his bride. Donald Trump. Hugh Hefner. Michael Douglas."
Yes, but in those cases, the wives are firmly in adult territory, no? I know I wouldn't classify my 21-year-old self as an adult (even if I was, legally). This hook-up definitely creeps me out.
Sting: While relaxing in front of the TV very late one night last week (letting the alcohol settle in for the night) I caught the first hour of Sting's feature film "The Bride" with Jennifer Beals. I spent the first half hour stunned by this celluloid image of a fresh-faced younger Sting, and the second half wondering if this is what he watches when he feels the need to relive his glory days, a la Norma Desmond. I hope not...
Liz Kelly: Ya, he was totally hot in "The Bride." An underrated movie.
FINALLY!: There's someone else on this planet who has a distaste for Lance...almost as much as I do! That guy makes my skin crawl. Total sleaze.
And I'd prefer that he keep his steroid-riddled body away from Michelle Tanner.
Liz Kelly: Show of hands -- any more Lance haters out there?
Celeb/artist?: Meryl Streep and husband, sculptor Don Gummer (married since 1978) Only I guess Meryl is really an artist, too, and not a celeb.
Liz Kelly: True. Though Meryl is a great example, in many ways.
Washington, D.C.: I heard some clown DJ mention on the radio last night that Kanye West is engaged/expected to marry this winter. Any confirmation on this and to who?
Liz Kelly: I haven't heard this one yet, but will get right on it, chief.
En fuego!: New personal best, Liz! You've used three of my questions/comments today. Woo hoo!
RE: Speaking of Naomi -- she's spent the past few days in Venezuela meeting with Hugo Chavez. : Thank goodness she's doing her part for the downtrodden. Where would the workers of the world be without her support?
Liz Kelly: Seriously -- now if only Paris Hilton would get her trip to Rwanda back on track.
Baltimore, Md.: I have not seen CNN today. Is it really wall-to-wall Dog the Bounty Hunter? That can't be what Ted Turner had in mind. Are the End Times truly upon us?
Liz Kelly: Boy, you must've fallen asleep in 1998 and not seen CNN till now.
Kevin Kline/Phoebe Cates: Sixteen-year age difference and married since 1989.
Liz Kelly: Good one! I love these two -- anyone ever see that movie "Princess Caribou" that they teamed up on. Silly, but not awful.
Gene Simmons: and Shannon Tweed, although not married, have a very normal longstanding relationship, kids and all. He definitely qualifies as rock star and she did movies after the Playboy thing.
Liz Kelly: Yes, but is all really hunky-dory there?
St. Louis, Mo.: Why is it I can gleefully read and write snarky comments in your blog, but feel dirty when I try to watch TMZ or ET?
Liz Kelly: I don't know, but I like it. Remember, Celebritology good, everyone else bad and scary.
Thanks for the chats and daily blogs.
What were you for Halloween?
I was the Tinman -- and busted my mad robot dance moves all night.
Liz Kelly: Sadly, I was a sweats-wearing blogger in need of a shower. My seven-year-old niece, however, was Cleopatra and looked so fab -- like a little Clara Bow, complete with beaded headdress and big eye makeup. Mr. Liz had an interesting Halloween party story from work, but I would need his permission before telling it.
Just because Michael had a past it doesn't necessarily diminish his current relationship: No, but the fact that he was MARRIED when he started courting his current wife CERTAINLY calls into question his faithfulness as a husband, and thus the overall 'wonderfulness' of his marriage. You can't aruge he's the longterm kinda guy when he starts cheating when he gets bored.
And he gets an ick label just like Lance, cuz cheating on your wife is much worse than dating a young airhead.
Liz Kelly: Okay okay -- your comment is now on record. All I'm saying is that we are none of us perfect and we none of us do things right 100 percent of the time.
I do like Lance, but...: ...didn't he also leave his wife (who stood by him during the whole cancer thing) for Sheryl Crow?
Liz Kelly: So it would seem. It also seemed that he left Sheryl Crow perilously close to the time when she announced that she had breast cancer.
Answering a question from the top of the hour...: I work in media relations for a large university, and in a weird way think that offers me perspective on how gossip rags work.
We've experienced - -within the last couple years as blogs have hit their full stride -- a lot of uncorroborated reporting from our regional press corps. Lots of legitimate reporters will, for example, call our office during a crisis or big breaking news story and cite information they got on a blog, and then ask us to confirm it. We've seen some shocking examples of rumors published in newspapers or run on local TV news, based solely on the fact that the information first appeared on more than one blog.
So, if this happens in a world of slightly less dramatic news, I suspect that a lot of the gossip rags, and biggest celeb blogs, require VERY LITTLE validation of fact before trying to beat their competitors to scoops.
Liz Kelly: Absolutely -- the journalism landscape has changed in many ways as the news hole online continues to grow exponentially. Some changes are for the better -- like these discussions -- and some worse.
Alexandria, Va.: Is Britney Spears at this point simply famous for being famous? She cannot appear to sing or dance, and is no more attractive than the average young woman.
How long can her current type of fame last?
Liz Kelly: Well, that's why I pay attention to her -- for the maelstrom that is her life -- but then I remember that some sick twist of fate set her new single securely atop the pop charts and that her album -- though nothing new -- was actually well-reviewed by several critics (though not all, like The Post's own Josh du Lac.
Liz Kelly: Okay, Mr. Liz has given me the go-ahead to tell his work Halloween story. So apparently his company had an afternoon Halloween party where employees were given the option of coming in costume. Out of roughly 200, about 10 showed up in dress. One employee, who Mr. Liz describes as a quiet guy who normally blends into the background at company functions, surprised everyone by showing up at the party dressed as Leonidas from "300." Let me make this crystal clear. Mr. Liz says the room kind of went silent as people tried to figure out where to look. One pal of Mr. Liz's stood in the corner trying to surreptitiously snap pix with his cell phone. If it matters, the guy was apparently buff.
Liz Kelly: If things seem slow, they are. The one day I come into the office to do the chat we have trouble with our building's Internet connection. Bear with me here.
Cold turkey: Liz -- Will we really be without Jon Stewart and Colbert and the SNL crowd if the writers strike? Can't any of these folks write their own material? Maybe you and Gene could assist them?
Liz Kelly: Well, we couldn't legally write for TV without joining the union. Then we'd be on strike, so we'll need to come up with another work around. Between you and me, I wouldn't notice if "SNL" went off the air.
At Home, Va.: Another couple, not married, but long, long term... Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
Liz Kelly: And Snake Plissken may as well be a rock star.
Actresses & Rock Stars:: Ozzy and Sharon Osborne have been together for a long time although she wasn't really an actress although now she's been on a few reality shows.
Liz Kelly: Ya, Ozzy would pretty much fall apart without Sharon.
Dog the Bounty Hunter: I am sick sick sick of people running to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for forgiveness after being blatantly racist. Whaaaaa?
More importantly, why are these leaders of the civil rights community kow-towing to insincere celebs?
Or am I being too cynical?
Liz Kelly: It's okay to be cynical. You'd be ripped apart by this world otherwise. I wouldn't go so far as to say Al and Jesse are kow-towing -- after all, who are they to say no when Dog or Michael Richards or Imus come looking for absolution? My cynicism, actually, rests with them. Shame on them for being the hypocrites they are, then scrambling to stop the slide once they see their potential net worth slipping away.
I hate to admit it: But I can't stand Lance. He's an amazing athlete and he was able to beat -- and then draw national attention -- to a terrible disease. Still, he doesn't seem like he's nice, ya know? Ditto that on leaving wife # 1 after he recovered for Sheryl and then leaving Sheryl shortly before her public announcement. It's just gross. Plus, he has skinny girl arms.
Liz Kelly: Oooh, that's gotta hurt.
Lance, et al: If you read his autobio, he says flat-out that he's not a nice guy. I guess you don't conquer testicular cancer and win the Tour all those times by being a sweetie. BUT, lest we all be judged, the chickie is hardly a newbie to the 'scene'.
Liz Kelly: Well, there we go -- he apparently revels in being a cad.
Lance Hater?: Eh, I don't know about hater, but I do think Sheryl dodged a bullet there. My first clue was a picture of Lance standing between his wife (mother of his kids) and his mom, that was in a mountain biking mag. I swear to you Liz, the mom and wife looked exactly the same. Can anyone say Oedipus? Lance is flat-out messed in the head and any woman that gets involved with him now...
Liz Kelly: Well, I know Lance is close to his mom, but I don't want to go here.
Washington, D.C.: Okay, to set the record straight on CZJ and Douglas, he had been separated for many years but Deandra Douglas refused to give him a divorce. He met Catherine at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998; they began dating in March 1999 and got engaged on New Year's Eve 1999. His wife finally gave him a divorce in May or June of 2000 b/c CZJ was pregnant.
Liz Kelly: I don't have time to check this out, so I'm just putting it out there for discussion.
Gene Simmons & Shannon Tweed: I would not use them as a measurement of a normal, happy relationship. Gene has a pretty dim view of marriage, and thinks that as long as he doesn't marry Shannon it will keep her on her best behavior. He has actually come out and state this. He likes to say that their relationships is so strong they don't need to be married, but everything else he says indicates that he uses the lack of marriage as a way to keep Shannon from being too confident.
And, he's always talking about how he has to live up to his partying, womanizer image to please the public. His excuse for going out surrounded by sleazy women hanging all over him.
This is not a relationship I would want to be in.
Liz Kelly: To be fair, though, we need to consider that this may just be the persona that Gene is presenting to the public. Although his reality show was one of the most contrived pieces of television I've ever seen, I do have to begrudgingly say that there seemed to be genuine affection between the two and -- the true test of any relationship -- their two children seem incredibly grounded, happy and thriving.
Liz Kelly: Okay, I give up. The connection here is off more than on. See you here next week and in the blog tomorrow. Thanks for hanging in there.
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Rob Pegoraro: Hi everybody... I've just gobbled three or four candy bars in a row (the kids in my neighborhood failed to clean out our trick-or-treating supplies), so I'm good for at least 45 minutes of nonstop typing before the sugar high wears off.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob, Thanks for the review of Leopard - I've got a 1-year-old Macbook (one of the original intel macbooks - not the dual core or whatever they're called).
Would you recommend upgrading any of the hardware (hard drive/memory etc) before installing Leopard?
Rob Pegoraro: Take a look at the memory. Apple says Leopard can run on 512 megabytes--as I blogged earlier today, it's surprisingly usable on an ancient PowerMac G4 with little more than that. But you'll note that Apple hasn't sold any computers with less than a gigabyte standard for quite a few months now.
The other hardware item you should think about buying is an external hard drive. Make sure it can connect via FireWire (so you don't use up one of your MacBook's two USB ports) and is "bus powered" (so you don't need to plug it into a wall outlet).
Sibu, Malaysia: What's your take on Leopard OS vs Vista? Assuming what you're after is rock-solid stability and some serious video editing? Thank you.
Rob Pegoraro: I don't think Vista wins that comparison. Leopard is cheaper, easier to install, more reliable, simpler, has fewer compatibility problems and, as I wrote, won't lock you out of the computer because it thinks you didn't pay for your copy.
Now if you've got a perfectly good PC ready to run Vista, none of that matters--you can't put Leopard on your PC anyway.
Silver Spring, Md.: Quick question. I'm considering buying a mac. Do I need a security/anti-viral system?
washingtonpost.com: Faster Forward: What Real Mac Malware Looks Like| Security Fix: Anti-Virus On A Mac?
Rob Pegoraro: Somehow, Brian Krebs and I managed to blog about the exact same topic within a couple of hours of each other (fortunately, my post went up before his :)
You don't need any sort of security "system" like what many people buy for PCs. You may want to think about installing anti-virus software--not because any viruses exist for Mac OS X (they don't), but because it will stop you from accidentally forwarding Windows viruses. For that, I would go with the free, open-source ClamXav
You don't need an anti-spyware program, nor do you need an extra firewall--just turn on the one in Leopard (open System Preferences, then click Security) and use your own common sense when it comes to strange downloads.
I've got an Intel-based MacPro and I'm excited about upgrading to Leopard. Two questions: Is it polished enough right now to forego the usual rule of waiting for the first OS upgrade so that some of the bugs get worked out? And are the software-based PC emulation programs a better choice than BootCamp for running Windows programs?
Rob Pegoraro: Personally, I'd hold off for a couple of weeks, and especially if you have a lot of third-party software installed. That's not because Leopard will start crashing, but because these other programs may have minor glitches that their authors haven't caught yet. (Apple did not provide copies of the shipping version of Leopard to developers until the day it went on sale.)
I prefer Parallels and Fusion to Boot Camp for two reasons: 1) I hate rebooting, and 2) I often need to share information between OS X and Windows.
That reminds me--I need to write up a comparison of those two for the blog sometime, or at least before one of these companies ships yet another update.
Some cautions about the Leopard upgrade: First, with any systems upgrade, backup the computer! things can go wrong...
Second, if you use filevault, unencrypt before installing Leopard. I lost my HD (not a big deal because of step one, but took several hours to recover) when my filevault could not be opened with Leopard. And I know of several other people that had the same failure. I expect that type of problem from Microsoft....not Apple.
Now, once it is installed, the "time machine" feature is awesome. Definitely worth the pain.
Rob Pegoraro: Thanks for advice. Hadn't heard about FileVault issues... you were wise to back up first.
Bethesda, Md.: I have a G4 iMac, so Leopard is not an option for me (and the computer works perfectly well for my purposes anyway; only Time Machine is a big draw). My question is about iLife... I am running 05 and wondering if it's worth upgrading. Mostly use iTunes (which you can upgrade for free anyway) and iPhoto; are iPhoto and the other apps worth the additional cost?
Rob Pegoraro: Leopard can run on at least some G4 iMacs--not the first-gen batch of them, but later models should meet its minimum specs.
I think you would appreciate iLife '08: iPhoto has advanced greatly since the '05 release. And if you've never touched iMovie before, you might find that iMovie '08 helps get you started.
Tampa, Fla.: Leopard OS 10.5 on an old TiBook:
Will Leopard run on a G4 TiBook with 768 MB RAM but only a 667 MHz processor? Apple's website says I need at least an 867 MHZ chip. Tiger runs fine on my TiBook. The local Apple Store says Leopard "has a lot more going on under the hood" than Tiger, so it needs a faster processor.
Reading about Vista, I keep seeing the experts say RAM counts for more than clock speed. Shouldn't Leopard be the same? I could go up to 1 GB RAM if that's what it takes to run Leopard.
Rob Pegoraro: From what I have heard, the Leopard installer will flat-out refuse to run if it detects a processor slower than 867 MHz. I'm sure there are hacks around that, and I also suspect--based on what Leopard looks like on an 867 MHz G4--that it would offer acceptable performance on your machine.
You can't make a direct comparison between Vista and OS X--the two systems have serious architectural differences under the hood. The most important one may be the argument I read and found convincing earlier this morning: Most of OS X's core components have benefited from six years' worth of fine-tuning and optimization, while Vista's two biggest features (upgraded security and Aero graphics) are brand-new and have yet to benefit from any such work, resulting in a less efficient system overall.
Adams Morgan: Rob, How come in IE when, I hit the back button or look at the pull down history next to the back history I see one or more doubleclick addresses? Is this due to pop ups and my blocker? What's going on here? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: (Note: I'm happy to take Windows questions too here!)
I would guess that those DoubleClick addresses are, in fact, pop-up ads. In case your reference to a pop-up blocker refers to separate software--meaning you're still running IE 6--I'll point you to this blog post: Internet Explorer 6 Support Ends Here
Silver Spring, Md.: Rob, Do you prefer to buy your personal tech items online or at a retail store? Do you find it helpful to view products in the flesh before buying them? Or are you comfortable searching for the best price on the Internet without any physical contact?
Also - have you been to the Microcenter store in Rockville? I hope it provides Best Buy and Circuit City with some much-needed competition on the Pike.
Rob Pegoraro: I will usually shop online--but I also often have the luxury of either seeing a gadget up close by testing it for my job. The odds of me shopping online do increase as the cost and size of a gadget declines.
Have never been to MicroCenter in Rockville, and I haven't been to the one in Vienna in years either. When it comes to shopping, I'd rather not play in traffic, if you catch my drift...
Chattanooga, Tenn.: How well does the new Apple backup utility work with notebooks and backup drives that aren't attached 24/7? Will the computer yell and scream every time it notices that the backup drive is unattached?
Rob Pegoraro: Time Machine is polite enough to stay out of the way when the computer is asleep, or if you put it into sleep mode manually. To quote Apple's site:
"If your Time Machine backup is interrupted - because you took your portable on the road or put your Mac to sleep - Time Machine will simply stop backing up. When you reconnect to your backup drive again, TIme Machine automatically picks up where it left off."
Frederick, Md.: If this has been answered previously, can you link me to the appropriate chat? Both desktop and laptops are Dells, with Windows XP, mostly trouble-free. My subscription to Norton Anti-Virus is about to expire and don't think it's worth the expense to renew. I use Spybot and Adware regularly, and recall a recommendation of some free products that work as well as those I would pay for. Recommendations? Thanks for your help.
Rob Pegoraro: I've been pretty happy with AVG anti-virus. It's not the prettiest program ever, but it's free and requires no extra effort to keep up to date.
Atlanta, Ga.: OMG! OMG! OMG! I saw a ZUNE on the subway this week! In the wild! I couldn't be more excited if I saw a Leprechaun or Bigfoot or some other mythical woodland creature. I'm reporting this to you only because the Weekly World News isn't around any more.
Rob Pegoraro: People use the subway in Atlanta? (Sorry, as a Northeast Corridor guy I'm obliged to indulge in a little MARTA bashing every now and then :)
Time Machi, NE: Regarding the statement about Time Machine in this morning's review: "You do, however, need an external hard drive -- the one inside your Mac won't do..."
You need a SECOND hard drive, which can be internal if you have a desktop Mac that supports it.
Now it is true that Apple won't currently sell you a desktop machine with space for a second internal hard drive unless you're willing to pony up for a Mac Pro starting at $2500. But the G4 and G5 Power Mac desktops that work with Leopard all have space for multiple internal drives.
Rob Pegoraro: This is a good point--I should have phrased that sentence to reflect that fact. (In my defense, I never use Apple's pro-level desktop machines, and I wouldn't recommend keeping your backups inside the same computer as your primary hard drive.) I'll see how we can fix that...
N.Y.: Rob, So I'm baffled by my new Dell laptop's power mngt. behavior. I'm a habitual standby/hibernate user. When I'm away from the comp. for a few hours, I put it on standby. A few more hours than that/overnight, it gets hibernated. I'm anal, OK.
Now, w/the new Dell, it does not 'take' hibernate commands well. AT ALL. The screen goes blank and then flashes. It comes back w/"insufficient system resources exist to complete the API". What are they talking about, I've got 2G of RAM?! When I put it on standby, it kind of seems to do it for, uh, 5 minutes, and then I come back and the session is back on again.
This is highly annoying - do you want to put the laptop in your work bag at night and then wake up to the bag all heated up from the live laptop (battery nearly depleted)? Fundamentally, as a geek, I dislike the fact that standby/hibernate does not work, period.
I've found that it will willingly go into a lower-power state if I only have 1 app. running, but that's silly isn't it? Why do I care to preserve that state if I'm only running 1 thing? Wouldn't state-saving be more meaningful when I have a whole bunch of programs running? I've found that, for example, if Firefox is up the standby/hibernate will definitely not work.
And oh yeah, when the laptop returns from a failure to standby/hibernate, the touch pad completely does not respond. If I don't have a separate mouse, then it requires rebooting to get the touch pad working again. A royal pain.
I'm complaining because even my old clunkers willingly took the commands, and the last thing I want when I get a brand new machine is for something as trivial/obvious as power mngt. to not work.
Rob Pegoraro: I've seen all kinds of sleep-mode malfunctions in Windows, but never any involving that exact error message. Are you running XP or Vista?
Alexandria, Va.: Hello Rob, You mention that Leopard will not run "Classic" applications. Does this mean that if I buy a new iMac I won't be able to run Photoshop 3.0 and other older applications? Does the iMac installed software include any substitute for Photoshop?
Rob Pegoraro: Correct, your old copy of Photoshop is toast. None of Apple's Macs ship with a new copy of Photoshop--none ever have, AFAIK.
But: If you've been getting by with Photoshop 3.0 (that's almost as old as the version I used in college 15 years ago!), you'll probably be just as happy with the $35 shareware app Graphic Converter (www.lemkesoft.com).
Bethesda, Md.: I'm waiting to get my $10 copy of Leopard, but your article makes me quite excited. I need to connect an old flat screen monitor to my Mac Powerbook G4. The port is different than what my serial monitor connects to. How can I connect the monitor? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: I think your PowerBook has a mini-DVI (digital video) output. So you'd need to get a mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter--$19 at the Apple Store, but you can probably get one for less elsewhere.
Arlington: Does a bus powered external hard drive mean that you can plug it into an external USB port? So many peripherals now, like printers, say to plug them directly into the computer. I have a 7 port D-Link USB portal and wonder if that would work for an external HD. Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: Hmm... probably not, unless the hub is itself powered.
Rockville, Md.: My father recently had a virus on his computer (XP). After telling him to never never NEVER run Active X or download things (no matter how much he wants to), he still did. After cleaning the computer a second time, I changed his user account to limited and created one for me (admin).
Then he started calling me because "Mazola Foxfire" would try to install updates (Norton also) automatically but his account lacked the authorization. Now, I need to log in (using LogMeIn.com) so these can run under an admin account.
There has got to be a better way but I can't find it. Help please.
Rob Pegoraro: Well, he might be happier with a Mac... but with the existing setup, I think you are right to set him up with a limited account. I'm just stumped on why Firefox would need admin access to update itself... any ideas for Rockville?
Rob Pegoraro: Nuremberg, Germany: Why is my 'WAB' address file different than the one in Microsoft Office Outlook? The latter has the latest addresses. When I wanted to 'transfer' it to Mozilla Thunderbird, only the 'WAB' was visible when an address was needed in Outlook. Norman
Thunderbird can import Outlook address books--I've done it before. Try opening Tbird's address book, going to the Tools menu and selecting Import.
Washington, D.C.: I know you've discussed PDAs before but can't remember your advice. Does it even make sense to buy a non-phone PDA any more? If so, which? Much as I'd like a smart phone, it's a little out of my price range as long as the cell phone contract is still in place (another year).
Rob Pegoraro: No, unless you don't use a cell phone at all (or hardly at all).
Bethesda, Md.: RE: Photoshop: If all you need to do is tweak the quality of digital photographs, iPhoto may be all you need. If you are a high-end Photoshop user, there is no substitute.
Rob Pegoraro: I'm pretty sure somebody still running Photoshop 3.0 isn't at the high end of the market :)
Odenton, Md.: In case I miss the chat:
My exactly 2-year-old iPod Mini has suddenly gone on the fritz. It will be fully or almost fully charged, play a song or two (not even get halfway through) and the battery needs to be charged message shows up followed by the battery icon and then it shuts off. If I wait a few minutes, I can turn it on and it's fine for the rest of my commute (about 10 songs). Does this sound like a battery replacement issue? I read through pages of messages on Apple's boards, but couldn't find a person that said that they could turn it on after a few minutes and it was fine for the time-being.
My next question -- is it worth the $70 to have the battery replaced or should I suck it up and get a Nano? I don't need all the "bells and whistles" (I only have 300 songs on the mini as it is), but I don't want something basic like a Shuffle either. Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: That doesn't sound like a battery problem--if it were, you wouldn't be able to keep using it a few minutes after it first shuts down. Have you tried resetting and restoring the iPod in iTunes? That will blank its existing software (which certainly seems to have gone haywire) and put the latest version in place.
Silver Spring, Md.: Rob, I have a iBook G4 with 512 RAM and 1Ghz of processor speed. This meets the minimum for RAM requirements and slightly exceeds the minimum processor speed for Leopard. Based on your experience, would I be setting myself up for a world of slowness and misery by upgrading on this machine? Thanks for the chat!
Rob Pegoraro: I think you would be OK overall. You'd probably lose some of Leopard's visual effects--they rely on some graphics hardware not present on your iBook--but the important bits would all be there.
It's been interesting to see this many questions come from people with older hardware. I didn't expect that.
As a general rule, I don't get queries like that when it comes to new Windows updates--a lot of people are reluctant to install Vista even on a year-old computer.
Washington, D.C.: A Leopard comment for you: if you have an old version of Boot Camp on your hard drive, the Leopard install may not show your hard drive. It's running a filesystem check (fsck, if you speak UNIX) and it can take up to 15 minutes. You don't need to reformat your hard drive (as I almost did). There is no indication in the installer that it's doing anything (a big oops, in my opinion). Hopefully this can save people a lot of grief/reformatted hard drives!
DC: Have you heard anything about iTunes not working right on the iPod Classic? I went to the Apple store three times about it -- it refuses to install the latest update -- and they replaced my iPod (twice!!!) before they finally realized that the new update won't work on the Classic. And the iPod acts squirrelly -- it doesn't sync right (often have to reboot to get it to sync) and it doesn't fast forward through songs properly.
Have you heard of this/any readers heard of this? Apple is usually much better about this kind of thing.
Rob Pegoraro: Haven't heard of it, but I'll post it and see if any of the other chatters know about it.
digital video recorders: Hi Rob, I'd really like to buy a digital video recorder, and I'd like something I could use for many years. But I'm worried that there are so many different formats (for instance: HDTV, normal TV, analog cable, digital cable, satellite TV, and I hear things about broadcast flags) that anything I buy will be useless in a few years, or unable to record much of what we watch. Am I needlessly worried? Also, can you get a DVR that allows you to plug in external hard drives for additional recordings?
Rob Pegoraro: As long as you get a video recorder--DVD, hard drive, even VHS--with a digital tuner, you're future-proofed as far as broadcast goes. Things get squirrelly when it comes to cable TV: You'll at least want one with a "QAM" tuner, and usually a CableCard slot as well. Right there, I may have pared down the list to only one DVR--the TivoHD--plus some media-center-type computers.
For satellite, forget it--the only DVRs with built-in satellite tuners come from the satellite services themselves.
Washington, D.C.: Rob - so has your household purchased an LCD HD TV yet? Can you tell us what you chose?
Rob Pegoraro: We haven't. Embarrassing, isn't it? :)
That's partially my own laziness, partially the fact that we're still having some work done in the next room.
Odenton again...: Does restoring mean I'll have to load the songs again? I did see that feature on the Apple site, but I'm at work so can't try it for obvious reasons (main one being that my iTunes is on my home PC).
Rob Pegoraro: Right. Restoring means completely wiping the iPod's memory, then reloading everything from scratch.
New Canaan, Conn.: is there a single solution to the compatibility problem with Vista? It was supposed to be an 'improvement'. I was gullible enuf to accept it on a new computer and have suffered because of this problem.
Rob Pegoraro: There is, in one way: Third-party developers need to get off their butts and update their software!
Look, Windows Vista cannot possibly have taken any sentient software developer by surprise. It was *years* in the making; Microsoft didn't even put the final version in stores or release it for installation on new computers until a good two months after it was finished.
Arlington, Va.: Does this exist?: A wifi-capable device that is more portable than a laptop, doesn't require phone service, and is cheaper than an iTouch.
Rob Pegoraro: Try the Nokia 810 sometime--it's a little Linux-powered tablet computer with WiFi built in.
Washington, D.C.: Just yesterday I started having my email rejected by Hotmail. These are often replies I'm sending to friends - so it's clear that they have not put me on their blocked list. Surfing the web, I found that this is a common problem having to do with Microsoft's spam filters which blacklists senders as spammers (who are not). Countless others appear to have the same problem. Is Microsoft doing anything about this other than on an individual case-by-case basis? Seems like a major issue for anyone who either has a Hotmail account or emails to people who have them.
Rob Pegoraro: Well, Hotmailers, how are things going? (If you've seen your outgoing messages bounce back, please tell me what service the recipient used--AOL, Verizon, Gmail, whatever.)
Winnipeg, Canada: Hi there. I was wondering about FileVault in OS X (I'm still got Tiger and probably won't get around to upgrading to Leopard for a while). Is it a good security feature or just a big hassle? After the initial encryption, does it slow down the computer very much? Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: It's a good security feature if you take your computer outside the home often and have sensitive data on it, but it's not without its risks (see one of the first postings here).
Rockville, Md.: Are there any good freeware registry cleaners for XP?
Rob Pegoraro: The one I've used a few times without any evident harm is CCleaner (ccleaner.com). But I can't say that any of my Windows machines has felt much snappier as a result.
BTW, I should reiterate here my standard warning: If a Web ad pops up, says your computer is in bad shape and needs a registry cleaning NOW--ignore it. Never install software under those conditions.
For Hibernate problem: I don't know Win internals, but hibernate likely involves moving memory to disk. The fact that you have 2 GB or RAM could be a hint: is your swap/page/whatever you call it in Windows big enough?
Rob Pegoraro: That's possible, although it would be an unusual Windows system with that much memory and yet too little free space on the drive to accommodate the swap file.
Power-mngt prob, NY: Rob, I'm running XP, and a corporate image at that. I thought of mentioning it but didn't think it would be super-enlightening...is it?
Rob Pegoraro: It is, actually: Vista seems to do a better job with power management than XP... which in turn is better than Win 95, 98 or ME.
Washington, D.C.: If I can afford it, my next personal computer might be a Mac, contingent on one major thing: gaming. Apple has a long way to go to satisfy me on this front. This is a problem that causes the hordes of tech-loving young gamers like me to avoid switching.
Sure, OS X is well-designed, attractive, and secure, but I am experienced enough to use Windows XP safely and efficiently, so I would never pay a premium for a system that won't run the games I enjoy. A recent interview I saw with Gabe Newell of Valve Software indicated that Apple realizes they have a problem but can never put forth a concerted, long-term effort to improve their game support.
Rob Pegoraro: The Mac has never been a good machine to get for gaming. It's not as bad as it once was--the Intel transition has helped enormously--but if gaming's a priority you need to run Windows. At the very least, you'd need to set up Windows XP in Boot Camp on a Mac.
Williamsburg, Va.: Re: the problem with "Mazola Foxfire" on the limited user account -- are there any Firefox plug-ins/add-ons installed? I think I've run into problems with some Firefox add-ons when they tried to update on a limited account.
Rob Pegoraro: I think Firefox needs admin access no matter what--I get a User Account Control nag in Visa when Firefox wants to update itself.
Tampa, Fla.: FYI: Someone has figured out how to run Leopard on an Intel PC. As the hacker, BrazilMAC points out elsewhere, Windows hardware is less expensive than Mac hardware.
Rob Pegoraro: I was wondering if the OSx86 folks had gotten that to work yet. (This is an *extremely* unsupported hack.)
Silver Spring, Md.: Hotmail not sending messages?
I have run into this.
Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Silver Spring.
(To save everybody from having to click through: The linked-to story says that Hotmail caps you at 100 outgoing messages a day.)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: When photos are deleted from a digital camera, can they be recovered if they haven't been overwritten with new photos? I am asking out of curiosity in connection with something discussed in this week's Weingarten chat (a woman caught a guy taking "upskirt" photos in the Metro and he started deleting them).
Rob Pegoraro: I read that part of the Weingarten chat as well--what a creep.
Deleted photos are like any other kind of deleted file: If you haven't overwritten them with other data, you can still recover them with the right software, such as PhotoRec (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec)
Fairfax, Va.: I'm in the market for a new laptop for home: no gaming, not a media center. Have you put out a review guide in the last year? Are the Toshiba Satellites still a good line? Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Short answer: Toshiba makes good hardware, but whoever's in charge of its software bundle--much less papering over every laptop with stupid stickers--needs to find a more suitable line of work.
hibernate, again: I found an article in MS knowledgebase. It says the power manager isn't getting enough memory, and recommends a hotfix.
If you do have the exact text of an error message, it's usually worth your time to search for that phrase at support.microsoft.com - then, if that doesn't work, try a Web search for the same phrase.
Richmond, Va.: I've used both CCleaner and Eusing Registry Cleaner with no apparent ill effects.
Rob Pegoraro: But have they made your computer any faster?
I'm starting to think that cleaning the registry is like defragging the hard drive--it's a form of computing voodoo that does little harm but provides little help in most cases, but at least it helps people feel that they're still in charge of their computers.
Pittsburgh, Pa.: Have a new PC with WXP64 installed. Am having trouble obtaining a wireless adaptor card that will work with this. Any suggestions? Thanks
Rob Pegoraro: You've discovered the curse of 64-bit computing in Windows: awful driver support. That--along with the irrelevance of 64-bit computing for most consumer applications--explains why I've advised against even messing with x64 Windows.
(Leopard is a 64-bit system, but it implements this feature in a way that preserves compatibility with existing software; most users will never even know this feature exists.)
64-bit computing, BTW, essentially means that the computer can process much larger chunks of data at a time. It does *not* make the computer twice as fast as it was with 32-bit software.
Laurel, Md.: I have a G3 iBook (from 2002) which has a new 120GB hard drive (the original failed), and maxed out memory (640 MB). It was running 10.2.4 when it failed and I want to upgrade to Tiger (10.4.x). How is this done? I tried Apple.com but apparently 10.2.8 and above aren't available for purchase/downloading (?). Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Amazon still carries Tiger, and you can also buy a copy on eBay.
Clarksville, Md.: Any thoughts or advice on penetrating the Verizon so-called "customer service" labyrinth? I have Verizon FIOs cable TV and Internet, and love the service. However, Verizon insists on charging me for a home media DVR that I do not have, and they still have not given me the $99 bundled monthly rate, even thought I signed up for it six months. I'm on the phone constantly with them, get vague promises, but nothing ever changes. Help!
Rob Pegoraro: E-mail me with the details (robp -at- washpost.com) and I'll see what I can do.
Alexandria, Va.: Wal-Mart is about to sell a Linux computer for $200. It uses Google's online spreadsheet, word processor, etc. instead of Windows. Is this approach practical in 2007?
Rob Pegoraro: Sure--just not for everybody.
What distribution is Wal-Mart shipping with this machine?
Washington, D.C.: Shorter version of an earlier question: Should HandBrake take 8 or more hours to rip a DVD to a hard drive?
Rob Pegoraro: Absolutely not. When I first tested it on a G4 iMac, ripping a DVD to the computer took at least twice as long as the movie's running time. On an Intel iMac, it's been more like 50 percent of the movie's running time.
New York, N.Y.: Rob, From you I learn that I can install WinXP via Bootcamp on my new (Leopard) iMac. This question: will I then be able to run Quicken for Windows on the iMac? As you probably know better than I, Quicken's program for Mac leaves a lot to be desired. -and getting a helpful response from Intuit ... Well, you're the Man when it comes to helpful responses. Thanks again for all. JC
Rob Pegoraro: Yes, you can run Quicken for Windows--along with any other Windows program--inside a Boot Camp installation. This isn't a a fake Windows system; it is as real as anything you'd put on a Dell, HP or whatever.
Note, though, that you can't put just any old copy of XP on a Boot Camp setup. You need XP Service Pack 2, and by the terms of Microsoft's license it needs to be a copy you bought in a store--not the CD that came with your last PC.
ipod ignoramous: So, everything I currently have on my ipod I put into itunes from previously existing CDs. What is different about buying stuff from the itunes store? Can those songs be copied to other media? Do I really own them, or do I only have the right to listen to them on my current computer and ipod? What if I get an external hard drive for back ups? What if I get a new computer someday? Do you get to redownload the songs you buy from itunes? or do you have to buy them again? Or are the contents of my library stored somewhere that I don't know about?
And, what if I want to borrow CD's from family members and load them on my ipod over Thanksgiving? Do I have to take the physical disks home with me back to my (desktop) computer? Can I download itunes onto their computer, scan their CD's and add the new music to my ipod without erasing what is already there? And can you keep my mother from killing me if I disappear for a while on Thanksgiving afternoon to do this?
Yes, the "ignoramus" title I claimed up top is well deserved.
Rob Pegoraro: Let me try to tackle these as quickly as possible, as I've gone *quite* a way past the scheduled end of this chat:
* You buy iTunes Store purchases, period.
* Anything labeled as iTunes Plus is an AAC file with zero usage limits.
* Everything else can only be played on five computers *at any one time*, but can be copied to an infinite number of computers--you can transfer the playback authorization from computer to computer as long as you want--and a infinite number of iPods.
* Apple allows a once-in-a-lifetime free download of everything you've purchased from the iTunes Store.
* You can rip music from any CD, then take the results--either MP3 or AAC files--on the removable storage of your choice and add them to your iTunes library later on.
Raleigh, N.C.: How is Google's "open" platform for cellphones going to be any different than Palm's? Doesn't the Palm OS already allow for third-party applications?
washingtonpost.com: You Can Hear Google Now
Rob Pegoraro: Exactly. This is why I don't get all this feverish anticipation over whatever Google might do in the cell-phone business. I don't doubt that the company could make a good phone interface... but I'm not sure it's going to reinvent the cell phone in the process.
Rockville, Md.: I am thinking of buying iPhone this holiday season. How is ATT in DC area? Is it worth buying? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: Good coverage overall until you walk into a Metro station--AT&T, like its fellow GSM carrier T-Mobile, has no signal in the subway parts of Metro.
Washington, D.C.: Thanks for all the good answers for us non-techies. Being naive perhaps, but why hasn't any MP3 player maker been able to break the iPod barrier with it's simple drag and paste? And, is there any reasons that iPods don't contain iTunes already built-in as archived software so you aren't limited using only certain computers, making iPod use as simple as possible? My next question would be why doesn't the iPod have a slide volume control on the side but I'll ask that later.
Rob Pegoraro: Look at the software end of things: Except for the Zune, you're looking at using one company's hardware (the MP3 player) and another company's software (usually, Windows Media Player). WMP itself has serious deficiencies compared to iTunes--the foremost one being that it can't subscribe to podcasts. Finally, a lot of competing MP3 players (I would not include the Zune among them) just aren't as simple and elegant to use as an iPod.
Put it this way: Apple's selling point for the iPod is simplicity, but the competition's sales pitch often consists of a bullet-point list of features.
Rob Pegoraro: That's gotta wrap things up for today--I have to get back to work on catching up with my e-mail, among many other things. Thanks... I should see y'all here in two weeks.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro discusses his recent reviews and answers your personal tech questions.
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'Do Not Track' Registry Proposed for Web Use
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Privacy, consumer and technology groups yesterday proposed the creation of a Do Not Track list similar to the Do Not Call phone list, allowing people to prevent companies from tracking which Web sites they visit.
The Do Not Track list is modeled after the popular Do Not Call registry maintained by the FTC. Since 2003, telemarketers have been barred from calling numbers submitted to the list, which has about 145 million numbers.
"Consumers obviously know the Do Not Call list and have reacted well to it," said Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America. "As an analogy it helps socialize an important concern and idea."
The FTC does not regulate ad networks' privacy policies, but a group called the Network Advertising Initiative, comprising 11 advertiser members, said the industry polices itself. People can opt out of advertising by downloading a small piece of data known as a cookie.
Privacy advocates say self-regulation has not been sufficient for several reasons. First, not all behavioral advertising firms join the advertising initiative. Pam Dixon, executive director at the World Privacy Forum, said only about 25 percent of advertising networks are members. Second, the opt-out process is technical and requires a separate download for each ad network, so few customers use it.
Finally, Web-tracking technology has advanced since the initiative was created, so its members have developed new ways of tracking behavior even if a user has downloaded the cookie. Yesterday, AOL, announced an improvement to this system, but it still drew criticism from privacy groups who say the program relies on technology that allows for loopholes.
AOL defended the technology and its modification.
"Most of this behavioral advertising business model is built around cookie information. I don't know of anybody who's using a get-around technology, and if they are, they really ought to be called out," said Jules Polonetsky, AOL chief privacy officer.
The advertising initiative, for its part, argues that a Do Not Track registry isn't necessary, saying that the voluntary program is user-friendly and most unwanted ads can be avoided using the cookie technology.
"We think this proposal is redundant and overwrought," said J. Trevor Hughes, NAI executive director.
Making Do Not Track technology work would involve substantial technical challenges, according to Richard M. Smith, a Boston-based Internet consultant and privacy advocate.
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Privacy, consumer and technology groups yesterday proposed the creation of a Do Not Track list similar to the Do Not Call phone list, allowing people to prevent companies from tracking which Web sites they visit.
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Open Access to Research Funded by U.S. Is at Issue
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A long-simmering debate over whether the results of government-funded research should be made freely available to the public could take a big step toward resolution as members of a House and Senate conference committee meet today to finalize the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services appropriations bill.
At issue is whether scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health should be required to publish the results of their research solely in journals that promise to make the articles available free within a year after publication.
The idea is that consumers should not have to buy expensive scientific journal subscriptions -- or be subject to pricey per-page charges for nonsubscribers -- to see the results of research they have already paid for with their taxes.
Until now, repeated efforts to legislate such a mandate have failed under pressure from the well-heeled journal publishing industry and some nonprofit scientific societies whose educational activities are supported by the profits from journals that they publish.
But proponents -- including patient advocates, who want easy access to the latest biomedical findings, and cash-strapped libraries looking for ways to temper escalating subscription costs -- have parlayed their consumer-friendly "public access" message into legislative language that has made it into the Senate and House versions of the new HHS bill.
That has set the stage for a last-minute lobbying showdown.
"There's been loads of debate and discussion, and at last it's going forward," said Heather Joseph, executive director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a Washington-based library group. She has been a persistent presence on Capitol Hill, making the case for open access.
Joseph and other supporters of the initiative have argued that subscription rolls would not plummet as a result of the requirement. Most journals contain plenty of research from non-NIH scientists, which would still be available only to subscribers, they say. And in any case, they contend, most scientists and libraries would not want to wait a year just to see research results free of charge.
They also point to the growing number of scientific journals that have switched to the open-access model, in which expenses are covered not by subscriptions but by fees charged to scientists whose work the journals publish. Such costs are usually covered by scientists' grant money.
Scientists assert that open access will speed innovation by making it easier for them to share and build on each other's findings.
"Congress recognizes that, in the Internet age, unimpeded access to publicly funded research results is essential for the advancement of science and public health," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni.
A two-year-old policy encouraging, but not requiring, NIH-funded scientists to publish in open-access journals has not had much impact on where scientists send their manuscripts, in part because many of the most prestigious journals have not adopted the open approach.
Opponents say that the economics of the open-access model are still experimental and tenuous, and that some open-access journals are dependent on philanthropic-foundation money to balance their books. They also contend that the approach raises copyright issues.
"I think there are some very serious questions to examine as to whether this is an unwarranted government intrusion into the private-sector publishing industry," said Allan R. Adler, vice president for legal and government affairs at the Association of American Publishers, which has organized efforts to quash the movement.
Adler criticized proponents for attaching the language to an appropriations bill instead of going through formal hearings. And he said new programs designed to gently push federally funded researchers toward open-access journals should be given more time to work.
With both Senate and House appropriation committee chairmen in favor, the language requiring the change would normally be virtually assured, despite a recent negative White House pronouncement. But Hill watchers said that -- given President Bush's threat to veto the bill for budgetary reasons and the likelihood of a continuing resolution, which would not have the new language -- it is too soon for the open-access movement to publish a victory paper.
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FDA's Foreign Inspection Budget Lean
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Although the volume of prescription drugs and drug ingredients coming into the country from foreign manufacturers in developing nations such as India and China has exploded in recent years, the Food and Drug Administration's budget for foreign inspections has not kept pace and will be lower in 2008 than it was in 2002, according to congressional investigators.
As a result, foreign drug and drug ingredient makers are inspected on average once every eight to 12 years, while American-based manufacturers must be inspected at least once every two years.
In addition, the investigators reported, FDA officials generally do not bring their own translators, and so in countries such as China they rely on company-supplied translators to conduct inspections. They also have to tell foreign manufacturers in advance that they are coming, while FDA inspectors can go into American plants at any time unannounced.
"Given the high level of foreign imports, this lack of oversight puts American consumers at considerable risk," said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has scheduled a hearing for today on the subject.
"China alone has more than 700 firms making drug products for the U.S., yet the FDA has resources to conduct only about 20 inspections a year in China," he said. "This is dangerously inadequate."
A bipartisan group of inspectors from the committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee accompanied FDA inspectors on an August trip to India and China -- two nations that have become major players in supplying the U.S. drug market. Neither country has a strong drug regulatory agency, and the committee inspectors concluded that setting up permanent FDA offices could solve many inspection problems. They reported that Indian officials supported the idea, while the Chinese officials' position was unclear.
According to the committee investigators, the FDA spent $16.7 million on foreign inspections in 2002 and will have an estimated $16 million for 2008. FDA officials told the investigators that this occurred although the volume of FDA-regulated imports doubles every five years -- and that this is especially true for drugs and ingredients manufactured in India and China.
The FDA has generally defended its oversight of foreign drug manufacturers, saying that it inspects plants when troubles become known. By law, foreign drugmakers must be inspected before their products can come into the United States, but there are no requirements to have continuing quality inspections every two years, as there is for firms manufacturing in the United States.
FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach is scheduled to testify on the subject today, along with critics and defenders of current foreign drug inspection policies.
According to the committee report, the FDA database of foreign companies that supply U.S. markets is limited -- with some senior FDA officials reporting numbers as low as 2,100 companies and others saying there are 4,400. The Government Accountability Office reports that while 3,000 companies are registered to import drugs into the United States, nearly 7,000 foreign companies actually supplied the U.S. market in 2007.
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Although the volume of prescription drugs and drug ingredients coming into the country from foreign manufacturers in developing nations such as India and China has exploded in recent years, the Food and Drug Administration's budget for foreign inspections has not kept pace and will be lower in 20...
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U.S. Official Is Faulted for Nuclear Weapons Claim
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UNITED NATIONS -- The Bush administration has come under fire for stating before a United Nations conference that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is not on "hair-trigger alert" -- an assertion that arms-control experts criticized as "inaccurate" and "misleading."
The allegations follow efforts by Washington to assure the United Nations that it is meeting its obligation -- under the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty -- to shrink its nuclear arsenal. They also come on the eve of a U.N. General Assembly vote on a resolution calling on the world's nuclear powers to take their nuclear weapons off "high alert."
The nonbinding resolution calls on states to "decrease the operational readiness" of their nuclear weapons. "The maintenance of nuclear weapons systems at a high level of readiness increases the risk of the use of such weapons, including the unintentional or accidental use," the resolution warns.
Speaking at an Oct. 9 U.N. conference, Christina Rocca, the U.S. representative to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, dismissed concerns that American nuclear missiles are ready to launch on a moment's notice. "U.S. nuclear forces are not and have never been on hair-trigger alert," she told U.N. delegates.
Her comments sparked rapid criticism. "It's plain wrong," said Hans Kristensen, director of nuclear information at the Federation of American Scientists. "There are forces on alert, and whether they are on 'hair-trigger alert' or 'launch on warning,' they are capable of launching in minutes."
The NPT requires the world's original nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain -- to engage in "good-faith" negotiations aimed at dismantling their nuclear weapons program.
In exchange, other states pledge to limit their development of nuclear energy to peaceful purposes.
Developing countries have accused Washington and other nuclear powers of reneging on their obligations. The United States maintains that it has been meeting its side of the bargain, but that other states have not done enough to prohibit countries -- such as North Korea and Iran -- from developing clandestine nuclear weapons.
Rocca cited U.S.-Russian arms-control agreements over the past two decades that shed more than 3,000 tactical warheads and 1,000 strategic missiles and bombers from the U.S. stockpile. "The NPT never envisaged complete nuclear disarmament without regard to the international security environment," she said. "Nuclear weapons continue to have relevance."
A senior U.S. official said the claim that thousands of U.S. nuclear weapons can be launched within minutes is incorrect, but added that the information on launch time is classified. "The idea we are on Cuban-missile-crisis posture, sitting on the silo ready to push the button, is false," said the official, who was unauthorized to speak publicly. "The essence of deterrence strategy is having some element of ambiguity."
Bruce Blair, a nuclear weapons expert and president of the World Security Institute, said the United States and Russia keep about one-third of their strategic arsenals on launch-ready alert and that "hundreds of missiles armed with thousands of nuclear warheads can be launched within a very few minutes."
"There has been long history of denying U.S. forces are on 'hair-trigger alert' . . ." Blair said. "Some of that is based on lack of knowledge, and some of it is an evasion, and some of it is just an outright lie."
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Waxman Seeks Rest Of Abramoff Documents
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Waxman left room for negotiation, saying the White House could make the documents available to committee staff so they could assess whether they are needed for the panel's investigation. Fielding seized the opening in a letter back to Waxman, saying he was "pleased that such a concept is proposed in your letter" and pledging to "seek to accommodate our respective interests in the documents we have withheld."
The White House has produced 3,700 documents to the panel in recent months, withholding those it told the committee contain "internal deliberations among White House employees, or that otherwise implicate Executive Branch prerogatives."
"The White House has said that Jack Abramoff had very little contact with the President's staff and that it wanted all the relevant facts to be public. The 600 pages of documents it is withholding are directly relevant and should be produced," Waxman's office said in a statement. "If the White House cooperates we will be able to conclude our work."
Waxman told Fielding in his letter yesterday that his panel has learned that "some senior White House officials had regular contact with Mr. Abramoff," among them former White House political affairs director Matt Schlapp, who has been interviewed by the committee.
Schlapp "estimated that he had monthly contact with Jack Abramoff on subjects that often involved official government business," according to the congressman's letter. Abramoff's group, Schlapp said, was "viewed by many as a very respected lobbying team."
Waxman's committee issued a report last year, based on documents from Abramoff's law firm, that found the lobbyist and his colleagues had billed their clients for more than 400 contacts with White House officials, including the cost of nearly $24,000 in meals and sports tickets.
The Justice Department is continuing a wide-ranging corruption investigation into Abramoff's dealings with Congress and the executive branch. Abramoff, members of his lobbying team, congressional aides, two high-ranking Bush administration officials and former Republican congressman Bob Ney have already been convicted in the probe.
The Abramoff investigation is one of dozens that Waxman's committee has launched into Bush administration practices.
White House officials have said that Abramoff overstated his access with the administration. Some aides accepted favors from the lobbyist, among them Susan Ralston, a former Abramoff assistant who went to work for then-White House political adviser Karl Rove. Ralston resigned after Waxman's report last year.
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Rep. Henry A. Waxman, chairman of the House oversight committee, called on the White House yesterday to turn over all documents in its files that relate to lobbying efforts by Jack Abramoff.
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Ex-Worker Charged With Stealing Donations to Student Club
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Federal prosecutors have charged the former business manager at a District school for emotionally disturbed elementary students with stealing $30,000 in donations to the school's chess club, which raised the money for a trip to a national student tournament.
In a filing Monday in U.S. District Court, prosecutors said Sandy Jones, former business manager of the Moten Center in Anacostia, made withdrawals from bank branches and ATMs and wrote herself unauthorized checks from the chess club's account from May through November 2003.
The young chess players had been selling candy and hot dogs to pay for a trip to the Nashville tournament. After The Washington Post published a column that said they were falling short of their goal, readers donated about $70,000 to the club -- far more than was needed for the trip, records show. Eleven children and their adult chaperons made the trip in May 2003. Leftover donations were deposited in a student bank account.
After the tournament, Jones began taking the donations from the student account, according to the charging documents. She was charged with one count of first-degree fraud and one count of bank fraud.
Jones and her attorney did not return phone calls yesterday.
The Moten chess club, the only special-needs team participating in the tournament, finished in the middle of the field.
Vaughn L. Bennett, 42, who was the volunteer coach for the club in 2003, said yesterday that he was disheartened by the alleged theft.
"What I had envisioned was that the money would be used to have those kids continuously playing chess, to stay connected and travel to other places to play chess," Bennett said.
Like other students at the elementary school, club members have behavioral and learning problems that have made it difficult for them to succeed at mainstream schools.
Learning chess was an opportunity to acquire life skills in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the District, Bennett said.
"It gives them the opportunity to look at human conduct through a chessboard," Bennett said. "If they make a good move, they can possibly have good consequences."
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A Place Unfit for a Congregation, Much Less a Historic Designation
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Two blocks from the White House, there is a concrete fortress that looks like a top-secret government installation. Set back on a barren plaza frequented mainly by homeless men in search of a restroom, the building faces 16th Street NW with dirty, rough, blank walls. Amazingly, this building is a church -- probably the city's most unfriendly and depressing piece of spiritual architecture.
The District government proposes to declare this atrocity a historic landmark.
Never mind that the Third Church of Christ, Scientist, is only 36 years old, and its members never liked the design. Never mind that when it was built, then-Washington Post architecture critic Wolf von Eckardt called it "rude and disorderly," a brutal, uncivilized and inappropriate intrusion on the approach to the White House. Never mind that the Dupont Circle neighborhood commission recently voted unanimously to oppose historic status for the church. Never mind that Christian Science is a declining denomination that has cut its staff and budget by nearly half and is selling off some of its most valuable properties. Never mind that this downtown congregation's few dozen members want to raze the concrete pillbox and replace its 400-seat sanctuary with a new, more intimate home.
"It is always with reluctance, and fairly rarely, that we recommend a designation over an owner's objection," says a staff report from the city's Historic Preservation Office to be presented today to the preservation review board. But that's exactly what the city now proposes to do, freezing plans by a developer to create a mixed-use building that could include a small church for the Christian Scientists.
The city has kept this issue alive for nearly two decades and untold billable hours -- isn't this a fabulous town in which to be a lawyer? -- despite admitting in its own report that the building is an inflexible space and that there are "practical issues with condition and maintenance." Such as the fact that church members say it costs $8,000 to change a light bulb in the sanctuary because scaffolding must be erected.
The preservation report admits that the church plaza, as Eckardt predicted, "did prove a failure" in that nobody except the occasional homeless person ever uses it, and then mainly to urinate in the dark, narrow alley behind the building.
But hey, why should a building actually be usable if it can somehow be shoehorned into an esoteric, academic definition of a landmark?
The city staff calls the church "one of the best examples of Brutalism in the Washington area." That must be cheering to the souls who might wander into the church seeking spiritual uplift. Sorry for your pains, my good man, won't you enter our dark, forbidding chamber and soak in our Brutalism?
For those of us who may not be professional architects, Brutalism is "the use of exposed, unadorned, roughly cast concrete to construct buildings of 'stark forms and raw surfaces,' " the city report says with great admiration.
What the preservationists don't get is that the Christian Science complex -- there's also a small office building across the courtyard -- is a failure, a design flaw that begs to be blown to bits.
That doesn't make Washington a town of philistines with no place for modernist or mid-century design. I.M. Pei's East Wing of the National Gallery is both architecturally important and enormously popular. The District properly landmarked the Uline Arena, the sadly neglected concrete building in Northeast where the Beatles made their North American concert debut.
But what if the members of a church do not want to worship in a place that is "brooding, inward-looking," as former Post architecture critic Ben Forgey put it in a piece quoted favorably in the city report. What if they, as the church's lay leader, Darrow Kirkpatrick, says, "want the freedom to have a facility that best meets our needs and our sense of service"?
Shouldn't a church have the right to choose its own architectural message -- and how to spend its own money? "In this case, we don't feel the form follows the function," Kirkpatrick says. Most Christian Science churches are built either in the New England Congregational style (there's one on Massachusetts Avenue NW in American University Park) or in the Romanesque manner of the faith's Mother Church in Boston (like one on Euclid Street NW in Adams Morgan).
Nothing in Christian Science theology supports the idea of a church as a windowless fortress. And from the start, church records show, members wanted a "useful, practical building rather than a prestigious structure."
The preservationists who are rallying to save a church from its members are right to be concerned about a site two blocks from the White House. What goes there is the business not only of developers and their clients but also of anyone who cares about the city. If the church were replaced by a standard K Street box, that would indeed be a loss. But the answer is not to cling to a failure; rather, it is to seek something different, a bold new twist on the visual message of the approach to the president's house.
Alas, to preservation extremists, a city is not a living, evolving organism but a museum piece in need of being encased in government protection. No wonder they're so eager to save a bunker.
Join me at noon today for "Potomac Confidential" athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.
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Two blocks from the White House, there is a concrete fortress that looks like a top-secret government installation. Set back on a barren plaza frequented mainly by homeless men in search of a restroom, the building faces 16th Street NW with dirty, rough, blank walls. Amazingly, this building is a...
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Bush Stomps His Feet
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"The leadership that's on the Hill now cannot get [the] job done," he said, adding: "They haven't seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax hike into it."
Just a lot of political posturing, right?
Well, maybe not. It's increasingly looking like Bush's petulance is not just for show.
Apparently, a year of dealing with a Democratic Congress -- even one as supine as this one -- has profoundly upset him. And he may have given up on reaching any accommodation with them at all.
Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman write in The Washington Post: "The White House plans to try implementing as much new policy as it can by administrative order while stepping up its confrontational rhetoric with Congress after concluding that President Bush cannot do much business with the Democratic leadership, administration officials said. . . .
"White House aides say the only way Bush seems to be able to influence the process is by vetoing legislation or by issuing administrative orders, as he has in recent weeks on veterans' health care, air-traffic congestion, protecting endangered fish and immigration. . . .
"The events of recent weeks have 'crystallized that the chances of these leaders meeting the administration halfway are becoming increasingly remote,' said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.
"Bush himself has been complaining more and more bitterly about congressional Democrats in recent weeks."
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann parses what he calls Bush's "tantrum" yesterday.
Mike Soraghan, Klaus Marre and Manu Raju write in the Hill: "House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Democrats have been making progress but have been blocked by Republican obstruction. He said Bush is complaining now only because Congress will not do his bidding as it did when Republicans were in control.
"'This president is defying the will of the American people, and he's chagrined that things have changed, so he's complaining,' Hoyer said.
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President Bush went before the television cameras yesterday to rail at Congressional Democrats, who he said are "going alone and going nowhere."
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The Irrelevant Rev. Sharpton
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2007103119
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When the news broke last week that the rapper Nas intended to use a racial epithet as the title of his next album, it was no shock that a television reporter immediately thrust a microphone toward the Rev. Al Sharpton for a response.
People who use the N-word in their music "wouldn't put out a record against whites or cops or Jews because they ain't got the guts to do that," the longtime activist declaimed, warming up for the killer sound bite. "They only got the guts to beat up on their own."
Toss another one onto the pile of headlines. It has been a banner year for Sharpton. Whether he's mixing it up with Don Imus, harassing Sen. Barack Obama, raising a ruckus over legal discrimination in Jena, La., or urging a boycott of the New York Knicks because of how they treated a female employee, Sharpton seems to make news every time he opens his mouth.
His presidential run in 2004 landed him far afield of the White House, but it succeeded in perhaps its only real aim: convincing the national media that in all things black, Sharpton is a one-stop shop. Journalists thus follow the good reverend's every move as though galaxies hang in the balance. At night, he routinely accrues even more face time, matching wits with the squawking chickens of cable news.
So potent is Sharpton's visage that in its recent puff piece on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, "60 Minutes" needed only to unveil decade-old footage of Sharpton to show the vast numbers of blacks who opposed Thomas's nomination. Some black intellectuals cried foul, arguing that the news magazine used a wild-eyed Sharpton to trivialize legitimate criticism. But the black pundits are missing the point. To much of white America, and much more of the white media, Sharpton isn't a front man for black America. He is black America.
It should be said that Sharpton has the support of some African Americans. Even those of us who question his methods are happy to see someone take an aggressive stand against white racism. In an April poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal, almost half of black Americans said they had a positive opinion of Sharpton.
But Sharpton's overstatements and overexposure have rendered him a divisive figure in the black community. The remaining half of blacks polled either had no opinion, a negative opinion or didn't know who he was.
Still, once upon a time, to qualify for the title of "black leader," you had to actually lead and, more important, have a following. Harriet Tubman was the paragon: Black people quite literally followed her out of slavery. W.E.B. Du Bois helped create the NAACP, then godfathered the Harlem Renaissance. More than any single figure, Malcolm X arguably rebuilt black America's collective self-esteem, eliminating "brown bag tests" (the color caste system among blacks) and making the rest of the world safe for dreadlocks.
In more modern times, black leaders could point to real events to show their worthiness. Louis Farrakhan resurrected the Nation of Islam as a mass movement and reached his zenith in 1995 at the Million Man March. During his presidential run in 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson won five primaries in which almost all blacks voted for him, an accomplishment that Obama may find hard to repeat. More important, the momentum from Jackson's bid helped New York elect its first black mayor and Virginia its first black governor.
Sharpton's resume isn't even in the same pile. His list of misses includes backing Tawana Brawley's fraudulent accusations of rape and his shilling on TV for predatory lenders. His 2004 campaign was a farcical remix of Jackson's. According to published reports, Sharpton's campaign was backed by Roger Stone, a controversial Republican political operative.
And when the votes were counted, Sharpton came up lame. In South Carolina, where African Americans made up almost half of the Democratic primary electorate, he not only lost overall but lost among blacks. He finished third among his alleged followers, outdone by Sens. John F. Kerry and John Edwards.
Any other public figure with such a comic resume and dubious traction among his constituency would find himself swiftly jettisoned from the Rolodex of reporters and network anchors. But Sharpton endures. He is black America's first virtual leader, a product of a collective longing for the romance of the 1960s and an inability to cope with the complexities of 21st century African Americans.
National Public Radio recently held a discussion titled, "Who's in Charge of Today's Civil Rights Activism?" The host asked, "If there was an 'American Idol' for civil rights leader, who would be the winner?" The panelists intelligently declined to answer, but in the question we have the seeds of Sharpton's ubiquity. The implicit idea is that there is always one person through whom the goals and aspirations of black people can be channeled.
This was always fiction. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., for instance, was more representative of Birmingham than of Detroit. Indeed, the one thing that King and Sharpton share is the use of media and spectacle to advance their ends. For King, it was the very real sight of Southern cops siccing dogs on peaceful marchers. But King's moral appeal became so great that he ultimately became larger than the movement he led. In the nostalgia of hindsight, he has become a messiah. And he left behind the impulse to look for another towering figure to helm black America.
This "black Jesus" paradigm has become even more useful in the era of the 24-hour news cycle. It allows a struggle -- indeed, millions of people -- to be boiled down to a single, preferably colorful, person. The problem is that the past 30 years have seen the rise of a generation of African Americans with unparalleled opportunities. From their ranks have sprung leaders in nearly every field. If there is a message in the Obama candidacy, it's that being president of black America is irrelevant in an age when you could take the whole thing.
But the many competing and cooperating strains of black activism are impossible to capture in a sound bite or a five-minute "Crossfire" segment. Thus Sharpton is invoked as shorthand, as a way to avoid the time it takes to show complexity, nuance and humanity.
There's another reason why the media have elected the reverend president of black America. For cable networks, Sharpton is the gift that keeps on giving. He provides an easily disposable villain, a simple out for his most loyal constituency: white racists. For those who already doubted the humanity of black folks, who believe that we spend our days counting the ways white people owe us, who think we chant "Reparations now!" at least once every seven minutes, the bombastic Sharpton is a perfect confirmation.
Sharpton ceded the high ground long ago. When he becomes the face of often legitimate racial injustices, his critics are then free to snort, "Yeah, but it's Al Sharpton." Sure, that's unfair to the cause. But the reverend is no victim. Largely lacking mass traction with black America outside of New York, Sharpton needs the media to keep up the illusion of his relevance. The pact is simple: He gets a platform, and the media get great television.
A few weeks ago, when Fox News's Bill O'Reilly ventured to Harlem and discovered that black people, like other sentient beings, consume solid food and inhale oxygen, it was no shock that Sharpton was his guide. In describing the encounter, O'Reilly asserted that African Americans were moving away from "the Sharptons and the Jacksons, people trying to lead them into a race-based culture. They're just trying to figure it out. 'Look, I can make it. If I work hard and get educated, I can make it.' "
This is America's racial rift transformed into a reality show -- a place where Sharpton can cross swords with O'Reilly one day and take him out for fried chicken the next. O'Reilly was, of course, widely criticized for his dim comments. In his defense, he summoned the very man whom he claimed African Americans weren't listening to: Sharpton.
Memo to everyone everywhere: Al Sharpton isn't a black leader, he just plays one on TV.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a writer based in New York.
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When the news broke last week that the rapper Nas intended to use a racial epithet as the title of his next album, it was no shock that a television reporter immediately thrust a microphone toward the Rev. Al Sharpton for a response.
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The Real Meaning of Halloween
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Ghosts and goblins, witches on broomsticks, pumpkins, candy and spiderwebsâ¦itâs that time of year again. Halloweenâprobably every childâs favorite holiday, combining the irresistible attractions of dressing up in costume and eating candy.
But thereâs a deeper spiritual meaning that underlies the holiday for Pagans and real Witchesâthose who follow earth-based Goddess traditions that predate Christianity. As we (in the northern hemisphere) move into the time of cold and the dark of winter, we celebrate our New Year, and honor both death and regeneration.
Ghosts and goblins, witches on broomsticks, pumpkins, candy and spiderwebsâ¦itâs that time of year again. Halloweenâprobably every childâs favorite holiday, combining the irresistible attractions of dressing up in costume and eating candy.
But thereâs a deeper spiritual meaning that underlies the holiday for Pagans and real Witchesâthose who follow earth-based Goddess traditions that predate Christianity. As we (in the northern hemisphere) move into the time of cold and the dark of winter, we celebrate our New Year, and honor both death and regeneration.
In Northern Europe, Samhain (the Celtic term for Halloween, pronounced sow-in as in âsourâ) was the time when the cattle were moved from the summer pastures to winter shelter. It was the end of the growing season, the end of harvest, a time of thanksgiving, when the ancestors and the spirits of the beloved dead would return home to share in the feast. Death did not sever oneâs connections with the community. People would leave offerings of food and drink for their loved ones, and set out candles to light their way home. Those traditions gave us many of our present day customs. Now we set out jack-o-lanterns and give offerings of candy to childrenâwho are, after all, the ancestors returning in new forms.
Death and regeneration are always linked in Goddess theology. Birth, growth, death and renewal are a cycle that plays over and over again through natural systems and human lives. Embracing this cycle, we donât need to fear death, but instead can see it as a stage of life and a gateway to some new form of being.
So Samhain is a time to remember and honor those who have died, to celebrate their lives and honor their gifts, to tell stories about them to the next generation so their memory will not be lost. We set up altars in our homes, with pictures and mementos, and in my house, we like to invite friends and family to an ancestor dinner, where we cook their traditional foods and share our family stories.
Samhain is also a time for deep spiritual work. At this time of year, we say, âthe veil is thin that divides the worlds, the seen from the unseen, the day to day from the mysteries.â In San Francisco, the Reclaiming tradition of Wicca sponsors a big public ritual, where we celebrate the renewal and creativity that emerges from the dark, with elaborate altars, dance, music, culminating in a spiral danced by more than a thousand people that honors the energies of rebirth and renewal.
Halloween, and our traditions, are much misunderstood. This year, when you hand out candy or shepherd your children through the streets, we invite you to remember the deeper meaning of the holiday: that death is no barrier to love, and every ending brings a new beginning.
Let It Begin Nowâa CD of music from our Spiral Dance ritual.
Starhawk. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess. HarperSanFrancisco, 1979, 1989, 1999
Starhawk and M. Macha Nightmare. The Pagan Book of Living and Dying. HarperSanFrancisco, 1997
Starhawk, Anne Hill and Diane Baker. Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Tradition. HarperSanFrancisco, 1998
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A conversation on religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/
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Don't Fear the Egg White
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I'll be honest: Sometimes I do not tell the whole truth. For instance, when I introduce friends to two of my favorite cocktails -- the Clover Club and the Pink Lady -- I refuse to let anyone watch me mix them. And when they demand to know what is in those drinks, I fail to mention one important ingredient. I omit only because I care. Raw egg whites make way too many people squeamish.
[See Recipe: Clover Club Cocktail]
Tell people that you're going to use egg whites in their cocktails and one of two things will spring into their minds: a) the image of Rocky Balboa slugging down eight raw eggs before his morning workout or b) salmonella.
All of the wonderful things that call for raw eggs -- real mayonnaise and hollandaise, Caesar salad prepared the right way, traditional mousse -- the dreaded food police have frightened us away from. And the use of raw eggs is just as delicate an issue for cocktail enthusiasts as it is for foodies.
In his 1941 classic, "Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion," Crosby Gaige places both the Clover Club and the Pink Lady among his 16 "Hall of Fame" cocktails -- next to the martini, the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned and the Sidecar. "Their composition in most households, restaurants, and grills is as friendly and familiar as the formula for a baby's bottle," he writes.
Sixty-six years later, cocktail historian and blogger Paul Clarke writes: "The Clover Club is little more than a footnote in cocktail history." Meanwhile, ordering the Pink Lady, once the Cosmopolitan of its day, is likely to bring a blank stare in most households, restaurants and grills.
"I can't remember the last time I stepped into a bar and saw a bartender separating eggs," says Jim Hewes, head bartender at the Willard Room at Washington's Willard InterContinental Hotel.
What a shame. For one, it means whole categories of classic cocktails with eggs -- namely fizzes, flips and pickups -- have virtually disappeared for contemporary imbibers. No Morning Glory Fizz. No Ale Flip. No Prairie Oyster. In fact, there may be only two widely made cocktails that still call for egg whites: the Pisco Sour and the Ramos Gin Fizz. (Yes, gentle but squeamish reader, if you are drinking a real Pisco Sour, it should contain egg whites.)
So why use eggs? Egg whites act as a great binding agent and create a wonderful froth on top. Using real egg whites is infinitely better than the packaged "sour mixes" available for similar purposes. Creative bartenders have actually begun to froth and infuse egg whites with fruit syrups and herbs to float atop inventive new concoctions.
But Hewes doesn't use eggs at his bar on a daily basis, either. "Our volume is so high, we can't fool around with egg whites," he says. "It opens up a whole can of worms."
Hewes does make delicious eggnog from scratch -- with fresh eggs -- during the holiday season. And every time he cracks open an egg, it's guaranteed to set off an amateur chemistry debate in the bar. "I always say, 'If you're using, 80-, 90-, 100-proof liquor, it's going to kill all the bugs,' " he says.
As a home bartender, you can enjoy traditional cocktails with egg whites year-round.
Of course, salmonella is no joking matter. But the reality is that since the salmonella scares of previous decades, the danger of encountering the bacteria has become infinitesimal. You're more likely -- about four times more likely -- to choke on a handful of bar nuts than you are to get salmonella poisoning, according to statistics from the National Safety Council. Beyond that, most cocktails that call for raw eggs also call for fresh lemon or lime juice -- and the citric acid, along with the alcohol, further neutralizes salmonella risk.
Still, it should be mentioned that the FDA does not recommend working with raw and/or undercooked eggs. If you do decide to use raw egg whites, I advise buying fresh organic eggs.
Still squeamish? No worries. You can substitute pasteurized egg whites or powdered egg whites in the recipes for the Clover Club and the Pink Lady. However, I find that fresh-cracked egg whites add something special to the consistency and taste.
It's also up to you whether you want to crack an egg into the shaker in front of guests at your next cocktail party. They'll never guess the secret ingredient; they'll be too busy sipping and enjoying.
Jason Wilson can be reached atfood@washpost.com.
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I'll be honest: Sometimes I do not tell the whole truth. For instance, when I introduce friends to two of my favorite cocktails -- the Clover Club and the Pink Lady -- I refuse to let anyone watch me mix them. And when they demand to know what is in those drinks, I fail to mention one important i...
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Two More Democrats To Oppose Mukasey
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Other Democrats on the Judiciary panel have pointedly refused to disclose how they will vote during a special meeting to consider Mukasey's nomination, which has been scheduled for Tuesday. Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) also declined to say whether he will allow the nomination go to the full Senate with a negative recommendation, which occurred with some past nominations.
White House officials said yesterday that they remain confident Mukasey will be confirmed, and Republicans again accused the Democrats of attempting to hold the nomination hostage to score political points. "No one is ready to declare it DOA," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
The nomination has become a particularly thorny problem for Mukasey's original Senate patron, Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). He had suggested Mukasey as a consensus nominee to the White House and declared two weeks ago that he should be confirmed, but he was noncommittal yesterday.
"I'm reading the letter, I'm going over it," Schumer told reporters. "That's all I'm going to say."
The committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), acknowledged that Mukasey's "confirmation is at risk." But he said the nominee went "about as far as he can go" in repudiating waterboarding without endangering classified programs or U.S. personnel involved in the interrogations.
If Specter and other eight GOP committee members support him, Mukasey will need support from just one Democrat to win approval from the committee, which is divided 10 to 9 along party lines.
Durbin and Whitehouse denounced the nomination on the Senate floor yesterday. "If we are going to restore the image of the United States of America, the highest law enforcement officer should be clear, firm, unequivocal: that waterboarding and torture are unacceptable, un-American, illegal and unconstitutional," Durbin said.
Whitehouse, in an impassioned speech, said: "Will we join that gloomy historical line leading from the Inquisition, through the prisons of tyrant regimes, through gulags and dark cells, and through Saddam Hussein's torture chambers? Will that be the path we choose?"
Waterboarding generally involves strapping a prisoner to an inclined board and pouring water onto his face to simulate drowning. It was used against at least three CIA detainees since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks under procedures deemed legal by the Justice Department.
In his letter Tuesday, Mukasey said that the practice seems "over the line" and "repugnant" but that he does not have enough information to determine if it is illegal. He noted that Congress had outlawed the practice by the U.S. military, but not by the CIA.
Human Rights Watch, which announced its opposition to the nomination yesterday, criticized Mukasey for saying he did not have enough information to reach a conclusion. "If Mukasey had been asked about the rack and thumbscrew, would he have said that it depends on the circumstances?" said Kenneth Roth, the group's executive director. "The only reason to equivocate on waterboarding is to protect administration officials who authorized it from possible prosecution."
All four senators seeking the Democratic presidential nomination have vowed to oppose Mukasey's confirmation. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who was tortured during captivity in Vietnam, has criticized fellow GOP candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani, a longtime Mukasey friend who said that determining whether waterboarding is torture "depends on the circumstances."
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Democratic support for attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey dwindled further yesterday over his refusal to comment on the legality of a harsh CIA interrogation technique, setting the stage for an unexpectedly close vote next week by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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N.H., Iowa Keep the Candidates' Attention
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PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Just down the block from Anderson's Bakery and across from the local movie house with a flickering neon sign, a group of young men with laptops moved into a tan Cape Cod and announced their presence with a billboard out front: "Hillary."
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's storefront office in this New England hamlet (population 5,892) is one of 16 the New York Democrat has set up with paid staff around the state that is expected to hold the nation's first presidential primary. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), perhaps her strongest challenger for the Democratic nomination, has plans to open his own office in Plymouth, which will give him a base of operations in 15 locations. Between them, the two campaigns have more than 140 paid field staffers across the state.
The extensive spending here, as described by local officials and laid out in campaign finance reports, provides a look at how money is changing the way presidential hopefuls are approaching the pivotal early contests.
The decision by most of the leading presidential candidates to opt out of the public financing system that would have restricted their primary spending in New Hampshire to less than $800,000 has resulted in armies of paid workers trying to squeeze votes out of every corner of the state.
"The amount of money being spent in the early states are of an order of magnitude that we've never seen before," said Alan Solomont, who oversees northeastern fundraising for the Obama campaign.
The huge spending here has helped debunk the notion that an increasingly front-loaded primary calendar would diminish the influence of New Hampshire and Iowa. Democratic candidates have spent $2.4 million in New Hampshire so far this year on rent and staff alone. That is more than double the $1.1 million they had spent in the state at this point in 2003. The numbers are even more pronounced in Iowa, where Democrats have spent $4.6 million so far this year -- almost four times the $1.2 million they expended four years ago. Republicans have spent more than $4 million on rent and staff in New Hampshire and Iowa so far this year.
The glut in spending has come before most of the candidates have started to invest substantial amounts in the most costly aspect of a campaign -- television advertising.
To date, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has dominated the airwaves, spending $6 million to run more than 10,000 television ads in New Hampshire and Iowa. That comes in addition to the more than $500,000 Romney paid to organizers laying the groundwork for an August straw poll in Ames, Iowa, which gave his campaign a boost. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R) has crafted a strategy that has him devoting considerable amounts of cash to larger states that vote in the days after the first two contests, but he has nonetheless blanketed Iowa with targeted mailers and aired six different radio ads in New Hampshire through last week at a combined cost of more than $450,000.
Tom Rath, a Romney consultant who has worked on every New Hampshire primary since 1964, said the intensity of the spending at this stage is higher than he has ever seen.
"Nobody's going to run away with it, so there's been a big, big investment in identifying your voters and being ready to turn those voters out on Election Day," he said.
For Democrats, the spending has been focused largely on building huge field operations that the candidates hope will allow them to identify persuadable voters, win their support and ensure that they reach the voting booth on Election Day.
Kathy Sullivan, a former state Democratic Party chairman, said that, when she was growing up, campaign jobs were largely put in the hands of volunteers, many of whom were like her mother -- stay-at-home moms who had time to get politically engaged. Now, with more moms in the workforce, campaigns have been forced to turn to paid staffers to take on those jobs.
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Follow 2008 Elections & Campaigns at washingtonpost.com Politics Information on Democrats,Republicans,political cartoons,opinions,government policies,political analysis and reports." elections,campaigns,Democrats,Republicans,political cartoons,opinions from The Washington Post. Features government policy,government tech,political analysis and reports.
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U.S. and Pakistan: A Frayed Alliance
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But every three months, the troops had to turn in their goggles for two weeks to be inventoried, because the U.S. military wanted to make sure none were stolen or given away, U.S. and Pakistani officials said. Militants perceived a pattern and scurried into the open without fear during the two-week counts.
"They knew exactly when we didn't have the goggles, and they took full advantage," said a senior Pakistani government official who closely tracks military operations on the border.
The goggles are but a fragment of the huge military aid Washington sends to Pakistan, but the frustrations expressed by Pakistani officials are emblematic of a widening gulf between two military powers that express a common interest in defeating terrorism.
The Bush administration has provided nearly $11 billion in aid to Pakistan since 2001, most of it in military hardware and cash support for the country's operating budget. But frustrations are rising among military officers on both sides because the aid has produced neither battlefield success nor great trust, said government officials and independent experts who study relations between the two countries.
U.S. officials say part of the problem is that the Pakistani government has lacked sufficient commitment to engage the enemy, a task that may be further undermined by the country's growing political instability as its leadership is challenged by an invigorated opposition.
U.S. equipment is not being used "in a sustained way," said Seth Jones, a Rand Corp. researcher who recently visited the region. "The army is not very effective, and there have been elements of the government that have worked with the Taliban in the tribal areas in the past," making them ambivalent about the current fight against those forces, he said.
Independent Western experts also wonder whether Pakistan is devoting too much of U.S. aid to large weapons systems, while shortchanging its own counterinsurgency forces; they say it also is not spending enough on social problems that might address the root causes of terrorism. Of $1.6 billion in U.S. aid dedicated to security assistance in Pakistan since 2002, for example, more than half went for purchases of major weapons systems sought by Pakistan's army, including F-16 fighters, according to U.S. officials.
The officials and experts also say U.S. aid has typically lacked sufficient oversight, or any means of measuring its effectiveness.
The aid spigot -- now pegged at more than $150 million a month -- has remained open even during periods when Pakistan's leadership ordered its counterterrorism forces confined to barracks under a cease-fire agreement with the insurgents, the officials note.
Pakistani officials, for their part, say that strict U.S. controls over equipment and a failure to provide other equipment, such as spare parts, have impeded their ability to hunt down Taliban and al-Qaeda sympathizers. In addition to complaining about the goggles, they cite U.S.-made attack helicopters that are grounded for weeks because of parts shortages.
Pakistani officials acknowledge slow progress in driving terrorists out of the frontier provinces, but they chafe at suggestions that U.S. military aid is being squandered. Pakistan needs still more help, including persistent access to night-vision goggles, helicopters and other gear that is particularly useful in fighting an insurgency, said Mahmud Ali Durrani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States.
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Five years ago, elite Pakistani troops stationed near the border with Afghanistan began receiving hundreds of pairs of U.S.-made night-vision goggles that would enable them to see and fight al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in the dark. The sophisticated goggles, supplied by the Bush administration...
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Huge Black Holes May Hold Keys to Galaxy Formation
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For years, astronomers speculated that a giant, mysterious force lay at the center of the Milky Way, but it wasn't until four years ago that UCLA astronomer Andrea Ghez definitively showed what it was.
Using new techniques for peering into the dusty heart of the galaxy, Ghez's observations proved that scores of stars were rapidly orbiting what could only be a black hole. But it wasn't the kind of garden-variety black hole created when a star explodes and dies; it was hundreds of thousands of times as powerful -- a "supermassive" black hole, as they are now known.
Her discoveries, along with the work of scientists studying other galaxies, have in a short time led researchers to the surprising conclusion that most, if not all, of the universe's hundreds of billions of galaxies have supermassive black holes at their core. Even more striking, the astronomers have found that the black holes' mass and nature are closely related to the size and makeup of the surrounding galaxies.
It also appears that these cosmic monsters -- which can "eat" stars whole -- are key to understanding how galaxies were formed and are still being formed today.
"Many of these discoveries were unexpected," said Ghez, a self-described "telescope junkie" and rising astronomy star who does much of her galaxy-gazing at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, the world's largest optical telescope. "There's tremendous interest in this field now because of the potential that it can tell us so much about the dynamics of very basic galaxy creation."
Black holes appear, for instance, to be both creators and destroyers -- swallowing stars or gases that come too close while also spewing out jets of super-high-energy particles and radiation generated by this violent feeding process. The jets, which can be millions of light-years in length, are believed to seed galaxies with the mass and energy that will, in time, become new stars and perhaps even planets.
With many promising areas to research, the supermassives are drawing astronomers and astrophysicists back into black hole research. In 1915, based on purely theoretical calculations, Albert Einstein laid the groundwork for the existence of these bizarre phenomena, which have such strong gravitational pull that not even light can escape them. But research on them languished for decades because there was no way to observe them directly.
The Hubble Space Telescope provided the first real evidence of the existence of supermassive black holes -- revealing in 1994 that something was orbiting rapidly around the nuclei of some distant galaxies, suggesting the presence of a huge mass contained in a very small area.
Since then, the Hubble, NASA's orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the Keck and other very large, high-resolution ground telescopes have begun to unravel more about these central black holes -- which can be as large as the distance from the sun to well past Mars, and as small as New Jersey.
Because nobody knows what happens after a star or gas is swallowed by a black hole, astrophysicists have focused instead on learning and theorizing more about its outer structure. They believe that black holes have an "event horizon" -- the point where anything will be inexorably captured by the gravitational pull -- and that they have "accretion disks," a vast, swirling region where matter is funneled into the hole. The process creates intense friction and heat, and as a result energy and matter can get supercharged and shot out in jets.
As supermassive black holes go, the one at the center of the Milky Way (about 27,000 light-years, or 158 trillion miles, away from our exurbanite sun) is dormant and small. It is believed to have the mass of almost 4 million suns and does not appear to be sending out jets of radiation. Some of the larger supermassives are hundreds of millions to many billions times as massive as our sun. (A typical stellar black hole has five to 10 times the mass of the sun, although researchers yesterday reported discovering an exploded star that was a record two to three times as massive as that.)
To the enormous surprise of those who study the universe, the size of a supermassive black hole appears to have a direct and unusual correlation to the galaxy around it. Researchers calculated a decade ago that the mass of a supermassive black hole appeared to have a constant relation to the mass of the central part of its galaxy, known as its bulge. This relationship supports the notion that the evolution and structure of a galaxy is closely tied to the scale of its black hole.
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Science news from The Washington Post. Read about the latest breakthroughs in technology,medicine and communications.
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Science: Black Holes
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In Kaufman's story today, he writes:
Discoveries by a UCLA professor, along with the work of scientists studying other galaxies, have in a short time led researchers to the surprising conclusion that most, if not all, of the universe's hundreds of billions of galaxies have supermassive black holes at their core. Even more striking, the astronomers have found that the black holes' mass and nature are closely related to the size and makeup of the surrounding galaxies.
It also appears that these cosmic monsters -- which can "eat" stars whole -- are key to understanding how galaxies were formed and are still being formed today.
Read more: Huge Black Holes May Hold Keys to Galaxy Formation
Falls Church, Va.: What is it that's been newly discovered? I thought the existence of a supermassive blackhole at the center of the Milky Way had been known for some time now? Is it new that they have been found in other galaxies?
Marc Kaufman: Good afternoon, folks. This is Marc Kaufman, and I have with me black hole researcher and expert Juna Kollmeier of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. I first met Juna this summer during a five-day training course for journalists on "The Universe" at MIT. She spoke on the subject of today's chat, and she did it with such enthusiasm and knowledge that I knew I had to write a story about it all.
In response to the question, it seems like there is something new coming out about supermassive black holes every day. You are correct that the existence of a central black hole in the middle of the Milky Way is not brand new, but the subject is little known or understood by most people, and I thought it would be useful and interesting to fill in that blank. The work by Suvi Gezari-- where her team followed the "feeding" of a distant black hole on a star--came out this year, and there is a lot more in the works.
Alexandria, Va.: Do supermassive black holes rotate?
Juna Kollmeier: We believe that supermassive black holes rotate indeed.
Marc Kaufman: By the way, the vastness of the galaxies and universe becomes very apparent when you study black holes -- especially these supermassive ones. There are, for instance, hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, and each one may well have a central black hole.
That scale led to an error I made in the story: I wrote that the central supermassive for the Milky Way is 27,000 light years away, and I translated that as 158 trillion miles. As several careful readers pointed out, that should be quadrillion, and not trillion. So it's pretty far away, yet researchers can now peer into the center and find orbiting stars and other indirect signs of a supermassive black hole.
Washington, D.C.: Pardon my lack of knowledge in this arena, but I thought black holes were full of nothing-ness so how do can you measure it?
Juna Kollmeier: Black holes have mass and we can measure that mass by watching the motions of stars or gas around that massive body. Definitely not nothingness! The black hole at the center of our Galaxy weighs more than 3 million suns!
Miami, Fla.: Beyond curiosity - why do scientists study black holes?
Marc Kaufman: There certainly is no direct application to the knowledge they're gaining, but it helps enormously in the eternal human effort to learn more about our world. Supermassive back holes themselves tell us a lot about Einstein's theory of relativity, they tell us about how galaxies may have been formed and how they are at times destroyed, and they give us a window into the way that enormous and extremely powerful jets of radiation and matter are spewed out into the atmosphere. Stellar black holes, which are much, much smaller, tell us more about how stars live and die, and were the entry point for astronomy's study of black holes and the mysteries they present.
Arlington, Va.: What would a supermassive black hole look like to an outside observer? Obviously, the hole itself cannot be seen. My recollection of relativity, however, is that to an outside observer, an object falling into a black hole would seem to hang forever on the event horizon. So, would the black hole at the center of the galaxy look to an observer like an enormous pile of every bit of matter that ever reached the event horizon?
Juna Kollmeier: You recall correctly. To an ouside observer, objects falling in just appear frozen. This is because of the way spacetime "works" around a black hole.
Juna Kollmeier: In fact, as the object falls in the photons emitted become redder and dimmer so eventually the outside observer sees nothing. So it wouldn't actually look like an enormous "kitchen sink" of accretion events.
Pentwater, MI: What is inside a supermassive black hole? Not matter as we know it. Probably not neutrons; they would not be dense enough. Is is Quarks?
Juna Kollmeier: In classical General Relativity, the space time inside a black hole has no matter in it except at the very center--the singularity--which has all the mass. Recent arguments from String theory indicate that there is matter continuously distributed between the very center and the event horizon of the black hole. Within the context of string theory, this matter is strings--more primitive particles than neutrons or even quarks which we are familiar with.
Marc Kaufman: One of the most interesting -- and elegant -- aspects of these supermassive black holes is, as Juna explained to us learners, that there appears to be a close correlation between the mass of the central bulge of the galaxy and the mass of the black hole. This leads to the theory that the black hole, in effect, regulates the structure and relative size of its galaxy. This is, to me, a stunning discovery that tells us something fascinating about the structure of our world.
Juna Kollmeier: Just another comment to Alexandria, Va on rotation:
Black holes must be spinning at some level because they are consuming material that has angular momentum. They may even be spinning extremely rapidly (for example, if the black holes at the centers of two galaxies collide when the galaxies collide this will lead to a very large amount of angular momentum and a large spin in the final product)
Atlanta, Ga.: Thanks for this great research and interesting topic. I'm by no means an astronomer, or scientist-minded person. But I was curious. You say black holes have a mass, is this the same mass as you or the Earth? Or is this a "dark" mass or some other type, because my understanding of black holes was they were created by a supernova event, and the extreme gravity pulled all objects within the event horizon into a...we aren't sure?
I've heard of the potential for them serving as worm holes. For these supermassive black holes, would it be possible to send a sattelite or other human construction in and test what happens? Or is the mass and gravity too dense for that to happen?
Juna Kollmeier: Great questions Atlanta! The notion of mass becomes tricky when it comes to black holes (see my response to Pentwater, MI). When we make measurements of the mass, however, we are directly measuring the gravitational field that the black hole's mass is causing via the motions of material in that gravitational field. In the same way that the Earth's orbit around the Sun depends on the Sun's mass.
Juna Kollmeier: Unfortunately, even if we could make such a craft that could withstand the incredible tidal forces around the black hole, we could never get the information out back to us here on Earth. Photons cannot escape and therefore cannot tell us what is going on inside the event horizon.
Fairfax, Va.: Are black holes at the center of every observable galaxy where a search has been made for them? Are black holes necessary for galaxy formation?
Marc Kaufman: Yes, they have been found wherever and whenever astronomers have had the means to look for them. This has led to the expectation that they will be found at the heart of every galaxy. And as to galaxy formation, it appears that they play a central role, but that role is definitely not fully understood. Active supermassive black holes send out huge and highly energized jets of matter and radiation, and researchers are exploring how those jets may well seed the galaxies with the forces that lead to stars and later structure. Generally, the active supermassives are found in galaxies that are still in the process of formation, while more mature and sedate galaxies like our Milky Way have central black holes that are often described as dormant.
Arlington, Va.: Can you tell us more about the Keck telescope that was used to discover the supermassive black holes? What other discoveries have come from it?
Juna Kollmeier: The Keck telescope has an *extremely* long list of very exciting discoveries and I couldn't possibly list them all here today! I think among the most exciting results, however, have been the discovery of galaxies at very early epochs in the universe as well as the discovery of extra-solar planets. These are just two of the many groundbreaking results from Keck.
Juna Kollmeier: One thing is for certain: whenever we open a new window in astronomy, we always see something unexpected and amazing!
Washington, D.C.: What makes a supermassive black hole different from a stellar black hole? Is there anything other than the size?
Marc Kaufman: The primary difference, as I understand it, is the scale -- stellar black holes are created when stars die and implode (or explode) and generally have a mass of some 10 times our sun. But supermassive black holes have masses of hundreds of thousands or billions times our sun. Nobody knows how they are formed, but theories abound -- that they are the result of the implosion of a massive star from the early universe (when stars were much bigger) or that they are created when galaxies collide and black holes merge. But the basic dynamics of how they work -- to the extent that is known -- are thought to be similar or the same.
Arlington, Va.: I just have to ask, what's the best black hole joke you've ever heard?
Juna Kollmeier: Black holes are no laughing matter. Just kidding.
Glen Arm, Md.: Dark matter (if it exists) must also fall into black holes - have phyicist every tried to observe any possible "sigiture" that would be unique to such events?
Marc Kaufman: Interesting question. I believe the answer is that no signature has been found because no signature has ever been found for dark matter in any context. Astrophysicists now believe much of the universe consists of dark matter and dark energy, but that isn't based on observation but rather on theory. Indeed, one of the features of dark matter is that it does not emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be observed.
Washington, D.C.: At the risk of sounding soulless, are there any practical applications of galactic and extra-galactic astronomy? Or is this area of science pure research at this point?
Marc Kaufman: Pure science at this point -- although it seems to me that humans have an unquenchable desire (need?) to learn more about the universe. The huge public response to the remarkable images from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that desire remains alive and well.
Cicero, Ill.: The mass of the central singularity is related to the bulge of the galaxy, as states. Recent data (L. Ferrareze) shows that this singularity is also related to the dark matter of the halo surrounding the galaxy. THAT is SPECTACULAR.
Marc Kaufman: I'm not familiar with that research, but if supported in future work it would certainly be fascinating and important.
I'm having trouble grasping the vastness of "hundreds of billions of galaxies." Would that mean that our galaxy is to the universe of galaxies as one grain of sand is to a beach?
Marc Kaufman: Yes -- and as a tiny planet in orbit around a smallish, garden-size star in the exurbs of a medium size galaxy, we are indeed a grain of sand (or maybe a part of a grain of sand) in the context of the universe.
D.C.: What would happen if, all of a sudden, light trapped inside a black hole, escaped?
Marc Kaufman: As I understand it, it cannot escape and will not escape. However, a great deal of light and other forms of radiation are created as gas and other matter is sucked into a black hole. An "accredition disk" that swirls around the black hole moves the material and creates a great deal of friction -- and as a result heat and various forms of radiation. But once it goes into the black hole, it's gone...
Falls Church, Va.: I have a mental image of black holes as ravenous creatures, ever-growing, ever-devouring, but that's not necessarily true, is it? A black hole can co-exist with its neighbors in a stable fashion without eventually consuming them, can't it? Or is the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way eventually going to swallow the whole galaxy?
Juna Kollmeier: Have no fear Falls Church! Supermassive black holes can peacefully coexist with galaxies and this remarkable relationship seems to hold true even for galaxies outside of the Milky Way. The black hole can only grow when material comes sufficiently close to it--inside what is called the "sphere of influence" where the black hole's gravity is dominant. So the Galaxy is safe!
I was wondering, I have heard of "Hawking" Radiation, and how it (I think) describes how a black hole eventually would irradiate itself away. Does this tie in with the "active" and "dormant" designations for black holes?
Are scientists currently thinking that the galaxies could be products of minature "Big Bangs" that produced black holes instead of...whatever the Big Bang produced in addition to all the atomic material?
Juna Kollmeier: Hawking Radiation refers to the eventual evaporation of black holes due to the process known as pair-production. This process is *extremely* slow to occur so isn't the same type of activity we mean when we say a black hole is "active".
D.C., bs in astronomy: What sorts of jobs are out there for people with a BS in astronomy but no PHD? I have a friend with such credentials who's been teaching HS physics but he really wants to do more with astrophysics. For what it's worth, as an immigrant he is unable to accept employment with NASA or any other government or defense agencies.
Juna Kollmeier: Excellent question D.C.! Most jobs in astronomy are either with academic institutions or with government labs. Plenty of universities employ research assistants and often only a B.S. degree in physics or astronomy is required.
NY, NY: Thanks for taking the time to talk about this topic. It seems to me that if light can't escape black holes, then black holes must be very very luminous inside. More so than any other light source we know of.
So while it isn't visible on the outside, shouldn't they be called "bright holes"?
Also, the idea that every galaxy has a central black hole and that there might be a regulatory relationship between them is fascinating. Can you talk a little more about this?
Juna Kollmeier: In fact, when supermassive black holes "feed" they emit a tremendous amount of radiation. The brightest of these are called quasars and they outshine the galaxies they live in by orders of magnitude. Of course, this light is coming from the accretion disk around the black hole, but it is extremely bright!
Juna Kollmeier: The relationship between supermassive black holes and their hosts is truly fascinating. Astronomers have observed that there is very tight correlation between the mass of the supermassive black hole and the motions of the stars that surround it. Because these things have widely different scales of relevance, and because this correlation seems to be very tight, it indicates that the formation of supermassive black holes and the formation of galaxies is inextricably linked. There are many theories as to how this relationship is set up, but we do not yet know which one (if any) is correct!
Marc Kaufman: Thanks for your questions everyone. Fascinating topic...
Juna Kollmeier: One more comment to Bethesda, MD: When I say Hawking Radiation is a slow process, I am referring to the case for large astrophysical black holes. For very small black holes (with the size of a proton and the mass of a mountain) such as could have been produced in the Big Bang, this process can be very fast and lead to an explosion. This has not been observed yet but people have looked!
NY, NY: Does dark matter and dark energy interact with a blackhole in the same way as classical matter and energy?
Also, does this discovrey have any effect on string theory?
Juna Kollmeier: Dark matter does interact with black holes in the same way as classical matter, but the situation is not so clear for Dark Energy since we don't know the equation of state of the Dark Energy.
Juna Kollmeier: One comment to Glen Arm, Md: Our knowledge of Dark Matter comes from indirect evidence based on the rotation curves of galaxies as well as the effect that such mass has on light (gravitational lensing). Dark matter should interact with a supermassive black hole in the same way as ordinary matter.
Juna Kollmeier: Comment to Cicero, Ill: Yes, there is a recent study that indicates that the connection between supermassive black holes may extend even beyond the bulges of galaxies to the dark matter halos they sit in. This is somewhat controversial but, if true, would demonstrate an amazing connection between the growth of dark matter (which seeds galaxy formation) and the growth of supermassive black holes.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Pakistan, Bhutto and U.S. Aid
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Kamran Bokhari: Good afternoon/evening folks, my name is Kamran Bokhari. I am Director of Middle East Analysis with Strategic Forecasting, Inc. -- a private U.S. intelligence firm. The geopolitics of Pakistan is a key area that I and my firm are closely following.
Los Angeles: I think U.S. Pakistan relations will be better if it involves India. India has a vital interest in seeing that Pakistan is not a failed state because of internal and external security reasons, but they need financial support from the U.S. At present, Pakistanis will be much more receptive to accepting Indian ideas and help than U.S. ones, because of our involvement in Muslim Iraq and the possibility of an attack on Iran. India does not have this problem, and also its population is 12 percent moderate Muslims, who are culturally and religiously related to Pakistanis.
Kamran Bokhari: I will agree that it is in India's interests to prevent instability and insecurity in its western neighbor. But the historic India-Pakistan rivalry, which prevents New Delhi from a role in this regard. Put differently and succinctly, Pakistanis do not trust Indians. More importantly, there is a general poverty of thought around the world when it comes to the question of how should we deal with Muslim states trying to engage in political reform and curb extremism and terrorism.
Boston: Who controls the launch codes, nuclear missiles and other bomb-grade nuclear material in Pakistan? What are the contingency plans should Musharraf be knocked from power? What is the relationship between the Pakistan Army and intelligence service, and could the intel service gain control of the nukes?
Kamran Bokhari: Contrary to popular belief, the Pakistani nukes are not about to fall in the hands of transnational jihadist non-state actors or other rogue elements within the military. The army has developed a decent command and control infrastructure to protect its nuclear assets. A three-star general heads the Strategic Plans Division which is the body responsible for managing the countries nuclear arsenal. Recently, Islamabad further institutionalized the issue by widening the circle of people with decision-making power regarding the nukes.
Palo Alto, Calif.: Is the Pakistani military capable of fighting a counterinsurgency battle against jihadis, and do you see any sign that it, or that Pakistan's intel agencies are becoming more willing to do so?
Kamran Bokhari: The Pakistani military like the armed forces of most other countries are not designed to fight insurgencies. Furthermore, the ongoing political transition and the pending retirement of President Musharraf as army chief has further complicated matters. Another major issue is that the Pakistani intelligence/security establishment is to a significant degree compromised (mostly in the junior ranks) to where the jihadists are always one step ahead of the authorities. Well placed sources have described the situation as agencies within agencies, which are dominated by people who bat for both sides. It will be sometime before the Pakistanis can successfully engage in a cleansing process and for that political stability is a pre-requisite.
Newnan, Ga.: Can Pakistan be considered a real country? The central government never has had control of the western regions since its inception.
Kamran Bokhari: There is a lot of talk of Pakistan being a 'failed state' but there is a need to realize that one can't lump Pakistan in the category of places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, etc. Unlike these and other such examples, the Pakistani government's writ on its territory has been quite solid. The only exception is perhaps the thin slither of territory straddling the Afghanistan-Pakistan border called the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which Islamabad until a few years ago was successfully governing through political agents. The best way to describe Pakistan's current situation is that it is faced with a crisis of governance and a growing extremism/terrorism problem.
Dulles, Va.: Do you think Bhutto will be able to contain the extremists if she were to become Prime Minister? Considering the difficulties that the military is encountering in containing the extremist threat, it seems very unlikely that a civilian government will be able to do anything about this problem. Her promises to confront this threat sound like typical election rhetoric. Do you agree? Thank you.
Kamran Bokhari: As I mentioned in a response to an earlier question, there is a huge poverty of thought (not just in Pakistan but globally) on how to fight the scourge of jihadism. Not only do governments and other political actors lack ideas on how to go about tackling the issue, there is a massive saturation of "experts" who are contributing to the intellectual confusion. There is a dire need to bring together the real experts who understand the phenomenon we are dealing with and are familiar with the needs of policy-making. We are talking about a very small group of people from the epistemic community who at their individual level have some decent ideas. There is however, no ready-made repository of knowledge that we can dig into and craft policy.
Northern Virginia: Is Pakistan Government a Muslim government, or are they more like the Turkish government, where they believe in practicing open religion and in practicing religion at your privacy? What are the the former prime minister's chances of winning the upcoming election?
Kamran Bokhari: You ask a very important question. Pakistanis since before the birth of their state have been debating about the nature of their desired polity. On one hand are those who see Pakistan as a secular state (which was the vision of the founders as well) which was created to secure the material interests of the Muslims of India. On the other side, we have those who feel that the country was created so that its citizens can live in accordance with their religio-cultural ethos, which can be achieved under an 'Islamic' state. The extremism and terrorism that we see in the country to a great degree is the outcome of this unsettled debate about the Pakistani identity and ideology.
Long Beach, Calif.: Will she arrest the retired generals supporting the Taliban and importing suicide bombers to Afghanistan, who kill our troops? Will she aggressively invade Waziristan and clean out al-Qaeda? Will she raid Osama bin Laden's hideout in Lahore? Those are the only questions that matter.
Kamran Bokhari: Taking an aggressive stance against Islamist militants and their enablers requires that Bhutto not only have some major political capital behind her but also support from within the military establishment. Given that the military has just started to embrace Bhutto and her Pakistan Peoples Party and that despite being the single largest political party, it will need to form a coalition government once after the polls, it is unlikely that she will be able to make any significant dent into the jihadist Frankenstein.
Clarence, N.Y.: I was very happy when Musharraf ousted Nawaz Sharif -- as every body knows he was very corrupt. But Benazir, as everybody knows, is much more corrupt and incompetent than Nawaz. Now that she is being supported by U.S., which acted as an enabler for her "reconciliation" with Musharraf, isn't there a strong resentment among ordinary Pakistanis for the U.S. and our puppet in Islamabad? Will U.S. support to Benazir and her corrupt husband -- nicknamed Mr. 10 Percent -- help or hinder our efforts in Pakistan?
Kamran Bokhari: You point to a major policy-making dilemma. How can the United States/West work with Muslim political actors without delegitimizing them in the eyes of their own constituencies? There is no clear cut solution but for starters, Washington and other western capitals should try and maintain safe distance from their working partners from the Islamic world.
Kamran Bokhari: Thank you all for participating in this online discussion. I am also grateful to Washington Post - in particular Christopher Hopkins, the producer of this forum for granting me the opportunity to share my thoughts. Hopefully, we can do this again in the future. Good afternoon/evening.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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PBS Frontline: 'The Undertaking'
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Navasky and O'Connor have produced a number of documentaries for Frontline, including "The Killer at Thurston High" on high school shootings in Oregon, the Emmy-nominated "The New Asylums" on the imprisonment of the mentally ill, and "Living Old," a disturbing but moving account of what it means to grow old in contemporary America.
Boston: Some of the stories in your film -- particularly the story of the Verrino family -- were so heartbreaking. How did you get them to agree to the interviews? Have they seen the film?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Yes, The Verrinos are a remarkable couple in every way. We met them through a pediatric hospice program - at Angela Hospice in Michigan. They had been dealing with the prospect of their son's death for a long time and were very direct about it. They believed there was some value in letting people know about their son, his story, what they and he had been through and how they were all coping. As they mentioned in the film, they had been dealing with the reality of their son's death literally from his birth, so in many ways they were more able to talk about it than other people around them. Yes, they have seen the film and from what we understand it was, for them, a moving record of their son.
Boonsboro, Md.: You couldn't have chosen a better funeral director than Thomas Lynch to do your special. In our opinion, this has been the only show to depict what funeral director's really do. Very, very well done and very, very tasteful. Thank you so much.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thanks. We agree. Tom, his brother, Pat and their entire family are the kind of funeral directors that we'd want taking care of our families as well.
Anonymous: Hours before your program aired I was at the cemetery having finalized the wording on my father's gravestone. We had him cremated months earlier. I was entranced, horrified and ultimately exceedingly grateful for the detail with which you chose to show the cremation and embalming. It confirmed for me how "right" our decision to have him cremated was, and how much the cremation honored the body we loved for so long. Your program was courageous. Thank you.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Very appreciated. We had the same reaction watching the cremation - something neither one of us had ever seen before and were both grateful to know now what happens and what we can do.
Fort Myers, Fla.: I had the pleasure to watch "The Undertaking" last night and was so moved by Mr. Lynch's poetry, work and heart. Thank you for having the "heart" to do what you and thanks to Miri Navasky and Karen O'Conner for sharing with the public the sacred side of death and dying.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thank you for writing in. We really appreciate it.
Bismarck, N.D.: I thought this was unusually tastefully done. Thank you. Question: Why did you limit so greatly the role and message of the ministers and priests? The movies portray them as quoting briefly from the Anglican liturgy. If you wanted to demystify the funeral process, there is more to their function than that. They were shadow advisers in your depiction, but surely they have a larger role for many people than you would suggest. They do in my community.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: That's a really good question. Yes, we agree, from what we saw, ministers and priests play a huge role in death and dying and the rituals surrounding....Though religion (and the roles of ministers and priests) might not have been directly tackled in the film, we hope that questions of spirituality, faith, afterlife are seen through some of our subjects (i.e. Mary Leonard and the Verrinos). As well, we were limited to 52 minutes and there was only so much we could tackle so we just really let our characters lead us as best we could. Thanks, very good question, again.
San Francisco: Thank you very much for airing and documenting "The Undertaking." I learned so much about the world of funeral homes and what they do. ... I was touch much about sweet baby Anthony who is such an angel on earth. Bless him and his parents. And bless all on the show. Thanks much for your loving works.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thanks for writing. We'll pass on your good wishes to the Verrinos.
Durham, N.C.: Miri and Karen, as a funeral director, I am incredibly proud of the honest and straightforward way you have portrayed our vocation in this "Frontline" episode. And you could not have selected a better firm than the Lynch's nor a more prophetic voice than Tom Lynch. The content and subtle nuances of "The Undertaking" demonstrate that you truly developed an understanding of the essence of this sacred work of ours. Thank you for finally a positive, nonsensationalized and tasteful representation of the funeral service profession.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: thanks for writing.
Northern Virginia: I happened on your program last night and found it riveting and very very moving. What a beautiful treatment of such a taboo subject. I have never seen footage like. The young couple who lost the baby were so articulate and so sad. Kudos. It was really well done. Initially my husband was worried that it could be a violation of the deceased person's privacy, but we think you treated the dead with great dignity. How did you decide to handle that?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thanks that means a lot to both of us. Yes, we were very fortunate to meet the Verrinos, their great boy, and the other families in the film. It was a hard subject to tackle and we tried in every way we could to handle it with as much respect and dignity as possible. We decided at the start of the project that we would carefully choose what to film and take great care with how we were filming these delicate scenes so that nothing would be sensationalized or exploited. And, of course, we didn't film anything without the families permission.
St. Paul, Minn.: "The Undertaking" was an outstanding and moving documentary. I was reduced to tears, something that doesn't happen often to this cynic. It even prompted a discussion with my husband of what we wanted to happen when we die.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: We're very happy to hear that. That's our great hope, that it will prompt discussions like this everywhere (it certainly did for us).
Westport, Conn.: Thank you so much for such a moving and sensitive show. I do not think we consider the meaning of death often enough as we look at the questions of life. I did cry at the bravery of the parents of young Anthony. Thank you again for your important work.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: They are very brave and courageous. And its true, most of us have trouble considering death, let alone talking about it. Thanks for writing.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: thanks for watching and writing!
Kansas City, Mo.: What is your sense/understanding on why we as a society don't embrace planning for our inevitable death (whether we pay for it or not) in the same way we plan for retirement or other life stages?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Good question. Too frightening, I suppose. Or, I guess, some might argue, that its not up to us to plan, but should be left to our families and love ones.
Greensboro, N.C.: Thomas Lynch is one of my favorite poets. There's something about the guy that reassures you that everything is for the best. He's level-headed and warm and decent and his poetry is surprising and beautiful. You really captured him and his life beautifully. Thanks for that. Was it hard to get taciturn Michiganders to let you film their private lives?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thanks. We'll pass on your wishes to Tom. we assume you're talking about they lynches and no, they were willing to let us in to most aspects of their lives, but, as you saw in the film, the emphasis was more on what they do, than it was on their own private personal stories. And the other Michiganders were incredibly open and direct with us. thanks for writing.
Saratoga, N.Y.: I had expected a show about the technicalities of the undertaking process (which you did cover) but did not expect such an insightful look at death itself and the rituals and traditions our culture uses to deal with it. The show left me wondering about how our traditions compare to those of other cultures' ... any plans to take on that subject?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: That's a great question. We could no tackle it in this film, obviously. But recommend you check out the frontline Web site www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking where there is more information/links about other cultures and how they handle death.
Overland Park, Kan.: Having just started having more exposure to this industry in the past nine months, it is quite apparent to me how nearly everyone sees their work as more of a calling -- like the ministry. They really do embrace their roles as caregivers. And many people actually are changing careers -- going into the funeral director or embalming professions. Fascinating.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Very interesting to hear. thanks for writing.
Washington: In watching the program last night, I was especially struck by the segment in which Lynch talked about the importance of having the deceased present at the funeral, and the need for the mourners to see the body. I'm Jewish, and open caskets are not part of our funeral ritual; I've always felt it was a gruesome and morbid custom, but Lynch's comments made me look at the practice very from a different perspective. It was a wonderful and thought-provoking program.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: I'm Jewish too and had a similar preconceived notion, but I was totally changed by he making of this film. I actually found it all quite comforting. Also, we were just told about an orthodox ritual in Judaism where close community members help to prepare a body. I hadn't known about that. If you want to read more from the interviews, please check out our Web site www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking
New York: How did your ideas about the structure of the documentary (lack of narrator, music, length of camera shots, etc.) evolve over the course of dealing with such a sensitive subject?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: whew, hard question, but a good one. In many ways the subject led the style of filmmaking. We knew from the outset that this would be a different kind of film for us and had always imagined a more cinematic film (i.e. no narrator). But it took us awhile to figure out how to use Tom's readings. The music evolved over time, though our composer, Justin Samaha and our editor Daisy Wright, collaborated closely trying to come up with the right tone (which was not easy). And in terms of camera shots, our Director of Photography, Ben McCoy, is always trying to capture the emotional quality of the story, visually. And, as you saw, he did in every way. Please check out the Web site for more.
Durham, N.C.: Did your involvement in this program influence thoughts or plans about your own funerals or choices you would make for family members' funerals?
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Yes. definitely (although our plans keep changing). Karen, for example, has come to believe in the value of a viewing (whether private or public). And I am swinging back and forth between cremation and no cremation, but I know that I want my family involve and I know, that I want to be buried in a place where family can visit. And everyone on the crew ended up reevaluating their own plans and choices. Great question.
Lakewood, Colo.: Your program was a wonderful find last night. I must have told ten people about it already. Thank you so much! My question is more of a personal one: I am wondering whether or not you consider yourselves "religious" in the "Judeo-Christian" sense, and if so, how has making this documentary affected your faith? And if not, what are your personal views about what happens to humans after death? Thanks again for your compassion that went into making this program.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Whew, hard questions. I think we both have to answer separately. I am Jewish, but not particularly religious. Honestly, the film did not affect my faith or my beliefs in god. However, I have come to realize how comforting the structures of religious rituals are. And I would want some form of Jewish custom in my funeral process if I had the choice. I'm still struggling with my views of an afterlife.
I'm still struggling too with questions of faith. I was raised Catholic and though I would describe myself as an agnostic, I do still respond to the funerals rituals that I grew up with.
Greensboro, N.C.: I lost both my parent within 35 days of each other, my mom to Alzheimer's and my dad to multiple myeloma, earlier this year, as well as my husband's uncle the week before my mom passed away. I would have loved to have been a part of this project in order to have had an outlet, as well as to have documentation of what we experienced. Your show last night was a wonderful comfort, a way of sharing the experience with others who've been through the same thing at the same time we did.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Thanks for writing. To read more, check out the Web site, www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking.
Clarkston, Mich.: I was moved by the fact that Mr. Lynch stayed at the grave site until the last load of soil was put in place. At my own father's graveside, I somewhat resented the presence of the sexton with his work clothes and shovel ... and his "just another day on the job" attitude. Now I see it as a comfort, a sign of the cycle of life, if you will. Thanks for that.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: We will pass this along. I had the same reaction.
Largo, Fla.: My wife and I were very moved by the show. I also recommended it to members of my Buddhist meditation group that met just before it aired. Reflection on impermanence of life and the inescapability of death, which can occur at any moment, are part of the daily meditation exercises of serious Buddhists. Mainstream American avoidance or suppression of death only makes it more complicated for us as a society to deal with. On Halloween today children and many adults both seek mock fright and giddy thrills with the symbols and artifacts of death, in order to conquer the fear of death by jesting with it. We seem fascinated with the idea of it and play with our fear of it.
However, such entertainment does not mature us spiritually. I hope PBS will develop a series on death and bereavement that will help the public understand different perspectives and practices of death and bereavement so that our dying may educate about the ubiquity of dying in our lives. We also need to hear from the sages of Eastern traditions, especially Tibetan Buddhism, who seem to know so much more about living and dying honestly and peacefully than we do in America.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Great. Hopefully PBS will do just that. Please look at the Web site, www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking, where they talk more about other rituals, Buddhism included.
Kent, Ohio: Hi, your program was wonderful! I finally got to see how my husband's death was handled last year -- to know how he would have been cared for from death to burial/cremation. How wonderful it would have been to witness the cremation -- had I only known. Great, insightful production! Thank you so much!
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: We had no idea either about the cremation. But we feel the same about a lot of our family members.
Troy, Mich.: When may the program be repeated? Soon, I hope. Thank you.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: We're not sure, check your local listings and our Web site. But the entire progam is also streamed online at www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking.
La Jolla, Calif.: Did you observe any significant differences in the benefit received from funerary services as between people of religious faith and those without such faith? Did Thomas Lynch discuss religious faith at all during your interviews? Why was there so little reference to the role of religious faith in this end-of-life experience? Thank you, this was a wonderful piece of work of which you should be rightly proud.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: Look at Tom's extended interview online (www.pbs.org/frontline/undertaking). As we said in another question, we really followed our subjects and what mattered to them. for us, the Verrinos definitely took on issues of faith in their interview (you can also read more online). But again, we had limited time to tell our story. Thanks for your comments!
Marietta, Ohio: What a well done piece. Mr. Lynch is a gifted person. I would like to see a discussion guide for lay folks come out of it ... or perhaps a discussion guide for a gathering hosted by funeral directors. The Undertaking was excellent. As a clergyperson and friend of funeral directors in my congregation, I was proud of what was presented. It was touching, informative, and real. What a wonderfully wide variety of stories. Surely every viewer could relate to one of them. In death we are pointed to life -- and if we all could embrace life as the Lynch family and funeral directors like my friends have done -- we would be a healthier people. Please don't stop with one presentation.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: You're right and you should get in touch with Tom Lynch through WGBH because he, and the University of Michigan, did in fact put together a wonderful study guide. Thanks so much for your comments.
Howell, Mich.: Thank you for a wonderfully inspiring program. I live in southeast Michigan and have had the honor to have known the entire Lynch family for nearly 40 years, including Tom and Pat's wonderful parents, Ed and Rosemary, and all the brothers and sisters. Lynch & Sons buried my father in 1999, even though they weren't the closest funeral home. My three brothers questioned the decision beforehand, but have said repeatedly that we made the right choice and will do so again when the time comes. The Lynch family is truly the very best at what they do.
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: We agree. Thank you so much for your support and for writing!
Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor: thanks for writing! Please consult the website for extended interviews, links and more discussion about film.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Frontline producers Miri Navasky and Karen O'Connor discuss their film, "The Undertaking," which examines life and death through the eyes of poet and writer Thomas Lynch, the only funeral director in Milford, Mich.
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Federal Diary Live
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Trying to figure out your options for the 2008 Federal Employees Health Benefits Program? Want to know what plan will best meet your needs? How you can compare insurance plans? What federal retirees need to know about Medicare and FEHBP?
Richard G. Miles, president of the Government Employees Health Association (known as GEHA) joined Stephen Barr, who writes The Post's Federal Diary column, on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at noon ET to take your questions and comments about the 2008 FEHBP open season.
Archive: Federal Diary Live transcripts
GEHA is one of the largest health insurance plans in FEHBP, covering more than 400,000 federal employees, retirees and their families. The company traces its roots to 1937, when the Railway Mail Hospital Association was formed to help railroad workers with their medical expenses. Today GEHA provides three health plan options nationwide.
Stephen Barr: Thanks for joining in this discussion today, and a special thanks to our guest, Richard Miles of GEHA. The 2008 open season for federal employees is around the corner, and I'm sure folks are interested in any changes or modifications that GEHA may be making for next year. So, Richard, give us a quick tour of the GEHA plans, if you would. Again, thanks for joining us!
Richard G. Miles: Mr. Barr: Thank you for inviting us to be part of this chat. GEHA sponsors three FEHB plans and we also offer a Voluntary Dental Program under (FEDVIP).
I am pleased to report that the premiums on the High Option Health Plan declined by $3.12 bi-weekly for a self only and by $7.41 for the family plan. There was a minor change in our chiropractic benefit but other than that there were no other major benefit changes.
The Standard Option Health Plan premiums will not change for 2008. The deductible has been lowered to $350.
The High Deductible Health Plan premiums also will not change. The contribution to the HSA/HRA accounts will be $60 per month for self only enrollment and $120 per month for a family enrollment. The benefits have been increased to 95 percent coverage in-network after the deductible has been met. The deductible is $1,500 for self only and $3,000 for family coverage. Prescription drug coverage has also been improved from a 30 percent co-insurance to a 25 percent co-insurance, after the deductible has been met.
The GEHA Connection Dental Federal benefits did not change and their will be a very minor change in premium for the high option plan. The premium varies by region but the average percentage increase was 2.5 percent. The standard option premium changed by a few pennies.
We are also offering an insured Vision Program to members in all of our Plans at no premium. We are offering this as an Association Benefit.
Arlington, Va.: I have GEHA standard option. Do I need to sign up for Medicare option "D" when I reach age 65?
Richard G. Miles: No, you don't have to sign up for Medicare Part D, but it might be a benefit to you depending on the amount you are spending for prescription drugs. A typical Part D premium will cost you between $25 and $40 per month. By having dual coverage you will have excellent drug coverage and have very little out of pocket in most cases.
Culpeper, Va.: When my daughter turned 22, we continued her coverage through a separate policy for temporary continuing coverage. The price that we are paying for this is very high; higher, in fact, than available open-market coverage, which surprised us. Is she entitled to switch to a lower cost plan under the OPM open season provisions? She has been enrolled since November 2006.
Richard G. Miles: I believe that if she is being covered under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage rules she can switch plans during open season. Your daughter can have a different plan than you and our Standard Option Plan may be a very affordable choice for her. I would refer you to call the National Finance Center for further details.
Washington: For a family of four with average medical expenses (like, not much except for the usual stuff with kids), is GEHA HDHP or GEHA standard option the better buy? Why? Thanks.
Richard G. Miles: That is a difficult question to answer. I would refer you to our Web site at GEHA.com for benefit charts that allow you to compare plans side by side.
Arlington, Va.: For 2008, GEHA will cut its monthly HSA contribution by 33 percent in its self-only high-deductible health plan. Why do this? Decreases in co-pays, though they sound nice, only matter once an individual has met the $1,500 deductible. Reducing monthly contributions to the HSA makes it much harder for plan participants to meet the deductible in the first place.
Richard G. Miles: We were required by OPM to reduce our contribution to the HSA/HRA accounts. They required all FEHB High Deductible plans to limit their contributions to 50 percent or less of the annual deductible. We had the option of increasing the deductible or decreasing the contribution. We chose not to increase the deductible and we took the savings from the change and greatly enhanced the coverage.
Missouri City, Texas: Would your plan's premiums be impacted significantly by increasing the age a child is covered a few years? Most medical plans cover children to age 25. The military is covered to age 23. Why is ours only to age 22? Kids in college need this coverage these days.
Richard G. Miles: Young adults in that age bracket are typically not expensive to insure. We aren't allowed to increase the age for dependent coverage because it is regulated by OPM. This change may require legislation to increase the age.
Washington: Is your dental plan different than the ones provided through OPM? How does the coordination of benefits work? Thank you.
Richard G. Miles: We are one of the approved FEDVIP dental plans. Which means that for active employees the premium can be withdrawn from your bi-weekly pay with pre-tax dollars. All of the plans in the FEDVIP program are required to coordinate with the dental coverage provided by your FEHB medical plan. When we are secondary, we consider the balance up to the billed amount for covered services. Typically this results in 100 percent coverage for routine diagnostic and preventive services.
Washington: Were there any changes in your prescription drug coverage? I understand that GEHA standard is a good fit for Medicare-covered retirees.
Richard G. Miles: There were no changes in our drug coverage for the Standard Option Plan. Yes, I agree that the Standard Option Plan is an excellent value for those with Medicare. We do recommend that retirees in Standard Option elect to take Medicare Part D if they use a lot of brand name prescription drugs to minimize their out of pocket costs further.
Washington: Thank you for taking questions. Here's mine: how does preventive care work under your HDHP plan; is it different than GEHA standard option? Are there any qualifiers about preventive care that I would need to know or consider?
Richard G. Miles: Under the HDHP plan, you do not need to use your HSA funds for PPO preventive care. GEHA provides unlimited adult preventive care (paid at 100 percent, with no deductible) when you see a PPO doctor. Included are annual physicals, routine adult immunizations, mammograms, and cancer screenings. Lab tests as part of your preventive care visit are also covered at 100 percent. GEHA covers well-child care visits and immunizations (paid at 100 percent, with no deductible), regardless of covered provider.
Under the Standard Option Plan lab tests are covered at 100 percent when you use LabCard. Well child care visits and immunizations are covered at 100 percent up to age 22. PPO Doctor Visits to a primary care physician are covered after only a $10 co-pay.
I would encourage you to visit the Web site at GEHA.com for further details and plan comparisons.
Virginia: Are the CIA and State Department under your plans? Since half of those workforces are overseas...
Richard G. Miles: All federal civilian employees are eligible to join one of our plans. PPO benefits apply to all providers overseas providing for excellent coverage for those employees.
Washington: I am enrolled in the standard option GEHA plan. Does that mean that I have vision coverage, but I'd have to enroll separately in a dental plan?
Also does GEHA offer a doctor referral service?
Richard G. Miles: Yes, in 2008 you will be eligible, under the Standard Option Plan, for the Vision coverage at no additional cost to you. You do not need to enroll in a separate dental plan to get vision coverage.
All of our members regardless of plan are eligible for the Vision plan.
If you are interested in expanded dental coverage separate enrollment is required. You can enroll at www.Benefeds.com. Our plan is listed there as Connection Dental Federal.
Yes, at our Web site, GEHA.com, you can search for providers by specialty and by area.
Washington: Sorry that I don't understand what you wrote: "the contribution to the HSA/HRA accounts will be $60 per month for self only enrollment and $120 per month for family enrollment." Is that the premium? What does "contribution" mean? Thank you.
Richard G. Miles: Under the High Deductible Health Plans we contribute a set amount each month to a member savings account, called a Health Savings Account or HSA. The HSA is a tax sheltered account very much like an IRA. Contributions by the plan are not taxed to the recipient and interest income is not taxable as well. In addition, you can make your own contributions to the account and they are tax deductible within certain limits.
Funds in the account can be withdrawn to pay for medical expenses not paid by the plan such as those expenses incurred prior to meeting the deductible.
Unlike any other health insurance, an HDHP with an HSA allows you to "bank" current health insurance premiums for the future. Money in your HSA that you don't spend stays in your account and earns interest. If you are a saver with moderate health care expenses, you can build a tax-free nest egg for future health care expenses. If you change jobs or leave the GEHA Health Plan, you keep your HSA. At age 65, you can even use your HSA savings for non-health care expenses (normal tax rates apply).
Andrews Air Force Base, Md.: I am scheduled to retire on Dec. 31, 2007, as a FERS employee. I am currently enrolled in a plan but would like to change during open enrollment in November, prior to my retirement. Am I allowed to do this being so close to retirement?
Richard G. Miles: Yes, you can change during open season. You can continue your coverage into retirement as long as you have had coverage under the FEHB program, regardless of plan or plans, for the past five continuous years. You can also change plans after you retire.
Washington: Just a comment. I've been a GEHA member for about six years now. The people who staff your customer service phone center provide exemplary service. Every time I have called with questions about coverage or an explanation of benefits, I have spoken with somebody who is courteous and helpful. You could teach other companies some important lessons on the importance of quality telephone service. Thank you.
Richard G. Miles: Thank you and I will pass your kind comments on to my staff who do an excellent job.
Richard G. Miles: Mr. Barr tells me that we are running out of time. If there are questions that haven't been answered please feel free to call our customer service at 800-821-6136 or visit our Web sites at geha.com or gehadental.com.
Thank you for allowing us this opportunity and best wishes to all.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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Lost Book Club: 'The Turn of the Screw'
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Jen Chaney and Liz Kelly -- co-authors of washingtonpost.com's weekly "Lost" analysis (in season) -- continue the "Lost" Book Club series with a discussion of Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw," one of several books that may offer some clues into the past, present and future of "Lost."
Liz Kelly's day job is Celebritology blogging, while Jen Chaney presides over washingtonpost.com's Movies section. Both consider "Lost"-watching a passion.
Visit washingtonpost.com's new "Lost" hub.
Jen Chaney: Happy Halloween, everyone. What better way to spend it than by spending some time with you "Lost" fans, hashing over a good ghost story. Well, some might not have found "Turn of the Screw" as "good" as others. Personally, I had a hard time getting into it. In fact, I read the beginning about four times before I finally settled into the story. Once I did, I really enjoyed it and discovered a nugget or two that could be useful keys to "Lost"-land. Liz, what about you?
Liz Kelly: Well, Jen, I have to confess... though I girded my loins (like Mrs. Grose) to give this story a fair shake, I wasn't transported by it. I, too, stumbled over the language and found myself a bit confounded by the slow pace and, well, lack of much really happening. And, trust me, I wanted to like this. I'm a big fan of James-ian era texts and flowery language. Somehow, this text, though, didn't satisfy. Maybe we can draw more out of it in today's discussion...
Happy All Hallows Eve...: Trick or Treat!
So I like Henry James, I really do...i've read a bunch of his writings and they are all a little bit dark...
Oh wait i'm getting him mixed up with Thomas Hardy. Oh well. (enjoy the rambling, i'm already on a sugar high!)
I have to say the most enjoyable part about this book was getting to the end and hoping beyond hoping that that's not what writers of "Lost" are going to do to us. Continue to "Turn the Screw" in the story and then just leave us after three more years with our own interpretations...
Nevertheless ... I thought this was an appropriate choice because this was the text behind which Desmond hid the video for the Hatch, right? So at that moment the plot was thickening....so maybe too literal of an explanation....
Looking at the book by itself, I wonder if the whole ghost story thing was really a sign of the new governess's craziness. It seemed like the children and the housekeeper were at times humoring her. But then again that final scene was pretty terrifyng ... and what exactly did Miles do at school to get himself kicked out?
Jen Chaney: Ah, the annual Halloween sugar high. It does wonder for productivity, doesn't it? I have said before, and will repeat again, that I think the ending of "Lost" may be open to interpretation, but closed enough that it satisfies. They aren't going to leave people hanging at the end of the series and asking, "Wait, what just happened?" At least that's my guess. Something occurred to me as I was reading your question -- we are assuming that turning the screw means tightening it, a metaphor for the tension that James subtly raises as the story continues. But couldn't that turning also go the other way? Is it possible that it could be a metaphor for the governess, who seems to have a screw loose, and at the end of the story finally gets unhinged entirely? Just a thought. Have another fun-size Snickers bar and mull that one over.
Liz Kelly: I'm with Jen on her interpretation of the Governess slowing coming apart the deeper we get into her story. Unlike some of the other books we've read where we draw direct correlations between the text and "Lost," I'm not sure we can do the same for James's text. I see no Sawyer or Jack or Locke reflected in the characters of Flora or Miles or the Governess. Instead we are left with, as Jen already pointed out, the hint that the "Lost" story -- like this book -- may be told by one or more unreliable narrators.
Brisbane Australia: I think Henry James got it right. "Turn of the Screw" is a better ghost story than "Lost," and you don't get sold toothpaste every ten minutes. In a sense the audience does get screwed with, on a regular basis, however.
Liz Kelly: Good point, although I'd point out that one can easily sidestep the commercial interruptions by recording and watching later or waiting until the end of each season and watching it in its entirety on DVD. That's how my husband and I watched the first season and became hooked. I'm not sure we would have if we'd had to cool our jets through ads every 10 minutes.
Jen Chaney: True. These days, if the ads bother you that much, it's easier than ever before to avoid them. Plus, I don't know if you read this particular piece of critical analysis of "Turn of the Screw," but some scholars say James's work is nothing more than a 175-page subliminal ad for Paxil.
Fairfax, Va: Some mention must be made of the finest film version of James' novel: "The Innocents," starring the late great Deborah Kerr. There's a scene where Miss Giddens is playing hide-and-seek with Miles and Flora. She hides behind some drapes. She turns and looks out the window...
I've seen the movie many times and I still get the willies!
Jen Chaney: Oh, thanks for bringing that up. Many people say that's the best screen version of this story. With Kerr's sad, recent death, I suspect more people will revisit it.
Liz Kelly: Yes, I need to add that to my Netflix list, too. I have to admit I was a big fan of "The Others" with Nicole Kidman. Well done and satisfyingly creepy. Speaking of creepy, did you dress up for the occasion, Jen?
Thought on the Uncle: Maybe this is a warning. The uncle, who tries to ignore and really just abandons his niece and nephew, leading to the nephew's death, is like the no longer present founders of the Initiative. They can pretend terrible things aren't really happening, and live a life of wealth and leisure with a clear conscience.
Jen Chaney: Interesting idea. It seems like there has to be some significance behind "Turn of the Screw" being the book that hides the initiation film in the Hatch. Especially because they make a real point in the show of making it obvious which book it is. We've raised the possibility that it could signify Desmond's unreliability as narrator. It also could say something, as you suggest, about the Dharma Initiative, perhaps that they too are telling a version of the story that isn't true. That seems to be a theme in terms of what LindeCuse have suggested about the show. Lindelof specifically mentioned the movie "Capricorn One" as something worth paying attention to, and that's all about a cover-up involving a NASA mission. (Decent movie, too, by the way.) Clearly something at the core of the narrative, at least as we understand it thus far, has to be incorrect; it's a question of figuring out which portion we've been misled about and to what extent.
Liz Kelly: One thing that struck me about the book and possible "Lost" clues is the book's concentration on children who are implicit in tricking someone or of possible interest to some supernatural power. This got me to thinking about the children on "Lost" -- Walt and the several other "Lostie" kids who were spirited away by the Others for who knows what purpose. And, of course, the Others' mania for baby-making. Do they want children to continue their community or because children can do something which the adults can not?
Jen Chaney: That's a really intriguing point, Liz. In "Turn of the Screw," even if you believe the governess is kinda nuts, it still seems like the kids hold some sort of power over her. They also don't talk like normal kids at all. "Did you fancy you made no noise? You're like a troop of cavalry!" Honestly, who says that? Maybe that's simply a language thing, since people undoubtedly spoke differently in the late 1800s. But either way, I definitely got the impression those kids were wise beyond their years, in a way not entirely dissimilar from Walt and his special powers. As far as the Others, my impression so far is that the child-obsession is more about continuing the community, but you're right, they also may want to take advantage of some special powers that only children possess.
Literatu,RE: It is not like you to be late, Liz.
Liz Kelly: So sorry. Had a doozy of a tech problem on this end that was only visible from the live site. So Jen and I were back here happily answering questions, thinking everything was fine. All should be well now.
I've seen folks atwitter on boards after Daniel Dae Kim's DUI arrest.
Could someone in the main cast fall victim to the dreaded "DUI Curse" that has befelled three other actors on the show?
Jen Chaney: Anything is possible. If I were a cop in Hawaii and I needed to make my monthly quota, I would follow "Lost" cast members to every bar and restaurant in town. Kim's arrest is definitely unfortunate. If one believes in curses, it also would seem to portend his character's demise. All three of the other DUIers -- Libby, Anna Lucia, Eko -- wound up getting killed off after their arrests. I think that's pure coincidence, but it's definitely something to fire up conspiracy theories. And I love a good, completely outlandish conspiracy theory.
Liz Kelly: This was big news in Celebritology land last week. We've almost come to expect "Losties" to turn up on the police blotter. I was a little surprised that Daniel Dae Kim was the latest, though. He just doesn't strike me as the party type. My readers suggest to Lindecuse that they spring for drivers for all cast members from this point on... and possibly a few MADD pamphlets.
Inspired "The Others"?!: All right, now that I've read the book -- I can so see how this book inspired the Others. The unreliable narrator thinking her kids have gone crazy, the ghostly hauntings (but not exactly in the case of the movie). Sweet.
Jen Chaney: Yes, the whole vibe of the book really matched the tone of Alejandro Amenabar's direction of "The Others." I visualized everything I read as looking dark, gray and gloomy. While the plots didn't match exactly, the stories definitely had some parallels, as you point out. I also think it's interesting -- and maybe significant, or maybe not -- that Ms. Hawking, the woman Demond meets in "Flashes Before Your Eyes," is played by Fionnula Flanagan, who played a key role in "The Others." (The fact that her name is Hawking also ties in beautifully with our November book club selection, which we will reveal later.) Is it possible that we should think of Demond as a bit like the governess in "Turn of the Screw," a narrator whose view of history -- or in his case, the future -- we should not necessarily trust?
Liz Kelly: Or do we turn that on its ear and assume that Desmond is the only reliable one? Is he (and by extension our governess) actually the one speaking the truth -- no matter how far-fetched and unlikely it may seem?
Jen Chaney: Da-naaaa! Good point, Liz. In a way, Desmond is creating a reality. He has visions, but he seems to believe they must be followed to the letter for some larger purpose. I'm still not sure whether he's right to be loyal to the narrator in his own head who is giving him these visions. I say this mainly because I still think it stinks that Charlie died. It's also worth noting that Flanagan's character in "The Others" is the one who confirms the plot-twist truth of the movie, which I will not share in case any newbies want to watch it this Halloween night. So if there's a connection -- and who knows if there is? -- we would have to believe what she tells Demond is true as well.
Liz Kelly: To your point above about the seemingly un-childlike speech patterns of the children in the book, I noted the same thing. Two pop culture references kept coming to mind as I read: 1960's Village of the Damned and the Simpsons' spoof on same in which one of the kids says (in a sing-song British voice): "You've been buggering the fishwife."
Jen Chaney: Actually, that was my point. But since Liz and I are partners in "Lost" crime, it doesn't really matter. In both instances you mentioned, something funky was going on with those kids. So maybe the governess isn't a nut after all. Actually, I think she's a bit of a nut solely for taking the job in the first place. But that's another story.
Mt. Pleasant, Washington, D.C.: I only read the Cliff Notes (the DCPL never transferred it to my branch), but that alone was an interesting read. The question came to my mind: Is Benry the Governess? Protective. Delusional. Thinking he/she knows what's best for the children?
Jen Chaney: Ooh, I like this idea. Especially since she sees ghosts and believes them to be real, as Ben (seemingly) does with Jacob.
Liz Kelly: Well, the same could be said of Jack -- who also thinks he knows what's best for the Losties and makes the decision to call in the helicopter, thereby sealing their fate (and his own -- beard and all).
Jen Chaney: True, but Jack is not obsessed with children in the same way. And he is not seeing Jacob visions, at least not yet. Give him time. Oh, and to answer Liz's question from earlier about my Halloween attire, I am, sadly, not dressed for the occasion. In a matter of hours, though, I will be dressing my son as Yoda in an attempt to turn him into a geek well before his first birthday. Next year, though, I am going as McPatchy.
You've got it all backwards: Lloyd Braun, who we all know was crazy from his Seinfeld appearances, first conceived the idea of "Lost." But to properly develop his idea, he had to travel back in time where he thought he was a governess and wrote a letter to her master, who he thought was Henry James. When Henry James got the letter, he was inspired to write "The Turn of the Screw."
Finally, Lloyd could return to the present where he successfully developed the show but was fired for greenlighting such an expensive show. This is clearly true but few know that it was the cost of the time travel that got to ABC execs because LLoyd LOST his boarding pass.
Liz Kelly: I'm sorry, did someone say crazy?
Jen Chaney: Yeah, who wrote this question, Crazy Joe Devola?
Jen Chaney: Speaking of curses, I think this chat is cursed. It didn't work for the first 20 minutes, and then I chide one of our readers for not attributing a comment to me. And the reader was actually Liz. Apologies for my stupidity, partner. Good Lord. Before the hour is over, I fully expect this chat to be arrested for DUI.
Liz Kelly: DUI? Dang. I wish I was at the office today.
Liz Kelly: Seeing as how the only folks submitting questions here are ghosts, maybe we should take a little time to talk about some 21st century "Lost" news -- anyone who has a little money to blow might want to start planning now to attend the annual "Lost" Beach Bow, likely to be held Feb. 2. Basically, join tons of Hawaiians, fans and even some of the cast to watch the season premiere under the stars at Waikiki. Jen and I will be submitting our travel requests soon.
Jen Chaney: And we have no doubt in our minds that post.com will pay for both of us to go to Hawaii. In fact, I've already started packing.
Liz Kelly: Let's fly something other than Oceanic, tho.
Deferring to SparkNotes: According to these lovely high school "cheat sheets" SparkNotes two major themes in Turn of the Screw are: "Corruption of the Innocent" and "Destructiveness of Heroism". This really jumped out at me when I read it. Is that not the theme of Lost too?
Liz Kelly: Well, thank you SparkNotes. That's interesting. In the case of "Turn of the Screw," who is it I wonder who is corrupting the innocents? Is it the dead governess and her lover or the the new governess whose mania infects her young charges. Or is she the innocent being corrupted? In the case of "Lost," one would argue that none of them are really all that innocent. As the flashbacks have revealed over the past few seasons, everyone on the island has something to hide or something from which he or she is running. What say you, Jen?
Jen Chaney: I'll address "Turn of the Screw" first. I think it's hard to read this and not leave with the impression that it's the governess who ultimately inflicted harm on the children. On first read, it plays as though she literally scared the boy to death. Looking at it again, though, you could easily read it another way: That the boy finally sees what the governess sees -- the ghost of Quint -- and that's what frightens his heart to the point of stopping. Either way, I think both the governess and the kids are innocents who have been corrupted. And that's true of "Lost" as well. As you say, the survivors of the Oceanic flight are corrupt, but the island -- like Bly does for the kids in "Turn" -- gives them a chance to start over. But the ruling force on the island also seems corrupt as well. Real quick, I also found this quote by the governess interesting, which she says in reference to the children: "I don't save or shield them. It's far worse than I dreamed. They're lost!"
Chantilly, Va.: So if Ben is the governess, does that make Locke Mrs. Grose? -- believing, but with only peripheral proof that it is really true.
Liz Kelly: I'm sure this is a valid question, but now I just picture them both dressed as old women -- ala Norman Bates dressed as his mother in "Psycho." (Cue the stabbing music.)
Jen Chaney: I don't think Locke is Mrs. Grose necessarily. She provides a good deal of comfort to the governess, whereas Ben and Locke are adversaries. And re: "Psycho," I am perfectly prepared to see Jacob spin around in his chair and turn out to be the corpse of an old lady. That would be kind of cool, actually.
Narrator/Storyteller: What about the fact that the story is essentially being read aloud to a group of people? In Lostverse to some extent,and especially with the flashbacks (or flashforwards) we are in essence looking at the Losties time on the island like its a story.
Similarly, we the viewers are looking from the outside in trying to make sense of what's going on--and at every turn, there's a new hint or clue as to what's going on. I did like that as a narrative tool though--the ghostly set up (telling haunting stories by firelight, the anticipation) were great.
Liz Kelly: Good point -- though in "Lost" we are the only ones with the benefit of the omniscient (or as omniscient as it can be) point of view. The "Losties" are not privy to one another's flashbacks.
Liz Kelly: Ha. I said "privy."
Jen Chaney: True, Liz. I also am not sure who qualifies as the storyteller on "Lost" in that scenario.
Liz Kelly: Luckily this accursed chat has come to an end. We are all of us free to pursue our terrifying Halloween afternoons -- Jen to geek up her kid, me to interview Andy Dick (talk about scary!) and all of us to make a few more passes at the Halloween candy bowl. Without further ado, Jen Chaney with November's "Lost" Book Club selection...
Jen Chaney: Please give my best to Mr. Dick and tell him how much I loved his work in "Reality Bites." Okay, on to November. We really wanted a challenge for next month. And that's why we've decided to read (brace yourselves) "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. If there are SparkNotes on this one, let us know. It's very possible we may need them. In any case, join us on Nov. 21 when we'll reconvene to discuss. Happy Halloween, everyone.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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Belichick Won't Kneel To Conquer
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For the first half of the New England Patriots' season, it has appeared that the only person capable of slowing down the offense is Coach Bill Belichick. And he has been decidedly uninterested in doing so.
The Patriots will take an 8-0 record into Sunday's showdown in Indianapolis with the 7-0 Colts. The Patriots are on course to shatter the NFL's single-season scoring record and are drawing comparisons to the greatest teams in history. They're so imposing that they've made an underdog of the Colts even though they're the undefeated defending Super Bowl champions playing at home.
But it also has been a season of controversies for the Patriots and Belichick, their unyielding coach, and the latest is whether Belichick might be violating one of the sport's unwritten rules by using a merciless approach to win games by lopsided margins and embarrass opponents.
"It could be making some people mad," former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese said this week. "It certainly could be. I don't doubt that at all."
But the question remains: Is Belichick doing anything wrong? Reese and other observers said no.
"Having been on both sides of it, it always boils down to, if you want to keep it from happening, you have to stop them," Reese said. "The problem is, right now they're almost impossible to stop."
Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann said yesterday of Belichick: "He doesn't give a damn about what anyone thinks, and that's great. The NFL isn't a social club. You're not supposed to score against this [opposing] coach because his job is on the line? Come on. You do something about keeping your own job. The Patriots have got the pedal to the metal, and they're not backing off."
After beating the Redskins, 52-7, on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots have scored 331 points; the NFL record is 556 by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998. The Patriots' average margin of victory is 25.5 points per game. They haven't scored fewer than 34 points in a game or won by fewer than 17 points.
But what has created the stir is the way that Belichick has gone about things the past three weeks. In an Oct. 14 game at Dallas, Patriots reserve running back Kyle Eckel scored a touchdown with 19 seconds to play on a one-yard run on fourth down. That made the final score 48-27. A week later, Belichick sent quarterback Tom Brady back into the game in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins -- after backup Matt Cassel's pass had been intercepted and returned for a touchdown that reduced the Patriots' lead to 21 -- and Brady threw his sixth touchdown pass of a game that ended with a 49-28 score.
Against the Redskins, the Patriots left their offense on the field for two fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter with the score 38-0 and 45-0. They converted both, the second with Cassel in the game, and ended both drives with touchdowns. The television cameras caught Joe Gibbs, the Redskins' Hall of Fame coach, with an angry expression on his face on the Patriots' first fourth-down conversion, but Gibbs said after the game he had "no problem" with anything the Patriots did. Not all of his players agreed.
"Most coaches, the reasonable thing to do is kick the field goal," Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels said after the game. "Run the ball. Kneel down. Something. I think everybody was surprised. I don't know what was going on. You have to ask him. I can't read his mind."
When center Casey Rabach was asked in the locker room if the Patriots had run up the score, he smiled and said: "Come on, you think? . . . It is what it is. Hey, to the victors go the spoils. It's a crappy way to go about things, but I don't want to get into trouble. Move on."
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Info on Washington Redskins including the 2005 NFL Preview. Get the latest game schedule and statistics for the Redskins. Follow the Washington Redskins under the direction of Coach Joe Gibbs.
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Stay of Execution Is Granted For Mississippi Murderer
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2007103119
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Death penalty activists and criminal justice experts said the court's action is further evidence of a de facto moratorium on executions until it decides the lethal injection issue. The court itself has not declared such intentions, but its actions in Berry's case were closely watched for clues.
The Mississippi Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit had both said Berry had raised too late his claim that Mississippi's execution procedures violate the Eighth Amendment.
And the 5th Circuit, based in New Orleans, seemed to set up the issue clearly for the justices, saying that its precedent for denying such applications "remains binding until the Supreme Court provides contrary guidance."
But the court's short order made clear such guidance will come only on a case-by-case basis. The justices gave no reason for granting the stay, and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito Jr. said they would have allowed the execution to go forward.
Still, Elisabeth Semel, a professor at the Boalt Hall Law School at the University of California and director of its Death Penalty Clinic, said she found it significant that only two justices dissented from the court's decision to grant the stay.
At least five justices must agree to a stay for it to take effect.
Even without a moratorium, the pace of executions in the United States has slowed considerably this year. So far, there have been 42 executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, as opposed to 53 last year. The center said only two more are scheduled before the end of the year, and those are in doubt because of the court's action.
A growing number of states have called a halt to lethal injections because of charges that the three chemicals used may not properly protect inmates from pain during the execution. That is the issue justices will consider next year in the case they took in September from Kentucky, Baze v. Rees.
The justices refused to stop the execution of a Texas inmate that took place on the night they announced they had taken the case. But since then, they have granted a stay for a Texas death row inmate, as well as halting the execution of Virginia's Christopher Scott Emmett. They also declined to dissolve a stay that had been issued for an Arkansas inmate by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.
In that case, Scalia said he did not view the court's decision to take the Kentucky case to mean that there would be a "stay of every execution in which an individual raises an Eighth Amendment challenge to the lethal injection protocol."
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The Supreme Court issued an eleventh-hour stay for a Mississippi murderer scheduled to be put to death last night, the third execution the justices have blocked since agreeing to decide whether lethal injections violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
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Guides on Sharing Information Released
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2007103119
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Concerns about properly balancing privacy and safety concerns have been on the minds of educators nationwide since the April 16 massacre. A panel appointed by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) found that "widespread confusion" about privacy restrictions led to communications lapses among officials who dealt with mentally ill student Seung Hui Cho before he shot and killed 33 people, including himself.
Spellings appeared with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez at Mount Vernon High School in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County for a presentation on school safety.
The Virginia Tech shooting has sparked many efforts to tighten school security, improve mental health services and create systems to alert students of danger. Spellings said schools also have asked for guidance on what information can be shared among government agencies and parents under the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
"People often thought that information couldn't be shared when, in fact, it could be," Spellings said. She said the guidelines help explain "the rules of the road as we share information about students."
The Education Department released three brochures on the law: one for K-12 educators, one for colleges and one for parents. They will be sent to schools, school boards and education associations.
Lawmakers are also considering revising the privacy law. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) has introduced legislation to allow school officials to contact parents if a student is considered suicidal or a threat to attack someone. The law already allows officials to share information with parents or other agencies if there is a health or safety emergency, but Murphy contends that the language is vague.
Spellings said that before any changes are made, officials and educators should understand current law.
Kaine's panel found that at Virginia Tech, officials and others sometimes wrongly believed that educational or medical privacy laws prevented them from sharing information. The panel found, for instance, that police could have informed Cho's parents when female students complained about his behavior. The report also noted that the law applies only to records, and that professors or administrators who notice a student acting strangely can share that information with police and parents.
Lawrence K. Pettit, former president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, recently completed a report on the shootings for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities that summarizes the panel findings. He is advising university presidents to work with state attorneys general to better understand the intersection of federal educational and medical privacy laws, as well as state restrictions.
"It's become pretty complicated, and I think it's incredibly important that we come to some understanding on how to interpret these laws, and how student affairs officials and faculty and others can proceed when they suspect there's a problem," Pettit said. "What we are trying to do is get all the value we can out of hindsight."
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U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings yesterday released what she called "user-friendly" guidelines to help educators and parents interpret federal privacy laws in an initiative prompted by the mass shooting at Virginia Tech.
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Council Backs Higher Growth Fees
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2007103119
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The Montgomery County Council agreed in preliminary votes yesterday to increase a development fee for schools and began to tighten rules on school crowding but delayed major decisions on tax increases and measuring congestion.
In test votes on proposed revisions to the county's growth policy, designed to get a sense of the nine-member council, a majority supported increasing fees on new development to help cover the cost of more students and classrooms. For a public elementary school, for instance, the fee would increase from $12,500 to $19,514, far less than the $32,524 recommended by the Planning Board.
The debate is a pivotal one for Montgomery, which is on the cusp of changes that demographers say will bring more than 100,000 jobs and 35,000 housing units, already approved. At the same time, the county is becoming more diverse, and demands for moderately priced housing and more classrooms are rising.
The growth policy was a central issue in last year's elections. Its underlying concept is to promote ways to make newcomers and new development pay for their impact and slow down the pace when services are overburdened.
Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson said that the council's views mirrored much of what his panel proposed and that he was optimistic that areas of disagreement could be smoothed over. "It is generally within the parameters of what we recommended," he said.
But Raquel Montenegro of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association said the council's action yesterday "will make this county more expensive, more exclusive, and has failed to truly acknowledge that new development is only responsible for less than 15 percent of congestion."
The discussion was bogged down late yesterday over how the new rules would affect the county's stock of affordable housing, highlighting a divide on the council. Several members warned against setting a standard so tight that it would discourage building. They backed an amendment to exempt projects with a significant chunk of below-market units.
"Adding significant costs will have remarkable implications, if not death-toll implications, for affordable housing," said council member Nancy Floreen (D-At Large), who was joined by George L. Leventhal (D-At Large), Michael Knapp (D-Upcounty) and Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring).
Council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large) criticized some of his colleagues' focus on moderately priced housing. "To hang this process around affordable housing is a joke. What this county does is next to nothing," he said.
The amendment was rejected by Elrich, Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville), Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), Marilyn Praisner (D-Eastern County) and Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At Large).
In a debate over what constitutes a too-crowded school, the panel took a somewhat harder line than the Planning Board but did not go as far as County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) had wanted. The discussion centered on the point at which developers might be asked to pay an extra fee for expanding school capacity.
The council put off until Tuesday debate and votes on a formula for measuring the effect of development on roads and mass transit and on proposals to increase taxes to pay for schools and transportation. It also delayed a decision on whether to tighten the test for determining when an intersection is too congested.
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The Montgomery County Council agreed in preliminary votes yesterday to increase a development fee for schools and began to tighten rules on school crowding but delayed major decisions on tax increases and measuring congestion.
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A Hell of an Education
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Clive Barker has always had an affinity for the epic. Much of his career has been devoted to writing sprawling, otherworldly sagas ("Weaveworld," "Imajica") and open-ended, multi-volume series aimed either at adults ("The Books of the Art") or younger readers (the "Abarat" sequence). In the face of all this, it's easy to forget that Barker made his early reputation with the visceral short stories of "The Books of Blood" and with memorable novellas such as "The Hellbound Heart," which inspired the popular horror film "Hellraiser." Now, with Halloween upon us, he gives us "Mister B. Gone," a swift, spare novel that reminds us, once again, of the discipline and focus Barker can bring to shorter forms.
"Mister B. Gone" appears in the form of a memoir, and it tells the story of Jakabok Botch, also known as Mister B. From the opening exhortation, "Burn this book," it's clear that this is no typical reminiscence. Jakabok, we learn, is a disembodied spirit literally trapped in the pages of his own book. For centuries, he has lain hidden on a shelf, awaiting discovery. In a tone that is alternately cajoling and hectoring, he negotiates with the reader, offering the story of his life, with all its attendant revelations, in exchange for the gift of immolation. Botch is a consciousness waiting to be extinguished, and the entire narrative is powered by his desire for oblivion.
Jakabok is a minor member of the "Demonation," and his story begins in the parasite-infested wastelands of the Ninth Circle of Hell. His penchant for writing reveals itself early on, when as a frustrated adolescent he fills hundreds of pages with revenge fantasies and dreams of destruction, most of them featuring his drunken, abusive father, Pappy Gatmuss. Eventually, "Pappy G." discovers this journal, flies into an infernal rage and very nearly burns his son to death. (Fire, both real and longed for, is a ubiquitous presence in this book.)
Shortly afterward, the badly burned Jakabok escapes, with his deranged father in close pursuit. But the two are caught in a giant fisherman's net and hauled up through the circles of Hell to the human world of 14th-century Europe. Along the way, Jakabok commits the first defining act of his life -- patricide -- and finds himself alone, a demonic stranger in an inhospitable land.
The World Above turns out to be a dangerous place, dominated by religious tyranny, roving armies and hysterical mobs. Jakabok runs afoul of one such mob but escapes with the aid of a fellow exile from Hell named Quitoon Pathea. Quitoon becomes the dominant partner in a relationship filled with more than a hint of unresolved eroticism. The two quarrel, part and come together again in a tumultuous pairing that spans more than a century, gradually assuming the aspect of "an unblessed and unconsummated marriage."
With Quitoon as guide, they travel through "the torn and ruined places in the world," leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. Quitoon is fascinated by the products of human ingenuity, and the two spend a great deal of time "invention chasing." Their nomadic existence eventually leads to the city of Mainz, where a German goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg has invented a machine that will change the world.
Up to this point, "Mister B. Gone" is a modestly successful entertainment, but not a great deal more. The quick sketches of life in Hell, the flurry of earthly encounters and the periodic outbreaks of violence are colorful, if a bit cartoonish. But as Jakabok approaches Mainz, where the world's first printing press is about to be unveiled, the narrative takes on depth, meaning and contemporary relevance. Jakabok, himself a writer who has suffered for his art, has always understood that words have power. Now, he realizes, others understand this as well. Mainz has become a city under siege. Beings both angelic and demonic have converged on the Gutenberg household, each side sensing the power implicit in this astonishing new device, each side pursuing its own agenda. "In the beginning," after all, "was the Word," and in the universal dissemination of words lie power, influence and the unlimited potential for profit.
Like the traditional bildungsroman, "Mister B. Gone" is, in the end, the story of an education. Jakabok's education culminates in a secret room where angels and demons hold clandestine -- and intensely pragmatic -- negotiations that he was never intended to witness and that lead to his imprisonment in the pages of this book. As he watches the "endless fish-market bartering" for the future of the printed word, he comes to understand the paltry commercial nature of the grand struggle between evil and good. In the process, he creates a vivid portrait of the embryonic forces that will ultimately shape the world. It's a satisfying conclusion to a subtle, surprising book.
Within the modest canvas of "Mister B. Gone," Barker, who rarely does anything predictable, confounds expectations once again, giving us one of the most resonant, provocative novels of his career.
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Search Washington, DC area books events, reviews and bookstores from the Washington Post. Features DC, Virginia and Maryland entertainment listings for bookstores and books events. Visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/print/bookworld today.
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The Sandwich Board Goes Airborne
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2007103119
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The whole world is spinning. Exercisers spin; so do politicians, DJs, "Wheel of Fortune" contestants. There is in the earthly soul a desire to rotate on one's axis. And to have things revolve around us.
Jugglers understand this longing. So do the Harlem Globetrotters, the tuxedoed entertainers who keep twirling plates balanced on sticks, and now a new breed of people at the center of their own universes -- the sign spinners. Maybe you've seen them at a busy intersection in Bethesda or Arlington, holding and spinning signs for some retail store or condo development.
How it started: As teenagers, Max Durovic and Mike Kenny were muddling through a mundane advertising job, holding small billboards while standing like statues on the side of the road.
Bored to distraction, Durovic started idly spinning his sign. Eventually he began flipping it. Then wheeling, whirling, tossing, twirling it. Kenny got into the act.
They created new tricks and shticks. They shared unique techniques. Pretty soon they had invented a new: game, sport, art form and business they enjoyed -- sign spinning.
Now eight years later, Durovic and Kenny's Aarrow Advertising, with bicoastal bases in Washington and San Diego, employs several hundred professionally trained sign spinners in 10 cities nationwide. This month BusinessWeek put Durovic and Kenny on a list of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs.
"A sign spinner can do what no other form of advertising can do: make eye contact and smile," says Durovic, 24. "That starts the whole communication process and helps us more effectively reach consumers one at a time."
Maybe so, but the byproduct is a derring-do display for motorists on Rockville Pike who have seen the spinners advertising a real estate venture, as well as for the basketball fans in Las Vegas who attended the 2007 NBA All-Star game. And on a recent Saturday afternoon, the spinners showed off their skills to thousands of people attending the Howard University homecoming parade in the District.
The paradegoers watched as sign spinners at the corner of Georgia Avenue and W Street NW advertised a nearby condominium project -- McGill Row.
With an accidental soundtrack of brass bands and brash drumlines, Durovic, Kenny and Jerry Carter, a 19-year-old graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, swirled their signs. They fit right in with the flashy uniformed baton twirlers and flag flippers.
Durovic -- in a bright red sleeveless basketball jersey, black sweat pants and sneakers -- danced and pranced as the marching bands filed by. He spun the white-and-green poster, hurling it into the air, catching it behind his back. Not bad for a Georgetown University grad who majored in international business.
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Get style news headlines from The Washington Post, including entertainment news, comics, horoscopes, crossword, TV, Dear Abby. arts/theater, Sunday Source and weekend section. Washington Post columnists, movie/book reviews, Carolyn Hax, Tom Shales.
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Rudy's Red Sox Romance
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No, it has to do with Rudy's heresy as a Yankees fan: In hot pursuit of votes in next January's New Hampshire primary, Giuliani declared that, because of his preference for the American League, he was rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. No doubt he will now claim credit for their sweep against the Colorado Rockies, which we giddy Sox fans will deny him.
When Rudy came out for Boston, you'd have thought he had announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be his running mate. The New York tabloids greeted the news with something less than tranquility.
"Traitor," shouted the New York Daily News. "Red Coat," opined the New York Post.
National Public Radio's normally serene Scott Simon felt Giuliani's move crossed all bounds of decency. "Now I don't feel I have the right or sense to judge another man or woman's religious faith, sexual orientation or family relations," Simon said. "But I'm sorry: Yankee fans don't root for the Red Sox. It's like Sylvester rooting for Tweety Pie. It would be like Napoleon shaking hands with the Duke of Wellington after Waterloo and saying, 'You won, we lost, my bad. Now, we root for you. Tally ho.' "
And members of Giuliani's target audience -- New Hampshire fans of the Red Sox -- were not persuaded. "True Red Sox fans (and we know many, of course) don't want Rudy Giuliani or any Yankee fan rooting for the Red Sox," wrote John DiStaso, senior political reporter for the Manchester Union Leader, as loyal a conservative paper as you'll find. "Not now, not tomorrow, not ever."
On top of all this, Rudy seems to have flip-flopped. A few months ago, the Providence Journal asked Giuliani what he'd do if the devil made pulling for the Red Sox a condition for his election as president. "Probably that's a deal I could not make," he said. Then.
Of course, it is ungracious for a lifelong Red Sox loyalist to taunt Giuliani like this so soon after a triumph proving that if the last century belonged to his guys, this one belongs to us. But Red Sox fans are supposed to jeer followers of George Steinbrenner's evil empire -- a phrase invented by the perceptive Larry Lucchino, the Red Sox president and chief executive who happens to be a Hillary Clinton campaign contributor.
But there's another point: Many non-sports people think team loyalties are irrational, trivial and a waste of time. Loyalty itself is an uneasy virtue for my fellow liberals, who rightly prize justice without favoritism and view tribalism (that's what sports loyalties are) with disdain.
In fact, loyalty is a greatly underrated virtue. That's why I honestly respected Giuliani's stubborn and unwavering faithfulness to his New York Yankees and appreciated the generous words he spoke upon Joe Torre's departure this month as the Yankees' manager.
George P. Fletcher, a Columbia University law professor, wrote a brilliant book called "Loyalty" in 1993 and once argued in a radio interview that loyalty "creates a certain stability in personal relationships, and I think that it creates, in the people who are loyal, a sense of integrity and continuity." Or, as he put it in the book, "In the way we draw the lines of our loyalties, we define ourselves as persons."
"People bring their histories to their loyalties," Fletcher argues, "which implies that the reasons for attachment to a friend, family or country" -- I'd add sports team -- "invariably transcend the particular characteristics of the object of loyalty." No kidding. I was a Red Sox fan in the days of Frank Malzone, Chuck Schilling and Bill Monbouquette, when the Washington Senators often were the only team between us and the cellar. I loved those guys.
My Red Sox loyalty is, in part, to family (my dad raised me a Red Sox fan) and to place (my native New England) and is thus very much about Fletcher's sense of "integrity and continuity."
Yes, yes, this is way too grand. But please remember that I'm trying to convince those people who see us sports loyalists as dangerous idiots. Mostly, I'll just be irrationally happy for the next several months. And Rudy, please go back to despising the Red Sox, as you're supposed to. In sports, an honest hatred is always better than a convenient dalliance.
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The first big scandal confronting Rudy Giuliani in his presidential quest has nothing to do with his personal life, his governing style in New York City or his associations with people such as Bernie Kerik, his police commissioner now under criminal investigation.
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Call for a Presidential Debate on Science
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By Matthew Chapman At some point in this endless process of selecting a president, I believe there must be a presidential debate solely on the subject of science. Nothing could be more important for the survival of our planet.
We have reached a stage in our development where, to quote sociobiologist E.O. Wilson, humans are âthe first species in the history of life to become a geological force.â Through industrial pollution, the destruction of our rain forests, over-fishing, over-hunting and so on, we can destroy just about all life on earth. This is a problem that cannot be solved without an understanding of science, most specifically biology.
A publication of the National Academy of Sciences states: âThe evolution of all the organisms that live on earth today from ancestors that lived in the past is at the core of genetics, biochemistry, neurobiology, physiology, ecology, and other biological disciplines. It helps to explain the emergence of new infectious diseases, the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, the agricultural relationships among wild and domestic plants and animals, the composition of the earthâs atmosphere, the molecular machinery of the cell, the similarities between human beings and other primates, and countless other features of the biological and physical world. As the great geneticist and evolutionist Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote in 1973, âNothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution.ââ
And yet, three Republican candidates have said they do not believe in it. Even George W. Bush believes âthe jury is still out on evolution.â That someone this scientifically backward was elected to such a powerful position at such a critical time is perhaps the most astonishing anachronism in modern American political life. Such a thing must not be allowed to happen again. Given all of the scientific challenges that face us, we must elect a president with a basic understanding of 21st Century science.
The format of the debate could be very simple. I would suggest a panel of four or five scientists who specialize in a range of disciplines from microbiology and medicine to the composition of the earthâs atmosphere. I think if the scientists were famous, it would be more persuasive and attractive. A few Nobel prizewinners would lend credibility to the enterprise, but you would also need a scientific populist, someone like Gina Kolata, who writes about many aspects of science for the New York Times. Her job would be to translate and moderate if the scientific lingo became too arcane or the questioning too intense.
None of the candidates should know in advance what questions they might face. Not knowing the questions in advance would force them to study as much science as possible, and this in itself would be a marvelous thing. However, a statement would be read at the start stating that no one expects politicians to understand every aspect of the many scientific disciplines. The debateâs tone would try not to be adversarial, but cordial and educational. It could even be fun. There is a secondary, but perhaps equally important reason for this debate, which is that no discussion of science can really occur without an understanding of the scientific method. This could not help but lead to a conversation on the uses of reason and logic in the making of political decisions versus the uses of faith.
There is, of course, a chance that some of the candidates would refuse to accept the invitation to this debate, but an RSVP in the negative would in and of itself tell us a great deal: why on earth (I chose those three preceding words with care) would a candidate turn his back on the opportunity to learn more about science?
Matthew Chapman is a writer, director and producer. His article âGod or Gorillaâ for Harperâs Magazine was selected for the book Best Science Writing 2007. He has written two books: âTrials Of The Monkey â An Accidental Memoirâ and â40 Days and 40 Nights â Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities On Trial in Pennsylvania.â He is currently preparing a feature film, âThe Ledge,â which he wrote and will direct.
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A conversation on religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/
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OnFaith on washingtonpost.com
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2007103019
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Let me get this straight. We have an American president making noises about World War III, wildfires in California, a record rate of home foreclosures, etc., etc., and somewhere in America, people are supposedly worried about the religious and satanic implications of Halloween. I suppose if you believe that ghosts and demons exist, you might actually stay awake at night mulling this over.
Now there was at least one story quite appropriate for Halloween in last week's New York Times, concerning the revelation that John Podhoretz, son of the neoconservative warrior Norman Podhoretz (whose ideas are so scary that he can go as himself to any costume party on October 31) will take over Daddy's old job at Commentary magazine in 2009. Some call it neonepotism, but I say that the younger Podhoretz's journalistic background, involving, among other highly intellectual publications, Rupert Murdoch's New York Post makes him the perfect choice to take over a once-fascinating and intellectual publication that is now a bastion of Neanderthal thought. Norman started the job by turning the magazine sharply to the right in the early 1970s, and John can presumably finish the job (although it's hard to imagine the magazine becoming more right-wing.) Don't call it nepotism; Podhoretz the Younger is eminently qualified for the task of spreading dumb and dangerous ideas. Boo!
To return to the question of Halloween (I know, I know, calling attention to the ghoulish Podhoretz clan was off point, but it's my blog and I'll digress if I want to), my only objection is that what used to be a minor holiday for children has been taken over and appropriated by adults. There's no fun in it for kids anymore, because no parent in his or her right mind would allow children to trick-or-treat without adult supervision. Oh, there are surely demons abroad, but they are not supernatural beings.
Here's what the so-called adults are doing: throwing Halloween costume parties for dogs. In a New York City park near my home, I recently saw a costume parade featuring brides and grooms (a pair of Scotties), vampires (Labrador Retrievers), and ballerinas (all of those tiny designer dogs). The dogs, naturally, were miserable. Come to think of it, maybe Halloween has become a demonic plot. Get thee behind me, Satan. And thou who put tuxedos on thy dogs.
Lest I be accused of being an atheist killjoy, I will admit that I am extremely fond of Valentine's Day, in that it involves the giving and receiving of romantic tributes in the form of chocolate. But I suppose somewhere out there, in spite of the fact that there (maybe) was a real St. Valentine, someone has a religious reason for objecting to valentines too. In fact, the Puritans did object strongly to all such frivolous holidays, including Christmas.
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Susan Jacoby on OnFaith; Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_jacoby/
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PostGlobal on washingtonpost.com
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2007103019
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President Bush is so predictable! He needs a war, he desperately needs an enemy, and he wants to refurbish his vociferous threats against Evil. Who is Evil? It doesnât matter. Once upon a time it was Saddam Hussein and his unseen stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. Today it is necessary to replace the headless Saddam, and nobody is a better choice than the president of Iran.
Bush is a weakening leader, a lame duck, as they say in the U.S. Each day is one day less in power. The best way to deal with Vanishing Power Syndrome is to manufacture a new Evil. Who is better than Ahmadinejad? He looks like a perfect stereotype of a Washington-made Evil: he is from the Middle East, he is Muslim, his country has oil, he leads a nuclear program and he displays an aggressive rhetoric.
There is no better strategy for renewing power and rejuvenating the anemic Republican Partyâs 2008 campaign than to remake old Western movies. The plot is the same: a gun-toting cowboy endangers a whole city trying to kill the bad guy, Evil. But after the shootout, the city can breathe easy because it has become a safer place to live.
We have to wait fourteen more months for the final chapter of this mournful period in Washington. Maybe the winds of change will blow over the White House in the next Administration, bringing more truth about the real threats for humankind: ethnic conflicts, deprivation, violence against women, racism, hunger, and, above all, global warming.
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Miriam Leitao at PostGlobal on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/miriam_leitao/
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PostGlobal on washingtonpost.com
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2007103019
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Talk of an American war against Iran has provoked anxiety and uncertainty here in the Arab world, especially in the Gulf Region, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. People are still reeling from the effects of the continuing war in Iraq and the lack of resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
While it is true that in some quarters there is fear and resentment â especially in some regional governments - there is more anxiety the possibility of about another war.
Iran has lost a lot of popular support in the region, mainly due to its support for sectarian militias and for parties in Iraq. However, Washington has less credibility than Tehran in a region where the U.S. has led the Iraq invasion and supported Israelâs occupation and expansion.
Many believe Iran's military power is the regionâs only deterrent against Israel â and many here support Iran 's legal right to develop nuclear power. The view from the region is largely defined by the world's silence towards Israeli nuclear power. However, there is vast support for turning the region into a WMD-free zone -- a proposal Arab countries have long advocated, but which the U.S. has rejected. This conflict-plagued region sees a nuclear and chemical weapons-free zone as its best hope.
Some in the regionâs governments (primarily but not exclusively Gulf States) fear the threat of potential Iranian nuclear capability, but most are not affected by President Bushâs claims. It is deja vu for people here: weâve heard WMD claims before, in Iraq, but they never appeared. So while there is some anxiety about Iranian policies, there is more anxiety about American intentions.
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
More Posts About: America , Gulf States , Iran , WMD
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Lamis Andoni at PostGlobal on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/lamis_andoni/
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Iraqi Dam Seen In Danger of Deadly Collapse
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Even in a country gripped by daily bloodshed, the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam has alarmed American officials, who have concluded that it could lead to as many as 500,000 civilian deaths by drowning Mosul under 65 feet of water and parts of Baghdad under 15 feet, said Abdulkhalik Thanoon Ayoub, the dam manager. "The Mosul dam is judged to have an unacceptable annual failure probability," in the dry wording of an Army Corps of Engineers draft report.
At the same time, a U.S. reconstruction project to help shore up the dam in northern Iraq has been marred by incompetence and mismanagement, according to Iraqi officials and a report by a U.S. oversight agency to be released Tuesday. The reconstruction project, worth at least $27 million, was not intended to be a permanent solution to the dam's deficiencies.
"In terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world," the Army Corps concluded in September 2006, according to the report to be released Tuesday. "If a small problem [at] Mosul Dam occurs, failure is likely."
The effort to prevent a failure of the dam has been complicated by behind-the-scenes wrangling between Iraqi and U.S. officials over the severity of the problem and how much money should be allocated to fix it. The Army Corps has recommended building a second dam downstream as a fail-safe measure, but Iraqi officials have rejected the proposal, arguing that it is unnecessary and too expensive.
The debate has taken place largely out of public view because both Iraqi and U.S. Embassy officials have refused to discuss the details of safety studies -- commissioned by the U.S. government for at least $6 million -- so as not to frighten Iraqi citizens. Portions of the draft report were read to The Washington Post by an Army Corps official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The Post also reviewed an Army Corps PowerPoint presentation on the dam.
"The Army Corps of Engineers determined that the dam presented unacceptable risks," U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, wrote in a May 3 letter to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "Assuming a worst-case scenario, an instantaneous failure of Mosul Dam filled to its maximum operating level could result in a flood wave 20 meters deep at the City of Mosul, which would result in a significant loss of life and property."
Sitting in a picturesque valley 45 miles along the Tigris River north of Mosul, the earthen dam has one fundamental problem: It was built on top of gypsum, which dissolves when it comes into contact with water.
Almost immediately after the dam was completed in the early 1980s, engineers began injecting the dam with grout, a liquefied mixture of cement and other additives. More than 50,000 tons of material have been pumped into the dam since then in a continual effort to prevent the structure, which can hold up to 3 trillion gallons of water, from collapsing.
After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, American officials began to study risks posed by the dam, which they said were underestimated by Iraqis.
"Iraqi government believes dam is safe," concluded a 32-page PowerPoint presentation prepared by the Army Corps and dated December 2006.
On a tour of the dam on a recent blistering afternoon, Ayoub, the manager, contended that the dam was safe but acknowledged the unusual problems with it.
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AT THE MOSUL DAM, Iraq -- The largest dam in Iraq is in serious danger of an imminent collapse that could unleash a trillion-gallon wave of water, possibly killing thousands of people and flooding two of the largest cities in the country, according to new assessments by the U.S. Army Corps of Eng...
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Senior Democrats Want Blackwater Case Details
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Signed statements the guards provided to State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 16 shooting deaths included what law enforcement officials said was a standard disclaimer used in "official administrative inquiries" involving government employees. It said that the statements were being offered with the understanding that nothing in them could be used "in a criminal proceeding."
New details about the "protections" given Blackwater contractors allegedly involved in the shootings sparked outrage from congressional Democrats yesterday, along with a flood of letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from committee chairmen demanding more information.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who heads the Judiciary Committee as well as the appropriations subcommittee overseeing State's budget, called the contractor issue the latest example of the Bush administration's refusal to hold anyone from "their team" accountable for misconduct or incompetence. "If you get caught," Leahy said in a statement, "they will get you immunity. If you get convicted, they will commute your sentence."
Most of the questions centered on who had authorized what many critics interpreted as a form of immunity from prosecution and why such protections -- designed for government employees -- were extended to private contractors.
Meanwhile, Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates have reached agreement that the U.S. military command in Iraq will exert tighter controls over security contractors in Iraq, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said yesterday.
Preliminary guidelines established by a State-Defense working group include common training standards and rules for the use of force for contractors as well as coordination of all contractor "movements" with the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq. The new guidelines will be presented to the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker for review before Gates and Rice make a final decision in the matter, Morrell said.
Military officers have complained that contractors guarding U.S. diplomatic convoys interfere with military operations and that their aggressive behavior undermines efforts to win "hearts and minds" in Iraq.
One major concern for Gates involves keeping the military abreast of the movement of contractors through the combat zone, Morrell said. "If it is unsafe or deemed not advisable to go there, someone is going to have the control to say: 'No, not at this time.' It would be MNF-I [Multi-National Force-Iraq] that would have that authority. Ultimately, the military has to sign off, in the battle zone, of movements into particularly dangerous areas." The decision to offer Blackwater guards protection from any use of their statements was made by State Department personnel in Baghdad without approval from Washington, sources said. Department lawyers subsequently determined that decades-old federal court rulings required such guarantees against self-incrimination for all government employees during internal investigations; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that the protections also applied to federal contractors.
But the inability of State's own law enforcement branch to pursue a possible criminal case based on the Blackwater statements, as well growing controversy over the Sept. 16 shootings here and in Baghdad, led Rice early this month to ask the FBI to take over the investigation.
To avoid compromising their own investigation, a team of FBI agents sent to Baghdad was not allowed to speak to the original investigators about the case or see the statements. Some of the dozen or so Blackwater personnel involved, at least two of whom have returned to the United States, declined FBI interviews.
In a statement yesterday, the Justice Department confirmed that no broad immunity from prosecution had been granted. But in a reflection of law enforcement dismay over what are considered impediments to a criminal case, Justice added that it would proceed "knowing that this investigation involves a number of complex issues."
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said yesterday that State has no power to immunize anyone from federal criminal prosecution. "We would not have asked the FBI and the Department of Justice to get involved in a case that we did not think that they could potentially prosecute."
But several law enforcement officials, none of whom would speak on the record about an ongoing investigation, said it remained uncertain -- even without the protections -- whether the contractors could be prosecuted under U.S. law.
Staff writers Ann Scott Tyson and Dan Eggen contributed to this report.
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The State Department said yesterday that it had provided "limited protections" to Blackwater Worldwide security guards under investigation in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians but insisted that its actions would not preclude successful prosecution of the contractors.
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Iraq Moves to Repeal Immunity for Guards
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BAGHDAD, Oct. 30 -- The Iraqi cabinet approved draft legislation Tuesday that would repeal a law granting immunity to foreign security firms working in Iraq.
The draft, which still requires the approval of parliament, is part of the Iraqi government's response to a shooting last month involving guards from Blackwater Worldwide, a North Carolina-based private security firm, that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and 27 wounded.
Ali al-Dabbagh, a government spokesman, said the cabinet unanimously approved the draft. Several important pieces of legislation have been stalled in parliament for months, but Dabbagh said he was certain legislators would approve a tough law on foreign security guards.
"There has been a lot of anger because of this Blackwater incident," he said. "There was a bit of a sense of urgency."
The measure would repeal a law known as Order 17 that was issued by L. Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. occupation in Iraq until June 2004. The move by the Iraqi cabinet follows reports this week that Blackwater guards were granted partial immunity during a State Department investigation into the Sept. 16 incident.
Dabbagh said in an interview that the new law would not apply retroactively, meaning that private security guards could not be prosecuted for crimes committed before the legislation is passed.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also gained a political victory Tuesday when he succeeded in filling cabinet posts that had been left empty after some of the major political blocs departed the government this year.
The appointments of Salih al-Hasnawi as health minister and Ali al-Bahadli as agriculture minister were approved by parliament. Dabbagh said the vote was legal, despite reports from some opposition parties that there was not a sufficient quorum to confirm the appointments.
The political developments came as bloodshed continued to convulse Iraq. At least 32 people were killed in attacks across the country, according to an Interior Ministry official.
Three U.S. soldiers were killed Tuesday when their patrol was struck by a bomb southeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. No details were released.
In Baghdad, the 27-year-old editor of a fledgling weekly newspaper was killed over the weekend, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. The group said Shehab Mohammad al-Hiti, editor of the three-week-old Baghdad al-Youm, was found dead Sunday afternoon after he had left home to go to the newspaper's offices.
At least 122 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, making it the deadliest country in the world for reporters, according to the journalism group.
Special correspondents K.I. Ibrahim and Naseer Nouri in Baghdad and other Washington Post staff in Iraq contributed to this report.
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BAGHDAD, Oct. 30 -- The Iraqi cabinet approved draft legislation Tuesday that would repeal a law granting immunity to foreign security firms working in Iraq.
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'Blackout': Britney Is Back, Not That You'd Notice
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In the four years since Brit-Brit released her last studio recording, the sexualized "In the Zone," she's become better known as a walking personal disaster than as the seller of 83 million albums worldwide. Now comes the return of Britney Spears, pop singer. Her new mediocre studio album, "Blackout," opens with a declaration: "It's Britney, [expletive]!" Dripping with attitude, it's a star move of a statement -- but it's also an outlier. Britney isn't really Britney on "Blackout" -- her voice has been digitally distorted to the point that she sounds like a cooing cyborg.
She also sounds like a supporting player on her own comeback album. With studio software manipulating her voice and stripping it of any real human characteristics, it becomes a somewhat faceless digital instrument for "Blackout's" sprawling team of producers to sprinkle between the album's pounding programmed drums, squiggly bass lines, synth stabs and such. Were "More Vocoder!" T-shirts being passed out in the studio or something? The end result is (mostly) state-of-the-art dance-pop in which the singer is secondary. This is fine if you're a random Euro-pop singer; not so much if you're Britney Spears and you're attempting to resurrect your brand.
Spears mostly sat out the songwriting process after becoming increasingly engaged in that element over the course of her two previous albums. Nobody will ever confuse her with Carole King, but one would think that Spears might have some thoughts of her own about K-Fed or her life in the boiling water of the celebrity fishbowl. And yet, her name is nowhere to be found on the writing credits for the "Blackout" songs that address those topics as she instead relies on others to get in touch with her innermost feelings.
Those feelings apparently include (but are not limited to) disappointment, defensiveness and defiance. In the sinewy, shifty "Piece of Me," Spears "sings" that she's "Miss-bad-media-karma/Another day, another drama/Guess I can't see the harm in working and being a mama." She's also "Mrs.-oh-my-God-that-Britney's-shameless" and "Mrs.-most-likely-to-get-on-the-TV-for-strippin-on-the-streets-when-getting-the-groceries." Repeatedly, she asks in the refrain: "You want a piece of me?"
"Toy Soldier" is a hopped-up K-Fed kiss-off in which Spears announces, "I'm so damn glad that's over . . . I'm sick of toy soldiers." In the wretched album-closing ballad, "Why Should I Be Sad," Spears reflects (via a ghostwriter, of course) on her failed marriage. "My friends said you would play me/But I just said they're crazy/While I was crying, praying/Was it true?"
Britney's absence from the majority of "Blackout's" credits certainly makes one wonder whether she sounds like a strangely disembodied diva here because she just wasn't fully committed to the project. (She certainly looked like a disembodied diva during that catatonic performance of lead single "Gimme More" on the MTV's Video Music Awards last month.) There was no shortage of talent willing to work with her: The credits for "Blackout" include roughly two dozen songwriters (including heavyweights Sean Garrett and Kara DioGuardi) and more than a half-dozen producers or production teams, from Timbaland protege Nate "Danja" Hills to Bloodshy and Avant, the Swedish tandem behind Britney's earlier hit "Toxic."
Mostly, they've created slinky, synthy come-ons constructed for the dance floor, from the exhilarating Euro-disco song "Heaven on Earth" to the futuristic funk of "Gimme More." Not that Britney herself has anything else to give. No time.
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That Britney Spears maintains a busy schedule, no? There's the rehab; the carousing; the wig fittings; the Taco Bell runs; the ongoing custody battle over her two sons with ex-hubby Kevin Federline. Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that Spears doesn't have a lot of time anymore for the thing that made...
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In NBA, Wins Can Multiply By the Power of Three
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2007103019
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Three can be company, or it can be a crowd. For those who grew up watching "Schoolhouse Rock" or watched Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sweep LeBron James's one-man show in the NBA Finals, three is a magic number.
As in: Get three stars, surround them with willing role players and wait for success.
Several playoff-caliber teams around the league -- including Phoenix, Washington and New Jersey -- are already using the three-star system that has produced championships for the San Antonio Spurs in two of the past three seasons.
This summer, Danny Ainge, the Boston Celtics' executive director of basketball operations, assembled another star-studded triple threat when he granted Paul Pierce's wish for veteran help by acquiring former league most valuable player Kevin Garnett from Minnesota and Ray Allen from Seattle.
"Everybody is a copycat. You want to copy success," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. "You would love to do the same thing San Antonio does because they do it so right; their management and their coaching. But I think Tony Parker and Ginobili evolved into the other two, because before that, Tim was the Big One. Now, it is the Big Three."
And now, as the NBA's regular season opens, the Celtics have a Big Three. Ainge -- the formerly much-maligned general manager -- has made his organization relevant for the first time since Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were leading the franchise to three NBA championships in the 1980s. With Garnett's rebounding and boundless energy, Allen's precise shooting and Pierce's relentless slashing ability, the Celtics are considered one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
"I feel they are going to be the team to beat," said Bird, now president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers. "On any given night, any one of those guys is liable to get 30 points. It's always good to have the three guys."
In the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls built a dynasty with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and the Spurs followed with Duncan and David Robinson. Then the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the first part of this decade with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. "I think there was prevailing thought that you needed two superstars and the rest of them fit around," said Phoenix Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team has been to the Western Conference finals in two of the past three seasons.
Now, three is the new two.
D'Antoni said the Suns' all-star trio of Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion works because the team has a scorer in Marion who doesn't need to monopolize the ball to score. While Nash controls the ball, he makes a concerted effort to get his teammates involved. "Ours is a unique situation," D'Antoni said.
But it is certainly not perfect. Marion recently demanded a trade out of frustration over persistent trade rumors surrounding him and fueled speculation about underlying jealousies between him and Stoudemire. Since Antawn Jamison arrived in Washington in 2004, the Wizards have relied on three players for the bulk of the scoring -- first with Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes, then with Caron Butler replacing Hughes -- and the team is having its most successful run in decades. Last season, the Wizards' Big Three were the highest-scoring trio in the league, averaging 67.3 points per game. Jamison said he, Butler and Arenas get along well because the team has had success, which eliminates any frustration over who gets the shots or the credit.
"The one cure is winning," Jamison said. "When you're losing, you say: 'I could've converted shots. I could've got a few more looks.' As long as you're winning, you deal with it."
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The three-star system has become the recipe for playoff ¿ and championship ¿ success in the NBA, a doctrine that compelled the Boston Celtics to acquire former MVP Kevin Garnett, above, and ex-all-star Ray Allen to team with star forward Paul Pierce.
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If You Want Good High School Grades, Move to Texas
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2007103019
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Ten years ago, I had the good fortune to win the confidence of two energetic teachers, Cliff Gill and Don Phillips at Mamaroneck High School in Westchester County, N.Y. They told me exactly how they assessed their students.
Gill, a math teacher, was tough. If a student missed two homework assignments, five points were subtracted from the student's 100-point report card grade. A third missed assignment meant another five points off. Everyone at that school knew how hard it was to get an A in Mr. Gill's class.
Phillips, a social studies teacher, was easy. He called himself the Great Grade Inflator. If a student with poor writing skills did his best on a paper, Phillips was inclined to give the student just as high a grade as a top student who turned in college-quality work. About 90 percent of the grades in Phillips's history courses were 90 or above on that 100-point scale.
No one asked Phillips to raise his standards. No one asked Gill to ease up. Grading at Mamaroneck High, as at most of the public high schools I have visited, is considered the teacher's prerogative, a matter of academic freedom. A teacher who gives many F's may be pressured to raise some of those grades to keep parents happy, but that is about as far as principals will go in interfering with teachers' assessment decisions.
Robert M. Hartranft, a retired nuclear engineer in Simsbury, Conn., does not like this at all. He cannot understand why public school administrators, who so often declare their commitment to equal treatment of every student, put up with such outrageous and inexplicable variation in what remains the most important assessments their students get--grades on report cards.
Self-appointed education pundits like me spend much of our time talking about the standardized tests that are the basis for rating of schools under the No Child Left Behind law. But those test scores arguably have little impact on student lives. The scores don't count on their report cards.
Report card grades, on the other hand, can bring real pain. One of my friends has a child who last year passed the state tests for his grade with ease, but was told he had to repeat the year because his report card was so bad. SAT and ACT test scores have an impact on the college chances of students who apply to the most selective colleges, but 90 percent of colleges judge their applicants largely by classroom grades.
Hartranft, using College Board data, has produced some fascinating charts showing that grading standards not only vary from one classroom to the next, but among states. According to College Board surveys of members of the 2007 senior class who took the SAT, only 29 percent of students in Connecticut and Massachusetts had A-plus, A or A-minus averages, while 38 percent of students in New York and New Jersey, 39 percent in Virginia, 40 percent in California, 42 percent in Florida and a breath-taking 49 percent in Texas had grade point averages that high. In the United States as a whole, 43 percent of seniors who took the SAT reported A-plus, A or A-minus averages.
Remember, this is NOT the percentage of A students among ALL seniors, just those applying for college and taking the SAT. Most of the studies I have seen show that far more high school students have B averages than A averages, but there is no question that average grades have climbed in the last few decades and that consistency in grading is hard to find. A College Board spokeswoman agreed that grade inflation is real, but cautioned that Hartranft's data needs more analysis because he is comparing states with different SAT-taking rates.
"Because there are no effective standards," Hartranft told me, "local grades and local GPAs are a crazy-quilt of numerical values and systems, with variations by year (usually grade inflation), by school (New England schools generally grade lower than average, some much lower), by course (usually math and science low, art and music high), by track (the honors premium is always arbitrary and usually too small), by course (usually math and science low, art and music high) and by teacher (an easy-grading Mr. Y and a tough-grading Ms. X seem to teach at every school)."
He said it was vital to understand the problems these variations create. "Students may struggle with choosing between challenging courses with low grades or easy courses with high grades," he said. "Admissions officers and scholarship committee members may misunderstand the actual performance presented on the transcript, either making no adjustment at all or misestimating the appropriate adjustments. Expensive, time-consuming, standardized subject and year tests may overwhelm the full-year course grades in assessments."
Hartranft was first drawn to this issue 10 years ago, about the same time Phillips and Gill were explaining to me their yin-and-yang grading techniques. He became acquainted with other parents at Simsbury High School who determined that the school was grading its students very low when compared to other Connecticut high schools, and to American high schools in general. They complained about what this was doing to their children's chances for scholarships, regional academic honors and admission to their first-choice colleges.
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Ten years ago, I had the good fortune to win the confidence of two energetic teachers, Cliff Gill and Don Phillips at Mamaroneck High School in Westchester County, N.Y. They told me exactly how they assessed their students.
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Financial Futures
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She was joined by Ellen Rinaldi, a principal at Vanguard who leads the Investment Counseling and Research group, which provides portfolio recommendations as well as commentary and investment counseling for Vanguard clients.
To read past Financial Futures columns, click here.
Martha M. Hamilton: Good afternoon, and welcome to our online chat. We're delighted today to have Ellen Rinaldi as our guest. Ellen leads leads Vanguard's Investment Counseling and Research Group. She also has Tod Feder who is a senior financial planner with her. So we have lots of expertise today. Let's get started!
Allentown, N.J.: Hi, I left a company a few years ago and took my 401k funds and rolled them into an IRA. I plan to start working full time again and would like to roll the IRA funds back into a 401k with the new company. Is this allowable?
Ellen Rinaldi: Yes, this is allowable as long as your new employer provides for it.
Cambridge, Mass.: I am 35, in accounting (not an accountant, though)with a college degree, but just started getting back on my feet financially after years of finding a more decent pay and job field. I haven't that much in retirement, but I do have plans to save more. My question is, with about 45k in college debt, one at just above $4900.00 at 7.0 percent and one at 39+k at 4.4 percent how do I recover now while putting away enough for a decent retirement? I hope this is a valid question. Thank you, Cheryl
Martha M. Hamilton: My inexpert instinct is that I would pay off the higher interest college debt first, and then divide my efforts between repaying the rest of the debt and saving for retirement. But, since we have some experts with us, let's see what they have to say.
Ellen Rinaldi: We definitely concur! If you are in an employer plan (401(k)) try to take advantage of at least the employer match to help boost your retirement savings.
Stamford, Conn.: How do you balance the need for income with the desire for capital appreciation? Should a retiree buy a closed end fund that pays a good dividend (e.g. EEF, ZTR, etc) but fluctuates in value?
Ellen Rinaldi: We'd say first, look asset allocation, are you aggressive? moderate? Does the particular investment fit within that allocation? Another consideration is how you want to spend from your portfolio - many times people try to boost income with dividends but are shortchanging themselves on growth in the portfolio for the long-term - here balance between the two is key.
Martha M. Hamilton: Here's a column I wrote about how focusing on income might shortchange your prospects for growth.
Portage, Mich.: I'd like to hear some discussion on the appropriate asset allocation for retirees to maximize income over 25 to 30 years. I'm comfortable with a 60 percent stock and 40 percent bond split using mutual funds, but am wondering about the specific kinds of funds to use. Thanks for your response.
Ellen Rinaldi: This is a great question! When you look at Vanguard's Target Retirement funds the retirement asset allocation mix after age 60 is about 50/50 so you are not that far off an allocation for the general public and this reflects your risk tolerance. Wr'd say look for 12% in internathional, 34-35% large cap, 14% mid/small cap and bond exposure in intermediate term maturity.
Martha M. Hamilton: You're right. As long as retirements can be nowadays, you don't want to sweep everything into very low return investments on the day you retire.
Washington, D.C.: I just graduated from college a few months ago and am working full time. I'm not making very much money, but I am managing to save a little ($100-$200) each month. Where should I put these savings? They aren't earning -any- interest sitting in my checking account; it seems like there must be a smarter way to manage (and grow?) my savings, even if they aren't a big lump sum, but are instead accumulating slowly and incrementally.
Ellen Rinaldi: Congratulations you are saving!!! First, if there is an employer plan like a 401(k) available start saving there first, the employer match, if any is very valuable and you gain taxdeferred savings. Next look to IRA's either Roth or traditional.
Martha M. Hamilton: A Roth is a good choice for someone at the beginning of her worklife. Chances are you'll be paying higher taxes as your career progresses. That argues for paying taxes now (as you do in a Roth) and allowing the earnings to accumulate tax-free for a very long time.
Reno, Nev.: I've read many articles in financial publications on saving for retirement. Now that I'm retired I find very little info in any publication on how to live off of you nest egg so you don't run out of money before you run out.
Ellen Rinaldi: There are real challenges in spending in retirement but there are a few standard rules. generally you should be withdrawing no more than 4%/year adjusted for inflation.
Little River, S.C.: Name two or three of your most respected advisers who have also published books or blogs to help your audience members who are new to investing. Thanks
Martha M. Hamilton: There are a lot of really bad books out there. I think Ed Slott's Your Complete REtirement Planning Road Map and his Parlay Your IRA Into a Family Fortune are pretty good. Zvi Bodie, who is very thoughtful,wrote Worry-Free Investing which argues for investing in inflation-protected bonds. Ellen, any favorites of yours?
Ellen Rinaldi: One of my favorites is Bert Malkiel's Random Walk.
DC: I am 31, a government worker, and am currently putting the max into my TSP and the max into my Roth IRA (in Vanguard). What are good funds to invest additional savings?
Ellen Rinaldi: You now are in the realm of tax efficient investing - great for you! Here look for tax advantaged funds like index funds which give you growth with a minimum of capital gains.
Oviedo, Fla.: My portfolio is split between mutual fund accounts at T Rowe Price, Vanguard and CDs at BOA. Explain to me why it would benefit me to consolidate these into one account, pls. Should I have a bakeoff and pick a winner or just let the three accounts ride?
Ellen Rinaldi: Consolidation simplifies your life. If you do combines asset threshholds may qualify you for additional benefits such as reduced fees, financial planning and discounted costs. Check those out - it may be worth it!
Atlanta, Ga.: Hi there, I'm 26 years old and have about $15k in a 403b (TIAA-CREFF) from a previous job. I hadn't been as diligent as I should have in doing the research on allocations, but I've tried to spread it out among large, mid, international equities, and real estate, fixed income, money market. Anyhow, I recently changed jobs and my current employer offers a 401k (Prudential). I haven't been able to contribute to a 401k yet because i have to rack up 1000 hours of service first, but I'm eligbile to receive a 5-7 percent employer contribution after 1000 hours on the job.
Question is -- should I leave the 403b as is and not touch it? should I continue contributing to it on my own? What should I do once I have a 401k portfolio with Prudential? Should i combine the two? Should I roll over to an IRA?
Any advice/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Ellen Rinaldi: One thing you can't do is continue contributions to the 403(b). You can however roll that over to an IRA to give you more flexibility or to your new employer plan if it allows it. One of the advantages of the rollover is consolidation. Always pay attention to the cost of your investments. It makes a real difference over the long-term in your total asset accumulation.
Washington, D,C.: You'd think one way to beat inflation is to buy stocks in some proven but not yet widely known technology or concept that will be big in the future. But I haven't found yet where to get information on what these might be. Have you?
Ellen Rinaldi: Classic reason why we suggest mutual funds. A key in investing is diversification to spread your risk. Trying to find that one winner stock may work, but may easily not as well.
Little River, S.C.: Books or blogs to follow that you recommend for the beginner.
Martha M. Hamilton: I'd recommend that beginners go to Finra. Finra is the organization that used to be known as NASD. It has a Bond Learning Center and a 401(k) Learning Center and good basic info about mutual funds.
Virginia Beach, Va.: How do I go about determining whether the spousal IRA (Traditional) I set up for my wife is eligible for conversion to a Roth IRA, and if so, how do I go about it?
Ellen Rinaldi: Roth conversion depends on income. If income jointly is below $156,000 she can convert. Remember there is a tax cost to this and you may want to check what this does to your overall current tax picture before doing it.
Hartford, Conn.: I am currently employed in 2 different companies and am enrolled in their respective employee matched IRA. I also fund annually to a ROTH IRA account. However, all these accounts are held in different investing companies. If I do move onto another job in the future, are there any advantages to rolling all my IRA funds to one company or should I leave them with their respective companies to increase diversification?
Ellen Rinaldi: First, be very careful that are not exceeding allowable total investment in IRAs for the year. After that, diversification is generally accomplished at the investment level - not at the offering company level. Consolidation also sounds like it would simplify things for you!
Martha M. Hamilton: And possibly reduce your costs as well.
Hartford, Conn.: What's your take on REIT index funds? Good time to buy low or will it decrease further in value?
Ellen Rinaldi: REITs are what we consider special sector funds. We reccommend no more than 10% of your total stock allocation in sector funds (or individual stocks including your company's stock, if any). Timing a purchase does not always work out the way you might want it to. Who knows when a particular segment will continue to increase or decline? We recommend setting a policy and an asset allocation and sticking to it rebalancing annually.
Atlanta: With regards to your Sunday column and longevity - we just don't know how long we are going to be here, but we can certainly plan for it.
We can work as long as we're able (even part time, even seasonally, or temporarily, etc) - just to make a little bit of money. To supplement savings.
Also, personally (almost 40), I'll only 'retire' when I can live on the interest of my savings (in the way I want - cause let's face it, if I'm 'retired' I will have tons of time on my hands - so I'd want to travel). I don't plan on living on more than the interest, and really, the plan is to live on less than the interest. If you have $500,000 in savings, on average, you should make about $25k - $50k per year - not including any pensions and/or social security - so in good years, you'd take a little more, bad years, a little less (so save when years are good...).
washingtonpost.com: Longevity's Evil Twin: Inflation
Martha M. Hamilton: You're right about working longer. I think it makes sense for reasons both financial and personal, although some people don't have the choice.
Ellen Rinaldi: We concur. We find that many shareholder prefer to work well into what was traditionally considered retirment - often part-time, often as volunteers but also full-time if their health and interests align with opportunity.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: I have the majority of my retirement savings at Vanguard in Index Funds and will begin drawing on them during retirement next year. I'm comfortable with my investments but uncomfortable about the tax consequences and other unknowns of withdrawals. Where should I go for help?
Ellen Rinaldi: There is a lot of information available first on the web at Vanguard.com, including an explanation of an order of withdrawal. Also, advice is available at Vanguard through CFP's , give us a call or check the web.Anytime you are concerned about taxes it ia always good to check with your local tax advisor first.
Virginia: Hi, I just got an ad from Schwab about a high interest (4 percent) checking account. How can this be? Even my credit union only offers 1.5 percent. Is Schwab's offer some kind of scam to get you to deposit money, then they drop the rate to the usual low?
Ellen Rinaldi: High interest rate checking accounts do exist. We reccomend you call Schwab to find out more about the offer.
Fairfax, Va.: Can you tell me the differences between a 457(b) and a 403(b)? I come to the public sector from the world of 401k, so don't understand if one is more advantageous then another. I am 35 and have a healthy 401k balance for my age.
Ellen Rinaldi: The availability of these plans depends upon the organization you work for, but all of these plans have pretty much the same features now. That was not true 5 years ago.
Rockville, Md.: I read that people do not like annuities and see an ad about a 500 pound gorilla who tries to discuss annuities with a person who will not respond and wonder about the reasons. What is so wrong with annuities? Not popular?
Martha M. Hamilton: I think annuities that guarantee lifetime income are useful for some retirees. But many investors don't like turning over a lot of money at once. One alternative is a new product called a longevity annuity which is lower cost because the payments don't begin until, say, 15 years after you pay the premium, instead of immediately. It's lower cost because some people won't collect on it. When it comes to equity indexed annuities, however, I think they're too hard to understand and that it's too hard to compare one to another, so I'd stay away from them, although I understand there are those who love them.
Ellen Rinaldi: We concur! There are several kinds of annuities out there and it gets cnfusing. If the objective is to make sure you have enough money to cover fixed living expenses, you could consider an immediate annuity. Vanguard reccommends using no more than 25-50% of your assets to accomplish this. There are lower cost annuities available to help with this. Removing this worry of meeting expenses is a relief to some. Not everyone is prepared to irrevocably turn over their assets however.
I'm in my late 20s and I just bought a house, so the down payment took a significant chunk from my liquid assets (cash, savings, stocks, etc.). However, I didn't touch my 401K (about 22k) and am currently contributing 5 percent to it (with 5 percent employer match). What's the best way to continue to try to save money? I don't save as much anymore with the mortgage, and I'd like to have some cash on hand. Do you recommend CD's, high yield savings (i.e. ING), Roth IRA, or just plain stashing money under the mattress? - Thanks
Martha M. Hamilton: One thing you may want to consider is saving money in an emergency fund that is enough to cover at least three months' worth of expenses (some advisers recommend six months), so that you don't have to borrow if you're suddenly in a bind. You'd probably want that where it was reasonably easy to reach, such as in a higher yielding online money market account. If you can qualify for a Roth IRA, that's probably a great place to put money, too, so that you have some tax diversification. Ellen, what would you suggest?
Ellen Rinaldi: You've covered the bases. This is great advice.
San Antonio: Hello, I am a veteran who is working towards a degree in Information Systems using my tuition assistance. My question is I have 5+ classes to take for my electives and I wanted to lean towards the financial realm (for personal financial management, investing etc.), what types of classes should I look for? Would an Economics class help or should I stay with the Financial side of things?
Ellen Rinaldi: Look for some finance courses along with basic economics.
Hartford, Conn.: For a IRA account, is it better to fund an index fund or an actively managed fund?
Ellen Rinaldi: Great question. If the choice is only between index and active, and you already have room in your IRA for any taxable bonds you have as part your investment portfolio, then we suggest placing active in the IRA. Index will generate the least amount of tax. We are assuming you have a balance of assets elsewhere.
Vermont: Ha, I'm making 6 percent on my checking account at a credit union. The deals are out there, just make sure you read the fine print!
Martha M. Hamilton: That's great. Alas, I haven't seen a deal like that at my credit union.
Annandale: My financial adviser (at my credit union) doesn't think much of my strategy of using drips to purchase McDonalds and Dominion Resources stock (not a large amount $100 each a month) but I think this is a good way to diversify.
Previously I had invested each month in mutual funds and have a decent sum there in addition to my 401k.
But would it be better to not purchase individual stock (I've been doing this for about 5 years)
Ellen Rinaldi: We recommend that you hold no more than 10% of your total stock allocation in individual stocks. What stocks you pick are entirely up to you!
Washington, Pa.: You say be careful not to withdraw more than 4 percent of retirement assets a year -- as do others. In general, where is this formula expected to lead to in terms of diminishing or depleting assets and remaining assets at the end of projected life expectancy?
Ellen Rinaldi: The formula of 4% withdrawal rate adjusted for inflation and a well diversified portfolio limits the risk of running out of money to the age of about 95. That does assume asset depletion at that point. The ending balance is dependent upon the market.
Alexandria, Va.: Approaching 62, I've read/heard varying opinions as to whether one should start claiming social security benefits earlier or later. It seems to me that I could start receiving the funds and then invest them in better-earning vehicles than what the government is paying on the dollars were I to leave them in. (I have other income from investments so wouldn't need the SS funds right away.) What is your opinion?
Martha M. Hamilton: I lean toward waiting till later to take Social Security. In my case, it's the only inflation adjusted retirement income I'll have, so I want that cost-of-living adjustment on the biggest base possible.
Ellen Rinaldi: Social security and when to take it is a personal decision. The numbers are dependent upon the rest of your investment portfolio. The market is variable and volatile, Social Security provides and indexed pension benefit.
MD: After the mutual fund scandal, a very successful money manager I knew suggested I split my retirement between two completely separate companies to minimize my risks. i.e. If one company goes down in flames Enron-like (or something less dramatic), only 1/2 my money goes with it. I have split my money between Fidelity and TIAA-CREF and feel comfortable with the advice and will keep it that way, but what do you think?
Martha M. Hamilton: Some of the mutual funds lost investors, as they should have, since they abused their trust. But I don't recall any of them going out of business. It's been a few years, though, so I may be wrong. I think if you're comfortable with what you're doing, stay with it.
U Street: I am 27 years old. I have traditional IRA that was a rollover from a previous employer's 401k with about $3,500. Is it worth the time/effort to convert this to a Roth IRA and let it appreciate tax free? I'm not concerned about taking the tax hit now. Or should I just roll this into my 401k plan with my current employer that I am funding up to my employer's match?
Ellen Rinaldi: If taxes aren't a concern, consider converting this now while you can. There is no other investment vehicle we have available to us that allows you to accumulate income and dividends from investment tax free. It also will help give you tax diversification on the investments over time.
Washington, D.C.: I have $25k in cash that I want to move to a retirement mutual fund. Considering the state of the US economy and world economy, which Vanguard funds offer the best return for retirement in 10 years? International, global, sector, or other? Thanks!
Ellen Rinaldi: Look at Vanguard's Target Retirement 2015 or 2020. There is a broad array of funds within those funds with an appropraite asset allocation 10 years away from retirement.
Accokeek, Md.: I have a non-deductible IRA ($3K/yr)that I plan to convert to a ROTH in 2010.....is it true that I will only pay tax on the earnings accrued and not my contributions? thanks
Ellen Rinaldi: The contributions you made were after tax. Even the IRS generally doesn't tax you twice. So the tax you will owe is on the earnings.
I'm retired and am mightily impressed with the number and quality of questions you're getting from young people who have begun their saving and planning. Kudos to them!
Martha M. Hamilton: I'm with you. One good thing is that many young people realize how much of their retirement depends on their own savings, so they're starting early. Some of us who are closer to retirement didn't have access to retirement savings accounts such as 401(k)s until later in our careers.
Annandale, Va.: What is the best way for a person at retirement age to convert a portion of his or her assets into a lifetime income stream (without paying the excessive fees and commissions most annuities require)?
Ellen Rinaldi: Look for what is called a direct write immediate annuity. They are offered by Vanguard as well as several other mutual fund providers. There is less cost and additional transparency. You should dedicate no more than 25% to 50% of your assets to such a purchase. You need assets around for other reasons, emergencies, etc.
Arlington, Va.: I know Suze Orman thinks everyone should have a revocable living trust. My husband and I have two children and I know we need a will, but if we don't have a lot of assets or a complicated estate, why do we need a revocable living trust?
Ellen Rinaldi: The purpose of such a trust is to make sure that whatever assets you have are protected for the benefit of your children. It also gives you the opportunity to express your wishes in how that money should be used for their welfare.
Harrisburg, Pa.: Where can I invest to get about 6.00 percent or more per year minimum cash return fixed income to spend for current living expenses?
Ellen Rinaldi: You have a number of choices but few are guaranteed. You could buy an immediate annuity. You could invest in CD's but their rates can change quickly for the next purchase. Be careful in investing for income today and jeopardizing income for the future by not keeping you principal invested to keep up with inflation.
Martha M. Hamilton: As always, thanks for so many interesting thoughtful questions, and thanks so much to Ellen Rinaldi for joining us and providing the benefit of her expertise. Remember, if you have ideas for future columns, email me at hamiltonm@washpost.com. And join me again in two weeks.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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The War Over the War
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More coverage of The War Over the War| War Over the War discussion transcripts
DeYoung, author of " Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell," is senior diplomatic correspondent and an associate editor of The Washington Post.
Karen DeYoung: Hello. Lots going on today, much of which I'm still trying to figure out myself. Let's get started.
Laurel, Md.: The corruption never seems to end with this administration. How on earth can the State Department offer the Blackwater thugs immunity from prosecution for statements made about the murder of 17 Iraqi civilians? What justification can be provided to allow this immunity? Who authorized the immunity to the guards and how do we hold them accountable for these immoral actions? It is sickening to see just how the administration protects thugs and murderers and basically has said that the slaughter of innocents in Iraq is no problem. I guess it is better that our agents massacre people instead of Saddam Hussein.
Karen DeYoung: One of the important things to note about this complicated story is that the Blackwater guards have not been immunized from prosecution. As I understand it--and all this is still very murky--they were told in the initial stages of the investigation (before the FBI arrived) that whatever they told the State Department's Diplomatic Security could not be used against them in any potential prosecution. That meant the FBI had to start from scratch without looking at the information already gathered by DS. And presumably any smart lawyer could challenge on that basis whatever evidence might be used in a prosecution.
Colorado Springs, Colo.: Thanks for bringing this information out. Rather than taking this administration at their word and figuring out what they stand for based on carefully worded speeches, the primitive Iraqis look at the administration's actions to see what they believe, and to figure out what they are trying to achieve. All the press releases in the world, and the sterile State Department official blog, mean nothing when it is our observable policy that the U.S. tacitly considers Iraqis less than human, their lives less deserving of protection than a pet dog.
So, why don't we send Assistant Secretary Karen Hughes to Baghdad to explain once again to ordinary Iraqis outside the Emerald City that we are in Iraq to help them, as they are incapable of helping themselves, and that we will leave them alone, respect their culture and let them live with dignity and honor, just as soon as we get our oil out from under their sand? I think the ordinary citizens of Iraq would relish the opportunity to provide Ms. Hughes with direct feedback.
Karen DeYoung: Lot of comments like this today, which I'll post.
Munich, Germany: What have you heard about the PKK using American-made weapons? Is this a fact or a rumor? According to a Reuters wire article, Erdogan wants to broach the subject with Bush.
washingtonpost.com: Turk helicopters pound Kurd rebels, PM determined (Reuters, Oct. 30)
Karen DeYoung: Haven't heard anything specific about that, but there are lots of weapons in Iraq, many of them U.S.-made. A lot of them were already there before the war, and there have been lots more arriving since. It wouldn't surprise me that some of them have made their way to the PKK.
New Brunswick, N.J.: I think much of the reason for the decline of U.S. casualties in Iraq is that the US has basically ended activities there. Money and arms are being used to buy off local leaders and warlords for a time. Development projects largely have ended and de facto partition on the part of the Iraqis continues with the U.S. not interested in doing anything about it. Is this assessment correct? Also, are U.S. reporters able to travel in Anbar province yet?
Karen DeYoung: Lots of questions here. U.S. troops are on active offense in several parts of Iraq, including in Baghdad and Diyala province just to the north east of the capital. Money is certainly going to local leaders, although from a separate DOD budget item from that used to supply U.S. troops. Pentagon insists that it is not "arming" local police recruits but facilitating their incorporation into regular units. After spending nearly all of the $18 billion or so initially appropriated for large reconstruction projects, U.S. says its no longer in that business; part of the new "surge" strategy is instead to distribute assistance to small projects on local level. Not sure I'd call it partition, but de facto separation on sectarian level is certainly occurring. Reporters can travel anywhere they want, although security problems prevent them from venturing too far afield. They do go to Anbar, although to the best of my knowledge still only with U.S. troops.
Washington: Why/how do you think that Cheney switched from being more of a realist on foreign policy to a neocon focused on remaking the Middle East and spreading democracy? I'm thinking of the recently unearthed interview he gave in the early-mid 1990s after the Gulf War in which he explained why they didn't go to Baghdad and take Saddam out -- outlining the consequences (sectarian strife, chaos, etc.) that have since come to pass with our 2003 invasion. He/the administration would probably say Sept. 11 "changed everything," but that's not a satisfactory answer. It was predictable in the 1990s that toppling Saddam would unleash chaos, and it was equally predictable in 2003. Why the change?
Karen DeYoung: The 9/11 answer may not be satisfactory, but that's the one consistently used by Cheney and others. I also think that it became conservative lore during the 1990s that Clinton "softness" had allowed terrorists to prosper, along with a determination that it wasn't going to happen on Bush's watch. And it's not rocket science to know that the expectation was that Iraq would be relatively easy and cost-limited.
Boston: Karen, great reporting yet again re: Blackwater guard immunity. Here's a broader question: How dangerous is it for the United States Government to have its competence questioned around the world? I was struck by a "Frontline" special about Iran where an Israeli official questioned U.S. competence in its foreign policy moves related to Iraq and Iran which has allowed Iran to ascend in the region. Do these doubts of U.S. competency encourage ill-minded actors as well as friends to take actions they otherwise would not -- with dangerous, spiraling consequences?
Karen DeYoung: I think this is a valid point. In Iraq, popular approval of the U.S. invasion began to decrease in part because it was hard to believe that the all-powerful U.S. could not solve a problem as ostensibly simple as fixing the electricity system if it really wanted to. On a more geopolitical level, certainly Iran and others have been emboldened by perceived American weakness.
West Texas: Does the "need" to hire mercenaries show that our idea of an all-volunteer military has not yielded the personnel needed to fight the war on terror? It is not a matter of money, as we pay the companies, (i.e. Blackwater) ten times the amount we pay our enlisted personnel. The money being spent could increase the size of the armed forces greatly.
Karen DeYoung: This is something that will be debated for years. The military certainly was short of people in Iraq, but that's far from the only reason why private contractors were hired to protect U.S. diplomats. Part of it was deep-seated resentment between Pentagon and State. Part was that military isn't trained to do personal protection details. Part was that State didn't want guys in uniforms and body armor driving them around in Humvees as they tried to do diplomacy. All in all, a perfect storm.
Las Vegas: What proof is there that the Blackwater granting of immunity was done without cabinet-level and/or White House direction? Your reporting has been excellent. Please stay on this story.
Karen DeYoung: No proof at all. I expect we'll learn more about this today.
Vienna, Va.: A lot of people seem to be excited we are beginning to have some success against al-Qaeda in Iraq, but I wonder if this really helps us at all. Sunnis still hate Shiites, Shiites hate Sunnis, each tribe of Sunnis hates the other tribes of Sunnis, each Shiite militia can't stand the other Shiite militias, and now it looks like there may be another front in this big messy multi-sided civil war opening up between the Kurds and Turkey. Is there any reason for optimism -- or any reason for American troops to be involved?
Karen DeYoung: You've sketched a very possible near-term future for Iraq. All of these conflicts arguably are bigger threats now than al-Qaeda in Iraq. Can't remember which one it was, but one of the senior U.S. commanders over there said last week that violence is the south (Shiite vs Shiite) is one of their biggest problems now.
Washington: There was a piece that appeared yesterday from a recent book that your biographee, Colin Powell, and his U.K. counterpart, Jack Straw, would try to sturdy up Tony Blair against war -- but then when he saw W, it was "whatever you want, George." This prompted Sir Christopher, the U.K. ambassador, to cry out "why in god's name did he say that again?" Was it that way so far as you saw?
washingtonpost.com: Blair failed to handle Bush on Iraq, claims biographer (The Independent, Oct. 29)
Karen DeYoung: I think the Brits, Blair included, wanted to slow down what they saw as Bush's rush to war. Blair, for domestic political reasons and out of personal conviction, wanted a bigger coalition and international approval, through the U.N. But when pressed, he jumped on board without those things.
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Does anyone reliably, accurately, and periodically publish the metrics of the Iraq war and occupation? By that I mean average daily water consumption, noncoincident electrical peak power demand, power outages in customer hours per day, sewage treatment in tons per day, waste/garbage transported -- those sorts of metrics. Societies are noted for what they do, not what they say. In engineering, we call it performance on demand. How is that kind of performance going, and where is it officially logged? Thanks much.
Karen DeYoung: Go to State.gov and look for Iraq Weekly Status Report. The Pentagon publishes quarterly updates, called 9010 reports.
Washington: According to CNN from "a senior State Department official," no immunity deal was offered to Blackwater USA guards for their statements regarding a shootout in Iraq last month that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. Is this what your sources are saying?
Karen DeYoung: As in earlier answer to Laurel, Md., my understanding is that they were given immunity from use of their statements to Diplomatic Security. Not immunity from potential prosecution based on other evidence, including any statements to the FBI.
Southwest Washington: Is it me or are we (i.e.., Joe Public) becoming immune to the stories about Iraq? Meaning that at one time it was hard to hear about yet another senseless killing of an American soldier, and now it just seems like no one cares. I know they do -- we all do -- but after all these years and seemingly no improvements, it's just old news (sadly).
Karen DeYoung: No matter what we think of the war, I think everyone is tired of it.
Austin, Texas: In your article today, there is a puzzling paragraph about Andrew Moonen, the Blackwater guard who killed Raheem Khalif, President Maliki's bodyguard, last Christmas. Condi Rice seems to claim that the case has languished not because of an absence of law but because of "a question of evidence." But do we have any evidence that the Justice Department even has questioned Moonen after he was sent back to the U.S.? And if Moonen is prosecuted for the murder of Raheem Khalif -- which seems like an open-and-shut case to me -- will they prosecute Margaret Scobey, the acting ambassador in Iraq at the time, as an accessory? After all, she knew that Moonen killed Khalif while drunk and apparently approved -- or even decided -- the day after to help him escape back to the States.
I would think that this case is tailor-made for a special prosecutor, given that there were many people at the State department involved in covering up Moonen's crime. What frustrates people like me, outside the Beltway, is the perception since the Scooter Libby pardon of an air of impunity that seems to cover all wrongdoing by the government elite, even up to accessory to murder.
Karen DeYoung: Although we now know a lot about what happened in this case and actions of Blackwater and the U.S. Embassy in the immediate aftermath, we know practically nothing about the status of the Justice investigation into it or the likelihood of any prosecution. Although I've been told by many here that the problem is one of "what law can be used for prosecution," Rice did, indeed, say the other day that that was not the problem--that it was a lack of evidence. Apparently it is both--there were only two people present when the event occurred, and only one of them is still alive.
Washington: Isn't it true that the individual interviews may be used against other contractors but not directly against the individual who gave the interview?
Karen DeYoung: As I read Garrity and Kalkines rules, that is correct.
Pasco, Wash.: Karen, thanks for taking my question. Combat news seems to show that Iraq is getting less conflicted. Is the civil war/attacks on Americans winding down?
Karen DeYoung: According to military statistics, attacks on Americans have decreased in recent months. That does not necessarily mean Iraq is getting less conflicted.
Winnipeg, Canada: On Oct. 27, James Loney, the Christian Peacemaker who was abducted in Iraq and held hostage for months, spoke in my town. He said that his captors felt that they were righteous, and that one had lost several family members because of indiscriminate gunfire at a checkpoint. Tellingly, they had movie nights, and identified with the heroes in the action movies they watched, even one about kidnappers. Recently, Bill O'Reilly has been fulminating about how the de Palma movie potentially might recruit terrorists, but isn't it a bigger worry that Iraqis' real-life situations might drive them into the terrorist fold, especially when the Blackwater people seem to be getting the kid-gloves treatment?
Karen DeYoung: This is the basis of the hearts and minds struggle in Iraq. Current U.S. policy is to create peaceful "breathing room" for Iraqis to realize there is something to be gained from supporting a central government and working together with those from other groups. To the extent they don't see peace, their priority becomes self-preservation and their loyalty presumably attaches to whoever can guarantee that.
Washington: Everyone needs to be realistic about this ... of course these people were offered immunity -- they wouldn't be in Iraq if they weren't. They are there to protect our diplomats in a war zone where people hide behind women and children and use suicide bombs and other things that we as Americans can't imagine using. Of course mistakes are going to be made ... and innocents are going to be killed. It is a necessary evil, plain and simple. If we put these guys in jail, good luck getting private contractors into Iraq and other war zones across the world.
Karen DeYoung: More food for thought and comment.
San Francisco: What about Republican softness in pulling out of Lebanon after the Marine barracks were bombed (which was cited by Osama bin Laden), or Republican negotiations with terrorists in Iran-Contra?
Karen DeYoung: Cheney, of course, says that the Lebanon pullout was wrong and that it encouraged terrorist attacks.
Bethesda, Md.: Any reaction from the White House or Military Command to the Partlow story about the disillusionment of that 1st Division Battalion? If not, why not? The story was pretty damning.
washingtonpost.com: 'I Don't Think This Place Is Worth Another Soldier's Life' (Post, Oct. 27)
Karen DeYoung: Haven't heard any reaction. I thought it was an amazing story.
Peak Island, Maine: What is your opinion as to the reason for the dramatic decrease in U.S. casualties?
Karen DeYoung: More U.S. troops, change of heart among Anbari tribes, some success in driving Sunni insurgents from Baghdad environs, ethnically-cleansed neighborhoods in Baghdad, Shiites distracted fighting each other.
Colorado Springs, Colo.: This is a plug for a specific proposal that has already been rejected by Ambassador Satterfield. The State Department ought to create an official "U.S. Commission on Civilian Losses in Iraq." This Commission would collect allegations of U.S. brutality and wanton destruction. It would not investigate or pay reparations. The point would be to listen to what the Iraqis have to say about how they have suffered, to write down the names of those killed or injured. We never can make their families whole by paying them money, but we can at least show respect for their losses. Until the State Department figures out how important dignity, honor and respect are in Iraqi culture, there is no way we are going to win over any hearts or minds. This amnesty flub says to the Iraqi people: Britney Spears is more accountable to the American people for how she is raising her children than the U.S. occupation army -- and its mercenaries -- are for a massacre of innocent civilians.
Karen DeYoung: Even more food for thought and comment.
Washington: Karen, I want to ask a broader question about the U.S. effort in the Iraq War: What's are the impressions of federal government officials and high-level employees sent to Iraq, whether in the State Department, Defense Department, USAID or any other department? Do they really feel that they can improve the country, or do they just feel they are completing a required tour of duty? We hear so much about military efforts in Iraq and the relative success or failure of their missions. We hear comparatively little about the success of any other U.S. government group.
Karen DeYoung: In my experience, some are very dedicated to and inspired by the world they're doing in Iraq. Some are completely disillusioned and depressed.
Peaks Island, Maine: Please clarify with respect to where an American reporter can walk the streets in an Iraq city without armed guards.
Karen DeYoung: There are certainly places in the northern Kurdish region where reporters and others can walk openly. Haven't heard of any others, but my colleagues in The Post's Baghdad bureau would be better qualified to answer.
Vienna, Va.: Hello Karen; The article in the Post today regarding State Department immunity granted to Blackwater employees for their testimony in the department's investigation confused me. The article mentioned procedures for "government workers" in the case of immunized testimony. These people are contractors, not government employees. Was the article not clear, or am I missing something? Thanks.
Karen DeYoung: That was the basis for the immunity from use of statements to DS, but it may be challenged on precisely that point.
Seattle: NPR reported this morning that the Iraqi Legislature was pushing through a bill to strip all contractors of any immunity. My question is: How much of a nightmare is this for the White House and the Iraqi government if Iraq tries to prosecute Blackwater, et al, but the U.S. military stops them?
Karen DeYoung: According to our Baghdad bureau, not clear whether the provision agreed by the Iraqi council of ministers is retroactive--that is, removing Order 17 coverage for incidents prior to its passage. Nor is it clear whether retroactivity, assuming it's there, would stand up. Also, whatever the ministers do still has to be passed by the Iraqi parliament, which doesn't have a track record for quick work.
Washington: Thank you so much for making the very important distinction between immunity from prosecution, which these guys do not have, and immunity for the specific statements they gave to State Department investigators. This is a gigantic red herring. As long as the Justice and FBI people assigned to this case know what it's doing, and have a "dirty team" that may have access to the compelled statements and a "clean team" that doesn't, then this shouldn't be a big issue.
What's worse is that it is diverting attention from two bigger issues: How the Blackwater people are refusing to talk to the FBI -- what gall! -- and whether there are in fact any laws that Justice can use to prosecute these guys, given all the legal loopholes the Bush administration intentionally designed for private contractors.
Karen DeYoung: Good points all. But no question that an already complicated case has gotten more complicated.
Asheville, N.C.: Say now -- whatever did happen to the phase II Senate Intelligence Committee report on the possible abuse of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq invasion?
Karen DeYoung: Another good question. I must know the answer somewhere in the recesses of my mind, but it doesn't immediately spring to the fore. My colleague Walter Pincus is a steel trap for such things; I'll consult with him.
Re: West Texas: I thought Rumsfield's memos made it clear the major reason for mercenaries is that they are "off-book" when reporting how many boots on the ground. Having 150,000 troops (plus 200,000 contractors and other personnel) looks better than 350,000 troops.
Karen DeYoung: Some have suggested that was a reason, although I've never seen it stated explicitly or officially.
Silver Spring, Md.: Not intending to be overly critical, but I think that it is important not to follow Secretary Rice down every garden path she offers in her carefully parsed responses to difficult questions. For example, a few years after the many levels of bungling related to the Christmas Eve case, we learn that now there is a problem of "evidence." This may be partially true, but does not address any of the problems that already have occurred -- it only provides a new problem that we are forced to track to ground.
The same is true with her pontifications about the "lacuna" in the legal authority. This has existed for a long time, and was well-known to both the secretary and the entire administration. What did they do about it? Fundamentally ignored it until it blew up in their faces! Now they want to lecture us on lacunae! It would be funny if it weren't so tragic.
Karen DeYoung: I think it's important to report what senior government officials say about this stuff. And then provide additional accountability reporting, which is what we try to do.
Oviedo, Fla.: What, if any, guidelines do Blackwater and the many other contractors adhere to? This business of driving into oncoming traffic, forcing prevailing traffic off the road, for instance -- is there no one who can say "stop running civilians into ditches and walls?" Do they have free reign entirely?
Karen DeYoung: There is a long list of guidelines for escalation before actual shooting, which we've listed in other stories. Begins with shouting and waving hands, flashing lights, sending a flare, throwing water bottles, shooting into radiator to disable vehicle, etc. etc. They're all in the contract. The problem is who is in charge of deciding whether the rules were all followed, and judging whether a shooting was justified at the end of the day?
Karen DeYoung: We've run out of time. Thanks for a lot of good questions, and stay tuned.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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What's Cooking With Kim O'Donnel
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A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly known as Peter Kump's New York Cooking School), Kim spends much of her time in front of the stove or with her nose in a cookbook.
For daily dispatches from Kim's kitchen, check out her blog, A Mighty Appetite. You may catch up on previous transcripts with the What's Cooking archive page.
Kim O'Donnel: Happy National Candy Corn Day! There's still time to make your very own extracted teeth-shaped confections, particularly if you're still scrambling for that Halloween gala tomorrow eve. Speaking of Halloween, I'll be out and about tomorrow afternoon at Rose Park farmers' market at 26th & O Streets NW signing copies of " A Mighty Appetite for the Holidays." If you're in the hood, stop on by. But speaking of scary, Thanksgiving is a mere three weeks away, so it's time to start planning those menus! Next week, I offer a veggie Tgiving special (Nov. 8, 1pm), followed by the Omnivore Tgiving special (Nov. 15, 1pm). It's a shorter prep period than usual, so we all have to batten down and start scribbling notes. Let's hear what's on your minds in the meantime....
New York, N.Y. : Judging from your blog and all the magazines out there, it looks like Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
Last weekend, I roasted my veal bones and made my demi-glaze for my boneless stuffed leg of lamb. I also made turkey stock for the stuffing and gravy, both are in the freezer. Is there anything else I can do, in the week(s) ahead to make like life easier coming down the final stretch?
The Sunday before I plan to make a ricotta cheesecake and sweet potatoe pie, they'll be fine for 4 days in the fridge, right?
Kim O'Donnel: Yes indeed; those Thanksgiving special issues are out in full force. Wow, look at you and your plan-ahead self! You can do cranberry about five days in advance. You can make dough at least a week in advance and freeze it until you're ready. Buy your wine and any tools you may need.
Sweet Potato Humm, U.S.: Kim, I wanted to thank you for the recipe last Thursday. I made the sweet potato hummus you suggested for the Halloween party I attended and it was a huge success! Everyone loved it and when we ran out of pita chips, people were using potato chips to scoop it up. I didn't have cayenne so I used dried red peper flakes but it still turned out amazing! Thank you so much!
Kim O'Donnel: Oh, I'm so glad it worked out. I am really loving sweet potatoes this year, can't get enough of them. That dip is such a snap. For those who missed it last week, here are the how-to details, adapted from Dana Jacobi's "12 Best Foods Cookbook."
Washington, D.C.: I bought some Earth Balance Shortening sticks. Have you actually baked with it? Did you substitute it completely for butter?
Kim O'Donnel: I have actually baked with it -- and love it. By the way, Mimi Clark, a vegan cooking instructor in Fairfax, Va., will be online with me on the 8th to offer vegan tips for holiday feasting AND baking.
Sussex, N.J.: I'm finally hosting my first Thanksgiving this year (in my new kitchen!) -- mostly because although my mom does a great job, she sticks to the exact same menu year after year (turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, veg ... you get the idea ) "because that's what people expect." Like they're going to turn around and leave if she mixes it up some. So anyway, 2007 is my year and I really want to have a turducken. I looked online and I'm thinking of ordering from either Cajun Ed's or Cajun Stuff/ and I was wondering if you or any of the chatters have experience with these vendors or if there are other suggested sources. (I am going to check local butchers as well, but I'm not optimistic.) Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: Good for you, Sussex! I love hearing these kinds of stories, that people are bucking the family traditions and starting their own. I have not ever ordered a turducken, but this is a good place to ask other readers. So if you've ever ordered one, please chime in!
Washington, D.C.: I made fresh pasta last night! The process was fun and surprisingly easy. The texture was great, but the taste was only okay. I used 1.5c regular flour, 1.5c whole wheat flour, 1/2 t olive oil, and 4 eggs. Have any ideas for more tasty noodles? Maybe semolina flour? Maybe something else?
P,S. Sauce was great -- fresh tomato, lemon, white wine, capers, garlic, with basil, arugala, and parmesan tossed in when served.
Kim O'Donnel: Good for you! See what you think of the pasta recipe that I learned first-hand. from Nancy Pritchard of Smithfield Farm in Berryville, Va. She uses oat flour in her pasta dough -- and no olive oil. And where's the salt in your recipe?
Sweet potato hummus error: Hi Kim,
The link works but there is a missing step. After you've wrapped the veggies, then what? Thanks!
Kim O'Donnel: Put in that 400-degree oven and roast til fork tender, about one hour. Thanks for following up.
I have about 2 cups of sweet potato mash leftover from a sweet potato bundt cake that I made this weekend -- what would you do with those 2 cups of mashed sweet potato for dinner? Meat or veg is fine. Thanks
Kim O'Donnel: I would mix with a can of black beans, onions, garlic and a chopped chipotle chile. I did something similar the other night with a bunch of leftover roasted pumpkin.
Washington, D.C.: I've fallen for the new TV show "Pushing Daisies" and Ned the Piemaker's pies sound delicious. Over the last couple of weeks, they've had apple or pear pie with "gruyere baked into the crust." Any idea for how to make a pie crust with gruyere in it?
Kim O'Donnel: You'd incorporate shredded cheese into your dough, I'm thinking. I do this with cheddar sometimes for potpie crust. I need to take a look at my recipe and I'll follow up with details.
I'm cooking my 3rd Thanksgiving Dinner this year for my sister, mother and I. I'm 25 and I've only been exposed to a butterball turkey all my life. I mentioned to my mother that I wanted to get an organic turkey this year (less pumped up with sodium, treated better before processing, etc.) My mom didn't explicitly say she wouldn't eat it but mentioned that it would be too gamey and not taste like regular Thanksgiving turkey. I told her that maybe she has gotten too used to processed food. That went over well (sarcasm).
I don't want to ruin Turkey Day for her, but as I get older, I'm having a harder time eating foods that are extremely processed. I've researched my turkeys and know which brand I want to go with, but I don't want to leaving her hanging on the big day. Will there be enough white meat? Will it be dry? Too gamey? Should I buy turkey breasts on the side and cook those too?
She said she'd eat whatever I choose to make, but wanted to warn me that it would be very different. I want to incoporate some changes with the turkey and the meal as a whole, but I don't want to lose the tradition of our regular Thanksgivings. Any advice? Thanks, love the chats as always!
Kim O'Donnel: Ah, the family drama begins. I have been in your shoes, dear, and the only advice I can give you is to follow the spirit within. As you mention, your mother hasn't flat out refused to eat a more naturally-raised turkey, so take that as a yes and run with it. If she asks you what you decided to do, tell her you haven't, to minimize the drama. Her "warning" that it will be different is her fear oozing out, nothing more. Yes, a naturally raised turkey will be different -- in a good way. If in the end, she doesn't like the new bird, then at least she can say she tried it -- and you can come up with a compromise for next year. In the meantime, you have nothing to fear. A naturally raised bird takes less time to cook, it will likely be more tender, and no, it will not be gamey...unless you're buying a Heritage bird. Hang in there!
Earth Balance Shortening: Tell me more. Is it butter-flavored shortening a-la-Crisco, or is it something else entirely?
Kim O'Donnel: It's an oil blend -- the Web site has all the details, but it's more like a margarine, but without the hydrogenation, transfats...and no GMO crops.
Leftover Sweet Potato: This would make a yummy risotto...
Kim O'Donnel: yes indeed! good call.
Las Vegas Nev.: Hi Kim,
This isn't a "gourmet" question. Do you know of a way to add salt to popcorn (made with a hot air popper) without adding oil to make it stick? I used to have a recipe for soaking the kernels in a salt water solution, drying them, and then popping them as usual. I lost the recipe. I'd appreciate any advice. Popcorn is my favorite snack.
Kim O'Donnel: Try using a sprayer -- and mist with a little water. Not much, but while the popcorn is still misty, add your salt.
Turducken: Aside from ordering, you could also go to your local butcher and ask them to debone each of the birds for you (for those in D.C., I know that Eastern Market Poultry will debone).
Kim O'Donnel: Thanks for this idea. Good one.
20009: Do you have a recipe for sweet potato or winter squash enchiladas? Had some once and have never quite been able to recreate them. Thank you!
Kim O'Donnel: No, but this sounds pretty darn tasty. I'm thinking black beans, mashed sweets or squash...and we need to come up with the right kind of sauce. Anyone got an idea?
Shaw, D.C.: Hi Kim --
This past weekend finally felt like fall! I went to both the U Street Farmers Market on Saturday and the Dupont Market on Sunday! Bought cardoons for the first time and did the boil til tender then sauted with shallots in olive oil. I also made the best butternut squash risotto following the America's Test Kitchen method. Basically you saute about 4 cups of the squash and set aside. Then you saute the squash seeds and fibers and any squash not part of the other four cups for a few minutes and then add it to your stock (I used chicken) which results in an incredibly flavored broth. The rest of the recipe is pretty standard (saute leeks, add the rice, start the liquid phase with white wine, etc.) I finished it with sage, nutmeg, and parmesan and can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!
Kim O'Donnel: Love all this productivity! Nice going, Shaw. I havfe not seen cardoons at my market -- I may have to get downtown. Thanks for your first-hand report.
Cold weather (healthy) comfort food: Here's a toughie. I have a had rough week at work (I know it's only Tuesday!) and wanted to make myself some comfort food this weekend. But I also want it to be healthy and not a bean or lentil recipe. Any ideas?
This might also be the weekend to whip out that chocolate gingerbread cookie recipe. Made them last year for a dinner party and no one knew how healthy they were!
Kim O'Donnel: So is meat okay? I love me some chicken curry when I'm on the ledge. Talk to me.
Sussex N.J. Mom: No not really, but I'm guilty as charged! I do let both kids pick a dessert so we get some variety. Just wish I could get my family to eat oyster casserole -- I miss that from my childhood.
Now here's a hint for anyone buying frozen birds: thaw in the fridge upside down. I didn't believe it at first but I swear it does make the breast meat juicier. And don't be afraid to truss the wings to the side and legs in front.
Kim O'Donnel: Thanks Mom. Keep the tips coming...
Gobble Gobble: I concur with the naturally-raised turkeys. They are much better than butterball. They do cook better and they have FLAVOR! None of the icky bland blahness.
My suggestion is to not tell mom you got the natural turkey until after she eats it. Not to be deceptive, but to allow her to have an open mind and enjoy the turkey first!
Kim O'Donnel: Here's one thought on the reader in a domestic pickle over turkey...
Comfort food: Homemade mac 'n' cheese is always comforting. I like it with a bit of sauteed kielbasa or smoked sausage.
Kim O'Donnel: that was my first thought...but reader said 'healthy,' so mac & cheez doesn't fit the bill...but I'm with you.
Annandale, Va.: Farm brands?: After a long discusion...I won....we are having fresh turkey this year (just waiting for Thursday to place in order) now I know that Cibola farms can get it to you at Falls Church farmers market, but Maplelawn farm turkey won last year taste test. Have any of the foodies tried either, both, any recommendations?
First time fresh turkey seeker....
Kim O'Donnel: Last year, I was part of the Food section's blind taste test, and Maple Lawn was the winner. I haven't tried Cibola's turkeys. Any one out there who has? I've been ordering mine from Smithfresh Meats for past five years, and continue to do so because the eating is good.
Re: Squash/Sweets Enchilda Sauce: Mole sauce would be nice here. Light on the cheese.
Kim O'Donnel: Yes! I need to put something together on this. I learned how to make chicken enchiladas earlier this year...and it's time to receate them with sweet potatoes for autumn...
Birthday girl: Regarding the squash enchiladas -- Martha Stewart used to have a great recipe on her site for chicken enchiladas with a spicy pumpkin sauce...
Kim O'Donnel: Hmmm. Pepitas would be lovely,yes.
Butterball or not at all: My parents bought farm-raised turkeys for many years, over 30 years ago. No frozen turkeys for us. A relative told me that he only liked my mom's turkey because it wasn't cooked dry. Evidently it is easy to overcook a turkey. Buy the organic turkey and learn how to cook it right and your mom will never know. Good gravy, great dressing/stuffing, and moist tender meat is the goal for the cook and the diner. No fresh turkey tastes "gamey" unless you are hunting and serving wild turkey. I doubt any domesticated turkey tastes gamey. It's your dinner and can I come over?
Kim O'Donnel: More comments on turkey selection...
What is a good way to do a big (4-5 lbs) pork shoulder blade for the holiday?
Kim O'Donnel: I love to do pork shoulder cuban style, marinated in a citrus mojo. I've done this for Christmas in years past, served with black beans, plantains, just fab. Send me an e-mail (kim.odonnel@wpni.com) and I'll get you details.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Kim --
Loved the blog about the Thanksgiving food mags. I think those issues are great inspiration for first time hosts to get a lot of great ideas. I still have the ones I bought in the 90s. Nowadays I might tweak the menu by introducing a dish I've discovered in one of my cookbooks or seen on a TV show. Even if I'm going to my aunt's who is hostess extraordinaire and serves the same comforting foods every year, at least I get to introduce some side dish or dessert that is always welcome!
Kim O'Donnel: I think mags are good for inspiration, too, but compared to years past, they're a bit lackluster. I too save mine, and I'm looking through a bunch right now, as they always spark new ways of doing things. For the blog, I didn't include all that's out there -- Cook's Illustrated, Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, Real Simple, Vegetarian Times -- which offer yet other perspectives on entertaining and preparing a feast.
Lesson for today: If you're going to change up family recipes, don't let on ahead of time. why do family members get to give their approval when it's your house?
Kim O'Donnel: It's an excellent point -- and question. And why do we always seek the approval of our family? After several years of trying to fit into the equation of my mother's Thanksgiving, which involves the family of her significant other, I simply stopped. I wanted to do my own thing, and I wanted to feel unjudged. Now Thanksgiving is my meal, and we get together at other times during the holiday season. It's an agreement we've all come to live with.
This is probably un-American, but I really don't like pumpkin pie. It's too mushy for me. Pumpkin cheesecake is okay, but I'm looking for a pumpkin-y dessert that does not involve a quivering custard filling. Do you have any thoughts?
Kim O'Donnel: Pumpkin bread is wonderful and definitely unquiver-y. What would you say to a bread pudding with pumpkin bread? That's one of my favorites. Yes, it's got custard, but it's not the jiggly kind.
Kim O'Donnel: It's time to go, friends. Thanks for stopping by. If you've got a few minutes and live in the DC area, come by and meet me at the following booksigning events:
Wed., Oct 31, 4-6 p.m.: Rose Park farmers' market, 26th & O Sts., NW
Thurs, Nov. 1, 6-8:30 p.m.: National Press Club 30th Annual Book Fair, 14th & F Sts. NW, $5 admission
Saturday, Nov 3, 9 a.m.-noon, Arlington Courthouse farm market, in the Arlington Courthouse parking lot.
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Calling all foodies! Join us Tuesdays at noon for What's Cooking, our Live Online culinary hour with Kim O'Donnel.
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Books: Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House
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That summer she was outed by conservative pundit Robert Novak in his nationally syndicated column. Many felt that the disclosure was an act of political retaliation against her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who had written an op-ed in The New York Times detailing his visit to the African nation of Niger and his failure to find evidence of yellowcake (uranium) sales to Iraq in the run-up to the war, a key justification.
Plame Wilson was online Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss her book, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, which details her CIA training, covert status, experiences, responsibilities, the outing and her life now.
Post: Background on the Plame Investigation
Portions of "Fair Game" are blacked-out and indicate, say the publishers, places where the CIA has demanded redactions. The extensive afterword by reporter Laura Rozen, drawn from interviews and the public record, is included to provide context to Plame Wilson's story.
Valerie Plame: Hi. This is Valerie Plame Wilson and I'm delighted to be here on Washingtonpost.com. I look forward to answering your questions.
Tenafly, N.J.: Do you think the conviction and subsequent commuting of Scooter Libby's sentence does justice to turn of events that followed your husband's Niger trip? Do you think prosecutor Fitzgerald did an adequate job of handling the case?
Valerie Plame: President Bush short-circuited justice by commuting Mr. Libby's sentence... Mr. Libby therefore has no motivation now to cooperate with the Special Prosecutor in the future. That is one of the reasons that my husband and I are pursuing a civil suit - to get to the truth of what happened.
Newark, N.J.: How do you approach rebuttals from several people involved in the affair that you were not covert at the time of Novak's column? It seems this is being mounted as an adequate defense to the accusations they face, but do you think it truly vindicates them? Why or why not?
Thank you for taking my question.
Valerie Plame: Until the time that my name appeared in Mr. Novak's July 2003 column, I was a covert operations officer with the CIA. That fact has been confirmed by the CIA Director General Michael Hayden, the judge in the Libby trial, and Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald who said that I traveled numerous times overseas in a variety of aliases and under a variety of covers to conduct covert operations work.
Washington, D.C.: Was Laura Rozen's afterward your idea or your publisher's? How do you feel about including it in your book? (Disclosure: I have known Laura since we were reporters together in the Balkans in the late '90s.)
Valerie Plame: The idea to include an Afterword was my publisher's (Simon & Schuster)idea. They contracted with Laura to draw upon the extensive material available in the public domain and in interviews to give readers a full sense of the story that I was not allowed to tell. I've never met Laura, nor spoken to her - ever. I thought it was a very good idea.
Thank you for your service and for your book.
I got a chuckle out of how you took at least some redemption out of being called "good looking" by the Bush administration.
The question I have is this: how did your husband and you keep or try to keep the pressure and tension from affecting what was left of your personal lives?
And one more if I may, why don't you think, since he admitted to "outing" you, why Richard Armitage was never brought up on charges?
Valerie Plame: Joe and I have twins, now aged 7 1/2 and having children certainly keeps you from toxic self-absorption. Children really don't care if you've had a bad day - they just want your love and attention. And despite our crazy personal lives of these last 4 1/2 years, our children are amazingly happy and well adjusted.
As far as Armitage - don't forget that Mr. Libby was convicted on obstruction of justice - meaning that the Prosecutor could not really get to the bottom of what happened.
Annapolis, Md.: Thanks for participating in the discussion. I have a question concerning the Bush administration's assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They claim that as far as they knew the intelligence services were all certain that Iraq had them and that they could be a danger to us. What was your opinion before the invasion (and that of your fellow analysts), did you believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction?
Valerie Plame: We certainly knew that Saddam was an evil tyrant who had used WMD on his own people. We knew that in the shadow of 9/11, it would not have been prudent to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was clearly up to no good. As the invasion of Iraq was launched in March 2003, my greatest fear was the I and my former CIA colleagues had somehow missed a WMD cache, or we just didn't find the right scientist to talk to so as to understand the state of their WMD programs. I was beside myself thinking of the potential WMD threats to US troops that we had not found.
Portland, Maine: I read your book on a trip to Utah last week and thought it (the book, not the trip) to be fascinating -- a nicely laid out story with a keen sense of the frustration and betrayal you and your family endured. Trying to guess what had been redacted was actually fun in a bizarre sort of way.
Now that you've left D.C., do you intend to use your "political" background to pursue a second career?
Valerie Plame: If none of this had happened, I would be overseas right now, with my family, working on counterproliferation issues of great concern and interest to me. Joe and I certainly want to move past this and contribute again in some way... we just don't know how yet.
Arlington, Va.: How have your friends adjusted to the news that you were a spy all of those years, rather than what they thought you were?
Valerie Plame: I was very fortunate in that my closest group of friends from freshman orientation week at Penn State have been loyal and supportive throughout this affair. They understood why I could not tell them where I worked or what I really did. And I am so grateful for their unwavering friendships.
Washington, D.C.: Are you angry at your husband for acting in a way that ultimately sabotaged your career?
Valerie Plame: Absolutely not. His actions did not cause the end of my career - it was senior administration officials who outed my covert identity as political payback that prevented me from continuing my career. It was their actions that undermined our national security.
Anonymous: Are you one of the many who "felt that the disclosure was an act of political retaliation..."? Even though it was Richard Armitage, an inside-the-administration opponent of the war, who blew your cover to Novak?
Valerie Plame: Mr. Armitage has been in Washington for decades. In fact, he served at the CIA for some time. He should have known better than to "gossip" about me to journalists. However, his involvement, no matter how it might be characterized, does not preclude the fact that there was a simultaneous conspiracy "by many in the White House" in the words of Spec. Prosecutor Fitzgerald to undermine and discredit Joe Wilson.
Falls Church, Va.: By recommending your husband for the Niger trip, weren't you participating in a policy decision? Did you have any concern at the time that involvement with policy decisions might not be compatible with covert status?
Valerie Plame: I did not suggest nor recommend Joe Wilson, my husband, for the trip to Niger. A reports officer who knew of Joe's bona fides (including several previous trips on behalf of the CIA) suggested Joe. When we went to our boss to tell him about the interest in the alleged sale of yellowcake from Niger to Iraq, he asked me to ask Joe when I went home that night to come into CIA Headquarters the next week to discuss what we should do. That was the extent of my involvement in Joe's trip.
Woonsocket, R.I.: Ms. Plame (or do you prefer "Mrs. Wilson"?), thanks for your service to the country.
I don't know if you'll be allowed to answer this, but it's a question that has been bothering me since your cover was first blown: what was the collateral damage? What CIA and/or other intelligence resources were put at risk by your exposure?
If you can't answer that, can you at least say whether or not ANY substantial intelligence assets were put at risk (say, at least one human life or more)?
Valerie Plame: The CIA did a damage report after I was outed. That is standard procedure. I have not seen it, nor any members of Congress. However, I can say that the damage was serious.
San Antonio, Tex.: In the review of "Fair Game" that was in our local paper on Sunday, the reporter said that you wrote that being outed put a great deal of stress on your marriage. Can you tell us in what ways?
Also, do you think life in New Mexico will suit you after the hustle and bustle of D.C.?
Valerie Plame: The year 2004 was one of the darkest for us. We were enduring relentless attacks on Joe; he was called a liar, a traitor and worse. I was accused of nepotism. We had lost our privacy and it was very difficult because both of us were affected, but in different ways. It was externally produced, but it didn't make it any easier. We are all loving living in gorgeous New Mexico.
Washington, D.C.: Hi Ms. Plame Wilson,
Thank you for taking questions. I followed your (public) story quite intently, it was a terrible betrayal.
I've wondered if you've met Judy Miller, and what you felt about her WMD reporting leading up to the Iraq war.
Valerie Plame: I have never met Judith Miller. I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of her reporting on the WMDs in Iraq in the run-up to the war has all been discredited. She relied heavily upon Iraqi exile Chalibi, who the CIA early and often knew was not a credible source, to say the least.
Washington, D.C.: I understand the need to tell your story, but if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be so eager to keep myself in the public eye by writing a book. Are you completely safe from your former spied-on enemies? I'd be scared to give the world repeated name-face associations of myself.
Still, I applaud your courage.
Valerie Plame: I'm not so eager to be a public person myself. However, this is a very important story to tell. It's a cautionary tale of the consequences of speaking truth to power and how important it is for citizens to hold their government to account for their words and deeds. I really felt I had no choice.
Merrifield, Va.: Assuming that the current administration and political party is swept out of office in November 2008, is it safe to assume that a new administration might be more friendly to the content of your book? In other words, is it likely that many of the current redactions might be lifted in 2008/2009 and you might have a reissue/update? Is such a thing political or would the CIA maintain the current redactions? It saddens me that our leadership would throw our clandestine warriors under the bus for political ends.
Valerie Plame: I have no idea what a new administration might bring to the book's redactions. However, I and my publisher are appealing the court's decision this summer that I may not acknowledge my Agency affiliation prior to January 2002. For more information on this case, and why it is so important to First Amendment rights, check out fairgameplame.com for all the documents and background.
Harrisburg, Pa.: There was press speculation that President Bush had been interviewed off the record by investigations into the Scooter Libby trial. Do you have any guesses as to what President Bush would have to say about the matter?
Valerie Plame: I have no idea. As you note, the President was not placed under oath.
Philadelphia, Pa.: Let me please throw out a broad, general question where you may respond in any direction who wish: What do you think of Vice President Dick Cheney?
Valerie Plame: I think he has a very dangerous view of Executive Power and is simply wrong about how our Constitution should be interpreted.
Princeton, N.J.: You say,"We knew that in the shadow of 9/11, it would not have been prudent to give him the benefit of the doubt." But Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. There was never any credible evidence linking him to al-Qaeda or that he had a viable nuclear program. Since we had put up with his chemical weapons in the 80s when we were sure he had them, why couldn't we do the same in 2003?
Valerie Plame: Absolutely. There is no link between Iraq and 9/11. I should have been more careful and typed that after 9/11, America felt under siege and viewed enemies everywhere. Also, please recall that Saddam kicked out UN weapons inspectors in 1998, so we had no good idea of what he did or did not have, in terms of WMD.
Rome, Italy: What made you join the CIA? Was it a quest for adventure, a patriotic gesture or something else? Thanks.
Valerie Plame: My father was an Air Force officer and fought in WW II in the South Pacific. My brother was a wounded Vietnam Marie Corp veteran. So the notion of public service ran deeply in our family. I liked the idea of serving my country while living and working overseas in a career that seemed exciting.
Rockville, Md. : Who is an agent? Or a case officer? Back when I was in intelligence work, my first job was "special agent" and it was in Army Intelligence. Later on I learned that "case officer" was a better term and "agents" worked for the FBI or were the people we recruited. The only place I saw "operative" was on Perry Mason. But these days it seems that an intelligence person is called an "officer" only if they die in the line of duty. Otherwise they are always "agents" if not "operatives." Does this bother you? I thought it was just more disrespect from the press.
Valerie Plame: These terms are used indiscriminately in the press. In the CIA, an officer doing what I did is a "case officer". We recruit and run "agents" or "assets". I also say that I was an operations officer. I don't bother to correct folks in interviews because it can get too confusing.
Lansing, Mich.: With all the items the agency removed from your book, do you feel that your book is quite different from what you intended to write?
Valerie Plame: I should say so! But, I think leaving in the redactions has a visceral affect of showing how much the CIA deemed to be "classified". Also, the Afterword provides the reader with a pretty full story.
Albany, N.Y.: Ms. Plame Wilson -- Pure speculation but here goes, you're in New Mexico, any chance of either you or your husband running for the U.S. Senate seat that's being vacated by Pete Domineci?
Thank you for you service.
Valerie Plame: No thanks. We already have lots of good politicians in New Mexico!
Virginia: Hello. I worked at the White House. I find it odd that CIA officials assigned to the NSC for two-year duty are covert when everyone knew they were CIA. If you brief someone, they will know which agency you come from. In other words, if you're covert in D.C., you're open.
Valerie Plame: I would have to disagree with you. Other government officials with appropriate clearances have the authority to know about a covert officer. However, they all sign oaths to protect classified national security information, including the identities of covert officers perhaps on assignment to their office. They do not have the right to chat about it to reporters.
Shiremanstown, Pa.: Ms. Wilson, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you and your husband.
Were you ever arrested or held captive during your time as a covert CIA agent?
Valerie Plame: No, thank goodness.
Falls Church, Va.: Senior officials at the CIA and State Department testified during Libby's trial that you recommended your husband for the trip. Were they lying?
Valerie Plame: You are not correct. There is an INR memo that said 1) Joe agreed with State that it wasn't necessary to go to Niger as two reports already existed that debunked the allegation of the yellowcake sale. Secondly, it said I had "apparently" convened the meeting, but that memo was written by a State Department employee who was not at the meeting at CIA Hqs and he relied upon notes from another official who had since left for a posting in Pakistan. Read "Hubris" for a full accounting of the State Department's role in Joe's trip to Niger.
As for the CIA, senior Agency officials have said that I had nothing to do with suggesting or recommending Joe for Niger.
Falls Church, Va.: VP: "I was a covert operations officer with the CIA"
But "covert" has more than one meaning, correct? You testified to Congress that you did not know whether your status was "covert" within the meaning of the statute that formed the basis of Fitzgerald's investigation.
Valerie Plame: I am not a lawyer and I don't know exactly how the IIPA is written. What I do know is that General Hayden, the judge in Mr. Libby's trial, and Spec. Prosecutor Fitzgerald all confirmed my covert status.
NYC: Any favorite spy novel authors or movies?
Valerie Plame: James Bond, of course. Bob Baer also writes good books.
Springfield, Va.: How did you feel when you entered the floor of the Senate for those hearings? How much time -- if any -- had you spent preparing for the senators' questions? In all, your performance was remarkable -- and without notes!
Valerie Plame: I was happy that I did not fall out of my shoes with nerves. However, I got to tell the truth and a bit of what had happened, so that gives you confidence.
Thanks to both you and Mr. Wilson for your service.
What is the one thing that most people don't already know about this case, and you wish they did know?
What popular misconception would you like to correct?
Valerie Plame: That I never had to sleep with anyone to get intelligence! That part of my job was NOT like James Bond...
McLean, Va.: Somewhere I read that an answer you gave to a question about how you would handle a hypothetical spy-type situation you said you would hop into bed with that person. Is that true and if so, can you explain the exchange please.
Valerie Plame: If I were meeting an asset in a hotel room, for example, and a knock on the door came "Police!" I would certainly take off my blouse and hop into bed. What other good reason is there for a man and a woman to be in a hotel room alone if not for...
Wokingham, U.K.: Is the current near-confrontation with Iran more rational than the former confrontation with Iraq?
Valerie Plame: No. We are strategically damaged in the region because of this administration's missteps in Iraq.
Anonymous: Any advice for someone who would like to work for the CIA? I have a technical background but do not speak any languages other than English (and science).
Valerie Plame: Check out their Web site, CIA.gov, and see if any of your interests and qualifications match what they are looking for.
Washington, D.C.: Do you know if anyone in the admininstration ever apologized to the leaders of the CIA for the administration outing one of the agency's covert agents? If not, how do the leaders of the CIA feel about that (if you know)?
Valerie Plame: No. And I'm not holding my breath.
Did you have to speak with an accent or in a different language while you were covert?
Valerie Plame: I learned several languages while working at the CIA.
Washington, D.C.: Hello. What are your future projects? Any new book in the making?
Valerie Plame: I need to get through this book tour first! After that, I can't wait to get back to Santa Fe and be with my husband and children.
Norfolk, Va.: Military guy here who follows politics as others follow day time soaps.
The entire situation you and your husband continue to write about seems much-ado-about-nothing! Your claims against the White House were dismissed by a federal judge, your finger pointing about who "gave you up" proved to be wrong. You and your husband defined the phrase "a power couple," therefore shedding great doubt that you ever were a true CIA spy.
My specific question: Do you and your husband just have a political ax to grind or are you trying to make money from a near nothing event?
(In case you are wondering, I'm a Marine and not a political wonk).
Valerie Plame: If none of this had happened, I can assure you that I and my family would be living overseas and I would be working on counterproliferation issues to help defend our national security. At a GS salary.
And despite your erroneous assertions, I thank you for your service to our country.
As a cleared employee, I was curious about how or if your security clearance was affected after you were outed.
Valerie Plame: My clearances were not affected, just my cover status.
Gurnee, Ill.:1. Some say it was "common knowledge" you were connected with the CIA. What was the level of knowledge?
2. Laws were broken surrounding your "outing." In previous cases, what punishment was given those lawbreakers?
Valerie Plame: Only a handful of people in my family knew where I worked before my covert identity was betrayed in July 2003.
Washington, D.C.: What effect on your colleagues are you aware of as a result of the betrayal of your identity?
Valerie Plame: My former colleagues know that it could have just as well have been them who were outed as political payback. I know I have many friends at my former office.
Richmond, Va.: Katie Couric on "60 Minutes" seemed to shift the burden to you: Joe Wilson should not have written the NYT op-ed because you worked for the CIA. I was infuriated at her assumption, i.e., that you were fair game because your husband expressed damaging information to the administration. I wonder if you could share your reaction.
Valerie Plame: While we expected the administration to go after Joe for his criticism of their case for war, we certainly did not expect them to commit treason by betraying my covert identity. Katie was just doing her job.
Clarksville, Tenn.: Do you feel the need for any protection as a result of your CIA actions, and if so, does the government provide you any protection?
Valerie Plame: We have had real and serious security issues to contend with over the last 4 1/2 years. At one point after a particularly ominous threat in 2004, I asked the CIA for security on my home and was denied. It was very disappointing.
Anonymous: Have you ever received an apology from Mr. Libby?
Valerie Plame: No, and I really don't expect to.
Alexandria, Va.: You've stated that the first you had heard that you had been outed was from your husband after he read Novak's column. Shouldn't the CIA have been knocking down your door to provide protection to you and your family before the paper even hit your front step?
Valerie Plame: The CIA told Mr. Novak not to print my name. He has since said it was a "soft no" to which my reply is: what part of no did you not understand?
Valerie Plame: Thank you so much everyone for your questions and comments. I hope you enjoy the book.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Valerie Plame Wilson, former CIA covert operations officer, discusses her career, the circumstances which led to her outing and its aftermath.
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Lerach Enters Guilty Plea In Class-Action Conspiracy
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The California plaintiff's attorney who helped turn class-action lawsuits into a lucrative trend pleaded guilty yesterday to a conspiracy charge stemming from his role in a wide-ranging kickback scheme.
William S. Lerach, 61, acknowledged in a Los Angeles courtroom that he and his former partners at the Milberg Weiss firm hid payments to people who served as repeat plaintiffs in their class-action suits.
According to federal prosecutors, the lawyers found people who held shares -- often only a few -- in companies that were accused of fraud. By getting those people to sign up as early plaintiffs in civil lawsuits against the companies, Lerach and his firm were able to exert greater control over the cases and reap additional fees. In all, the scheme infected more than 150 cases over the past two decades, bringing Lerach and his partners well over $200 million, according to court papers.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Lerach will face as many as two years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 14. He is scheduled to pay the government nearly $8 million in fines and penalties.
The arrangement ensures that he will be able to keep tens of millions of dollars, however, since he has yet to collect his share of a $7.2 billion settlement pool in the case he filed six years ago on behalf of Enron investors.
John W. Keker, a lawyer for Lerach, declined comment yesterday. Lerach, a flamboyant figure who wielded boxes of shredded corporate documents to seize media attention in his heyday, has maintained a low profile since the guilty plea this summer of his former law partner David J. Bershad.
Bershad's cooperation gave the investigation, which has been pending for seven years, a substantial jump-start. It prompted Lerach to begin his own settlement negotiations with prosecutors and to resign from his new law firm, San Diego-based Coughlin Stoia. Another former Lerach partner, Melvyn I. Weiss, is fighting criminal charges and has rejected settlement overtures from the government.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter heard Lerach's guilty plea at a brief hearing yesterday. But the judge did not indicate whether he would agree to the prison term specified in Lerach's plea agreement with the government.
If the judge wants to send Lerach to prison for more than two years, Lerach could walk away from the deal and force prosecutors to prove criminal charges in a jury trial. Such an outcome is considered unlikely by people involved in the case, which has been plagued by technical issues including fights about when the statute of limitations expired on the kickback allegations.
Legal analysts said the plea agreement was generally favorable to Lerach, a longtime contributor to Democratic political candidates, because it calls for a relatively short prison term and guarantees that Coughlin Stoia and several partners there will not face criminal sanctions for their possible roles in the payment of plaintiffs in shareholder lawsuits.
Even so, pleading guilty to a felony is likely to cost Lerach his license to practice law and put an end to a career that has spanned four decades.
"Lerach's plea is a professional death sentence that permanently decimates his reputation," said Kirby D. Behre, a former federal prosecutor and author of a book on white-collar prison sentences. "However, his plea significantly limits his jail time from what he was facing, so in that sense is favorable."
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Washington,DC,Virginia,Maryland business headlines,stock portfolio,markets,economy,mutual funds,personal finance,Dow Jones,S&P 500,NASDAQ quotes,company research tools. Federal Reserve,Bernanke,Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Injury Ends Rogers's Season
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The day after the Washington Redskins' worst loss in 46 years brought news that cornerback Carlos Rogers had suffered a season-ending knee injury and of meetings between groups of players and Coach Joe Gibbs.
Tests showed that Rogers tore his right anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the 52-7 loss Sunday to New England. He will undergo surgery when the swelling subsides in a few weeks and Gibbs will consider signing a free agent cornerback or promoting a cornerback from the practice squad to replace him.
Gibbs spent part of the day yesterday meeting with players to discuss Sunday's loss. "What I said today means a lot to me," Gibbs said. "We had a lot of guys talking to the media, come across the doorstep and had guys meeting in different groups. It says a lot about them. A lot of places, I'm sure the guys just go home. They have a bad day and just go home. These guys care about it."
They'll move forward without Rogers. Such injuries often carry a recovery time of at least nine months, and Bubba Tyer, the Redskins' director of sports medicine, compared Rogers's injury to the one safety Pierson Prioleau suffered on the opening kickoff of the 2006 season. Prioleau has been able to play regularly all of this season.
"I think he looks good for next season," Tyer said. "We'll just take it through the offseason and get him going and hopefully get him ready for training camp. That will be our goal."
Cornerback Fred Smoot, who has missed three games with a hamstring injury, will return for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, Tyer said, and he and veteran Shawn Springs will start in Rogers's absence. Rogers, the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Auburn, was using crutches and wore a large cast on his right knee yesterday at Redskins Park. He was injured when he collided with teammate London Fletcher on a tackle on New England's first drive of the game, and immediately collapsed as his right leg was bent. Rogers declined to comment but is expected to address reporters today.
Rogers, 26, has been a starting cornerback since early in his rookie season and was in essence the top cornerback even after the secondary was upgraded in the offseason. The coaches often rotated Springs and Smoot on one side, but Rogers was on the field for every play. He appeared much more comfortable in Washington's defensive scheme this season, and, although he still had some lapses on longer passes, he was more consistent after dropping a number of potential interceptions in 2006.
He is the only cornerback on the team with an interception, returning a pass 61 yards for a touchdown against Detroit. Rogers, Smoot and Springs formed one of the more effective cornerback trios in the NFL, but without him the defensive backs will be tested.
"We love his attitude, he's very competitive and I think he is continuing to mature and get better and better," Gibbs said. "That's something we're going to have to overcome. Somebody else is going to have to step in and play well."
Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense, made improving the secondary an offseason priority after the Redskins allowed more passes of 20 or more yards than any other team last season, and opposing quarterbacks threw 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Smoot was signed as a free agent to push Springs and Rogers, while veteran David Macklin was signed for depth and safety LaRon Landry was selected with the sixth overall pick.
The unit was highly effective before the loss in New England, shutting down Detroit and Green Bay when both were the top-ranked passing attacks in the NFL. Smoot, however, has been ailing much of the season with a lingering hamstring problem.
Smoot, who was selected 45th overall by Washington in 2001 then left as a free agent in 2005, missed two games in September because of the strain, and then aggravated it against Arizona. "Every time I keep coming back I keep setting myself back," Smoot said. "It's one of those things that's real frustrating for me."
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Info on Washington Redskins including the 2005 NFL Preview. Get the latest game schedule and statistics for the Redskins. Follow the Washington Redskins under the direction of Coach Joe Gibbs.
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To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders
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According to those officials, Bush and his advisers blame Democrats for the holdup of Judge Michael B. Mukasey's nomination to be attorney general, the failure to pass any of the 12 annual spending bills, and what they see as their refusal to involve the White House in any meaningful negotiations over the stalemated children's health-care legislation.
VIDEO | Bush: 'Congress Is Not Getting Its Work Done'
White House aides say the only way Bush seems to be able to influence the process is by vetoing legislation or by issuing administrative orders, as he has in recent weeks on veterans' health care, air-traffic congestion, protecting endangered fish and immigration. They say they expect Bush to issue more of such orders in the next several months, even as he speaks out on the need to limit spending and resist any tax increases.
The events of recent weeks have "crystallized that the chances of these leaders meeting the administration halfway are becoming increasingly remote," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.
Bush himself has been complaining more and more bitterly about congressional Democrats in recent weeks. In a private meeting yesterday with House Republicans in the East Room of the White House, Bush recalled how he had been able to work with Democrats when he was Texas governor and said he had hoped to find the same relationships in Washington.
"He sort of longs for those days, when both sides were genuinely interested in getting along and getting a deal," said Rep. Adam H. Putnam (R-Fla.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference, who helped organize yesterday's White House meeting, attended by about 150 Republicans.
The president offered more criticism after the session. "Congress is not getting its work done," Bush said. "We're near the end of the year, and there really isn't much to show for it."
House Democratic leaders fired back at Bush with strong rhetoric of their own. "The president wants the same complacent, complicit Congress that was a co-conspirator in a coverup of what was going on in this country," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).
Both sides have their own political calculations for digging in, with the White House and Republicans seeking to reestablish their credentials as fiscal conservatives and with Democrats concluding that they are on the right side politically on children's health care and other issues.
On some issues, the White House has become increasingly left out of the legislative process. Bush's objection to any tax increases, for instance, has pushed Republicans in the House and the Senate to pursue their own negotiations over an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), concluding that a final bill must include a significant tobacco tax increase to offset its cost.
Even as they offer the president public support, some Republicans on the Hill are hinting that they might break with Bush if the price is right. Asked yesterday whether he could support an SCHIP bill that Bush opposes, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) suggested that is a possibility. "He has his position. House Republicans have theirs," Boehner said.
While Bush castigated Democrats for lack of productivity, congressional Republicans have had their own reasons for moving slowly. On SCHIP, for example, they have said that both sides could reach a deal if the Democratic leadership would slow down and let negotiations proceed.
GOP Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa) and Orrin G. Hatch (Utah) personally appealed to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) for a delay yesterday. Reid agreed and asked the Senate to put off consideration of the latest version of the bill to let bipartisan talks continue. This time, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) objected to the move.
"That makes an interesting statement about the president's press conference this morning, that we just can't get those Democrats to do anything," said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), one of the SCHIP negotiators.
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The White House plans to try implementing as much new policy as it can by administrative order while stepping up its confrontational rhetoric with Congress after concluding that President Bush cannot do much business with the Democratic leadership, administration officials said.
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Army Digging To Recover Old Gas Shells
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Operating under tight safety restrictions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers yesterday began excavating what it calls the "last known burial pit" of World War I chemical munitions in Northwest Washington's Spring Valley neighborhood.
The Army expects to excavate at least fifteen 75mm artillery rounds -- a dozen or more with mustard gas and three with arsine, both toxic chemical agents -- buried in the affluent residential neighborhood that was once a site for developing and testing chemical weapons.
To protect the neighborhood from an accidental release of gases, the Army has erected a large metal containment structure over the pit in the 4800 block of Glenbrook Road, next to an unoccupied home behind American University.
Tan fabric covering the structure is designed to contain and filter chemical vapors, and sirens will warn residents living within a safety zone running 742 feet in every direction from the pit -- the distance based on calculations of the danger from a detonation of a round of arsine, which officials describe as the more "worrisome" of the chemicals because of its volatility.
All residents inside the zone, which includes parts of AU and 49 homes, have been given instructions to stay indoors and not try to leave the area. In a letter to the campus last month, AU President Neil Kerwin called a chemical release "highly unlikely" but said the school would remain "vigilant."
Shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday, an operator inside the containment structure radioed to the project's command post that chemical detection equipment was ready. "We're getting ready to begin digging operations," he radioed.
"Roger -- take everything slow and easy," replied Scott Wunschel, safety officer for the project, who was seated at a computer in a trailer on the campus. A mini-excavator, visible on screens inside the command post, began digging up the soil and loading it into blue barrels.
With that, the latest round of a seemingly unending cleanup operation was underway. The Spring Valley operation dates back to 1993, when the discovery of an artillery round by a construction crew triggered an evacuation and cleanup. More discoveries and excavations followed, as research showed that the Army testing operation during World War I was more extensive than realized.
The presence of the shells sparked concerns about health hazards from chemicals in the ground. Earlier this year, a review by researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health found no relationship between cancer cases and chemicals in the ground in Spring Valley but recommended continued environmental tracking.
The canisters buried at the Glenbrook Road site were seen during a previous excavation but could not be recovered because the landowner would not allow further digging. The university now owns the land.
The excavation was supposed to begin in August but was delayed when AU requested additional safety measures, including an extra layer of aluminum sheeting around the containment unit and an air quality monitor between the excavation pit and the AU campus.
"We've got a very robust metal cover to protect against fragmentation," said Army Corps of Engineers Capt. Drew White, the site operations officer.
The project includes a dozen workers in the containment area and 2o to 30 outside the area, including chemical weapons specialists from the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.
Officials from agencies working with the Corps said the precautions for the excavation are adequate. "All of the public safety measures being implemented are conservative and cover a wide range of protection for human health and the environment," said Steven Hirsh, an official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
White said the Army is hoping this excavation, expected to last 14 weeks, will be the last major operation in Spring Valley. "We've got more investigating to do but don't believe we have anything more extensive than this to do," he said.
After testing inside the containment are, blue barrels of soil dug up yesterday were taken to a federal holding site near Sibley Hospital in preparation for further study and eventual disposal elsewhere.
The munitions are believed to be about 10 feet deep, and none was recovered yesterday. "Just lots and lots of dirt," White said.
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Rudy a Lefty? Yeah, Right.
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You wouldn't know it from reading the papers, but the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination is a confirmed right-winger. On issues such as free speech and religion, secrecy and due process, civil rights and civil liberties, pornography and democracy, this moralist and self-styled lawman has exhibited all the key hallmarks of Bush-era conservatism.
As any New Yorker can tell you, the last word anyone in the 1990s would have attached to the brash, furniture- breaking mayor was "liberal" -- and the second-to-last was "moderate." With his take-many-prisoners approach to crime and his unerring pro-police instincts, the prosecutor-turned-proconsul made his mark on the city not by embracing its social liberalism but by trying to crush it.
Somehow, though, Giuliani is being introduced to the rest of America as a liberal. And the people pinning the L-word on him aren't just far-right spokesmen such as James Dobson or Richard Viguerie, to whom even the Bush administration looks squishily centrist. No, it's supposedly objective journalists who've been using the label. ABC News reporter Jake Tapper recently spoke offhandedly about the mayor's "liberal views on social issues." Echoed NPR's Mara Liasson: "Giuliani has liberal views on a number of social issues, including abortion." On washingtonpost.com, political blogger Chris Cillizza referred to the mayor's "liberal positions on social issues," even though Giuliani supports only limited abortion rights and gay rights.
To a New Yorker, the idea of Rudy as a liberal or even a moderate is unreal, topsy-turvy -- like describing George McGovern as a hawk or Pat Buchanan as a Zionist. The case for Giuliani's moderation rests mainly on three overblown issues -- guns, gay rights and abortion -- and even in those cases, his deviation from conservative orthodoxy is far milder than is usually suggested.
The "social" and "cultural" issues that divide Americans encompass much more than guns, gay rights and abortion. They include state support of religion; the legitimacy of dissenting speech; the president's right to keep information secret; the place of fair procedures in dispensing justice. The Bush administration's hard-line stands on these matters have polarized the nation as much as the Iraq war has. And on these issues, Giuliani is just as hard-line as the man he'd like to succeed.
If you've managed to keep liking President Bush, you'd have no trouble loving President Giuliani.
Consider the first of our freedoms: free speech. One emblematic act of Giuliani's mayorship was his 1999 attempt to censor an art exhibit because it featured a painting of the Virgin Mary that used an unusual form of mixed media -- clumps of elephant dung, to be precise. (Others were also upset by the cutouts of female genitalia.) Giuliani, a Catholic who attended parochial schools and once aspired to the priesthood, understandably took offense. But he then converted his religious sensibilities into policy, unilaterally withholding a $7 million city subsidy to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. When that failed to get the painting removed, he tried to evict the museum from its century-old home. Ultimately, after losing in court, he was forbidden to retaliate against the museum. So much for moderation.
Those who deem Rudy a liberal might also recall his plan to fund parochial schools with city money. His goal went far beyond letting Bible groups meet after hours in public classrooms: The mayor personally phoned Cardinal John O'Connor to hatch a plan that would have placed public school students in church-run schools with overtly Christian curricula -- including catechism and excluding sex education. It was the real liberals on the school board who stopped the plan.
Beyond religious issues, a second conservative trait defined Giuliani's tenure: his Cheney-esque appetite for executive power. In 1999, for example, he directed (without the City Council's permission) the police to permanently confiscate the cars of people charged with drunken driving -- even if the suspects were later acquitted.
Giuliani's record on government secrecy, too, is hardly moderate. Liberals today routinely attack President Bush's refusal to divulge information about his domestic wiretapping program and his 2001 executive order claiming the power to close presidential papers. But they rarely discuss an equally autocratic move that Giuliani made: cutting a deal with the city as he was leaving office to assign control of his mayoral records to his own private company so that he could decide who could see them.
The fanciful notion of Giuliani's liberalism also omits the pi¿ce de r¿sistance of his mayorship: his flagrantly undemocratic bid to stay in office for an extra three months after Sept. 11, 2001. During earlier crises, even World War II, U.S. elections had always managed to proceed normally. But Giuliani maneuvered for weeks to remain mayor after his term-limited exit date. Only as normalcy returned to New York did his power grab fail.
Finally, don't forget foreign policy, which has become a social issue in these parlous times. In pledging to carry on the Bush legacy abroad -- seeking to assuage Americans' feelings of vulnerability through brazen nationalism and the ready use of force -- Giuliani taps the same emotions he did with his crusades against crime and vice: a sense that a frustrated people want a no-nonsense leader who will buck the weak-kneed worrywarts, be they urban school officials or Democrats who flinch at warrantless wiretapping.
What's left of the case for Rudy's liberalism relies on three prongs: guns, gay rights and abortion. But even those positions, seen in context, don't render Giuliani a liberal or a moderate so much as an occasional and tepid dissenter from the GOP line -- which, over the past quarter-century, has become increasingly right-wing.
Take gun control first. Some people demand that their candidate endorse the right to plunk down a wad of cash anywhere, anytime, for a submachine gun. But for most conservative voters, what matters is a "tough on crime" stance, and if any issue has defined Giuliani's career -- from his years as a prosecutor frog-marching corrupt bankers down Wall Street to his staunch support as mayor for trigger-happy cops -- it's his conservative posture on criminal justice. While liberals such as Michael S. Dukakis were thought to embrace gun control to conceal their distaste for tougher measures, Giuliani has always been known as an avenger.
His stands on gay rights also don't quite merit the liberal label. Pundits often note that he lived with a gay couple after splitting with his second wife. But policy stands, not private behavior, define a politician's ideology. (Just ask Sen. Larry Craig.) Yes, Giuliani supports more gay rights than do other Republicans, but he still opposes same-sex marriage and has even denounced New Hampshire's law blessing civil unions.
On abortion, Giuliani, while technically pro-choice, is far from liberal: He favors outlawing what opponents call "partial birth" abortion, backs parental-notification laws and supports the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for most abortions under Medicaid.
Ultimately, the use of the labels "liberal" and "moderate" matters less than the reason why they're used: to suggest that core Republican voters won't support Giuliani's candidacy. But the numbers say otherwise. Although some right-wing religious leaders are talking about backing a third-party candidate if Rudy is nominated, few primary voters are likely to follow. Not only has Giuliani consistently led the GOP field, but pluralities of survey respondents tend to agree that he "shares the same values as most Republicans" and that on social issues he's neither too conservative nor too liberal but "about right."
Pundits are flummoxed. When George Stephanopoulos told an ABC News gabfest that a Gallup poll showed that 69 percent of "religious Republican evangelicals" deemed the mayor an "acceptable nominee," George F. Will protested: "I just can't believe that those voters are going to go for Rudy Giuliani." Cokie Roberts chimed in, "I just find it very hard to believe that Rudy Giuliani is going to come out of Iowa and South Carolina as the Republican front-runner." But testimony from rank-and-file voters suggests that they will indeed tolerate his mild heterodoxies on abortion because they like his overall ideology, especially on Iraq and terrorism. (A Pew poll found that only 7 percent of Republican voters consider abortion their chief concern, compared with the 31 percent who named Iraq.)
When Bush ran for president, his slippery slogan of "compassionate conservatism" convinced many Washington journalists that he was a moderate. When he then pushed a right-wing agenda, they were stunned. They hadn't looked hard enough at his record. Likewise, if Giuliani becomes president, he will probably emerge as an unabashed social conservative -- as seen in his judicial appointments, his efforts to aid religious schools, the free hand he gives the government in fighting crime and terrorism, and an all-around authoritarian style. Let's not get fooled again.
David Greenberg is a historian at Rutgers University. His books include "Nixon's Shadow: The History
of an Image" and "Calvin Coolidge."
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You wouldn't know it from reading the papers, but the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination is a confirmed right-winger. On issues such as free speech and religion, secrecy and due process, civil rights and civil liberties, pornography and democracy, this moralist and self-styled...
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PostGlobal on washingtonpost.com
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2007102919
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**Editor's Note: Martinez's response to posted comments is below as an addendum to this post.**
CARACAS â As untimely and distressing as Mr. Bush's remarks about taking war to Iran may sound to a significant part of the American public, everyone down here knows Bush's words are heavenly music to Mr. Chávez ears.
There is widespread conviction among most Venezuelans - including many of President Hugo Chávez's followers - that the threat of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is nothing but a Chavez ruse to justify the growing militarization of our country and to discredit political dissent by labeling all of Mr. Chávez's adversaries unpatriotic, treacherous, pro-yanqui plotters.
That's why whenever George W. Bush hints at a surge or a new twist in the U.S. war on terrorism - or for that matter, U.S. war on anything or anyone - many Venezuelans cannot help shaking their heads in dismay.
Hugo Chávezâs anti-imperialistic rhetoric has paid off - if not yet completely here on his own turf, where his totalitarian schemes still faces stubborn yet erratic opposition, then certainly in the hearts and minds of many Latin Americans who see him as Fidel Castro's historic relief pitcher when it comes to relentless anti-Americanism. Chávez likes to talk during his Sunday morning talk-shows about turning every Venezuelan citizen into an "asymmetric warrior," always on alert to repel any American military attempts to Chavez's influence on the rest of the continent.
Many of his political opponents here once dismissed these tirades as empty prattle whose only effect was to secure more corrupt arms deals with the Russians. But when several months ago he created a "people's militia," which trains every other weekend under the eyes of Cuban military advisors, those tirades no longer sound so preposterous.
Clearly, these middle-aged, undisciplined squads of beer-paunch milicianos who drag their feet through utterly laughable war games while dreaming only of their paychecks would be no match for any U.S. airborne battalion. Their real mission is to beef up large units of heavily-armed civilians to deter any democratic opposition to Chávez. The same is true for the gangs of gun-toting thugs who ride motorbikes, taunt and even shoot at opposition rallies, wounding and on occasion killing unarmed demonstrators or members of independent television crews.
Venezuela's recent ties to Iran are feeble and mostly symbolic: broken Iranian-made tractors already rust under the sun in abandoned Venezuelan sugar cane communes that despite Cuban technical advice (or perhaps because of Cuban technical advice) never went into production. But those ties have prompted Mr. Chávez to boast of being Mr. Ahmadinejad's true Latin American ally.
Should a U.S. air strike against Iran ever occur, Mr. Chávez says, he wouldnât hesitate to shut off the Venezuelan oil supply to the U.S. Humbug or not, there is no denying that Mr. Chávez has earned a reputation of putting Venezuela's petrodollars where his mouth is.
Mr. Bush's reckless talk of war on Iran is just one of the thousand ways Washington is forcefully helping Mr. Chávez's unapologetic totalitarian schemes come true.
This post is in response to Dimik's "ad hominen" commment:
Even the shortest foray into the net would let you know that I was among the few Venezuelan journalists, if not the only one, who denounced the privately-owned news blackout during the 2002 coup against Mr. Chávez. Those privately-owned media included the daily to which you allude, and for which I no longer write. [ I promise to update my resumé: I now write for the daily "Tal Cual". I also intend to post a more becoming photograph of myself.]
The constitutional reform that Mr. Chávez recently advanced includes bending more than 30 articles in such a way as to enable his "revolutionary and democratic government" to restrain the Venezuelan people's most elementary human rights - notably the right to be informed, during exceptional circumstances such as a military coup. Pinochet did not have it so easy. I, of course, cannot but denounce such intentions, just as I did during the 2002 coup against a legitimately elected president whom I did not vote for.
Still, I wonder why should an independent columnist be deemed guilty of being just a pawn of the owners of the paper that runs his opinions?
Does that logic apply to the contributors to, say, Le Monde Diplomatique? Are they all, as you seem to imply, just well-paid propagandists of "progressive" governments like those of Castro, Morales, Ortega and Chávez?
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Ibsen Martinez at PostGlobal on PostGlobal; blog of politics and current events on washingtonpost.com. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/ibsen_martinez/
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Suicide Bomber on Bike Kills 28 Iraqi Policemen
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BAGHDAD, Oct. 29 -- The policemen had assembled for the morning roll call when the bicyclist pedaled into view.
He was wearing sweat pants and a black T-shirt, witnesses recalled, and some people knew enough to start running as he glided toward them.
"Suicide bomber! Suicide bomber!" people at the police headquarters shouted as the blast thundered across Baqubah, an embattled provincial capital north of Baghdad.
The explosion Monday killed at least 28 policemen and wounded 17 policemen and three Iraqi civilians, according to the U.S. military, making it the deadliest insurgent attack in Iraq in more than a month. The last mass-casualty attack struck Baqubah in late September, targeting a reconciliation meeting and killing at least 25 people.
"This attack is typical of al-Qaeda's barbaric and hateful ways -- targeting Iraqi Security Forces who have been working to secure Baqubah and enable progress," Col. David W. Sutherland, the U.S. military commander in Diyala province, said in a statement. The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has been responsible for many deadly attacks similar to Monday's bombing.
Many of those targeted in the bombing were recent police recruits. Across Iraq, the U.S. military has urged Iraqis, especially Sunnis, to join the police force in an effort to pull people away from the insurgency and to balance out the predominantly Shiite-run security forces. Such attacks can have a chilling effect on efforts to bolster the police force.
One police captain in Baqubah, Nayel al-Taie, vowed to honor the deaths of his colleagues and refused to be swayed by the attack. "I and my colleagues will continue to do our job and protect the stability and security of Iraq," he said.
Taie said he had just left the battalion headquarters when he heard the shouts that a suicide bomber was approaching. "I shouted out as loud as I could, 'Disperse! disperse!' but then the explosion happened," he said. Shrapnel dug into his right arm and back. His skin was burned.
He said that many of those wounded and killed were new recruits from two neighborhoods that were among the most violent until U.S. military reinforcements flooded into Baqubah earlier this year. Since then, al-Qaeda in Iraq's grip on the city has been greatly reduced.
The attack on Monday "shows the grudge this group holds against all Iraqis," he said.
An 11-year-old boy, Alaa Kassim Mohammed, was walking to school when he was hit. As he moaned in pain from his hospital bed, his father asked doctors if they were going to amputate his foot. "This suicide bomber wanted to attack those policemen because he thinks they are apostates, but what did he do wrong to deserve this? He is still 11 years old and he became a cripple," said his father, Kassim Mohammed, a security guard. "Is this Islam?"
Meanwhile, a spokesman for tribal leaders in Diyala province said all but one of 11 sheiks kidnapped in eastern Baghdad on Sunday had been freed. The spokesman for the mostly Shiite al-Salam Support Council, Hadi al-Anbaki, said a joint U.S. and Iraqi military operation on Monday had discovered the tribal leaders in the Shaab district of northeastern Baghdad. One of the men kidnapped, Haroon al-Muhammadawi, an imam in the al-Salam area of Diyala province, had been found dead the day before, Anbaki said.
The U.S. military accused Arkan Hasnawi, a former commander with the Mahdi Army militia, of responsibility for the kidnappings.
In a separate development, a mortar shell fell on a soccer field in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing two boys and wounding seven others, according to Iraqi police.
A U.S. Army one-star general was wounded by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, Army officials said. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey J. Dorko, commander of the Gulf Region Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, sustained injuries when a bomb detonated near his convoy, operated by the private security contractor Erinys International, according to an Army news release.
The private security team evacuated Dorko and another soldier to a U.S. military hospital in the Green Zone, the release said. Dorko, in stable condition, was later evacuated to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, it said. It is highly unusual for a U.S. officer with the rank of general to be injured in Iraq, and none has been killed there, the officials said.
Staff writer Ann Scott Tyson in Washington, special correspondents Naseer Nouri in Baghdad and Muhanned Saif Aldin in Tikrit, and other Washington Post staff in Iraq contributed to this report.
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Washington Post coverage of the American occupation of Iraq, the country's path to democracy and tensions between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
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Darfur Peace Conference
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2007102919
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Sun Prairie, Wis.: Good morning, Ms. Knickmeyer and thank you for taking this question. Actually, it's a two-parter: How would you characterize Arab media coverage and commentary of the Darfur crisis in the past few years? Also, is the reluctance of some rebel groups to participate in the conference in Libya in part because of their suspicion that Libya and other Arab governments only are interested in supporting the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum?
Ellen Knickmeyer: Hello. I'm sorry for starting late, but I'm still in Libya, and my movements for the time being are dependent on the kindly Libyan government officials serving as my eager guides.
On the question of how Arab media treats the issue of Darfur -- I have the impression that the interest for some is more in how the international community is responding to the Darfur crisis rather than in the Darfur crisis itself. I hear some Arab leaders, including Mr. Gaddafi this weekend, saying that Darfur is a tribal dispute and that the international community should butt out. President Mubarak in Egypt also goes with the tribal dispute viewpoint.
I don't know that other Arab governments only support the Khartoum viewpoint. Mr. Gaddafi, for example, started out supporting the Arab tribal fighters. Now there are strong allegations among international envoys and Darfur experts that he's supporting the rebels.
Wheaton, Md.: The U.N. has no intention of resolving the crisis in Sudan. Sudan is ruled by the Arab-occupied government and the Arab League never will allow the U.N. to condemn it, just as the U.N. never has condemned any Arab government, no matter how horrible the atrocities have been.
Ellen Knickmeyer: I'm not sure about that. The United Nations authorizing a 26,000-strong force of peacekeepers and police seems to be a significant action on their part.
washingtonpost.com: Michael Abramowitz reported today on the gulf between President Bush's professed passion for finding a solution in Darfur and the administration's actual actions. Do you have any explanation for the difference?
Ellen Knickmeyer: I have to say, from being here at the U.N. and African Union conference on Darfur this weekend, that there are a lot of governments that at least want to do something about Darfur -- but no one of them seems to have hit on the right combination of actions to actually change the mind of the combatants, as yet.
The delegations from the various countries and blocs -- U.S., U.K., Canada, China, various African countries -- outnumbered the actual rebel and Khartoum representatives on any one side.
And more than $1 billion is being spent on Darfur each year in aid alone. Peacekeeping is going to cost another $1 billion when the A.U.-U.N. force moves in.
One reason that some people suggest for why there isn't more progress on resolving the conflict is that there are actually too many countries and blocs and other players working on it. With this much international attention, there are a lot of parties trying a lot of things at once.
washingtonpost.com: Are there any plans to meet the boycotters' demands and limit the groups participating in future peace negotiations?
Ellen Knickmeyer: Supposedly one of the reasons that the Abuja peace deal in 2006 never got off the ground was because only a fraction of rebels were involved in that deal. I think for a deal to work, the major players all would have to be involved, or affected, in some way.
Washington: Do you think the Libyan government is now monitoring this chat? Are you in any way having to be cautious as to what you say?
Ellen Knickmeyer: Ah, that's a good question. So far I haven't seen the slightest interest by the Libyan government in having a role on what we are writing about Darfur.
Libya, if I might switch subjects, and judging by the shortage of questions I just might, is in a very interesting crossroads right now. It has been shut off from the world for all these years by U.N. and U.S. sanctions -- Libyans call that time "the siege." And now the sanctions are lifted, and all these world powers are rushing in for a share of Libyan oil -- Libya is thought to have the largest reserves in Africa.
You know, I am very sorry, but I have to cut this short right now. I've got to catch a plane to Tripoli, and government ride is leaving now. All best. Thanks for your interest.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Washington Post foreign correspondent will discuss what was and was not accomplished at this weekend's U.N.-backed peace talks in Tripoli, Libya, which two key rebel groups are boycotting.
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Justices to Examine Punitive Damages In Exxon Oil Spill
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2007102919
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The worst oil spill in U.S. history begat the costliest punishment in U.S. history, but the Supreme Court agreed yesterday to decide whether Exxon Mobil has been penalized too much for the environmental damage caused when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in pristine Alaskan waters in 1989.
The court agreed to consider the $2.5 billion in punitive damages approved by a federal appeals court for a group of nearly 33,000 fishermen, landowners and others who brought a suit over the environmental disaster.
Even though the punishment is only half the $5 billion originally awarded by a federal jury in Alaska in 1994, it is still the largest-ever U.S. punitive damages total. The award is on top of the $3.4 billion the company said it has paid in cleanup costs and other penalties for the oil spill, which polluted 1,200 miles of Alaskan coastline.
That, said the company's petition to the court, filed by Washington lawyer Walter Dellinger, is "more than enough to deter and punish anyone for anything."
Dellinger said in the petition that the damages award is not only the largest in history but also "larger than the total of all punitive damages awards affirmed by all federal appellate courts in our history."
Anchorage lawyer David W. Oesting countered in his brief opposing Exxon Mobil's appeal that the amount "represents barely more than three weeks of Exxon's current net profits."
The Supreme Court was urged to take the case by an array of business interests, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said last year that these justices are the most friendly to business in years.
But in taking the case, the court said it will not consider whether the punitive damages award is so large that it violates the Constitution's guarantee of due process, as Exxon Mobil had asked; other business defendants have used that argument in trying to reduce jury awards.
Instead, the justices will consider whether the Clean Water Act and maritime laws allow for punitive damages, and if so, whether the award is excessive.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. did not take part in the decision to hear the case. Although he gave no reason, his 2006 financial disclosure statement shows that he owns considerable Exxon Mobil stock. If only eight justices hear the case and they deadlock -- as happened earlier this term -- the award will stand.
At the 83-day trial in 1994, the group suing Exxon presented evidence showing that ship captain Joseph Hazelwood was drunk at the time the Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound and had turned over control of the ship to someone unfamiliar with the bay's reefs. More than 11 million gallons of oil spilled.
"Unlike any other shipowner of which we are aware," Oesting wrote in his brief, "Exxon placed a relapsed alcoholic, who it knew was drinking aboard its ships, in command of an enormous vessel carrying toxic cargo across treacherous and resource-rich waters."
But the company's petition argued that the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to uphold the punitive damages award "based on the misconduct of a vessel's master, contrary to the shipowner's policy and hostile to its vital interests, departs from the maritime-law rule to which every other circuit confronting this issue adheres."
The case is Exxon Shipping Co. v. Grant Baker (07-219).
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The worst oil spill in U.S. history begat the costliest punishment in U.S. history, but the Supreme Court agreed yesterday to decide whether Exxon Mobil has been penalized too much for the environmental damage caused when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in pristine Alaskan waters in 1989.
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U.S. Guns Behind Cartel Killings in Mexico
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2007102919
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TIJUANA, Mexico -- Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles.
Alvarado crumpled at the wheel of his sedan, yet another victim of the weapons known here as "goat's horns" because of their curved ammunition clips, and which can fire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. The killing, Mexican authorities said, was a panorama of blood, shattered glass and torn metal that brutally showcased the firepower of Mexico's drug cartels. But that was just the warm-up.
Two hours later, a small army of cartel hit men descended on a federal police office and bunkhouse in this crowded city at one of the world's busiest border crossings. None of the officers, who had recently been sent here to crush the drug gangs terrorizing the city, were killed in the hail of more than 1,200 bullets, authorities said. But police veterans understood the message delivered to the newcomers: "Welcome to Tijuana. Our guns are bigger than your guns."
The high-powered guns used in both incidents on the evening of Sept. 24 undoubtedly came from the United States, say police here, who estimate that 100 percent of drug-related killings are committed with smuggled U.S. weapons.
The guns pass into Mexico through the "ant trail," the nickname for the steady stream of people who each slip two or three weapons across the border every day. The "ants" -- along with larger smuggling operations -- are feeding a rapidly expanding arms race between Mexican drug cartels.
The U.S. weapons -- as many as 2,000 enter Mexico each day, according to a Mexican government study -- are crucial tools in an astoundingly barbaric war between rival cartels that has cost 4,000 lives in the past 18 months and sent law enforcement agencies in Washington and Mexico City into crisis mode.
These drug traffickers, with their steady supply of U.S. weaponry, are the target of President Bush's proposed $500 million U.S. aid package to help Mexico battle cartels. Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, hope that some of the money will be used to give Mexican police chiefs greater access to U.S. databases for gun traces. Currently, the traces can be made only through federal police headquarters in Mexico City. Many police chiefs do not even bother to make requests because of the inevitable bureaucratic delays.
Corrupt customs officials help smuggle weapons into Mexico, earning as much as $1 million for large shipments, police here say. The weapons are often bought legally at gun shows in Arizona and other border states where loopholes allow criminals to stock up without background checks.
The arms traffickers have left Mexico awash in AK-47s, pistols, telescope sighting devices, grenades, grenade launchers and high-powered ammunition, such as the so-called cop-killer bullets believed to be able to penetrate bulletproof vests.
"You're looking at the same firepower here on the border that our soldiers are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan," Thomas Mangan, a spokesman in Phoenix for the ATF, said in an interview.
Weapons have been smuggled into Mexico for decades. For instance, the .38 Special used in 1994 to assassinate presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio here in Tijuana was traced to a gun sale in Arizona. Mexico is a rich market for smugglers because it bans high-caliber automatic weapons -- even police are prohibited from using them -- and has strict gun laws that make it extremely difficult for members of the public to buy handguns.
But law enforcement officers on both sides of the border have never seen anything like the flood of guns now surging into Mexico. The increase has been stoked by the cartel war and by the ease of buying high-powered weapons since the U.S. assault weapons ban was not renewed in 2004, William Newell, a special agent in charge of the ATF's Phoenix office, said in an interview.
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TIJUANA, Mexico -- Assassins blasted Ricardo Rosas Alvarado, a member of an elite state police force, with a blizzard of bullets pumped out of AK-47 assault rifles.
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On the Ropes at Merrill Lynch
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2007102919
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NEW YORK, Oct. 29 -- The journey of E. Stanley O'Neal from a farm in Alabama to the top of the food chain on Wall Street was an uncommon rise that culminated in an all-too-familiar fall.
The grandson of slaves, the child of farmers and a former assembly-line worker at an auto plant, O'Neal forged an unlikely path to Harvard Business School and then to some of the nation's largest companies before taking over as chief executive at Merrill Lynch in 2002.
But amid widespread indications Monday that the company's board was pressuring O'Neal to resign, some who know him said his unusual ascent came to an abrupt halt because of the same mix of hubris, corporate infighting and an abysmal bottom-line performance that has done in more than one executive.
Even before Merrill announced a headline-making quarterly loss last week after writing down $7.9 billion in mortgage-related securities, O'Neal had been a controversial chief executive. He was a relentless cost-cutter who showed results but who outraged some old-timers by changing the company's internal culture.
O'Neal, 56, the first African American to take the helm of a major Wall Street firm, would be the highest-ranking casualty from the summer's credit market turmoil.
"It is a tragic Shakespearean story," said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a management professor at Yale University. "He really had spectacular results coming in. The guy's brilliant."
At the same time, Sonnenfeld said, "he didn't make friends, and he also apparently didn't listen to those who understood credit risk better than he did."
Though no official word on O'Neal's departure was given Monday, there was little doubt in the financial world that he would be replaced, with analysts speaking of his reign in the past tense. O'Neal has been under the gun since Merrill three weeks ago said it expected to take write-downs of $4.5 billion from mortgage-related securities, raising questions about the firm's risk management practices. Last week, O'Neal acknowledged that the write-downs were closer to $7.9 billion, further damaging his credibility with Wall Street. The firm's loss was most severe among its peers and the largest in Merrill's 93-year history.
Merrill's shares are down by a third this year, fueling speculation of a takeover. The shares rallied Friday after it became public that O'Neal had approached Wachovia about a merger, but the overture added to O'Neal's vulnerability. According to a New York Times report, O'Neal broke protocol by not seeking permission from his board to approach Wachovia.
"He's lost the confidence of the board," said Michael Kelly, managing partner of the Board Services Practice at CTPartners, an executive search firm. "No one likes surprises. That's sort of the moral of the story."
Wachovia reportedly is not interested in the deal. A spokeswoman declined to comment. Merrill's stock closed Monday at $67.42, up 2 percent.
The firm is expected to look both inside and outside the company for O'Neal's successor. Names that have been floated include Laurence Fink, chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, the successful asset manager in which Merrill has a 49.8 percent stake; John Thain, chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange and former co-president of Goldman Sachs; Gregory Fleming, Merrill's co-president; and Robert J. McCann, who heads Merrill's brokerage operation. Representatives of BlackRock and the New York Stock Exchange declined to comment. Merrill Lynch and its executives also declined to speak or return phone calls.
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NEW YORK, Oct. 29 -- The journey of E. Stanley O'Neal from a farm in Alabama to the top of the food chain on Wall Street was an uncommon rise that culminated in an all-too-familiar fall.
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Brijit Cuts Magazine Pile Down to Bite-Size Pieces
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2007102919
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Where you see wasted money, Jeremy Brosowsky saw a business opportunity.
The Washington publishing entrepreneur recently rolled out Brijit, a Web site that creates 100-word abstracts of articles from dozens of magazines and rates them. Brijit, Brosowsky said, aims to be "everyone's best-read friend."
Now on Brijit are summations of articles in current issues of GQ, Wired, Mother Jones, ESPN the Magazine, the Economist, Smithsonian and more than 50 other magazines. Even if you never read the entire article, just scanning Brijit could make you the smartest person at your next cocktail party.
But the Internet is littered with good ideas that turn out to be bad businesses, and online publishing can be especially tricky: Do you go mass-market or niche? Subscription-based, or free and ad-supported? Original content or aggregation of other content?
Further, at just 34, Brosowsky already has one failed publishing venture under his belt.
But Brosowsky's latest idea is attracting interest and nearly $1 million in venture capital from about 10 investors, including Norman Pearlstine, former editor of Time magazine and now with Carlyle Group.
Brosowsky's inspiration came in part from being a father of two children with twins on the way. He said he tries to be an avid reader, but the many demands on his time have led to the creation of his own pile of unread, paid-for magazines.
"I wished there was someone who would tell me the five stories in that pile I have to read," Brosowsky said.
There are precedents for the idea. Reader's Digest became America's most popular magazine for decades by condensing content to short, easily readable articles. And magazine analyst Mark Edmiston notes that "The Week," the National Review's weekly magazine summary of news, written with attitude and wit, has made a solid business.
"I think [Brijit] makes a lot of sense," Edmiston said. "I think that's where the Web is going."
The Web is moving toward the combination of human reviewers with Internet search. WebMD founder Jeff Arnold has said that if the latest evolution of the Internet, Web 2.0, was about the consumer -- meaning user-generated sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube -- then Web 3.0 will be about the editor.
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The magazines stack up, unread, on your coffee table: the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair. You subscribe to them but don't have time to read them. So there they sit, a glossy pile of guilt.
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Goodwill's New Look: Cheap Can Also Be Chic
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2007102919
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The twist? Many of her sartorial suggestions and inspiration come from Goodwill.
The Washington chapter of the international nonprofit organization has launched a campaign to recast itself as a source of vintage and high-end fashion in an attempt to expand its customer base to young, professional women. It has hired Hall to blog about stylish merchandise found in its stores and uploaded a video of its annual fashion show to YouTube. Its new eBay store has featured a fur stole and beaded evening gown by Oleg Cassini, who designed clothes for Jacqueline Kennedy.
"Most people think of Goodwill as a dirty old thrift store, and we're trying to change that perception," said Brendan Hurley, vice president of marketing and communication for Goodwill of Greater Washington.
Goodwill was founded to educate and employ people who are disadvantaged or have disabilities. The nonprofit operates nine stores in the region and receives more than 400,000 donations each year. Hurley said the average shopper is a 35- to 49-year-old woman with a household income of less than $70,000.
He said the group does not want to alienate those core shoppers. But it decided to reach out to more affluent shoppers as well after noticing the popularity of high-end vintage boutiques -- many of which sell the same items found at Goodwill stores. It was a lesson in marketing. There is a difference between "vintage" and "used." And Goodwill fell into the latter category.
"If we can help reposition the nature of the merchandise," Hurley said, "we can garner a lot of market share."
Goodwill held its fashion show in September. The local chapter of Salvation Army also holds an annual fashion show, which is scheduled for Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Washington.
Hurley said the local Goodwill chapter is the first in the country to test the concept and begin marketing itself through social networking outlets such as MySpace and YouTube. Hall was named retail marketing manager in June and began blogging shortly afterward under the pseudonym DC Goodwill Fashionista.
"At first I was surprised that there were comments at all. You do not know what to expect. This is brand-new territory for us," Hall said. "Is anybody going to take Goodwill seriously with a fashion blog?"
In a recent post, Hall wrote about fall looks for men culled from Goodwill's stores. She picked a gray wool zip-up sweater from J. Crew with flat-front trousers for one outfit, and a shiny striped button-down shirt in another -- a bit unorthodox, but fashion is about risks.
"The shirt is a little bit shinier than I'd usually recommend, but it's from DKNY and it still has the tags on it, so I thought I'd throw it in," she wrote. "I think this shirt is perfectly acceptable if it's always covered by a jacket, sweater, or -- at the very least -- a kicky vest. Otherwise, you look like an extra from 'A Night at the Roxbury.' Not cool."
The site receives 600 to 800 visitors each week, most of them local. Hall blogs three days a week and features Goodwill finds on Tuesdays. The items are then auctioned on Goodwill's eBay store. (Another online storefront, shopgoodwill.com, sells a wider variety of merchandise from Goodwill stores around the country.) Hall recalled one Yves Saint Laurent men's suit in mint condition that sold for $168 online -- and was tagged at $12.48 in the store.
In September, Goodwill posted an 8-minute video of its annual fashion show on its Web site and YouTube. About 10,000 visitors played the video, Hurley said. About 15 percent of them also shopped Goodwill's online store or its eBay store, he said.
"I think social media really lends itself to nonprofits in particular because a lot of them are cause-oriented, and a lot of people are compelled to care what those organizations are saying," said Geoff Livingston, founder of marketing consulting firm Livingston Communications and author of the book "Now Is Gone," who advised Goodwill on its strategy.
One of Hall's blog posts that has received the most comments had little to do with fashion. She was working in a store in August when a customer approached her for help finding jeans that fit. As they searched the racks, Hall learned that the woman was homeless and had been in the clothes she was wearing for the past month. She had only a $40 clothing voucher to spend.
Hall helped her find a new outfit over the next hour: a printed, button-down blouse; a purple-and-black rain coat (the woman said she liked dark colors); new shoes; plaid flannel pajamas; fleece sweaters and cotton T-shirts.
"At one point, I told her that she could go on in the dressing room and she said, 'Don't go anywhere. I want you to tell me if these jeans look good on me, okay?' " Hall wrote. "And I did. And they looked good on her."
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Like other fashion bloggers, Em Hall dispenses advice on matters such as the appropriate cut for ankle boots, pairing floral patterns with polka dots and how to wear a three-piece suit.
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Ayalew Captures Marine Corps Marathon
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2007102919
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"I was waiting, waiting, waiting for him to move past me," Garcia said through an interpreter. "I trained hard and expected to win. But I had cramps in my legs and couldn't go." Ayalew moved ahead, pulled away and won in 2 hours 22 minutes 20 seconds.
Garcia, 36, finished second, exactly two minutes behind in 2:24:20.
"My whole reason for running was to try to be the first person to win three times," said Garcia, a corporal in the Mexican navy. "I'm sad and frustrated."
Ayalew, 33, born in Ethiopia and seeking political asylum in the United States, has lived in Atlanta for the past year and a half and finished eighth in last year's Marine Corps Marathon. He increased his lead with every stride over the final miles. "I had good power," Ayalew said.
"I had confidence from the start and knew I could win," he added through an interpreter.
Ayalew overcame a bout of stomach distress at Mile 15. He vomited shortly after ingesting a chocolate energy gel and sports drink. "After that, I'm good, and it's time to push," he said through fellow Ethiopian and Foot Solutions teammate, Birhann Wukaw, who was running with the leaders at 20 miles but suffered knee pain and finished well back in 2:38:24.
Georgetown University graduate Kristen Henehan, 28, running her first marathon, took the lead from Lisa Thomas, 31, with half a mile to go and won the women's race in 2:51:14. Thomas, who took the lead at 23 miles, finished second, 26 seconds back.
"I said to myself, 'I have something left, I'm going to go for it,' " Henehan said.
Prerace favorite Claudia Colita, 28, a Romanian runner training in Portland, Ore., and another member of the Foot Solutions team, started slowly, moved up throughout the race and finished third in 2:54:19.
Jaron Hawkins, 24, from Frostburg, Md., passed Jose Miranda with half a mile to go to take third in a personal-best 2:25:34. Hawkins ran with the leaders and even led for a short time over the pack of seven at 14 miles. "I didn't know what I was doing" at that point, he said.
Hawkins settled into fourth place, but his coach, on a bicycle, saw that Miranda ahead of him was tiring, and urged Hawkins "to move up and get on the [winners'] podium," Hawkins said. "I was tired but kept on going, finally passed [Miranda] with half a mile to go. He said 'Good job' when I went by." Miranda, Garcia's teammate on the Mexican navy team, finished fourth in 2:26:03; he was third last year.
Carl Rundell, 39, from Birmingham, Mich., second to Garcia the past two years and fifth in 2004, extended his run of hard luck and finished fifth again yesterday in 2:26:28. Rundell, who has qualified for Saturday's Olympic trials marathon in New York, opted not to run there in an attempt to finally win the Marine Corps.
The revised course, which included a couple of early and difficult hills, received generally good reviews. The weather was good for running, with clear skies and cool temperatures, although the breeze became stiff at points along the Mall and along the river.
A field of 20,677 finished the race; a record 20,908 finished last year. The 10K, which started nearly half an hour late and whose stragglers overlapped with the first marathon finishers, had a record 2,677 starters.
Olga Markova, 1990 Marine Corps winner, course record holder (2:37:00) and one of this year's two marathon Hall of Fame inductees, ran the 10K before holding the tape for the women's marathon winner.
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Tamrat Ayalew beats two-time winner Ruben Garcia by two minutes to win the Marine Corps Marathon in 2 hours 22 minutes 18 seconds.
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Finding Love Abroad, Then Support Online for Visa Quest
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2007102919
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This is what love has done to Wendy Brown: She's lost weight, resumed smoking and all but decided to move to the Balkans to be with her Albanian fiance. And each night, she spends hours in her cozy Baltimore apartment mingling online with strangers who are equally fixated on the same topic: getting their soul mates through the U.S. immigration system.
"We are both devastated," Brown, 38, wrote last spring on VisaJourney.com, reporting that the U.S. Embassy in Albania had denied her fiance a visa. She also posted a list of the questions the fiance was asked at his interview. "I'm going to keep fighting and fighting until we get what we both want more than anything in the world. . . . and that is to be together." Many people are frustrated with the immigration process and its long lines and opaque applications that, if misinterpreted, can send a case back to square one. Perhaps none are more ardent than the growing ranks of U.S. citizens applying for fiance and spouse visas, who say their passion is driven by a sense that their own government is fighting them and by the fear that delays or denials might spell the end of a romance.
In recent years, these American petitioners have channeled their despair into a few Web sites featuring the odd pairing of love stories and red-tape navigation for those fed up with the federal immigration agency's help line, whose representatives are trained in immigration regulations and provide scripted advice that critics say is often wrong.
VisaJourney, a site whose 35,000 members are mostly Americans with foreign fiances and spouses, is at once a celebration of love and a condemnation of bureaucracy. Members, who call themselves VJ'ers, describe meeting their beloveds in Kenyan bars, Jamaican churches, online video games. They have posted thousands of photos of smiling couples in foreign lands. Their profile pages are adorned with beating hearts, clocks counting the hours since their last meetings and such statements as "feels like eternity . . . without him."
Members also post detailed timelines with dates of approved and denied forms and interviews; moderators crunch those into graphs of average wait times at domestic visa offices and overseas embassies. They rank U.S. immigration offices with stars as if they were restaurants. They advise one another on procuring police records for an Ecuadorean fiance and how much proof of a relationship -- photos, love letters -- a hopeful British fiance should cart to an interview. (As much as he can carry, one member advised, adding "knock 'em dead.")
"Misery loves company," said Brown, a vocational rehabilitation specialist. "You're looking for any beacon of hope."
That company has grown alongside a jump in these visas: Nearly 33,000 fiance visas were issued in 2005, up from about 9,000 in 1995. Spouse visas rose to more than 16,000 from about 4,600 since 2000. Immigration officials offer no single explanation for the growth, but some observers say the Internet -- with its online dating sites, instant messaging and Web cams -- has fueled transnational relationships.
Uniting in the United States is not so easy. The petitioner files numerous forms and documents that are typically processed within six months, longer than for many other non-family visas. Next come background checks. Then the application goes to a U.S. embassy or consulate, where the fiance or spouse submits more forms and is interviewed. The process can take months or years.
VisaJourney members list a host of complaints: Those on the East Coast are enraged about what they call a recent slowdown in approval times, which they zealously track. They condemn U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' recent announcement that it was prioritizing employment and citizenship cases after a summer surge in work visa applications.
"People who aren't born-and-bred American citizens are taking precedence over American citizens. . . . The government is talking about, 'Let's legalize the illegal aliens' when you're waiting for your loved ones to get here. What happened to family first?" said Faith Keenan, 43, of Ruther Glen, Va. She applied for a visa for her Egyptian fiance four months ago. She said she thinks about her pending application "all day long. It consumes you."
Officials say that waits vary and that decisions are made with the interest of legitimate applicants and national security in mind; foreigners sometimes feign love to get visas, so officials must be diligent, said Immigration Services spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan. The government, she said, is "committed to family-based visas."
That is little consolation to the VJ'ers.
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The latest news and analysis from the Washington Post on the national debate over immigration.
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A Missed Moment In Iraq
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2007102819
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The Bush administration has only itself to blame for the quandary it faces with Turkish forces poised to intervene in northern Iraq. The Turks want to retaliate against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose insurgents killed 12 Turkish soldiers Sunday. A massive retaliation would be a major misfortune for Turkey, Iraq and the United States.
First, it would undermine the stability of the only part of Iraq where the United States is welcome. Second, it could plunge Turkey into an Iraq quagmire of its own.
Sadly, this crisis was predictable and predicted. U.S. officials have long known that a Turkish incursion was just one terrorist event away. As tensions mounted, the administration had numerous opportunities to engage in preventive diplomacy. A combination of lack of imagination, incompetence and sheer lack of knowledge at the State Department has caused this impasse. To make matters worse, on Tuesday the department tried to shift the blame to the Iraqi Kurds, expressing unhappiness over their inaction.
Granted, tensions between Turks and Iraqi Kurds are not easy to manage. For the Turks the problem extends beyond the PKK. They are petrified that an independent Kurdistan will emerge from the chaos in Iraq and become a beacon for their own Kurdish minority. The PKK, which has waged an insurrection for more than 20 years, has been using northern Iraq as a haven, training ground and headquarters. Its bases along the Turkish border are mostly isolated and rudimentary. Its headquarters is perched high in the Qandil mountains, near the Iranian border and safe from Turkish artillery.
Turks blame the United States and Iraqi Kurds for their lackluster approach to the PKK's terrorist infrastructure in areas they control. Considering that Washington is engaged in a "war on terrorism," their complaint hits a nerve. The Kurdish question is not new to Turkey; Kurds, in search of cultural and political rights, have been in some form of rebellion or political agitation since the inception of the Turkish republic in the 1920s. The PKK and a legal political party are just the latest manifestations of this phenomenon.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the party that has come closest to starting a process of reconciliation between Turks and Kurds. It faces two big hurdles. The first is its own military establishment, which is at odds with the mildly Islamic AKP and considers it anathema to its hard-line secularist principles. The civil-military discord has hampered Turkey's Iraq policy. The AKP government, having recently been rewarded at the polls for its successful governance, finds itself on the defensive on northern Iraq and the PKK, its Achilles' heel. Sensing its reluctance to intervene, the secular establishment has marshaled tremendous pressure on the AKP.
The other hurdle is the PKK itself. With its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in prison, the organization has become nothing more than a cult intent on using the passions of Turkey's Kurds to find a way of getting him released.
The irony is that both Iraqi Kurds and the AKP government directly or indirectly signaled the Bush administration that they were interested in a deal. I know that senior Iraqi Kurds have forwarded ideas to U.S. officials. The AKP, on the other hand, sought to test the waters first by sending its intelligence chief two years ago to talk to the Kurds -- something the government is loath to do officially -- and by organizing a private meeting this year between the Kurdish Regional Government's prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani, and then-Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. The chief of the Turkish general staff, Yasar Buyukanit, who in a fiery speech warned the government not to talk to the KRG, scuttled Gul's meeting.
The Bush administration missed an opportunity when it failed to see and support the desire for such dialogue and use its good offices to construct a "grand bargain" between the Iraqi Kurds and Ankara. At minimum, such a bargain would have required the Iraqi Kurds to dislodge the PKK from Iraq and for the Turks to offer guarantees on trade and security to the Iraqi Kurds.
For the United States, this would have meant the consolidation of northern Iraq; paradoxically, a Kurdish north at peace with Turkey is the best antidote to separation from Iraq. In short, this would have been a winning situation for all.
The best the administration can hope for now is to persuade the Turks to engage in a limited cross-border military operation. That might contain public anger and assuage a vitriolic press.
The only other thing to hope for is bad weather. With the onset of winter and dwindling military activities, Washington will perhaps have the diplomatic window of opportunity it almost closed. Three years late, it will be much harder to succeed.
The writer chairs the International Relations Department of Lehigh University and was a member of the State Department's policy planning staff from 1998 to 2000.
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The Bush administration has itself to blame for the Turkish forces poised to intervene in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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How the Muslims Saved the West
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2007102819
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By Michael Hamilton Morgan One effort common to some 21st century Christians and Muslims is a desire to overthrow empirical science exemplified in Darwinist evolution and instead try and make science conform to sacred text in the Bible and the Qurâan.
On the Islamic side, The New York Times earlier this year pointed out how many Islamic fundamentalist political theoreticians, including some violent extremists, come from the fields of medicine and the sciences. In the Timesâ view, this was a surprise and a contradiction. I agree that it is a contradiction and not only of the intellectual method of modern science, which is based on experimentation to verify or disprove a thesis -- and then letting the facts lead where they may.
It is also a contradiction of the most intellectually productive period in Islamic history, which was the 750 years from the founding of the caliphates in Baghdad and Cordoba and somewhat later in Cairo until the rise of Europe in 1500.
In my book "Lost History" I argue that the intellectual roots of modern Western mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, physics and medicine rest not only in ancient Greece and Rome and the Renaissance and Enlightenment, but also in the great Muslim cities and cultures. This was not only because the Muslim centers were the wealthiest and most powerful of their time; they were also, at least in their courts and universities, centers of empirical thinking, research, experimentation and fierce questioning of assumptions. This method, while sometimes engendering reaction, was defended by Sunni and Shiite political elites of widely differing theology.
While this intellectual tradition was in part built on the brilliance of the pre-Islamic Middle East, Persia, India, Byzantium and Central Asia, it also found support in certain statements in the Qurâan --- explicit verses about the value of seeking knowledge, and the statement, âThe ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyrâ. In the eyes of some, the Qurâan seemed to go even further, making uncanny observations about the orbits of the planets, human reproduction, quarantine against epidemic and the accurate calendar.
By the early 800s, the first Arab Muslim philosopher-scientist Al Kindi had appeared in Iraq. As he went about his experiments in chemistry and pharmacology, he made the statement that âWe ought not be embarrassed about appreciating the truth and obtaining it wherever it comes from, even if it comes from races distant and nations different from us.â His chemist contemporary Jabir said that only experimentation would yield the truth.
By 1000, optical theorist Ibn Al Haytham was skipping out on political-theological debates in Basra and Cairo in order to do his own inquiry into the structure of the human eyeball, the nature of light, the mathematical explanation of twilight, and the construction of the first camera obscura 500 years before Leonardo Da Vinci. This willingness to question assumptions reached its flower in the poet-mathematician Omar Khayyam in Isfahan in 1100, when he made the radical statement that God does not intervene in the physical world.
While some of these thinkers were accused of heresy or apostasy, it was merely a precursor to Galileoâs trial before the Church 500 years later; no offending Islamic science books were ever burned, even if they were judged theologically dubious. What the Muslim thinkers and their patrons shared, often unspoken, was a belief not only in the social benefits of assimilating new ideas, questioning assumptions and putting theories to the test â but also a very modern view of the relationship between science and faith.
What they seem to have shared with our own âtheistâ founding fathers and many European Enlightenment thinkers, was a belief that God and the universe were infinitely complicated and possibly unknowable creations, masterworks that could only be glimpsed in the complexities of numbers, of stars, and of physical processes. They believed that divine truth might be glimpsed by studying physical reality, and not the reverse.
"Lost History" shows how these great forgotten empirical thinkers of Islam helped lay the foundation for the rise of Europe and the West, and todayâs global digital civilization. Whether good or bad, virtually all of todayâs science, technology, medicine and all the material benefits that accrue from it has its roots in the empirical method. This method, which we know as modern science, was first articulated by the Greeks, carried to full flower by the Muslims, and then passed on to Europe to complete the modern world.
What kind of world would we have today, if early Islamic empirical science had been upended or suppressed by religious and political leaders, rather than becoming their partner?
Michael Hamilton Morgan is the author of "Lost History: the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers and Artists" (National Geographic Books 2007. He is the founder of New Foundations for Peace and the former director of the Pegasus Prize for Literature.
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A conversation on religion with Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn. Visit http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/
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The Story of 0
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2007102819
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AT THE BROOKSTREE APARTMENTS, a low- to middle-income housing complex at the dead end of Valerio Street in Van Nuys, Calif., Gilbert Arenas, 12, made his first jaw-dropping move. A kid had challenged him to jump off the top of the building into the community pool. The height was three stories, maybe 30 feet. But the distance between the ledge and the water was more than enough to produce terror. Young Gilbert would have to leap five to 10 yards through the air, like a long jumper, to miss the concrete and avoid breaking his legs.
With limbs flailing, adrenaline pulsing, he sprinted and jumped. And splashed down safely. The Brookstree boys went wild, and another great American people-pleaser was born.
One other afternoon, the kids upped the ante. Gilbert was dared to make the same jump, only this time adding a back flip. He pulled it off, but his head caught the pool edge.
Mr. Arenas! Mr. Arenas! a young boy yelled toward the apartment where Gilbert and his father lived. Gil hurt.
Gilbert Arenas Sr. came running out. He looked at his son's head and saw a gruesome gash, several inches wide. The cut was deep, and the wound bled for 30 minutes after the accident. "He kept saying, 'Dad, it's okay. I'm okay,'" Gilbert Arenas Sr. remembers. "I'm thinking, that ain't going to go away." Gilbert got stitched up at the emergency room, but the scar is visible today, near the top of his forehead. As he proudly showed it to me last spring in his Indianapolis hotel room, I asked him if now, as a 25-year-old father of two, he had come to appreciate boundaries more since then.
"Boundaries?" he said, snickering. "What are those?"
MID-SEPTEMBER, A HOT, STICKY GYMNASIUM IN THE DISTRICT, seven weeks before the Washington Wizards' 2007-08 season opener. On the court is a mishmash of Arenas's Wizards teammates, unsigned free agents and NBA hopefuls, all of whom are locked in an intense pickup game that means, for Arenas, nothing and everything. He's one of the league's top players, but after a five-month off-season hiatus from this kind of competitive workout, he needs to reestablish his dominance. Now the ball is in his hands near the end of a tight game, and the next basket wins.
"I got this," Arenas says. With a defender's hand in his face, he squares his feet maybe 10 feet behind the three-point line, rises and launches an impossibly long shot from 35 feet. All net.
"Game time!" he calls out.
The losing team trudges off the court. Arenas bobs his head and smiles. His left knee is still sore from inflammation, five months after he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus suffered in a collision during a regular-season game in April. The injury brought a deflating end to a breakout season that saw Arenas eclipse Earl Monroe's 38-year-old single-game franchise scoring record, win a bevy of games at the buzzer, backpack the Wizards to the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference through late January and basically emerge as the league's new It Guy.
Under the pseudonym "Agent Zero," he wrote an offbeat, candid blog for NBA.com that revealed his more juvenile side, once writing that he had hoped to borrow Heather Mills's artificial leg after she had finished "Dancing With the Stars," so that he could compete in the playoffs with the injury.
In one dizzying year, he went from being considered an enigmatic gunner with questions about his maturity to a refreshing, authentic oddball who could also carry a team. Arenas came to Washington at a time when its woebegone basketball team, on the heels of a bitter breakup with Michael Jordan, was headed toward insignificance. With each season, Arenas has brought more hope and buzz to a franchise that had lost whatever promise came with Jordan.
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All of his life, Gilbert Arenas has seen himself as the underdog. Now that he has become an NBA phenomenon, he may need to find new motivation.
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From Behind, Edwards Runs At Full Speed In Iowa
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2007102819
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DES MOINES -- Concerning the 2008 election, a few technical points to keep in mind: Voters haven't actually voted yet, and Hillary Clinton hasn't actually won the Democratic nomination.
These plain facts are terribly important to the supporters of John Edwards here, and especially to superfans like Leslie Pomerantz, 64, who has a custom-made Edwards license-plate cover and recently spent several minutes trying to talk a drive-through fast-food clerk into supporting her man.
Oh! It can be so frustrating to Pomerantz, the way everyone seems to think Clinton's got it in the bag. Clinton this, Clinton that. Clinton, Clinton, Clinton, Barack Obama, Clinton. All those national polls showing Clinton trouncing the field. All those front-page stories on Clinton, with Edwards buried on Page 3. All that Clinton money, which people think is such a big deal.
"It impresses a lot of people," Pomerantz says. They say, " 'Oh, well, she's got it made.' " She is seated in Edwards's Iowa headquarters, in a desolate business park, coloring in an Edwards sign and wearing a campaign button that depicts her candidate flying through the air in a Superman costume. (That former football star, even more handsome with a cape!)
Pomerantz is trying to stop the Clinton juggernaut by converting the great state of Iowa, one voter at a time. She tells people what Edwards is like up close -- genuine and passionate, reminiscent of John F. Kennedy. "Such a mensch," she says. One time, she took her older sister to see Edwards speak. Another time, she took her handyman.
Two converts. Just a few more to go.
There's another Democrat up there in the running for president, by the way. His name is Barack Obama.
Edwards's Iowa supporters don't talk about the senator from neighboring Illinois quite as much as they talk about the senator from New York, even though Obama runs second behind Clinton in national polls, with Edwards a distant third.
During informal community meetings across southwestern Iowa in recent days, the jeans-clad former North Carolina senator says little about Obama but mentions Clinton several times by name. He criticizes her for taking money from lobbyists and for voting last month in favor of labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, which he and other Democrats believe gives President Bush free rein to attack Iran. Mentioning a news report indicating that Clinton has shifted from primary mode to general election mode, Edwards pulls out one of his favorite new lines.
"Did I miss somethin'?" he teases his audience. "Did we already have the Iowa caucus and I wasn't there?"
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Get style news headlines from The Washington Post, including entertainment news, comics, horoscopes, crossword, TV, Dear Abby. arts/theater, Sunday Source and weekend section. Washington Post columnists, movie/book reviews, Carolyn Hax, Tom Shales.
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Arabian Heights - washingtonpost.com
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2007102819
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Architecture follows money and the money is gushing in the United Arab Emirates. In September, a slender tower rising from the sands of Dubai (the most dynamic of the small fiefdoms that make up the country) became the tallest free-standing structure in the world. Every three days another floor is laid, and though no one will say how high it is going, it will rise at least a half-mile from the earth. From its heights, the super wealthy who have bought one of the project's luxury condominiums will survey the boomtown of boomtowns, a city-state so rich and ambitious that it is remaking its geography, building man-made islands and peninsulas, and a 46-mile, $11 billion canal (to give waterfront access to new real estate developments).
But merely listing projects, or marveling at the architectural gigantism, doesn't get at what is unique about the emirates, which are emerging as the world's great post-democratic cities. They are rising at a time when American power seems to be in remission, when democracy has, in many parts of the world, lost its luster as an ideal, or necessary endpoint of social and political development. Material splendor and authoritarian government can, it turns out, go together. And architecturally, despite all the dissonance, the strange juxtapositions of the vulgar and the sleek, the blue-chip buildings next to the shabby high-rise clad in garishly colored glass and surmounted by a pagoda folly, the emirates are essentially an advertisement to an increasingly wowed world: Look at what enlightened, corporate, efficient and non-democratic government can do.
Pass down the traffic-snarled main highway of Dubai, and the mushroom fields of new skyscrapers seem like a jumble of perfume bottles. There is a chaotic competition among the buildings to stand out from one another, as if the architects are appealing to the most fickle gaze, the bored passage of the consumer's eye from Chanel to Bulgari to Fendi. The designs seem intended to fall somewhere between categories, squarish ovals, rounded squares, curvaceous pyramids. Weird hybrids are everywhere, globes atop boxes, teardrops mounted on pillars, bent slabs fastened to concrete goal posts.
"Iconic," says Daniel Hajjar, repeating the word his architectural firm, the global giant HOK, hears most in meetings with clients. In Dubai, architecture must be iconic, and the word is a kind of mantra, rising above other adjectives you see (elite, luxury, prestige) that define the endless discussion and selling of real estate. Buildings are deemed successful if their shape is instantly recognizable, different, reproducible and memorable. But the iconmaking business makes each new icon seem a little more meaningless than the last, a visual counterpart to the jazzy nonsense names of designer drug marketing (Levaquin! Celebrex! Topamax!).
If you want to know what is meant by "iconic," people in Dubai point to two buildings in particular: the Burj Al Arab, a hotel built with a giant, balloonlike sail on one side, and the Emirates Towers, two elegantly proportioned, space-age skyscrapers that face each other like mirror images. In a city where a third of the buildings have the shabby, glitzy, frock-of-many-colors feel of New Delhi or Jakarta, another third look like the tattier parts of an old Soviet suburb, and yet another third could be found anywhere global corporations build branch offices, the Burj Al Arab and the Emirates Towers are deemed exemplars of local architecture. They are found on postcards and are reproduced as key chains. Elegant stencils of their shapes appear in the elevators of the government building where one goes for permits and other construction documents.
There is indeed a certain pregnancy of meaning in both of these icons. The Burj Al Arab, a luxury five-star hotel with rooms in the $5,000-a-night neighborhood, is not just shaped like a ship, but a ship with a stout wind in its sails heading into Dubai. Which is a handy description of the larger Dubai economy, a place where ideas, people and energy flow in, rather than out, a destination even if it often feels like the world capital of "no there, there." And the doubleness, the self-duplication of the Emirates Towers captures the essence of a city that runs on brands and branding, the reliable sameness of high-end goods and restaurants and hotels that the wealthy have come to expect in Paris, Singapore and Manhattan. Seen through your Prada glasses, or sketched with your Mont Blanc pen, the Emirates Towers look like one building has stamped out its own twin, and thus captures something iconic about the iconic nature of Dubai architecture: Buildings feel so much like logos that there is something strangely insubstantial about them.
In part, it is the need for speed. Buildings are planned, marketed, sold and built as fast as possible. "Build it and they will come" gives way to "propose it and they will buy." When the developers building the Burj Dubai offered 900 residential units for sale in July 2004, they sold out in two evenings, according to Eric Tomich, an architect overseeing the project for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. With that much appetite on the buyer's side, and with so much new stock being built, every building has to announce itself quickly and forcefully. Tomich says the developers of the Burj Dubai, a gigantic firm called Emaar, had basically one design idea: Make it the tallest. An instant icon.
"To get the energy and excitement off of Sheik Zayed Road, you need something iconic to draw people here," says Greg Sang, a project manager for Emaar. Sheik Zayed Road is the main artery of the emirate, and is dotted for miles with mini-cities of new high-rise construction. It is an untenable traffic nightmare, and now developers are luring people off the clogged "spine" of the city to new developments on crossroads.
The Burj Dubai is rising in the middle of a much larger Emaar development, complete with man-made lake and a faux "old town" with fake fortress walls that look like the stage set for a desert epic. Developers are moving toward mini-cities, crowned by something "iconic" that becomes a centerpiece and selling point. The new developments often feel very Southern California, gated communities with planned town squares and lots of water features. They are bland, but they also underscore the degree to which the old skyscraper farms along Sheik Zayed Road have been an aesthetic failure. There is an absence of anything meaningfully local about the style.
Efforts to scale up the distinctive filigree and patterning of Arabic drawing into something that can give shape or form to 40-story towers have been in vain. Grillwork fastened on to high-rises feels obviously superficial and an afterthought. Pointed arches, a standard of architecture in the Arab world, are just silly when slapped on a building such as "The Tower," a 54-floor residential structure that looks like bad art deco. And an effort to borrow the saillike bend of the "iconic" Burj Al Arab -- seen in curving spines or bow-shaped slabs stuck on buildings like so many gewgaws -- only underscores the poverty of ideas in a city that is building capacity far faster than it can develop an aesthetic.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Architecture follows money and the money is gushing in the United Arab Emirates. In September, a slender tower rising from the sands of Dubai (the most dynamic of the small fiefdoms that make up the country) became the tallest free-standing structure in the world. E...
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Finding Joy, and a Career, Putting Bodies in Motion
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2007102819
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In a small gym off a winding Great Falls road one recent morning, a dozen self-described soccer moms and 40-somethings clad in stretchy workout wear waited eagerly for the command "Move your boombsey!"
They all but cheered when a tiny, muscle-hewn woman swept through a side glass door. "There she is!" one shouted.
Soon, Kukuwa Nuamah was shouting back in husky-voiced, West African-accented commands over blasting music -- smiling while demanding the women shimmy and twirl and, most crucially, move their boombseys. They happily obliged, breathlessly shaking their backsides.
"We come here and have our Beyonc¿ moments," Tressa Bennett, 40, said while defogging her glasses after class.
Although they might not have known it, the women were doing dances that have perpetually swirled through Nuamah's head while growing up in Ghana, while translating documents at the World Bank. Today, those moves have evolved into a high-octane African-Latin-Caribbean workout offered to the masses via DVD and public access television and in classes at offices and gyms on three continents -- North America, Europe and Asia -- where instructors preach the trademarked doctrine of Kukuwa: "Move your boombsey!"
The workout has turned Nuamah into a one-name wonder on the Washington region's fitness circuit. At 49 years old and armed with new managers, Nuamah feels on the brink of becoming fitness's next star.
"I'm like a plane on a runway," Nuamah said one recent afternoon, stepping into her BMW, Virginia license plate KUKUWA. "And I've just been given permission to take off."
The finicky fitness world, of course, is ever-ripe for new trends; witness the rise of Billy Blanks's Tae Bo, the current craze for Latin-inspired Zumba and the quick fall of pole-dancing classes. Nuamah said people want something new and pointed out that there is little in the way of African-inspired workouts. Experts say dance-style workouts are hot, though not exactly in short supply.
"That's the American dream -- to be able to do what you love, what you're passionate about, and to hopefully make some money from it," said Tom Perkins, president of the New Hampshire-based company Fitness Industry Solutions. But Perkins, who had not heard of Nuamah, warned: "From the business side, there's a lot of stuff out there."
Nuamah's certainly looks like an expanding empire. More than 100 people have passed the Kukuwa instructor certification course and teach hundreds of classes a week in the Washington region, and in Japan and Spain. Two cruise lines offer packages for Kukuwa followers, who burn off pi¿a colada calories in free classes with Nuamah. On her Web site, Nuamah sells workout gear printed with African symbols. At least 10,000 copies of her DVDs have been sold on Amazon.com and other sites, she said.
Still, her office -- and choreography space -- is the carpeted basement of her Vienna townhouse. Outside the house is a "For Sale" sign. Nuamah and her husband have decided to sell and pour more money into the business, which so far has not turned a profit.
"People say it takes 10 years," said Nuamah, her hair cropped short and her lips painted pink.
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Science: Crittercam Technology
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Read more in today's story: New Insights From Creatures' Perspective, and watch a video of the Crittercam.
Washington, D.C.: Have there been any attempts to train predators to track the number of prey they seek on a computer. The video camera is a great idea, but if one could fit a cheetah with a computer and train it to use it, I'd be most intrigued to find out how far they need to travel to catch how much prey in a given week. Ditto with the polar bears, if we could train them to detail ice melting and travel problems they faced, it would go a long way to understanding global warming. Training them to use cameras is a great idea for TV production, but science would be better served if they were entering data into databases.
Juliet Eilperin: When scientists track animals with Crittercams, they often include sensors that can capture scientific measurements, such as the depth an animal is diving or how far a terrestrial animal is moving. This gives researchers a more precise understanding of animals' movements.
Washington, D.C.: Are the animals greatly harmed in the process of securing the cameras?
Juliet Eilperin: No, the animals are not harmed in the process of wearing these cameras. In fact, when Greg Marshall first invented the Crittercam, he tried it out on a captive sea turtle and determined it had no effect on the animal's behavior. Researchers constantly check to see if the equipment is either hurting the animal in question and whether it is altering the animal's behavior, because that would skew the results of their studies and undermine their efforts to protect the species in question.
The Palisades, D.C.: How much research goes into how the cameras will affect the animals? Are animals ever ostracized from their "communities" because they now have strange appendages?
Juliet Eilperin: I think the amount of research that goes into that question depends on the researchers, since each of these studies is being conducted by different scientific groups. But I don't know of a case of an animal being ostracized for wearing a Crittercam. That's not to say that they always love wearing the camera: in one instance a great white shark took a bite out of the camera, and as I wrote in my piece, the bear being studied in Yosemite who was wearing a Crittercam attached to a collar managed to pull the collar off within a few hours.
Miami, Fla.: How small and expensive are they now? What about fish and marine invertebrates (shrimp)? If used on small wet critters how would they be attached? Any interesting retrieval stories...? How is the video stabilized on active critters? Eric
Juliet Eilperin: I'm checking on the price question, but I can tell you that they now weigh about 1.5 pounds, as I mentioned in my story, and I would say they're less than a foot long. You can't attach them to small animals like shrimp, of course, and they usually use suction cups to mount them on larger, wet marine animals.
Juliet Eilperin: Readers might want to know that the National Geographic Museum currently has an exhibit on display through Jan. 2 called "National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes," which shows some of the footage I describe in today's story.
The exhibit is based on research collaborations between National Geographic and scientists across the the globe, focusing on Crittercam's deployment on seals and sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions.
Washington, D.C.: How do they get the cameras back from the animals? Do the cameras float, or do they send divers to rassle the camera's off the animals when they're done filming?
Juliet Eilperin: In terms of getting the cameras back from the animals, this depends on whether they are terrestrial or marine. For terrestrial animals, I know in at least some instances they retrieve them by using a radio transmitter to relocate them after the animal has taken off the collar. For marine, they use a system similar to one the one used by pop-off satellite tags, in which case the Crittercam pops off a few hours after it's put on, and then scientists retrive them by tracking the signals they send from their antenna.
Juliet Eilperin: I'm going to sign off now, thanks for all the great questions.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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Critiquing the Press - washingtonpost.com
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Washington: I cannot believe the White House spokesman's response to the FEMA "press conference" was that the White House wouldn't do it with staffers pretending to be journalists asking questions. The White House response should have been "it was wrong" -- that's it, nothing else. It was wrong. And they wonder why FEMA is the butt of jokes?
washingtonpost.com: FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be ... FEMA (Post, Oct. 26)
Howard Kurtz: Michael Chertoff, who oversees FEMA as the Homeland Security chief, says the bogus news conference is the dumbest thing he's seen in government in a long time, and I agree. How anyone at FEMA thought this was a remotely acceptable idea, and thought they could get away with it, boggles the imagination. (Especially since FEMA's response to the California wildfires had been decent, and now this is the only thing anyone will remember.) But I don't think it's fair to blame the White House for this. Dana Perino made it quite clear that the White House did not approve of this make-believe event.
Honolulu, Hawaii: Aloha Howard. I know you mentioned the phony press conference from FEMA last week. It seems like it took a while to gain much traction, with more talk about it over the weekend than during the week. Has there ever been such a naked example of how the administration regards the media's role (as stenographers who are only to "listen and repeat")? And does looking at it that way make one a liberal? What's a reporter's gut response to finding out about this?
Howard Kurtz: First of all, Al Kamen broke that story in his Post column on Friday morning, and it took no time for everyone to pick up on it. The faux FEMA event was on all three network newscasts that evening, and naturally there was talk about it over the weekend, including on my show. (I notice the New York Times gave it only a few grafs; wonder if it would have been more newsworthy had the Times gotten it first.)
I have wondered whether this fraudulent presser represented the administration's secret fantasy, an official at the podium without having to deal with pesky reporters. But again, it's unfair to blame anyone other than the short-sighted folks at FEMA for this fiasco. The question I have is whether any heads will roll. This was, after all, a form of lying to the public.
To me, this isn't a liberal or conservative issue. I wrote a book on the Clinton White House's spin machine. Imagine the thunder on the right had any agency under Clinton attempted something like this.
Manassas, Va.: Yesterday on CNN, you said Rudy Giuliani "wouldn't shut up" about being a Yankees fan, and so the New York tabs put his sudden Red Sox rooting on the front page. But Hillary just said in an MSNBC debate that she'd have to root for both the Cubs and the Yankees if they both made the World Series. I didn't see you (or the tabs) mock her flip-flopping. Is it different because she's a female candidate?
Howard Kurtz: Are you serious? I was talking about Rudy's historic flip-flop because the New York tabloids were calling him a traitor and a redcoat for saying (in New Hampshire, naturally) that he'd root for the Red Sox in the World Series. I don't remember if I joined in the ridicule of Hillary for her Yankees/Cubs fudge, but just the other day I jabbed her for telling an interviewer that she knows about piling on (by her critics) because that happened to her when she played touch football. Except that you're considered down when an opposing player touches you with two hands, so there is no piling on. Maybe they should all steer clear of sports questions.
Chicago:"But I don't think it's fair to blame the White House for this. Dana Perino made it quite clear that the White House did not approve of this make-believe event." Given the Karen Ryan and Jeff Gannon incidents, I'm more than willing to assume the White House would have no objection to a stunt like this.
Howard Kurtz: You can assume what you'd like, but no one has produced evidence that anyone outside FEMA knew of this monumentally bad idea.
New York: Was Karen Ryan one of the "journalists" at the FEMA press conference? That's just my snarky way of pointing out that FEMA is not the only agency in the Bush administration to use fake reporters.
Howard Kurtz: That is true. She is a PR person who appeared in a Health and Human Services video release and signed off with "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting." Any TV station that used that piece of propaganda should be ashamed.
Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Things happen so quickly then they stall out -- haven't been keeping up since the original hubbub. Please remind me: The Murdoch buyout of the Wall Street Journal happened? He's already ensconced in the throne room? Reporters have quit willy nilly; new ones with the right bent have already been hired? The pages have already been made over? It looks like a thicker version of the New York Post? How far down the rabbit hole here (above) have we fallen? Thanks much.
Howard Kurtz: It's a done deal but it hasn't formally closed yet, so Murdoch isn't in charge yet (though he's visited the newsroom and talked with editors and reporters). A few reporters have quit to accept other offers, despite, in a couple of cases, personal appeals from Rupert. I don't know if any have been hired, but undoubtedly more will be, as Murdoch is talking about expanding the Journal's coverage of politics and culture.
Crestwood, N.Y.: Howard, I'm so, so naive. I thought that after 2000, that the media had disavowed the "nice friendly guy/condescending stiff" dichotomy of reporting that has served our country so well. Silly me. It looks like Huckabee is one strong primary showing away from coronation, with no serious look at his prior record or positions. A nice guy, right? What else do we poor saps have to know?
Howard Kurtz: If the recent pundit gushing over Huckabee translates into higher poll numbers, there will be a second wave in which news organizations take a serious look at the man's record. We've seen a couple of instances of that -- journalists reporting that he has a Willie Horton problem (a rapist he paroled went on to sexually assault and kill another woman) and that the governor was spanked several times by the state ethics commission in Arkansas. Media outlets rarely investigate the records of second-tier candidates because they're pouring resources into looking at the perceived front-runners. Only when someone breaks into the top tier, as Howard Dean did four years ago, does the scrutiny get serious.
Anonymous: FEMA -- of course you can blame the White House, if for nothing else because they vetted the political leadership that thought this was a good idea. They are Bush's people, they operate in an atmosphere that lead someone there to think this would be okay. That atmosphere is the White House's creation.
Howard Kurtz: Well, you certainly can blame the president for appointing FEMA's leaders, no question about that.
Anonymous: Did either Fox or MSNBC advise their viewers before, during or after the fake news conference about what was going on? Has either justified their coverage (or apologized)? Many years ago I worked for a foreign affairs agency that had regular satellite news conferences for foreign journalists, with guests based in Washington. After many rather routine, non-news-making conferences, most journalists stopped coming, but there was pressure from Washington (especially the famous Charles Wick) to get questioners. In one instance, a representative from a U.S. Embassy asked a question (not disclosing his position, as I recall). The reaction, including from Washington, was swift, and the incident was not repeated.
Howard Kurtz: As I understand it, Fox and MSNBC didn't know the presser was fake at the time. If they had, I sincerely doubt they would have aired it.
New York: What is your comment on the unbelievable e-mail exchange between Col. Boylan, Gen. Petraeus' chief spokesman, and Glenn Greenwald at Salon? Boylan sent him a rather weird e-mail, then denied sending it, even though it comes from the same IP address and official military e-mail account Boylan uses. Isn't this a big story -- either Col. Boylan is lying about having sent it, or someone is easily able to hack into our military's e-mail and send fake e-mails in the name of high-ranking officers! And what's your opinion of whether a journalist like Greenwald can or should publish e-mails between him and a government official without the official's permission? Boylan complained about that.
washingtonpost.com: A bizarre, unsolicited e-mail from Gen. Petraeus' spokesman (Salon, Oct. 28)
Howard Kurtz: It's a very strange tale. I'm not sure what to make of it. I think Boylan's complaint had more to do with the publication of what he contends is a fake e-mail sent by someone else. These days, government officials know that if they send an e-mail to a reporter or commentator it's going to be used, unless specifically marked as an off-the-record communication.
Washington: When a news study of the campaign mixes up network news, talk radio and Web sites like Yahoo, and puts them together, is that a great representation of all the media people might sample? Or is it putting apples, oranges and tires in a blender -- in short, a mess? I'd be more interested in the media that less-attached voters are following, which ain't Rush Limbaugh's listeners.
Howard Kurtz: You are referring to this morning's column on a study of campaign coverage by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and Harvard's Shorenstein Center. I think such an approach is more representative of the media world we live in than studies that just put forth the network newscasts, or a handful of big newspapers, as representative of all media. Besides, if you dig into the report, as I did and as anyone can do online, you can see all the breakdowns: How the presidential candidates were covered just by the networks, the cable channels, the newspapers, radio or Web sites.
Brian Williams: A hot week for him -- hosting a Democratic debate on MSNBC tomorrow and "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday night. Some overlap with the "Not Ready for Primetime Players" in both events.
Howard Kurtz: I think Brian needs to be funny on Saturday night and at the Tuesday debate, not so much.
Mount Rainier, Md. -- FEMA fakes it!: While the FEMA news-fake-rence may be the worst of the worst ideas, it's not actually a new occurrence in this administration. The Department of Education has paid columnists to write favorably about its programs, and I recall at least one other agency releasing "fake" news stories produced inside the bureaucracy that ran on local television as legit news. I bet no one gets fired. What can we as citizens do to make sure the president and vice president understand that we won't tolerate this sort of thing?
Howard Kurtz: I don't know what average folks can do, but it's our job as journalists to expose this whenever we can. That happened in the case of Armstrong Williams, who was getting federal funding from the Education Department while talking up No Child Left Behind, and in the case of a couple of other commentators, one of which was a story that I broke. Governments are always going to push the envelope when it comes to influencing public opinion, and we need to play the role of honest cops.
Silver Spring, Md.: There was an AP article that referred to Qualcomm Stadium as "civil" during the San Diego Fires compared to the Superdome during Katrina. That was an offensive comparison that attempted to portray the blacks in New Orleans as uncivilized when they were the victims of a failed system. There was just a better support system in San Diego. I think the circumstances in New Orleans would have made any group of people act the same way. The AP should offer an apology for the story.
Howard Kurtz: I don't see it as racial, but I do see it as apples and oranges. The fact is, the scene at the Louisiana Superdome was desperate and chaotic, while at San Diego's Qualcomm people were getting free Starbucks and massages and doing yoga. But let's be clear: Katrina flooded an area of 90,000 square miles, knocking out power and claiming the lives of more than 1,400 people; the California fires, while tragic, affected 700 square miles, killed 7 and left the surrounding infrastructure intact. So while California did a good job at Qualcomm, most evacuees drove there under their own power, and the situation was really not comparable to Katrina, despite some simple-minded comparisons in the media.
Annandale, Va.: In recent weeks, the Redskins have warranted "above the fold" attention on the front page of the Monday Post. A stranger to these parts would have thought the team won the Super Bowl with such coverage. Why is it that The Post feels the team deserves such front page attention, especially for a regular season game against Arizona? Other world-renowned papers of record -- the New York Times for example -- do not go to such lengths. I know the 'Skins are big here, but come on ... the front page? What is the sports page for?
Howard Kurtz: The theory behind the Post's coverage of the Skins is that they're not just huge, they are a unifying force across a region in which many people come from somewhere else. The Times isn't a fair comparison, because virtually all of the Post's circulation is in the D.C. area, whereas perhaps a third of Times copies are sold in New York City. Having said that, there are times when we certainly overplay the Redskins. I could argue that the deciding game of the World Series is more important (especially when the Skins were going down in a 52-7 blowout).
Re: Hillary's Yankees-Cubs "fudge": C'mon, Howard. In fact, Hillary Clinton has claimed the Yankees as her AL team for years now. Your very own newspaper reported in 1994 that she was a fan of the Yankees, and she was spotted in a Yankee cap as far back as 1992. Maybe the ones doing the "fudging" are the ones who keep rehashing this nonsense...
Howard Kurtz: Tim Russert asked her a hypothetical debate question about what she'd do if the Yanks played the Cubs in the World Series (not a problem this year, with both teams blown out), and she said she'd have to alternate. Don't blame me.
Alexandria, Va.: What is the possibility now for a voter backlash against a guy like Huckabee? We've seen in these times that traditional media is is held in a different light. Now that mainstream media seem to have a candidate to push into the limelight from the background, will voters buy it?
Howard Kurtz: A voter backlash? Already? The Huckabee wave has really been led by a handful of pundits, such as Newsweek's Jonathan Alter and David Brooks of the New York Times. In fact, as I reported last week, it's already been countered by criticism from other pundits, mainly on the left. I doubt the average citizen even knows there's been a Huckabee boomlet, if indeed that average citizen knows who Mike Huckabee is. So it might be a tad early for the backlash.
New York: Howard, does The Post have some sort of entry-level position for soon-to-be-former Yankee Alex Rodriguez? I understand he's easy to get along with and makes no demands whatsoever.
Howard Kurtz: We'll have to check on our budget for free agents.
Oviedo, Fla.: As a kid I was dimly aware of the seemingly nightly stream of Vietnam news on the Cronkite broadcasts my parents never missed. Is there a similar amount of Iraq news on the most-watched news shows now? It seems like it is less, but of course my perspective is different as an adult. (Plus I cut off cable, as it was too stupid for what I was paying...) I believe the relentlessness of the Southeast Asia coverage finally pushed the public to favor the war's end. Will media coverage for today's dispersed audiences ever reach this fever pitch again, aside from nonsense stories like Britney's underwear?
Howard Kurtz: I argue in my new book "Reality Show" that the network newscasts have devoted an enormous amount of time to the war and helped turn public opinion against the conflict in 2005 and 2006. These newscasts, unlike cable, don't do much on the likes of Britney. We've also had Brian Williams and Katie Couric reporting from Iraq this year, and before that, Bob Woodruff and Kimberly Dozier, both of whom were badly injured by bombs. None of the newscasts commands anything like a Cronkite audience, not in an era when there are thousands of ways to get news and information. But the Big Three still reach a combined 25 million viewers each night, and that has impact.
Westcliffe, Colo.: Does the Son of FEMA indicate that it's impossible to find FEMA-types who can lead, follow or get out of the way? By that I mean, does the Michael Brown-type seek out FEMA, or does it seek out the Brownies? A chicken-and-egg thing. If this is a universal constant, are we condemned to never have anyone at FEMA with a full load of bricks?
Howard Kurtz: Clinton's FEMA guy, James Lee Witt, widely was regarded as a strong administrator. So I don't think there's something in the water over there.
"If the recent pundit gushing over Huckabee translates into higher poll numbers, there will be a second wave in which news organizations take a serious look at the man's record.": I'm sorry, but I find this answer either appalling or ridiculous. Why does it have to happen in waves, especially when the media by and large creates the first wave? Are we expected to believe that the media are so overworked and understaffed that they can't provide a real review of each candidate's stances on the issues and their past record right from the start?
Howard Kurtz: I agree. I'm not endorsing this approach. I'm just telling you how it works in the real world. Now, with 18 candidates at the outset, you can understand why every news organization wasn't running a three-part series on the records of Mike Gravel and Tom Tancredo. But we do narrow our focus way too early to a handful of perceived front-runners. When a candidate gets hot, the pendulum swings the other way, and lots of investigative reporters descend on his or her home state and start turning over rocks.
Alexandria, Va.: On your interview with Claire Shipman and the Terminator: Can you acknowledge that the media's initial reporting from the wildfires started with a Katrina narrative -- and thus, that everything in the government response wasn't good enough? Arnold's plea that it wasn't all bad news certainly seemed to be underscored by the fires being tamed. Reporters don't look to everyone like Tribunes of the People. To Republican politicians, they often seem like an occupational hazard. To Republican voters, Shipman is coming from the boat of Stephanopoulos and Cuomo. They look like opposition researchers, like the Macaca kid.
Howard Kurtz: ABC's Claire Shipman was asking the governor a perfectly legitimate question: What about criticism from officials in Orange County that the state hadn't taken steps that had been recommended in the past to speed the response to these annual wildfires? In fact the Los Angeles Times had a big piece on this yesterday. As a bit of political theater, Schwarzenegger grabbed both of her hands and said there was only good news to report, even though she hated that. And in fact, California handled the disaster reasonably well. But I don't think reporters should be taking the view that everything is so perfect there is no reason to ask a governor about criticism by local officials.
Mount Rainier, Md. -- following up: You sited the Williams and Ryan cases as attempts by the administration to "fake" news and columns before this latest FEMA incident. Did anyone in government get fired for those incidents? If not, why should we expect anyone to get fired over this, Secretary Chertoff's pronouncements not withstanding? And thanks for the honest chat!
Howard Kurtz: I don't recall anyone in the government getting fired over those earlier incidents. And it will be interesting to see whether Michael Chertoff, who professed to be outraged by the FEMA stunt, dismisses or disciplines anyone.
Longmont, Colo.: Can we do away with the headlines like "Obama lashes out at Clinton" or "Dean lashes out at GOP on child health care"? To me, the word "lashes" connotes someone who is desperate and perhaps a little crazy, and is almost an insult.
Howard Kurtz: How about Rips? Slams? Attacks? Denounces? Whacks? We can be pretty creative around here.
Anonymous: "There was an AP article that referred to Qualcomm Stadium as 'civil' during the San Diego Fires compared to the Superdome during Katrina." But when it was all done, wasn't the Superdome "civil"? All the early news reports turned out to be false, right? All we got was a very small "oops" from the press.
Howard Kurtz: The Superdome was a hellhole, with tired, hungry people receiving little to no help and the roof leaking. There were a couple of erroneous reports -- in one case spread by the mayor -- of violence within the stadium, and the media deserve to be criticized for that. But by and large the picture was accurate. Brian Williams was inside and reported on this with great passion.
Baton Rouge, La.: "Now, with 18 candidates at the outset, you can understand why every news organization wasn't running a three-part series on the records of Mike Gravel and Tom Tancredo." Why not? CNN, FOX News, MSNBC all have 24 hours to fill every day, and most of it is garbage. Why not spend some time on in-depth profiles and do something to actually inform the public? Isn't that the mission of the media, to inform the public?
Howard Kurtz: Again, I'm not arguing the point. It would be nice to see more substantive reporting about more candidates. Cable executives, of course, fear that people would click away to other channels, whether they were doing Britney stories or anything else deemed sexier. They would argue that it's been a very long campaign and people are just starting to tune in now, so we should hold them accountable for what they do or don't do in their coverage.
That Project for Excellence in Journalism report, by the way, found that Jim Lehrer's NewsHour did less on the campaign than the networks, but spread the attention more evenly among all the candidates, not just Hillary, Obama, Rudy and Romney.
Thanks for the chat, folks.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Post media columnist Howard Kurtz discusses the press.
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Outlook: Memo to Media -- Quit Quoting Sharpton
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"When the news broke last week that the rapper Nas intended to use a racial epithet for the title of his next album, it was no shock that a television reporter immediately thrust a microphone toward the Rev. Al Sharpton. ... In its recent puff piece on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, '60 Minutes' needed only to unveil decade-old footage of Sharpton to represent the vast numbers of blacks who opposed Thomas's nomination. Some black intellectuals cried foul, arguing that the news magazine '60 Minutes' used a wild-eyed Sharpton to trivialize legitimate critique. But the black pundits are missing the point. To much of white America, and much more of the white media, Sharpton isn't a straw man for black America. He is black America."
Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has written frequently on race issues for Time, the Village Voice, Washington Monthly and other publications, was online Monday, Oct. 29 at noon ET to tell the media to quit trying to depict the Rev. Al Sharpton -- whose resume is embarrassingly lacking -- as the monolithic leader of African Americans everywhere.
Archive: Transcripts of discussions with Outlook article authors
Springfield, Va.: Why is the media getting away with "race-baiting" by putting controversial black figures in the news to represent black people/issues?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: I don't know hoe much interest media has in race-baiting. I've worked as a journalist for about ten years now, and I think the folks upstairs just have a bias toward hits/circulation/newsstand sales/ratings etc. In their defense, they are running a business. It's just that there's an inherent conflict between that, and reflecting the full range of debate.
Annapolis, Md.: Thanks for taking my question. This thread leaves open the question "who does speak for Black America?" Al Sharpton has a claim to fame from being the first to stick his face in before the microphones, but I cannot think of anyone who represents Black America. Thanks.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: The answer is no one. There are people who speak on very SPECIFIC issues involving black America. But why we need an overarching spokesperson is beyond me.
New Rochelle, N.Y.: First let me thank you, thank you, thank you for that article. I have been waiting with bated breath for someone to finally say what you have. Do you think the media "chose" Rev. Sharpton because they see him as a buffoon/clown (the straightened hair, the "Rev." thing, associating him with James Brown, etc.)? I think this is why they put him up as "our" leader, which I resent. I don't have anything personal against the Reverend, but I never have thought of him as my leader -- nor do I need "one" leader, and I certainly don't want a "leader" the white media has chosen as if we are children who need to be told who to listen to. How dare they!? This is something whites have been trying to do since slavery -- trying to control what we see, who we listen to and how we think. We will not fall for these dirty tricks anymore.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Hi all. Thanks for stopping in.
Thanks for you kind words, New Rochelle. Hailing from Harlem here, so good to see New York in the house.
I'm not sure if they see Sharpton as a clown or buffoon, so much as media is just money-crunched right now. What I mean is that deep reporting that reflects the broad opinions and humanity of a group takes investment, it takes resources. Calling up two experts and having them fight it out -- on cable or in the papers -- doesn't really take many resources.
Most of these folks are glad to talk, and have talked so much that they've mastered the formula. They know how to give a good quote or sound bite. That makes things easier for the reporters. It makes things easier for editors/producers. And it stirs up the audience because a lot of us like to argue, for the sake of arguing.
What relationship does any of this bear to the truth? I have no idea. I think all people get caricatured in mass media. But I think for black people this has some really specific, unusual and unfortunate implications.
New Jersey: I found some of your comments quite insightful. Can you tell me where you attended college and how you developed your perspectives on race issues?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Howard University--didn't graduate but got more than my share of education. Got my view on "race issues" primarily from my beautifully black mother and father. They were always conscious and pro-black--but with a sense of humor and irony, that seems to be absent from public discourse these days.
Atlanta: I am sorry you feel that Al Sharpton is an embarrassment to African Americans, but he represents our race very well. Before you go to pointing fingers, what are you doing to help African Americans?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Meh, I never said he was an embarrassment. Just a guy who's got a sleazy pact with mass media.
As for me, I wasn't blessed with the gift of the 15-second sound bite. I'm modest man of modest means. I help my son with his homework, volunteer for his Pop Warner team, try to have dinner ready when my lady gets home, and breakfast ready when she wakes up on the weekend. By and by, I hope to be strong enough to understand that dirty clothes go in the hamper.
What can I say? The revolution begins with a two-parent household.
Ogden, Utah: I know exactly how this happens -- al is on everyone's Rolodex as the guy to call for a quote that will make the boss happy. Plus, being the loudest, he's one you don't dare ignore because the other guys will call him, get that zingy quote, and then you have to tell the boss why you didn't have it too. It's not dissimilar to the coverage of Britney and Lindsay and Paris and so on. Actual real news value has very little to do with it, sadly.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: You're right. Celebrity journalism resembles "real" journalism in more ways than a lot of people want to admit. Having said that, I want to avoid the broad brush. There are some folks -- great reporters and writers -- who are fighting the good fight and looking to capture the complexity of things. We just need more of them.
Fairfax, Va.: I've heard the debate that Sharpton and Jackson are more racially divisive than they are anything else. What's your opinion on that debate? Also, which specific group do you think Sharpton accurately represents?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Hmmm, I'm more sympathetic to Jesse. I was only 12 at the time, but I have fond memories of his 88 campaign. I know he's had more than his share of shadiness since then, and I do wish we could evolve out of the need to picket every minor offense.
I think Sharpton represents one perspective in black America -- one of many. The problem is that he is presented as the dominant one too often. It isn't just that he isn't a black leader; I don't know if there are any "black leaders" anymore, in the grandness of what that used to mean. That's a good thing as far as I am concerned.
Silver Spring, Md.: You state that Al Sharpton has a sleazy pact with the media. Whose fault is that -- his or the media's? There are plenty of media whores out there of all races. I am not a Sharpton fan, but at least he speaks and defends, unlike someone like Cosby who critiques but has no meaningful solutions. And what are you personally doing?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Both, both and both. It's a pact -- meaning it requires two parties.
And as to what I am personally doing, I answered that--trying to learn to put my dirty clothes in the hamper. You think I'm joking; I'm so not.
Winnipeg, Manitoba: This is just me, but if I were a producer/editor looking for an intelligent, pithy comment on black issues in America, the first person I would call is Eugene Robinson. A great combination of eloquence and perspective and a super speaking voice.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Agreed -- smart guy, and a decent human being.
Washington: I am quite sure you are aware of the book "Head Negro in Charge Syndrome" (by a local author), which speaks to larger issues associated with the so-called leadership (Sharpton, Jackson) and this topic. Nevertheless, it indicts not just Sharpton but the few others blacks that hold this so-called media black leadership title, be it black intelligentsia (West, Dyson, Gates) or the preachers. Where do you see the problem, the weakness in our community to form collective bodies of thought, effort or agenda? We do it in our families, and in our immediate social circles...
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Nope. I think there's a lot of money to be made in punditry. It isn't just with us. The Iraq War has birthed a whole industry of opinionate-ers. Doesn't much matter if they're proven right or wrong either. They just keeping going and going and...
Anonymous: Who are you to tell the media that Rev. Sharpton doesn't represent black America? We can agree to disagree. If you don't agree with his views, then you have that right, but you don't speak for the majority of us who do agree with what he is doing. If Rev. Sharpton weren't relevant, this article would not have been written. Usually things that aren't relevant aren't even addressed.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Just one of his loyal constituents!
Washington: I had the great pleasure of watching a talk by Dr. Ben Carson on C-SPAN this past weekend. Here is a brilliant, accomplished, articulate compassionate man who was addressing many of the same issues an Al Sharpton would, albeit without the self-serving, juvenile grandstanding employed by Sharpton (who, aside from a gift for bombast, actually has no accomplishments to his credit). There are many African Americans on the caliber of Dr. Carson -- Thomas Sowell, Dr. Alvin Poussaint and Julian Bond to name a few who speak out on important issues -- yet they do not get media coverage equal to a Sharpton. So the question: Why not? And what is the impact of that?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: I grew up in Baltimore during the '80s. Dr. Carson was god there. At seemingly every summer camp I attended, he was invited to speak. It only recently occurred to me that he was taking time out of his busy day to try to push some positivity our way.
As for everyone else, who can say? I imagine it takes some time to understand the media game. Sharpton's got it down pretty cold. Also, I think there is another key here: Sharpton really, really raises the blood pressure of a lot of white people. In truth, his positions aren't that far afield of Julian Bond's, but Sharpton gets a very particular rise out of a lot of whites, I think. People love to hate him.
Southeast Washington: The one thing I loathe about the Sharpton's, Jackson's and the apparent lack of black leadership is its lack of a collective focus, goal or plan. March on Jena -- okay, but for what? At 21, that seemed logical; at 40, I quickly can think of three or four other avenues that would bring real pressure to the town of Jena, the parish or state of Louisiana. In that regard, shouldn't the Congressional Black Caucus start to receive much bitter criticism? We all know what Sharpton is about, but he simply is stepping into a void that our elected blacks do not address!
Ta-Nehisi Coates: The most disappointing thing for me was to see those cats at the BET awards. I know they got jobbed, but man -- we've got to be smarter.
New Jersey: I usually don't read the paper, but I read your article because I was intrigued by the headline. I'm also intrigued by your responses to the comments and questions of this online conversation. I will now search for your byline. In what section do your articles usually appear? I also strongly agree with your comment that the revolution begins with a two-parent household.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Haven't written for The Post in years -- literally. Only 32, but man I feel so old. I do write here and there though. The life of a freelancer is hard to predict -- and even harder to sustain!
Anonymous: Ever hear of the Willie Lynch Speech? Black-on-black attacks ... so how do we escape?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: It's myth. You've been had, took, bamboozled, led astray!
See here. Hope that went through.
Pittsburgh: P.S. How should we pronounce your name?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Oh, how nice of you:
Harder than it looks -- and it looks hard!
Washington: Ta-Nehisi, I am interested to know how and where you get your best information about black issues. I feel that one of our real problems is that there is no good, non-social newspaper/newsmagazine that publishes the information we need to know. I have begun to rely on several blogs for this information, which is more than I had before, but I still feel a real absence of information. If there were a good news source, perhaps it would help us to pull together and address these issues more cohesively. Do you agree?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Yeah this is a problem. We haven't quite mastered the new economics of media (maybe that's a good thing!) and put together publications, like say Emerge back in the '90s.
I do what most other out of work freelancers do -- read the Times and The Post, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, take in a couple books a month, and play far far far too many video games. I am what I am...
Washington: Do you think that we are "dumbing-down" our race by allowing Sharpton, Jackson, and their ilk to speak for us? We seem to have embraced a lower standard for everything else (approving out-of-wedlock births, encouraging the less-educated and less-experienced to stand up and take control) and the Sharpton issue is just one more way that we have allowed the less-desirable segments of our community to come to the forefront.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Nope. Because I don't think we pick these folks. In their defense, a portion of black America does pick them. But the "there can only be one" syndrome really cripples us. Also you have to remember that times have changed.
Martin Luther King Jr. was essentially a genius -- I mean that almost literally. Segregation took the fight to him -- it made him have to come out and join the movement. What I mean is a lot of our greatest talent is off fighting less public battles these days. But let's not confuse that with not fighting at all.
Clinton, Md.: I think the article was well written; however, I had a problem with the title and some of the comparisons used in the piece. My main concern is that you would pick Sharpton as your topic and basically cut him down when he isn't the problem. He is the person getting the attention and at least when Sharpton is on the story it immediately get a great deal of attention -- that in itself is a plus for valid causes. How much attention would you get if you stood on the corner and complained about something? Don't shoot the messenger; there are a lot of other bad, very bad things that you could be focusing on.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Fair enough. But let's be wary of what gets attention and why. Obesity is murdering black people here in Harlem where I live. The paucity of black wealth is destroying our ability to educate our kids. Every time a black father walks out on his kids, it's like a nuclear bomb being dropped into the community.
No disrespect, but our problems go so beyond some stupid racist kids in Jena and a few some rogue cops. We've got huge overarching issues here, but I think there is strong desire to hearken back to the simplicity of the '60s when evil wore a sheet.
To quote one of my favorite characters from "The Wire" -- the game's the same, but it just got mo' fierce.
Romulus, Mich.:"Anonymous: Ever hear of the Willie Lynch Speech? Black-on-black attacks ... so how do we escape? Ta-Nehisi Coates: It's myth. You've been had, took, bamboozled, led astray!"Come on now, don't give out blanket answers. Where/why is it a myth? Back it up. Hard to get where you are coming from ... need to come to black talk radio one day.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Invite me. I tried to post link. If you didn't get it just Google "Jelani Cobb" and "Willie Lynch" you'll get there soon enough. Cobb is young sharp historian down at Spelman. He basically exposed the whole thing as a hoax. It's all so much deeper than we thought, and yet not...
Hater: With this article, Ta-Nehisi Coates represents the people who have a crab mentality. As much as everyone wants to hate on Rev. Sharpton, how many of them have bothered to do even half as much as he does? He puts his butt on the line for people who have been wronged or otherwise ignored by America, and he dedicates his life to bringing the promises of justice and freedom to all Americans, not just those who are rich and born into prominent families. He is not irrelevant -- Ta-Nehisi Coates is just jealous. And to say that Rev. Sharpton is Black America is just as absurd and shortsighted as saying that Paris Hilton is the poster child for young, white, American women.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: You got me. I'm man enough to say when I've been found out.
Hartford, Conn.: What penalty do you think Don Imus should have paid for his remarks? Should Don Imus be given any credit for apologizing for them and admitting they were wrong? How should similar future instances of making racial comments on the air be handled? Does it make a difference if the person who makes such comments then apologizes for them?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: No idea. I never listened to him, and like a lot of cats I knew didn't much care either way. I guess he's a bigot, but bigotry is about No. 17 on the list of things making life hard for black folks. Okay, maybe No. 12...
Atlanta: I definitely agree with your premise, he seems to be the first called to respond to issues they can put a spin on to make black America look a certain way to the general (white) public. My concern is blacks using the white media to air our dirty laundry. I agree that you have a valid point, but is there another venue that we can use to keep it amongst us? In defense of Al Sharpton, he does have some very positive things two say, but I have to ask whether is he talking out both side of his mouth (jousting with O'Reilly then eating dinner with him the next day)?
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Heh, you wanna see dirty laundry being aired? Isn't the R. Kelly trial going on right now?
Seriously, that's a valid concern. Regrettably, given how many of us there are, and how diverse our opinions are, I doubt we will get that private space. Having said that, the idea of having publications and media vehicles controlled by black folks is important. It isn't always the solution -- see BET -- but it's an important step.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Okay, I guess that's it for me folks. Thanks for having me along. Good luck to everyone. Thanks for reading the piece and for the lively discussion.
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Dr. Gridlock
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He was online Monday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. ET to address all your traffic and transit issues.
The Dr. Gridlock column receives hundreds of letters each month from motorists and transit riders throughout the Washington region. They ask questions and make complaints about getting around a region plagued with some of the worst traffic in the nation. The doctor diagnoses problems and tries to bring relief.
Dr. Gridlock appears in The Post's Metro section on Sunday and in the Extra section on Thursday. His comments also appear on the Web site's Get There blog. You can send e-mails for the newspaper column to drgridlock@washpost.com or write to Dr. Gridlock at 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
Dr. Gridlock: Hello again, travelers. I see quite a variety of questions and comments in the mailbag today. Let me ask you one: Since a reader asked about whether there's a problem with cell phone service in the Metro tunnels, I've been trying to do my own test. (I have a Verizon phone.) So far, I haven't had any trouble. Are there a lot of you having problems like that?
But here are some other questions and comments.
Bethesda, Md.: Any idea of how long the speed restrictions will remain on the Red line between Medical Center and Friendship Heights?
The original information was that this was a simple replacement of a length of track. Has it turned out to be something more complicated?
Dr. Gridlock: I also was surprised about how long the track repairs were taking. The problem was discovered Oct. 21 during the periodic checks of the tracks done with an ultrasound machine. (That's a good thing.) A temporary fix was made that night and Metro expected the permanent replacement of the track area to be done Tuesday night.
I know Metro is very limited in the number of overnight hours it has available to do track work like this and get ready for the morning rush.
On Friday, I asked Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel via e-mail about the lengthening time for the train slowdown. He said: "The areas between Medical Center and Friendship Heights are long areas where entire 39 foot sections of rail are being changed out. So it is taking sometime."
Bethesda, Md.: I developed cataracts in my 30s, due to diabetes, have had the first eye done with good results and will have the second done in November. The right eye is now between 20/40 and 20/50, the left eye is expected to get a comparable result, and both should improve over time.
The most important result, to me, is that I will once again be able to drive. However, I was astonished when, after checking the right eye, the surgeon asked whether I live in Maryland or D.C. When I said Maryland, he said, that's too bad. It turns out that you can drive in D.C. if one eye has 20/50 vision but in Maryland it must have 20/40 vision. I must say, this news stunned me. If there's one aspect of driving that's consistent between the states, shouldn't it be eyesight? Or is it a case of, if you can see sufficiently for your home state, other states have to recognize this? How many people even know for sure what their vision is, much less which states it will permit them to drive in?
Care to comment on this situation? Thanks.
Dr. Gridlock: I know there are some variations in motor vehicle laws between MD, DC and VA. This one I hadn't heard of before. What readers most often talk about with me are variations in passing rules and left turn on red rules -- things like that.
In many cases, the jurisdictions follow federal guidelines -- on highway signs, for example. In many cases, uniformity is good for safety.
I'm glad to hear you're having good results with the surgery. Is it not possible to use corrective lenses to further improve your vision? And perhaps you could just go to the motor vehicles office and take the eye test there?
(If any readers understand this situation better than I, please write in and I'll post your comment.)
Boonsboro, Md.: This from MARC Brunswick line this morning:
Update - Train 878 is still disabled and expected to run 2 hours behind schedule. We regret the inconvenience.
And they want to double ridership?
Dr. Gridlock: The train was having mechanical problems, according to the MTA announcement.
Here's the latest advisory I saw, at 9:11 a.m.:
"Train 878 is on the move 2 1/2 hours late"
You're absolutely right. It's very difficult to see how MARC could double its ridership without providing higher quality, more reliable service. There are a lot of hard working people at MARC and at VRE, but the suburban commuter lines need a big infusion of money to upgrade their services. They also need better deals with the freight lines that own the tracks.
Annapolis, Md.: Is there an end date for the Kenilworth construction which has now gone on for several months. I rarely see any activity in the morning when I travel the route a little before 8 a.m.
And, is there a valid reason why Metro buses do not pull up to the curb to pick up passengers -- there is space set aside for them -- but they stop in the middle of the street blocking all traffic behind them?
Dr. Gridlock: That $35 million District Department of Transportation project on Kenilworth, which got started in April, is scheduled for completion in April 2009.
The buses should pull to the curb. When drivers don't do that, I suspect it's because they don't want to go through the time and trouble of re-entering the traffic.
Lincoln Park: What is the latest on the Anacostia/H St streetcar/light rail project? It seems like the H St corridor might end up getting service before Anacostia at this pace. Also, is it really light rail (a la Baltimore) is it really streetcar (a la Portland)?
Dr. Gridlock: I'll double check with the District Department of Transportation, but here's what I recall: I think the Anacostia light rail demonstration project is scheduled for construction next year.
There was a ground breaking ceremony while Tony Williams was still mayor. But I think that was like the groundbreaking ceremony that Gov. Bob Ehrlich had for the intercounty connector. Nothing actually happened right after that.
The H Street rail project is still a ways off, although tracks might be put down sooner as part of the H Street reconstruction project, so they don't have to tear up the street twice.
Landover, Md.: I would like to know what all the construction work on I-495 is after the RT 50 exit and continuing to Landover. At first I thought it was HOV lanes. Do you think that will ever happen? HOV on 495 -- I would love it.
Dr. Gridlock: I think what you're seeing is the State Highway Administration project designed to turn the Arena Drive junction into a full-time interchange, not just one available during FedEx Field events.
To achieve that, Maryland has to meet federal safety standards be widening out the acceleration and deceleration ramps in that area.
I don't believe you'll see High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on the Beltway in Maryland. More likely, MD will create express toll lanes in which buses can travel for free. But that will be more difficult for MD than it is for VA, which is moving ahead with an express toll lane project between Springfield and the Potomac. There's more land available for new lanes in VA.
Tenleytown, Washington, D.C.: It's currently almost impossible to get from upper NW D.C. to Virginia during the morning rush hour, and vice versa in the evening, with the construction on Foxhall Rd and Rock Creek Parkway. When are we going to get some relief?
Dr. Gridlock: I believe DDOT hopes to reopen Foxhall Road after the morning rush on Wednesday. That reopening got delayed a bit by the rains of last week.
The entire Foxhall Road reconstruction project, between Canal Road and Nebraska Avenue, is scheduled to be done in June.
I get more complaints about the Rock Creek Parkway reconstruction project than any other. Right now, the work is in the median near Virginia Avenue and takes up the parkway's middle lanes. Several more phases of that project are still to come. It's scheduled for completion in the spring, a year after it started. (The P Street ramp on the southbound side is open again.)
Verizon/Metro: I can't keep a signal between underground stations on the Red Line and other people on the trains have also suffer disconnects. It pretty much only works in the stations themselves. This problem is not at all new.
Dr. Gridlock: Thank you for writing in. It's a bit of a mystery to me because it doesn't match my experience: I have more cell phone service bars in the Red Line tunnel than I can get at home in Silver Spring.
Fairfax, Va.: We always complain, so I thought I would praise WMATA for a good thing they've done. The last couple of days, the Orange line has had SHINY, CLEAN trains running, at least some of them. Quite a change! (Of course, they can plead water conservation for having not washed them until now, I guess.)
Dr. Gridlock: Metro GM John Catoe, who does ride the trains and buses, very much wants to get those rail cars clean.
I'm sure readers' experiences on that are still quite varied. Also, it's kind of a downer to stand on a platform and watch some of those nice refurbished cars go by and then have a dingy old one stop in front of you.
Alexandria, Va.: Is there a Web site showing construction phases for the new WWB and surrounding interchanges (a la the Mixing Bowl)? I drive across it to/from work each day (VA to MD and back again) and am wondering if VA is keeping on schedule. MD already has the new local/express signs hung (though they're covered up for now) and seems to be cruising right along on its side of the bridge, while VA seems to be going in slo-mo by comparison. Thanks!
Dr. Gridlock: There's a very good Web site for finding out what's been done, what's going on now and what's yet to come:
The bridge and the four nearby interchanges on either side of the Potomac are all part of one huge $2.4 billion project that so far is on time and on budget.
This coming weekend, there should be some lane shifts along the Beltway near the bridge to help create the new alignment for the approaches. The second new span is scheduled to open next year. The interchange reconstructions are being done in phases. I think Telegraph Road on the VA side will be the last one completed. But that's by design. No one's falling behind on the plan.
Downtown D.C.: I would dance for joy if cell phone reception became impossible on the Metro. I don't want to be a captive audience to someone else's mindless yapping. My train time is my quiet time, it's when I adjust between my work self and my social self.
Dr. Gridlock: I should point out that when I've been doing my cell phone testing, it's just been to pick up voice mail, or look at e-mail. Like you, I don't enjoy those involuntary insights into the private lives of total strangers.
Baltimore: Re MARC train ridership: The real problem for riders on the Brunswick line -- indeed, for any line save the Penn -- is that so few trains are scheduled. I have been a Penn Line rider between Baltimore and D.C. for nearly 7 years, and while I have had a handful of memorable delays, the frequency of service usually means that MARC can find a workaround. On the other hand, many Penn Line trains are standing room only if you arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.
Dr. Gridlock: The Brunswick Line service is indeed problematic. I get more complaints about that line than the others on MARC. Part of the problem, as I recall, is that it's so heavily used by CSX freight trains. CSX owns the tracks and makes its real money on freight, not commuters. So I think that's a limiting factor on how many trains MARC can schedule.
Washington, D.C.: I finally boarded one of the Red Line trains with the new seating configuration. The seats are now parallel to the train sides, not perpendicular and there are straps on the overhead rail.
My verdict: I HATE IT! I am a 5-foot-nothing 50-something woman. There is nothing for me to hold on if I have to stand in the area with the new seating. In fact, there was not enough time for me to walk to an area of the train with the normal seats, where I could hold onto a vertical pole mounted on the seat back. I almost fell when the train started, but luckily, a young man grabbed my arm.
If this is the future of Metro cars, Metro better increase its insurance, because it's going to get sued a lot by elderly riders with broken bones.
Dr. Gridlock: That sounds to me like one of the test cars that Metro has rolling around the system. There's been no decision to expand the number of cars with that type of seating, which we usually refer to as bench seating, or sometimes as New York City style cars.
In fact, GM John Catoe wants to test out more configurations before deciding on the design of the next round of Metro cars.
With the latest cars in regular service -- the 6000 Series, which eliminate poles at the ends of the cars -- I often hear from women of a certain height (including the Grid Spouse) who just hate them, because they can't reach the overhead hand grips.
Washington D.C.: Re: Verizon -- it depends on your phone. I have much better luck with my new one than with my last one and only have problems in the tunnels around Medical Center and Grosvenor.
Dr. Gridlock: Got a couple more responses like this on cell phone service that I'll push out so you can see.
Cell service on the Red Line: Although my Verizon phone always has at least three bars, the SERVICE is awful. I may indeed have three bars the whole time, but I will lose calls as soon as we leave the station and not be able to send texts until we're actually in a station.
Verizon: I originally submitted the question. It seems to have gotten better since then, back to normal, anyway, with a signal most of the time but not always. Thanks for looking in to it!
Dr. Gridlock: Sure. Interesting to see all the comments from people with similar experiences to yours. I'll keep my little test going, too.
Silver Spring, Md.: Cell phones on Metro.
Bars? Oh, I get lots of bars on my Verizon phone when I'm in the tunnels. The problem is that when the train is moving through the tunnels I lose the call more often than not. I don't think I'm alone in this and expect it to be worse during rush hour than other times.
It IS a tough problem for the network to relay dozens of calls from cell to cell as a train moves through the tunnel. Much more complicated than above ground. I just want to add a note that the current system doesn't work very well for me.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks for that extra insight.
Bus drivers and passengers: As a driver, I am generally patient. But I don't like to be stuck behind a bus, and will carefully pass when the way is clear. I hate it when bus drivers don't pull over to stop (especially when there's room to do so). But more troubling is the way passengers exit the bus, cross in front, expecting traffic to be stopped. It's made for some scary moments. I finally realized the passengers are acting as though regular buses are school buses (i.e. all-traffic stops). I wish there was a way we could get passengers to cross behind the bus, or better yet, in the crosswalk.
Dr. Gridlock: I remember a scary moment for some pedestrians earlier this year: I was riding on one of the relatively new MetroExtra buses down Georgia Avenue, and the driver quite correctly stopped for pedestrians who had entered the crosswalk ahead.
The bus driver was the only driver who stopped. To his left, cars continued to pass, blind to the oncoming pedestrians.
MARC track issue: I've never ridden the MARC trains, but the issue you raise about the CSX tracks is a serious problem for the MARC and the VRE, and even for Amtrak. A couple of years ago I rode Amtrak's Auto Train to Florida. It took us about three hours to reach Richmond because the rail operators (I have a mental picture of something like air traffic control) give CSX priority on CSX-owned tracks. North of DC, by contrast, Amtrak owns its own tracks -- hence why the Acela can be reliable while the other trains aren't.
It's a serious problem. I'd like to see a real train service connecting Dulles to Union Station, rather than a Metro line that will take over an hour to ride from Dulles to downtown. A non-stop train on this route would be great. But (a) the tracks don't exist and (b) the tracks that do exist are owned by CSX, who would not stand for the additional heavy traffic.
Dr. Gridlock: Suburban rail service is one of the topics I get a thing about in the column: I think this expanding region desperately needs to improve its commuter rail lines. We can't keep asking commuters to drive to Metro parking lots and garages. They're getting crowded and there's a limit on how many new ones communities will tolerate.
The patched-together VRE and MARC systems we have now are not necessarily a good model for the future.
DC 20011: On my regular bus routes (70, 71, 66, 68, 52, 54), the buses do not pull to the curb because of people parked in the bus zones, making it impossible for the buses to fit into the bus zones.
We need more parking enforcement.
Dr. Gridlock: This is certainly true on many routes, and thanks for the note of balance. But I do think many of us also see buses that simply fail to pull over onto those nice concrete pads that were built for them and instead block a lane of rush hour traffic.
Severna Park, Md.: I moved here from So. Calif and was stunned and how rarely I see enforcement of HOV lanes on I-50. If traffic backs up, people (scores of them) just pull out into the HOV lane (or the shoulders) and go on their merry way. We could probably pay off the Maryland deficit if they would just enforce this one traffic violation.
Dr. Gridlock: It's just impossible to effectively enforce the HOV rules with a set up like you see on Route 50 through Prince George's County. There has to be some real separation between the regular travel lanes and the HOV lanes for the system to be effective.
The best set up I can think of around here is the one on I-95/395, although those lanes are not free of cheaters either.
Rockville, Md.: I have a fluffy question: My father has always been convinced, and now it turns out my husband is as well, that turnpike authorities check the time you entered and left the turnpike system to check your speed and possibly issue you a ticket. Is there any truth to this?
Dr. Gridlock: Many people are concerned about how much information can be collected through the electronic toll systems like E-ZPass.
I have heard that on the New Jersey Turnpike, E-ZPass users may get warnings that they were way too quick getting from their entry point to their exit point. I have not heard of anyone getting a ticket on that basis.
Alexandria, Va.: Regarding cell phone service on the Metro: My Verizon cell phone generally works fine, although service when passing under the river between Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn has sometimes been spotty, and I've had trouble making calls from the platform at Foggy Bottom. But otherwise it generally works fine.
My AT&T Blackberry gets no service, not even on the escalator to the street until I'm almost at the top.
Dr. Gridlock: Thanks to everyone who responded to my question on this.
Washington, D.C.: Has Metro made changes or cut back on out-going Orange line trains from D.C. towards Vienna during the morning rush? Several times last week I would arrive at McPherson SQ between 7:30 - 8 a.m. only to find a 9-11 minute wait for the next train. The wait never used to be this bad.
Dr. Gridlock: I'll check. I'm not aware of any reason you'd be experiencing that, and it's certainly not a good thing. Seems like there's almost no such thing any more as an uncrowded outbound train during the rush period. And a little delay builds quite a crowd.
Germantown, Md.: More of a comment than a question re: the proposed Metro increases. Traveling from Shady Grove to Farragut North, my commuting expenses will rise from the outrageous sum of $11.80 per day to the ridiculous total of $14.55 per day (or a monthly increase from $236 to $291, a 23 percent increase). Instead, I can take the MARC from Germantown at $125 for a monthly ticket and then $1.65 each way on Metro ($158 per month). You do the math, Metro.
Dr. Gridlock: I'd love to hear from more of you about the impact of the proposed Metro fare and fee increases. I'll publish some in my Dr. Gridlock column, so please write to me at drgridlock@washpost.com. (Give me your name and home community for the sign off on the letters, and a contact phone number.) I think this will be a big topic for at least the next couple of months.
Virginia open container laws: What are the laws of having an open container of alcohol in a car in the old dominion?
If the driver is sober, can a passenger have an open can of beer?
Dr. Gridlock: I believe that the law in Virginia says that a driver can be charged with drinking while driving if there is an open container of alcohol in the passenger area, the contents of which have been at least partially removed, and the driver shows signs of having been drinking.
Silver Spring, Md.: Metro fare hike... I know, the topic that won't go away. When Catoe started at Metro (a year-ish ago?) he was talking about taking out some of the lavish accessories that we no longer need to be paying for to lure people out of their cars like we did 30 years ago. So why are we seeing fare hikes BEFORE the carpets are ripped out and BEFORE the 10-foot escalators are turned off? And while we're at it, I keep hearing how labor is the largest cost in a transit system... why does a six-car train come every 1.5 minutes at rush hour instead of an eight-car train every 2.5?? There just seem to be so many obvious cost saving items that haven't been addressed, what am I missing?
Dr. Gridlock: There is more cost cutting possible, but let's not forget that when Catoe came in at the start of this year, he put a proposed fare hike on hold until he could do some cost cutting of his own, which he did. He eliminated a lot of staff slots from the Metro budget and made other cost cutting moves before coming back to the board with his latest proposal.
Part of the eight car thing is needing the new cars to arrive and get put into service.
Dr. Gridlock: I've got to break away now. Some of you asked some questions that I haven't answered because I kinda sorta think I know the answer but on topics like these I don't want to take a chance on giving you bum information.
There are a few questions I see that I'd like to research a little more and address in the Get There blog and the Dr. Gridlock column, so please stay tuned there, and we'll chat again in two weeks.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.
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Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.
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An Enigma Cloaked In a Veil of Silence
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You walk up to Sean Taylor's cubicle in the Redskins' Ashburn locker room and tell him you want to talk. He sees a notebook and a tape recorder and winces. He's not giving you anything.
When you persist, he says, "Have a nice day." But it doesn't come out like that. It's spoken in a cryptic, "Get-out-of-my-face" manner. To him, you're just another hater posing as a concerned journalist who wants to tell the real story of the most feared hitter in the NFL, the safety LaVar Arrington once christened, "The Grim Reaper."
You're not going to write that a 17-month-old baby girl named Jackie melts his heart, how fatherhood makes him feel like more of a mature, young man and less of the moody knucklehead who came into the league four years ago.
You're not going to write that his teammates love and respect him and not one -- not a single one among 35 you interviewed -- has a bad thing to say about him.
You try to tell him your intention is to learn why one of the game's most spectacular playmakers shut down one day and wouldn't let anyone in.
But he can't go there. He's not ready. When you call his agent and his father, they ask if you spoke with Sean first. When you tell them he won't agree to any interview of substance, his father says he'll call you back and doesn't, and Drew Rosenhaus says he has to honor his client's request and not talk either.
So, in the middle of his breakout season -- when he's picking off Brett Favre twice and setting his sights on Tom Brady tomorrow and everything is coming together for the 24-year-old safety -- teammates and coaches speak for him.
"You don't want to see the good in a person like Sean," Clinton Portis tells you. Portis, who sits next to Taylor and the other member of "The U" connection, wide receiver Santana Moss, knows Taylor as well as anyone in Washington. Well, as well as you can know Taylor.
"You don't want to understand the success or the pain he's went through to be where he is. In Sean's situation, there's been so much pain that when you step out here playing football is easy.
"We don't know Sean's story," Portis said. "We don't know who crossed him in the past. You don't know if it came from him being here."
You know this about Sean Taylor. Whether anyone close to him wants to acknowledge it or not, he was on the road to being another Adam "Pacman" Jones. There were spitting incidents, one involving Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman in 2006, for which he was fined $17,000. The son of the Florida City, Fla., police chief also has trouble with the law.
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Sean Taylor is in the middle of his breakout season, yet the 24-year-old Redskins safety continues to let others speak for him.
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